Each week in Influential Books and Authors we hear from a noted scholar on the author(s) and book(s) that have been most important to them for spiritual and intellectual growth. This week we feature New Testament scholar and teaching pastor, Douglas Estes.
Douglas Estes is Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Western Seminary-San José and Lead Pastor at Berryessa Valley Church, San José, California. He received his PhD in Theology from the University of Nottingham, UK. His publications include The Temporal Mechanics of the Fourth Gospel: A Theory of Hermeneutical Relativity in the Gospel of John (Brill, 2008) and the forthcoming, SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World (Oct. 2009).
He likes the PDC? Heretic! Burn Him! Obviously not truly reformed
Posted by: dac | Friday, July 17, 2009 at 09:54 PM
Dac,
Actually, liking the PDC book is I believe what makes me akin to some of the best aspects of the Reformed movement. What I like most about PDC, and why I believe it will continue to be significant, is because it is about first principles. What makes a church? What is a church? What drives a church? If you read Warren carefully, he clearly states that the purpose of the book is to set out what he believes are the purposes of a church. Whether we can tweak him on this is not the issue; the issue is that just like the Reformers centuries before, he more than anyone else (on a popular level) has described very clear, unmistakable marks for the church in the latter half of the 20th century.
I know it is not 'cool' anymore to like the PDC, it is very, you know, 1995, but I feel it will continue to be a classic into the 21st century.
Call me uncool, but don't burn me at the stake. Blessings to you,
Posted by: Douglas Estes | Monday, July 20, 2009 at 07:27 PM