Beyond Born Again: Toward Evangelical Maturity

This provocative work challenges fundamental assumptions within evangelical Christianity, proposing a radical reexamination of biblical authority and theological certainty. Price, writing from his position as a former evangelical minister turned religious studies scholar, employs historical-critical methods to deconstruct core evangelical doctrines while maintaining engagement with questions of ultimate meaning and religious experience.

The monograph systematically examines evangelical claims about biblical inerrancy, arguing that intellectual honesty demands acknowledgment of contradictions, historical inaccuracies, and mythological elements within scripture. Price contends that evangelical Christianity's insistence on absolute biblical authority creates an untenable position that forces adherents to suppress critical thinking and legitimate scholarly inquiry. His analysis draws heavily on nineteenth and twentieth century biblical criticism, particularly the work of Rudolf Bultmann and the history of religions school, to demonstrate parallels between biblical narratives and other ancient Near Eastern mythologies.

Central to Price's argument is the notion that evangelical faith represents a form of intellectual immaturity that believers must transcend. He suggests that clinging to literalist interpretations and supernatural claims prevents genuine spiritual development and authentic engagement with existential questions. The work advocates for a demythologized Christianity that preserves ethical teachings and existential insights while abandoning metaphysical claims about divine intervention, miracles, and personal deity.

Price's methodology combines textual criticism with psychological analysis, examining how cognitive dissonance operates within evangelical communities. He argues that the "born again" experience, rather than representing genuine spiritual transformation, often functions as a psychological mechanism for avoiding difficult questions about faith and reason. The author proposes that true maturity requires moving beyond supernatural theism toward a naturalistic worldview that can still appreciate religious symbolism and moral wisdom.

The significance of this work lies in its insider critique of evangelical Christianity and its proposal for a post-theistic religious orientation. Price's journey from evangelical faith to religious naturalism provides a roadmap for those experiencing doubt within conservative Christian contexts. His work contributes to ongoing debates about the viability of traditional theism in light of modern knowledge, suggesting that abandoning belief in a personal God need not entail nihilism or moral relativism. The monograph challenges both evangelical certainty and simplistic atheist dismissals of religious experience, advocating for a nuanced position that values religious heritage while rejecting supernatural claims.