Brad East’s First Things essay “Goldilocks Protestantism” provocatively argues both that historic, classical, and/or magisterial Protestant traditions are in decline, and that all such churches will soon either become anti-traditionalist, biblicistic, non-sacramental churches with non-denominational styles of worship, or have the high church liturgy, icons, incenses, and practices of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Perhaps East’s most surprising claim is that he would not know where to begin if were to set out to find an expression of classical Protestantism in contemporary in Abilene, Texas or West Texas in general.
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Joshua Heavin
Rev. Dr. Joshua Heavin (PhD, Aberdeen) serves as Curate for Pastoral Care at Christ Church Cathedral in Plano, Texas; he is the book reviews editor for Pro Ecclesia, the journal of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology; and he is an adjunct professor in the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University and West Texas A&M University.
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