268 - Source: What the Bible Says About the Problems of Contemporary Life

Source: What the Bible Says About the Problems of Contemporary Life
By John L. McKenzie
Chicago, Thomas More, 1984. 228 pp. $14.95.

This is the first volume in a new series on the "Basics of Christian Thought," edited by Todd Brennan. Contained in nineteen chapters are "reflections" on death, marriage, divorce, suffering, sexual morality (three chapters), the hereafter, violence and the kingdom, poverty and health, loving one's neighbor, faith, the institutional church, prejudice and bigotry, personal holiness, prayer, the role of women in the church, priesthood and varieties of ministries, and sin.

A rationale for the chapter sequence is not stated, nor is there an evident hermeneutical principle in the responses. Denying the "guru" role, the author reflects on these areas in light of his forty-three years of experience as "a hyphenated priest"-"a priest-teacher or a priest-writer or a priest-scholar (at least in effort)." The reader will be disappointed to find that this is not a careful response to biblical texts, and thus the subtitle of the volume is misleading. It is a collection of wide ranging reflections which lack documentation and exact quotations. Engagement in thought ranges from denouncements of liberation theology and papal positions, to advocacy for equality of women in the church.

The chapters are not tightly argued. An index and bibliography are not included. Careful editorial attention will be needed if this series is to make a significant contribution.

Paul S. Berge
Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary
St. Paul, Minn.