Book Briefs: February 14, 1969

The Beginnings of Dialectic Theology, edited by James M. Robinson (John Knox, 380 pp., $12.50), is reviewed by David Scaer, assistant professor of systematic theology, Concordia Seminary, Springfield, Illinois.

Dialectic theology has been with the theological world long enough to have found the level of its own orthodoxy. It is the task of the third generation to appreciate the contributions of the forefathers, who had to fight for their right to exist. This anthology is an attempt to acquaint the theological world of today with its immediate progenitors, who have helped frame the form and content of contemporary theology. Collected here are essays and portions of books of the early dialecticians from in and around the third decade of this century. Along with the earlier writings of Barth, there are also contributions by Tillich, Gogarten, and Bultmann, among others. The editor, James M. Robinson, as a rule chose writings not previously available in English, and he arranged the material according to time of original publication.

The reader gains the impression that he is looking at a family tree. The trunk is Barth, whose prefaces to three editions of his commentary on Romans started a chain reaction of critique and counter-critique, of attack and defense, between him and the German theologians. In some places the tree was pruned; in others the branches grew to a wider girth than the original trunk. The essays chosen to show the reaction to Barth’s three prefaces are so salty and blunt as to suggest an extremely sticky situation in theology during the twenties.

The several open letters between Barth and the great liberal theologian Adolf von Harnack open a little-known avenue of Christian thought. Von Harnack hit the jugular vein of Barth’s dialectic theology when he saw in it “an invisible point between absolute religious skepticism and naïve biblicism.”

In describing the beginnings of dialectic theology, the editor lets the reader choose for himself who is the fairest dialectic theologian of all. Is it Brunner? Bultmann? Tillich? Or perhaps Gogarten? Barth is not the true Barthian—simply because it is impossible to give an exacting definition of Barthianism. Robinson, who has built his work on earlier work in German by the now famous Jürgen Moltmann, puts the reader on the sidelines of a theological tennis match. Or perhaps the situation is more like a handball game, where if a player is not alert he can get hit in the head.

This anthology helps us to gain historical perspective on a movement that is still pulling much of theology into its grip, and to understand the evolution of today’s theology.

How To Be ‘For Real’

Release from Phoniness, by Arnold Prater (Word, 1968, 123 pp., $3.95), is reviewed by Stephen Smallman, pastor, McLean Presbyterian Church, McLean, Virginia.

“God is not a giant IBM card who comes sliding out of some colossal computer when you have pressed all the right buttons. But you can find Him. You can be for real.” This is the beginning of an informal and personal conversation with the author (a district superintendent in the United Methodist Church) about leaving behind the phony life. The book is for desperate people, desperate because behind their mask and “novacaine smiles” they know there is nothing, and they want to find something real. And so, for those who will listen, Prater procedes to show that phoniness is nothing but the besetting sin of all men: self-worship. Actually, however, men worship only their self-image, their mask. If they would ever be honest enough to look behind the mask, they would be appalled. “Release from phoniness” necessitates taking off that mask, confronting one’s self honestly (an agonizing ordeal, the author warns), and then confronting God in Jesus Christ. And like the father of the prodigal son, God will gladly accept those who come to him—without their masks.

In the second half of the book, Prater discusses life without the mask. A new person in Christ no longer needs to be phony, but that is the beginning of the story, not the end; he now “puts on his skin.” This is no easier than “taking off the mask,” but God is now within, providing proper motivation. The real thing begins, as might be expected, with complete honesty and sincere compassion for others. (“Involvement in the despair of others—this is the essence of love.”) The Church, for better or worse, is Christ’s Church, and Christians belong there. (“If there are phonies in the church, then they will need you.”) The “maskless way” is no easy way, but it is the real way, leading to a life of purpose and content.

This very readable book will be a great help to those seeking release. It should be made clear, however, that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, men have no desire to seek. Prater may be implying this by writing only to those who are desperate, but his insistence on true repentance might be strengthened if he were to tell the seeker that it is God who is revealing to him his desperate condition. Jesus is the author as well as the finisher of our faith. (Prater left out “the author” when he quoted this verse.)

The most provocative thought in the book, in my opinion, is the basic thesis that when a man meets Jesus Christ, he is released from phoniness. Surely this provides a strong clue to the cause of phoniness in the Church.

Antidote To Individualism

The Believers’ Church, by Donald F. Durnbaugh (Macmillan, 1968, 315 pp., $7.95), is reviewed by Bruce L. Shelley, professor of church history, Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, Denver, Colorado.

In June, 1967, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville hosted one hundred and fifty church historians, denominational leaders, and theologians in a Conference on the Concept of the Believers’ Church. During the conference it became apparent that considerable confusion surrounded this concept. Now, thanks to Donald Durnbaugh’s book, misunderstanding need no longer reign.

For about two decades now, a number of scholars interested in Mennonite, Baptist, Quaker, and Brethren beginnings have been chipping away at the past like sculptors, attempting to fashion an image of a rather distinctive type of Christianity. Working from the rough outline left by this host of craftsmen, Durnbaugh traces in detail the shape of the Believers’ Church. It is now clearly distinguishable from the other major Christian bodies: Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed.

The Believers’ Church has often been called the “Free Church.” Given, however, the increasing acceptance of separation of church and state in modern times, “Free Church” is now so inclusive as to be all but useless. Believers’ Church stands for something far more positive than the mere “wall of separation.” As Max Weber originally pointed out, it stands for a “community of personal believers of the reborn, and only these.”

Durnbaugh, who teaches church history at Bethany Theological Seminary, a Church of the Brethren School, lists seven features of the Believers’ Church: voluntary membership, separation from the world, a high level of Christian life, discipline, mutual aid, church forms evolved from the group, and the authority of the Word and Spirit.

From these characteristics it should be apparent that the Believers’ Church is not simply a cluster of denominations. Baptists, for example, who began with Believers’ Church ideals, have compromised them seriously under the heady wine of revivalistic success. Durnbaugh rightly argues that “Believers’ Church” refers to basic theological concepts. He traces these back to the Waldenses and the Unity of the Brethren; from them to the Radical Reformers, Baptists, Quakers, Church of the Brethren, Methodists, Disciples, and Plymouth Brethren; and then to the Confessing Church of Germany, the East Harlem Protestant Parish, and the Church of the Savior in Washington, D. C.

Evangelicals ought to wrestle with the ideas in this book for two supreme reasons. First, the concept of the Believers’ Church is a welcome antidote to an unbiblical individualism that has infected American evangelism. Many evangelists are inclined to think of the Believers’ Church as the Believer’s Church. But the place of the apostrophe is all important. The difference is between an unhealthy individualism and a responsible churchmanship.

Second, the Believers’ Church may provide evangelicals with the best possible adjustment to an increasingly secular age. As the symbols of a “Christian America” fade away or are smashed by militant secularists, evangelical dreams of the Kingdom in America may either turn to nightmares of disillusionment or find fulfillment in a new humanity in Christ. That new humanity, the Believers’ Church reveals, is what the Gospel is all about.

Profile Of Teen-Acers

Christian Youth: An In-Depth Study, by Roy B. Zuck and Gene A. Getz (Moody, 1968, 192 pp., $5.95), is reviewed by Charles G. Schauffele, professor of Christian Education, Gordon Divinity School, Wenham, Massachusetts.

Gloomy generalities can now be dispersed with the facts. “A majority of the Christian youths surveyed were satisfied with their home situations.” At the same time they felt a lack of willingness to discuss spiritual matters, and there was too little opportunity at home for relaxing fun.

Educators in nearly 200 evangelical churches asked almost 3,000 teen-agers 336 well-honed questions about school, church, parents, preachers, dating, TV, sex, money, and marriage. Using valid research procedures and statistical correlation, Drs. Zuck and Getz have given a concentrated and compact package of reliable information that will be useful for several years to come. No parent or teacher, no one who works with teen-agers, can afford to pass up this data.

The study shows that teen-agers think their friends influence them more than their parents. So do their parents. More than half of those interviewed watch TV at least two hours a day, and some much more. Most of the churches and parents represented have told them not to attend a movie theater for so much as a Walt Disney film, but have given no guidance or ground rules for the choice of late late TV shows.

Those interviewed came from more than forty evangelical denominations, from every section of the United States, and from the whole spectrum of socio-economic levels. More than 12 per cent of them were interested in church vocations. Two-thirds had no serious doubts about the sixteen doctrines listed in the questionnaire. They were, rather, more concerned over the lost condition of the heathen and the problem of evil in the world. The chapter on ethics and morality ought to give youth leaders strong doubts about present programs and start them on the road to serious revisions.

For those who may be curious about the instruments and procedures, the authors thoroughly describe every step in their survey and show samples of their materials. Their project, which was encouraged and supported by the Research Commission and the Youth Commission of the National Association of Evangelicals, ought to take a lot of guesswork out of evangelical youth work.

Book Briefs

The Gospel in Isaiah, by Gilbert Guffin (Convention Press, 1968, 148 pp., $.95). Prepared as the Bible study guide for the Southern Baptist Convention in 1969, this fresh approach to Isaiah serves as a fitting preparation for the Crusade of the Americas being launched this year by most Baptist conventions in North, Central, and South America.

The Stork Is Dead, by Charlie W. Shedd (Word, 1968, 127 pp., $3.95). The author of Letters to Karen and Letters to Philip comes through again! This volume fills a longstanding need for a forceful, frank treatment of sex directed to teen-agers in language they can understand and believe. The views presented are sound—biblically, ethically, and practically.

Finney’s Lectures on Theology, by Charles Grandison Finney (Bethany, 1968, 248 pp., $3.95). Reprint of a classic first published in 1840.

Virginia Woolf Meets Charlie Brown, by David H. C. Read (Eerdmans, 1968, 225 pp., $4.95). A collection of timely sermons by the popular minister of New York City’s Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Short Dictionary of Bible Personal Names, by H. H. Rowley (Basic Books, 1968, 168 pp., $4.50). A compact dictionary that includes every person mentioned in the Bible and Apocrypha with a concise summary of the biographical information available. A companion volume, Short Dictionary of BibleThemes (114 pp., $3.95), summarizes, objectively and concisely, biblical teaching on major themes. Each bit of information in both volumes is accompanied by a biblical reference.

All the Holy Days and Holidays, by Herbert Lockyer (Zondervan, 1968, 288 pp., $4.95). A collection of sermonic and source material for use on special days of the church year, national holidays, and a variety of other occasions.

The Douglass Sunday School Lessons, 1969, by Earl L. Douglass (Word, 1968, 391 pp., $3.50). The newest edition of an extensive evangelical commentary on the International Sunday School Lessons.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, by John Mc-Clintock and James Strong (Baker, 1968, 940 pp., $12.95). Reprint of a standard reference work. Writing from an evangelical perspective, the contributors offer a wealth of information on hundreds of important topics in the field of religion. This is the first of a set of twelve volumes scheduled for completion in June, 1971.

Hebrews: The Epistle of Warning, by John Owen (Kregel, 1968, 283 pp., $3.95). Reprint of a seventeenth-century work by the renowned Puritan theologian. A valuable addition to the minister’s library.

Holy Book and Holy Tradition, ed. by F. F. Bruce and E. G. Rupp (Eerdmans, 1968, 244 pp., $5.95). Papers presented at an International Colloquium held in the Faculty of Theology of Manchester University, England. Considers the interplay of sacred writing, oral tradition, and religious art from the earliest of times to our own.

Plain Talk on John, by Manford Gutzke (Zondervan, 1968, 213 pp., $3.95). A welcome addition to the “Plain Talk” books by this gifted Bible expositor.

Demon Possession, by John L. Nevius (Kregel, 1968, 364 pp., $4.95). Reprint of a work first published in 1894. Investigates the whole question of demon possession by examining biblical teaching and by citing numerous case histories. The author was a Presbyterian missionary in China for nearly forty years.

The Bible Digest, by C. W. Slemming (Kregel, 1968, 905 pp., $9.95). An informative and enriching survey of each book of the Bible presented from an evangelical point of view. First American edition of a work published in England in 1960.

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