Journeys of Faith - A Review

Recently I received a copy of Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism.  It was written by Robert Plummer, a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville.

Journeys presents the stories of conversion from one segment of Christianity to another.  These are not jumps between denominations, but leaps from the Protestant Evangelical world to Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism with one story in reverse of a cradle Catholic moving into Evangelicalism.

The book was setup in a wonderful format.  A person presented his story, then another would kindly refute the reasons given for leaving the former tradition, and the story conclude with a rebuttal on the part of the convert.

The arguments were usually vigorous, but done in a spirit of love, so you didn't feel like you were on a religious O'Reilly show.

As one who left Evangelicalism, I felt a kinship with most of the stories, but felt the refutations never got to the heart of the convert's dissatisfaction.  The issue of authority and Sola Scriptura continued to crop up in each story, and the response never seemed quite adequate to address this issue.

This was an enjoyable read, and humanized rather than demonized those who sincerely question their tradition in favor of another.

While I don't think anyone will be swayed to one side or another, it does open a window to a world that believers in the Evangelical world never consider.

Plummer did a great job, and provided a starting point for future dialogue, and gave a measure of common ground for all who hold to a robust Trinitarian faith.

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