Book Briefs: February 4, 1972

New Wind Rising

Theology of the Liberating Word, edited by Frederick Herzog (Abingdon, 1971, 123 pp., paperback, $2.75), is reviewed by Donald G. Bloesch, professor of theology, Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa.

In this book, dedicated to the memory of Karl Barth, one American and several German theologians concern themselves with the possibility and desirability of a renewed theology of the Word of God. All the contributors except one, Hans-Dieter Bastian, point to the need for a theology of the biblical Word that will be related to the cultural and political situations of modern man.

Frederick Herzog of Duke University warns of a “new church conflict” resulting from the accommodation of American Christianity to modern, secular culture. Those who feel constrained to call theology back to its biblical moorings will find themselves increasingly at odds with American culture-religion, manifested in both radical-liberal theology and popular fundamentalism. Herzog even includes black theology as a form of “culture-accommodation,” since it makes the experience of a particular people and not divine revelation the criterion for truth and authority. He contends that in the new church conflict we should move from the Church as comforter and challenger to the Church as liberator. Only on the basis of the proclamation and acceptance of the liberating Word of God will man find the freedom and motivation to participate in the social struggle against political and economic oppression.

Although seeing truth as basically the event of God in action, Eberhard Jüngel of Tübingen University also sees the rightful place for propositional truth that participates in the claimed “truth as event.” At the same time, because true propositions always tend to overshadow truth as event they are constantly in danger of becoming untrue.

Hans-Joachim Kraus of the University of Göttingen reminds us that the Old Testament “stands in contrast to its religious environment, not just in ‘detail,’ but in its entire structure.” He goes on to maintain that the message of the prophets of Israel has “to be understood under new presuppositions and conditions.”

Hans Conzelmann, also from Göttingen University, affirms that the essential point of orientation for the proclamation of the Church is not “modern man” but “the sinner to whom God persistently reaches out.” Like Karl Barth he contends that the preacher should not seek “points of contact in feelings of sinfulness, cosmic threats, or other anxieties.” Instead our task is to make known the Word of God, which alone is able to penetrate the cultural situation in which men find themselves.

This book calling for the christianization of a secularized church is a heartening sign that a new wind is beginning to blow in theological circles, that the dominance of secular-radical theology may be nearing an end. In this rediscovery of the Word of God, however, we must beware of the danger of allying the biblical message with a political theology of liberation. Although Christ promises to liberate the captives, the full dimensions of this liberation will not be realized until the final consummation. But this, of course, does not dispense men and women who have been inwardly liberated from sin from the obligation to seek a more just society, and every gain in the struggle for social justice should be viewed as an anticipation of the righteousness of the kingdom that is still to come.

Alienated Theology

The Future of Philosophical Theology, edited by Robert A. Evans (Westminster, 1971, 190 pp., $6.95), is reviewed by William W. Wells, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, University of Hawaii, Hilo.

In April of 1970 a Consultation on the Future of Philosophical Theology was held at McCormick Seminary. This book contains papers given at the consultation by Schubert Ogden, David Burrell, Van Harvey, and Heinrich Ott, an introductory essay by the editor, and a report by Donald Mathers on the discussion of the four main papers by various consultation participants. The book is fairly technical and will be of interest primarily to those concerned with the relation between philosophy and theology. Despite the title of the book, three of the four essays center on the problem of understanding the nature of philosophical theology, rather than its future.

Ogden presents four theses that together elucidate “The Task of Philosophical Theology.” He begins by suggesting that we must recognize the priority of faith in human existence, “faith” in his terms being something in men that has certain parallels to Santayana’s “animal faith.” Philosophy, then, is “the fully reflective understanding of the basic existential faith which is constitutive of human existence.” “Philosophical theology” is seen as the effort to understand this “faith” so as to answer the question of the reality of God; and this understanding provides the possibility of and the basis for a specifically Christian theology. Ogden, then, sees philosophical theology in terms of traditional metaphysics.

Burrell, in contrast, sees no hope in this direction; philosophical theology is for him a kind of “conceptual therapy.” It is more like a grammar than a distinct tradition that might stand over against other traditions. Theology does not propose a picture of God any more than a grammar offers sentences. Theology is more like a set of skills that will allow one to evaluate pictures that have been proposed. The theologian’s skills, then, are more like those of the literary critic than those of the scientist. And, as in literary criticism, the canons of criticism are easier for the writer to display in use than to articulate.

Ott begins his essay by rejecting as untenable what he calls “the salvation-historical theology of revelation.” To explain why this theology has become untenable is not the primary task of systematic theology; rather theology must orient itself to and speak to this prevailing state of understanding. Theology, according to Ott, must articulate itself as philosophical theology. Faith must begin with the terms of the philosopher, show that this framework cannot accommodate faith, and only then begin to recast the terms taken from the philosopher for its own use. “What the revelation of God is, what really takes place in it, and what it means must be expressed in terms of the human intellectual life.… Instead of telling stories about God and man, theology must reflect upon how the event of the divine revelation works itself out among men.”

The essay by Van Harvey provides an interesting contrast with the other three. Where Ogden, Burrell, and Ott try to deal with the relation between philosophy and theology, Harvey describes the plight of the “alienated theologian.” As he points out, there have always been theologians in the Church who rejected one belief or another while remaining loyal to the basic message of Christianity. In recent years, however, the Church has had men who denied the very basis of Christianity—proponents of “Christian atheism,” for example—but who were and are not able to come to the point of severing their connection with Christianity. He finds the source of this problem in the morality of belief that developed out of the eighteenth century. The alienated theologian can no longer believe without—as he sees it—sacrificing his intellectual honesty. Yet this same theologian acknowledges a longing to be convinced about the truth of teachings that seem to him unwarranted. As the final discussion shows. Harvey was not convinced by the other three essays and remained “alienated.” This situation is sufficient justification, if more is needed, for the continuing work of evangelical theologians in philosophical theology.

For the pastor of a typical congregation or for the layman, other books will fill more immediate needs. On the other hand, this book may be important for the pastor who is constantly dealing with university students and for all those with an ongoing interest in the relation between philosophy and theology.

Exegeting An Exegete

Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries, by T. H. L. Parker (Eerdmans, 1971, 208 pp., $7.95), is reviewed by Paul Garnet, assistant professor of theological studies, Loyola College, Montreal, Quebec.

This book is the product of long research into the theological presuppositions and technical methods of the Reformation’s leading exegete. That it is a pleasure to read is appropriate, since Calvin’s first love among his writings was the commentaries. It is based on a study of all the New Testament commentaries, including the 1540 edition of Romans, which, except for its preface, is unavailable to the general public.

Calvin’s commentaries are valued today for two reasons: for the light they shed on Scripture, and for the light they shed on Calvin and his times. That they are still prized for the former reason points to the historical stature of the man and to the continuing desirability of studying him in the context of his own age. The century-old Pringle edition of the commentaries is being reissued in six volumes, and a contemporary Torrance edition in many volumes is also in progress for the New Testament only.

Calvin emerges from Dr. Parker’s investigation as an exegete who felt no need to go beyond the meaning of his author. “If the expositor reveals the mind of the writer, he is revealing the mind of the Spirit.” What need is there for any hermeneutic beyond this? Moreover, Calvin was an independent thinker and even engaged in some textual criticism. His Latin translation of the New Testament text, prefacing the various sections of the commentaries, is a worthy piece of scholarship itself.

May this book inspire twentieth-century heirs of Calvin to strive for similar levels of excellence.

Newly Published

Creative Bible Study, by Lawrence O. Richards (Zondervan, 215 pp., $4.95). Superbly written and highly practical, without a dull page. Suggestions for both individual and small-group study.

Hidden Art, by Edith Schaeffer (Tyndale, 214 pp., $3.95). A delightful volume filled with practical and creative ideas for bringing beauty (and fulfillment) into all aspects of living.

Colossians and Philemon, by Eduard Lohse (Fortress, 233 pp., $10). The first volume in the open-ended “Hermeneia” commentary series is a translation from a 1968 work by the then New Testament professor at Gottingen (now bishop of the Evangelical Church of Hanover). A major work for scholars and studious Bible teachers.

Insight, by Robert J. Little (Moody, 223 pp., $4.95). The radio pastor for the Moody Bible Institute stations answers 317 questions using the Bible in a sensible way.

The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times, by Tony Heilbut (Simon and Schuster, 350 pp., $7.95). Don’t look here for any white gospel singers: the author feels that only blacks are authentic. Strangely missing are the Southland Jubilee Singers, who were ubiquitous on Southern radio for many years. Worth reading only if old-timey blues-gospel wailing is your thing.

Let Me Explain, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Harper & Row, 189 pp., paperback, $2.45). For those who have wondered where to begin in reading Teilhard, this book is the answer. Jean-Pierre De-moulin has selected representative and understandable portions from the voluminous and often complex writings of the late influential Jesuit religious thinker.

The Paradox of Pain, by A. E. Wilder Smith (Harold Shaw, 132 pp., paperback, $1.95). Even in suffering, love can bring meaning to life. With this in mind, the author tries to justify the existence of pain. His reasoning, on the popular level, makes sense.

Theological Crossings, edited by Alan Geyer and Dean Peerman (Eerdmans, 155 pp., paperback, $2.95). The fourteen essays on “How I Changed My Mind Between 1968 and 1970” published in the Christian Century are now available in book form. Fascinating reading.

How to Follow Jesus (Broadman, 142 pp., $4.50) and The Cosmic Drama (Word, 212 pp., $5.95), both by Herschel H. Hobbs. Brief but suggestive commentaries on Hebrews and Revelation, respectively, by a leading Baptist pastor.

Hope for Tomorrow, by Hazel B. Goddard (Tyndale, 150 pp., $3.95). People suffering from loneliness, emotional turmoil, or despair will be stirred by this book written by a professional counselor.

Narrative Poems, by C. S. Lewis (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 178 pp., $5.95). Lewis’s legion of admirers will warmly welcome this edition of his four known extended poems, only one of which was previously published.

Prophecy in the Making, edited by Carl F. H. Henry (Creation House, 394 pp., $5.95). Twenty-two messages to the Jerusalem Conference on Biblical Prophecy in 1971 by such men as W. A. Criswell, Edmund Clowney, John Stott, Tom Skinner, and John Walvoord.

The Minister’s Filing System, by Paul Gericke (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminar [3939 Gentilly, New Orleans, La. 70126], 48 pp., paperback, $1). A helpful guide for those willing to devote some, but not excessive, effort.

Process Theology, edited by Ewert H. Cousins (Newman, 376 pp., paperback, $4.95). A collection of previously published basic writings by some seventeen participants in a major movement in contemporary academic theology. A good way to find out about it.

The Call, by Oral Roberts (Doubleday, 216 pp., $4.95), Miracles in My Life, by Rex Humbard (Revell, 125 pp., $3.95), and High Adventure, by George Otis (Revell, 192 pp., $4.95). Three exuberant autobiographies by the well-known preachers and a millionaire industrialist who is a close friend of Pat Boone.

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