Theologizing in the Radical Middle: Rethinking How We Do Theology for Spiritual Growth in Word and Spirit

This book doesn't endorse any systematic theology; rather, it's about how we theologize. Why do two equally trained theologians, studying the same book and loving the same Lord, arrive at such different conclusions? This theological disagreement, at times becoming personal, spills over from the academia to seminaries and churches. And if history is any indicator, this always weakens the unity of the church. Who needs unity when correct doctrines are at stake, right? But, is the defense of all doctrines worth foregoing the unity of the church, despite Jesus' prayer that ""they may be one even as we are one""? At bottom, our theological contentiousness stems from not recognizing that the way biblical revelation is framed is not designed to be handled the way seminaries typically do. Regardless, we strive for the rightness of our tidy theology, even disowning those who disagree while doing so. The disavowal of continuationists by the Strange Fire crowd is the most recent instance in a long line of placing doctrinal purity over the unity of the body. This book uncovers how Scripture is really structured and how, therefore, we need to theologize differently so that we may grow spiritually in Word and Spirit. ""The life and health of the church has always been debated in the history of Christianity. This book is a needed reminder that unity is not to be taken lightly by evangelicals who firmly hold to the trustworthiness of Scripture. Chang makes a bold attempt toward reconciliation between cessationists and continuationists that hermeneutical tensions can help us in learning to live with mysteries of the divine operation."" –Michael Choi, Torch Trinity Graduate University ""Ryun Chang's Theologizing in the Radical Middle arrives as a prophetic voice for a church divided into warring camps. . . . His paradigm is a new hermeneutic called the Radical Middle, a biblical 'both-and' to replace 'either-or' theologies. From years of teaching among traditional Evangelicals and Pentecostals/Charismatics, he develops the Radical Middle hermeneutic both biblically and practically. In Theologizing in the Radical Middle Chang exposes theologies that divide. He also breaks the good news that results from living in the Radical Middle. For a guide to the full 'both-and' Christian life, I highly recommend this book."" –David A. Reed, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto ""In his book, Ryun Chang calls for balance in theology, doctrine, and ministry. He shows to cessationists and continuationists that there is a certain point on the way, where both movements could find mutual grounds of understanding. . . . Then he stands in the middle upholding both Word and Spirit in healthy tension as the condition for optimal spiritual growth. These hermeneutics, of the Radical Middle, propose a pneumatology that is deeply rooted in the Scripture."" –Miguel Alvarez, President of the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries, Manila, Philippines Ryun Chang (MDiv, Talbot; MA, UCLA; PhD, Fuller) is the Teaching Pastor of Acts Ministries International, a consortium of Pan-Asian churches. Prior to that he trained pastors and taught widely in Mexico for ten years. He is the author of Manual de Misionologia (2005) and a contributor to Reshaping of Mission in Latin America (2015). He and his wife, Insil, live in Philadelphia. They have three grown children.