ENCOUNTERING ECCLESIASTES: ABOOK FOR OUR TIME, by James Lim-burg. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006.Pp. 155. $14.00 (paper).

James Limburg, Professor Emeritus of OldTestament at Luther Seminary, demonstratesagain in this volume the remarkable and rareability not only to master the latest academicscholarship in a particular area of study, butalso to make it available to non-specialists in away that is eminently accessible, lively, engag-ing, and relevant. I say again in the previoussentence, because Limburg has been doing thisthroughout his career—see, for instance, hisThe Prophets and the Powerless, Psalms for So-journers, Hosea-Micah in the Interpretationseries, and Psalms in the Westminster BibleCompanion series. As I see it, Limburg’s worksare a superb example of what every seminaryprofessor should strive for in his or her schol-arly writing.

As for the study of the book of Ecclesiastes,Limburg’s scholarship is impeccable. He isclearly conversant with the latest work onEcclesiastes by scholars such as William P.Brown, Ellen F. Davis, Michael V. Fox, ThomasKrüger, Norbert Lohfink, Roland E. Murphy,Iain Provan, Leong Seow, and Elsa Tamez, aswell as older work on Ecclesiastes by EliasBickerman, Robert Gordis, and Gerhard vonRad. What really stands out in this book, how-ever, is not Limburg’s citation of other schol-ars, but rather his illustration of the lessons hehas learned from Ecclesiastes by citing suchsources as Peggy Lee, Rabbi Harold Kushner,Pete Seeger, The Byrds, columnist Ellen Good-man, Reinhold Niebuhr, and more, including

his own personal experiences in living withand teaching the book of Ecclesiastes over thecourse of a career.

Limburg’s first personal encounter withEcclesiastes came at a family funeral, when hismother pointed out to him her father’s tomb-stone, which reads, “LEICHEN TEXT/PRED. 7,2”(“Funeral Text/Ecclesiastes 7:2”). He wenthome and looked up the text in the KJV (“It isbetter to go to the house of mourning than to goto the house of feasting: for that is the end of allmen; and the living will lay it to heart”). Hedescribes the impact of this experience as fol-lows: “I thought for a moment of my own mor-tality, and...I made a resolve to begin an in-vestigation of the book of Ecclesiastes in or-der to understand that inscription on mygrandfather’s tombstone” (89; see the photo ofthe tombstone on page xi). At this point in hisvolume, Limburg reflects upon one of the pri-mary themes of Ecclesiastes—that is, the im-portance of being aware of our own mortality,so that we will be led to receive life as a gift fromGod and to live our allotted time humbly butenthusiastically. And from that point in hislife, Limburg began his journey with the bookof Ecclesiastes, the fruits of which are evidentin this volume.

Another memorable moment on Lim-burg’s journey with Ecclesiastes was in a col-lege classroom, in which one of his studentssuddenly “came alive” (42), as she identifiedwith the unrelenting honesty of Qoheleth andhis persistent question, “Who knows?” AsLimburg points out, such questioning mayproperly be labeled “agnosticism” (43), an-other theme of the book. But in the final analy-sis, as Limburg also makes clear, Qoheleth’s

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agnosticism is not merely skeptical; rather, it isa reverent agnosticism that motivates him toentrust the unknown future to God.

In essence, what has Limburg learned alongthe way of his journey with Qoheleth, theTeacher? In short, the lesson is this—that al-though life is fleeting and often frustratingand even seemingly absurd at times, it is wellworth living, and indeed is to be lived with joyand gratitude and without anxiety, because itis God’s good gift to humankind. To be sure,Qoheleth was in touch with the downside ofhuman existence. “Vanity” (Hebrew hevel) isthe key word here; the phrase “vanity of vani-ties” frames the book (1:2; 12:8), and there arenumerous occurrences of hevel in between,leading Limburg to borrow von Rad’s musicalanalogy to characterize this pervasive theme as“the pedal point” of the book—that is, “a sus-tained bass note running through an organcomposition or portion of a composition”(12). But as Limburg points out, the pedalpoint “is never the main focus of the musicalcomposition”; rather, the main focus is “a mel-ody, perhaps a sturdy chorale, or maybe evenan exciting, even joyful counterpoint” (137).In the case of Ecclesiastes, the joyful, contra-puntal melody is “the ‘joy’ theme” (137; see33–35, 45–52, 77–78, 106–111, 114–116)sounded in Eccl 2:24–26; 3:12–13, 23; 5:18–20;8:15; 9:7–10; 11:8–12:1—enjoy the simple,God-given pleasures of work, food, drink, andcompanionship. According to Limburg, Qohe-leth offered this message to his students in themid-third century BCE, a time when God andGod’s “mighty acts” seemed long ago and faraway. But as the title of Limburg’s volumesuggests, the lesson is still quite timely in ourage of anxiety, boredom, workaholism, over-consumption, and the often frantic and fruit-less pursuit of pleasure and meaning.

Scholars will appreciate and learn fromLimburg’s work, but even more so will pastorsand teachers in the church. Pastors and teach-ers, Lutheran and otherwise, will appreciateLimburg’s recognition that his interpretive

work is congruent with that of Martin Lutheron Ecclesiastes (see 7, 17–19, 78, 116, 137–138), as well as that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (see47–52). I have recommended this volume toscores of people, and I have been and will beusing it in the seminary classroom. It wouldalso be a very helpful resource for an adulteducation course on Ecclesiastes in a congre-gation, especially with a group who may seethemselves closer to the edges of “orthodoxy”(see 40–45).

J. Clinton McCann, Jr.Eden Theological SeminaryWebster Groves, Missouri

READING THE BIBLE WITH THEDEAD: WHAT YOU CAN LEARNFROM THE HISTORY OF EXEGESISTHAT YOU CAN’T LEARN FROMEXEGESIS ALONE, by John L. Thomp-son.Grand Rapids,MI: Eerdmans,2007.Pp.xi + 324. $20.00 (paper).

Despite its somewhat morbid title, Readingthe Bible with the Dead is a lively book meantfor people grappling with the mysteries of life,particularly those who preach regularly. By ex-amining the history of exegesis of select diffi-cult passages, the author, Fuller TheologicalSeminary’s John L. Thompson, seeks both toreassure modern exegetes that these texts havealways proved challenging, and to unlock arich repository of insights collected over thecenturies. A third goal is to reclaim for thechurch these problematic texts, so conspicu-ous for their absence from sermons and lec-tionaries. He describes his task as “connectingthe church with the church” (226), i.e., con-necting the contemporary church (and its con-temporary questions) with the richness of itsexegetical tradition. As an additional aid forthe reader a bibliography of commentariesthat have been translated into English is sup-plied, as well as very good notes, general bibli-ography, and indices.

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Thompson presents this work as an exten-sion of Phyllis Trible’s pioneering lectures“Unpreached Stories of Faith” (later publishedas Texts of Terror), an iconic cri de coeur offeminism. The irony is that most commenta-tors of the past come off as much less anti-woman than common stereotypes might sug-gest. For instance, Thompson reports that“honoring Hagar is nothing new” (30), and“There never was a ‘golden age’ when the pro-hibitions [of 1 Cor 14:24–35 and 2 Tim 2:12]against women speaking and teaching werenot controversial” (183).

The fun in the book, however, is in themany probing and creative exegetical insightsThompson has uncovered. Genesis 21 de-scribes Abraham casting Hagar and Ishmaelout after Sarah has reported seeing the lad Ish-mael “playing.” This harsh response to whatseems such normal childhood activity is ex-plained in Midrash Rabbah through the sug-gestion that this “playing” was attemptedhomicide or some kind of shameful sexual ac-tivity, perhaps with his half-brother Isaac. TheHebrew word employed is “capable of all theambiguity of the English ‘play’” (23). The rab-bis associated this term with such shamefuldeeds as the charge of Potiphar’s wife that Jo-seph had tried to “sport” with her, the idola-trous “play” of the Israelites associated withthe golden calf, and the “tournament” in 2 Sam2:14 that turned deadly (23). Several subse-quent Christian commentators would followthis line of interpretation.

Similarly, Rabbi David Kimchi influencedthe way Nicholas of Lyra and Sebastien Mün-ster understood Judg 11. This chapter containsthe horrifying story of Jephthah’s daughterand her father’s notorious vow, which is usu-ally translated “If [the Lord gives] the sons ofAmmon into my hand, whatever comesforth...shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer itup.” Kimchi, however, suggested that the He-brew conjunction could be read disjunctively:“or I will offer it up.” “In other words, Jephthahmeant to offer a burnt sacrifice if greeted by a

suitable victim, but if met by a person, hewould ‘devote’ that individual to the Lord, pre-sumably as a perpetual servant of the temple”(43). Thus the daughter was not killed, butrather was devoted—in her virginity—to thework of the Lord.

Although usually they are above this, some-times the commentators blame the victim.Zwingli “vented palpable anger at Dinah,” Ja-cob’s daughter who was raped by Shechem af-ter she “went out to visit the daughters of theland” (Gen 34:1). He was convinced that theimperfect verb of that verse was best construedin an iterative sense: “Dinah regularly, habitu-ally went out to visit the daughters of the land.”According to Zwingli, because she didn’t stayat home where she belonged, she bore respon-sibility for what happened to her (191).

Other exegetical cruxes are also worthy ofnote: Did the Levite’s concubine of Judg 19leave her husband because she “was angry” (sothe LXX and Vulgate) or because she “playedthe harlot” (as in the MT)? Thompson ex-presses puzzlement that Jerome’s translationfollowed the LXX rather than the “Hebrewtruth” of which he was so fond, apparently notconsidering the possibility that the Hebrewtext Jerome knew resembled the LXX at thispoint rather than the MT (194), though thispossibility is raised later in a different context(198). Also interesting is the range of exegeti-cal speculation about Bathsheba’s bath andKing David’s voyeurism (2 Sam 11:2). Thomp-son notes that the NRSV translation, “she waspurifying herself after her period,” suggeststhat Bathsheba’s subsequent pregnancy “hadto be by David, not Uriah” (198). None of theancient versions states this precisely, leavingthe nature of Bathsheba’s bath unclear. Whilesome commentators chide Bathsheba for notbeing more discreet, and she is never held upas a paragon of virtue, there is widespread re-sistance to shifting blame from David to thevulnerable wife of Uriah (198–203). Also ofconsiderable interest is Thompson’s discus-sion of attempts to reconcile the imprecatory

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psalms with “Jesus’ command to pray for ourenemies, not curse them” (221; and the wholeof chapter 3).

In his chapter entitled “Silent Prophet-esses?” Thompson explores the tension in theexegetical tradition between the presence ofprophetesses on the pages of the New Testa-ment (e.g., the daughters of Philip; the proph-etesses of 1 Cor 11:2–16) and the chargesfound in 1 Cor 14:34 that “women shouldkeep silence in the churches” (cf. 1 Tim 2:12).Neither Thompson, nor apparently his com-mentators from the past, mention the text-critical evidence suggesting 1 Cor 14:34–35 isnot original (see Gordon Fee, 1 Corinthians),but they find other more creative ways toreconcile the evidence. Heinrich Bullinger re-defines prophecy as “a purely passive under-standing of the word of God” (117), a type ofinternal illumination, so one did not needto speak to function as a prophet/prophetess.Most, however, chose not to circumscribeprophecy, but rather to limit the scope of therestrictions on female speech. Chrysostom(Greet Priscilla and Aquila 1.3) is the pioneer inthis regard: “Women were forbidden to teachpublicly, so they must have carried out their in-struction in private” (117). Moreover, “Calvinimplied that women who ‘privately’ exercisedthe gift of prophecy (which he viewed as ateaching function) might well have done so ingroups that included men” (177).

The embarrassing claim of 1 Tim 2:14 that“Adam was not deceived, but the woman wasdeceived” was often harmonized through useof the analogy of faith (interpreting unclearpassages by those that are clearer). “‘Adamwas not deceived’ thus became ‘not deceivedby a snake’ or ‘not deceived in the way Eve wasdeceived’” (177). Applying this principle of“reading for the center” is often salutary, but attimes it has been applied in excess and re-sulted in the de facto silencing of large chunksof the biblical text.

Reading with the Dead is both learned andaccessible, and throughout it provokes deeper

consideration of Scripture. That judgment is, Ithink, high praise.

Glen Wesley MenziesNorth Central UniversityMinneapolis, Minnesota

IDOLATRY AND THE HARDENINGOF THE HEART: A STUDY IN BIB-LICAL THEOLOGY, by Edward P. Mea-dors. New York: T&T Clark, 2007. Pp. 214.$35.00 (paper).

One of the most exacerbating conundrumsin Christian theology is the question of “how toreconcile God’s love and mercy with his active,unyielding ‘hardening’ of human hearts” (1).Though this is not a new question, it remainsan important one. Traditional theological ap-proaches to the problem underscore two op-posing ideas: either God is the direct cause ofall hardening (determinism), or human beingscause their own hardening (free will). How-ever, rather than engage the debate betweenthese approaches, as his predecessors havedone, Edward P. Meadors begins with thepremise that God initiates all hardening, thenproceeds to tackle the daunting problem ofwhy God hardens human hearts in the Bible.Written primarily for those with an extensivebackground in biblical and theological jargon,this in-depth, systematic analysis of the con-nection between hardening and idolatry in theBible provides a refreshing, comprehensiveapproach to the problem.

Meadors’s purpose, stated in the preface, isto “provide a biblical, theological answer toIsaiah’s question, ‘Why, O Lord, do you causeus to stray from your ways, and harden ourheart from fearing you?’ (Isa 63:17a).” Helocates the answer to the question in Pss115:4–8; 135:15–18, both of which express theparadigm that those who worship idols inevi-tably become like the idols they worship. Mea-dors stresses the First and Second Command-ments of the covenant between God and Israel

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as the foundation upon which this hardeningparadigm is based: Yahweh is to be the sole ob-ject of Israel’s worship, as well as the one whogives Israel its unique identity. When Israel en-gages in idolatry, it denies its God and its iden-tity, which results in hardening, an expressionof divine judgment. Meadors’s primary goal inhis book is to trace this paradigm throughoutthe Bible, beginning with Pharaoh’s hardeningin Exodus (chap. 3), through Israel’s harden-ing in the Prophets (chap. 5), Gospels (chap.6), Acts (chap. 7), and Romans (chaps. 8–10),and concluding with the hardening of thosewho worship the beast in Revelation (chap.11). The final chapter includes applications ofthe hardening paradigm to the contemporarysituation.

After Meadors discusses the biblical andEgyptian concepts of the heart, he examinesPharaoh’s hardening in Exodus. Taking greatcare to locate the Exodus narrative withinits Egyptian context, Meadors argues thatPharaoh’s hardening was a direct result of hispolytheistic, self-idolizing worldview. Theplagues, intertwined with Pharaoh’s harden-ing, served to illustrate God’s systematic de-struction of the Egyptian gods. The keynote ofthis chapter is Meadors’s assertion that theExodus story sets the stage for understandingthe pattern of God’s judgment and redemptionfor Israel throughout the Bible (18). That is,Pharaoh’s hardening, in addition to the hard-ening of the foreign kings in the historicalbooks (chap. 4), are indications to Israel of thepattern that her own relationship with God willtake in later generations.

The underlying question Meadors seeks toanswer in his analysis of the prophetic booksis, “Why would [God] harden his own peopleand prevent them from repenting?” (56).Meadors’s analysis of hardening passages inIsaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Hosealeads him to several conclusions. First, theform of Israel’s idolatry begins to shift from theworship of images to an “external religiosity”that consists of pride and the empty perform-

ance of prescribed cultic rituals. Both hampergenuine, exclusive worship of God. Second,hardening is not arbitrary, but rather a directconsequence of the sin of idolatry. Third, hard-ening ultimately leads to salvation, not solelythrough repentance, but via the removal ofidols and God’s transforming work upon thehuman heart. In this connection, Meadors as-serts that “the new covenant is God’s solutionto the problem of the hardened heart” (71).So-called “new covenant” passages such asEzek 36:22–32 and Jer 31:31–34 demonstratethat God hardens the heart as divine judgment,which in turn leads people to genuine repen-tance from idolatry and ultimately to genuineworship.

Meadors’s greatest contribution to thisparticular theological discussion can be foundin the second part of his book, where he fo-cuses on hardening and idolatry in the NewTestament. He argues that the new covenantpassages of the Old Testament find concreteexpression in Christ’s saving work on thecross. Salvation is available to those who havefaith; that is, those who can see and hear theliving word of God. Meadors contends thatin the New Testament idolatry takes the sub-tle form of misappropriated reliance uponwealth, the temple, and the law (79), a form al-luded to in the prophetic books. Throughoutthe New Testament, those who put their ulti-mate trust in such external realities becomehardened in the sense that they cannot per-ceive the living, saving gospel of Jesus Christ.Hardening in the New Testament, in the ab-sence of genuine repentance and worship, re-sults in permanent exclusion from God’spromise of salvation.

Meadors concludes with a discussion ofthree contemporary “idols” that jeopardizeChristians: pride, poor theology, and shallowworship. In effect, he argues that each oneplaces the self and the needs of the self abovetrue worship of God, resulting in the inabilityto bear witness to the saving acts of God. Ar-guably, it is Meadors’s conclusion that is the

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most profound portion of the book, because itcompels us to look deep within ourselves, ex-amine our own tendencies toward idolatry,confront the reality of our hardened state, andask God for forgiveness and a reassurance ofeternal life.

Christina L. WendlandNewberry CollegeNewberry, South Carolina

THE SCANDALOUS GOD: THE USEAND ABUSE OF THE CROSS,by VítorWesthelle. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006. Pp.180. $22.00 (paper).

A theology of the cross sets limits on whatproperly can be said. Or, a theologian of thecross takes the risk of evoking the scandal ofthe cross, and so uses language to articulate ascandal that defies expression, “a thing be-yond telling, out of reach of words” (6). Sincethe cross breaks epistemologically the way wenormally organize our understanding of theworld, articulating the cross is a linguistic im-possibility; nevertheless, a theologian of thecross calls a thing what it is and so risks articu-lating that which cannot be articulated, mak-ing poetry out of things beyond the reach ofwords.

Vítor Westhelle’s book is just such an un-dertaking; it is a discourse about cross andsuffering that takes the risk, offering the the-sis that Christ suffered precisely because henamed the cause of suffering. Westhelle asks aquestion that Paul and Luther also asked:“What can I know of God in face of the cross oraccording to the cross (kata stauron)?” (75).He finds in this epistemological question a wayof bringing together two theological traditionsthat have often been unnecessarily divided—the Reformation itself, and liberation theol-ogy. Both traditions, he argues, are committedto reorienting theology through the experienceof liminality, the liminality of the cross. Thisliminality is best encapsulated in the great

statement of Luther—the cross alone is ourtheology (110).

Westhelle so reiterates an important dis-tinction made clear in the writings of a fewother contemporary Lutheran theologians, in-cluding Roy A. Harrisville and Gerhard Forde,namely, that the theology of the cross is not “ atheology,” but a way of doing theology. Onemight say that there is not a theology of thecross per se, but rather there are theologians ofthe cross. The Scandalous God proves thatWesthelle is one of our most gifted and articu-late theologians of the cross. This is a book tobe read and reread as training in being a theo-logian of the cross.

Since Westhelle has assembled a book thatseeks to articulate that which cannot be articu-lated, and construct a theology that is not oneamong others but rather a way of doing theol-ogy, it is no surprise that the benefits of thebook lie not so much in a grand concludingthesis, or a list of constructive proposals, butrather precisely in its being a set of explora-tions and forays. Westhelle is interested inevoking and eliciting thoughts about pain,death, and the cross (xi). Throughout, Wes-thelle makes use of surprising and beautifulpoetry to illustrate and prod. The poetry in thebook (some of it original translations by theauthor) could almost stand alone as an anthol-ogy of “poetry of the cross.”

The first part of the book is a historical sur-vey of the uses and the abuses of the cross, in-cluding chapters on the cross in the earlychurch, the Reformation, and the modernperiod. The second half of the book is organ-ized according to expansive categories of hu-man thought and creativity—epistemology,poiesis, and praxis. Possibly the most intrigu-ing proposal in this section is Westhelle’s defi-nition of orthopraxis—“a practice of solidar-ity with the pain of the world, which follows theencounter with Christ crucified” (112). This isthe tentatio that Luther argued “made” a theo-logian. It is also the central tenet of liberationtheology. In uniting the two theological tradi-

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tions, Westhelle lifts up the precise way inwhich the theology of the cross is a “disposi-tion” shaped by the cross rather than a theol-ogy about the cross.

Woven throughout the book are profoundreflections on one of the most paradoxical andscandalous (and so overlooked or ignored) as-pects of Lutheran theology, the deus nudus (thenaked God). What are we to do with state-ments of Luther like the following: “Nothingagainst God but God’s own self ” (30) or “to fleefrom God and find refuge in God against God”(59; 155)? Or with Friedrich Hölderlin (in Wes-thelle’s translation): “It is where danger liesthat liberation comes from, but do we want tobe saved?” (158). Salvation is hidden under itsopposite—in death and suffering. Seldom doworks of theology offer sustained reflection onthis scandalizing paradox. Westhelle’s book isan exception.

Westhelle offers a last chapter on “the sta-tions of the cross revisited” to try and map anitinerary of this scandal, one of the more pro-found reflections on Sabbath and Holy Satur-day (the time between Good Friday and EasterSunday) that I have ever read. His meditationincludes this excerpt from a poem of WendellBerry: “Unless we grieve like Mary / at Hisgrave, giving Him up / as lost, no Easter morn-ing comes” (140), that could stand as an aptencapsulation of Westhelle’s whole book, ex-cept that after reading the book, these lines ofWendell Berry take on a new profundity anddepth that prove the power of Westhelle’sproject.

Clint SchneklothEast Koshkonong Lutheran ChurchCambridge, Wisconsin

AUTHENTIC FAITH: BONHOEFFER’STHEOLOGICAL ETHICS IN CON-TEXT, by Heinz Eduard Toedt. Grand Rap-ids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp. 298. $24.00(paper).

In this marvelous collection of essays, ed-ited by Ernst-Albert Scharffenorth in 1993(brought forth in English by Glen Stassen in2007) and translated by David Stassen and IlseToedt, we have a goldmine of source materialand reflections that offer essential themes inDietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology and ethics. Atthe instigation of Clifford Green, and in coop-eration with Eerdmans Publishing Company,this grouping of essays, dating from 1976 to1990, “achieves a precision in understandingkey dimensions of Bonhoeffer’s ethics that ishard to match elsewhere” (viii). Glen Stassen,who studied with Toedt in the 1980s in Heidel-berg, writes that, “Toedt’s publications havean analytical sharpness, an ethical incisive-ness, and a genuine truthfulness that is rareeven among the best....he unearths major di-mensions of Bonhoeffer’s ethics, and enablesus to enter personally into the political, ecclesi-astical, and family context in which Bonhoefferwrote” (vii).

Heinz Eduard Toedt was born in Germanyin 1918, completing his doctorate in theologyat Heidelberg in 1957, having earlier servedfive years on the battlefront during World WarII and then five more years in detention as aRussian POW. He became professor of system-atic theology, ethics, and social ethics at Hei-delberg in 1963 and was active in ecumenicalwork most of his career. Toedt chaired the edi-torial board of the recently completed DietrichBonhoeffer Werke (1998). Throughout his ca-reer he published extensively on human rights,revolution, and peace in a technological world.Toedt’s passionate interest in Bonhoeffercame from his desire to learn “what it wasabout Bonhoeffer’s ethics that enabled him tosee more clearly and speak out more decisivelythan other theologians and church leaders,

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from the very start of Hitler’s rule.” Toedtcame to believe that Bonhoeffer “passes thetest in the laboratory of history—the test thatso many failed” (viii). This passion also ledToedt to institute the “Heidelberg ResearchProject” that sought to analyze the social,theological, and ethical characteristics of theBonhoeffer-Dohnanyi circle of resistance.

Of the fourteen essays that compriseAuthentic Faith, the first eleven detail themesin Bonhoeffer’s own theology and ethics. Thefinal three essays take the reader—with Bon-hoeffer—into more recent history, specificallythe topics of guilt and responsibility in Ger-many in the postwar time. Before proceeding,I would like to add the caveat that those read-ers who will profit most from this collection ofessays are those somewhat acquainted withBonhoeffer’s life and basic works. Toedt doesnot, in these essays, offer basic biographical in-formation for the uninitiated reader. His audi-ences, when the lectures were first given, werethose already somewhat knowledgeable inBonhoeffer studies.

The earliest essay in this collection is dated1976 and discusses Bonhoeffer’s theologicalrelationship to Karl Barth. The specific subjectunder investigation is that of “religion,” key-ing off Bonhoeffer’s prison writings about a“world come of age” (i.e., maturity) and the es-sence and shape of revelation. Toedt askswhether Bonhoeffer’s and Barth’s understand-ings are “contentious or convergent.” A sec-ond essay comes from 1980 and addressesBonhoeffer’s move from “verbal resistance” toactive “political resistance,” using the catego-ries of the individual, group, and church fordiagnosis. While an individual struggles withconscience when venturing into an “ille-gitimate deed,” and while small “initiativegroups” provide “solidarity and communica-tion,” the church—for both—provides “cer-tainty through witnessing to the truth” (71).Two essays from 1982 speak about Bonhoef-fer’s early insights regarding his ecumenicalethic of peace and the Nazi discrimination

against Jews. Toedt argues that Bonhoeffer’spolitical ethic for both is “strictly from theviewpoint of a church that is earnestly obedi-ent in its confession of faith...in the first case,for an international order of peace, and in thesecond case, for a state of justice in Germany”(110). A single lecture from 1983 offers thereader a glimpse of Toedt’s reflections on Bon-hoeffer’s “Late Theology,” using the conceptsof “meaning and promise,” drawing primarilyupon the prison reflections with a few passagesfrom the Ethics.

Two samples of material from 1985 includechallenges that surface from any examinationof Bonhoeffer’s “disquieting” legacy: his pro-posed worldly interpretation of the Bible;Bonhoeffer—the pastor—belonging to a re-sistance group planning tyrannicide; a scarcityof material that could provide continuity forhis entire life; and specifically how the churchafter the war has attempted to “suppress re-sponsibility” for much of what happened be-tween 1933 and 1945. Toedt, in the spirit of Di-etrich Bonhoeffer, realizing that forces beyondthe individual exert immense pressure, writes,“Nevertheless the individual, included in thefatal train of events that is connected throughguilt, remains morally responsible” (285). Theessays chosen from 1987 specifically deal withthe ethical dynamics of conscience in the resis-tance circles, with an interim report on the“Heidelberg Research Project.” Considerabledetail is given about the variety of attitudesrepresented in the resistance circles, withgreatest attention given to the Bonhoeffer-Dohnanyi group. Toedt argues for greater nu-ance and differentiation, lest oversimplifica-tion violate both the truth and potential les-sons learned. The remaining essays (two from1988, two from 1989, and one from 1990) pickup on the themes of religion, conscience, andhuman rights, as well as a critique of the Ger-man justice system after 1945.

Frits de Lange, a Bonhoeffer scholar andethicist from the Netherlands, endorses thisbook with the following helpful words: “With

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historical sensibility and conceptual preci-sion [Toedt] conscientiously sheds light intothe moral complexities behind Dietrich Bon-hoeffer’s ethics. Having been personally in-volved in the ‘German fate,’ Toedt is one ofour best guides to Bonhoeffer, showing howhis theological ethics can help us with faith-ful decision-making today.” De Lange adds,“Heinz Eduard Toedt is the teacher we all wishwe’d had.”

Not for the weak-hearted, this “goldmine ofsources and reflections” is a profound collec-tion that can assist the disciples of Jesus Christtoday to walk responsibly—with Bonhoefferand beyond Bonhoeffer—as they love andserve the world.

John W. MatthewsGrace Lutheran ChurchApple Valley, Minnesota

GETTING INTO CHARACTER: THEART OF FIRST-PERSON NARRA-TIVE PREACHING, by Stephen ChapinGarner. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2008. Pp.142. $15.99 (paper).

Do you recognize in yourself the gift of actoror actress? Do you wish your delivery of ser-mons was more varied and effective? Here isthe book for you! Getting into Character: TheArt of First-Person Preaching is a well-chosentitle for a book that focuses on developingfirst-person monologues as sermons.

The author, Stephen Garner, leads his read-ers through a “how to” curriculum of creativewriting to develop monologue scripts thatbring to life the spirit of biblical characters.With a clear warning to remain true to the in-tended exegesis and basic message, he offersthe preacher specific instructions for creatingan effective presentation as a sermon. Garneremphasizes the development of voice, pres-ence, and movement while discouraging theuse of costumes, written notes, or languagethat is not conversational. He encourages ex-

periential time spent in listening to sermons(good and bad) and attending plays that arerich in monologue and dialogue. And to nur-ture the initiate, the last chapter of the bookgives a load of resources to help hone dramaskills in both writing and acting.

Clearly, Stephen Garner is a lover of theater.He admits that in a former career he was profi-cient as a playwright and actor. We could askfor no better drama coach. He convincinglyunderscores for us that the greatest share ofScripture is presented as drama, and that thisholy drama has striking similarities to stageplays, movies, and TV productions. Charactersare imbued with definite personalities, humanweaknesses, desires, and heroics. The familiarbiblical cast has characteristics with whichpeople in the pews can identify easily.

There are some no doubt fine examples ofready-to-go monologues in the book: Hamlet,Joseph (Mary’s husband), the father of theProdigal Son, the man who hired the ProdigalSon, Hagar, Joshua, and a New Testamentscribe. Personally, however, I would be reluc-tant to use any of them as a sermon. My experi-ence makes me cautious.

I am noted for using drama as one of mystyles of sermon delivery. In a broad sense, it isdrama to literally take the part of one or morecharacters as one tells the story. I insert myown stage directions, so to speak, to explainwhat is really happening. I stop, stare, anddraw out the exclamation as I deliver themaid’s accusation of Peter in the courtyard:“Ah, you also were with this Jesus, weren’tyou?” Donning a dumbfounded look and add-ing a stammer, I give Peter’s response: “I, I, Idon’t know what you are talking about!” It canbe very effective to dramatically portray eachspeech in first person within the storytelling.But to rely completely on monologue can betricky. There is often a feeling of “hokey-ness”about first-person sermons. I have done atleast three first-person monologues in my fourdecades as preacher, and most often wished Ihadn’t.

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It is less a question of dramatic ability thanprofessional limitations. The preacher cannotescape his or her identity to the congregation. Ithink a certain authenticity is lost when a con-gregation sees its pastor as actor or actressattempting to be Joseph or the Virgin Mary,no matter how well the part is portrayed orscripted. Garner himself gives an uninten-tional disclaimer for his main thesis when headmits: “the more authentic someone appears,the more likely we are to follow” (88).

I was hoping that the book would be less fo-cused on first-person monologues and offer abroader presentation of techniques toward de-veloping us, as preachers, into more successfuldramatists in our sermon deliveries. Still, thebook has much to offer in its strong emphasison the importance of sermon delivery styles.Garner is correct, and I think all can agree withhim, when he states:

Many pastors today spend hours in theirstudy crafting a theological paper to be de-livered to their congregations on Sundaymorning. This type of sermon is densewith grammatically and theologically cor-rect sentences and ideas. Listening to sucha sermon, however, is often a painfullyboring experience—the preacher’s eyesand head buried in a manuscript the en-tire time. It feels as if the preacher is talk-ing at you instead of with you. Effectivepreachers tend to employ a more conver-sational style of delivery that allows thelisteners to feel as though they are part ofthe conversation. (79)

After finishing this book, I was affirmed asto the value and effectiveness of a well-delivered,heartfelt sermon. This is not a new and pro-found idea, and it is definitely not to say thatevery Sunday should be a theater in the sanctu-ary. The book advocates for dramatic interpre-tation, but it also lifts up the need to vary ourstyles. Garner emphatically states this over andover. To preach a first-person monologueevery week, even if it were possible, would be-come mundane. So, also, with an every-week

dose of any one style! He challenges us to “feel”the text as lectionary preachers. He encouragesus to consider how best to communicate themessage of each individual text. Sometimes itis by manuscript with well-thought-outphrases as the exegesis suggests a didactic ap-proach. Sometimes it begs for carefully con-structed drama. Sometimes the text lends itselfto simple storytelling. And sometimes it canbest be delivered in a very conversational waywith nothing more than a few written notes.

Warren O. SchulzFirst Lutheran ChurchDuluth, Minnesota

SIMUL: LUTHERAN VOICES IN PO-ETRY,collected and edited by Mark PatrickOdland. Xulon Press, 2007. Pp xii + 190.$13.99 (paper).

Some years ago a friend of mine, a poet, ru-minated on the sad state of poetry. It was hisopinion that nobody took the time to read po-etry anymore. When, for the sake of argument,I entered a demur, he demonstrated his pointby asking (and embarrassing) me: When wasthe last time you read a book of poetry? Werewe to have that conversation today, I wouldhave an answer for him, for I have had thepleasure of reading Mark Odland’s anthologycalled Simul: Lutheran Voices in Poetry.

The book contains nearly 140 short worksof poetry, none longer than a page. Culled fromover 1,200 submissions, the poems cover awide range of experience and emotions. Theycome from a broad spectrum of writers, asbrief biographies at the end of the book dem-onstrate. In his preface Odland explains his vi-sion and the reasons for this collection, whicharise from the Lutheran faith tradition. “Thename of this anthology reflects Martin Lu-ther’s observation that as children of God weare both fully saints and fully sinners simulta-neously. It is the goal of Simul to reflect this

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paradox, and explore the complexity, beauty,and messiness of the human condition” (xii).

Complexity, for example, is assayed in apoem entitled “Walking,” by Riitta Passananti.After describing a walk in the woods that si-multaneously evokes reality and memory, thepoet encounters blooming May flowers and afriend. Although she wishes for the conversa-tion to endure, the walker inevitably realizesthat the expansive moment cannot last, for

the path runs into the roadthe past crashes into todayI turn to wavethey stay behindghost dogs ghost friendthey wait (109)

The anthologist’s goal of beauty is realizedin an evocative poem by Christie Nielsen enti-tled “Old Friend.” The poem, here in its en-tirety, beautifully speaks of friendship:

Beautiful and rich is an old friendship,Grateful to the touch as ancient ivory.

Smooth as aged wine or sheen of tapestryWhere light has lingered, intimate and

long.Full of tears and warm is an old

friendshipThat asks no longer deeds of gallantry,Or any deed at all—save that the friend

shall beAlive and breathing somewhere, like a

song. (79)

The messiness of the human condition isaddressed in a number of poems that speak ofdeath, abuse, loneliness, wistfulness, and thesadness of missed opportunities. The latter issimply adduced in a four-stanza poem entitled“Bird Feeders,” by Linda J. Hommes. The poetwistfully recounts a simple request by hermother to “Fill the bird feeders.” It was notdone; and now the mother languishes in a facil-ity where she has no windows to see the birds.

“Fill the bird feeders”her voice echoes in my memorythe same refrain

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as I pass the window we once sharedwishes not grantedwhat I could have donewhen she asked me. (68)

Hommes’s poem centers on human experi-ence in which things are done and things areleft undone. An imaginative reader might hearin that poem an echo of a parable told by Jesus(Matt 21:28–32). That story of two sons is alsoone of missed opportunity. Many of the otherpoems in this book also have intentional linkswith biblical or theological background. Somereflect that background in indirect ways; oth-ers in ways that are more straightforward. LeAnne Clausen’s “Fully God and Fully Human,”for example, addresses the christological mat-ter of Jesus’ humanity in a carnal and thought-provoking way (22). Poems like “The Vigil ofEaster” by Stephen C. Bond (108) ring out withthe good news that “Jesus is not here” (in thetomb) but, at the same time “Jesus is here”(with us now). If readers are interested intracking the church year poetically, they willfind works that celebrate sacred time from Ad-vent through Easter. Christmas is celebratedwith a touch of hilarity in a poem by GrantPerry in which the author disagrees with hisdaughter’s fundamental religious beliefs, and

I think she’s wrong about her politics,too—

but she’s my daughter and I love her,and we celebrate Christmas together.(136)

Readers will find some of the poems mov-ing, while others may not be to their liking.Some may be seen as captivating, others assentimental. But the bulk of the works shouldstrike chords for people raised in the Lutherantradition, and for others, one hopes, from awider tradition. A reader who takes the time toread poetry should find in this book reflectionsthat will both comfort and disturb. Most of thepoems address the word and the world from ahistorical and biblical point of view, somethingthat is refreshing in an age that moves swiftly,leaving memory and tradition behind.

At one point in Reading Lolita in Tehran, byAzar Nafisi, the author’s father, against thebackdrop of fear and warfare, says “Our truehome, our true history is in our poetry.” Thepoetry in this book brings us back to a vantagepoint where we can see and appreciate our truehome, our true history. Read in solitude or insmall groups over coffee, these poems canshine lights in some dark corners. If GarrisonKeillor can brighten a day by sharing a poemon NPR’s Writer’s Almanac, then patient, in-quiring readers should likewise be nourishedby dipping into and tasting the works in thisanthology.

In the end, my poet friend might wish tomodify his views about people reading poetry.This anthology, if nothing else, demonstratesthat people do. Another acquaintance has re-cently observed that poets restore vitality to abland culture and that the internet is playing arole in developing American poetry in mani-fold ways. In reading Simul one can breathe therich atmosphere where words lift the spirit,give life color, and do battle with the shadows.Elizabeth Leopard’s “The Colors of Love” isjust one of the many poems that offer insightand texture to our experience:

The colors of Love are seen in the fabricof life;

God provides the canvas; mankind addsthe color. (92)

Robert BrusicLuther SeminarySaint Paul, Minnesota

CHRISTIANS AND A LAND CALLEDHOLY: HOW WE CAN FOSTER JUS-TICE, PEACE AND HOPE,by Charles P.Lutz and Robert O.Smith.Minneapolis: For-tress, 2006. Pp. 168. $15.00 (paper).

The subtitle of Charles Lutz and RobertSmith’s book aptly states its purpose. This is asuperb little “how to” book for Christians who

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want to help bring hope, peace, and justice tothe Holy Land. It would be appropriate foradult Sunday School classes and church smallgroups, as well as useful to college studentsand professionals who are trying to figure outhow to be involved constructively in the Israeliand Palestinian conflict.

Smith and Lutz each write backgroundchapters followed by the Appendix, “WhoseLand Is It?” (contributed by Sulpician priest,Ronald D. Witherup, S.S.). The meat of thisguidebook to religious involvement and socialaction, however, is chapter 4, “The Call to Ac-tion,” and the resources, notes, and indexesthat bring the book to a close. All together, thepractical guidelines of chapter 4 and the con-cluding resource material comprise almosthalf the book. The book stands or falls on thesepages—and it stands strong.

Even so, the first three chapters are not tobe skimmed lightly, since they give readersessential background information and confi-dence to understand the region’s complex his-

tory and take just steps that foster peace. Be-ginning at the beginning with the covenant be-tween God and Abraham, the authors take thereader quickly and carefully through contem-porary Jewish claims to the biblical Eretz Yis-rael, the messianic Davidic promise, and thecatastrophic destructions of Israel and de-population of Jews in 586 B.C.E., 70 C.E., and135 C.E.

The authors point out that from the time ofJesus until today, individual Christians havehad a variety of attitudes toward the landwhere Jesus walked (ranging from apathy toromanticism), but that imperial Christendomnever wavered in its lust to possess the HolyLand, which it did from the Constantinian eratill 638 C.E. and again from 1099 to 1187. Exceptfor the eighty-eight-year period of Crusaderoccupation, Palestine (Rome’s name for thisregion of the world) knew its greatest peaceand religious freedom from 638 to 1917 C.E.

under 1300 years of Islamic rule.The Muslim claim to the land focuses on Je-

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rusalem, and specifically on the Harem Al-Sharif where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and theDome of the Rock memorialize the site whereAbraham offered his son as a sacrifice to Godas well as the place from which Mohammadascended to heaven (it is debated whether itwas in body or spirit) and led all of the proph-ets in prayer, including Jesus. With suchauthority, Mohammad is able to clarify previ-ously ambiguous revelations and correct ear-lier Jewish and Christian teachings that had be-come corrupted by time and human frailties,thus establishing himself as the final prophetwith all the truth necessary for the salvation ofthe world.

The authors touch on the relevance ofthe Dreyfus Affair; Theodor Herzl’s seminalbook, The Jewish State; different types of Zion-ism; the Balfour Declaration (1917); and theShoah’s influence on the founding of the stateof Israel. Prior to all of these events, however,Palestinian national identity was alreadygrowing and appears most recently in the

Fateh (1958) and Hamas (1987) political par-ties.

At this moment in history, the authors con-fess appropriately that “we North AmericanChristians must hold ourselves accountable...because we are complicit in this new era of Pal-estinian oppression.” The authors welcomethe emerging divisions within Western Chris-tianity as progress toward breaking “the theo-political” captivity of the American church. Nolonger are the only voices heard those of TimLaHaye, Pat Robertson, and John Hagee. To-day, one hears the countervailing voices ofRichard Mouw, Donald Wagner, Gary Burge,Steven Sizer, and Barbara Rossing. And eventhough Christian Zionism is still more politi-cally powerful, the national and internationalmedia carry stories about Christian Peace-maker Teams, and the Presbyterian ChurchUSA and the United Church of Christ’s workfor selective Israeli divestment.

The CPT, UCC, and PC(USA) are examplesof Western Christians finding a way to encour-

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age peace, justice, and hope among Palestini-ans and Israelis. Pastor Mitri Raheb of theChristmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem(West Bank Palestine) preaches to all who willlisten, “We are not asking for more [church ordenominational] statements. We are askingfor action.”

Lutz and Smith answer Raheb’s plea withfour categories of actions, each filled withpractical suggestions for American Christiansto nurture peace and justice in the Holy Land.Being well informed is, of course, of the firstorder, but seems impossible: the news media ismarket driven; personal and institutional biasis inevitable; those in power spin the news fortheir own ends; and “almost 70% of the jour-nalists serving the international media [in Is-rael] are Jewish or married to Israeli Jews.” Nowonder the national media seem so one-sided!

Undaunted, the authors identify, describe,and give the web addresses for two dozeninternet sources of news from nongovern-mental organizations around the world andfrom organizations on both sides of the GreenLine. Moreover, in the Resources, they identifymore than fifty websites for news and analysis

as well as offering an extensive annotated bib-liography for books and videos. Of course theymiss some sources, e.g., “The Iron Wall,” abrilliantly illuminating documentary by Mo-hammed Alatar, but this book is a gold mine ofsources.

Lutz and Smith offer practical guidance forChristian prayer and political involvement—not for or against Israel or Palestine—butfor an inclusive peace and justice. Their finalset of recommendations is again wonderfullypractical (e.g., including the names and web-sites of tour group operators who specialize in“politicized tourism”), even offering sage pre-cautionary advice to avoid lengthy arrival anddeparture interviews at Ben Gurion Interna-tional Airport. Since every public act is politi-cal, visiting Israel and Palestine cannot helpbut be political; therefore, make it count.Working for justice, peace, and hope in the HolyLand is not otherworldly nor Pollyanna-ish. It isthe faithful response of every Christian toGod’s call.

Paul P. ParkerElmhurst CollegeElmhurst, Illinois

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