![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/covers\/cover-lost.jpg\")
Overview<\/h1>\nOverview<\/h1>\nLost in the Middle<\/i> directly addresses the very large group of moderate Christians, especially in the United States. They typically do not say that they have both liberal and evangelical instincts because of the polarized environment in which being both liberal and evangelical seems impossible. In fact, they are routinely neglected in favor of the noisy extremes. But they are there, both within the churches, and hovering on its margins. Like people with family members on both sides of a civil war, these moderate Christians don\u2019t feel comfortable taking sides, and can\u2019t see how victory by either side could possibly be a good outcome.<\/p>\n
Few resources exist to help moderates understand their faith and their counter-cultural dream of church unity across the liberal-evangelical divide. They find creative ways to nurture their spirituality when their church environment offers them one-sided rhetoric from the left or the right. Some leave churches altogether in search of a more faithful and integrated religious life. Most stay where they are, with their frustration and longing as constant reminders that something is wrong and that there must be a better way.<\/p>\n
This book is for such moderate Christians, including church leaders who are in a position to help those who feel lost in the middle. It is a resource that will help them articulate their personal faith and their congregational identities. It offers a description of their situation that will evoke recognition: \u201cYes, at last, someone is talking to me!\u201d It gives theological depth and dimension to being lost in the middle by disclosing the uniquely important opportunity that exists in that existential and social location for witnessing to the power of love to unite people across ideological and theological lines.<\/p>\n
The book provides an analysis of the history and sociology of people with both liberal and evangelical instincts that will comfort and educate. It proposes theological and ethical principles that will help Christian moderates to articulate their faith more clearly. Overall, the book will inspire moderate Christians with both liberal and evangelical instincts to maintain Christian unity against the polarized opposites of secularized liberalism and conservative evangelicalism, and to work toward transforming their churches into beacons of loving unity in the face of seemingly intractable culture wars.<\/p>\n
Moderate Christians, including pastors and lay church leadership, will also gain a persuasive and exciting insight into their faith and their calling. Informed church leaders can make a difference in congregations seeking to embody simultaneously the radical inclusiveness of liberalism and the fervent piety of evangelicalism. Being lost in the middle is confusing and frustrating. Properly understood, however, it is the ideal basis for going beyond bumper-sticker slogans to lifestyles of radical Christian discipleship, devoted study, and compassionate social engagement.<\/p>\n
Lost in the Middle<\/i> has a number of distinctive features.<\/p>\n Preface Chapter 1. Five Haunting Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n Pluralism and Relativism: Are We Right? Chapter 2. Behind the Questions: Five Genuine Disagreements<\/strong><\/p>\n Conflicting Visions of Reality Chapter 3. Neglected Moderates<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWho Speaks for Us?\u201d Chapter 4. Culture Wars and Religion<\/strong><\/p>\n Seminary Styles and Congregational Identity Chapter 5. Reasons for the Emergence of Liberal-Evangelical Christianity<\/strong><\/p>\n Frustration Meets Love Chapter 6. The Liberal-Conservative Split in Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n Political Labels and the Muddy Middle Chapter 7. Relations between Religion and Society<\/strong><\/p>\n The Role of Religion in Protecting Democracy Chapter 8. Morality and the Liberal-Conservative Conflict<\/strong><\/p>\n Textures of Moral Reasoning Chapter 9. Basic Sociological Principles<\/strong><\/p>\n The Need to Belong and Religion Chapter 10. Core Message Pluralism<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bonding Power of Love Chapter 11. The Curious Social Strategy of Liberal-Evangelical Christianity<\/strong><\/p>\n Social Strategies of the Major Branches of Christianity Chapter 12. Early History<\/strong><\/p>\n The Origins of Evangelicalism Chapter 13. Modern History<\/strong><\/p>\n The Great Evangelical Split Chapter 14. Liberal Evangelicalism<\/strong><\/p>\n A History All Its Own Review<\/strong><\/p>\n Transforming Self-Understanding, Discerning Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n Appendix: Resources for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n From Amazon.com: There exists a deep and broad population of Christians who feel the labels of “liberal” and “evangelical” both describe their faith and limit their expression of it. By working to reclaim the traditional, historical meanings of these terms, and showing how they complement rather than oppose each other, Wesley Wildman and Stephen Chapin Garner stake a claim for the moderate Christian voice in today’s polarized society.<\/p>\n From Amazon.com: This book explained totally how I was feeling. I was on the verge of leaving Christianity as I could not reconcile my strongly held social justice beliefs coupled with my very personal relationship with Jesus & God, with traditional catholic and evangelical thinking and beliefs. I tried really hard because my fiance is an evangelical christian and I was a catholic but I could not go against who I believed Jesus to be. This book helped but particularly the following book “Found in the middle” saved my spiritual life which really to me is saying it saved my life. Please read this book and its sequel if you are struggling and searching for true meaning of life like I was.<\/p>\n From Amazon.com: For those of us who take scripture seriously, too seriously to take it literally; for those of us in mainline churches, happy that the off-brand churches are growing and appalled at some of their theologies, for those of us who label ourselves both liberal (progressive) AND evangelical, this book, with its companion “Found in the Middle” is a breath of fresh air. Read them! Start with this one first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Overview Lost in the Middle directly addresses the very large group of moderate Christians, especially in the United States. They typically do not say that they have both liberal and evangelical instincts because of the polarized environment in which being both liberal and evangelical seems impossible. In fact, they are routinely neglected in favor of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":327,"menu_order":93,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-315","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1259,"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/315\/revisions\/1259"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesleywildman.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Table of Contents<\/h1>\n
\nAcknowledgements<\/p>\nPart I. Haunting Questions and One-Sided Answers<\/h2>\n
\nPassion and Politics: If I Love Jesus, Am I a Freak?
\nBelief and Doubt: Am I Making This Up?
\nReligion and Science: How Do I Reconcile Conflicting Pictures of Reality?
\nFaith and Action: How Do I Stand for Truth?<\/p>\n
\nConflicting Visions of Authority
\nConflicting Visions of History
\nConflicting Visions of Morality
\nConflicting Visions of Church
\nA Moderate Conclusion<\/p>\nPart II. Lost in the Middle?<\/h2>\n
\nA Demographic Profile
\nThe Reassertion of Moderate Christianity<\/p>\n
\nConflicting Caricatures
\nMutual Attraction
\nAvoidance or Engagement?<\/p>\n
\nFear Meets Hope
\nDismay Meets Gratitude
\nDisgust Meets Wisdom
\nA Moderate Conclusion<\/p>\nPart III. A Cultural Divide in American Christianity<\/h2>\n
\nThe Sociology of Political Fights
\nLiberals versus Conservatives on Institutional Roles
\nWhat Liberals and Conservatives Are Trying to Protect
\nThe Broad Sympathies of Political Moderates<\/p>\n
\nWuthnow\u2019s Orange
\nReligious Influence on State and Marketplace
\nPolitical and Economic Influences on Churches<\/p>\n
\nThin and Thick Moralities in Action
\nWhy are there Differences in Moral Reasoning?
\nA Moderate Conclusion<\/p>\nPart IV. We\u2019re Different, and that\u2019s OK\u2026except when it\u2019s not<\/h2>\n
\nSurvival Instincts and Cultural Aspirations
\nThe Reality of Sin and Religious Responses<\/p>\n
\nThe Unifying Power of Shared Beliefs
\nMismatched Gospels
\nThe Need for a Compelling Message
\nRightly Ordered Principles<\/p>\n
\nBeyond the Major Branches
\nBeyond the Churches
\nThe Liberal-Evangelical Social Strategy
\nA Moderate Conclusion<\/p>\nPart V. Reclaiming a Noble Heritage<\/h2>\n
\nThe Origins of Liberalism<\/p>\n
\nModern Evangelicalism
\nModern Liberalism<\/p>\n
\nLiberal-Evangelical Heroes
\nA Moderate Conclusion
\nConclusion<\/p>\nBlurbs and Links<\/h1>\n