Beyond Common Ground: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other

by Alden L. Thompson

In Beyond Common Ground, author Alden Thompson examines the common ground that both liberal and conservative Adventists share and he points out that, compared to most other Christians, ALL Adventists are pretty conservative! Thompson believes that in order to have a more complete, accurate picture of God s truth, we need to consider different viewpoints. He also argues that liberals and conservatives don t have to agree, nor do they have to be enemies, but that each should accept the other as sincere Christians who love God and their church and who want to be honest with what they find in the Bible. Thompson devotes much of the book to how to approach the Bible honestly, and he uses illustrations from his own life to reinforce his points. He also emphasizes the importance of an active devotional life.

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Jay Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alden Thompson has been one of my favorite Adventist theologians ever since his forthright discussion of the Biblical evidence in Inspiration: Hard questions, honest answers in 1991 (I believe). This more recent volume, in my view, fails to reach that high standard, but it may offer a more practical and therefore a somewhat more useful guide to reducing current hermeneutical conflicts in the Seventh-day Adventist communion and beyond. Thompson suggests that 2 or 3 'types' of both liberals and conservatives may exist within our church fellowship, using a few relevant typologies (e.g., MBTI; followers of Peter-Paul-Apollos) to illustrate how we differ along various dimensions, adding some pragmatic suggestions for embracing these differences in service to a higher calling - the mission of sharing the good news with the world.

[Marlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alden Thompson writes in search of a place that is incredibly important to find in religion (and the rest of life too, for that matter): the middle.

He makes very astute and humble observations on the fundamental differences between "conservatives" and "liberals" - both in what they find important and what troubles them, with regards to religion. He tries not to pick sides, but rather describes why he feels both sides are rather important. There are pitfalls to being liberal, and pitfalls to being conservative. And there are times when one side is better suited for a task than another. But in the end, and as hard as it is to hear sometimes, both sides remain important.

Sometimes his writing is dry and theological (and it definitely is Adventist-centric - that's the target audience of the book), but he is down to earth. I wish there were more writers, theologians and Christians like him.