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April 29, 2007

Robert Webber, RIP

Several of us offered in the November 2006 issue critical appraisals of the Ancient Evangelical Future movement led by evangelical scholar Robert Webber. While we certainly did not agree with Professor Webber and his colleagues on how they applied the ancient-future paradigm to contemporary evangelicalism, all of us resonated with his zeal to connect the churches to our patristic roots.

Professor Webber died Friday, April 26, after a long struggle with sickness. Let's pray for comfort for the Webber family, friends, and his many students around the world, even as we look forward to seeing him in the gloriously Ancient Future of our Lord Christ.

Posted by Russell D. Moore at 01:31 PM | Permalink

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My thanks to the editors of Touchstone for noting Bob Webber's passing on this blog. I was a student at Wheaton College from 1984-1988, though I never had a class with Bob. His book, Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail, was influential in my spiritual pilgrimage from congregational evangelicalism to an anglo/catholic ecclesiology. Five years ago, I became the library director at Northern Seminary, and I felt like I was just starting to know Bob as a colleague and friend. Faculty meetings went faster with Bob there as he was always quick with a motion and a second (whether in order or not) lest business should start start to drag a little. I especially regret that I never took one of his classes, as I came to learn from Northern's students how greatly they appreciated him in the classroom, how he blended the roles of teacher and mentor maintaining an extensive network of former students who still consulted him for advice. I believe that the Ancient Evangelical Future conferences have something to contribute to a contemporary renewal of the evangelical movement, august opinions of the Touchstone editors notwithstanding. Indeed, Touchestone's continuing participation in this dialogue would be a fitting tribute to Bob who was always genuinely interested in getting people to talk to each other (as long as it wasn't prolonging a faculty meeting). I hope you will join us at Northern Seminary November 30 - December 1 as we continue the conversation that Bob started.

Posted by: Blake Walter | Apr 29, 2007 10:20:47 PM

Professor Webber did a great service for Evangelicalism in providing early and compelling aids to contemplation of its place in, and responsibilities to, the Catholic tradition. One of the things that struck me most about his earliest work on the subject was his provision of a strong counterclaim to the prevalent notion (very strong in writers like Carl F. H. Henry--at least Henry in his prime) that Evangelicalism itself was the proper heir of that tradition. Whatever truth was in that conviction Webber regarded as provisional to the movement's finding itself within something larger. On this, I think, he was always right. May he rest in peace.

Posted by: smh | Apr 30, 2007 10:00:26 AM

I attended his seminar on worship twice a number of years ago when I was involved in worship planning in a reformed congregation. His seminars introduced me to the worship of the early church and articulated in important ways what I and others were trying at the time to accomplish in our reformed setting: reinvigorating the reformed tradition of that church. (We lost out to a more pop-culture-friendly evangelicalism.)

I am not as enthusiastic about his most recent work as I have journeyed away from an essentially cafeteria-style approach to worship. Some of his engagement with and promotion of ancient practices is encouraging, but what happens to such worship when evangelical churches find a new flavor-of-the-month? What often seems to be missing from the mind set of those who are eager to implement ‘ancient future’ worship is the notion that liturgy should not be ordered by a pick-and-choose method.

“How about some candles in our worship.....” “Hey, what about dancing down the aisles....” “I visited a church on vacation and they did something really cool...”

Nevertheless, evangelicalism is greatly in his debt for putting liturgy on the map, and I am grateful for his stimulation, which pointed me towards the great Tradition.

Posted by: kate | Apr 30, 2007 11:07:45 AM

re: the abuses of "ecletic liturgy" -- "wisdom is justified of her children".

Posted by: James A. Altena | Apr 30, 2007 2:22:26 PM

Bob was a dear freind, brother, mentor and father in the faith. He hated it when I called him “father.” He only wanted to be a brother–no accolades or special honors. But the reality is that he WAS a father in the faith to a great number of us in this generation and in the generations to come through his writings, his schools at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies and the Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future at Northern Seminary, and his years of teaching at Wheaton and Northern. He taught us that theology is not about the “what,” but the “so what.” And he lived the “so what” even as he showed us how to live and die in Christ. We love you, Bob, and pray for comfort for Joanne and the family (Steph, Lexy, John and Jeremy).

Well done, thou good and faithful servant!

Posted by: Jim Hart | May 3, 2007 11:13:44 PM

Should anyone stumble across this late comment and be interested -- there is a tribute page for Bob Webber available at http://www.seminary.edu/about/WebberMemorialTributePage.htm

Posted by: Blake Walter | May 7, 2007 11:32:28 AM

I was disappointed in the strident critiques of Bob Webber's work in Touchstone. I nearly cancelled my subscription as a result. The content and manner of the criticisms seemed uncharitable. I am glad you have been willing here to acknowledge his contributions of someone who wanted to help the church in various traditions to recover her story. What was so wrong with that?

Posted by: David Naugle | May 8, 2007 9:45:37 PM

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