Christianity's Dangerous Idea

A New Interpretation of Protestantism and Its Impact on the World

The radical idea that individuals could interpret the Bible for themselves spawned a revolution that is still being played out on the world stage today. This innovation lies at the heart of Protestantism's remarkable instability and adaptability. World-renowned scholar Alister McGrath sheds new light on the fascinating figures and movements that continue to inspire debate and division across the full spectrum of Protestant churches and communities worldwide.



Summary: McGrath's Thought-Provoking Book
Rating: 4

Alister McGrath has written a very informative and thought-provoking history of Protestantism from its beginnings in the 16th Century to the present. Although McGrath is considered to be an evangelical anglican, he writes from a scholarly and objective view, showing Protestantism "warts and all." Although not a trained theologian, I found the book to be readable, accessible and interesting. A major theme of the book is the historical development resulting from the Protestant ideas of Sola Scriptura, and the priesthood of all believers. Without an official or authoritative body to mediate disputes over the interpretation of Scripture, McGrath shows how these basic Protestant ideals have led to a diversity of doctrinal outcomes in areas such as the nature of the sacraments, baptism, church government, spiritual gifts, the role of missions, and the role of women in ministry. On a critical note, he seems to analyze some of the current disputes in the mainline denominations over sexual orientation in the same terms, whereas, most evangelicals would see the clear weight of scripture as condemning the recent developments in the liberal wing of the Episcopal Church and other denominations. On a similar note, McGrath seems to downplay the viability of detailed church confessions such as the Westminster Confession, and he seems to feel that once we go beyond the very basic ideas in the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds, we are in the Never-Neverland of chaotic Protestant disputes that can not be resolved without a magesterial body to mediate these issues. McGrath does not really offer any meaningful solutions to the problems of Protestantism that he identifies. The final portion of the book focuses on the often overlooked statistics about the current demographics of Protestantism, most notably the explosive global growth of Pentecostelism and the shift of its center of gravity to the southern hemisphere. The data suggests that Protestantism in its modern form is not dying but alive and well, and most of all unpredictable. Overall, I enjoyed the book. It challenged my thinking and opened my eyes to a number of issues I had not considered.