Upon This Rock
The Nature of Doctrine from Antifoundationalist Perspective
Foreword by Joel P. Okamoto
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
Nearly thirty years ago, George Lindbeck wrote his seminal and highly influential work The Nature of Doctrine. Since that time, there has been no serious attempt at moving beyond the problems he lays out, in particular the problem of foundationalism. Upon This Rock is not merely a response to George Lindbeck's important work; it is an attempt to show how theology and religious discourse can truly move past the particular problems posed by foundationalism--the assumption of and search for so-called objective and universal standards--by looking at just one important discussion within the field: the modern discussion on the nature and function of doctrine. Upon This Rock offers an account of doctrine--an account that includes such topics as the authority of Scripture, biblical interpretation, and the role of the Church and the nature of her doctrine, among others--that moves the Church past the problems of foundationalism and back to her one true rock: Jesus Christ, her Lord.
Robert Fossett (PhD, Concordia Seminary) is Senior Pastor of the historic First Presbyterian Church of Greenville, AL, a founding congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America.
"Though the church has been confessing Jesus Christ is Lord for two millennia, she has also, at times and quite frequently in recent centuries, relied on other foundations for doctrine. Today, we are in Rob Fossett's debt for helping us see how foundationalism has insidiously woven itself into the fabric of the Western church, and for calling us back to the Rock we should have never abandoned."
--Nicolas Farelly, Evangelical Theological Faculty of Vaux-sur-Seine, France
"The explicitly christological account of doctrine in Upon This Rock is timely and prophetic. Fossett's challenge to foundationalism is exactly what the church needs in order to reimagine international Christian unity across the globe. Fossett successfully presses the reset button for biblical, historical, and systematic theology in ways that position the church to face the intellectual challenges of the twenty-first century."
--Anthony B. Bradley, author of
"An antifoundationalist account is one that recognizes its foundations are debatable, open to challenge and rejection. Openness to challenge and rejection also characterizes a christological account of anything, including the Scriptures, the church, and doctrine, because Jesus Christ himself was rejected and crucified. It stands only because God raised Jesus from the dead. A good deal of contemporary theology does not follow through on this conviction, and this fact explains the modern appeal of foundationalism among Christians. They should know better. At any rate, Rob Fossett does, and more than anything else, this explains the consistency and persuasiveness of his account of Christian doctrine."
--From the foreword by Joel P. Okamoto, Concordia Seminary