religious studies review volume 37 issue 4 2011 peder jothen -- god of salvation- soteriology in...

insights and problems from past great philosophers, fromLocke and Berkeley to Kant and Ward’s own teacher, G. Ryle.Although there is little theology or religious studies in thisshort but compelling work, the implications of the volumeare of great theological and religious significance. Warddemonstrates that secular naturalism is not the only game intown. This book will be of interest to undergraduates andmore advanced scholars in both philosophy of mind andphilosophy of religion.

Charles TaliaferroSt. Olaf College

THE REMAINS OF BEING: HERMENEUTIC ONTOL-OGY AFTER METAPHYSICS. By Santiago Zabala. NewYork: Columbia University Press, 2009. Pp. xx + 178.$45.00.

Zabala pursues a historical and constructive interpreta-tion of the situation of the question of Being since Heidegger.This book is not only a study of Heidegger and selectedpost-Heideggerian thinkers but also an attempt to work outhow the question of Being is generated now, in any and allages (of “Western thought” at least), because of Heidegger’sdestruction of the metaphysics of being-as-presence.The vague motif of the “remains of Being” thematizes theattempt: What remains of Being once Being is no more? Whatare the remains of Being? An introduction poses theproblem, then the first chapter justifies its significancethrough a wide-ranging exposition of Heidegger’s destruc-tion of metaphysics. Chapter two offers intense sketches ofwhat remains of Being according to six philosophers: R.Schürmann (“traits” of being), J. Derrida (“traces”), J.-L.Nancy (“co-presences”), H.-G. Gadamer (“conversation”), E.Tugendhat (“sentences”), and G. Vattimo (“events”). In thefinal chapter, Zabala stakes the claim that the philosophy ofan ontology of remains must be hermeneutical, for in inter-pretation one seeks what is yet left out, left over, and bringsit to Being as an event of understanding. This is a book forspecialists: Zabala assumes the definitiveness of Heideg-ger’s achievement, and the book is steeped in Heideggerianand post- Heideggerian jargon. Chapter two will stimulatereaders familiar with the thinkers discussed, but may baffleothers; the argument is proposed but hardly exposed foranalysis. For its likely audience though, the book offers illu-minating characterizations and suggestions.

Andrew B. IrvineMaryville College

TheologyDIVINO COMPAÑERO: TOWARD A HISPANIC PEN-TECOSTAL CHRISTOLOGY. By Sammy Alfaro. Eugene,OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010. Pp. xii + 164. $20.00.

This book should have been twice as long. The firstthree chapters—about 125 pages—argue that early Pente-costals operated intuitively with various versions of

Spirit-Christology, overview more recent scholarly andacademic articulations of Spirit-Christology by Pentecostaltheologians in dialogue with other Spirit-christological pro-posals, and draw upon Latino/a christologies of liberationand recent NT scholarship on the socioeconomic dimensionsof historical Jesus research to further suggest the congru-ence between Hispanic liberation and Spirit-christologicaltheologies. But that leaves only the last chapter, abouttwenty pages, to get at the topics that the book’s titleannounces. Each of the four short sections in this finalchapter—on the US Hispanic Pentecostal context, on His-panic Pentecostal christological method, on Hispanic Pente-costal spirituality as illuminated through its hymnody andpopular corito tradition, and the sketch of a Hispanic Pente-costal Spirit-Christology—could, and should, have beenexpanded into a full chapter. Had Alfaro had done that, thena critical Hispanic Pentecostal dialogue might have ensuedwith the mainstream of Spirit-christological ideas, resultingin a deeper crossfertilization of the encounter between “theWest” and the heretofore marginalized voices and perspec-tives that this volume seeks to heed. In that sense then, onehopes that the promise announced in this volume will comeinto fruition as this young Fuller Theological Seminary Ph.D.(this volume being a revision of his doctoral dissertation)continues to engage the theological conversation.

Amos YongRegent University School of Divinity

GRASSROOTS UNITY IN THE CHARISMATICRENEWAL. By Connie Ho Yan Au. Eugene, OR: Wipf &Stock, 2011. Pp. xv + 281. $33.00.

This is an extended case study of the Fountain Trust, aBritish organization that from 1964 to 1979 sought to facili-tate charismatic renewal as a springboard for thinkingand theologizing about the interface between charismaticrenewal and ecumenism. Although based in the UK, theTrust sought, particularly through its five internationalconferences during the 1970s, to mediate renewal in thechurches. The ecumenical nature of the Trust—dominatedprimarily by Anglicans, but involving Roman Catholics,Orthodox, and, especially during the latter years of its exist-ence, also Pentecostals and Evangelicals—leads to Au’sthesis: the Trust was a grassroots example of the comple-mentarity between institution and charisma, and betweenthe christological nature of the ecumenical church and thepneumatological means of ecumenical unity. A tangentialthesis suggested in the course of study is that the charis-matic renewal can be viewed as converging with two otherecumenical streams—the World Council of Churches and theSecond Vatican Council—with the former being comple-mented by charismatic renewal (being a later arrival) andthe latter complementing charismatic renewal (in a senseprecipitating the renewal in Catholic circles). Yet, theprimary value of this volume consists in the detailed history(including key personalities, major developments, and theconferences) and astute theological analyses of the Trust as

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an ecumenical movement. This first book suggests that wewill be hearing much more from the author, currently direc-tor of the Pentecostal Research Center of the Synergy Insti-tute of Leadership in Hong Kong, in the coming years.


NATURAL LAW: A LUTHERAN REAPPRAISAL.Edited by Robert C. Baker and Roland Cap Ehlke. St. Louis:Concordia Publishing House, 2011. Pp. 302. Paper, $24.99;e-book, $9.99.

This book offers a well-constructed tour of the philosophi-cal and theological concept of natural law from a specificperspective—the Lutheran tradition. The text contains fifteenarticles from contributors that range from academic theolo-gians to laypersons. It has a solid foundation in the history ofthe concept of natural law, and brings it forward throughvarious theological and philosophical issues inside the Luth-eran tradition, ending with a section typically referred to asapplied ethics, where questions such as the ordination ofwomen and possible Muslim–Christian connections areargued. It is dominated by a particular form of Lutheranism(the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod), but that should not bea surprise, as it is published by Concordia. This contributes tothe primary weakness of the text; readers should be awarethat there is significant disagreement among Lutheransinside this debate, whereas one side dominates this text. It isa well-organized text that seems to be aimed at the classroom.It is recommended for anyone with a solid background inphilosophy or theology, and it would make an excellent class-room text at the college or seminary level.

Eric B. BergMacMurray College

PEACE BE WITH YOU: CHRIST’S BENEDICTIONAMID VIOLENT EMPIRES. By Sharon L. Baker andMichael Hardin. Telford, PA: Cascadia Publishing House,2010. Pp. 299. $23.95.

Acknowledging the exhortation implied in Jesus’s proc-lamation, “my peace I give to you,” but “not as the worldgives” (Jn. 14:27), editors Baker and Hardin bring togethervarious essayists to address shared concern for culturalaccommodation of the American church to the ways ofempire. Although intended readers include Christians fromdiverse confessional communities, the majority of contribu-tors share an Anabaptist perspective. Thus, contributor J.Sauder speaks not of the perils of Christendom but Menno-dom; he, like other contributors, calls upon the church toproduce an alternative kingdom. The essayists addressenduring questions on a wide range of sociopolitical subjectsfrom preemptive war, Christian relationship to government(a response to Yoder on Romans 13), just policing, and whitesupremacy to ecclesial issues such as voluntary baptism,church conflict, and shunning. This final topic provesvery fascinating due to the apparent disjunction between theclaims of historic “peace churches” and the shunning/

shaming of those who commit visible sins. This work iscommendable for its satisfying movement beyond the stan-dard theological critique of Constantinian narratives towardpractical and prophetic/countercultural means to advancepeacemaking, both individually and collectively. Far froma compilation of easy answers, contributors implore thechurch to discern for every generation its relationship to itssurrounding culture. Scholars and graduate students inter-ested in empire criticism, pacifism, restorative justice, andpeacemaking should find this a helpful resource (DVD alsoavailable). The contributors include well-known names likeB. McLaren, C. Carter, R. Hughes, and R. Haltemann Finger,as well as rising scholars on these matters.

Martin William MittelstadtEvangel University

PARTICIPATION: EPISTEMOLOGY AND MISSIONTHEOLOGY. By Peter J. Bellini. The Ashbury TheologicalSeminary Series in World Christian Revitalization Move-ments in Pietist/Wesleyan Studies, 2. Lexington, KY: EmethPress, 2010. Pp. 196. $40.00.

Bellini’s book is reminiscent of D. J. Bosch’s magisterialTransforming Mission (Orbis, 1992) in that both take theinfluence of philosophy on theology and culture seriously.Bellini’s book is a worthy successor to Bosch, moving theconversation into postmodern territory. Bellini sees latemodernity as having experienced an epistemological crisisdisconnecting us from God and the possibility of transcen-dence (chapter one). He blames this condition on the defla-tionary ontologies of modernity and postmodernity, whichproduced inflated epistemologies severed from ontology andGod (chapter two). To redress this imbalance, Bellini turns toRadical Orthodoxy and its ontology of participation, whichenvisions the created order as “suspended” from the trans-cendent (chapter three). Chapter four builds upon RadicalOrthodoxy’s concept of participation in God by appropriatinga more specifically christological articulation of participa-tion, as found in St. Maximus the Confessor. Chapter fiveexpands upon certain soteriological and missiologicalthemes by appealing to Wesley’s theology of grace. In hisfinal chapter, Bellini focuses on the implications of his workfor missiology proper. The payoff is rich. Bellini envisions amissio Trinitatis in which creation’s participation in God sup-plies us with a universal witness that incorporates and pro-phetically harmonizes the logoi of culture, of the local andglobal church, and of the Spirit’s activity in cosmic soteria.Bellini has made all the right moves here. Although dense,his book is quite readable, with generous notes. I highlyrecommend it for upper-level missiology courses.

Skip Horton-ParkerRegent University

WORDS OF LIFE: NEW THEOLOGICAL TURNS INFRENCH PHENOMENOLOGY. Edited by Bruce EllisBenson and Norman Wirzba. New York: Fordham UniversityPress, 2010. Pp. vii + 316. $24.00.


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Something of a companion to D. Janicaud’s Phenomenol-ogy and the “Theological Turn” (2001), Words of Life is acollection of essays on theological turns in French phenom-enology that were presented at a conference at Samford Uni-versity in 2006. The essays propose various novelexplorations of religious motifs in dialogue with the work ofleading French phenomenologists J.-L. Marion, M. Henry,and J.-L. Chrétien. Other foundational phenomenologistssuch Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, and Derrida still findmention. Some of the essays attend to experiences such assuffering, humility, and pride, while others explore theologi-cal concepts such as faith, grace, and truth. Benson offers arather helpful introduction for the educated beginner thatbriefly overviews the concept and history of phenomenologyas well as situates the essays in the volume within contem-porary “debates” in French phenomenology. Although theseessays move the dialogue of a phenomenology of religionforward, some anticipate the “theological turn” turning evenmore theological. Given the importance of theological reflec-tion on spiritual practices, one anticipates the insightgleaned from phenomenological “readings” of practices suchas lectio divina, preaching a sermon, walking the stations ofthe cross, or fasting. With the exception of Benson, Marion,and a few others, the “theological turn” has given limitedattention to practices. Still, this volume is necessary readingfor anyone interested in current themes in French phenom-enology and developments of key phenomenologists, as wellas the burgeoning study of phenomenology of religion.

Kyle David BennettAzusa Pacific University

BECAUSE OF CHRIST: MEMOIRS OF A LUTHERANTHEOLOGIAN. By Carl E. Braaten. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010. Pp. 223. $18.00.

Braaten’s theological and professional autobiography isa joy to read. He takes the reader on a journey through hislife and Lutheranism as he knew it from 1930 to 2008. Eachchapter is devoted to a period of his life, beginning with histime in Madagascar as the son of a missionary, stopping atLuther Seminary, moving on to the Lutheran School of The-ology at Chicago, and then into his retirement today, withseveral stops along the way for a total of twelve chapters. Heis able to quickly outline the central theological issues thatdominated each period of his life, and he is not shy aboutletting the reader know exactly where he stood on eachissue, the implications of his positions, and why he felt hewas right. If there is a weakness, it is the fact that thesecritical issues are dealt with very quickly. The most memo-rable quote does a fine job of capturing the text. ProfessorBraaten writes of himself: “evangelical without being Protes-tant, catholic without being Roman, and orthodox withoutbeing eastern.” This text is recommended for anyone whohas an interest in the history of Lutheranism, but it is notin-depth enough for classroom use.

Eric BergMacMurray College

GLOBAL PENTECOSTAL AND CHARISMATICHEALING. Edited by Candy Gunther Brown. Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2011. Pp. xxi + 397; plates. Cloth,$99.00; paper, $29.95.

Ostensibly, Pentecostalism is a “new reformation”struggling with identity. This volume argues healing is moreimportant than speaking in tongues, is subsumed in theatonement, and may be considered the fullness of the Pen-tecostal experience. Healing, but not necessarily curing, is aform of immediate salvation. If death can be postponed, themotivation for eternal salvation becomes less urgent. Conse-quently, the value of the human body is affirmed. In thisstudy, the seventeen authors make clear, through interdis-ciplinary approaches and compelling research, that religionmust serve existential needs. Material salvation takes pre-cedent to the extent that eschatology is rendered moribund.Traditional Christian categories are reimagined. Forexample, the Eucharist becomes a “miracle meal” in whichhealing is anticipated. The book raises a number of funda-mental questions, including the causality between sin andsickness, healing as reward for obedience, the extent divinehealing presents an alternative “God of the gaps” principle,and wellness as the new prosperity doctrine. The book is notconcerned if legs really lengthen or tumors shrink. Authorsneither treat their topic uncritically nor sidestep difficultiesand verifiable failures. The argument that Pentecostalcommunities can shape wider cultural worlds seems ques-tionable. The aim of religion, theoretically, is to bring thepossibility of divine mystery and human reality closertogether. The hope of healing is the glue combining the two.The text demonstrates unequivocally that “Charismatic-Pentecostalism” proves “feeling is believing.” The book isfoundational without antecedent or peer, possessing broadappeal for students and scholars of religion.

Thomas A. FudgePortland, Oregon

GOD AND THE ART OF HAPPINESS. By Ellen T.Charry. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans PublishingCompany, 2010. Pp. vii + 312. $35.00.

God and the Art of Happiness is a constructive proposalfor a Christian doctrine of happiness. The first section of thebook surveys the “theological conversation” about happinessand its trajectory through the Christian tradition, with par-ticular attention to how it construed happiness either in afuture eschatological framework or without any theologicalreference to God’s commands. The second section seeks to“reopen” this conversation by redressing these omissionsand proposing the practical function this doctrine can havefor Christian living, arguing that a biblical vision of happi-ness (“asherism,” from asher: Hebrew for “happy”) is theenjoyment and flourishing derived from an obedient“pattern of living” in accordance with God’s commands. Sal-vation is a healing and enlightening by Christ to live withinthis “pattern” here and now. Charry concludes by emphasiz-ing that learning to live in this “pattern” is an “art” that


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requires the formation and equipping of the church throughits practices. She explores how these practices heal the suf-fering caused by the sins of others, but one would have likedfor her to explore how sin affects the practice of these prac-tices and the realization of happiness here and now. To whatextent does a doctrine of sin challenge the “practical task” ofa doctrine of happiness? This aside, Charry’s book is arewarding read that helpfully elucidates a Christian notionof flourishing that is both creational and eschatological. Thisshould be of interest to theologians, Christian philosophers,and educated pastors.


THE TRUTH, THE WAY, THE LIFE: CHRISTIANCOMMENTARY ON THE THREE HOLY MANTRASOF THE SRIVAISNAVA HINDUS. By Francis X.Clooney, S. J. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub-lishing Company, 2008. Pp. ix + 203. Paper, $56.00.

Following P. Hadot (Philosophy as a Way of Life:Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault) and P. J. Grif-fiths (Religious Reading: The Place of Reading in the Practiceof Religion), Clooney expands the limits of academic dis-course by conceiving the reading and writing of commentaryas not simply an exercise of erudition but a spiritual exerciseaimed at deepening the commitment of those involvedin the practice. In contrast to Griffiths (who prioritizesreading within one’s own tradition), Clooney’s volume is anexperiment in comparative religious reading, offering aChristian theological commentary on Vedãnta Desika’sSrımad Rahasyatrayasãra, an exposition of three founda-tional mantras of the Indian Srıvaisnava tradition. WithDesika, Clooney interprets the Tiru Mantra as supplying areligious ontology in which the devotional figures Nãrãyanaand Srı are of central and irreplaceable importance (“thetruth”); the Dvaya Mantra as providing the proper responseto that ontology by advocating an act of unconditional sur-render to the divine known as “taking refuge” (“the way”);and the Carama Sloka as offering a template for theattitudes/actions of those subsequently living out thatrefuge (“the life”). Each section concludes with Clooney reca-pitulating the truths of the mantras in terms accessible toChristians, providing a bricolage of the original mantra anda similar verse from the Christian tradition with which itmight interact, potentially provoking insights novel to eachtradition. Written to be read alongside his 2008 BeyondCompare: St. Francis de Sales and Srı Vedãnta Desika onLoving Surrender to God, Clooney’s major thematic concern isdevotional in nature, centering on the action and conse-quences of taking refuge. Clooney’s bhakti, at times, appearsunderstated but is unmistakably present, making the workuseful for church scripture study or individual devotion, inaddition to being a significant contribution within the aca-demic field of comparative theology.

P. J. JohnstonUniversity of Iowa

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL: THE THEOLOGYBEHIND THE MASTER PLAN OF EVANGELISM. ByRobert E. Coleman. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011.Pp. vii + 298. $19.99.

With evangelism and its necessity being hotly contestedin Christian circles, Coleman’s book acts as clarion call tothe whole church to take up the mantle that Jesus gave: “Gotherefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19,NASB). Weaving through liberal and conservative frictionpoints while simultaneously taking the reader on a cosmicjourney of the Father reconciling a beautiful yet estrangedworld to himself through Christ in the power of the Spirit,Coleman seeks to remind his readers that “because Jesuslives, there is no person beyond the reach of God’s grace—nolife too wasted for him to save, no sin too great for him tocleanse, no burden too heavy for him to bear.” After defininga cosmic soteriology, Coleman moves to articulate an indi-vidual soteriology that is rooted in the Wesleyan/Armineantradition. Starting with the Holy Spirit preveniently counter-acting total depravity, he shows how the Spirit leads theindividual to justifying, sanctifying, and ultimately glorify-ing grace. Inside this soteriology, Coleman states that theprimary responsibility of the church (a community of indi-vidual believers) is to evangelism. “Winning people to Christshould be so fused into the congregational life that if theorganization functions at all, evangelism is inevitable.”Evangelism (both social and spiritual) should flow naturallyfrom a life that has personally yielded to the calling of thecosmic Gospel. Coleman writes an academic, yet accessibletext that reminds Christians of their highest calling. I highlyrecommend this book for academic and congregational use.

Joshua ToepperAsbury Theological Seminary

THE TRINITY: A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED. ByPaul M. Collins. London and New York: T & T Clark, 2008.Pp. ix + 194. $24.95.

This installment in T & T Clark’s Guides for the Per-plexed series follows upon the author’s earlier Oxford mono-graph (2001) on the same doctrine. The series aims toproduce clear, concise, and accessible volumes, but becauseCollins assumes in his readers a working knowledge of thedoctrine and scholarly discourse concerning it, his impres-sive exposition of the traditional and contemporary debatesmake this volume more suitable for graduate studentsand seriously advanced undergraduates. Indeed, Collins’sunique competency in this doctrinal domain is evident onevery page, as the reader is treated to an unceasing review ofliterature traditional and contemporary, philosophical andtheological, Western and Eastern, all the while stressing themethodological decisions implied and explicit in the variousparadigms addressed. The Introduction persuasively callsfor an apophatic approach to the topic that renders theo-logical speech about the Trinity more “interpretive” andrelational than “ontological.” Successive chapters treatthe Apostolic and Patristic ages, the role of mystery, the


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reception of revelation, and ecumenism. The final chapterpurports to address the doctrine’s implications for the“other,” but, as the author acknowledges, never moves pastthe ecumenical “Other” to ponder the more challenging anduntidy implications of the postmodern voices Collins enlists.Here, some illumination of the intercultural, interfaith, andpolitical theological possibilities would be in order to supple-ment the brief comments on hospitality gleaned fromDerrida and Habermas. Still, the review of literature alonemakes this book a key reference point for any serious studyof the doctrine.

John N. ShevelandGonzaga University

GOD OF SALVATION: SOTERIOLOGY IN THEO-LOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. Edited by Ivor J. Davidson andMurray A. Rae. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011. Pp. vii + 175.$39.95.

Featuring essays from a variety of theologians, thistext inquires into the connection between soteriology andthe Trinitarian character of God. Confessional in focus, itscentral structure describes God as creator, sustainer, andredeemer through Christ and the Spirit, a divine naturethat illuminates a meaning of salvation that transcends thedisparate ideas of sociopolitical liberation or existentialexperience that frame many contemporary soteriologicalunderstandings. Grounded in God’s nature as both judgingand graceful, salvation is the justification and sanctifica-tion of all of creation that opens up the possibility for fel-lowship with God as creation’s true end, lived out inpersonal reformation and the witness of the church. Theessays work in a largely systematic thematic by intertwin-ing soteriological claims with ideas about creation, provi-dence, Christology, theological anthropology, ecclesiology,missiology, and eschatology, all of which are interrelatedwithin God’s Trinitarian nature. This theological perspec-tive also suggests the text’s greatest limitation as theprimacy of the focus on God’s nature means that practicaland ethical concerns about living out the reality of salva-tion in Christ and the Spirit remain as secondary concerns.Yet, the text would be especially useful to graduate stu-dents, especially in the Reformed and Roman Catholic tra-ditions, as its ultimate value is in placing soteriologywithin a systematic theological framework, a perspectivethat it does well.

Peder JothenSt. Olaf College

THE END OF EVANGELICALISM? DISCERNING ANEW FAITHFULNESS FOR MISSION: TOWARDSAN EVANGELICAL POLITICAL THEOLOGY. ByDavid E. Fitch. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011. Pp. xxvii +226. $28.00.

Fitch, the B. R. Lindner Professor of Evangelical Theol-ogy at Northern Seminary and pastor of Life on the VineChristian Community in Chicago, has written a provocative

book for his fellow evangelicals. Critically deployingS. Zizek’s ideological theory as an analytical lens, hemasterfully exposes how three contemporary evangelicaldoctrines—the inerrant Bible, the decision for Christ, and theChristian nation—have lost their foundational theological sig-nificance and devolved into shibboleths that mask theepistemological arrogance (which props up evangelicalexclusiveness), lifestyle duplicity (often exhibiting hypoc-risy), and socio–economic–political dispassion (content withthe suburban status quo) that characterizes much of theevangelical church (or is at least perceived by outsiders assuch). Although his goals are to renew evangelical faithful-ness in ways that are appropriate to the political challengesof the present age, his constructive vision may be too eclec-tically derived—for example, critical appropriation of emerg-ing and missional church movements alongside Barth, vonBalthasar, Vanhoozer, N. T. Wright, Milbank, Willard, deLubac, and Yoder, among others—to hold together coherentlyfor some evangelicals. Nevertheless, the ideological and psy-chosocial analysis of evangelical beliefs and practices here issubstantive, illuminating the “emptiness” at the core ofevangelical Christianity in ways that invite fresh reconsid-eration of the nature and mission of the church. “Outsiders”to the evangelical tradition may revel at some of the exposésconducted here, but “insiders” will realize how the variouscase studies are designed to prompt evangelical reengage-ment with the public square in an incarnationally and pen-tecostally relevant manner.


THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT: THE HOLY SPIRIT ANDTHE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. By Andrew K. Gabriel.Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2011. Pp. ix + 237.$27.00.

Gabriel has written a Pentecostal academic engagementof the doctrine of God from the perspective of pneumatology.He begins his work with a description of “classical theism,”using Aquinas, arguably the zenith of Western theology’sarticulation of the classical view of God, as his primarysource. While addressing the full list of classical attributesof God, Gabriel focuses on impassibility, immutability,and omnipotence. He goes on to describe contemporaryresponses to the classical view, including those posed byprocess theology, evangelical theology (featuring “opentheism”), and the modern revival of Trinitarian theology.Gabriel argues that, to do justice to the biblical picture ofGod, the divine attributes must be discussed from the per-spective of the doctrine of the Trinity, and most specifically,the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. He goes on to argue for arevision of divine impassibility in light of the “passion” ofthe Spirit, divine immutability in view of the “presence” ofthe Holy Spirit, and omnipotence with regard to the “power”of the Spirit. Although Gabriel’s Pentecostal heritage andperspective is featured prominently, he expertly engages awide range of ecumenical sources and emphasizes how our


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doctrine of God should not be divorced from our experienceof God. The book is a well-crafted and much-needed forayinto the contemporary discussion about the doctrine of Godby a Pentecostal scholar.

Matthew K. ThompsonSouthwestern College

THE OTHER JESUS: REJECTING A RELIGION OFFEAR FOR THE GOD OF LOVE. By Greg Garrett.Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.Pp. x + 126. $17.00.

Garrett’s The Other Jesus presents Christian theology asbeing in need of an awakening from its traditional pessimis-tic presentation. The text critiques fundamentalist sectorsand mainline denomination practices that emulate biblicalhermeneutical oversimplification while evading perplexingdoctrinal challenges derived by waves of emerging societalchanges produced by the postmodern world. Three of Gar-rett’s claims include recognition of the difficulty in biblicalinterpretation, problems with absolute creedal truths in anincreasingly pluralistic context, and institutionalized collec-tive guilt of defamation of God’s character. While avoidingboth the extremes of relativism and a revisionist approach toclassical statements such as the Nicene Creed, the authorrelates his personal childhood church experiences as discon-tented because they omitted the most fundamental questionthat only religion can answer: what is the purpose ormeaning of life as we know it? The text’s general message isthat the body of Christ has tarnished Jesus’s and Christiani-ty’s reputation due to its extended practice of overt practicaland dogmatic polarization. The Other Jesus functions as alament, addressing the broad issue of presenting the God oflove when significant proportions of Christians “vilify thosewho disagree with them.” Garrett also expresses personalconcern regarding a demographic projection of a genera-tional mass exodus from the faith.

Michael D. RoysterPrairie View A&M University

THE KUYPER CENTER REVIEW, VOL. 1: POLITICS,RELIGION, AND SPHERE SOVEREIGNTY. Edited byGordon Graham. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. EerdmansPublishing Company, 2010. Pp. x + 150. $24.00.

This first volume of The Kuyper Center Review includessome papers from the 2008 Kuyper Conference on “SphereSovereignty and Civil Society” hosted by the AbrahamKuyper Center for Public Theology at Princeton TheologicalSeminary. Featured are well-known Kuyper scholarsaddressing important and interesting topics like Christiansocial pluralism (J. Chaplin), Kuyper’s political theories (J.Bratt), Neo-Calvinism and contemporary political philoso-phy (Graham), political friendship (M. DeMoor), covenanttheology and its relevance for thinking about secular society(J. Halsey Wood, Jr.), the welfare state (G. Harinck), same-sexmarriage (J. J. S. Foster), and tolerance and the virtues (J.Bowlin). The volume is bookended by O. O’Donovan’s 2008

Kuyper Prize Lecture, “Reflections on Pluralism,” and thefirst ever English summary translation (by R. de Vries) ofKuyper’s chapter on “The Enigma of Islam” (1907). The edi-torial at the beginning announces that future volumes willfeature articles that fall within the scope of the Center’s workthat pass peer review, and so The Kuyper Center Reviewshould be read at fitting into a middle genre, between that ofan open-ended journal on the one side and that of a morecoherent book collection of essays on the other side. Thisinaugural issue sets a high standard, with plenty of food forthought not only for Kuyperians or scholars working on theabovementioned themes in the Reformed tradition, butalso for all interested researchers seeking to engage thesematters related to the common good.


THEM, US & ME: HOW THE OLD TESTAMENTSPEAKS TO PEOPLE TODAY. By Jacqueline Grey.Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2008. Pp. 248; illustrations.$27.00.

Grey approaches the OT thematically and employs athree-part hermeneutic, considering a text’s meaning for theoriginal audience (Them), for the New Testament commu-nity (Us), and for the individual contemporary reader (Me).The book’s purpose is to facilitate effective reading by pro-viding “some simple keys to understand the bible and applyit to your daily life.” In Part I, Grey describes her hermeneu-tical method, and in Part II, she applies that method to aseries of biblical themes within the divisions Creation toAbraham, Exodus to the Law, the Land, Prophets and Kings,Psalms and Wisdom, and Exile and Return. For Grey, thebiblical writers offer “theological testimony” rather thanhistory, and so she does not address historical-critical ques-tions. She focuses instead on the hermeneutical task ofjoining three testimonies, those of Them, Us, and Me, ininterpreting biblical passages and themes. For Grey, readingshould result in a transformational encounter with the textleading to application in the reader’s life. She, therefore,accepts highly subjective readings (Me) as the price for rel-evance and applicability, but limits that subjectivity bykeeping original meaning (Them) and later Christian inter-pretations (Us) in view. Them, Us & Me offers an excellentbasic overview of the OT, suitable for general college coursesor the informed layperson. This book could also serve as anoncritical introduction or supplemental text for under-graduate courses in biblical studies disciplines.

Scott A. EllingtonEmmanuel College

SUBVERSIVE FIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF PENT-ECOST. By Albert Hernández. The Asbury TheologicalSeminary Series in World Christian Revitalization Move-ments in Medieval and Reformation Studies, 1. Lexington,KY: Emeth Press, 2010. Pp. xv + 304. $44.00.


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The central thesis of this provocative work is that theLukan narrative of Pentecost offered a kind of literary/prophetic trope that ignited the imagination of medieval andearly modern Christians in a way that liberated them tosubvert dominant ecclesiastical and theological structures.A secondary line of argumentation attempts to ground his-torically the claim of a pneumatological deficit in WesternChristianity. Beginning with the convergence of thePentecost cycle in liturgical calendars and pre-Christianspring fertility festivals in the early Middle Ages, Hernándezunearths pneumatological sensibilities in Joachim of Fioreand his medieval interpreters, Protestant and Catholicreformers such as Thomas Müntzer and Teresa of Avila, andWestern esotericism, with its potent mix of ancient alchemy,“magic,” and utopian visions of the future. Through theirsimultaneously questioning the claims of “religious enthusi-asm” and championing of alternative ways of knowing, lateseventeenth- and eighteenth-century thinkers such as JohnLocke weakened this pneumatological trajectory withinWestern Christianity to such an extent that only an anemicpneumatology remained. As attractive and provocative asHernández’ claims are, his arguments falter amid efforts tocast too wide a net. The second chapter detours into claims ofa syncretized blend of Nature as the Divine Feminine andpneumatology; later chapters incorporate more genericpneumatological metaphors; and the theme of “subversivefire” at times seems forced, as in Joachim of Fiore, whomInnocent III supported and who was only condemned post-humously. Yet, Hernández has opened the door to a newhistoriography of Western pneumatology.

Dale M. CoulterRegent University

WHO OR WHAT IS GOD? AND OTHER INVESTIGA-TIONS. By John Hick. New York: Seabury Books, 2009.Pp. xv + 197. $30.00.

Hick’s book brings together lectures, reports, and pre-viously published articles around issues connected to thesearch for truth in relation to ultimate reality in the world’sreligions and ethical issues of justice and peace. Thechapters use philosophical and theological approaches thatHick has addressed more fully in other book-length works,but this collection could serve ably as an introduction toHick’s understandings of religious belief in relation to reli-gious pluralism, and to his emphasis on benevolence andjustice (the Golden Rule) in human relationships. Thosemore familiar with Hick’s writings will gain some insightsinto his mature thinking, especially in the chapters onmystical experience, reincarnation, incarnation, atone-ment, resurrection, apartheid in South Africa, the signifi-cance of Gandhi, and a carefully argued critique of theinterpretations of “necessary being” (logical versus onto-logical or factual necessity) in several philosophers’treatment of the ontological argument. Hick’s broad yetdeep scholarship and life experiences inform these essays,but so also does his sharp, logical analytical approach.

Because Hick writes clearly and succinctly, one could usethis book in undergraduate university courses in religiousstudies, or one could pull chapters for discussion of beliefin Christianity or broad ethical issues for adult religiouseducation.

Mary Ann StengerUniversity of Louisville

THE SOUL OF HIP HOP: RIMS, TIMBS AND A CUL-TURAL THEOLOGY. By Daniel White Hodge. DownersGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010. Pp. 250. $12.00.

This intriguing and well-researched book expands theunderstanding of hip-hop culture, theological studies, andthe bridges that bind them together. Hodge sheds light uponthe prophetic mantle of Jesus as a marginalized messiah inconjunction with the plight of urban youth in America, andargues that a hip-hop theology is not only soulful at its corebut substantive in its constitution. Hodge uses three “ses-sions” to explore hip-hop theology from the perspectives ofhistory, theory, and mission. In both learned approximationand practiced participation, Hodge reveals how the churchhas impacted the music, method, and (mis)management ofhip-hop culture, and why there has been so much misunder-standing on several levels. He analyzes rhetorical substanceand style through comparison of sacred scripture with hip-hop lyricism. He continues highlighting the prophetic natureof Jesus in collaboration with the putatively prophetic ele-ments in the work of Tupac, DMX, Dead Prez, Eminem, andothers, while teasing out elements of race, class, and hege-monic inequities that give rise to musical expressions likethe blues, soul music, and hip-hop. Hodge concludes withrecommendations about how we can incorporate hip-hop studies and contemporary theological nuances intoour classrooms and pulpits. In an age where the blending ofthe church with the world we live in is indisputable, thisis a necessary contribution to the halls of academia andthe libraries of our various ministries. Every student lookingto study culture, theology, and hip-hop ought to havea copy.

Earle J. FisherRhodes College

CONFRONTING CONFUCIAN UNDERSTANDINGSOF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF SALVATION:A SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OFTHE BASIC PROBLEMS IN THE CONFUCIAN-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE. By Paulos Huang. Studies inSystematic Theology, 3. Leiden: Brill, 2009. Pp. xii + 319.$169.00.

This professor of Sinology and Theology at the Institute ofSino-Christian Studies, Hong Kong, has provided a thoroughanalysis of Confucian responses to central Christian doc-trines related to the nature of God, human nature (theologicalanthropology), and the means of salvation (Christologyand soteriology). These are central to the Christian self-understanding, and Huang’s assessment thus highlights the


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degree to which Confucian sensibilities are compatible withor opposed to fundamental Christian commitments. What ismost important about the accomplishment in this volume,however, is the sensitivity with which Huang unfolds therange of Confucian responses over the last five hundredyears. What emerges is a kaleidoscope of Confucian reactionsand initiatives, some rejecting but others accepting, revising,or attempting to assimilate Christianity in Chinese guisevariously. The author successfully shows that culturalnationalist Confucians, Neo-Confucians, and modern Confu-cians are by and large more open to Christianity whenguided by ancient Confucian traditions (based on the FiveClassics), and generally more opposed when shaped by laterConfucian traditions (like the Four Books, which represent ablend of Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist sensibilities andconcerns). The concluding chapter reflects on the possibili-ties and challenges persisting for the Christian encounterwith Chinese mind in the twenty-first century in light of thischeckered history of Confucian responses to the Christianmessage. It appears that Brill’s copy editors have minimizedthe incongruencies of English as Huang’s second language;but make no mistake, this book announces Huangas an important voice for Christian theology in the thirdmillennium.


THE POLITICS OF REDEMPTION: THE SOCIALLOGIC OF SALVATION. By Adam Kotsko. London andNew York: T & T Clark International, 2010. Pp. v + 216.Cloth, $120.00; paper, $34.95.

Based on his Chicago Theological Seminary dissertation,Kotsko’s book is a constructive study on historical and con-temporary theories of atonement with the aim of reflectingon and proposing a “social-relational” ontology that makessense of Christ’s work. It is an attempt to reformulate theatonement afresh in dialogue with theologies of liberationand European philosophy. The first few chapters outline thecourse of study, present the challenges to classical theoriesof atonement by contemporary theologies of liberation, andemphasize the need to critically engage the tradition. Thesubsequent four chapters engage the tradition, with chap-ters devoted to Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Anselm, andAbelard. Kotsko claims that there is a “social-relational”ontology, or logic to seeing the human person in relation toall of creation, to the theory of each of these figures. Yet, asatonement theories develop from the patristic to the medi-eval period, they “trend” toward individualism. Kotskodevotes the last chapter to providing an “initial sketch” of a“social-relational” view of the atonement and the “politics ofredemption” it affords. A key shortcoming of the book is itslack of discussion of how the eschatological coming of Christfactors into the atonement and the possibility of “overcom-ing” social and political issues. This aside, Kotsko’s thesisis important not least for its critique of individualismand desensitized acceptance of violence. His “politics of

redemption” and its ontological connection of redemption tocreation can serve to stimulate methodological discussion incontemporary political theology.


THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF CHURCH PLANTING: AGUIDE FOR STARTING ANY KIND OF CHURCH. ByAubrey Malphurs. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011.Pp. + 269. $16.99.

At a time when the growth of a majority of Americanchurches has either plateaued or declined, this insightfulbook on the preparation and process for church plantingproposes that the secret to a vibrant Christianity is a preg-nant church. Perceiving church growth to consist of aseries of stages culminating in reproduction, Malphursemphasizes the importance of preparation for church plant-ing and maintains that the goal for every church is toreproduce. To illustrate the process, he borrows R. War-ren’s baseball diamond illustration and identifies the criti-cal steps as the identification of core values, mission,vision, and strategy. Going further, he uses the home plateto stress the importance of strategy, and recognizes com-munity outreach, disciple making, team building, setting,and finances as key elements. Rather than a systematicapproach to church planting, this book offers an approachthat takes seriously the contribution of context and its rela-tionship to strategy. The result is an explosion of ecclesi-astical diversity where different kinds of churches areplanted for the purpose of evangelizing different kinds ofpeople. Admittedly, the preparation and process for churchplanting suggested in this book are saturated with risk, butone is reminded that no generation is born without painand travail. This book stands to contribute greatly tochurch growth scholarship as it represents a much-neededdemystification of planting churches and offers a morefoundational look at the motivation and method behindchurch planting.

Andrew McFarlandAsbury Theological Seminary

IN THE SHADOW OF THE INCARNATION: ESSAYSON JESUS CHRIST IN THE EARLY CHURCH INHONOR OF BRIAN E. DALEY, S.J. Edited by Peter W.Martens. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press,2008. Pp. xii + 290. $48.00.

This volume contains thirteen excellent studies on theChristological and Trinitarian views of theologians from thesecond to the seventh centuries. It begins with J. Bingham’sstudy of apocalyptic themes and Christology in the second-century Letter to the Churches of Lyons and Viennes. Two aredevoted to Hilary of Poitiers: M. McCarthy explores hisChristological and eschatological interpretation of thePsalms, and C. Beckwith argues against the charge ofDocetism imputed to him. Three papers study fourth-centuryGreek theologians: K. Anatolios uncovers Athanasius’


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“functional” Christology in a critique of Rahner’s “ontologi-cal” view of classical Christology; C. Beeley argues thatGregory of Nazianzus’ Christology is more unitive than com-monly thought; and K. Spoerl notes the Christological andTrinitarian affinities of Eustathius of Antioch and Marcellusof Ancyra, suggesting they are precursors to Apollinarius.Four studies deal with Augustine: B. Studer compares himand Origen on the theme of loving Christ; R. Williamsexplores his understanding of the persona of Christ; L. Ayresexamines the Christology of his Letter 137; and D. Maxwellrecounts the reception of his Christology during thesixth-century Theopaschite controversy. In the final threeessays, J. O’Keefe shows how Cyril of Alexandria’s Christol-ogy was driven by hope in Christ’s deliverance of humanityfrom corruption, J. McGuckin provides a rereading of theChalcedonian Definition as an expression of the soteriologi-cal mystery in doxological form, and A. Louth examinesMaximus the Confessor on the transfiguration of Christ.These essays make significant contributions to patristicsand should not be missed.

Mark DelCoglianoUniversity of St. Thomas

THE REPUBLIC OF GRACE: AUGUSTINIANTHOUGHTS FOR DARK TIMES. By Charles Mathewes.Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans PublishingCompany, 2010. Pp. 278. $20.00.

Trying to recover a richly “Augustinian vernacular” as aresource that can offer “crucial insights” for contemporaryChristian faith and public life, this book is an encourage-ment and challenge to Christians to see and act in the worldin these “dark times” after 9/11 with the theological virtuesof hope, faith, and love. Mathewes’s goal is not only to helpChristians see the world differently, but also to help themlive more faithfully in it. The two go hand in hand. The firstpart of the book explores how the Christian might live withthese virtues, enabling them to see the world and its chal-lenges differently, thereby helping them find hope in publiclife, and using their gifts and resources for the commongood. Hope, faith, and love are needed in the face of terror-ism, nationalism, and consumer capitalism. The second partof the book discusses how Christians might appear “strange”and “appealing” to others when they see the world in thisway and act accordingly. The more “programmatic” aspect ofthe book, this part explores how love, faith, and hope canguide political responsibility, commitment, and engage-ment. Like his other works, this book will be of use to anyoneinterested in Christianity and public life. Mathewes is adeptat not only articulating a nuanced political theology, but alsodoing so with the insight of an informed political philosophy.His emphasis on the need to reflect on the reality of ourcondition is one worth continual reflection in contemporarypolitical theology.


THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF EVANGELICAL THE-OLOGY. Edited by Gerald R. McDermott. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2010. Pp. xvii + 524. $150.00.

Suffice it to say in a short note that this volume easilyassumes pride of place as the starting point for those inter-ested in the state-of-the-question regarding evangelical the-ology. The thirty-three chapters by thirty-three authors,mostly recognized names in evangelical theology, cover thegamut of prolegomenal and traditional theological loci(including various soteriologically, ecclesiologically, andmissiologically-related topics like the relationship betweenIsrael and the church, spiritual practices, spiritual gifts, andtheology of religions), and include a whole section of essayson theological approaches to contemporary life. To be sure,there is some unevenness in a collection like this, but only avery small number of chapters are weak and do not stand outin terms of providing astute historical perspective, showingawareness of the diversity of evangelical views, and engag-ing with scriptural material. A few authors boldly undertakeconstructive theological reflection, pushing the boundariesof traditional evangelical thinking in the process. There isalso a diversity of methodological, disciplinary, and confes-sional approaches represented among the authors and chap-ters, which provides some indication of the flexibility thatexists within the contemporary evangelical theological land-scape. For instance, the chapter on politics is decidedly theo-logical in its orientation, while the chapter on economics ismore engaged with debates in this field of inquiry, whichsuggests that there might also be space in evangelicaltheology for a more focused political-scientific approach topolitics as well as a more sustained theological considerationof economics as well. Kudos to the editor for this majorachievement!


IN ADAM’S FALL: A MEDITATION ON THE CHRIS-TIAN DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN. By Ian A. McFar-land. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Pp. xiii + 238.Cloth, $119.95; e-book, $99.99.

This latest book by a noted specialist in theologicalanthropology seeks to rehabilitate an Augustinian doctrineof original sin for contemporary ecclesial and secular audi-ences for whom the doctrine appears implausible, pessimis-tic, and suggestive of political quietism. McFarland’sassessment of the doctrine’s credibility deficit and its posi-tive pastoral relevance for Christians is instructive. Writtenfrom an ecumenical Reformed perspective heavily indebtedto Augustine and arguably Barth, the book’s strength lies inits sophisticated argument in favor of Augustine’s enduringrelevance to ecclesial life generally and the doctrine of origi-nal sin specifically, especially the illuminating discourse onwilling which paints a surprisingly complex view of the willin concrete acts of sin. To some readers, this strength couldrepresent a limitation in scope and source materials,however, since the presentation of Augustine tends to be


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more apologetic than constructive and more occupied withsin than a correlative theology of grace, which becomes nec-essary for a coherent and properly ordered theology of sin toemerge. The technicality of the book recommends it to agraduate level setting. A companion volume might consideraddressing two lacunae in the first. An appeal to interreli-gious sources could help contemporary Christians to thinkwith the doctrine and overcome its credibility deficit, aswould a thematic shift from conceptual to contextual analy-sis, since political and contextual theologies may demon-strate the doctrine’s descriptive force and pastoral relevancein concrete human histories more convincingly than concep-tual discourses alone.

John N. ShevelandGonzaga University

THEOLOGY, ETHICS AND TRANSCENDENCE INSPORTS. Edited by Jim Parry, Mark S. Nesti and Nick J.Watson. Routledge Research in Sport, Culture, and Society,4. New York and London: Routledge, 2011. Pp. xi + 244.$125.00.

This collection of eleven papers first presented at the“Inaugural International Conference on Sport and Spiritu-ality” conference sponsored by the Centre for the Study ofSpirituality and Sport at York St. John University in the UK(August 2007) comprises one of the first forays at the inter-section of theology and sport as interdisciplinary fields ofinquiry. Editor Watson’s helpful introduction situatesthe broader scholarly context for an appreciation of whatthe volume achieves both for theologians and for sportresearchers, scholars, and students. Three parts—titled“Theological Ethics in Sport,” “Psychological and SpiritualDimensions of Sport,” and “Transcendence in Movement,Play, and Sport”—structure the volume, with the four chap-ters in part I and the three in part II engaging predomi-nantly with Christian theological themes amidst a widerange of topics. The final four chapters of the third partinclude wider philosophical and cultural considerations aswell as reflections on sport in dialogue with Eastern tradi-tions of thought. The cumulative effect of these pages sug-gests, for theologians and scholars of religion, the promiseof what might be called a “sport hermeneutic” with whichto reengage various scriptural and theological traditions,and contributes, for those working in the field of sport, tothe emergence of a post-positivist paradigm that seeks totranscend materialistic and naturalistic presuppositions inthe analysis of sport.


CHRISTIANITY AND CHINESE CULTURE. Edited byMiikka Ruokanen and Paulos Huang. Grand Rapids, MI:William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.Pp. xx + 384. $40.00.

The investment of a few more hours into creating anindex for this volume would no doubt have registered more

forcefully at a glance how important and wide-ranging thisvolume is, not only for those interested in Chinese Christiantheological trajectories but also for scholars and students ofcontextual theologies, the East–West encounter, Christiantheology in a pluralistic world, and a host of other importantdiscussions on the contemporary theological landscape. As itis, the nineteen chapters in the book are organized into threebroad categories/parts: Christianity in relation to Chinesereligious traditions, Christianity in the context of modernChina, and challenges to the contemporary Chinese Chris-tian Church. Most of the chapters were originally presentedby Chinese university scholars and theologians of the Prot-estant Church of China (there is some minimal mention ofdevelopments in the Chinese Catholic church) at “Christian-ity and Chinese Culture: A Sino-Nordic Conference onChinese Contextual Theology,” held in August 2003, andmany of them are followed by one or two responses—sothat there is a total of thirty-three contributors to thevolume—which were also given at the conference. Thisvolume, thus, documents how far Chinese Christian theologyhas come since the Cultural Revolution, and charts thevarious possibilities that are being opened up with regard tohow this encounter has the potential also to impact theglobal Christian theological enterprise.


PENTECOSTALISM AND GLOBALIZATION: THEIMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON PENTECOSTALTHEOLOGY AND MINISTRY. Edited by Steven M.Studebaker. McMaster Theological Studies Series, 2.Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010. Pp. xiv + 243.$28.00.

The ten chapters of this volume comprise papers pre-sented at the Pentecostal Forum at McMaster DivinityCollege in October 2008 and at the J. Philip Hogan Lecture-ship of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in2009-10 by Indian Pentecostal theologian Ivan Satyavrata(three chapters in Part III). Editor Studebaker’s introductorychapter combines with the chapters in Part I by renownedPentecostal historian, A. Anderson, and by sociologist,M.Wilkinson, to provide informative sociohistorical analysesof the phenomenon of globalization as it has interfaced, andwill continue to interface, with the global renewal move-ment. Two chapters in Part II, by Studebaker and RandallHolm, focus on the theological implications of globalizationtrends, particularly as they have impacted and will continueto shape Pentecostal reflection on the doctrines of baptism inthe Spirit and tongues as initial evidence of the Spirit’s infill-ing. The chapters on Pentecostal ministry (B. Klaus) andmission (Satyavrata) in Part III of the volume seem to operatein a fairly classical Pentecostal mode when compared withthe theological revisioning called for in the second part, butthey do capture the preeminent Pentecostal emphasis onmission and evangelism. The concluding assessment byDavid Reed engages, especially the Pentecostal Forum


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presentations and charts, important trajectories for theongoing conversations. Overall, the volume functions well asan introduction to the topics announced in the book’s title,although for deeper and more sustained analyses, scholarswill, understandably, have to look beyond this collection ofessays.


DUALITIES: A THEOLOGY OF DIFFERENCE. ByMichelle Voss Roberts. Louisville, KY: Westminster JohnKnox Press, 2010. Pp. 204 + xiii. Paper, $35.00.

Voss Roberts offers both a close comparative reading ofthe thirteenth-century Christian beguine Mechthild ofMagdeburg and the fourteenth-century Saiva visionary Lall-eswarı of Kashmir and, out of this reading, a constructiveargument for the theological metaphors of “duality” and “flu-idity” in addressing the nature of God, the status of thenatural world and the physical body, and the place of hier-archy in social relations. The work succeeds on severallevels. As a work of historical retrieval, it effectively demon-strates how premodern voices—particularly those of womenand other “outsiders within”—can interrogate and destabilizemodern, rigid binaries of East and West, self and God, andeven “dualism” and “nondualism.” As a work in the contem-porary discipline of comparative theology, it also well illus-trates the usefulness of somatic metaphors, rooted infundamental, shared experiences of physical embodiment,to structure comparative inquiry and to establish the rel-evance of such inquiry to social issues such as gender andrace inequities and the ecological crisis. If in places VossRoberts’s constructive focus risks instrumentalizing thecontributions of Mechthild and Lalleswarı, this is signifi-cantly mitigated by the impressive nuance of individualtreatments and the coherence of the work as a whole.Written in an accessible style with references to debatesoutside the field of comparative theology, Dualities should beof interest not only to scholars but also to graduate andadvanced undergraduate students of Christian theology,comparative religion, gender studies, and modern processthought.

Reid B. LocklinUniversity of Toronto

THE ETHICS OF EVANGELISM: A PHILOSOPHI-CAL DEFENSE OF PROSELYTIZING AND PERSUA-SION. By Elmer John Thiessen. Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press, 2011. Pp. xii + 285. $24.00.

Evangelical Christians take for granted that theyshould persuade the unchurched to accept Jesus Christ astheir Lord and Savior. Usually, not much thought is givento the ethics of evangelism; the mere proclamation of theduty of evangelism as a sort of categorical imperative isconsidered an adequate statement of ethics. Theissen hopesto change all this in his new lucid book, which offers aset of fifteen criteria to distinguish between ethical and

unethical proselytizing. Theissen not only provides aphilosophical-ethical framework for evangelism, but alsooffers an adequate defense of proselytizing. He argues thatthere is absolute truth from the perspective of a religionand that its members must be allowed to state it. Prosely-tizing goes to the heart of what it means to have a modern,democratic, pluralistic society, where people are allowed tocome to the public square with their versions of moraltruth and share such as long as they do so without coer-cion, and with respect for the inherent dignity of all othersin society and for their right not to adopt the proselytizers’viewpoints. Theissen has handled a “radioactive” subjectwell, presenting it in an apparently harmless manner. He isrespectful of liberal antiproselytizing views (although, ofcourse, many liberals will argue that he offends one of thetenets of liberalism/pluralism with his claim of absolutetruth), yet critical of some evangelical methods of gettingconverts, all without abandoning cogent philosophicalreasoning.

Nimi WaribokoAndover Newton Theological School

CAPITALISM AS RELIGION? A STUDY OF PAULTILLICH’S INTERPRETATION OF MODERNITY. ByFrancis Ching-Wah Yip. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UniversityPress, 2010. Pp. xvi + 215. $22.95.

Yip analyzes Tillich’s critique of capitalism as part of alarger critique of modernity, with both seen as turningpeople into commodities, estranged from God as well as fromtheir essential selves and from all living beings. Still, thequasi-religious, holy quality of capitalism draws people to it,in spite of its demonic and destructive qualities, and thusrequires a theological response for both Tillich and Yip.Building on but moving beyond Tillich, Yip incorporatesMoltmann’s emphasis on the social and economic injusticesenacted by capitalism, including effects on Third-Worldnon-Europeans, and uses Durkheim’s theory of religion topresent capitalism as a system of beliefs (in competition, the“sacred” market, the limitless possibilities of economicgrowth, and the commitment to private property) and prac-tices (marketing, selling, and shopping). Yip presents capi-talism as a global civil religion and the religious substance ofmodernity that people use to explain and to answer everydayproblems. Although Tillich’s hope for the future rests on thepossibility of the revelatory breaking in of the New Being inJesus as the Christ, Yip calls on individuals and churches touse their social imagination to transform themselves andcurrent social-economic structures. This book not only con-tributes to Tillich scholarship, with appreciation and sug-gested correctives, but also provides a broad basis for furthertheological critiques of capitalism. It will be especially valu-able in seminary and graduate courses on theology andeconomics.

Mary Ann StengerUniversity of Louisville


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