615 - The Living Word of the Bible

The Living Word of the Bible
Bernhard W. Anderson
Philadelphia, Westminster, 1979. 117 pp. $4.95.

This book contains four lectures originally delivered at the Virginia Theological Seminary. The problem of the Bible as Word of God has been dismissed by some as old fashioned, but the reality which it covers is always new and the church cannot avoid discussing it in every period of history.

In "Word of Imagination," Anderson selects the story of the testing of Abraham to show how historical criticism illumines rather than alienates Scripture from modern Christian thinking. In "Word of Narration," the story of the Exodus enables us to transform memory into dramatic participation, and to consider in a fresh light the problem of history and revelation, for it introduces the central motif of God's presence. In "Word of Liberation," the reader is confronted with the paradox that God's liberating Word liberates also from Scripture. The final chapter, on "Word of Obligation," which moves from prophecy to apocalyptic, describes the impact of biblical faith upon political responsibility. The book is a little masterpiece.

Samuel Terrien
Washington Depot, Conn.