The writings of Stanley Grenz remain one of the treasures of evangelical theology. He pioneered evangelical engagement with postmodern thought and culture, remaining faithful to the historic traditions of the church without being enslaved by them. His concern to bear witness to the truth of the gospel in a way that was comprehensible to contemporary people led him to be creative and innovative in connecting Christian faith to the day-to-day complexities of life and the shifting cultural landscape. In order to do this most faithfully, he believed it was important to do the sort of rigorous scholarly research and analysis characteristic of academic inquiry as a means of demonstrating the coherence of the Christian vision. He also believed it was important to make the results of this work available in a form that could be grasped and appreciated by those in the church, many of whom were keenly interested in the contents, conversations, and controversies of their faith but who often had little interest in the intricacies and nuances of technical scholarship.
In keeping with this conviction, Stan wrote for both the academy and the church. On the academic side, the two published volumes of his projected six-volume The Matrix of Christian Theology series make a significant contribution to the field of systematic theology and set an agenda for one of the most ambitious undertakings of trinitarian theology in recent years.1 On the more generally accessible side, his book What Christians Really Believe & Why led one reviewer to consider whether Stan was the next C. S. Lewis.2 The present work, Created for Community, brings together Stan’s commitment to doing serious thinking about the meaning of Christian faith in our time with his conviction that theology is not simply an intellectual enterprise for a few highly trained scholars. Rather, it is intended to be a transformative discipline that is ultimately in service to the life, witness, and mission of the church. Three aspects of this volume are particularly noteworthy in this regard.
First, one of the central concerns of the book is that the goal of theology is not simply intellectual reflection or right thinking but also the activity of bearing witness to the good news of God’s presence in the world through a distinctive way of life. This theme is clearly set forth in the subtitle, Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living. From this perspective the way we live becomes a central element in the task of theology, for it is when our beliefs actually make a difference in our lives that we are most fully engaged with the transformative significance of thinking carefully and critically about Christian faith. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of theology is not simply to establish proper belief but rather to assist the Christian community in its calling to live as the people of God in the particular social-historical context in which they are situated. For Stan, one of the most basic characteristics of good theology is that it facilitates and leads to authentic participation in the mission of God by enabling faithful performance of the gospel by the Christian community.
Second, the emphasis on community as an integral part of God’s design for creation is an important corrective to the individualism that permeates both our society and the church. This was a central component in all Stan’s thought and functions as an important integrative motif in his theology. The intention of God is to establish community that transcends every human division, people from every nation and ethnicity, every socioeconomic status, consisting of both male and female who find their identity in Christ (Gal. 3:28). While the fullness of this community will be realized only at the completion of God’s creative intentions, it is the vocational calling of human beings created in the image of God to anticipate this community in a partial yet genuine fashion. The biblical characterization of the church as the image of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit points to its significance as a focal point of the representation of God in the world. In light of this, Stan articulates a theology that does not lose sight of the individual but asserts that individuals are created for the purpose of participating in community.
Third, the book takes seriously the significance of culture in the work of theology. Because Christian communities are always situated in particular social and historical settings, it is important to remember that all expressions of Christian faith are shaped by the cultural context in which they are embedded. One of the implications of this is that theology is an ongoing discipline and not something that can be done once and for all. Rather it draws on the language, symbols, and thought forms of a particular time and place in order to communicate the gospel and the biblical story in ways that will be intelligible to contemporary people. In light of this state of affairs, we must be careful not to absolutize any particular cultural model lest it impair our ability to discern the teachings and implications of Scripture. We must also remember that because culture is diverse and ever changing, particularly in the technological and fragmented age in which we live, we need to be alert to shifting developments and trends in order to communicate the Christian message as clearly and effectively as possible. In light of Stan’s convictions on the importance of the contemporary setting in the articulation of theology, Created for Community is full of cultural connections and allusions. However, since the volume was first published in 1996, much has changed and many of the cultural references are dated. In order to do justice to Stan’s approach to theology, this new edition has been capably updated by Dr. Jay Smith, who served as Stan’s research assistant for many years.
May this revised edition of Created for Community introduce a new generation of readers to Stan’s work and help to spark and continue the ongoing reformation of evangelical theology for which he worked, hoped, and prayed.
John R. Franke, DPhil
Executive Director and Professor of Missional Theology, Yellowstone Theological Institute
Professor of Religious Studies and Missiology, Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven
General Coordinator, The Gospel and Our Culture Network, North America