Books by author: Howard Snyder (www.gaychurch.org)

Howard Snyder

Radical Renewal: The Problem of Wineskins Today

Amazon reader review: In Radical Renewal Howard Snyder endeavors to examine the church from a biblical viewpoint within the context of modern culture. Based on Luke 5:37-39, Snyder sees the wine as the message of the gospel, which is essential and primary. He sees the wine skins as the way in which the church touches the culture with the gospel, which is secondary though necessary and useful. The problem comes when we take the ever-new gospel and try to contain it within the old wineskins of "outmoded traditions, obsolete philosophies, creaking institutions, and old habits." When we do, the powerful and life-changing gospel is constricted and must burst free. Snyder believes it is time for the church to update her wineskins. To remedy the problem, Dr. Snyder recommends a cataclysm that explodes the current church structures and creates new wineskins.

The Community of the King

Amazon reader review: This book dawns with some definitions and clarifications. First Mr. Snyder contrasts the church as an "institution" marked by the characteristics of status, status quo, principles of human organization, etc. versus the divinely led "kingdom of God." This is a place that is both promised in our future (heaven) and present in our world today (the Church) offering redemption and reconciliation of people to God. He calls this understanding "kingdom consciousness." An excellent example of this contrast is summarized in this quote from Easum's book, "The Church too can be merely smooth-running machinery with a veneer of personalism. Or it can be a radically biblical, caring community of believers totally sold out to Jesus Christ." Snyder approaches the problems of today's protestant church from two fronts. He addresses the change in our world society that marks the end of the Modern Age. Like Easum (discussed later) Snyder challenges the Church to examine our paradigms and discover what prevents us from being relative to this generation. The second front is really a different perspective of the first. First churches must separate what is the Biblically sound, mandated mission, values, and strategy of the Church (Kingdom of God) from the "sacrelized" institutions made by man. Then institutions, which serve a purpose for the church, may be created and maintained so long as they are relevant and useful. Since we understand the difference between them and the truly sacred "kingdom of God," when they cease to be useful, they may be eliminated.

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The Radical Wesley and Patterns for Church Renewal

Amazon reader review: Howard Snyder's third book in his series regarding renewed church life (The Problem of Wineskins and Community of the King) focuses on the contribution of John Wesley to the renewal of existing church patterns. After first giving a brief history of the conversion of Wesley and the growth of the Methodists, Snyder then brings Wesley face to face with today's church. The fundamental issues at stake in Snyder's arguments are 1) How do you renew the church without destroying it? 2) How do you gain an appreciation for the apostolic faith in a contemporary context? 3) How do you touch people that the current tradition of the church doesn't touch? Beautifully, Wesley addresses all of these. It is amazing that Wesley's voice is as fresh today as it was two centuries ago. In Radical Wesley, Snyder brings this voice out with clarity and alacrity to our current situation. I heartily recommend this to those who are searching to address the gospel in light of post-modernism.

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Liberating the Church

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Models of the Kingdom

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The Evidential Argument from Evil

Amazon reader review: The existence of evil - undeserved human and animal pain and suffering - has been a barrier to religious belief for many people. One of those people was this reviewer's mother, raised Catholic but turned atheist after witnessing terrible suffering in her native Scotland during World War II. As she once told me, "when you've seen mothers holding their children, both riddled with machine gun bullets from German planes, it's impossible to believe there's a good God in heaven". Bertrand Russell once made the comment that "no one can believe in a good God if they've sat at the bedside of a dying child."

C.S. Lewis called this issue "The Problem of Pain" in his book of that title. The current preferred term is "The Evidential Argument From Evil" because, as explained in the Introduction, it's not a "Problem" except for people who believe in God.

Readers of this book will discover why belief in an all-good, all-powerful God, in the face of human suffering and evil, is not necessarily "cognitively dissonant". It provides a balanced, fair treatment of the issue by both believers and atheists.

The book is quite technical at times. Several of the essays feature complex equations purporting to illustrate various logical propositions. There is also a good deal of philosophical jargon used. Nonetheless, while the book is not as readable as anything by C.S. Lewis (or Ayn Rand for that matter), it provides the best treatment I've seen in print of the arguments for both sides in this perennial issue.