A fool can ask a question a wise man can't answer.

There is a new book by David Wells, The Courage to Be Protestant, which probably merits your attention. I have not seen it yet but there is a brief related interview in Christianity Today with Collin Hansen.

It seems clear to me that Hansen doesn't know what is going on and his questions are typical of the bookblather CT heartlessly inflicts on its readers. I say that to warn our readers that what looks to me like a somewhat feeble argument by Wells might be Hansen's fault. A series of questions which represents the state of evangelical thinking are followed by a series of answers which I hope were intended to be a polite response aimed at thinking pastors standing behind unthinking editors.

I do have one early misgiving: Wells says that our capacity to think about ourselves, our churches and our world in biblical ways is disintegrating.

Ok, that much isn't in dispute. Clearly there is a lack of proper thought. But for one who thinks, as Wells does, that guys like Hybels are sincere religious innovators working from best motives, it is a bit frightening.

We think as we do about truth, God, self, Christ, and the church, because our thinking has been corrupted, and I suspect we can't nuance our way back to clear thinking. The fact that Hybels and McLaren and Jones are transparently bad thinkers only makes it seem so.

As Eliot said, it is not that we can't believe as we should, it is that we cannot feel as we ought.

I look forward to getting Hansen out of the way and reading Wells for myself.