The Awesome Power
of Shared Beliefs

Five Things Every Man Should Know

By E. Glenn Wagner, Ph.D.
Word Publishing, $17.99

ISBN 0-8499-1213-X

Building on Firm Foundation Stones

Review by Latayne C. Scott

Last year's glut of books dealing with whether or not evangelical Christians and Catholic believers could find common ground had an unfortunate side effect: focus was removed from a more far-reaching and often unspoken issue among Evangelicals--that of whether or not anyone outside "my" denomination could be accepted as saved.

In The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs, author Glenn Wagner notes that unity among the diversity making up Christianity is not only necessary, it is commanded by the Lord. However, he notes, that unity cannot be constructed upon a false league-building in which all differences are ignored. Instead, an insistence upon the basics of historical Christianity (the inspired nature of the Bible; the unique identities of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; and the scriptural meaning of salvation)must precede--and supercede--any judgments and feelings toward those whose styles of worship and church organization make them distinct.

In a way, this book can properly be seen as an anthology as much as a single-author book, for Wagner leans heavily on others in his five doctrinal sections: Dr. Bruce Shelley (the Bible), Dr. Max Anders (God), Jeff Van Vonderen (Jesus Christ), Dr. Jack hayford (the Holy Spirit), and Dr. Rod Cooper (the redemption of man). Each of these authors, along with Wagner, is a lively writer with fresh insights and memorable anecdotes and illustrations. (Examples: liquid-steam-ice to picture the Trinity; a continuously running faucet to illustrate the sense of being filled continuously with the Spirit.)

Though the title of The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs: Five Things Every Man Should Know is an arresting one, the use of the word "men" may limit its audience. Christian publishers are reflecting the real push to appeal to men, especially with the impetus fueled by Promise Keepers and Point Man. But this book has appeal and great value for women as well, many of whom find themselves in leadership positions in women's ministries. In fact, the materials and questions about the five foundational beliefs would be appropriate for any group, teeneagers to adults, of both sexes.

One of the book's most memorable images is one contributed by Karen Mains. She describes a lavish wedding scene in which infinite care has been taken to prepare flowers, attendants, music, and setting. The groom, beaming and immaculate, is shocked along with the onlookers when the bride appearsÑlimping and bleeding, dirty, dress torn. The groom is Jesus, and the hapless bride His Church, which Mains wryly notes, "has been fighting again."

The Awesome Power of Share Beliefs will not, of course, solve all our differences. But an allegiance to the principles taught here--which separate us from non-believers and cultists alike--would certainly keep us from fighting so much and diluting the witness to our Lord.

Latayne C. Scott is a freelance reviewer from Albuquerque, NM.