504 - Is There Hope for the City?

Is There Hope for the City?
By Donald W. Shriver, Jr. and Karl A. Ostrom
Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1977. 202 pp. $4.95.

The authors have written a fascinating book. It is kaleidoscopic, citing not only various aspects of urban life, but also some of the wider issues of urban-industrial civilization. Although the-book is not tightly argued, and in a few places even seems to ramble, it contains a rich assortment of theological and sociological insights.

The book begins with the portraits and dreams of six urban dwellers,

506 - Is There Hope for the City?

representing diverse parts or the urban experience. The individuals are skillfully referred to throughout the book and serve to crystalize the authors' arguments. The next three chapters, which contain many useful biblical and historical insights, deal with the Hebrew tradition the church in the New Testament, and an excellent sweep of church history from Augustine and Calvin to the Second Great Awakening. The theological refection on the image of the city at various times in history is well done throughout the book. The authors justify their broad historical concerns with an apt aphorism- "The past we celebrate pre-enacts the future we hope for."

The chapter on "American City Dwellers" not only provides a transition to the contemporary world, but also marks a change in the authors' style from theological commentary to the social sciences. As part of an urban policy study, the authors focused on three small cities in North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill)., The urban sample consisted of 900 residents- The-investigation studied the individual's ability to act, public awareness or concern for the common good, trust or mutually supportive friendship patterns, as well as racial openness. The findings suggested that "the core ethical dispositions of the Judeo-Christian tradition are best nourished when (1) political activity in public life, (2) worship in a religious community, and (3)interpersonal dialogue on the meaning of faith for all life are found together in the lives of people" (p. 109). Regrettably, some individuals with high scores in religious and ethical consciousness often lack both "the personal affirmation and the willingness to be concerned for those beyond their immediate circles if some cost is involved" (P. 108).

The last two chapters, "Becoming Ethically Mature" and "The People of God in Urban America," link together many themes in the book. For example, there is a perceptive critique of the problems and promises of affluent urban-industrial society, such as rising expectations, identity failure as a woe greater than economic failure, and the affluent society's ability to deal with social justice in a way that a poorer one cannot. Although the authors realize that the era of American affluence is over, they see little evidence that this society has the value framework to deal with either affluence or its decline.

The authors highlight the vast discrepancies found in their investigation between public awareness and public expenditures, differences often suppressed to avoid anxiety. For instance, the citizens interviewed saw a need for defense budget cuts, yet they supported politicians who did not favor such reductions. The book provides a variety of scenarios based on personal involvement in social issues, such as health care reform, signing up people for food stamps, the creative use of the media, and concrete involvement in world hunger issues. In these illustrations the authors skillfully link personal commitment and social involvement which are, unfortunately, too frequently divorced. They also address the ethos of industrial civilization with its technical complexity, not as just a series of particular urban, problems. For

507 - Is There Hope for the City?

example, they view the military-industrial complex as a symbol or urban society.

The book does not contain analysis of specific urban policies along with their historical impacts and future prospects. There is not much space devoted to an analysis of economic and political forces that shape the metropolitan environments, nor is attention given to the urban/suburban rifts characteristic of many American cities. But no book could or should deal with everything. These areas are not the authors' focus, and they should not be criticized for it.

The authors do succeed in what they intended. In an age of compartmentalization, where fact is separated from value, sociology from theology, and religion from ethics, it is refreshing to see an integrative approach. And this is always a risky, bold, yet necessary venture that links the social with the personal, theological reflection with the social sciences, and historical analysis with visionary thinking. In an era of specialization, perhaps it is such thinking that is the real task of our religious tradition.

Hence, this is not a book for "experts," but particularly well suited for concerned lay people, college students, pastors, and others who see the need for comprehensive theological reflection.

Norman Faramelli
Massachusetts Port Authority
Boston, Massachusetts