by Douglas F. Ottati. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2006. ISBN 0-664-50289-X. Pb., 116 pp. $17.95.
Some book titles provide no clue to what lies within. Douglas Ottati’s latest book is as advertised: theology for liberal Presbyterians (and other endangered species). I take issue with the title only in the sense that I think the book is not just “for” liberal Presbyterians. What Ottati has to offer can enrich the quality of theological reflection and discourse regardless of one’s perceived and preferred label.
That is not to say you will agree with everything he sets forth, but then I am not sure why the measure of a book seems to be our ceaseless head-nodding consent. Some who read his book may well conclude he is clever and articulate but, in the end, only marginally Christian. Such a conclusion would be unfortunate and false because Ottati is not only a committed person of faith, his exposition of the faith conveys as much.
Why this book now? He is concerned that in the current political, cultural, and theological climate, traditional theologies (that include a liberal slant) have been rendered nearly invisible. Not so long ago journalists sought out people like Harry Emerson Fosdick, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Paul Tillich to help interpret the events of the day in the light of faith. Today the sought-after spokespersons for the Christian faith are Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Joel Osteen. Ottati is concerned by the ways the Christian faith has been so narrowed that it is increasingly identified today as the “Christian right.” Presbyterians (and indeed Christians across the globe) deserve to be aware there is an honored and faithful alternative.
Ottati wrote this book for three reasons: (1) he is a liberal Presbyterian theologian; (2) he believes being theologically liberal represents a distinctive way of being a faithful Presbyterian; and (3) he believes liberal Presbyterians still have important contributions to make to the church in a world where modern communications, sciences, technologies, economics, politics, and social systems continue to exert significant influences. (p. viii)
The author acknowledges an integral and problematic feature of liberal Protestantism is its inherent theological plurality. While the “right” sometimes proposes lists of essential theological tenets in an attempt to set strict boundaries and narrow the faith, the liberal branch of Protestantism does not. He sets forth some characteristics those who espouse liberal and progressive theologies tend to share. Liberal Presbyterians will be: Reformed and ecumenical, theocentric and worldly, Christ-shaped and generous, realistic and hopeful, ecologically inclined and humane. (pp. 3-7)
The book includes twelve chapters. Some are revised versions of pieces written for other publications. One chapter is a revised sermon. Some are written specifically for this book.
Running through everything he has written is insistence upon the primacy of the grace of God and gratitude as our most appropriate and classic Presbyterian response. At the heart of our faith and theological reflection is the conviction that “we belong to the God of grace. Once we are clear about this … we live in assurance, refuse to set limits on the extent of God’s faithfulness, and refuse to exclude anyone from the scope of grace and redemption. We then work for an inclusive church, support a ministry of reconciliation, and invite everyone everywhere to lay hold of the assurance and confidence that come with the knowledge of a gracious God.” (p. 20). I suppose people may disagree, but I have trouble understanding why.
He has us consider how we belong to the God of grace, the theology of grace as it relates to the Service for the Lord’s Day, the logic of grace in the confessional standards of our church, evangelism, and the Golden Rule. Ottati takes up the debate over gay ordination and marriage. He confronts the ways our national insecurity in the aftermath of 9/11 has contributed to the inordinate and idolatrous trust many people have placed in this nation and its leaders. He reminds us again and again that careful theological reflection is not an optional “head-trip” — but an intellectual activity that remains indispensable for those who wish to make a faithful witness. (p. 102)
Early in his book, Ottati calls upon the progressive wing of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to engage in the discipline of sustained theological reflection and discussion — to put such reflection and discussion on the front burner and leave it there. He offers a number of suggestions about the content of such reflection and discussion — but his final suggestion is that we commit ourselves to reading at least two good-quality books on theology and theological ethics per year (pp. 8-9). Ottati’s book would be a good place to start.
Bill Klein is pastor of Lexington Church in Lexington, Va.
