That’s right I finally did it. I bought my first book by none other than Gregory Boyd, this one is co-authored with Paul R. Eddy. The book I bought was “Across the Spectrum, understanding issues in Evangelical Theology“. The book deals with doctrines that have been debated with evangelicals, and each position is presented as persuasively as possible. According to the introduction:
The goal is to broaden students’ minds by helping them empathetically understand a variety of perspectives while training them to think critically for themselves.
The goal is not indoctrination, in other words, but the development of people who are able to arrive at their own convicitions in a prayerful, critically informed manner — whether they agree with the teacher or not… The purpose of this book is to facilitate teachers in achieving these objectives…
Our hope and prayer is that this textbook will aid students in arriving at their own informed theological convictions and in developing an understating of and appreciation for the views of those with whom they disagree. We trust that the attitude this learning experience fosters is that captured in the ancient maxim, “In the essential things, unity. In the nonessential things, liberty. In all things, charity.”
I cannot express how much I appreciated the tone of the introduction. I hope that this book lives up to its proimse and does present all views fair and persuasively.
On The Path 
Congratulations on your first book purchase!
Nathan, I have been meaning to read something by Gregory Boyd, just have not found a topic that has written on that has been of interest to me. I saw this today at the book store and it grab my attention. There you have it.
Great choice, Rob – Boyd, though he takes some “edgy” positions on issues, is above all a teacher. He does a good job of giving everyone a fair hearing in that book. Great for small groups and SS classes too.
Sam
That’s not much of a Boyd book though. He doesn’t really share any of his own positions or opinions in it. It’s a good book though and I love how they draw up a scenario at the beginning of each chapter that makes the topic more interesting and relevant. I wish there were more books on theology that showed how it related to regular life.
Bryan L
Sam, so far for what I read it has been really good, and fair.
Bryan, I hear you. But I have not liked Boyd for whatever reason, so this is actually changing my whole position on him which is a good thing — I hope.
I also wish there was a lot more books like this.
I’m glad you’re warming up to Boyd. Without reading him directly, it’s easier to dislike him. Reading him, it’s harder to figure out why other scholars really don’t like this guy. He’s solid. He pastors in the Twin Cities where I pastor and this man has taken bold BIBLICAL stands that I’ve really admired over the years.
Dan, thanks for stopping bye. Yes this book is very good, and well written. I would have to assume that other don’t like him because of his stance on Open Theism. I plan to read “God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God” but I wanted to read something else that he wrote first to help me better understand his overall positions. I know that he does not clarify what positions he takes in this book, but it does give me a view into his method of writing, and comprehension on matters.