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The Double Massage: Patterns of Gender in Luke and Acts. Turid Karlsen Seim, Nashville, Abingdon, 1994. 301 pp. $29.95.

The single message of this book is the significance of the narrative sequence of Luke-Acts for understanding the role of gender in Luke's theology. In this carefully crafted study, Turid Karlsen Seim, Professor of New Testament Theology and Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Oslo, Norway, enables gender to function as an. analytical category that itself questions gender systems. Threading her way between the false categories of Luke as the special friend of women and Luke as the ultimate traitor to women's participation in the church, the author explores how Luke both breaks the patriarchal silence often forced upon women and sets limits on the manner of women's participation in and leadership of the new community. The path of gender organization in Luke-Acts mirrors the community's own transition from its beginning as an alternative family formed around Jesus and its end as an institution of the public order. Luke's "double message," then, is the product of the traditions on which Luke has drawn and the shape given to those traditions by Luke's own narrative project.

Sharon K Ringe, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC.

Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed. William R. Herzog II, Louisville, Westminster/John Knox, 1994. 299 pp. $19.99.

This well-written monograph is a provocative interpretation of nine parables of Jesus through the use of historical criticism and the social sciences. William Herzog, currently an administrator and professor of New Testament at Colgate Rochester Divinity School, explains his methodology in part 1. He suggests that parables functioned for Jesus as "codifications" do in the literacy program of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, that is, they enable peasants to grasp the social world created by their oppressors and to envision ways of changing it. Part 2 takes up five parables depicting the world of oppression, first-level codifications. Part 3 analyzes four parables portraying characters who do not accept their social limits but act to challenge and to change them, second-level codifications. The analysis of each parable begins with historical-critical investigation and then moves to social reconstruction. The social sciences offer reconstructions of agrarian societies and aristocratic empires, enabling contemporary readers to enter the social constructions of first-century peasants. The product of this hermeneutic is the assignment of earthly meanings to earthy stories. In this way, Herzog's interpretations are limited. If allegorical interpretations of an earlier age missed the earthly by focusing on the heavenly, this approach sees no higher than the earth's horizon.

Gregory E. Sterling, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.

Great Christian Thinkers. Haas K?ng, New York, Continuum, 1994. 235 pp. $24.95, $15.95 (pb).

This book is a brief introduction to Christian theology, presented in a series of essays on the theologians Hans Kung judges to be the greatest in the history of the church: the apostle Paul, Origen, Aurelius Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Karl Barth. Kung chose these theologians

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not only because of their intrinsic greatness but also because each gave Christian theology :a new orientation and the church new structures, as each worked within and contributed to what Kung calls "paradigm shifts." Kung's purpose is to show how history helped shape their distinctive messages and how these great theologians helped shape new theological vocabularies, theories, norms, and criteria.

This volume shows how Kung, an influential Roman Catholic theologian, sees the history of theology and where he situates himself with regard to the Roman Catholic hierarchy, with which he has conflicts and with regard to Protestantism, with which he wants ecumenical partnership. Kung has written a good book, one that serve critical, ecumenical theology well.

Charles E. Raynal, Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Davidson, NC.

Ecology and Liberation: A New Paradigm. Leonardo Boff, Maryknoll, Orbis, 1995. 187 pp. $14.95.

In this brief, highly readable introduction, Boff calls for a new holistic and integrated theology, rooted in a global consciousness, and driven by a mystical experience of God. The catalyst for this new theology is the emerging ecological awareness m the wake of the environmental crisis and the challenge confronting liberation theology from the recent failures of the Marxist state. In part 1, Boff articulates the implications of ecology for theology and social justice and argues for an ecologico-social democracy in which all parts of nature are global citizens, subject to, rights and the expectation of justice. In part 2, Boff calls for a mental revolution, oriented toward the poor, that will transform our social and ecological habits, resulting in a new society. Boff argues in part 3 that a holistic, global consciousness must also include a spirtual dimension. Building on the insights gained from ecology, Boff presents a compelling reformulation of the soul of liberation) theology.

Ronald A. Simkins, Creighton University, Omaha, NE.

Contending with Modernity: Catholic Higher Education in the Twentieth Century.; Philip Gleason, New York, Oxford University Press, 1995. 434 pp. $35.00.

Philip Gleason has written the definitive history of American Catholic higher education) in the first six decades of the twentieth century. To oversimplify his subtle analysis, the author, a professor of history at Notre Dame, argues that the Neoscholastic Revival in the early twentieth century enabled Catholic educators to accommodate collegiate education to prevailing national standards without compromising Catholic identity. By the early 1960s, however, external pressures, such as anti-Catholic prejudice, and internal pressures, most notably the collapse of the scholastic synthesis, the quest for greater academic freedom, and open conflict between liberals and conservatives following Vatican II, precipitated an identity crisis within Catholic higher education, which endures even today. Avoiding wistful jeremiads, Gleason devotes particular attention to the complex interplay of institutional, intellectual, and social forces. Amid the recent flourish of interest in the history of religion and American higher education, this work fills a major lacuna.

P. C. Kemeny, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

The Practice of Confessional Subscription. David W. Hall, editor, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1995. 339 pp. $42.50.

This is a collection of essays from contemporary and earlier writers on the issue of confessional subscription, particularly to the Westminister Confession of Faith

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as a doctrinal standard. The avowed purpose is to debate the resolution that Reformation churches are strongest when they have a codified confession and a formal "sturdy mechanism for perpetuating such orthodoxy." The nineteen essays include writings by Charles Hodge, Robert L. Dabney, and John Murray, as well as those by authors associated with Westminster, Covenant, Gordon-Conwell and Greenville Theological Seminaries and ecclesiastical bodies such as The Presbyterian Church in America the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. All writers adhere to the Confession. The major issue seems to be whether one must adopt the Westminster Confession with a "strict subscriptionist" view or whether, as with the Adopting Act of 1729, there may be latitude for "scruples." The whole debate is predicated on the ordination vow of these churches it which one affirms that the Confession contains "the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures."

Donald K McKim, Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, TN

Worship in Transition: The Liturgical Movement in the Twentieth Century. John R.K. Fenwick and Bryan D. Spinks, New York, Continuum, 1995. 202 pp. $17.95.

This volume offers a concise and engaging account of the modern liturgical movement and its consequences for Christian worship around the world and across the boundaries of ecclesial traditions. The authors are priests in the Church of England, one an ecumenist and the other a liturgical scholar. In broad strokes, they create a historical portrait of the liturgical movement, particularly among Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and English Protestants, including chapters on the nineteenth-century background, the liturgy of the Church of South India, the contribution of Eastern liturgical traditions, and the charismatic movement. Topical chapters review soiree of the scholarly discussion about the shape and meaning of specific rites as well as debates about the language of worship and liturgical inculturation. Developments within American churches are mentioned in a brief penultimate chapter and only occasionally elsewhere. American readers, however, will discover much to illuminate their own recent liturgical history and current practice.

Thomas H. Schattauer, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT.

Reimagining God: The Case for Scriptural Diversity. Johanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos, Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1995. 119 pp. $12.99.

The author is Professor of Old Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. This short book is "written as a study book for folk who are willing to entertain the idea that God is not male." Van Wijk-Bos's approach is to examine the variety of ways that God is named and imaged in the Hebrew Bible. Chapters examine God's incomparable and mysterious nature, names and gender of God, God as mother and maker, God's presence as eagle and spirit, and the female personification of wisdom. The book also includes a glossary, selected bibliography, and Scripture index. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and response.

Van Wijk-Bos has succeeded in her endeavor to provide an entry into the discussion about inclusive images of God for the nonexpert. This book would be suitable for adult education classes, other study groups, or for any individual interested in exploring this issue.

Nancy R. Bowen, Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, IN.

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Metaphysical Personalism: An Analysis of Austin Farrer's Metaphysics of Theism. Charles Conti, Oxford, Clarendon, 1995. 294 pp. $65.00.

Having ,previously edited five volumes of Farrer's sermons and essays, Charles Conti now examines the logic and theological implications of Farrer's agency thinking: God as "the being who is all God wills to be and who wills to be all God is." Along the way, he shows us how Farrer avoided solipsistic individualism, stressed moral personalism, placed revelation on a continuum with reason, and took the incarnation into philosophy.

We can forgive Conti if he is more creative than exegetical as he moves Farrer toward process theism, stressing Farrer's suggestions for thinking of God as soul of the world: He will displease those who think Farrer held a Thomism in modern idiom. But Conti shows us the texts and asks us to look at their implications. I debated these issues extensively with him during the several years in which he was writing this book. He repeatedly surprised me and led me to see that Farrer's thought has far more yet to give philosophical theology.

Edward Hugh Henderson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.

Luck: A Secular Faith. Wayne E. Oates, Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1995. 111 pp. $10.99.

Pastors and congregations will appreciate Oates's clear, concise, lively treatment of an important contemporary dilemma for the church. Oates treats matters like gaming, fatalism, chance, and luck as issues of faith. He names our modern belief in luck and chance as a pervasive competitor with Christianity. From Classical Roman dines onward, Christian belief in providence has collided with pagan faith in chance. Today, contemporary America's faith in luck may be the church's major foe.

Oates concludes with suggestions for pastors and congregations in response to these issues related to luck. His lifetime as a professor of pastoral care is beautifully evident in this section. At points, Oates's psychological and theological sources seem limited and dated which weakens the theoretical basis for his argument) Nevertheless, this is a book that will be read with gratitude by pastors and congregations.

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

Hope in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Andrew D. Lester, Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1995. 168 pp. $16.99.

Pastoral theology, according to Andrew Lester, Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Brite Divinity School, has not paid adequate attention to hope and its essential place in the theory and practice of pastoral care and counseling. Lester explores the anthropological context of pastoral theology, including its sources in temporality, narrative theology, and a phenomenological assessment of human brokenness. The self is seen as formed not only by a past remembered but also by a future we project. Human wounds and brokenness are viewed then not simply as the fruit of one's dysfunctional past but also as growing out of perceptions of a future devoid of hope.

Recognizing that the nurture of hope is essential to good pastoral care and counseling, Lester develops ways to attend to the hoping process. He illuminates the meaning of Christian hope in pastoral situations with theological and psychological depth, highlighting the communal and relational dimensions of hope. This book will be a most valuable resource for the pastor, pastoral theologian, or anyone who seeks ways to nurture hope in the midst of debilitating hopelessness.

Brita L. Gill-Austern, Andover Newton Theological School, Newton, MA.

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The Crucifixion of Jesus: History, Myth, Faith. Gerard S. Sloyan, Minneapolis, Fortress, 1,995. 228 pp. $16.00.

In this book, Sloyan, Professor Emeritus of Religion at Temple University, first asks: Why did Pilate and Caiaphas have Jesus put to death? How was this death so quickly understood as redemptive by Christians? Sloyan then tracks reflections on the crucifixion through two thousand years of theology, liturgy, popular religiosity, and art. He holds together crucifixion and resurrection, associates the redemptive interpretation of Jesus' death with the Temple sacrifices, and stresses Calvary's importance m showing God sharing our pain. Occasionally, Homer nods. "The centurion" does not "pierce Jesus' side with his lance" in Mark's Gospel, or in John's for that matter. Duns Scotus was not the first to challenge Aquinas' view that the sin of Adam was the reason for the incarnation. Aquinas' own teacher, Albert the Great, rejected this view. All in all, however, this book beautifully blends biblical, historical, and theological scholarship.

Gerald O'Collins, Gregorian University, Rome, Italy.

Jesus the Wisdom of God: An Ecological Theology. Denis Edwards, Maryknoll, Orbis, 1995. 208 pp. $16.95.

In other decades, the title of this book might have called Jesus the Word of God, or the Son' of God or of Man the Suffering Servant, or the Messiah but the fashion now is Jesus the Wisdom of God. Edwards, a priest from Adelaide, Australia, is eloquent ;about Jesus the Sophia of God, a feminine metaphor that crosschecks Jesus' masculinity and the overly patriarchal tradition, allows more openness to other religious traditions, and, above all, enjoins an ecological theology-less human dominance and more caring for creation. He waxes eloquent over every biblical opportunity to interpret Jesus as Sophia, personifying this where he can. Also, this improves the doctrine of the Trinity. God is a sort of community-in-unity, allowing autonomy in the creatures, a more ecological account than the patriarchal monarch. Interesting argument, but not always convincing.

Holmes Rolston III, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

Jesus the Liberator: Nazareth Liberation Theology (Luke 4.16-30). Michael Prior, Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press, 1995. 228 pp. $18.50.

According to the preface, this book is an introduction to the various methods of Gospel study, illustrated by discussion of one Gospel text. A reading of the book, however, discloses two other concerns. The author argues for the historicity of the Nazareth scene, and he understands it to challenge modern people to participate in the liberation of the oppressed.

The book does not serve very well as an introduction to methods. In particular, the literary and sociological approaches are not well represented by Prior's rather narrowly focused discussions. The concern with liberation is strongly expressed toward the end of the book, but earlier, the concern with the historicity of the Nazareth scene shapes the presentation. Useful information is given (on the first-century synagogue, for instance), but there are important gaps in Prior's position on historicity.

Robert C. Tannehill, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, OH.

The Recovery of Black Presence: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Randall C. Bailey and Jacquelyn Grant, editors, Nashville, Abingdon, 1995. 250 pp. $16.95.

This illuminating and often provocative volume is a collection of essays honoring the work of Charles B. Copher, one of the pioneers in the investigation of

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black presence in the ancient world and biblical text. Throughout consideration for the African ,world and perspective is elevated to primary status. While some of the biblical studies (which comprise the book's first half] directly consider the African origins of key biblical characters, others suggest hermeneutical strategies for analyzing biblical texts from an African and/or African American perspective. In the book's second half, issues of light and darkness, womanism and Jesus interpretation, and slave ideology and biblical study offer the reader an alternative to the Euro-American perspective of doing theology.

The book is at its best when exploring the Afrocentric themes that drove much of Gopher's own work. It loses focus at those times when its exegetical studies bracket them out, or when its theological studies focus too narrowly on sociological or ecclesial concerns. Still, it is a valuable resource for student, teacher, and pastor alike Like Gopher's own work, it is as accessible as it is instructive.

Brian K Blount, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

The Fall to Violence: Original Sin in Relational Theology. Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki, New York, Continuum, 1995. 168 pp. $15.95.

Suchocki, a theologian at the School of Theology at Claremont, provides a revised understanding of "original sin" in the light -of "relational theology" (her term for the perspective often designated as "process theology"). She suggests that sin is better understood as rebellion against creation than as rebellion against God. Her thesis is that "original sin is created through a triadic structure constituted by a propensity ;toward violence by an interrelational solidarity of the human species, and by social structures that shape the formation of consciousness and conscience." Whereas sin produces ill-being, forgiveness aims at willing well-being.

The book is well written and often insightful, and it contains thoughtful reflection on contemporary events. Yet Suchocki's position is not adequately developed to account for the multifaceted character of original sin. Further, readers not already persuaded by Whiteheadian philosophy are unlikely to be convinced by her overarching perspective of God and God's relationship to the world and human life.

L. Gregory Jones, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD.

Grace and Responsibility: A Wesleyan Theology, for Today. John B. Cobb, Jr., Nashville, Abingdon, 1995. 192 pp. $14.95.

Along with a number of other United Methodist leaders, the author of this book is concerned about the erosion of a sense of identity and mission in that denomination. Others have called for a "return to Wesley" to check that erosion. Recent scholarship on Wesley has convinced Cobb that such a return, rather than being reactionary or nostalgic, carries genuine promise for the future, and in this book, he sets out to show why. He interprets key Wesleyan themes in the light of contemporary issues and concludes with some reflections on the responsible use of tradition and on theological method.

Cobb, recently retired from the faculty of the School of Theology at Claremont, has a gifts for plain, understandable writing. This book is well informed and effectively written. Cobb's appeal to contemporary experience enlivens his exposition and will increase its attractiveness for many readers. Although Cobb appears on occasion to accept the dictates of contemporary experience too uncritically in assessing the validity of some aspects of Wesley's thought, this book is a dynamic, accessible treatment of its subject and a welcome contribution to the discussion.

Charles M. Wood, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX.

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On the Genre and Message of Revelation: Star Visions and Sky Journeys. Bruce J. Malina, Peabody, Hendrickson, 1995. 317 pp. $19.95.

Malina, best known for interpreting the New Testament through models from sociology and anthropology, here explains how John adapts to Christianity a body of astrological information common to "first-century eastern Mediterranean prophets." John describes distant past events-"prehistoric star wars" in chapter 12, "antediluvian land wars" in 13-16, Babel, the first city after the flood, in 17-20, and the forthcoming New Jerusalem in chapter 21. From the initial vision of the zodiacal Lamb/Ram to the final vision of the descent of the New Jerusalem in the vicinity of Cancer, Malina gives thoroughgoing, uncompromising astrological explanations (konsequente Astrologie). He presses too hard for his thesis to be convincing. Nonetheless, if for no other reason, the book is valuable for the many extended excerpts from visionary and astrological texts.

Leonard L. Thompson, Menasha, WI.