Aussie blogger Michael Jensen posts ten most pressing issues for evangelical theology today. I’d like to know what you all think, and if you’d change them, what would your pressing issues be? I’ll post Michael’s comments and then post a response.

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The 10 most pressing issues for evangelical theology today

With a dash of hubris (why not, it's a Monday morning) - here are the issues on which I think evangelicals have some work to do. Not that individual evangelicals don't hold strongly to some of these - it is just that either the 'traditional' view is under challenge, or that there is a lack of consensus among evangelicals. This list is, like all lists, meant to provoke and challenge of course - it is meant (and I hope will be received!) in that spirit.

1 - Scripture
How is inerrancy best to be understood and expressed - if indeed it is the most appropriate and useful word to express and uphold the highest possible commitment of the authority of scripture? Can we move beyond the use of the word as line in the sand and actually articulate what we mean by it in the midst of a post-biblical culture?

2 - God
Now that the 'openness of God' distraction has been overcome, there still seems to be a tension between the position known as 'classical theism' and the more 'biblical personalist' position.

3 - Election
Election is always a tough one. Double or single? Have new readings of Paul made a difference to what needs to be said about Israel? What is the purpose of the doctrine of election, dogmatically speaking?

4 - The Atonement
Even between those who would agree that penal substitution is an indispensible part of the Bible's teaching on the atonement - what place does it have within the whole scope of the Bible's teaching?

5 - Justification
The debate between Wright and Piper over imputation reveals some faultlines. Imputation seems a necessary corollary of an evangelical testimony to justification by faith. But what are its exegetical foundations? And will 'union with Christ' prove to be a more fruitful model to explain this teaching?

6 - Anthropology

I think theological anthropology is right at the missional cutting edge, and the more thinking evangelicals can do about it the better. That is not to fall prey to the temptation to collapse theology into anthropology, or to get distracted by all kinds of anthropologically interesting byways, but to give a full and rich account of the meaning and purpose of human life.

7 - Sin

Sin is a corollary of the doctrine of man... Once again it is a missionally urgent task to give an articulation of sin that is as full-orbed as we can make it. This is one instance where 'biblically faithful' and 'culturally aware' are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The mute incomprehension of our contemporaries as they hear contemporary preachers talk about sin highlights the problem.

8 - Philosophy & Theology

Evangelicals seem genuinely undecided about this as a group. Is philosophy good, bad, or indifferent? A friend, or a foe? Is a philosophy-less theology simply naive? Or is a philosophy in addition to theology a blasphemy?

9 - Apologetics

A connected issue, then, is that of apologetics. Ought we to do apologetics at all? Many evangelicals have invested very heavily in apologetics. But to what end? Are the models of apologetics - evidentialist, presuppositionalist (does anyone actually understand what the heck presuppositionalist apologists are saying?) - enough for the needs of the day?

10 - Church
Evangelicals have always prided themselves on being ecclesiology-lite. They have achieved far more in terms of ecumenical co-operation than other forms of Christianity as a result. Ecclesiology is secondary. However, there are numerous settings where this needs to be revisited, given the rapid realignment of denominations and the retreat of Christendom.

11 - Hermeneutics
I don't mean hermeneutics in the sense of perspectival readings etc, but in the sense of asking the question: what makes the bible a unity? In what does a richly theological reading of Scripture consist?

Maybe it’s a cultural thing. Maybe these are all ‘hot’ issues among Aussie theologians. Dunno. Issues change. I know that in my own denomination (AG) issues that are really important among our California church aren’t important at all on the East coast, and visa versa.

1 - Scripture
2 - God
3 - Election
4 - The Atonement

5 - Justification
6 - Anthropology

7 - Sin

8 - Philosophy & Theology

9 - Apologetics

10 - Church
11 - Hermeneutics

I scratched through issues I don’t think your average Evangelical in the US is all that focused on.

I’d also tie theological issues to cultural questions. People are generally motivated to think theologically by the everyday concerns of getting along in life. “What’s this matter?” or “What difference does it really make?” are ultimately the questions average believers put to theological issues. And where the implications theology has for everyday life aren’t made clear or maintained for long, people lose interest. Sure, you’ll always find people who are philosophically/theologically minded who like to argue about the finer points of some of these questions, but by in large the scratched through issues won’t maintain peoples’ interest very long if you can’t tie their importance to everyday concerns.

Having said that, I think the homosexual question is a huge cultural issue that Evangelicals have yet to face squarely. So the theology of gender/sexuality would be among my top ten theological issues. Perhaps we could include this under Michael’s “Anthropology.” If so, fine.

Sin of course it always an important issue—rhetorically (should we still call sin ‘sin’?) and vocationally (How is the church to be prophetic in the world without calling down ‘on the issues’—racism, war, poverty, sexism, family values, murder, etc.—if it never takes stands on these issues?). I know we’re fond of “just being Jesus” and loving others without being “judgmental” in what we say. But there are actions to engage in that declare a position on issues, and as such speak prophetically about what God considers ‘sin’. So ‘sin’ (call it what you will) makes my top ten theological issues.

I’ve recently become convinced that the question of what the “Church” is and how we are the church in the world is hugely important. Ecclesiology is certainly among my top ten.

“God” of course makes the top ten. I’m still convinced that our deepest beliefs and assumptions about God (who he is, what’s he’s like, what he wants, etc.) motivate us more than any other set of beliefs. Our view of God will ALWAYS be among the top ten theological issues.

I debated whether the inerrancy of Scripture ranks among the top ten evangelical theological issues. But in the end I’d say it does.

The rest of the issues Michael listed didn’t impress me at all as being top ten issues.

So far, mine are:

1) God

2) Scripture

3) Gender/Sexuality

4) Ecclesiology

5) Sin

My remaining five would be:

6) State/Church relations (perhaps included under Ecclesiology).

7) Religious Pluralism (perhaps included under Pneumatology and/or Missiology).

8) Universalism (Don’t be surprised! More and more evangelicals are embracing UR).

9) Suffering & Evil (God's providence in an evil world--still the biggest reason people offer for rejecting belief in God).

10)

I’m still thinking on 10.

What would ya’ll say?

Tom