by: Leonard Allen
Released 7/20/2021
Find Your Bearings and Chart a New Path
All throughout the modern period, there has been a steady campaign for people to “think for themselves” without tradition’s distorting restraint. As a result, many Christians now blindly sip a watered-down faith, marketed as “no creed but the Bible.” But, as Leonard Allen shows, we are always traditioning—even if one doesn’t believe in tradition. And in this time of theological uncertainty and confusion, that process calls for new intentionality and seriousness.
In the Great Stream will show you what the Great Tradition is, and how it can be our ally providing weight, ballast, and bearings to all those who seek to live out—and to hand on—the faith. Discover the vital recoveries that we need to make that draw on classic Christian orthodoxy. These older ways are the key to renewing our hearts and our churches
Leonard Allen serves as dean of the College of Bible and Ministry at Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee. His most recent book is Poured Out: The Spirit of God Empowering the Mission of God (2018)
"This book offers a paradigm-stretching interpretation of the restorationist impulse in Christian life and thought. Well researched and engagingly argued. Enthusiastically recommended!"
―Timothy George, Distinguished Professor, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture
“Leonard Allen has long been a trusted guide for those of us in Churches of Christ, helping us understand the (often) subterranean cultural influences and beliefs that led to both the strengths and vulnerabilities of the American Restoration Movement. I'd love to put a copy of In the Great Stream in the hands of every young minister in this heritage. The book is a primer on the defining convictions of Churches of Christ; it is a stern warning of the shortcomings of a group devoid of rich appreciation for historic Christianity. Allen provides a hopeful call to imagine again the ways of Restoration as we live out the vision of the Triune God: anchored in scripture, centered in the Christian story, empowered by the Holy Spirit, bonded together with so many others in the Great Stream in a patient mission with God.” --Mike Cope, Director of Ministry Outreach, Pepperdine University
"No one has done more in our time than Leonard Allen to acquaint us with the riches of Restoration history, theology, and practice. Now, in this fraught season, he gives us arguably the most significant book of his long and productive career. In the Great Stream is a capacious survey of the current state of Churches of Christ, with a passionate call to rediscover and reconnect with the classic, orthodox Christian tradition." --Darryl Tippens, Provost Emeritus, Pepperdine University; author of Pilgrim Heart
"Is tradition a blessing or a burden? Yes! Are creeds a blessing or a burden? Yes! Leonard Allen has been thinking through this double yes for decades in the context of Churches of Christ and In the Great Stream is the culmination of Leonard Allen's life's work. Rather than deny that we have any part in the Great Tradition of church history, In the Great Stream offers readers a celebration of the ongoing work of the Spirit for a world that desperately needs churches and Christians who know fully who they are and how God brought us to our present place. A book for our time? Oh, YES!" ―Randy Harris, author of Living Jesus, Daring Faith
"In the Great Stream is just in time for the rising generation of leaders in Churches of Christ. Many of us have known that theological tradition is both inevitable and essential for the sustenance of ecclesial communities, but we haven't quite known where to start with that knowledge, or what to do with our own traditions, as we forge ahead. Leonard Allen provides us with a solid navigational chart―one that directs us toward the rich texture of the past which is ours to claim, yet allows for our preserving the best of our own traditioned identities along the way. I hope that we will all read and re-read this book together." --Lauren Smelser White, assistant Professor of Theology, Lipscomb University
ISBN 9781684265022
Pages 240
Demensions (inches) 6 x 9
Weight (pounds) .5
