the extravagant: crossings of modern poetry and modern philosophy – robert baker

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GOD OF PROMISE: INTRODUCINGCOVENANT THEOLOGY. By MichaelHorton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2006.Pp. 204. $19.99, ISBN 0-8010-1289-9.

Michael Horton has authored/edited almosttwenty books in as many years. Writing out ofthe tradition of Reformed theology in generaland of Westminster theology in particular,many of these previous volumes have beendirected more toward evangelicals sympatheticwith or interested in these theological trajecto-ries than to “outsiders.” In more recent workand in this volume, however, we are seeing anestablished theologian both clarifying what itmeans that Reformed theology is also covenanttheology and interpreting covenant theology tothose who may be unfamiliar with this theolog-ical framework. Horton writes accessibly hereas an exegete (of Paul in particular),systematician (linking covenant to ecclesiol-ogy, sacraments, and sanctification), apologist(against fundamentalists, dispensationalists,pietists, Baptists, and even Lutherans on theone side, and high church theological traditionson the other), academic (conversant with thelatest developments in the academy), and pub-lic theologian (with regard to the doctrines ofprovidence and common grace). Horton may bethe most significant Westminster theologiantoday attempting to engage wider theologicalissues and perspectives. While “outsiders” maynot be convinced about various issues (e.g.,related to the conditionality of the covenant orto election as individual, personal, and/or cor-porate), they and other more mainline theolo-gians familiar with Horton’s recent trilogy willsee clearly here the Reformed hermeneuticalapproaches, classic authors and texts, and over-arching theological commitments that informhis ongoing work.

Amos YongRegent University School of Divinity

GOD, REASON AND RELIGION. By StevenM. Cahn. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2005.Pp. xi + 94.$17.95, ISBN 0-495-00507-X.

This brief book purports to present a dis-tinctive approach to some of the main issues inthe philosophy of religion, issues “oftenobscured in more orthodox treatments.” Thecentral claim is that religious belief in Goddoes not imply religious commitment nor viceversa. To prove this, Cahn relies heavily onHume and proceeds to dispose of, supposedly,the traditional arguments for God’s existence,Hick’s solution to theodicy, the reality of mira-cles, heaven and hell, etc. All this is commonfare of the non-Christian (anti-Christian) phi-losopher. At worst, this is a misleading over-view of traditional religious beliefs and at besta foil against which a nuanced defense of tra-ditional religious beliefs could easily beargued. Cahn’s Humean assumptions in partic-ular are controversial and his argument for anaturalistic religion is unconvincing. His tersechapters produce more caricatures than

insights about traditional beliefs and argu-ments; he misrepresents faith, theodicy (evil aslogically necessary?), Ecclesiastes, Job, Pas-cal, the afterlife, selected biblical passages,etc., all of which are presented in misleadingoversimplifications.

Barry L. WhitneyUniversity of Windsor

PROVIDENCE, EVIL AND THE OPEN-NESS OF GOD. By William Hasker. Rout-ledge Studies in Philosophy of Religion, 3.New York: Routledge, 2004. Pp. 236.$95.00, ISBN 0-415-32949-3.

This book brings together Hasker’s advo-cacy of “open theism” and the implications ofthis controversial theology for the problem ofevil, particularly the doctrine of divine provi-dence. While most of the chapters are reprintsof journal articles, all but one are post-1988,with one new article (on the Freedom andGoodness of God) and an interesting appendixin which Hasker responds to some of his critics.The strength of this book is its commendableclarity and careful argumentation. He defendshis view of the necessity of gratuitous evil,argues against both Calvinism and Molinism,then against D. Griffin’s process theodicy.While it is a tribute to an author to have theopportunity to republish some of his strongestessays in book format, one is left wanting moredevelopment of the themes discussed; theissues are indeed complex. Nonetheless, this isa remarkable book, required reading for thoseof us who study theodicy and related aspects ofChristian theism.


GOD, POWER, AND EVIL: A PROCESTHEODICY. By David Ray Griffin.Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2004.Pp. 336. $29.95, ISBN 0-664-22906-9.

First published in 1976 (Westminster), thisthird edition of Griffin’s important work ontheodicy brings the book back in print, with arevised preface from the second edition (Uni-versity Press of America, 1991). The rest ofthe book is the same in all three editions.Combined with Evil Revisited (1991) whichresponds to criticisms of the first edition andsupplies omitted chapters from all three edi-tions of God, Power and Evil, these two bookspresent and defend the theodicy Griffin hasconstructed largely from the writings of A. N.Whitehead. God, Power and Evil has an appeal-ing format which presents and critiques his-torical and traditional theodicies (Greek,Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Leibniz,Hick, Barth, etc.) before presenting Griffin’salternative. The book’s preface affords Griffinthe chance to underscore changes in his posi-tion about divine power: he now holds a stron-ger doctrine of the “demonic,” a stronger viewof divine power and of belief in continuing life

after death, themes which the prolific Griffinhas pursued in other places.


CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OFDIVINE REVELATION. By William J. Abra-ham. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006. Pp.xiv + 198. $20.00, ISBN 0-8028-2958-9.

Is belief in Christian revelation justifiable ina pluralistic philosophical age? Readers inter-ested in this question will be captivated by theauthor’s carefully and cogently crafted answerthat attempts to bridge “the cracks and tensionsbetween philosophy and theology.” For theolo-gians, this book questions traditional solutions,surveys recent developments in epistemology,and suggests a new approach for the justifica-tion of theological claims. For philosophers,this book provides insights about the reason-ableness of Christian faith in conversation witha variety of past and present philosophical per-spectives. Pivotal to the author’s descriptionof Christianity as “canonical theism” are theepistemological implications of a believer’sspiritual experience of accepting divine revela-tion; in effect, “crossing the threshold of divinerevelation” makes a fundamental difference ina person’s philosophical views—or more pro-verbially, conversion is a life-changing experi-ence. On the one hand, the author displays anin-depth familiarity with classical theologianssuch as Augustine and Aquinas as well as con-temporary thinkers such as Mitchell, Swin-burne, and Tracy, while echoes of the thoughtof J. H. Newman reverberate throughout thisbook. On the other hand, if Abraham’s scholar-ship is enviably impressive, it is never drearynor heavy-handed; his light touch in dealingwith serious topics surfaces repeatedly, as forexample, in his delineation of the conversion ofa hypothetical “Ms. Convert.” In sum, for thoseinterested in the relationship of revelation andfaith, this eloquently written volume is bothphilosophically perceptive and theologicallythought provoking.

John T. FordCatholic University of America

Arts, Literature, Culture, and

ReligionONE STEP CLOSER: WHY U2 MATTERSTO THOSE SEEKING GOD. By ChristianScharen. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press,2006. Pp. 208. $14.99, ISBN 1-58743-169-6.

Scharen provides a user-friendly assessmentof the band U2 and their influence on thoseseeking God and on contemporary culture. Not-ing that this book is not meant to elucidate aproof of U2’s Christianity or even the extent to

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which they are Christian, Scharen takes on thetask of revealing how this iconic rock band fitswithin the larger tradition of Christian voicesdirecting individuals toward the cross of Jesusand thus to Jesus himself. Emphasis is placedon unpopular service and sacrifice, a theme res-onant in U2’s music and message. Scharenpotently argues that U2’s form of “preaching”is far different than many current strands ofpopular evangelical preaching. For him, U2’sholistic perspective on God, Jesus, and the HolySpirit, and their common themes of faith in themidst of doubt, hope where there is despair,love among abundant violence, and peace andjustice for those who suffer, project a deeplyrooted and authentic Christianity. The text isstructured wherein a certain Christian principleis discussed (such as faith or hope) and thenanalyzed in relation to U2’s musical lyrics, con-certs, and social activity. While some of theexegetical assertions drawn from certain U2songs seem somewhat far-fetched in terms ofan observable Christian intent, Scharen stillseems to hit his mark: reaching individuals whoquestion the status quo while seeking fullnessin God.

Derek S. HicksRice University

WORSHIP WARS IN EARLY LUTHE-RANISM: CHOIR, CONGREGATION,AND THREE CENTURIES OF CON-FLICT. By Joseph Herl. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 2004. Pp. xii + 354. $74.00,ISBN 0-19-515439-8.

Herl cuts across the received wisdom on thecongregational singing of the Lutheran refor-mation. Through careful study of primarysources (hymnals, hymn-based compositions,method books for teaching music, contempo-rary writings by pastors and musicians, jour-nals, and book reviews) and secondary sources(histories of musical life in individual Germancities, socioreligious histories of the Reforma-tion, and related musicological studies), hedemonstrates that congregational singing in theliturgy was not accomplished until 1750. Herlargues that the choir carried primary responsi-bility for music in the liturgy throughout thesixteenth century. His thesis of suspicion andthorough research shows how important it is toframe investigative questions properly andhelpfully distinguishes between sources thatwere prescriptive for practice and those thatwere descriptive of practice. The latter sort ofsource made his case. This is a significant litur-gical and musical study.

Rebecca J. SloughAssociated Mennonite Biblical Seminary

WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE: HYMNSIN AMERICAN PROTESTANT HISTORYAND THEOLOGY. Edited by Richard J.Mouw and Mark A. Noll. Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 2004. Pp. xx + 288. $18.00, ISBN0-8028-2160-X.

The eleven articles comprising this bookwere first given at the conference “Hymnody inAmerican Protestantism” (1999) sponsored bythe Institute for the Study of American Evan-gelicals. Many of them make reference to the“Marini list” of Most Frequently PrintedHymns, 1737-1960, which served as a catalystfor the conference proceedings. Articles byNoll, Crookshank, and Stackhouse examine theimpact of Isaac Watts’ hymns on eighteenth-and nineteenth-century Americans. Schneider,Kee, Bergler, Piscitelli, and Brereton contributearticles on different types of texts and musicthat Christians have used both inside and out-side of the church. VanderWilt, Bauer, andMouw explore divergent theological themesdrawn from selected texts of “the list.” The firstappendix includes Marini’s list. Mouw rightlycautions in his introduction that a scholarlyanalysis of texts does not adequately accountfor how the hymns explored were paired withtunes or what was actually experienced by thepeople who sang them. Nonetheless, this isan excellent collection that demonstrates thewealth of insight into American religious expe-rience yet to be discovered through its singinghistory.


TEACHING THAT TRANFORMS: WOR-SHIP AS THE HEART OF CHRISTIANEDUCATION. By Debra Dean Murphy.Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2004.Pp 255. $18.99, ISBN 1-58743-067-3.

Murphy’s work opens needed conversationon the location and purpose of Christian educa-tion. She places the church’s practice of wor-ship at the center of the educational process byemphasizing the eucharistic aspect. She criti-cizes the works of G. Moran, T. Groome, andM. Boys on “religious education” because theyare moored in philosophical assumptionsunsuitable for Christian formation. Murphyprefers the category of catechesis, whichemphasizes embodied, situated, and theologicalchurch practices and guides “a journey of trans-formation.” She argues that the actions ofworship profoundly shape the character ofChristians in both forming and deformingbelievers, yet, the book describes worship in thebroadest and most exuberant theological termswithout specific liturgies as examples. Murphyrecognizes the undesired effects of inconsistentliturgical practice without grappling with thecatechetical responsibility it entails. Her bookis a welcome contribution for discussionsbetween Christian catechists and liturgists.


REVISITING NARNIA: FANTASY, MYTHAND RELIGION IN C. S. LEWIS’CHRONICLES. Edited by Shanna Caughey.Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, 2005. Pp. 240.$14.95, ISBN 1-932100-63-6.

Revisiting Narnia is a popular anthology ofpersonal and critical responses to The Chroni-cles of Narnia. As the title suggests, variousadult writers, most of whom read The Chroni-cles as children, return their attention to Lewis’seven novels set in the fictional world of Nar-nia. This book is readily accessible to first-timereaders of the Narnia books and seeks to inter-est recent movie viewers in reading and criti-cally engaging The Chronicles. Its greateststrength is in the diversity of reactions to Lewisin its twenty-five different articles by academ-ics, novelists, and journalists, although the arti-cles are repetitive in their treatment of thecommonplaces of Lewis scholarship. They takevaried positions on the Lewis debates of the dayaround how well Lewis’ neo-Platonism works,whether or not his Christian myth-creation issuccessful, what kind of redemption and sinoccupy his theology, how he constructs child-hood for his characters and his reader, theextent to which his Orientalism undermines hismoral stance, and the effect his treatment ofgender has on his theological position. Thevariety of responses makes Revisiting Narniaan effective introduction to Narnia’s widerimplications.

Kristen L. AbbeyRutgers, The State University of New Jersey

HISTORICAL GRAMMAR OF THEVISUAL ARTS. By Aloïs Riegl. Translated byJacqueline E. Jung. New York: Zone Books,2004. Pp. 444. $36.95. ISBN 1-890951-45-5.

This smooth translation makes an importantwork available for the first time in English. Asthe title suggests, Riegl sets out to examine thestructural elements of art and trace their history.One of the founders of modern art history, Rieglwants to reinforce the foundations and supplycorners to the walls of art history which havebeen haphazardly built up by his predecessors.Accepting the standard division of history intoancient, medieval, and modern, he sees the artof the first two periods as attempts to improvenature first through physical beauty and thenthrough spiritual beauty. These “contests withnature” were superceded in the Renaissance bya heightened appreciation of the value of tran-sitory nature for its own sake and for attemptsto reproduce it visually. Within these frames,Riegl explores the worldviews of these periodsand their attendant treatment of elements suchas motif, purpose, form, and surface. This vol-ume also contains a second version of the work,differently organized and more brisk in presen-tation, which is essentially from Reigl’s lecturenotes of 1899. There is a useful forewordby Benjamin Binstock. Professionals andadvanced students will profit from these origi-nal reflections.

Paul J. JohnsonRichmond, IN

THE REFORMATION OF THE IMAGE.By Joseph Leo Koerner. Chicago: University of

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Chicago Press, 2004. Pp. 493; plates, illustra-tions. $48.00, ISBN 0-226-45006-6.

The place of images in Christian worshipbecame problematic with Luther’s focus onscripture. Luther taught that all of scripture issimilar to a circle, each line of which points toa single center that is Christ. Thus, scripture isChristocentric, self-interpreting, and by itselfsufficient for salvation: the famous doctrine ofsola scriptura. According to Luther, the straightroad running from scripture to salvation needsno supplements or aids, no twists or turnsthrough intermediary priests, rituals or images.Centering his discussion on Cranach’s 1547Wittenberg altarpiece whose predella showsLuther preaching while gesturing toward a cru-cifix starkly isolated in the space between himand his congregation, Koerner explores theimpact of this doctrine on the fate of religiousimages and how their changes tended to reiter-ate the debate about them which followedLuther’s break with Catholicism. Luther him-self was moderate in his views about imagesand tried to reign in the iconoclasts he had,inadvertently, inspired. Koerner argues that theonly true believers in the spiritual efficacy ofimages may have been the iconoclasts them-selves. This study may be profitably readtogether with David Freedberg’s stellar book,The Power of Images: Studies in the Historyand Theory of Response, 1998.


THE EXTRAVAGANT: CROSSINGS OFMODERN POETRY AND MODERN PHI-LOSOPHY. By Robert Baker. Notre Dame,IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2005. Pp.xvii + 405. $30.00, ISBN 0-268-02182-1.

Extravagance is going beyond what is nec-essary or rational, beyond the bane of humanbeing. If only we can get beyond this or thatlimit, break radically free from this or thatrestraint, many tend to believe, we will findsomething rare and precious which is unobtain-able from within the confines of whatever islimiting us. Baker concerns himself with thismotif as it occurs from the late eighteenth cen-tury forward, whether in the form of seekingthe sublime (Kant, Wordsworth, and Lyotard)or in a Faustian quest (Rimbaud, Nietzsche,and Bataille) or in “apocalyptic negativity”(Kierkegaard, Dickenson, Marllarme, and Der-rida). Baker uses the term modern philosophyto mean continental philosophy—a commonenough prejudice or, if you will, limitation.Through it all, Baker sees modernity as a dia-lectical struggle between increasingly orga-nized instrumental societies and constructive,energetic, and creative negativity. Two closingchapters provide some theoretical framing forwhat Baker finds common to these thinkers,that which he calls the “kerygmatic” impera-tive: “You must change your life.” On thewhole, Baker pays a good deal more atten-tion to philosophers and philosophies than to

poets and poetry. Advanced students and pro-fessionals will find the book stimulating andinteresting.


REFORMED THEOLOGY AND VISUALCULTURE: THE PROTESTANT IMAGI-NATION FROM CALVIN TO EDWARDS.By William A. Dyrness. Cambridge: Cam-bridge University Press, 2004. Pp. xv + 339.Cloth, $85.00, ISBN 0-521-83323-X; paper,$29.99, ISBN 0-521-54073-9.

In Reformation culture, which has all toooften been simplistically characterized as icon-oclastic, Dyrness traces a unique and richlynuanced visual culture. His corrective examinesthe period’s religious material culture in lightof its aesthetic qualities. These values of beautyare then explicated in relation to the theologicalvalues that produced the paintings, bookplatesand broadsides, tombstones, and even townplans and charts of the Protestant world. Con-versely, his image analysis provides newinsights into the tenets of this new religiousphilosophy as established by Calvin, Luther,and Zwingli among others. An opening chapterprovides the necessary context of how medievaltheologians and scholars understood the senseof sight and how, through medieval exegeticalwritings based on earlier classical philosophicalunderstandings, the medieval definition of therole of the image in representing the ineffableformed that period’s theory of aesthetics. Dyr-ness then proceeds chronologically fromsixteenth-century Geneva onward to cover theseventeenth-century Puritanism of Ames andCotton, with a particular note of the theologicalmeanings subtly expressed by that period’s por-traiture. He concludes his consideration of thepicturing of piety and the piety of picture mak-ing with New England where Edwards repre-sents, for Dyrness, the culmination of Puritanthinking on creativity. Finally, it is with thelegacy of Protestant aesthetics that he brings thereader into the present. Dyrness is broad inreferences yet thorough in supporting his thesisthat the Protestant religious movements were attheir start and continued up until the presentday to be very much wedded to visual imagery.Highly readable, with useful notes andcitations, this book is a major contribution tothe revised view of the period of religiousreformation.

Rebecca LeuchakRoger Williams University

EARLY MEDIEVAL BIBLE ILLUMINA-TION AND THE ASHBURNHAM PEN-TATEUCH. By Dorothy Verkerk. New York:Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp. x + 262.$75.00, ISBN 0-521-82917-8.

A fine addition to the venerable tradition ofthe scholarly monograph dedicated to a singlework of art, this examination of the early medi-eval Old Testament manuscript stresses the con-

nection between its text and its illuminatedpages, which are among the earliest survivingdepictions of the Bible stories. These last arespectacular in their fine detail and colorful exe-cution which makes all the more regrettable thelack of color illustrations in this black andwhite production. A conventional organizationof the project puts a review of scholarshipon the Ashburnham Pentateuch first and thenresponsibly describes the script, text, illumina-tions and provenance in subsequent chapters.Throughout, Verkerk builds her argument for anorigin for this manuscript about which so littleis known. Finally, she devotes a chapter to thethesis that this is an Italian work produced inthe area around Rome. Her evidence is scant,but the discussion about other contemporaryworks and the milieu of this manuscript’s useamong the Roman clergy, give the reader amuch fuller picture of the context for thisextraordinary collaboration of scribe andilluminator.


JAN BRUEGHEL THE ELDER: THEENTRY OF THE ANIMALS INTONOAH’S ARK. By Arianne Faber Kolb. GettyMuseum Studies on Art. Los Angeles: TheJ. Paul Getty Museum, 2005. Pp. 98. $19.95,ISBN 0-89236-770-9.

Intended for the museum visitor as a handyexplication of a favorite painting by J. Brueghelthe Elder in the J. Paul Getty Museum collec-tion, Kolb’s slim volume with beautiful colorillustrations situates the painter and the work ofart in the wider context of Dutch culture of thesecond half of the sixteenth century. Particu-larly interesting is the emphasis she gives todetailed identification of animals and theiriconographic significance, the importance ofthe emergent field of natural history in thisperiod, and to the precedence among Brue-ghel’s fellow artists for animal and landscapepaintings. Patronage and the commissioning ofworks of art, the Renaissance fashion for col-lecting exotic species, the use of working draw-ings in preparation for painting, and workshoppractices in which specialized artists collabo-rated on a figure and landscape division of laborin their paintings are some of the themesexplored by the author in a cursory fashion.This is not a scholarly work, nor does it attemptto define our understanding of the painting innew and innovative ways, but Kolb does man-age (with some unfortunate tendency towardrepetition) to give us a rich experience of a veryfine painting.


AUGUSTINE IN THE ITALIAN RENAIS-SANCE: ART AND PHILOSOPHY FROMPETRARCH TO MICHELANGELO. ByMeredith J. Gill. New York: Cambridge Univer-

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sity Press, 2005. Pp. xiv + 281; plates. $85.00,ISBN 978-0-521-83214-4.

Gill provides a thorough examination of thereinterpretations of Augustine’s philosophy inthe written record and art world of RenaissanceItaly. This is a daunting task given the com-plex intertwining of numerous fifteenth- andsixteenth-century explications, appropriations,and misrepresentations of the most influentialof theologians in late antiquity. Gill begins withhow the theologian/philosopher was received inthe Renaissance, then moves to how August-ine’s thought was incorporated into the designof church imagery, the frescoes, tomb sculp-ture, altar paintings, and liturgical manuscriptscreated during this highly prolific period. Thefamiliarity of patrons and artists with histhought is considered as the author singles outa series of portraits of the saint. Separate chap-ters consider Petrarch’s relationship to thethought of Augustine and Augustinian under-pinnings of the great frescoes by Michelangeloin the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Palace. Thisscholarly work contributes to a better, morecomplex understanding of the philosophicalclimate of the Renaissance and sheds new“Augustinian” light on works of art which here-tofore may have seemed too easily understood.


SENSUAL RELATIONS: ENGAGING THESENSES IN CULTURE & SOCIAL THE-ORY. By David Howes. Ann Arbor, MI: Uni-versity of Michigan Press, 2003. Pp. 309.Cloth, $65.00, ISBN 0-472-09846-2; paper,$26.95, ISBN 0-472-06846-6.

In part 1, Howes discusses the history, the-ory, and methodology of sensorial anthropol-ogy. Part 2 applies the results to Melanesianculture, especially the kula ring ceremonialexchange first described by Malinowski. In part3, Howes turns his attention to Marx and Freud,uncovering sensory analyses in their writingsand considering evidence about how theirown body experience affected their ideas. Theresults are mixed but engaging and helpful; onewrestles along with Howes to understand howbodily and sensory facts engage social and cul-tural processes to generate culturally informedsensory experience and sensed structures ofmeaning. Malinowski, Marx, and Freud havehad and continue to have significant impact onthe academic study of religion, directly andthrough their influence on others. Any thought-ful reinterpretation of their work is relevant toreligious studies; given the sensuous dimen-sions of religion, religious studies would bene-fit from “engaging the senses in culture &social theory.” Here, though, the links to reli-gion are implicit rather than explicit, and themethodology is not detailed enough to easilyundertake a similar analysis on another ritual ora different thinker. This book would be excel-lent for a first semester doctoral seminar or formasters and doctoral methodology classes, and

should be read by scholars pursuing the sen-sual, bodily, or material dimensions of religion.

Richard M. CarpAppalachian State University

THE CULT OF ART IN NAZI GERMANY.By Eric Michaud. Translated by Janet Lloyd.Cultural Memory in the Present. Stanford, CA:Stanford University Press, 2004. Pp. xiv + 271.Cloth, $70.00, ISBN 0-8047-4326-6; paper,$25.95, ISBN 0-8047-4327-4.

Michaud convinces the reader with consid-erable erudition that the Nationalist Socialistideology was communicated and acted outthrough a total preoccupation with the power ofaesthetics. He defines the ruling aesthetic of theNazis as a romantically misunderstood inter-pretation of the classical Greek ideas aboutbeauty of form. This borrowing of an unbend-ing canon, Michaud claims, provided the ratio-nale and the motivating engine for the policiesthat led ultimately to the “final solution.”Michaud masterfully chronicles the aestheticconvictions of Hitler, evidenced in his writing,speeches, and staged public spectacles, whichenabled him to make categorical value judg-ments about good and bad art, superior andinferior races, and individuals who should pros-per in the new society he was destined to createand those who should be eliminated. TheFuhrer’s philanthropy, which favored formulaicimagery and simple, socially manipulative mes-sages of the primacy of sexual union and child-bearing, is credited to his self image as themessiah for the new, pure kingdom on earth.Hitler intended his promotion of the arts toserve as a shining example of the hero’s task intransforming society. Fascist art and architec-ture have always been characterized as morepropaganda than authentic creative works, butin this book, Michaud presents the reader withthe chilling realization that an aesthetic can bethe source not only of those works of art, butalso of all actions of a grossly misguided dic-tator and his power base.


CINEMA & SENTIMENT: FILM’S CHAL-LENGE TO THEOLOGY. By Clive Marsh.Studies in Religion and Culture. Waynesboro,GA: Paternoster Press, 2004. Pp. xi + 162.$19.99, ISBN 1-84227-274-8.

This volume is directed toward an educatedChristian audience, though its argument appliesto other traditions. Marsh presents both filmwatching and theology as social practicesand argues that putting the two in dialogueenhances both. Emphasizing that Christianworship has always offered opportunities forentertainment and socializing, Marsh drawsparallels between film watching and worshipand suggests that film could revitalize worshipwhile theology could deepen the spiritualreflections of viewers (as viewer-response datashows). Marsh also champions the affective

qualities of film, suggesting that theologyshould be equally emotionally engaged andengaging. Throughout, Marsh seeks to under-stand what religion-like role film might be play-ing before putting it in dialogue with theology.Viewer-response theory and cognitive psychol-ogy are presented as key analytic tools, arefreshing change from previous works’ failureto examine viewer response. Marsh’s dismissalof psychoanalytic film theory without explana-tion, however, is puzzling. His approach sug-gests that the effect of a film on its audiencecan be evaluated purely by asking viewersabout their response and gauging their emo-tional reactions. Yet, these methods cannotreveal how films may subtly reinforce destruc-tive social norms and stereotypes and theologyalone lacks the tools to examine how cinema-tography, point of view, sound, and other aes-thetic choices convey meaning. This volume’sneglect of close analysis of films is almost asunsatisfying as previous works’ neglect ofviewer response.

Christine Hoff KraemerBoston University

PILGRIMAGE AND LITERARY TRADI-TION. By Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cam-bridge University Press, 2005. Pp. ix + 218.$80.00, ISBN 0-521-84762-1.

Edwards’s goal in this text is to trace theliterary trajectory of pilgrimage in Britain fromShakespeare to Eliot. His choice of literary textis somewhat eclectic (with only a short sectionon Pilgrim’s Progress, for example) but reveal-ing nevertheless. Chapters discussing specificauthorial visions (Shakespeare, Rossetti, Dick-inson, Heaney, Eliot) are combined with chap-ters on particular pilgrimages (Walsingham,Lough, Derg) to trace changing attitudes towardand on the uses of pilgrimage. Central to thediscussion is the concept of peregrinatio (a termoften translated as “pilgrimage”). The peregri-nus is one who is alienated—a wanderer in aforeign land, an exile. Through his extendedanalysis, Edwards demonstrates that this mean-ing of the word “pilgrimage” is very muchactive in British literature, even into the twen-tieth century, and that it is the combined sensesof peregrinatio and traditional “pilgrimage” thatcarry such an enormous symbolic potential.While valuable to the literary scholar, this bookwould also be useful for any reader with a crit-ical interest in the psychology of religious ritual.

Heather G. S. JohnsonSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville

Ancient Near EastGOD’S WORD FOR OUR WORLD: BIB-LICAL STUDIES IN HONOR OF SIMONJOHN DE VRIES. Edited by J. Harold Ellens,Deborah L. Ellens, Rolf P. Knierim, andIsaac Kalimi. Journal for the Study of the Old

the extravagant: crossings of modern poetry and modern philosophy – robert baker

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