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Saving Work: Feminist Practices of Theological Education. Rebecca S. Chopp, Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1995. 132 pp. $12.99.

"One of the most significant changes in theological education in the past twenty years has been the dramatic rise in the number of women students." This observation leads Rebecca Chopp to develop a creative analysis of feminism and theological education, arguing that the feminist practice of narrativity provokes persons to create themselves anew and to nurture education around three themes: imagination, justice, and dialogue. Feminist practices further include a central focus upon more authentic understandings of church (ekklesiality), especially around the theological themes of sin and grace. Those who participate in feminist practices within theological education, she suggests are engaged in resistance to and transformation of what theological education has previously practiced and studied as church. For them, it is "saving work"-revisioning God away from patriarchal habits, exploring how symbols work in the church, and envisioning new ways of flourishing. This is a thoughtful book about a complex reality.

Barbara Brown Zikmund, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, CT.

God, Cosmos, Nature and Creativity. Jill Gready, editor, Edinburgh, Scottish Academic Press, 1995. 102 pp. £9.95.

This volume presents the first four of The Templeton Lectures sponsored annually by the University of Sydney (1991-94). Cosmologist Paul Davies first explores "The Birth of the Cosmos," demonstrating how recent theories of the beginning of the universe pose a new set of issues for religion and philosophy. John Cobb examines the mutual dependence of science and faith in the second chapter and challenges the mechanistic and deterministic view that has dominated science for three centuries. Biologist Stephen Boyden argues in the third chapter that environmental problems can only be solved by a cultural renaissance that gives rise to new institutions designed to address nature-society themes. Finally, Margaret Boden discusses some of the complex psychological factors underlying creativity in human exploration and transformation of conceptual spaces in the arts. Each essay provides a clear and accessible introduction to a set of fascinating issues that have emerged in the science-and-religion dialogue.

F. LeRon Shults, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

Literary Theory. David Dawson, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 150 pp. $11.00.

Paul de Man once remarked that the disputes among literary theorists more and more resemble quarrels among theologians. David Dawson, himself a theologian, treats the work of de Man, Harold Bloom, and Mikhail Bakhtin in this novel contribution to Fortress Press's Guides to Theological Inquiry series.

If de Man's work exemplifies an implacable linguistic determinism singularly resistant to any notion of transcendence, Dawson argues, Bloom's stance represents a spirited rattling of the poststructuralist cage, a chastened defense of the human spirit as irreducible to linguistic processes. As for Bakhtin, Dawson homes in on aspects of his work that emphasize the irreducibility of human embodiment.

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From the work of these theorists Dawson extracts three encompassing categories-text, spirit, and body-that enable him to stage an intriguing encounter between literary theory and Christian theology: between Bloomian spirit and the concept of the Holy Spirit, between de Manian textuality and the phenomenon of scripture, and between Bakhtinian embodiment and the notion of the incarnation. That he so seldom resorts to reductionism in accomplishing this task makes his difficult but rewarding book a model for future dialogue between theologians and secular theorists.

Stephen D. Moore, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS.

God with Us: A Pastoral Theology of Matthew's Gospel. Mark Allan Powell, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995. 156 pp. $12.00.

Mark Allan Powell here offers us a valuable alternative to the cornucopia of commentaries and monographs on the Gospel of Matthew. Powell treats Matthew's theology thematically, drawing the topics for his chapters from categories he finds in pastoral theology: mission, worship, teaching, stewardship, and social justice. Powell should be commended, if only for working in this format; it is an astonishing rarity in its field. More than this, however, Powell produces a useful overview of Matthean theology with respect to the concerns he chooses. Some chapters ace stronger than others; "Mission" and "Social Justice" convince more fully than, for instance, "Worship." Occasionally, Powell succumbs to the temptation to bolster his case by overinterpreting words or phrases that seem more simply to be casual expressions; on the whole, however, the value of Powell's thematic exposition of Matthew outmeasures any technical infelicities or exegetical quibbles.

A.K.M. Adam, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

Jonathan Edwards and the Catholic Vision of Salvation. Anri Morimoto, University Park, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995. 178 pp. $33.50.

This revision of a Princeton Seminary dissertation successfully argues that Edwards' soteriology is surprisingly Roman Catholic: Sinners are not only counted righteous in justification but actually made excellent and holy. Morimoto holds that Edwards on salvation is both Catholic (salvation produces an enduring character in the soul-gratia creata) and Protestant (the character is recreated every moment by God-gratia increata), and that the concept that holds the two together is "disposition," which Edwards defines as a network of laws prescribing specific events. A saved person's disposition is both permanent, with an objective and ontological reality, and immediately dependent on continuous recreation by God. Morimoto's claim that there was an "original ecumenicity which Reformed theology possessed" (and which Edwards enables us to reclaim) is dubious, but he rightly suggests that an Edwardsean soteriology can open up a new understanding of non-Christians as persons not necessarily unsaved but perhaps with holy dispositions as yet not fully actualized. This book is a provocative addition to Edwards studies and ecumenical dialogue.

Gerald R. McDermott, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ.

The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version. Victor Roland Gold et al., editors, New York, Oxford University Press, 1995. 535 pp. Prices, depending on format and cover: $44.95, $29.95, $19.95, $14.95.

This new translation, prepared by well-known biblical scholars who are also persons of faith, has as its goal "to replace or rephrase all gender-specific language

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not referring to particular historical individuals, all pejorative references to race, color, or religion, and all identifications of persons by their physical disability alone, by means of paraphrase, alternative renderings, and other acceptable means of conforming the language of the work to an inclusive idea." The result challenges preconceived notions of what is possible or permissible in translation; even users already strongly committed to inclusive translation will learn much from this work. Especially important is the general introduction, which articulates the specific rationale for each category of inclusive-translational change. When read alongside a more traditional translation, this work will raise readers' awareness of the many explicitly 'and implicitly pejorative or exclusionary expressions in the biblical material or in the various translations.

Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

Sarah Laughed: Women's Voices in the Old Testament. Trevor Dennis, Nashville, Abingdon, 1994. 197 pp. $16.95.

Dennis' objective in this work is to consider certain Hebrew Bible narratives from the viewpoint of women. He provides new readings of the stories about Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Hannah, Bathsheba, and the various women in Exodus 1-4. Dennis' methodology tends towards the literary, with special emphasis upon point of view and plot progression in each of the narratives. With such a limited roster of female characters, the work is, of course, far from a complete treatment of women's voices in the Hebrew Bible. Still, Dennis engages past scholarship of these six stories well. A benefit of this work is that he does not attempt to portray these characters either as unquestionably positive figures or simply as unfortunate victims of a patriarchal ideology but lets them remain in all of their complexity and ambiguity. Especially, thought provoking are his readings of the stories about Eve and about Shiprah and Puah. In all, Dennis has given us a work that is careful in its scholarship, readable, and perceptive at numerous points. It should prove to be of benefit for pastors, scholars, and interested laypersons.

Linda Day, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA.

At Home in Creativity: The Naturalistic Theology of Henry Nelson Wieman. Bruce Southworth, Boston, Skinner House, 1995. 168 pp. $10.00.

Bruce Southworth reflects the growing trend in Unitarian Universalist circles of returning to process thought as an adequate theological perspective "in a world in which God so often seems absent." Southworth provides an introduction to the thought of Henry N. Wieman as representing the more scientific and naturalistic side of process thought. In short sections, he covers Wieman's essential philosophical and theological ideas and places Wieman's thought in dialogue with feminist and liberation theologies as well as with the tradition of Matthew Fox. The value of this work, is to be found in Southworth's intention to introduce Wieman to a new generation. This volume should serve well as a resource for a discussion group interested either in being introduced to Wieman's thought or in considering Wieman's works in greater detail.

W. Creighton Peden, Highlands Institute for American Religious Thought Highlands, NC.

Psalms and the Transformation of Stress: Poetic-Communal Interpretation and the Family. Dennis Sylva, Louvain, Peeters; Eerdmans, n.d. 267 pp. $25.00.

Dennis Sylva, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Saint Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has successfully accomplished something most scholars

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cannot even imagine, namely, producing sound biblical scholarship that is accessible to nonscholars. While Sylva demonstrates a thorough scholarly understanding of the Psalms, his purpose "is to provide resources from our biblical heritage to help parents cope with stress." Exposition of recent psychological studies (for example, Attachment Theory) is accompanied by exegesis of the Psalms, which Sylva views primarily as "expressions of human emotions guided by faith." Psalms 131 and 23 address the topic of "Trust, Security, and Relationships." Psalms 117, 107, and 92, all of which mention God's "steadfast love" and "faithfulness," are treated under the heading "The Basis of Trust." "Sustaining Healthy Relationships" is addressed by way of Psalms 62 and 133. By promoting trust in God as the basis for trust among humans, the Psalms provide "theotherapy," guidance for families in facing the stress and strain of daily life.

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

Faith and the Future: Essays on Theology, Solidarity, and Modernity. Johann-Baptist Metz and J?rgen Moltmann Maryknoll, Orbis, 1995. 206 pp. $18.95.

This book, the third in the Concilium Series, presents articles by Johann-Baptist Metz and J?rgen Moltmann previously published in that journal. Metz, a German Roman Catholic who writes primarily on fundamental theology, and Moltmann, a German Protestant, were two of the primary developers of political theology. This book, with an excellent introduction by Francis Sch?ssler Fiorenza, gives a good overview of their thought since the early 1970s. The articles by Metz focus on the nature of Christian faith, contemporary challenges facing theology and the church, and the tasks and approaches appropriate to a politically responsible theology. Those by, Moltmann discuss the trinitarian nature of God, human rights, fundamentalism, and the proclamation of the "end of history" after the fall of the Berlin Wall. These exciting articles are a model of what it means to write critically aware and socially engaged theology. Though some were written over twenty years ago, almost all contain insights still relevant and awaiting exploration and application today.

Don Schweitzer Wesley United Church, Prince Albert, SK.

Homosexuality in the Church: Both Sides of the Debate. Jeffrey S. Siker, editor, Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1994. 211 pp. $14.99.

The parish pastor has been praying long and hard for the kind of resource that Jeffrey Siker has put together in this helpful volume. Siker, Associate Professor of New Testament at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and a Presbyterian minister, has made an honest effort to defuse a divisive debate of its heat and rhetoric by bringing together into one book a series of thoughtful articles. It is a work that will enable the sincere searcher to enter into open discussion with no prejudice as to the outcome.

The title implies the question "Can the church welcome those claiming a homosexual orientation into its life and membership?" The contents reveal why answering this question is so complex, cutting across Scripture, tradition, reason, biology, ethics, and gendered experience. The book is laid out in a helpful way, addressing the pros and cons of these key topics as they relate to how the homosexual person is understood from each perspective. At the end of each section) there is a suggested method of interacting with the material presented using questions for reflection and discussion.

The objectivity of the volume is found in the whole rather than in the parts. Each contributor offers a convincing argument for his or her perspective. Wherever one

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comes down on the issue, to read this book is to understand that there are thoughtful arguments on "both sides."

Riley E. Jensen, Central Presbyterian Church, Summit, NJ.

Faithful Imagining: Essays in Honor of Richard R. Niebuhr. Sang Hyun Lee, Wayne Proudfoot, and Albert Blackwell, editors. Atlanta, Scholars Press, 1995. 205 pp. $54.95.

In part 1, "Nature: Human and Whole," Margaret Miles provides a fine revisionist examination of Augustine's victory over the Manicheans as the triumph within Christianity of an anthropocentric view of nature. Manicheans taught that because particles of divine light are trapped in the material world, all forms of life are to be regarded as participating in divine suffering and, ultimately, in the process of salvation. For Augustine, human compassion is properly limited to human suffering; it should not embrace the pain of nonrational creatures. James Gustafson's "Tracing the Order of Nature: Niebuhr and the Secular Mind" is the one essay that deals explicitly with Richard Niebuhr's thought.

Part 2, "Self: .Body and Spirit," includes Caroline Bynum's provocative analysis of Dante's Divine Comedy as a turning point in Western religious imaging of the soul as requiring, yearning for, genuine embodiment. George Rupp's thoughtful discussion of "political correctness" is one of two essays in part 3, "Community: University and Church."

These ten significant, unusually clear essays by colleagues and former students bring appropriate honor to Professor Niebuhr, and to the editors of this book.

William H. Becker Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.