Christ’S Challenge To History
Ideas of History, edited by Ronald H. Nash (Dutton, 1969, Volumes 1 and II, 291 and 369 pp., $8.95 each), is reviewed by C. George Fry, assistant professor of history, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
“From its beginning,” writes Ronald H. Nash, “Christianity has had a special interest in history.” Across twenty centuries—from St. Luke to Kenneth Scott Latourette—Christian historians have confessed with their fellow believers that Jesus Christ is the center of world history. This conviction has not gone unchallenged. Rival philosophies of history have arisen. In the resulting struggle for men’s minds, it has become essential that Christian intellectuals be familiar with the competing and complementary interpretations of the past.
This is no small task. But help has arrived. Ronald H. Nash, head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University, has provided what is indeed “the finest survey of the subject to be published in recent years.” In Ideas of History Dr. Nash has furnished an anthology of significant selections from the major philosophers of history from Augustine to Toynbee, prefacing each excerpt with a fair and penetrating analysis, and following it with excellent suggestions for further reading. The beginner in the field can find no finer introduction and the professional historian, theologian, and philosopher can secure no better summary than this work.
The philosophy of history, Nash explains, has two major divisions: speculative and critical. The speculative dimension is concerned with meaning in history and asks three questions: What is the pattern of history? What is the mechanism of history? and What is the purpose or value of history? Intellectual giants have wrestled with these issues and Volume I, Speculative Approaches to History, introduces the reader to the historical thought of St. Augustine. Giambattista Vico, Immanuel Kant. Johann Gottfried Herder, G. W. F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels. Oswald Spengler, Arnold Toynbee. Kenneth Scott Latourette, and Reinhold Niebuhr. Is history repeating itself? Is there progress? Does the past make sense? Can the historian predict the future? These are some of the exciting avenues of thought that are explored.
The philosophy of history involves more than speculation, however. There are critical questions concerning method, such as, “How does the historian come to understand the past? Is the historian’s method of inquiry significantly different from the kind of inquiry found in the natural sciences? What is the nature of historical explanation and does it differ from explanation in the natural sciences? Can the historian be objective?” In Volume II, The Critical Philosophy of History, divergent views are offered by Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, Wilhelm Dilthey, R. G. Collingwood, W. H. Walsh, Carl G. Hempel, William Dray, Maurice Mandelbaum, R. H. Weingartner, Charles A. Beard, Carl L. Becker, A. I. Melden, Ernest Nagel, Raymond Aron, Raphael Demos, Sidney Hook, Isaiah Berlin, and Georges Florovsky. Decisions on these “how to do it questions” must be made by every historian. By examining his assumptions on a conscious level, the historian can improve his comprehension of the past.
There is, however, an even more basic question. Nash has done well to conclude his anthology with these words from Georges Florovsky concerning the question of Christ, “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:28): “An attempt to write history, evading the challenge of Christ, is in no sense a ‘neutral’ endeavor. Not only in writing a ‘Universal History’ … but also in interpreting any particular sections or ‘slices’ of this history … the historian [is] confronted with this ultimate challenge—because the whole of human existence is confronted with this challenge and claim.” Called to commitment, the Christian historian has no alternative but to take his stand and “to vindicate his claim in the practice of his craft and vocation.…” Nash’s book will help him fulfill this mission.
A Poor Defense Of Religion
Sense and Nonsense in Religion, by Sten H. Stenson (Abingdon, 1969, 255 pp., $5.95), is reviewed by Gordon H. Clark, professor of philosophy, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Professor Stenson at first intended to write a devastating criticism of all forms of religion. Then he decided to write a defense—against the four charges that religion is sick, silly, meaningless, and self-contradictory.
The last is the basic accusation and depends on the assertion that “of the proposed solutions of the problem of evil … none has stood up to criticism.” Job’s solution is particularly bad: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty.” Job’s solution, however, and Calvin’s, and even my own development of the theme in Religion, Reason, and Revelation, is not open to the charge of self-contradiction. The usual charge is that Calvinism is too logical.
Professor Stenson does not like logic. That is why religion, though self-contradictory, is acceptable. “Religious testimony is a mythopoeic … expression of … momentous insights.” “The Bible is a myth … a collection of … shaggy dog stories, witticisms, puns, and so on.” The author openly accepts the allegorical method of interpretation and says. “This is not reprehensible.”
But this, I submit, is reprehensible. It enables a man to impose all sorts of contradictory interpretations on a text. “There is no one … true theological interpretation of religious testimony.” The proposition, David was King of Israel, can mean, LSD gives an experience of God. This is no scholarly method. Careful study gives place to hunch and impulse.
As an illustration of religious doctrine the author draws a physically impossible three-tined tuning fork. An elementary lesson in drawing would point out the mistake. In religion the stupid mistake is to remain. The author deprecates reducing ambiguous language to logical form. “This common hope of the thirties and forties is no longer a deliberate or popular program”—as if it were not the hope and deliberate program of the eighteen thirties, the twelve thirties, the three thirties B.C., and of all rational mankind.
Anti-intellectualism, stubborn irrationalism, and existential freedom in exegesis make a poor defense of religion against the charge of being sick, silly, and meaningless. It would have been more scholarly for the author to remain true to his original intention “to write a devastating criticism of all forms of religion … the ultimate irrefutable philosophical destruction of all forms of Western theistic belief.” That would have been at least intelligible.
Historicist Theology
Systematic Theology: A Historicist Perspective, by Gordon D. Kaufman (Scribner, 1968, 543 pp., $8.95), is reviewed by Donald B. Bloesch, professor of theology, Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa.
Gordon Kaufman, professor of theology at the divinity school of Harvard University, here seeks to reinterpret the Christian faith from a historicist perspective. By historicism he means the attempt to understand man and his world in radically historical terms. His criterion is neither the Bible nor the Church “but the movement of history itself.” Kaufman constantly tries to show that his historical-personal theology stands in continuity with the faith of the Church through the ages. His contention is that because biblical religion is both personal and historical, it therefore lends itself to a historicist interpretation.
Although he often refers to God as “the Beyond,” one wonders whether he is not positing a transcendence within immanence. He affirms the aseity of God but not his immutability. In his view God is caught up in the striving of his creation for fulfillment. Although insistent that God transcends the world, he seems to equivocate on whether God transcends history itself, since it seems that his God is essentially both historical and temporal. He proposes an ontology of history and interprets God within this framework. Against this view I suggest an ontology of the Personal Spirit who creates history.
His Christology is more Nestorian than orthodox, for while he affirms both the humanity and divinity of Christ, he fails to see the unity of the two natures in one person. He questions both the sinlessness of Jesus and his virgin birth and locates his uniqueness in the fact that he fully revealed divine love. Kaufman understands the cross of Christ not as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin but as the victory of suffering love that initiated the kingdom of God on earth. He rejects the bodily resurrection of Jesus, maintaining that the resurrection appearances can be better understood as “visions” or “hallucinations”; at the same time he affirms the resurrection as “an event in the history of meaning.” What broke through the barrier of death was not the personality of Jesus but “the continuing presence of God’s redemptive act.”
We can appreciate Kaufman’s attempt to take seriously the historical and personal dimensions of the Christian faith. But he does not sufficiently perceive that revelation is more than the act of God; it is also the speech of God. It is a disclosure not only of the presence of God but also of his will and purpose for mankind. The Christian faith is both historical and supernatural; it concerns both this world and the world to come. By envisioning the goal of the Christian faith as the historical realization of the kingdom of God, he fails to do justice to the biblical vision that this kindgom is basically beyond history, even though manifested within history.
Kaufman writes in a lucid style, and his many original insights, while not always biblically sound, make this book worth reading.
Easing Ecclesiastical Tension
Lutherans and Roman Catholicism, by Myron Marty (University of Notre Dame, 1968, 244 pp., $6.95), is reviewed by David P. Scaer, assistant professor of systematic theology, Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Illinois.
The age of intense antagonism between the church of Rome and Luther’s descendants has so quietly sneaked out of theological prominence that it takes all the powers of memory to conjure up the annual Reformation Day sermon with its traditional and expected barbs against popery. Lutherans and Roman Catholicism is a refresher course for those who can’t remember or don’t want to remember the time when journals of both groups threw brickbats back and forth for what often seemed to be just more ecclesiastical exercise. The author, a Missouri Synod parochial-school teacher, traces the attitude toward Roman Catholicism in his church body from around the beginning of its English-speaking period in 1917 through 1963.
In this rapprochement between Protestant and Catholic most of the attention has been on the Catholics, because this church has submitted to public self-analysis. Its linen, soiled or not, is hung up for all to see. Everything from the non-traditionally centered Dutch Catechism to the marriage of the pope’s liturgical assistant to the refusal of the Austrian hierarchy to carry out the papal prohibitions against birth control is placed before the bar of opinion for the public verdict. But what are the Protestants doing?
Myron Marty, who holds his doctor’s degree from a Catholic university, digs around in the hoary past of the Missouri Synod looking for every printed remark on Roman Catholicism by any official or spokesman of the denomination. The results of his research are not unexpected. Sometime around 1960, there was a definite change in the public image of the Missouri Synod in its dealings with Roman Catholicism, the former belligerent attitude giving way to a more conciliatory one. Although this account is limited to one Protestant denomination, it has a much broader appeal. Whatever bothered the Missouri Synod about the Roman church also bothered other Protestants. All bases are touched: Catholic involvement in politics, aid to parochial schools, the election of a Catholic president, an ambassador to the Vatican, and the theological claims of the Catholic Church. Undoubtedly most Protestants will see their own changed attitudes to Roman Catholicism mirrored in this case study. Such studies are no guarantee of future church unity. But honest denominational evaluations like this help clear the air so that theological discussions can proceed without the need to deal with some of the previous unnecessary theological insults spoken more out of parochial devotion than informed conviction.
Marty’s study is largely historical and does not give a satisfactory explanation for the change in attitude in the Missouri Synod. What internal forces caused this church body with conservative learnings to do an about-face?
The big changes are still coming from the Roman church, in the opinion of this reviewer, and it is these changes that are the cause of the favorable reactions among Protestants. With only a few exceptions, the posture of the Missouri Synod toward Catholicism was largely determined by the stance of the pope toward Protestantism and not the reverse. Even if the pope is not the acknowledged head of the church, he is certainly functioning as the helmsman. Let the reader, unconverted to this opinion, please note that this book was published not by a Protestant publishing house but by the University of Notre Dame Press. Can Protestants still claim the position of theological prominance, even in self-evaluation?
Rendering Unto Caesar
Should Churches Be Taxed?, By D. B. Robertson (Westminster, 1968, 288 pp., $6.50), is reviewed by Earl M. Baker, staff associate, American Political Science Association, Washington, D. C.
It is disconcerting to think of American religion as an industry comparable to textiles or mining. Yet as D. B. Robertson points out, church giving, approximately $6.5 billion annually, equals income for these industries—impressive testimony to the extent, if not the depth, of American religious involvement. This income, plus the estimated $80 billion in real property, plus securities, owned by churches, makes it obvious why church tax exemption raises the question of “rendering unto Caesar.”
Robertson first discards two misconceptions about tax exemption of churches: that it is only recently controversial and that only secularists would question it. The church discussed here is the institutional, not the spiritual. The issue is particularly sensitive now, with taxpayers and elected officials alike concerned about inequities in the tax structure.
Much is unknown about church income, and especially participation in business. For example, the author states that “no one person or agency, including the government,” has a “exact knowledge of the value of church property in the United States.” But we can appreciate his outlining of what he cannot tell us as much as we appreciate all that he does tell. The book is generally well organized, but its sequence might have been improved, by, for instance, having the valuable chapter with pro and con arguments at the beginning instead of near the end.
Briefly, major arguments for exemption are that churches simply receive fair return from society by not being taxed, hardship, the challenge to “freedom of religion,” and tradition. Opposing arguments question churches’ unique benefits to society and the reality of a constitutional danger, and emphasize the positive obligations of churches.
Robertson’s position is that churches deserve exemption for the sanctuary or place of worship and its maintenance; but he makes clear distinctions between types of church income, and questions the necessity of gray-area exemptions such as parking lots, parsonages, and cemeteries. He definitely opposes exempting income from commercial enterprises. In this contribution to historical and policy research, Robertson sees the church in a pluralist perspective and notes its responsibility to the whole polity. Earthly wealth should not place the church apart from the social context of its ministry.
Book Briefs
Philosophy and the Christian Faith, by Colin Brown (Inter-Varsity, 1969, 319 pp., paperback, $2.50). This bird’s-eye view of the history of philosophy down to the present day and of its relations to Christianity will prove very helpful to the layman.
The King and the Kingdom, by William Barclay (Westminster, 1968, 211 pp., paperback, $2.45). In his usual clear and readable style, Barclay traces the idea of the kingdom in Jewish thought beginning with the theocracy, when Israel’s king was God, and concluding with a study of Christ as the King of the Kingdom.
In Quest of a Ministry, by Julian Price Love (Knox, 1969, 136 pp., paperback, $2.45). After spending nearly half a century in the classrooms of two theological seminaries, Dr. Love offers sixty vignettes revealing what students for the ministry are like and what seminary does or does not do for them.
Tourist’s Handbook of Bible Lands, by Guy P. Duffield (Regal, 1969, 186 pp., paperback, $1.65). A handy guide linking various sites with the appropriate Scripture passages.
So Who’s Afraid of Birthdays, by Anna B. Mow (Lippincott, 1969, 128 pp., $3.95). A seventy-six-year-old gives sensitive counsel to those who are confronting the problems and anxieties of growing old. Her secret for a rich and radiant life: “Christ is alive and is in us now.…”
Bench Marks, by József Farkas (Knox, 1969, 112 pp., $3.50). Contends that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to help man become fully human. Though the reader may question this view, he will find that Farkas offers many fresh applications of the commandments to modern life.
Disturbed About Man, by Benjamin E. Mays (Knox, 1969, 143 pp., $3.95), The former president of Morehouse College, who was a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., contends that Christianity in action is the effective answer to the prejudice and poverty of our day.
The First Christian Century in Judaism and Christianity, by Samuel Sandmel (Oxford, 1969, 241 pp., $6). A Jewish New Testament scholar investigates the historical context in which Christianity arose. Arrives at some questionable conclusions, but useful for research.
A Church Without Priests?, by Jacques Duquesne (Macmillan, 1969, 192 pp., $4.95). Investigates the problems confronting priests and calls for a declericalization of the priesthood. Priests should not be different from other people, the author says; they should marry and exercise normal professions in which they can still perform their priestly functions.
Our Guilty Silence, by John R. W. Stott (Eerdmans, 1969, 119 pp., paperback, $1.45). First American edition of this vigorous challenge to the Church to rededicate itself wholeheartedly to its evangelistic mission. Excellent for group study on the very vital subject of the mission of the Church.
Black Theology and Black Power, by James H. Cone (Seabury, 1969, 165 pp., paperback, $2.95). An angry black theology professor investigates black power and its relation to Christianity, the Church, and contemporary American theology. Sees black power as Christ’s central message to twentieth-century America, calling the Church to total identification with the suffering poor.
Man at the Top, by Richard Wolff (Tyndale, 1969, 131 pp., $3.95). A practical discussion of the Christian understanding of leadership in the light of biblical teaching and secular history.
Groups Alive—Church Alive, by Clyde Reid (Harper & Row, 1969, 126 pp., $3.95). This helpful handbook of small-group dynamics treats such topics as purpose, leadership, discipline, size, and problems of this increasingly significant phenomenon in church life.
Handbook to the New Testament, by Claus Westermann (Augsburg, 1969, 180 pp., $4.95). This companion to Westermann’s Handbook to the Old Testament offers the general reader a cursory survey of the New Testament books. Virtually avoids controversial issues and sees the person of Jesus Christ at the heart of the New Testament.
