DESCRIPTION
Here is the much-anticipated sequel to David F. Wells' widely praised book
No Place for Truth, which garnered multiple "Book of the Year" awards from
Christianity Today.
Building on the trenchant cultural and religious analyses of evangelical Protestantism set forth in his first volume, Wells argues in
God in the Wasteland that the church is now enfeebled because it has lost its sense of God's sovereignty and holiness. God, says Wells, has become weightless. He has lost the power to shape the church's character, outlook, and practice.
By looking afresh at the way God's transcendence and immanence have been taken captive by modern appetites, Wells is able to argue for a reform of the evangelical world--a reform without which evangelical faith will be lost--and develop a powerful biblical antidote to the modernity which has invaded the church.
AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS
Christianity Today, Number 5 on the Top 25 Books of the Year list (1995)
REVIEWS
Christian Ministry
"A remarkable and thorough criticism of the contemporary church's relation with modern consumer culture. . . This book will either infuriate or elicit amens."
Release Ink
"An important and courageous look at how modernity—has caused us to view God as somehow weightless in His influence on the Church. . . This is not light reading, but Wells' capacity for apt phrasing and stabbing insight makes it a rewarding experience."
World
"Those who have adjusted worship services to make them more appealing to non-Christians or have advertised their churches without reference to Jesus Christ may not want to read this book. But they should."
Library Journal
"Continuing the examination of evangelical theology he started in No Place for Truth, Wells expands on the previous work by offering a remedy to the diminished place of theology in the church by suggesting a return to a belief in God and away from culture modernization or worldliness. Wells is convincing in his statements that mass consumerism and self-obsession lead to mega-churches where the 'consumer is sovereign, the product (in this God himself) must be subservient.' . . . An extensive bibliography makes this book a useful addition for more substantial religion collections."
Christian Century
"David F. Wells speaks for a great many commentators inside and outside the evangelical camp when he contends that American evangelicalism is sick at soul. . . Wells's work is being hailed as a bombshell by evangelical leaders who hope it will wake up American evangelicals and alert them to their peril."