Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God – By Elizabeth A. Johnson

from prominent secondary literature on Derrida, includingJ. Caputo, R. Bernasconi, R. Rorty, and R. Scruton. In thesediscussions, the author shows his allegiance to Derrida,defending him from various critical assessments. Powell’swork thus provides the reader with a starting point forfurther study, but it does not answer any advanced ques-tions about the most influential figures and ideas forDerrida. The book, while lacking rigorous analysis of Der-rida’s thought, is a successful general overview of thewhole of his life and work, useful to anyone looking for anefficient introductory account of this prominent thinker.

Matthew Paul SchunkeRice University

ESSAYS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. ByPhilip L. Quinn. Edited by Christian B. Miller. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2006. Pp. xii + 315. $49.95.

This collection for professional philosophers beginswith Quinn’s devastatingly rigorous criticism of J. Rachel’sargument for the impossibility of any being’s being worthyof worship, and also includes some of his groundbreakingwork in rehabilitating divine command theory (DCT). Somediscussion of DCT is dated, but still important. Alsoincluded are Quinn’s contributions to his historic debatewith Plantinga on the proper basicality of theistic belief.Quinn pioneered philosophical consideration of uniquelyChristian issues, and included are thoughtful, yet inconclu-sive, essays on original sin, atonement, and ecclesiology.The essays on tragic dilemmas, political liberalism and reli-gious diversity round out the scope of this selection. Thearguments contained within the covers of this book con-tinue to exert influence on contemporary discussions.Quinn has passed on, but this collection stands as a testi-mony to the fact that his was a truly top-notch analyticalChristian mind, if ever there was one. This is recom-mended for philosophers of religion and other seriousstudents of religion.

Michael A. CantrellBaylor University

THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF ESCHATOLOGY.Edited by Jerry L. Walls. New York: Oxford University Press,2008. Pp. xviii + 724. $150.00.

The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology is a welcome addi-tion to the consistently excellent Oxford Handbooks series.This handbook contains thirty-nine articles divided amongfive major sections: Biblical and Patristic Eschatology, Escha-tology in World Religions, Eschatology in Distinct ChristianTraditions and Theological Movements, Theological Issues,and Philosophical and Cultural Issues. As seen from thesesections, the range of topics is quite broad, including essaysfrom “Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Ancient World” to“Eschatology in Christian Feminist Theologies” to “HumanNature, Personal Identity, and Eschatology.” The disciplinarybackgrounds and methodologies of the contributors are

equally varied, including theologians, historians, biblicalscholars, and analytic philosophers. (It is interesting to notethat more chapters written by scholars primarily known asanalytic philosophers can be found in the section “Theologi-cal Issues” than in the section “Philosophical and CulturalIssues.”) Because of its diversity, most readers will find somepositions and issues with which they are not familiar with,such as the Göttingen school, Millernarian adventism, theRapture Index, or the endurantism/perdurantism debate.Nevertheless, the various chapters provide excellent over-views of their respective topics—and thus serve as a wonder-ful resource to student and scholar alike. Furthermore, manyof the chapters are unwilling to merely report the currentstate of the debate, but also push discussion in new andwelcome directions, showing promising avenues for futureinvestigation. This is an excellent research resource.

Kevin TimpeUniversity of San Diego

TheologyTHE EUCHARIST: BODIES, BREAD AND RESUR-RECTION. By Andrea Bieler and Luise Schottroff.Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. Pp. viii + 248.$22.00.

In this volume on the Eucharist, Bieler and Schottroffdraw from their respective disciplines (worship studies, NT,theology) to create an exploration of the Eucharist, whichcrosses disciplinary lines and seeks to locate the Eucharist,as the authors state, “as a resurrection meal.” As such, thebook focuses on the eschatological aspects of the Christianlife, with the Eucharist as the chief emblem of this life. Thus,rather than explore what the Eucharist is ontologically, theauthors explore what the meaning of the Eucharistic meal isfor Christian engagement with a variety of social problems(hunger, political abuse, destructive economic practice, andloss of cultural memory). The most valuable portion of Bielerand Schottroff’s work is the practical nature of their writing.Drawing connections between global hunger and the plenti-tude of resources present in the Eucharistic celebration, theyinvite their readers to unshackle their imagination andrefuse to capitulate to a theology built on scarcity and lack.Their highly accessible style will provide a valuable intro-duction to one way of connecting liturgical practice with theproblems of the extra-ecclesial world.

Myles WerntzBaylor University

AFTER THE CHURCH: DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN ASEXUAL AGE. By Claire Henderson Davis. Norwich:Canterbury Press, 2007. Pp. xvi + 79. $15.99.

This small book subverts tidy theological genres. Com-bining personal narrative, depth psychology, biblical storyand theological reflection, Davis offers a dramatic rewritingof central Christian doctrines. The author assumes an

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increasing disaffection with traditional Christianity amongWesterners and accepts much contemporary critique ofchurch practice. Yet the Christian story, in her eyes, contin-ues to offer something indispensable to the world: to tell uswhat it means to be human, how we find our limits, and whatto do with our lives. In the pages of her book, Davis revisesseveral doctrines by focusing her attention less on divinetranscendence and more on human relationships. The Fall,for example, says more about “our separation from nature,the loss of innocence it brings, the work and sufferingrequired to find our place” than it does about the transmis-sion of sin. The story of Babel illustrates the “ongoing temp-tation to eliminate difference by imposing a single language”that is challenged by the promise of Pentecost, which allowsdifferences to flourish in common life. The incarnationspeaks to the creativity of sex, entering into conversationwith another, in which a single body is “formed through thecoming together of different bodies.” Davis claims that weare near the end of a period in the West where we worshipJesus as God in human form, and are beginning to explorehow human form, “in light of Jesus, leads us into God.” Herrevisionist account of doctrine is readable, experiential, andattentive to broad biblical themes. Yet for this reviewer oneissue remains: It is one thing to say that Christian claimscorrespond to the human condition; it is quite another toimply that divine transcendence can be reduced to thehuman. If Davis is advocating the former, then her work iswelcome news in a post-ecclesial age; if the latter, then herwork is Feuerbach all over again.

David H. JensenAustin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

POSTCOLONIAL EUROPE IN THE CRUCIBLE OFCULTURES: RECKONING WITH GOD IN A WORLDOF CONFLICTS. Edited by Jacques Haers, Norbert Hinter-steiner and Georges De Schrijver. Currents of Encounter, 34.Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2007. Pp. 253. $78.00.

Originating from a conference held in Leuven as part ofa larger project on “God in Europe,” this volume is thesecond of three. As a dialogue between scholars from Europeand the Two-Thirds World, a sizeable portion of this volumeis devoted to four essays that interpret economic globaliza-tion from different angles. Three sections related to specificproblems in a globalized world—war and violence, ecologicalproblems, and gender issues—follow this discussion ofglobalization. Many of the contributors are theologians,although this is not simply a theological book. Some of themost interesting essays are not particularly theological, andall offer a framework for understanding background issuesin contemporary theological thinking. Significantly, theimportance of contextualization for theology provides thecoherence of the essays of this book. In addition to variationsin the quality of the essays themselves, a number of smalltypographical errors can be found throughout the text. Evenso, both theologians and students will find that some of these

essays illuminate unique perspectives on the place oftheology in contemporary society.

Forrest ClingermanOhio Northern University

THE END OF WORK: THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUESOF CAPITALISM. By John Hughes. From the Illumina-tions: Theory and Religion series, ed. Catherine Pickstock,John Milbank, and Graham Ward. Malden, MA: BlackwellPublishing, 2007. Pp. xii + 247. $42.95.

In a world where work is increasingly global, it is sur-prising how often theological proposals for Christian engage-ment in economic matters take for granted the utilitariancategories of modern economic thought, without consider-ation for how these categories might in fact undercutattempts to formulate an answer. Such is the case thatHughes makes for evaluating whether there might be aChristian theory of economics. Using the Radical Orthodoxhistoriographical approach, Hughes evaluates not onlyrecent proposals, but the classical economic traditions ofMarx, Weber, the English Romantics and the FrankfurtSchool. Hughes traces the history of modern economicsthrough the concept of utility, arguing for utility’s origins asrooted within a larger theological tradition that ultimately isabandoned by Weber and Marx. Subsequent attempts byChristians to create more humane forms of economy do notrecognize this history, and remain captive to utilitarianassumptions, Hughes argues. As a counter to this method,Hughes offers a liturgical Catholic model as an alternativeeconomy, as suggested by Pieper and Maritain, amongothers. Hughes’ work is provocative in its thesis and conclu-sions, and will surely spark debate both for its proposal andaccount of economic history. As such, it deserves to be readnot only by economists, but by those seeking to articulate anaccount of how economics can be a thoroughly theologicalventure.


ECOLOGIES OF GRACE: ENVIRONMENTALETHICS AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. By WillisJenkins. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.Pp. ix + 363. $35.00.

Ecological theologies have emerged from a variety ofperspectives. The attendant typologies of eco-theologies areequally diverse. Jenkins’ work offers an alternative to earlierattempts at categorizing eco-theologies, and in the process itoffers an insightful way to map this area of religious andethical reflection. His innovation is to identify and explorethe soteriological emphases found in ethical responsestoward nature. In the first part of his book, Jenkins notesthree general approaches of Christian environmental ethics.These are labeled as strategies of eco-justice, Christian stew-ardship, and ecological spirituality. Each of the three isshown to be connected to secular counterparts, and also witha broad theological confession. Jenkins’s important contri-


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bution, however, is to show how each of these is associatedwith a specific “ecology of grace” and metaphor of salvation,which offer an innovative, practically-oriented way of under-standing religious ethics. The second part of Jenkins’ bookdevelops the theological discussion further by deeply exam-ining the theologies of Aquinas, Barth, and Bulgakov. Thesetheologians are each placed into conversation with one ofJenkins’s categories to interrogate them further. With envi-ronmental issues as front-page news, Jenkins’s work is set tobe part of the ongoing methodological discussions over howcontemporary theology and ethics should engage the naturalworld. Scholars will find this book to be a perceptive additionto the literature in environmental theology and ethics. At thesame time, the first part of the book in particular would be avaluable introduction for undergraduates and others.


STRICKEN BY GOD? NONVIOLENT IDENTIFICA-TION AND THE VICTORY OF CHRIST. Edited by BradJersak and Michael Hardin. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. EerdmansPublishing Company, 2007. Pp. 527. $32.00.

In this edited volume, Jersak and Hardin bring togethera stellar list of contributors, including M. Volf, R. Williams,N. T. Wright, and R. Rohr. The thesis of the volume is thatpenal substitution theory has dominated modern thinking ofthe atonement, and as such, has given rise to condoningviolence rather than condemning it. As such, the volumeexplores recent alternatives to penal substitution, includingritual liturgy (J. Alison), forgiveness–reconciliation theory(Williams), and theosis (K. Anstall). By bringing in a pan-orama of writers, Jersak and Hardin engage a multitude ofviews of the cross—contemplative, activist, orthodox, andsocial-scientific, to name but a few—giving a picture of theatonement which stretches our imagination of the meaningof the crucifixion, while remaining true to the Scripturalpicture. The essays are organized into six sections, followingintroductory essays, each of which engages a question ofatonement: the historical Jesus, sacrifice, forgiveness,justice, nonviolent victory, and deification. Among the morevaluable pieces in the work are a reprinted essay by C. F. D.Moule on the limits of punishment according to the NT andthe exegetical essay by Williams. Well-suited for studentsand scholars alike, the volume is a goldmine of insights andnew directions of faithful rethinking of one of the core eventsin the Christian church.


QUEST FOR THE LIVING GOD: MAPPING FRON-TIERS IN THE THEOLOGY OF GOD. By Elizabeth A.Johnson. New York: The Continuum Publishing Group Inc.,2007. Pp. xiii + 234. $24.95.

This beautifully written book, aimed at an undergradu-ate audience, surveys eight recent discussions of Godarising from different contexts. It argues that Christianity is

living through a new moment in the quest to understandGod, in which the focus is on God’s relationship to the world.The first chapter outlines the modern theism from whichthese discussions depart. Subsequent chapters discuss theunderstanding of God in Rahner’s theology, Germanpolitical theologies, Latin American liberation theologies,theologies of women of color from around the globe, African-American theologies, Hispanic peoples’ theologies, interre-ligious dialogue, ecological theologies, and the renewal ofthe doctrine of the trinity. Johnson argues that the path tounderstanding God lies through the struggles of faith ineach context. Amidst their differences, she sees in each anunderstanding of God as living, relational, radically tran-scendent and justice-oriented. In each, the symbol of Godfunctions to orient and inspire human life in liberatingways. She argues that a radical sense of divine transcen-dence and immanence go together. While she portrays thissense vividly, she does not develop a coherent conceptualityfor it. Throughout Johnson popularizes without becomingshallow. This book will be useful for introductory courses intheology and experts in the field. Every seminary libraryshould have it.

Don SchweitzerSt. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon

ECOSPIRIT: RELIGIONS AND PHILOSOPHIES FORTHE EARTH. Edited by Laurel Kearns and CatherineKeller. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007.Pp. xvi + 644. Cloth $85.00; paper, $32.00.

This edited volume contains almost thirty scholarlypapers, as well as other material related to a conference heldat Drew University. More than a collection of conferencepapers, this book is a great resource for the ongoing inves-tigation into the relationship between religion and ecology.One of the strengths of this book is how essays from well-established voices in the field (e.g., Ruether, Wallace, andPrimavesi) are complemented by a number of creativeyounger scholars and theologians. While it is a hefty volume,it is not an all-inclusive representation of religion andecology: it primarily focuses on Christian theology, and (forobvious reasons) several authors are connected with Drew.But unlike many other collections, there is an unusual diver-sity in the philosophical and theological influences. Thus, afocus on deconstruction and continental philosophy ispresent in many of the works, as well as the process per-spectives one often finds in discussions of ecotheology.These interactions bring out several new discussion part-ners for environmental theology. The first section of thework—appropriately called “Ecogrounds”—sets the stage byoffering reflections on the basis for engaging ecologicalconcerns, religion, and philosophy. Other sections consist ofcontributions that are oriented on ways of knowing, theologi-cal doctrines within Christianity, and ecospiritual practices.A particularly interesting section on individual places con-stitutes another section of this collection. The diversity andcoverage of this book means it will be useful not only to


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scholars of religion and ecology, but also to seminarians andundergraduate students. It certainly should be of interest totheologians who are interested in a snapshot of contempo-rary ecotheology.


REFLECTIONS ON GRACE. By Thomas A. Langford.Edited and Introduced by Philip A. Rolnick and JonathanR. Wilson. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2007. Pp. xi + 114.$16.00.

Reflections on Grace is the posthumous publication of anunfinished manuscript found on Langford’s desk at the timeof his death. As such, it retains the flavor of a work inprogress, while offering a clear, cogent, and mature vision ofChristian grace developed across a lifetime of studying andteaching theology. Though critically informed by philosophy,Langford’s doctrine of grace is radically christological: grace,he affirms, is not a gift but a giver: grace is the person of JesusChrist, God’s direct presence to us. Moreover, while grace isoften marked by delight, wonder, and extravagant abun-dance, it is also “the sharpness of God engaging the humancondition,” the divine “self-offering that moves into destruc-tive arenas, stands against evil, identifies with brokenness,and fights for reconciliation.” Thus, Langford’s is not a cheapgrace: it calls Christians to both courageous action andhumble awareness. Langford’s consistent use of doctrinalvernacular lends a strongly homiletic tone to his reflections,which occasionally impedes rather than fosters his explica-tory efforts. Yet he critically engages, in an accessiblemanner, classic debates about Christian truth, the relation-ship between nature and grace, and Christianity’s relation-ship to other religions. In turn, he offers incisive suggestionsfor how the Christian gospel of grace might help the church toattend more faithfully, and gracefully, to the postmodernchallenges of interreligious encounter, the ecological crisis,and the debate over evolution. Langford’s reflections, at onceclassic and timely, would be an especially fine resource forboth pastors and adult education curriculums. While particu-larly relevant to Wesleyan traditions, this volume gracefullyspeaks to all Christian communions.

Krista E. HughesDrew University

METHODISM IN RECOVERY: RENEWINGMISSION, RECLAIMING HISTORY, RESTORINGHEALTH. By William B. Lawrence. Nashville: AbingdonPress, 2008. Pp. xiv + 137. $16.00.

In this book, William Lawrence, Dean at the PerkinsSchool of Theology, probes the troubles besetting AmericanMethodism and offers suggestions for recovery. Although herecognizes that Methodism in America includes manydenominations, this book is primarily about The UnitedMethodist Church. He clearly shows that Methodism is indecline, and that, even where it is growing, it is growing atrates slower than the population. Moreover, he contends that

United Methodism has lost its sense as a connectional bodyand its sense of mission. While he does not believe a schismwithin United Methodism would preclude the recovery ofMethodism, neither does he argue in favor of such a course.He does recommend that Methodists rethink what theymean by church, re-evaluate the role of their connectionalsystem, re-emphasize both personal and social holiness,renew their sense of mission, and recover their heritage. Heacknowledges but plays down contemporary theological con-flicts, and it is not clear how his recommendations couldaccommodate the depth and breadth of conflict within TheUnited Methodist Church. This is nonetheless an importantbook for all those with an interest in the future of AmericanMethodism. Recommended for seminary libraries, coursesin United Methodist polity, and Methodist pastors.

Glenn M. HardenBaker College

REINHOLD NIEBUHR. By Robin W. Lovin. AbingdonPillars of Theology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.Pp. xv + 86. $10.00.

Lovin has few peers among interpreters of Niebuhr andhis legacy. In this accessible introduction to Niebuhr’s richand multifaceted theology, Lovin distills his vast expertiseinto a slim and handy guide for the beginning student.Attending to Niebuhr’s chronological development and his-torical context, Lovin arranges his material thematicallyaround central topics (“Immoral Society,” “Human Nature,”“Human Destiny,” “Democracy,” “Faith and History,” and“Christian Realism: Pluralistic and Hopeful”). In addition todescribing and analyzing Niebuhr’s major contributions totheology and ethics, Lovin also engages the criticisms ofNiebuhr’s legacy that have shaped his reception in the con-temporary period and around which serious discussion con-tinues to revolve. In an irenic and nondefensive spirit, Lovinresponds to the inadequacies, real or perceived, in thislegacy and makes helpful constructive suggestions as to howNiebuhr’s categories for interpreting the Christian moral lifemight be revised, and hence strengthened for a new time andset of circumstances. This volume ably succeeds in its mainpurpose, namely, to provide a road map orienting readers tothe study of this most influential and provocative of theologi-cal ethicists in the twentieth century. I used this text in aseminar on Niebuhr and my students found it enormouslyilluminating and helpful. It is ideal for undergraduate andseminary classrooms as well as adult education in localchurches. I recommend it without reservations.

Paul E. CapetzUnited Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

GOD AFTER METAPHYSICS: A THEOLOGICALAESTHETIC. By John Panteleimon Manoussakis. IndianaSeries in the Philosophy of Religion. Bloomington: IndianaUniversity Press, 2007. Pp. xiii + 213. $39.00.

With an approach indebted to R. Kearney and J. Marion,Manoussakis presents a book at the intersection of phenom-


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enology, philosophical hermeneutics, and Christian theology(particularly Eastern Orthodox theology). It is a philosophi-cal investigation of how we experience and know a personalGod—that is, not simply a disinterested “God of the philoso-phers.” Manoussakis’s work is an “aesthetic” in its attemptto show how we can reconcile sensible experience with thetranscendence of God. The work holds three parts, eachfocused on a different sensory experience: seeing, hearing,and touching. Each section begins with an interpretation of apainting from Brueghel’s series of allegories of the senses.From that starting point, Manoussakis embarks on an intri-cate reflection on a seemingly paradoxical quality of God—forexample, how do we “see God”? Within his deliberations,certain practices emerge: for example, hearing throughhymnody rather than conceptual language. A great deal ofthe work is turned over to philosophical interpretations ofancient and contemporary voices on the issues at hand. Thethemes of the personhood, the relationship between Self andOther, and our reception compared to the sheer excess ofGod are found throughout the work. Especially for thosewhose research engages continental philosophy, Manous-sakis’s book frames some interesting questions forphilosophical theology. His use of Eastern theology as acomplement to continental philosophy of religion is adroitand adds to his unique argument.


UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. By IanS. Markham. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.Pp. xii + 232. $30.00.

Framed from the vantage point of a priest practicingfaith-seeking understanding, Markham’s introductory text-book enlivens Christian doctrine by permeating it with ques-tions regarding the problem of suffering and evil. Markhamtakes seriously the fact of religious pluralism as he main-tains the conviction that faith can and does make sense. Hethus highlights the importance of grounding oneself in one’sown particular tradition in order to explain and evaluate coreChristian convictions in relation to complex, contemporaryissues. Conversing with numerous key historical andcontemporary theologians, Markham demonstrates well thecontent and import of Christian doctrines while also care-fully exposing critical issues associated with each one. Eachchapter opens with helpful text boxes outlining the section’slearning outcomes and structure, and closes with diversequestions for reflection and discussion and a glossary of keyterms. Similar text boxes throughout the chapters introducekey figures, concepts, and events. Despite noting the con-temporary importance of “identity theologies,” however,Markham’s engagement of feminist, race, queer or liberationtheologies is minimal. Furthermore, some of the treatmentsof figures and movements are cursory, although this is to beexpected in an introductory text that covers so much ground.Even so, Markham presents well the project of theology atthe end of modernity. The book would serve as an excellent

source for an introductory theology course at the under-graduate or seminary level, or as an insightful map of thedoctrinal terrain for any interested layperson.

Natalie Wigg-StevensonVanderbilt Divinity School

A NEW CLIMATE FOR THEOLOGY: GOD, THEWORLD, AND GLOBAL WARMING. By Sallie McFague.Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008. Pp. 198. $19.00.

The occasion for the writing of this book is the wide-spread “recent awakening” of society to the dire conse-quences of climate change. While this might be thecircumstance surrounding the book, McFague deals withmore wide-ranging theological issues as well. The main argu-ment is that the present crises of the environment (climatechange being the prominent issue, but not the only one)require a new investigation of God and theological anthropol-ogy. McFague, who has written several ground-breakingbooks on the relationship between religion and ecology, pre-sents an argument here that draws on her earlier writingswhile adding new themes as well. Readers familiar with herother work will recognize here many ideas that McFaguepreviously introduced to environmental theology: the worldas God’s body, the need for a metaphorical theology, thepromise of an ecological turn of postmodernity, etc. Part 1 ofthis present book addresses the science of climate changeand explains how it constitutes a theological problem. Part 2presents short descriptions of three areas of theology in needof change in light of climate change: theological anthropol-ogy, models of God, and economics. Parts 3 and 4 detail someof the ramifications of this proposal by looking at how we live(worship, urban life) and our attitudes (hope, despair). Cer-tainly, this is a compact and lucidly written introduction toMcFague’s theological reflection. At the same time, the lastthree parts are not as narrowly focused on global warming asreaders might assume based on the title of the work.


THE POLITICS OF DISCIPLESHIP AND DISCIPLE-SHIP IN POLITICS: JÜRGEN MOLTMANNLECTURES IN DIALOGUE WITH MENNONITESCHOLARS. By Jürgen Moltmann. Edited by Willard M.Swartley. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2006. Pp. xv + 151.$20.00.

This volume contains four lectures delivered by Molt-mann at two Mennonite seminaries in 1982, responses byeight Mennonite scholars, a “response to the responses,” anda 2004 essay by Moltmann. The original lectures andresponses, published separately in 1983-84, marked Molt-mann’s first extended engagement with Anabaptist theolo-gians. Against the background of the Cold War, especiallythe 1981 deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe, Molt-mann critiques Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms andBarth’s Pantocrator Christology, sets out the basics of politi-cal theology, and explores Christian discipleship in a


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nuclear age. The historical distance between 1982 and apost-9/11 world is jarring but illuminating and gives thebook a surprising relevance. How quickly we forget!Theologically, the real value of the book lies in the friendlybut trenchant questions pressed by Moltmann’s Anabaptistinterlocutors, eliciting, for example, his admission that histheology has not yet adequately “integrated the meaning ofthe earthly Jesus as messianic prophet.” The more recentessay by Moltmann, “Peacemaking and Dragonslaying inChristianity,” gives considerable attention to the Sermon onthe Mount, tacitly acknowledging a debt to the Mennonites.For advanced undergraduates, graduate students, andfaculty.

John C. ShelleyFurman University

HOPE AND SOLIDARITY: JON SOBRINO’S CHAL-LENGE TO CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. Edited by StephenJ. Pope. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008. Pp. xiii + 282.$26.00.

This collection of essays studies the thought of LatinAmerican liberation theologian Jon Sobrino. It provides asympathetic but not uncritical exploration of his workagainst the background of the Notification on it by the Con-gregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The first five essaysfocus on Sobrino’s approach to theology, which is guided bythe preferential option for the poor. These note that inSobrino’s conflictual reading of reality the opposite of faith isnot unbelief but idolatry, and how the framework of histheology is derived from the paschal mystery. The next sixessays focus on the Christology central to his thought. Theseessays study Sobrino’s understanding of how Jesus is nor-mative, divine, and prophetic. The next two study his ecclesi-ology. The last five essays examine his understanding ofmoral theology and spirituality. The text of the Notificationand an explanatory note are appended. The influence ofIgnacio Ellacuria on Sobrino is noted. Particular attention isgiven to Sobrino’s argument for the theological significanceof the historical Jesus. Problematic areas and omissions inhis thought are discussed. Several authors effectively defendSobrino against the criticisms in the Notification. This is avaluable study of a major contemporary theologian thatbelongs in every seminary library. It will be important foranyone working on liberation theology.


THE DOCTRINE OF DEIFICATION IN THE GREEKPATRISTIC TRADITION. By Norman Russell. OxfordEarly Christian Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press,2004. Pp. xiv + 418. Cloth, $218.00; paper, 2006, $55.00.

The resurgence of scholarly interest in deification issupremely well served by this magisterial volume. The out-standing feature of this book is its combination of precisionand scope that ranges from Graeco-Roman, Jewish, and NTorigins to fourteenth-century Byzantium. The Apostolic

Fathers, the Alexandrian tradition, the Cappadocians, earlymonastic authors from Evagrius to Maximus the Confessor,and as far as Gregory of Palamas in the fourteenth centuryare all explored with impressively fluent dexterity. Whilethe focus of the book is clearly the Greek tradition of earlyChristianity (a massive amount of material is covered), theauthor includes an appendix on deification in the Latin andSyriac traditions and an appendix on Greek vocabulary ofdeification (not images of deification, however). Throughoutthe author is poised, insightful, and judicious. Usefulindexes conclude. The book is a revision of the author’s 1988doctoral thesis at Oxford. While there has been a certainamount of updating of the text in preparation for publication,there are still some gaps in secondary literature. Neverthe-less, this book is both scholarly study and navigable refer-ence work. No single book on the topic provides such anoverview. Generations of seasoned scholars and graduatestudents will owe Russell a debt of gratitude for a very longtime.

Martin LairdVillanova University

PROTESTANT THEOLOGY AT THE CROSSROADS:HOW TO FACE THE CRUCIAL FOR THEOLOGY INTHE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. By Gerhard Sauter.Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Pp vii + 188. $24.00.

As the title of the book suggests, Protestant theology,says G. Sauter, is at the “crossroads” or is facing “severalforks in the road.” These “forks in the road” are crucialturning points that call for a decision, a decision that mayhave serious consequences. Which direction are we to take?Even more fundamentally, what will guide our decision as towhich road we must take? Though the sequence of the chap-ters does not flow well (the book is a collection of lecturesdelivered at different occasions), one would not miss theauthor’s central point: Dogmatics is a tool that can savebiblical interpretation, contextual theology, public theology,and the church. It can save biblical interpretation from bib-licism and fundamentalism; contextual theology from beinga mere reflection of its context; and the church from beingswallowed by ideologies and from losing itself in the plural-ity of religious opinions. The various chapters of the bookprovide a demonstration of the crucial importance of dog-matics and the dangerous consequences when it is ignored.I cannot totally dismiss Sauter’s warning of the danger thatcontextual theologies in general and liberation theologies inparticular may simply mirror their own contexts rather thanutter God’s saving and liberating word. But why limit hiscriticism to liberation theologies or to theologies at the farends of the political spectrum? Why not include theologiesthat claim to be in the middle or non-politically aligned?Is it because this is where he locates himself theologically?It seems that Sauter has placed dogmatics on apedestal—transcendent and intrinsic rationality—as to put it(particularly his own) above the realm of culture, hermeneu-tics and ideology. But, is it possible to do dogmatics apart


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from culture or beyond hermeneutical presuppositions? Dowe not discern the gospel in and through culture?

Eleazar S. FernandezUnited Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

BEYOND MONOTHEISM: A THEOLOGY OF MULTI-PLICITY. By Laurel C. Schneider. London and New York:Routledge, 2007. Pp. xiv + 248. $27.95.

Beyond Monotheism is not an apology for polytheism,but rather a refutation of the logic of the One. From ancientIsraelite theology, Greek philosophy, and African Christian-ity to modern scientific notions of truth, the book tracks thepolitical impulses surrounding monotheistic ideology. Rup-tures in the narrative of monotheism’s triumph come to lightin a delightfully queer meditation on Dante’s Inferno, whichpivots the book toward its constructive chapters, where twometaphors for multiplicity—fluidity and the rhizome—offeralternatives to the logic of the One. Fluids illustrate a porous,shifting, interconnected mode of divine relationality; theyalso serve as a model for the theologian’s “fluency” in (asopposed to mastery of) theological discourse. From the fieldof botany, rhizomes offer a horizontal and a centered modelof incarnation. Schneider’s case study in the ethics of nation-alism in the postcolonial context nicely fleshes out a placefor the One within divine multiplicity. This work is thefruit of a powerful critique grown to maturity: it anti-cipates potent objections to thinking divine being afterHeidegger but forges ahead, despite the risk, toward anew ontological narrative of connection, multiplicity, andembodied difference.

Michelle Voss RobertsRhodes College

NO SALVATION OUTSIDE THE POOR: PROPHETIC-UTOPIAN ESSSAYS. By Jon Sobrino. Maryknoll, NY:Orbis Books, 2008. Pp. xii + 147. $22.00.

This challenging collection of essays continues Jon Sobri-no’s exploration of the meaning of the gospel amidst the poorof Latin America, those who die before their time as a result ofinjustice. Sobrino uses a conflictual social analysis, arguingthat the rich and powerful refuse to attend to or take action toalleviate the suffering of these people. In this context, theol-ogy must be done from within the world of the poor, as theirsufferings reveal the truth of the present. Attention to themleads to a productive new understanding of Jesus Christ. Inthis way, the poor have a revelatory and even redemptivefunction. Jesus’ resurrection brings hope for the poor,demands active solidarity with them, and makes his crossa source of hope. Sobrino’s conflictual analysis does notdemonize the wealthy, but calls us to conversion. The gospeldemands that all take up the struggle against evil within andinjustice without, and empowers this through the hope itbrings and the presence of God that it reveals. While salvationoccurs in different forms, it must not be collapsed into any oneform, and it must be understood concretely in relation to thesufferings of the present. This book admirably continues the

work of liberation theology. It is suited for seminary courses.Every seminary library should have a copy.


GODLY PLAY: DAS KONZEPT ZUM SPIE-LERISCHEN ENTDECKEN VON BIBEL UNDGLAUBEN. VOL. 5: ANALYSEN, HANDLUNGS-FELDER, PRAXIS. Edited by Martin Steinhäuser. Leipzig:Evangelische Verlagsanstalt. Pp. 254. €19.80.

This recent and noteworthy volume documents GodlyPlay—an approach to religious education associated with thework of J. Berryman—as a truly global phenomenon.Gathered together on its pages are twenty-five essayswritten by a diverse collection of pastors, professors, reli-gious educators, and practitioners of Godly Play, with bothProtestant and Catholic traditions broadly represented. Mostof the contributors hail from Germany, with a few voicesfrom the United Kingdom and the United States also present.Each of the authors is committed to a sustained dialoguewith the practice of Godly Play and children as agents(rather than vessels) in religious education. Part 1 containsanalyses of Godly Play as a discipline. This is the most tech-nical section of the volume, though none of the essays isoverly technical. Covering subjects as varied as mystagogy,liturgy, and the theology of childhood, this section examinestheological and pedagogical underpinnings of Godly Playand situates its practice within wider biblical, cultural, andtheological contexts. Part 2 examines particular challengesand opportunities as Godly Play is undertaken in variedsettings: in primary schools and congregations, with special-needs children and adults. Part 3 offers specific practicalsuggestions for many of the activities that make up GodlyPlay, including leading, singing, and wondering. As a whole,the volume is well worth the read. More than a handbook, thecollection offers a sustained conversation—in appreciation aswell as criticism—with Godly Play as a theological and peda-gogical movement. As such, it is an invaluable resource forscholars, pastors, and teachers alike.

David H. JensenAustin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

IS FAITH RATIONAL? A HERMENEUTICAL-PHENOMENOLOGICAL ACCOUNTING FOR FAITH.By Wessel Stoker. Studies in Philosophical Theology.Dudley, MA: Peeters, 2006. Pp. x + 267. $55.00.

Is faith a rational enterprise? Stoker argues yes, startingfrom the experience of the believer and moving toward asystematic description of a practice-oriented understandingof faith. Reliant on Ricoeur, Schleiermacher and otherhermeneutical thinkers, Stoker presents a well-written andthoughtful argument. The first two chapters summarizeother views of faith that start from religious experience: thetranscendental (Tillich) and the epistemological (Alston).Both are deemed problematic, opening the door to Stoker’s


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hermeneutical–phenomenological proposal. Fundamental ishis claim that religious experience is a “hermeneutical,lasting experience.” The remaining four chapters detail aview of the practice of faith as rational. Stoker outlines reli-gious experience as a form of testimony that relates to Godin a transintentional way. Because religious experienceinvolves the whole person, Stoker also points to the narrativenature of religious experience. Experience has a narrativequality in terms of the content of faith and with the believeras subject. The narrativity of faith offers an argument that istied to the person as believer, and yet this view is nonethe-less rational. Stoker ends the book by explaining how such aview interacts with a secularized and religiously pluralisticview. As a work of philosophical theology, Stoker’s book isaimed at philosophers and theologians. Stoker brings clarityto his treatment of phenomenology and hermeneutics. Hisindebtedness to Tillich and Ricoeur make it an interestingwork of hermeneutical philosophy, but it also presentsa view of the meaning of faith which religious studiesscholars will find fascinating.


POSTMODERNISM AND THE ETHICS OF THEO-LOGICAL KNOWLEDGE. By Justin Thacker. AshgateNew Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and BiblicalStudies Series. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2007. Pp. xi + 141.$89.95.

The main argument of this work is to show how Chris-tian theology is inherently connected to ethics; for Thacker,knowing God and loving the other should be seen as inextri-cably tied together. To advance his argument, the fourmiddle chapters of the book are given over to his explanationof theological epistemology. According to Thacker, theologi-cal knowing must combine two models. The first focuses ona sense of perichoretic participation in the divine throughChrist, while the second is composed of a revelatory accountthat draws heavily on Barth. These two models can be syn-thesized through Polanyi’s “personal knowledge,” allowingThacker to claim that theological knowing is a form of tacitknowledge that operates in our “participation in Christ’srationality.” Such a combined model of theological knowl-edge encompasses the whole person, which leads to theconclusion that rationality and the ethical mandate to theother are “a single phenomenon.” This discussion of theo-logical epistemology and ethics is sandwiched between aninitial chapter and a conclusion that relates the heart of thebook to the postmodern philosophies of Rorty and Lyotard.Thacker’s book is clear, well-organized, and concise. It is abrief work, and much more could be said about the meaningof ethics in light of his model of faith and epistemology. Evenso, this work would be of interest for scholars examiningthe connection between theology and ethics, and betweenfaith and reason.


THE END OF MEMORY: REMEMBERING RIGHTLYIN A VIOLENT WORLD. By Miroslav Volf. Grand Rapids,MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006. Pp. viii + 244.$22.00.

Another courageous and wise book from this theologi-cally conservative, socially radical Yale theologian: Coura-geous because it challenges the consensus that memoryserves only the victim; wise because it offers compellingreasons why even the victim is best served by locating the“end” (telos) of memory in reconciliation of victim and per-petrator. Framed by Volf’s experience of aggressive interro-gation by Yugoslav Intelligence Forces during Volf’s militaryservice in 1984, the book concludes with a daring imagina-tive exploration of reconciliation with his interrogator. Part 2is devoted to how we should remember wrongs suffered.Remembering truthfully and with hope of using those memo-ries to help oneself and others is essential but not sufficient.Christians, Volf insists, must refract the memory throughthe lenses of Exodus and Jesus’ Passion, which pushesbeyond individual healing to forgiveness and reconciliationof victim and perpetrator. The argument culminates in Part3, in a thought experiment in which Volf imagines the LastJudgment (Final Reconciliation) as transition between thisworld and the community of perfect love in the next. Oncereconciliation is complete, what purpose would memory ofwrong suffered or wrong committed serve? In the commu-nity of perfect love, argues Volf, wrong suffered or commit-ted would simply not “come to mind.” Haunting questionsremain, but within a reconfigured theological landscape. Thepower and beauty of the argument lie in Volf’s subtlety,requiring patience but not necessarily advanced degrees.For advanced undergraduates and pastors as well as facultyand graduate students.

John C. ShelleyFurman University

LIVING THE SABBATH: DISCOVERING THERHYTHMS OF REST AND DELIGHT. By NormanWirzba. The Christian Practice of Everyday Life Series.Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006. Pp. 172. $19.99.

A Sabbath sensibility, according to Wirzba, involves notsimply cessation of activity on the seventh day as manyconclude after reading texts like Exod 20:8-11, but a trans-formed lifestyle of covenantal living in which human“delight” in creation is patterned after divine delight, inwhich dependence on God and others generates gratitudeand trust, and in which the “egalitarian and emancipatorythrust of Sabbath teaching” requires justice in relationshipswith others and creation itself. Rather than associating“rest” as break, Wirzba argues “the Sabbath is not a breakfrom life but rather a profound theological lens that enablesus to get a look at all of it.” That theological lens is funda-mentally Christological: “When Christians practice the loveof Christ, they enter into God’s own life. They begin to seeothers in the way God sees them, as worthy of care and inneed of mercy and hope. Christlike ministry forms the practi-


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cal context in terms of which the world can appear as lovableand delightful.” Throughout, Wirzba mounts deft criticismsof culture and church insofar as these thwart abundantliving. Particularly insightful is the discussion of what hecalls “adventures in artificiality” wherein we fall prey toboredom, “the society of the spectacle,” and the elusivepromises of consumer desire. Neither popular nor technical,but thoroughly ecumenical, interreligious, and interdiscipli-nary, this book on Christian living will appeal broadly toecclesial and university audiences.

John N. ShevelandGonzaga University

SPIRITUALITY AND MYSTICISM: A GLOBALVIEW. By James A. Wiseman. Theology in a Global Perspec-tive. New York: Orbis Books, 2006. Pp. ix-xiv + 242. Paper,$20.00.

This book assesses the value of certain discrete histori-cal expressions of Christian spirituality to contemporaryCatholics. It focuses on the spirituality associated with par-ticular individuals—not on broader patterns of piety. A firstchapter on methodological matters is not integrally con-nected to the bulk of this book; subsequent chapters proceedchronologically from biblical spirituality to the sixteenth-century reformation before turning to Asia, Africa, and theAmericas. Although not a work of original scholarship,Wiseman’s voice is most clearly heard in directing evalua-tions of the spiritualities under review. Wiseman assumesshared conceptions about a “healthy” modern spirituality,where Bernard of Clairvaux’s affective religiosity is “prob-lematic” and Eckhart’s understanding of unitas indistincta is“troublesome.” Wiseman juxtaposes approbatory remarks(Pope John Paul II on Francis of Assisi) and critical com-ments (Ratzinger on Gustavo Gutierrez) to inform the read-er’s appropriation of the spiritualities under discussion.While liberal use of often beautiful block quotations is evoca-tive, Wiseman conveys little of the variety and complexity ofChristian spirituality: Francis figures prominently, but wehear nothing of Peter Waldes; Clare is “the person who mostclosely adhered to Francis’ own ideal,” but students will notlearn that she was prohibited from following the friar in themendicant life. Appropriate, with critical guidance, forlower- and upper-level undergraduate courses on contempo-rary Catholic spirituality.

Anna HarrisonLoyola Marymount University

EthicsTROUBLED WATERS: RELIGION, ETHICS, ANDTHE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS. By Gary L. Chamberlain.Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Pp. ix + 227. Cloth$72.00, paper $27.95.

Thanks to human population increase, climate change,and other ecological factors, water has been at the center of

all sorts of recent prognostications. Thus, filled with infor-mation on the complexity of contemporary water resourceissues, Chamberlain’s book is a well-timed addition to theliterature on religion and ecology. The first few chaptersdescribe the symbolism and use of water in indigenous,Asian, and Abrahamic religious traditions. Because he seeksto show how a new cosmological understanding is needed inorder to deal with environmental crises (in this case, watershortages and pollution), his treatment uses rather broadstrokes to show how water has been a perennial religiousconcern. The middle of the book catalogues the environmen-tal, political, and economic issues associated with humanwater use and, in many cases, our mismanagement andexcess. Final chapters raise the question of what a religiouswater ethos and ethics would entail. His important insight isthat our distribution of water must account for and draw onfrequently occurring cultural and religious associations withwater. At the same time, Chamberlain’s book covers a greatdeal of territory, which means that many topics are notcovered in great depth. As a well-organized starting point forhow religious thought might discuss the topic of water, thisbook provides an overview of the subject for both scholarsand students.


FAITH AND FORCE. By David L. Clough and BrianStiltner. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press,2007. Pp. vii + 304. $26.95.

Few texts on the ethics of peace and war engage readersin an open-ended debate between authors who representdiffering streams in Christian ethics. Clough, a principledpacifist, and Stiltner, a contemporary Just War advocate,challenge each other about the war in Iraq, humanitarianinterventions, weapons of mass destruction, and weaponsproliferation in the face of terrorism. Stiltner, a RomanCatholic, embraces a historically conscious natural law posi-tion that rejects both the Christian Realism of ReinholdNiebuhr and those pacifists who refuse engagement in thepublic policy debate. Clough, an English Methodist, acceptsthe principle of discrimination taken over from natural lawinto international law but grounds his position in discern-ment of scripture, religious tradition, experience, andreason. Both search scripture and Christian tradition as wellas other historical sources for common ground. Clough situ-ates his own pacifist position in relation to other streams andargues a qualified acceptance of some military humanitarianinterventions after peace-building practices have failed.Stiltner agrees that such practices as well as more limitedmilitary action might have prevented the genocides inRwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Both argue for preven-tive controls on weapons materials and greater consistencyin treatment of friendly and enemy nations that haveacquired nuclear capability. They also cite inconsistency inhuman rights policy toward Saddam Hussein as a moral anddiplomatic failure. Faith and Force models a framework for


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Documents

Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God – By Elizabeth A. Johnson