85 - Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology

Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology
By Daniel L. Migliore
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1991. 312 pp. $18.95.

Introductory texts in systematic theology are rare. Fewer still are those that bridge the gap between the discipline as it was classically presented and constructive theology as it currently occurs. Sparser still are introductions that not only claim to be for novices, but actually are so. These are the tasks Professor Migliore has undertaken in Faith Seeking Understanding.

The book is structured according to the classical loci of Reformed theology and acknowledges its tilt toward Karl Barth. But it is no reflexive Barthianism. Migliore expounds the classical tradition yet synthesizes the insights and concerns of feminist theology and the full range of political theologies, environmentalism, the peace movement, process theology, ecumenism, religious pluralism, and the religion and science conversation. In short, the book brings in the current issues in American religion, including its criticisms of classical doctrinal positions, and recounts the controversies that have historically divided Christian traditions from one another. Yet, it defends the tradition from a left-leaning perspective that gives to evangelicalism and neo-conservatism no quarter.

Chapter five, on creation, exemplifies how all these strands mesh. It approaches the doctrine through the lens of the ecological crisis. Acknowledging that the Christian tradition failed to distinguish dominion from domination of the earth, Migliore counsels a chastened doctrine of creation that grants the human species a less salient place in the cosmological scheme of things. An environmentally responsive doctrine of creation calls Christians to "wise stewardship rather than selfish indulgence, to leadership within the commonwealth of creatures rather than a license for exploitation." Such contrasts between traditional doctrinal construals and those sensitized to political and social concerns run through the treatment of virtually every issue.

The themes of creation reflect Barth's emphasis on both God's freedom and welcoming openness to creation and its future possibili ties. The transcendent Lord of all is no authoritarian suzerain, but a God who supports the affirming, koinonia-building, loving communities so striven for by mainline churches. The radical dependence of creatures on God does not counsel passivity or servility, but recognizes the extreme fragility of life. The goodness of creation rejects all

86 - Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology

dualisms now heavily criticized by marginalized groups. The transforming power of the Holy Spirit to renew creation promotes perfect fellowship with God and other creatures.

While interpolating regnant concerns into central doctrines, Migliore does not forget to introduce students to traditional theological terms and issues, which, in the fifth chapter, are theism, pantheism, and panentheism. In several chapters, he relies on a recent work on the doctrine that presents a variety of analogies or models through which the doctrine has been viewed. In the case of creation, the work is that of George S. Hendry. The popularization of Hendry is not, however, slavish. Migliore glosses Hendry's suggestion that creation be approached as the artistic expression of God by suggesting creation as the play of God's good pleasure. The chapter concludes with a discussion of religion and science. Unsurprisingly, it rejects the creationist conception of conflict between religion and science and counsels fruitful dialogue between the two fields.

Migliore sums up his project in his statement of the content of Christian hope. It is to show that "the purpose of the triune God has been to share life with others, to create a community of love in which all are united without loss of enriching differences." The desire for inclusion without losing the integrity of the tradition is evident on every page of this book. Yet, at the end, this reader is left wondering whether there really are hard choices to be faced by the tradition. There seems to be no real conflict here, no challenges unamenable to reasonable resolution through an aroused theological consciousness and intergroup sensitivity. Traditional doctrines can all be adequately nuanced so as to accommodate current political concerns.

Migliore's goal has been to present theology in language that can be readily grasped by the theological beginner. Hurrah! Of necessity, issues must be so telescoped that philosophical and epistemological subtleties attaching to traditional formulations are absent.

Nevertheless, the book does not tie up all loose ends with a pink-ribbon effect. It concludes with a charming, even funny, group of three imaginary dialogues among almost a dozen theological voices on natural theology, political theology, and the resurrection. Summaries of major theological positions (Barth, Rahner, Reinhold Niebuhr, Moltmann, Pannenberg, and others) are presented in simple language, which should encourage students to read these thinkers themselves. Not since Schleiermacher's dialogue on Christmas Eve has the theological dialogue been so engagingly employed.

Ellen T. Charry
Center of Theological Inquiry
Princeton, New Jersey