Book Briefs: May 4, 1979

Theology Of The Old Testament

Toward an Old Testament Theology, by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. (Zondervan, 303 pp., $10.95), is reviewed by J. Barton Payne, professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.

The publication of an evangelical theology of the Old Testament has to be significant: it occurs only about once evey ten years. Since the compilation of Vos’s incomplete but valuable notes in 1948, this area has been restricted to my contribution in 1962 and that of Lehman in 1971. This newest contribution to the field, by a stimulating professor at Trinity Seminary, constitutes the most thorough interaction of Bible believing scholarship with modern Old Testament theology that has yet been achieved. Kaiser’s bibliography concentrates on the period since 1963 and he is meticulous in his acknowledgments of ideas and of documentations. Even though he modestly tells us he is moving “toward” his subject, he has managed to squeeze most of the relevant topics into these 300 pages. Under the patriarchs, for example, he includes such details as their names for God and their hopes for life after death. He is not exhaustive, saying little on the Mosaic rituals and calendar and never mentioning the menorah (candlestick) that appears on the cover and title page. He also disregards angelology, vows, and tithes. Nevertheless this volume is excellent for college and seminary survey courses.

The author holds firmly to biblical inerrancy and on questions of Old Testament introduction rings clear as a bell: Solomonic Ecclesiastes and Song, exilic Daniel, and even a ninth century Joel and Obadiah. He commences his historical outline with the pre-patriarchal era, the theology of Adam, if you will. Yet his desire for “irenic dialog” is observed throughout. He pleads with today’s more skeptical theologians to “listen to the canon.” He explains, “We wish only to establish that the writers claimed (whether we concur here or not is not the issue) that they felt themselves to be under a divine imperative” (p. 24).

Kaiser concentrates on the methodology of biblical theology, devoting almost a quarter of his book to it. He fears the extremes both of a barren history-of-Hebrew-religion approach or of the imposition of a doctrinal grid drawn from systematic theology. Though admitting that he groups biblical events on a “convention borrowed from systematics,” he opts for Von Rad’s diachronic (chronological) organization of material rather than for Eichrodt’s structural (topical) arrangement. The author feels that the proper goal for biblical theology is not to provide doctrinal summaries but it is to provide an exegetical tool so that interpreters of a given text can do their work against the backdrop of what God had revealed up to that point. Yet as a result, readers will discover undue repetitions, e.g., on Genesis 12:3 and its concluding passive verb, on Genesis 9:27 and the subjects of its verbs, or on Deuteronomy 5:28–29. Also one wonders if the average student might not have been more helped by having the full discussion of, say, the Messiah or the resurrection in one chapter.

Kaiser opposes the use within biblical theology of the principle of the “Analogy of Faith,” meaning the interpretation of the Old Testament on the basis of Christian theology as a whole, or specifically of biblical passage in the light of any later passage. The difficulties that this approach poses are compounded by his unwillingness to allow the biblical writers to “speak better than they knew,” with meanings beyond their human truth-intentions. As a result he inevitably lapses into a hermeneutic of “multiple fulfillment” in order to legitimatize meanings that are given in the New Testament. Examples are when he sees Isaiah 7:14 as referring originally to Hezekiah (p. 210) or when he discusses how even the king of Tyre and Antiochus IV become “part and parcel” with the final Antichrist (pp. 240, 248).

The writer’s evangelical warmth glows in his development of the Lord’s promise, which he proposes as a “center” for the whole of biblical theology, namely God’s assurance in Genesis 12:3 that in Abraham (and in his Messianic seed) all the earth should be blessed. Even the wisdom literature can be seen as motivated by God’s promises. Yet his own comments suggest another, and perhaps more fundamental, inductively derived center, when he describes Israel’s blessings as “the content of God’s numerous covenants” (p. 34), or, “Again, all this divine activity could be subsumed under one concept: it was a remembering of His covenant” (p. 101).

Exegetical insights and helpful word studies appear throughout the book along with stylistic infelicities. But there is so much good in Toward an Old Testament Theology that I am eager to see its projected multi-volumed successor.

Comprehensive Aid For Counselors

On Becoming a Counselor, by Eugene Kennedy (Seabury, 336 pp., $12.95), is reviewed by Karin Granberg Michaelson, Sojourners Fellowship, Washington, D.C.

On Becoming a Counselor reads like a good text book. A book of pop psychology or “how to” it is not. The forty-four chapters cover everything from a philosophical groundwork for counselors to detailed descriptions of basic psychological problems and their treatment. Kennedy is a well-known Catholic priest and author who teaches psychology at Loyola University in Chicago. Here he does not attempt any synthesis between psychology and theology in counseling. Nevertheless, it is certainly the kind of resource that belongs on every minister’s shelf as a reference aid for counseling responsibilities.

The book includes excellent bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book. Kennedy has provided a comprehensive text from which the motivated counselor, professional, or para-professional can continue to explore in greater depth various psychological syndromes such as depression, neurosis, or psychosis.

It is also useful because of Kennedy’s major thesis that a counselor’s best resource is his or her own humanity. To the extent that a counselor can be freed from the need to perform and can approach each client with simple humanity, that person will become an effective counselor. Approaching the client as an individual with a problem rather than making the problem the focus and overlooking the person behind it is what Kennedy urges all counselors. These are not new concepts, but they are profoundly important to counselors. Kennedy emphasizes the need for counselors to know themselves. The key to fulfillment and satisfaction in your counseling work is to be deeply aware of your own feelings and reactions, treating them with the same respect and acceptance as those of the client.

Kennedy spends a lot of time discussing the stress related to being a counselor and how to manage it creatively. He repeatedly returns to the conviction that the counselor who knows him or herself experiences less stress and functions more creatively in counseling relationships. However, Kennedy returns to the subject of stress so often that he begins to build a strong case for the notion that counseling is the most stress-producing vocation possible and that you cannot escape it. Kennedy’s initial arguments on stress management seem inconsistent with his later remarks on the extreme stress connected to working with depression, neuroses, obsession, marriage problems, suicide, and grief counseling; in short, problems everybody has. At the completion of this comprehensive study, the reader may well wonder whether there is anything redemptive about counseling for either the counselor or the client. His model for counseling does not seem to reflect the role of the suffering servant in Isaiah about whom it was said, “with his stripes we are healed.” There is a fine line between accepting our humanity and limitations as counselors and actively pursuing the models set before us in Scripture. A counselor who is burdened with a messianic complex will assist no one. Neither will the self-protecting counselor who doesn’t grapple with counseling as a ministry that will include suffering with another person. Kennedy’s failure to deal thoroughly with this tension is a major weakness of this study.

Although Kennedy emphasizes the need for counselors to focus on the person behind the problem, he seems to have lost sight of his own advice. He gives the majority of his attention to pathology rather than to healing. If every client is perceived as a problem to be solved, it is not surprising that counseling according to Kennedy is such stressful work. By the time he has introduced the tenth chapter with warnings about the special stress involved in counseling, the reader may question Kennedy’s ability to discriminate. Surely not all maladaptive behaviour is equally demanding and stressful on the counselor. If the counselor experiences it that way, perhaps the person should find another vocation.

Despite these few flaws, Kennedy has put together a major work, which should not be overlooked by anyone in the helping professions. He has classified and discussed the major types of psychological problems and listed identifying characteristics of each. In addition, he includes valuable information on many areas that can be considered problems in living, such as marriage-related issues, suicide, grief, and drug addiction. Although Kennedy addresses himself to people engaged in other professions who are doing informal counseling, such as nurses, lawyers, and doctors, his greatest usefulness will probably be to the clergy and lay people involved in counseling ministries. Kennedy is too academic in his approach and too thorough to entitle his work basic; but basic, intermediate, or advanced it is well worth reading.

The Christian On The Job

The Christian Employee, by Robert Mattox, (Logos, 220 pp., $3.50 pb), Your Job: Survival or Satisfaction, by Jerry and Mary White (Zondervan, 190 pp., $6.95), Success Without Compromise, by Richard H. LeTourneau (Victor, 176 pp., $1.95 pb) are reviewed by Robert Case, realtor, Yakima, Washington.

As Western society drifts farther away from its Christian ethical moorings those who are ministering those Christian ethics through the pulpit and teaching positions seem to be retreating farther away from an understanding of that society. This is nowhere more apparent than in their appreciation of the how and who of the market place. Many of the evangelical pulpits and educational institutions are occupied by men and women who have never held a secular position in the job market, and therefore have little personal understanding of what the majority of their parishioners endure during the work week. This is a luxury which the Lord never permitted himself (Mark 6:3; Luke 2:52); nor did Paul (Acts 18:3). Even the current darling of the evangelical left, Amos, knew what it was like to work in the real world before he became a social critic (Amos 7:14–15).

In the yawning chasm left between an increasingly “secular” (Latin for “belonging to worldly things”) society and an increasingly insulated clergy/academia swings the embattled lay man and woman who must fight to hang on to their Christianity and their economic livelihood. Unfortunately, there is little practical help on the way. But the three books in our review do attempt a rescue. The focus of the books is on working as a Christian in a non-Christian place of employment. That means cooperating with and competing with others whose ethical gyroscope is not spinning in the same direction as that of the Christian (1 Pet. 2:11–25).

R. G. LeTourneau is perhaps the most recognizable name of a Christian businessman in America in the last forty years. His son, Richard, has written several books on work and the Christian, and his latest is Success Without Compromise, that is, “getting ahead God’s way in the workaday world.” LeTourneau is a multitalented, practical man. Successful in business, education, and writing, he knows what he is saying. His earlier book, Success Without Succeeding, is a valuable asset to a discussion of our topic. His latest endeavor, however, is disappointing. I had hoped for a more cogent examination of the Christian’s plight in the workaday world but it was not forthcoming. Nevertheless, there still are some nugget thoughts worth remembering, such as: “It is extremely important that a Christian be as prepared as possible for any field of endeavor. With the help and guidance along with the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit there is no reason why a Christian cannot be prepared better than any of his contemporaries. To ignore this preparation, or to sidestep it, would be saying in effect that we do not have the guidance and wisdom available to us that we say we do …”

On a less positive note, just as he is ready to end his book he tosses off a statement that tantalizes us with the thought of deeper, and perhaps more meaningful, help to the beleaguered Christian worker: “The basic problem with money is that human nature has basically a master-slave orientation. We all want to acquire this labor of other people, or the medium of exchange which will buy that labor, while at the same time minimizing the amount of labor that we, ourselves, must perform to earn the use of another’s services.” That is a sentence that warrants some elucidation and, unfortunately, receives none. So, there is the first weakness of this book: not enough grappling with real, meaty problems that most Christian workers face in a secular environment. The second weakness is even more serious and might not be corrected by another book. The weakness is LeTourneau’s handling of Scripture. He notes that we must be wary of dealing with certain problem situations with a scriptural solution. He writes: “There are many cases … where to take a scripturally absolute position may be considerably more damaging to the cause of Christ and to the future of any given situation than to apply the laws of grace.” (He does not explain the latter phrase.) LeTourneau clearly has a high view of Scripture, but a more consistent hermeneutics and better exposition in future writings will add immeasurably to his already considerable contribution to the evangelical believer in today’s work force.

Mattox gives us ample exposition and has put into the hands of the Christian worker a most valuable aid to maintaining a biblical stance in a secular work place. The core of his book is the thesis that Scripture gives us seven principles in providing a foundation to support Christians in our places of employment. These are: (1) God controls kingdoms and companies; (2) you are employed by Christ, not by your company; (3) your future depends upon God and your response to him; (4) your circumstances are designed by God; (5) count your superiors worthy in thought, word, and deed; (6) you must trust the Lord to direct your career; (7) your only status symbol must be the cross.

This book is filled with simple, yet helpful, exegesis of both the Old and New Testaments. Mattox does a marvelous job with Joseph, Moses, and Daniel. He gives us some very practical do’s and don’t’s and puts the so called “seven editions of the Word of God” found in Thompson’s Chain Reference Bible to good use. The author’s approach is very reminiscent of Bill Gothard’s proof-texting approach to the Christian life. Despite the weaknesses of this, it does have the very commendable feature of drawing its teaching from a course all Bible-believing workers have access to—the Bible!

Mattox rightly quotes Matthew 22:29 as a good reason for knowing what the Bible has to say concerning the working world: “Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.’ ” I enthusiastically commend this book for any Christian working in the secular atmosphere. The author has given those of us who sit in the pew on Sunday and work among the pagans Monday through Saturday a valuable aid in living the Christian life in our places of employment (Phil. 2:14–16).

The Whites’ book comes from the pen of a couple of Navigator staff members and the organization of their material is characteristic of that body. The book has two major divisions: “Foundations” and “Problem Situations.” The former is the best part of the book with the most exegesis and with thoughtful comments, such as, “Whether we like it or not, neighborhoods segregate according to social and financial levels. Instead of envying those who have more than you have, thank God for placing you in both your job and your neighborhood so you can be salt and light for Christ where you are.” They have a chapter entitled, “The Biblical View of Work,” and while it will not unseat Alan Richardson’s The Biblical Doctrine of Work as a pivotal piece of theological thought, it still is good, clear writing for the lay reader.

The second section, “Problem Situations,” while helpful, is less so than the first section. In this part the Whites cover a number of job categories such as, “The Salaried Employee,” “The Hourly Employee,” “The Working Woman,” etc., and they attempt to sketch some problem areas for each category. Sketching is all that can be done in a book aimed at simplicity and shortness, thus some of the profound and deeply disturbing questions of each category are not really covered. However, despite the brief treatment given this section it affords a panoramic view of part of the job market (and the curses and blessings of that market) for the believer, and is a serviceable primer for the worker.

Dorothy Sayers wrote in Creed or Chaos, “Work is not, primarily, something one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. When a man or a woman is called to a particular job of secular work, that is as true a vocation as though he or she were called to specifically religious work.” Many share those sentiments, but authors and publishers have not kept Christian bookstores supplied with helpful books aimed at encouraging believers to claim their secular work environment for the Lord of Creation.

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