The Evolution of Faith

Starred review from May 9, 2011
No one familiar with Gulley's earlier, controversial nonfiction (If Grace Is True; If the Church Were Christian) will be surprised to find that the Quaker pastor has gotten even more progressive. He argues here, among other things, that there have been "God-bearers" other than Jesus; a focus on heaven, hell, and the afterlife is theoretical and damages the credibility of Christianity; Jesus was not a means of salvation by his death but an archetype of salvationâand so on, heretically for many. If Gulley has any evangelical Christian fans left, their numbers will again shrink. But the low-key Quaker from Indiana does not himself shrink from speaking truthâan essential Quaker practiceâderived from well-sifted pastoral and personal experience. The thoughtful pastor displays more of a Christian spirit of charity toward those who disagree with him than do his theological critics.