BOOK REVIEW

David F. Wells, Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World (Grand Rapids:
IVP, 2005)

David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, is the fourth and

final volume in a series that includes No Place for Truth, God in the Wasteland and Losing

Our Virtue. In these books Wells theologically critique the way our faith encounters the

contemporary culture in the light of the times. Each are centered on the loss of theological

foundation in contemporary culture through investigating its historical, cultural, philosophical

and theological sources. Above All Earthly Pow’rs follows the same format, however, this

time Wells pondered on the theme of Christology and how it, ‘is to be preached, in a

postmodern, multiethnic, multireligious society. (pp.7-8)

Even though the book is written from the perspective of the American Society and culture,

the issues discussed within is relatively like ours and its implications is true within our own

context of today. Wells argues that two developments are defining the contemporary culture

in a significantly new way. First is the emergence of the postmodern ethos and secondly is a

growing religious and spiritual diversity. These two realities press a vital issue upon the

church. As a multicultural society and religious diversity, how can we teach and offers

different alternative spiritualities practices within? How are we to connect with and reach out

to postmodernity? What kind of spiritual yearning does a postmodern person have?

These are some questions Wells based his discussion on. We are living on a time where

individuality is common. People continuously search for meaningful life, and in this

postmodern world, satisfaction is answered in two worlds. One is from God and the other is

the rational ideals of the Enlightenment. This spiritual yearning bears a striking resemblance

to a kind of spirituality that Christians encountered in the second and third centuries AD; the

ancient form of primal spirituality known as Gnosticism. The spirituality considered here was
more of finding self, man to God rather than from God to man. Wells argues that such is the

case of postmodernity.

The climates of our society have caused many churches to become self-focused, lifestyle-

oriented and spirituality accommodated. This is a vital point where we should think about

reaching our culture with the gospels. As social changes breezes through more and more

people will find life is meaningful when they adapt to changes rather than their experience of

God. These spiritual yearnings of postmodernity might define our Christian spirituality.

However, they are two different things altogether and is indeed a battle to individuals in the

church.

Wells also suggest that the road modern evangelicalism is taking may resulted in the disaster

of liberalism a century ago. Modern evangelicals are adapting Christianity to stay in step with

the more popular end of culture, with its therapeutic and consumerist desires. Like the

liberals, this may give a different meaning to Christianity. The danger being in such situations

how can Christ be preached. Under the relentless social and cultural pressure of our time, we

feel very tempted to push the core confessional words of truth from the centre to the margins.

And as we do so, pragmatics and marketing rush in to fill the vacuum.

Such is the atmosphere of Christ in or Postmodern World. Wells points out, the desires and

yearnings are not for submission to Christ, but for satisfaction and self-fulfillment. People

have become harmonious partners with postmodernity, rather than the kind of cultural

protestors that the apostles were in the first century. They preached an outlandish, counter-

cultural message about a crucified and risen Messiah—a message that was despised as weak

and stupid. They didn’t try to varnish or market it. They simply kept proclaiming it in the

plain language of their hearers, with their lives bearing witness that they utterly believed what

they were preaching and sought to live accordingly.

Wells argument should open our eyes as the church of today. As the church, we are the body

of Christ in this post-modern world. We are called to stand our ground in proclaiming the

truth with love about God and in building up our spirituality as a community and with one

other. We are called upon to embrace, engage and continue with the task of being an agent

for transformation and change. “This will happen when the Church humbles itself afresh,

seeks the power and cleansing of God, and ask to have its vision renewed of the victory of

Christ and to see, once again, his greatness.” (pg. 317) In other words, we cannot do it on our

own, we must allow God to make His presence known to us. We don’t have to advertise or

marketize our vision and mission for the world to see rather we must let the Holy Spirit flows

through and make His ways known.

To conclude, as the household of God, we are to express Jesus Christ in the world. He died,

was raised from the dead, and ascended to the Father. He is above all earthly power. He left

us the most important task in the world, to finish His work and proclaim His great salvation

among the nation. This will be revealed if we commit ourselves to a living relationship with

the living God. To build our Christian spirituality amid the postmodern therapeutics

spirituality and we must commit ourselves to one another, to know, live by and defend God’s

Word of Truth.