563 - Book Notes

Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God. Dorothee Soelle, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 126 pp. $12.00.

In three opening chapters, the author outlines difficulties people have today in their speaking of God, their imagining God, and their naming of God. Two concepts of God are at odds with each other in these attempts. One idea is that of God as the boss, the one in charge with all the power at his command, a concept that Soelle declares to be an idol. The other concept is of a God who is "small, a minority, . . . unsuccessful." The latter understanding of God must be grasped existentially rather than rationally.

In subsequent chapters, Soelle reviews the manner in which God shares in the pain of humanity., a participation that comes into full view in Jesus Christ, whom she identifies as "a man for others." Finally, the book turns to a consideration of human engagement in God's work, making the presence of God a reality.

Although more clearly intended for a northwestern European audience than an American one, this s liberationist-feminist approach to questions about God's power and presence will be very attractive to many in the United States who share the author's perspective and who resonate with the questions she addresses.

Johanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

I Am My Body: A Theology of Embodiment. Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel, New York, Continuum. 1995. 108 pp. $11.95.

In her provocative new book, Moltmann-Wendel argues that, despite the centrality of the body in the life of Jesus and his ministry (the New Testament is, according to her, a "body story"), Christianity quickly became ambivalent about the body as it incorporated Western dualism's division of body and spirit. This ambivalence has :influenced how Westerners have viewed their own bodies (both male and female and how the church has discouraged enjoyment of the body in favor of a disembodied and other-wordly spirituality. Moltmann-Wendel calls on Christianity to reorient itself on the body and reclaim its distinguishing characteristic: God's becoming body in Jesus. By encountering humanity in a body, God validated the body and everything related to it (our enjoyment of the body, relationships with others, relationships with the world around us), and Moltmann-Wendel argues that it is time for Christianity to explore the implications and possibilities of this liberating action by God.

Mark K. George, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO.

Ethics in Business: Faith at Work. James M. Childs, Jr., Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 165 pp. $12.00.

We are indebted to James Childs, Academic Dean and Professor of Ethics at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, for his volume on ethics in a business-oriented society. He is conversant with the literature in the field as he addresses his Christian understanding of love to the realities of business practices. Childs's ethic of love is based on respect for individual autonomy, the intrinsic worth of persons created in

564 - Book Notes

God's image, the pursuit of justice, preserving the sanctity of life, truth telling in all dealings, and promise keeping. Maintaining healthy relationships is more important to him than rules.

The Christian ethic of love must be practiced through constant dialogue carried out in a spirit of openness while upholding core convictions without dogmatic rigidity. How this can be executed in the context of global diversity is the challenge that confronts Childs and us as we prepare for the twenty-first century.

Carnegie Samuel Calian, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA.

Long Ago God Spoke: How Christians May Hear the Old Testament Today. William L. Holladay, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995.353 pp. $38.00, $20.00 (pb).

William L. Holladay, Professor of Old Testament at Andover Newton Theological School, gathers his accumulated wisdom in order to "relieve the fears" of those who might otherwise avoid this oft-neglected portion of Scripture. He presents this summing up as "a manual of theological considerations" intended to "stimulate a reading of the Old Testament for listening-an expectant listening that heightens the possibilities for hearing God."

Holladay tackles all the hot spots head-on: laws of sacrifice, the wrath of God, "those battles," signs and wonders, interminable lists, apocalyptic visions, Song of Songs, prayers against one's enemies, and "female and male." He opens the book with a survey of critical issues (including a crucial: discussion of metaphor), frames the specifics with a presentation on covenant (a key to many of the "solutions" he proposes), and ends each chapter with summaries and "New Testament Perspectives."

Though Holladay's target audience may be more skeptical than most parishes (Do we really need another description of the Reed versus the Red Sea?), and though the range of bridges to understanding is sometimes unnerving (from Carol Meyers' work on the social location of urban males to Holladay's experience of singing Mass with a boys' choir), this book is commendable for its approachable style and its, willingness to deal straightforwardly with the whole of the biblical witness -L whose very variety holds the key to the power with which it can speak.

Richard N. Boyce, First Presbyterian Church, Belmont, NC.

Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets. Renita J. Weems, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 150 pp. $14:00.

Grown out of her 1989 Princeton Theological Seminary dissertation, this book presents Renita Weems's exploration of the marriage metaphor in the biblical book of the prophets Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Showing the biblical rhetoric’s effects of fascination and repulsion on audiences, the four chapters sample similarities and differences among the three prophetic books' representations of women, sex, and marriage. Weems exposes their violence and misogyny, convicts some of them as expressions of male fantasies, and raises provocative theological questions from a Christian African American woman's perspective, warning of the danger of metaphor becoming reality. While one might be disappointed by the scarcity of biblical texts being read closely, the thematic scope and theological depth of Battered Love make this book invaluable for everyone concerned about the power of biblical language and metaphor, whether in the world of ancient Israel or in the contemporary realities of domestic abuse and violence against women everywhere.

Angela Bauer Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA.

566 - Book Notes

The Trivialization of God: The Dangerous Illusion of a Manageable Deity. Donald W. McCullough, Colorado Springs, NavPress, 1995. 172 pp. $16.00.

This is a good book, written out of rich pastoral experience and serious theological reflection upon the First Commandment and its significance for today. The author, still new to the office of president of San Francisco Theological Seminary'; writes refreshingly of the God who is without regard to human desires, projections, or imaginations. McCullough speaks of and for the God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ and continues to do so through Scripture, sermon, and sacrament. This holy God, who is wholly other than us and wholly for us, is not to be identified with such manageable deities as "the god of my cause" (liberation and feminist theologies), "the god of my understanding" (evangelical and orthodox theologies), or "the god of my experience" (Pentecostal and charismatic theologies). Nor is this God to be confused with the therapeutic and patriotic divinities identified respectively as the god of my comfort or success and the god of my nation. Recommended for thoughtful pastors and laity.

Thomas W. Gillespie, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

Christopraxis: A Theology of Action. Edmund Arens, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 205 pp. $17.00.

In this volume, Edmund Arens formulates a theology from the perspective of the theory o communicative action. This theory, indebted to Jürgen Habermas and Karl-Otto Apel, articulates the claims entailed in any act of human communication. In this way, a communicative theory of action recasts traditional philosophical problems (for example, questions about truth, the status of "mind" in philosophy) while providing a means to explore and judge claims implied in social life.

In the first part of the book, Arens provides a helpful overview of the theory of communicative action and clarifies the challenge it poses to Christian theology. For those needing an introduction to Habermas' work, this provides a good beginning point. Arens turns, in the second part of the book, to a communicative reading of the biblical witness, especially the message and praxis of Jesus. In the final section of the volume, the author specifies the systematic and practical perspective of this account of fundamental theology. Throughout, Arens engages a wide range of work in current theology and the biblical witness.

What to make of this volume? It is, as noted, a useful account of the theory of communication and theology. Yet one wonders if the Christian tradition is so easily translated into contemporary theory. And if it is just a version of this theory, why struggle with' the tradition and its strange and wondrous claims on life?

William Schweiker The Divinity School of the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

First and Second Peter, James, and Jude. Pheme Perkins, Louisville, John Knox,
1995. 20;4 pp. $32.00.

Pheme Perkins, Professor of New Testament at Boston College, has written a helpful addition to a helpful series, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.

Perkins suggests that these four epistles are pseudonymous. First Peter is written to encourage Christians who feel alienated from the dominant "pagan" society in which they live. James is an epistle of Jewish Christian wisdom, combining typical wisdom themes with reverence for the law. Jude is a polemic in the form of a letter, using typology to warn Christians of its time by the example of false teachers of former days. days. Second Peter is written as a farewell testament from the Apostle to the churches. Perkins clearly thinks that 1 Peter and James, at least, have been undervalued as resources for the church's life.

568 - Book Notes

The commentary is rich in allusions to Jewish and Hellenistic background material. There are also practical connections to churches today. We can guess almost as, much about the church for which Pheme Perkins writes her newsletter columns as we can about the churches for which these epistles were written.

David Bartlett, Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, CT.

Responsibility and Christian Ethics. William Schweiker, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995. 255 pp. $54.95.

As pluralism and technological power increase, our culture's resources for ethical reflection diminish. We seek self-fulfillment and authenticity but not much else. In an ambitious and learned book, William Schweiker, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School, addresses this situation by attempting to reconstruct the idea of responsibility. Casting his net widely over philosophy and social theory as well as theology, he criticizes recent accounts of responsibility (including those of Barth, Tillich, H.R. Niebuhr, Hauerwas, and Hans Jonas) and offers insightful analyses of agency and moral identity. Schweiker proposes an alternative theory of responsibility, the fundamental imperative of which is "In all actions and relations we are to respect and enhance the integrity of life before God." Readers undaunted by the book's theoretical focus, rigorous argument, and price will appreciate Schweiker's effort "to renew the enterprise of Christian moral philosophy."

Paul Nelson, Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH.

The Image of God: A Theology for Pastoral Care and Counseling. Leroy T. Howe, Nashville, Abingdon, 1995. 187 pp. $16.95.

Aware f "post-Enlightenment" perspectives and theological approaches, Leroy T. Howe chooses the "more traditional way" in discussing Christian beliefs about the image of God. Nevertheless, Howe's pastoral sensitivity, prophetic nature, and critical insight provide the reader with a stimulating book that cannot be described as conventional or "traditional."

The Image of God affirms that pastoral counseling enables a person to discover in himself or herself the image of God. This image is often lost during times of suffering and' distress. Responsible theological discussion, supported by a concise look at object relations theory, argues for the importance of a theological anthropology for pastoral care and counseling. Case studies, mainly of crisis counseling, illuminate the discussion throughout.

Howe 'wrote the book primarily for pastors, pastoral counselors, and "secular" psychotherapists interested in "religious and spiritual matters." In addition, seminary students searching for a pastoral identity will find The Image of God a supportive conversation partner.

Jaco Hamman, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

Christianity and Democracy: A Theology for a Just World Order. John W. De Gruchy, New York, Cambridge University Press, 1995. 291 pp. $59.95, $17.95 (pb)

This is an ambitious and provocative effort by the Professor of Christian Studies at the University of Capetown to relate Christianity and democracy, both historically and analytically. It includes a general theory on the contribution of biblical thought to democracy, a history of Western religious and political thought, and five case studies of the interaction of Christianity and democracy in the United States,

570 - Book Notes

Nicaragua, East Germany, Africa, and South Africa, concluding that "the democratic vision as such owes more to the prophets of ancient Israel than it does to the journey that began in ancient Athens." Christian theology is discussed in terms of the contributions of the prophetic tradition of the Bible, the implications of the doctrine of the Trinity for a democratic and Christian anthropology, and the role of the church as a "sign and model ... of God's justice."

Readers may quarrel with some of the specifics, as I did with the monochromatic account of the history of early and medieval Christianity as the triumph of absolutism, hierarchy, and patriarchalism, and with the claim that the East German revolution was "hijacked" by "liberal capitalist democracy" and "stripped of its assets." (Tell that to the western German taxpayer who has to pay a surcharge to subsidized the, bankrupt economy of the former German Democratic Republic.) Nevertheless, this is a comprehensive and sophisticated account that should be added to reading lists in seminary and university courses on religion and politics or church and society.

Paul E. Sigmund, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

Equal Value: An Ethical Approach to Economics and Sex. Carol S. Robb, Boston, Beacon, 1995. 198 pp. $25.00.

Robb, Professor of Christian Social Ethics at San Francisco Theological Seminary, analyzes burdens on American women in a market economy, paying special attention to the unequal distribution of domestic work and the unavailability of quality childcare. Robb claims that parenthood is not a fundamental meaning of sex and employs the liberal vocabulary of "freely chosen life plans," sexual "self-determination," and "procreative choice" to advance her theory of gender justice. Yet she retains a social understanding of sex and gender by claiming that children 'are a communal responsibility; that factors like overpopulation should limit individual choice; and that women's economic participation is inhibited by domestics violence, sexual harassment, and bias against gays and lesbians. She develops biblical ideals of justice and Roman Catholic social teaching toward an ethic of ,economic interdependence and mutual responsibility. The book is a tremendous source of economic and sociological information about women's employment and children's welfare.

Lisa Sowle Cahill, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA.

Women in the Presence: Constructing Community and Seeking Spirituality in Mainline Protestantism. Jody Shapiro Davie, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995. 163 pp. $14.95.

In this' fascinating ethnography, Jody Shapiro Davie provides a vehicle for laywomen in a suburban Presbyterian church Bible-study group to speak anonymously about their spirituality. Davie, a folklorist, joined the group as a participant-observer °for eighteen months. Her obvious respect and affection for the women led them to trust her with information about spiritual experiences and beliefs that they do not share with the group as a whole. Davie shows great insight in exploring the subtle connections between the women's private spiritual beliefs and experiences and the restricted communication that occurs in the Bible-study group. She identifies the communication dynamics that allow women of quite diverse theological perspectives to learn and grow together. Davie's descriptive study offers rich data for theological reflection within the church and the academy.

Janet L. Weathers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

572 - Book Notes

The Godless Constitution: The Case against Religious Correctness. Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore, New York, W. W. Norton & Co., 1996. 191 pp. $22.00.

The "religious correctness" in the subtitle refers to the argument-advanced by, among others, Stephen Carter and this reviewer-that the First Amendment's "free exercised, clause has been wrongly limited by court decisions and by dominant habits of public discourse. Kramnick, a political scientist, and Moore, a historian, both at Cornell University, set forth in civil fashion a familiar and thoroughly secular re reading of the Constitution, emphasizing "strict separationism" between church and state and warning against what they see as threats posed by the "religious right." Although tendentious, their historical reconstruction of the Founders' intention is informed by scholarship, and this volume will no doubt be welcomed by readers who are troubled by the resurgence of religion and religiously grounded moral judgment in American politics.

Richard John Neuhaus, Religion and Public Life, New York, NY.

The Psalms and the Life of Faith. Walter Brueggemann, edited by Patrick D. Miller, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 292 pp. $18.00.

This volume performs the extremely valuable service of bringing together fourteen previously published essays by Brueggemann, who, in the editor's words, "has done more to influence the interpretation and `use' of the Psalms than any other American scholar of his generation." Beginning with the widely influential "Psalms and the Life of Faith: A Suggested Typology of Function," part 1 deals directly with the Psalms. The first two essays deal generally with the function and form of the Psalms. The next three focus on the laments (Brueggemann's songs of disorientation), and the final one on praise. Part 2, "Covenant and Canon as Context,' puts the theological themes of the Psalms in the context of the larger canon; it also considers the significance of the shape of the entire Psalter. Part 3 consists of four essays on specific psalms, Psalms 9-10, 37, 77, and 109.
All the essays are characteristic of Brueggemann-exegetically incisive, pastorally oriented, sociologically sophisticated, and theologically profound.

J. Clinton McCann, Jr., Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO.

Mysticism: Holiness East and West. Denise Lardner Carmody and John Tully Carmody, New York, Oxford University Press, 1996. 323 pp. $25.00.

In this,”confessedly introductory" volume, Denise Lardner Carmody, of Santa Clara University, and John Tully Carmody, until the time of his death, also of Santa Clara, aim to illuminate "the mysticisms of the world fairly and interestingly." Their confession is accurate and their aim is true: The volume is introductory, appealing to', the general reader, to the college undergraduate, and, as a general reference' and supplement, to seminary and graduate students; and the volume presents a difficult and diverse subject in an even-handed and lively way. Beginning with a definition of mysticism as a "direct experience of ultimate reality," the volume offers a survey of the mystical elements of the six major world religionsHindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions-and of mysticism in religious practices of oral peoples: The authors trace the history, beliefs, teachings, philosophy, and devotional practices of each religion as well as examine the lives and works of select mystics from each tradition. The book is to be specially recommended for comparing and contrasting the mysticisms between and among traditions.

Steven Chase, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA.

573 - Book Notes

Whispering the Lyrics: Sermons for Lent and Easter: Cycle A, Gospel Texts. Thomas G. Long, Lima, OH, CSS, 1995. 136 pp. $11.25.

Preachers who envy the incredible homiletical gifts of Thomas Long will not be comforted in their clerical covetousness by this new collection of Long's sermons. Here is the fruit of a master homiletician at work. In his foreword, Long quotes Edmund Steimle's observation that sermons ought not to be packages neatly wrapped but rather "rings left on the surface of a lake when a swimmer went down in deep water." Long manages both to venture beneath the surface of things, diving deep, and to do so in an appealingly playful, inviting way. He is thoroughly biblical, in the deepest sense of the word, yet never pedantic, never condescending in his biblical interpretation. Each sermon is formed and driven by that Sunday's Gospel. Long reads Scripture with a poet's eye and thereby sees things that we more prosaic types have missed. His Easter Sermon, "Running Around the Empty Tomb," is a surprise, a fresh reading of the gospel.

Augustine said that preaching serves a dual purpose: to teach and to delight. Long is a master teacher of homiletics. Here, he teaches us preachers through example. Yet he also delights. Long manages to engage us with the deepest truth of the gospel in a style that is lively, warm, and invigorating. For that alone, I envy him much.

His illustrations-more metaphor than illustration, actually-are always engaging, apt, and appropriate to his biblical text. Furthermore, the stories-and Long is a master of homiletical narrative-always open up new insights and understandings of the text. In fact, I intend to use this book in a preaching class as a demonstration of the art of narrative in preaching.

The move from the penitential, reflective mood of Lent toward the exuberant, joyful shout of Easter has rarely been more biblically, skillfully, or delightfully made than in these sermons.

William H. Willimon, Duke University, Durham, NC.

The Clearest Promises of God: The Development of Calvin's Eucharistic Teaching. Thomas J. Davis, New York, AMS, 1995. 236 pp. $52.50.

In this revision. of his dissertation, Thomas 'J. Davis, professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, attempts to correct the faulty assumption of modern scholarship that Calvin should be trusted when he claims. that his views on the Lord's supper never really changed over the course of his career. By tracking the development of Calvin's thought, Davis demonstrates that many of the critical elements of Calvin's mature eucharistic theology, as expressed in the 1559 Institutes, were not developed until after the controversy that greeted his endorsement of the Zurich Consensus of 1549, a eucharistic formula designed to unite the Reformed churches of Switzerland. Davis' well-documented argument suggests that Calvin, in his early career, may have been much closer to the Zwinglian understanding of the Lord's supper than has previously been thought. Davis' book is a solid treatment of Calvin in the context of Calvin's own writings, but it is somewhat disappointing that Davis does not attempt to show how the development of Calvin's thought may have been influenced by reformers such as Bucer and Melanchthon.

Craig S. Farmer, Milligan College, Milligan College, TN.