The Moral Leader - for the church and the world
James Jones with Andrew Goddard
IVP, Leicester, 2002; 160pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 85111 283 8
This book is based on the 2001 London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity delivered by James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool. At least the four chapters by Jones are. Each has a very brief introduction by a different person, which really add very little. More significantly, each is followed by a response from Andrew Goddard, Tutor in Christian Ethics at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The responses are as long as the lectures (about 15 pages each) and, to this reviewer, were more stimulating. For instance, in response to the first lecture, entitled 'Take me to your (moral) leader' Goddard discusses the ambiguity of the concept of the title and highlights the danger of Christian leaders preaching 'moralism' rather than proclaiming the good news of God in Christ.
In the second lecture, Jones defends the establishment of the Church of England, a view which Goddard effectively critiques. In the third lecture, Jones calls for "a recovery of moral awe" (p.89), characterized by four hallmarks: all our actions spring from and shape our characters; they all have consequences; they will all be judged by future generations; and we are all responsible for our actions to whatever or whoever is the source of our moral intuition. While generally sympathetic to the concept Goddard feels that the hallmarks are too general to help us much in making specific moral decisions. In the final lecture Jones focuses on Jesus as a moral leader. "Moral leadership, modelled on Jesus, should exhibit the twin virtues of grace and truth" (132). This time Goddard's response is less about critiquing Jones and more about exploring some of the themes and images Jones mentions, which he does in a very helpful way.
All in all, an interesting and thought-provoking read, which will be of help to ministers in thinking through the issue of moral leadership - and full marks to Jones for having the courage to allow himself to be challenged in this way.
John Matthews
Jesus the Pharisee
Hyam Maccoby
SCM Press, London, 2003; 228pp; £16.99; ISBN 0 334 02914 7
This book presents us with a Jewish view of Jesus. Its author is a Research Professor at the Centre for Jewish Studies in Leeds. He explains (p.146) that the work of Jewish medieval students of the New Testament led to a picture of 'the real Jesus' as a rabbinic/Pharisaic figure and gave rise to many books, of which this is the latest. However, he does not always agree with his predecessors and makes his own original contribution to the debate.
He argues that Jesus was a Pharisee, but an unusual one in that he belonged to a minority group known as the Chasidim and also because, although at first Jesus claimed to be a prophet, prompted by Peter he came to see himself as a messiah. He regards Jesus as a human messiah, claiming that the gospels have depoliticized Jesus. The Jewish Christians did not worship him as God: it was Paul who concocted the doctrine that Jesus was divine.
He claims that the accounts of the trials of Jesus were fabricated; that he was executed by the Roman authorities as a threat to their power and the Jews had nothing to do with it. He gives scant attention to the Resurrection, simply comparing it with raisings from the dead such as that of Lazarus.
He writes lucidly and in a persuasive style, but there are some signs that the course of the argument could have been better planned. It is disappointing that the book does not conclude with a fuller view of Jesus' significance from a Jewish perspective. The evidence used is selective and the views expressed seem quite inadequate to explain the witness of the New Testament as a whole.
The main argument is unconvincing. It is true that Jesus used methods and held some views that were similar to those of the Pharisees, but it is most unlikely that he ever regarded himself as one. However, there are various contentions and matters of detailed exegesis that are worthy of consideration - New Testament scholars will have to take note. The book also gives helpful insights into Jewish perspectives for those in dialogue with them, but it is not one that will be of direct value to Christian ministry in general.
Edward Burrows
Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels
Darrell L Bock
Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, and Apollos, Leicester, 2002; 704pp; £28.99;
ISBN 0 8010 2370 X (Baker); 0 85111 288 9 (Apollos)
There is no shortage of interest in the person of Jesus, but widely differing portraits of him are current. Dogmatic statements are made about what Jesus would or would not do or say without any close engagement with the evidence. Clearly we tend to make Jesus in our image. A corrective is to look again at our sources in detail and as a whole. Darrell Bock (Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary) has done us a great service in this book, which is a continuous survey-commentary, first, on the Synoptic Gospels, taken together as in a Synopsis, and then on the Gospel of John. The final chapter brings together the major themes in the evangelists' portrait of Jesus' theology.
Bock aims not to search for the 'historical Jesus', but to argue that a coherent portrait of Jesus emerges from the Gospels which is rooted in history and which has produced its own historical impact. He does, however, deal in passing with many questions of historical reliability. He accepts that it is not possible to present a full chronological account of the life of Christ and that the evangelists sometimes placed their material in topical rather than chronological order.
He gives both a 'vertical' and a 'horizontal' reading of the Gospels, interpreting the material in the context of each Gospel, but also in the light of the parallels, with their similarities and differences. There is a general introduction to each Gospel, but no detailed discussion of priority, although in the commentary he refers to the two possibilities of Markan and Matthaean priority.
This book is the fruit of a vast amount of study and selection, including useful references to the opinions of recent commentators. Its canonical approach presents a counterbalance to the fragmented views of Jesus that emerge from some modern critical approaches. However, the author often sidesteps many real problems of interpretation. The style is wordy and repetitious, but straightforward and easy to assimilate.
It is a large book, with 626 pages of actual text, but well worth the cost. It will be valued by those who read it as a whole to renew their vision of Jesus and by those who treat it as a commentary to consult for sermon preparation.
Edward Burrows
Stubborn Theological Questions
John Macquarrie
SCM, 2003; xii+237; £12.99; ISBN 0 334 02907 94
This is a collection of essays, lectures and articles going back over the last 20 years. Some of them have never been published before and others are being issued in revised form after previous publication in various journals. They are grouped into three sections, centring around the 'stubborn questions' of the book's title. These questions have to do with the way we think and speak of God; the incarnation and person of Christ; and the problem of religious knowledge.
Readers of Ministry Today who are familiar with the writings of Professor Macquarrie will know that he always writes with admirable clarity. Unlike many theological works, this is an eminently readable book. Of course, the author is hardly a card-carrying conservative evangelical - he represents rather the liberal tradition in British theological thought - so those who are of that former persuasion may find much to disagree with here. However, they should not let that put them off reading these papers, because they contain much to stimulate thought and reflection. One insight that impressed itself upon this reviewer is found in the Christological section of the book where at one point Macquarrie suggests that what distinguishes Jesus Christ from us is not an 'extra' - he is not more of a human being than we are. Rather, it is a negative, a 'less than', that constitutes the difference between Jesus and ourselves - he was without sin. The articles on the Cosmic Christ, the Pre-Existence of Christ and Christology from Above or Below were, for me, the most interesting chapters in the book. His critical assessment of the approach of The Myth of God Incarnate is also very acute.
If there was one point where I found myself parting company with the author it was in the final section where his Anglicanism (a fairly High form) comes to the fore, especially in the chapters on the Oxford Movement and on the contribution of Archbishop Michael Ramsey. As a Baptist, I cannot accept that the historic episcopate is of the esse of the church. But other readers of Ministry Today will be more sympathetic to this point of view, and readers of all persuasions will benefit from the stimulation that this collection of essays provides.
Philip Clements-Jewery
The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God
D A Carson
IVP Leicester 2000; 111pp; £4.99; ISBN 0 85111 975 1
Love in Hard Places
D A Carson
Paternoster, Leicester 2002; 207pp; £?; ISBN 1 84227 183 0
Lectures turned into books are not always successful, but these two are a must-read because they speak to a situation that needs sound Christian sense today. There is too much loose talk about 'love', either of God himself or of the duty of Christians towards others. Carson brings careful scrutiny to all this, with a clear and searching approach which should command attention from a wide spectrum of readers.
The Difficult Doctrine is a seemingly slight book, but it goes straight to the heart of what we mean by God's love. Carson distinguishes between five different meanings: love within the Trinity; providential love of creation; saving love for a fallen world; special love for his chosen; and conditional love dependent on obedience. Carson is especially hard on what he calls "Polyannish optimism" which is so much in vogue at present, and challenges us to see God's love alongside God's wrath and sovereignty. My only criticism is that, in his treatment of the love of Father and Son, he takes the usual view of grown-up father and young son. If the parental analogy is to be used, father of fifty-five and son of 30 might be more helpful.
Love in Hard Places is something of a mixture of disparate parts, as Carson tries to tease out how Christians show love to others. He begins with a general theological exposition of 'love your neighbour', then plunges into the vexed question of what 'love your enemies' really means. He deals with 'big' enemies and 'little' enemies, but ends with the problem of loving people who are different from ourselves. Then he tackles the thorny problem of love and forgiveness, pointing out that forgiveness does not always lead to reconciliation.
Next, the author really grasps the nettle by reference to two 'hard cases' - racism and Osama bin Laden. Here, there is a slight American bias, but also much that is exceedingly good, especially when he makes the point that states and individuals may have different practical ways of showing love. He has some searching questions to ask about such diverse things as Islamic ideology and the need to revise the Geneva Convention in the light of 'global terrorism'. The section on "Love and the Denial of the Gospel" gives a slightly odd exposition of Galatians 2, but its thoughts on 'tolerance' are highly relevant. Finally, and sitting rather oddly with the rest of the book, there is an exposition of the letter to Ephesus in Revelation 2, outlining the danger of losing your first love through routine.
Both books are clearly written and worth getting, but, if I had to choose one over the other, Love in Hard Places would be my choice.
Mike Smith
The Misery of God and the Mercy of God
John Piper
Crossway Books, Illinois202; 79pp+CD; £12.99; ISBN 1 58134 399 X
This is a poetic retelling of the book of Job, in four parts, using rhyming couplets (on the whole), each part concluding with a few lines about Christ. The text reads well, with some nice turns of phrase, and is accompanied by many superb colour photographs of the natural world - very usable on Microsoft Powerpoint as an aid to meditation. The well-produced hardback book is accompanied by a CD on which the author, an American Baptist minister, reads the text in an easy-to-listen-to voice. Unfortunately, the review copy was faulty, so beware. The book/CD may help some people into the book of Job and could prove useful as a discussion starter or in worship.
John Matthews
Holiness
John Webster
SCM Press, 2003; 116pp; £12.99; ISBN 0 334 02895 7
This is a work of solid theology, not a book to read if you want to know how to live a holy life. It suffers from a heavy style and a lack of illustration. The author's favourite writers are Karl Barth and John Calvin, but in fact it is his quotations from Barth and Calvin that are often the most light and lucid parts of a very hard-to-read book! This is an unfortunate characteristic of this book, given that it does make some good points.
The author, who is Lady Margaret Professor of Theology at Oxford University, divides his theme into three parts: the holiness of God, the holiness of the church, and the holiness of the Christian. He begins by emphasising that theology is not the unfettered exercise of human reason. Human reason is 'fallen', and this must be taken into account as we try to think about God. Webster is also very strong on the Trinitarian theology of the Christian God as the underlying fact on which holiness is based, although one could quibble that he is so keen to establish the divine nature of holiness that he leaves the moral dimension of holiness with little explanation.
His second section, on the holiness of the church, depends much on an exposition of the 'Te Deum Laudamus' hymn. Unfortunately he fails to appreciate that the third part of this hymn is in fact a later addition. It would have been better to have stuck to Scripture.
Is Professor Webster right in putting the holiness of the church before the holiness of the individual Christian? This indicates a theory of 'salvation by incorporation' rather than what I see as the biblical view of salvation as an individual meeting of God and the redeemed sinner.
The publisher's blurb says that this book is "accessible to a wide range of audiences, including ordinands, students and interested lay-people". I beg to differ. Personally, I prefer J C Ryle's classic, Holiness, and Harry Blamire's The Christian Mind. They do at least have some real contact with this world!
Mike Smith
Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic
D Brent Sandy
IVP Leicester 2002; 263pp; £?; ISBN 0 85111 277 3
When psychoanalysts use the legendary phrase 'association test,' patients are asked to respond to a prompt with the first word that comes into their mind. In the Christian subconscious 'prophecy' is often unthinkingly, linked with predicting the future. Despite preachers rehearsing the refrain that prophecy is about 'forth telling as much as foretelling', we do not seem to change our mind.
Sandy's book invites us to re-think the language of biblical prophecy and apocalyptic. He is excited by the creative use of language and helpfully explores the characteristics of prophecy such as emotion, orality and performance. Again and again he grounds his work in detailed exploration of aspects of speech such as metaphor and symbolism. While not discounting a predictive element of prophecy he explores the greater claims of prosecution and persuasion. In the latter part of the book he explores prophetic and apocalyptic language in the New Testament.
I found this book challenged my reading of both prophecy and apocalyptic. It would be of particular interest to someone who wanted to be led into a fresh savouring of the biblical text.
Bob Sneddon
Jesus and Divorce
Gordon J Wenham & William E Heth
Paternoster Press, Carlisle, 2002; 324 pp; £?; ISBN 1 84227 131 8
Jesus and Divorce is a new edition of a book first published in 1984. The authors inform us that it includes a new bibliography and appendix, and while they have not been able to interact with all the articles and books on the topic that have appeared since, they have noted the most important of them and tried to track the rise and fall of scholarly fashion. Their views have not altered in substance, but they have refined and undergirded their standpoint with fresh observations.
This being so, William Heth and Gordon Wenham explore the different schools of interpretation on the subject of divorce and remarriage and present their consideration of the teaching of Jesus and Paul, drawing on linguistic and contemporary cultural evidence.
Their position is opposed to the view that allows remarriage after divorce on the grounds of immorality. Instead the authors turn to the early Church, which permitted divorce, but not remarriage.
The authors' purpose is three-fold: to set forth and critically examine the Matthean exception clause; to demonstrate that the Erasmian exegesis of the exception clause is beset with numerous exegetical problems; and finally to consider the implications of what they believe to be a proper understanding of the New Testament teaching.
This is a scholarly work, and an important reference work for those who are doing some in-depth study on the subject. As a minister who in many circumstances remarries those who have been through divorce, my position remains unchanged.
Geoff Colmer
Preaching that Speaks to Women
Alice P Mathews
IVP, Leicester 2003; 188pp; £8.99; ISBN 0 8010 2367 X
Alice Mathews teaches courses in women's ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, USA. She feels that the needs and hurts of women are often not ministered to from the pulpit. So her stated aim is that 'this book will enable preachers to close that gap a bit more as they deepen their understanding of women as listeners.' She argues passionately that women need to be valued and addressed directly and that the issues being addressed in the preaching should relate to a woman's experience and perspective, or they will not hear what is being said.
It is easy and informative reading. Each chapter ends with a precise summing up of the contents and a 'Questions to Ponder' section, which is stimulating and could be useful to a busy person with a tight schedule. The book is meticulously annotated.
Although somewhat patronising at times, it is a useful tool to have as a resource.
Ursula Franklin
Slaves, Women and Homosexuals
William Webb
Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois; ISBN 0 8308 1561 9
This is a strange book. On the surface, it seems to be dealing with three contentious moral issues. In fact, it is a detailed attempt to find principles of exegesis which will enable biblical judgements to be made in today's world.
The basic premise is that, in interpreting the Bible, we should always look at three things - the original culture at the time the Bible passage was written; the Bible text itself; and the ultimate ethic to which it points. And to back up the need for this, the author begins with a challenge to apply a very diverse series of biblical texts, ranging from a ban on tattooing to the command to heal the sick and raise the dead!
Unfortunately, the book begins with two very opaque chapters, before Professor Webb gets on to outline and apply his sixteen criteria for trans-cultural analysis. Once started, however, there is a wealth of good and challenging material. 'Start with chapter three' might be good advice!
As well as viewing a great diversity of texts, Professor Webb also applies each of his criteria to the three subjects of slaves, women and homosexuals. His results (against slavery, fairly pro-women, and against homosexuality) are well reasoned and take much modern writing into consideration. His critique of those who would just take the Bible without considering its culture is good. So is the critique of those who seek to impose modern ideas and social mores on the Bible.
Professor Webb devotes quite a lot of space to the 'trans-cultural analysis' of 1 Timothy 2.13-14. Is this a glance south to the USA (the author lives in Canada), where Southern Baptists are putting submission of women and a ban on women ministers as an article of faith? If so, the people against women's ministry should read this book, and may find that they have to rearrange their theology.
There are two small omissions. The author does not mention that many pagan Romans, although easy-going on heterosexual morals, were strongly against homosexuality. And I am surprised that the famous Pauline text about 'veiling of women' doesn't get the trans-cultural analysis that it deserves (and needs). It's not about hat-wearing, but about not dressing like a prostitute.
In summary, this is a very useful book, but please start at chapter three.
Mike Smith
Can Evangelicals Learn From World Religions? - Jesus, Revelation and Religious Traditions
Gerald R McDermott
IVP, Downers Grove 2000; 233pp; £9.99; ISBN 18422.71873
When the author comes to a direct answer to the main question in his title he answers, 'Yes - from some religions'. He himself employs Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Islam as case studies, although more than once he refers to the bhakti tradition within Hinduism. By 'learn' he means learn indirectly through seeing familiar ideas in new ways. He argues Christians can never understand anything except in a Christian framework, but this seems to underplay the role of imaginative empathy.
He justifies his answer by referring to biblical indications of revelation outside the Judeo-Christian tradition. He appeals to Melchizedek and Balaam, and among the people who met Jesus, such as the centurion and the Canaanite woman. The parallels between Psalm 104 and an Egyptian hymn and Proverbs 22.17-24.22 and the wisdom of Amenemope are further evidence. He makes an interesting point that this is not general or special revelation, but 'little lights' or 'revealed types'. So Jonathan Edwards saw sacrifices in other religions as 'shadows' of Jesus' final sacrifice. The idea of a type, of course, comes from New Testament references to Old Testament examples (such as 1 Corinthians 10.6), so McDermott has to make an awkward argument for the validity of this extension to other religions while maintaining the unique nature of the Bible.
He argues for a radical, but not total, discontinuity between Christianity and other religions and that within the latter is found real experience of God through the revealing work of the Spirit, even where Christ is not known. Why has God given such revelation? A common answer is for salvation, but McDermott is deliberately not addressing this issue. Instead he argues that God's purpose in part is to teach Christians. His reference to Martin Luther King learning from Gandhi is interesting for he omits to point out that Gandhi himself learned some of his key ideas from F B Meyer.
The four case studies are instructive. From Buddhist teaching about the difference between perception and reality, we can learn better ways to speak of God, ourselves and the world. Inevitably these comparatively brief treatments of complex worldviews occasionally distort their subject. On Islam, the argument tends to conflate Sunni, Shiite and Sufi Muslims and a footnote that suggests the Qur'an is 'crassly physical' in its description of Jesus' conception is a misinterpretation of the text. Essentially Muslims believe Jesus was created by the word (and Spirit) of God.
This is a provocative and sometimes persuasive book, bringing together insights from a range of scholars, not all of whom would call themselves evangelical. It addresses part of a key subject that should be near the top of every pastor's agenda today.
Arthur Rowe
Christianity and the Religions: From Confrontation to Dialogue
Jacques Dupuis (S.J)
DLT, London 2002; 275pp; £15.95; ISBN 0 232 52482 3
I both enjoyed and was fascinated by this book. It succeeds in its aim of being accessible to a non-specialist audience. Dupuis is a leading Roman Catholic theologian and this book is a clear summary of recent work in this field. It shows both how far the Roman Catholic Church has travelled since Vatican II, but also the limits of this journey. He reveals in a postscript that he had to face questioning over a period of almost three years about this book from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The Christian Theology of other Religions really got started in the Anglo-American world with the publication of Alan Race's Christians and Religious Pluralism in 1982. He introduced the now famous 'exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism' paradigm that has dominated the debate since then.
Where does Dupuis stand? His position is 'religious pluralism in principle.' But, as he is quick to point out, this has nothing to do with the paradigm shift toward the pluralism of the 'pluralists' (e.g. John Hick and his followers). Jesus Christ is "the constitutive Saviour of humankind, and the Christ event is the cause of the salvation of all human beings; but this does not prevent the other traditions from serving as 'mediations' of the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ for their followers within God's design for humankind" (p.253).
In many ways the author is both open and conservative by turns. His aim is to do theology, not just for Catholics, or even for all the 11/2 billion Christians in the world, but for the whole world. Is the divine design much more vast than we have ever thought before? The book takes us clearly through history, from the early covenant relationship with Israel, to the various themes and positions of the contemporary debate. Footnotes are kept to a minimum. He uses both a Trinitarian and pneumatic Christology. He affirms the moves from a deductive to an inductive approach and that dialogue is the only game in town. He has an interesting and positive chapter on Inter-religious Prayer.
Dupuis is conservative in that, while other religions can find their true meaning in the Christ event, and they can enrich our understanding of Christ, they cannot add to it. This is a substantial and carefully nuanced book written by an author with a lifetime's scholarship. His three years of interrogation have helped to make it clear and readable. But he ends by asking the question as to whether there is a "qualitative leap forward still to be made".
Julian Reindorp
Second Choice: embracing life as it is
Viv Thomas
Paternoster Carlisle 2000; 154pp; £?; ISBN 1 84227 010 9
My first impressions of this book were very favourable. It was seeking to help us embrace life as it is, looked to anchor its reflections in the book of Daniel and, carried a recommendation by Eugene Peterson whose work I value.
Thomas uses the phrase 'second choice' to touch our experience of places where we do not have or get what we want and then seeks to explore how we live with little or no choice. He takes Daniel, and ultimately Jesus, as models of living the second choice.
Overall I did not find the book a satisfying read. Not once did I find myself sent back to the book of Daniel to look afresh at his story. In several places we are offered true stories of people living in 'second choice' places and in almost every case I felt I was offered something half digested. The only things I highlighted in the book were quotations from other authors. I was left with a sense that the book should have been a little longer and/or have taken longer to write. There are some potentially important questions here but there is little movement towards the answers.
Bob Sneddon
The Importance of Fathers
Judith Trowell and Alicia Etchegoyen
Brunner, Routledge, Hove, 2002; 256pp; £17.99; ISBN 1 58391 174 X
Relational Psychotherapy. A primer
Patricia A DeYoung
Brunner, Routledge, Hove, 2003; 218pp; £19.95; ISBN 0 415 94433 3
Clergy are often suspicious of the psychological fraternity (or in the case of these two books, sorority), with a long-standing belief that they have stolen their business! Actually, many pastors rely heavily upon counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists in the support of troubled members of their congregations, and so it helps to know what they are dispensing.
The rise of the feminist movement, influencing psychotherapy as profoundly as any other area of human endeavour, has produced an unwelcome view that fathers are redundant, beyond the bare production of sperm. Indeed, the growing awareness of the levels of familial child sexual abuse, overwhelmingly perpetrated by men (fathers, siblings, grandfathers etc.), has led a few to see fathers as dangerous individuals, the stuff of nightmares. The unforeseen impact of these prejudices has the potential for profound and life-long psychological damage upon children of either gender, and so the collection of papers edited by Trowell and Etchegoyen is a timely reminder of the value and importance of fathers, after psychoanalysis' long preoccupation with mothers and mothering, and is most welcome.
Divided into two main sections, mainly theoretical and mainly clinical, these are papers which pre-suppose some working knowledge of the psychoanalytic world. Those in pastoral ministry with such a background will benefit from reading this book, and will be aided in the shaping of many dimensions of pastoral practice. It is not, however, for the generalist.
DeYoung's primer on relational psychotherapy by contrast is less a series of academic papers, more an overview of one of those approaches to psychotherapy more helpful to the pastoral practitioner - relational psychotherapy. This relative newcomer on the psychotherapeutic scene has found a growing acceptance in North America, and has its roots in both psychodynamic and humanist approaches. One of its strengths is the way it gives a framework for responsible, coherent eclecticism, as opposed to the irresponsible pragmatic or 'smorgasbord' eclecticism of some.
This is very much a primer, and is valuable, both for those pastors who are also counsellors and who want to explore this approach for themselves, as well as those pastors who simply want to know what might take place in a psychotherapeutic relationship. Its lucid and readable style helps the non-specialist, and is filled with good advice. Every pastor should read the section 'what if your client falls in love with you (or you fall in love with your client)' (pp.185-7), and substitute parishioner for client! This book is to be highly recommended.
Paul Goodliff
Happy ever after? A radical workbook for couples preparing for marriage
Paul Beasley-Murray
Baptist Union of Great Britain 2003; 48pp; £3; ISBN
In an age where fewer couples are choosing to marry and religious ceremonies are losing out to weddings in more exotic locations, perhaps it is time to promote what marriage in church can offer. Marriage preparation has been around for a long time, but in most denominations it is patchy both in quality and availability (Roman Catholics are the only ones who really take it seriously).
As one who picks up the pieces when marriages are in trouble, I was delighted to see the reissue, in a revised and updated form, of Paul Beasley-Murray's marriage preparation booklet first published in 1996 (then subtitled A Guide to the marriage adventure). Produced first and foremost for use in Baptist churches, the earlier version found its way into other churches, so the new version is designed to be of wider appeal. The material is now aimed at couples to work through themselves, although those running preparation courses will also need a copy.
The introduction sets the tone: "Many marriages do not achieve their God-given potential - for not only do marriages break up, others become sterile. Good marriages are the result of people consciously working at their relationship with one another."
Couples are encouraged to work through discussion topics in the next eight short chapters, including sessions on communication, relationships with families, and handling practicalities. The Christian dimension is included, with a section on hymns and readings for the ceremony. A welcome addition in the new version is the section on coming to terms with the past and a recognition of the needs of those for whom this is not their first marriage.
This booklet, tried and tested, I'm sure, in the author's own pastoral ministry, provides a useful resource for pastors. If used well it could make a considerable contribution to a couple's thinking about their relationship. The new cover is attractive, but unfortunately the black and white photographs inside look a bit severe.
Recommended for all those tying the knot and those officiating.
Sue Clements-Jewery
Seasonal Worship from the Countryside
The Staffordshire Seven
SPCK London 2003; 239pp; £16.99; ISBN 0 281 05446 0
This is a delightful collection of material for celebrating all those annual events which are an integral part of life for country dwellers, but which most townies hardly even know about. Here are liturgies for lambing, circle dancing, rogationtide, clypping (when parishioners surround their church, hold hands and 'hug' their church) and soil blessing. Perhaps more generally useful are a whole range of liturgies for Advent, Christmas, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Trinity, Harvest and All Souls.
The quality of the material is good throughout, and some of it is extremely moving, especially a story of an animal cull which took place on Good Friday 2001 at the height of the Foot and Mouth crisis.
Some of the liturgies can be used as presented. Others can be adapted as required. All in all, this book is a wonderful treasure trove of original liturgical material which would enhance many of the regular festival services in our churches and open the door to some festivals which currently get forgotten. Buy it and enjoy!
Alun Brookfield
Sure and Certain Hope: Liturgies, prayers and readings for funerals and memorials
Paul Sheppy
(Canterbury Press, 2003; 106pp; £12.99; ISBN 1 85311 514 2)
It needs to be said straightaway that Paul Sheppy is not your usual Baptist minister. A member of the Churches Funerals Group and a trustee of the Joint Liturgical Group of Great Britain, he is an able liturgist with a PhD in funeral rites.
Paul, however, wears his learning lightly and writes in a simple and direct manner. Essentially a resource book, he sets out to offer guidance rather than prescribe performance. Not everyone would wish to use his litanies as they stand, but nonetheless would feel very happy to adapt and borrow some of the material contained in his prayers. I particularly appreciated his 'Appendix 2: Reflections and Prayers' which has some very sensitive prayers for use in particular situations: for example, where faith is difficult; the death of a child; the death of a son or daughter; one who has taken her/his own life; and one who has died as a result of violence.
The orders of service are very wide-ranging. There is, for instance, an order for the reception of a coffin into church; an order for returning home after the funeral; an order for remembering those who have died on the anniversary of their death, as also an affirmation of the living. Each section is preceded by a helpful 'pastoral note'.
The final section is a collection of readings and reflections. I rather liked the quotation from Alexander Solzhenitsyn: "Some people are bound to die young. By dying young a person stays young forever in people's memory. If he burns brightly before he dies, his light shines for all time". I also appreciated Victor Frankl's comment: "We cannot judge a biography by its length, by the number of pages in it; we must judge by the richness of the contents... Sometimes the 'unfinisheds' are among the most beautiful of symphonies".
This book is a useful and stimulating pastoral resource.
Paul Beasley-Murray
In a Glass Darkly: Seeking Vision for Public Life
Chris Sunderland
Paternoster, Carlisle 2001; 275pp; ISBN 1 84227 093 1
The author was one of the stimulating speakers at the recent Bible Society road show, Changing World - Changing Church. So I looked forward to reading this book and his concern to reinvigorate public debate about the future of our society, drawing on the stories and insights of the Bible. He brings together his experience as a research scientist with a PhD in Biochemistry (the book has an excellent appendix on 'Chance, God and Evolution') and then later nearly ten years as Rural Dean in a tower block parish in inner city Bristol. This provides him with range of fascinating insights - for example, why science is not adequate, and the place of storytelling in the pursuit of truth.
He sets out a new, three level approach to understanding society: 1) the deep level motivations we inherit as animals; 2) the effect and transformation of these within human culture; and 3) the appropriate theological reflection. He argues that truth about human purposes can only be sought by means of story, of which the scientific story is but one form.
The book is in three sections: setting the scene; working it out; and seeking vision. The middle section puts different parts of public life under the spotlight, and draws on Biblical insights.
He has founded Agora - a project to encourage people on a national scale to engage in this process. I enjoyed this book, but would have valued less analysis of the situations, perceptive as they are, and more space for what he is so good at, drawing out relevant insights from the Biblical resources.
Julian Reindorp
Cherish the Earth
Mary Low
Wild Goose Publications, 2003; 222pp; £9.99; ISBN 1 90557 71 5
Mary Low has done a splendid job of bringing together a wide range of prayers, poems, and thought-provoking reflections which stimulate us to respond in our worship to the amazing beauty and complexity of the earth. The front cover, designed by David Gregson, sets the scene with a stunning colour satellite image of the globe, and Kathy Galloway's excellent foreword establishes the main point of the collection, namely that 'creation makes worshippers of us'. The material succeeds well in making the creation an appropriate focus in worship, whilst never falling prey to the temptation to make it the object of worship. All the world is a place of worship and our care for the earth is an act of worship of God who created it.
Mary has used over 100 different authors, on themes including Thanks and Praise, Kyrie, Gloria, Intercessions, Sacrifice, and Wise and Foolish Notions. She has included a helpful number of Readings and Commentaries. There are two rogationtide liturgies. The second one includes suggestions of appropriate locations where it might be celebrated. The first could be in 'an open place, preferably with a good view, water and earth nearby'. The second might be 'within sight of a garden, greenhouse or allotment, a farm, a field or the sea'.
There is plenty in the collection to inspire and to cajole us, but equally lots to feed and prepare us for the challenge of cherishing the earth in our worship and in our daily life.
There are a few pieces in Gaelic, always with a version in English following. In a helpful section with the title 'The Next Step', Mary has a quote from Martin Luther King which includes these words: "I refuse to accept the idea that human beings are mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life unable to influence the unfolding events which surround them". In the matter of ecological awareness and commitment, and our need for worship material to express and inspire them, this collection is a very helpful companion on the way.
David Grainger
Identity
Vernon White
SCM, London 2002; 180pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 334 02890 6
I found this to be a more stimulating book than I expected. "Refreshing and philosophically nuanced" said the blurb. Did this mean just heavy going? Certainly not!
White's thesis is simply stated: "The rapid pace of change is straining our sense of identity...Christian theology has unique resources to confront this. In particular it offers the neglected notion of faithfulness ...we need to rediscover faithfulness...a vital way of living with integrity through change."
White has written a series of highly regarded books (e.g. The Fall of a Sparrow; Atonement and Incarnation; Paying Attention to People), and his reading helps to make this book a wide ranging overview of theology and related disciplines. I particularly appreciated his discussions of the Trinity (p.97f), family, friendship and marriage, with its emphasis on the role of fathers (p.107f) and work as identity (p.131f).
Surprisingly, with the notable exceptions of Barth and Pannenburg, faithfulness has not featured greatly in the doctrine of God in systematic theology. White explores this notion with regard to God, human identity, its role in communities, in relationships and in work. He is well aware of Macintyre's thesis in After Virtue (how abstract universals fail to cement community effectively), and seeks to meet this criticism.
His book is a plea for public theology, and a rediscovery of 'the icon of faithfulness'. He ends with Milan Kundera's warning that without fidelity we splinter into a thousand fragments. But with fidelity by the grace of God, who knows what can be healed? I was reminded of the psychiatrist Jack Dominian's defence of marriage: "It is the only relationship in which the hurts of childhood may be healed." Whether or not you agree with all he says, you will find White a stimulating read.
Julian Reindorp
Marginalization
John Atherton
SCM, London 2003; 216pp; £14.99; ISBN 0 334 02919 8
This is an important book, if not always easy reading. Atherton, a parish priest, industrial chaplain, and, for the last 30 years, university lecturer, has spent almost all his ministry based in Manchester. Following on from his mentor, Professor Ronald Preston, his writings have all been serious contributions to political and ethical thinking in this country - most recently, Public Theology for Changing Times.
He has a worldwide perspective, but focuses on the marginalized churches among marginalized communities in Manchester - what he calls 'the double whammy'. Following on from Calum Brown's The Death of Christian Britain, Atherton suggests that the diocese of Manchester might be dead by 2040, its inner city parishes much quicker. He asks how can Urban Churches survive?
After careful and wide ranging surveys on the speed and effects of change, on the range and depths of marginalization, he suggests a response in three directions: as multi-layered (based on Castell's work on flows); as bottom up empowerment (based on Young's work on oppression); and as churchgoing in and for community (based on research done by Gill).
Anyone in urban churches would find much to think about here and the rest of us surely need to take his conclusions very seriously, all focused on reconnecting Christianity and churches to the lives of people and the public domain.
The final essay in the book is about reconnecting economics, ethics and religion. According to the author, we need the secular age of partnerships to interact with the theological age of reconciliation. He is well aware of the resources, support and outreach needed if urban churches are to survive. But he asks if other churches, so busy with their inward looking programmes, have the vision and energy to work in partnership with their urban neighbours? This is a sobering and stretching analysis of our scene.
Julian Reindorp
The Prenatal Person - Ethics from Conception to Birth
Norman M Ford SDB
Blackwell publishers, Oxford 2002; 251pp; £15.99; ISBN 0 631 23492 6
The book is intended for doctors and associated health workers, but also for non-medical persons who may be concerned with the ethics of childbirth and the many procedures associated with it, fertility and abortion included. It covers the technological developments of the last ten years frankly and honestly from a Christian, but not specifically Catholic, viewpoint.
The author begins by summarising the various secular views of the origins of personality, comparing his understanding of the biblical view of the completeness of the personality, including its potential, even before it becomes apparent. He then describes what he sees as the Old and New Testament view of sickness and death as being essentially the work of the devil and the sequel to sin.
From this he turns to the formation of the embryo and the beginnings of the person it will become, and points out that it can take 20-24 hours after the sperm has penetrated the egg cell (and even that requires the influence of the wall of the uterus) before it becomes independently a viable toti-potent embryo.
After a brief consideration of medical research and the many uses for which stem cells can be used (from replacement of damaged tissue to cancerous overgrowth and even the determination of sex), he then discusses the developing embryo, which in its earliest stages does not have the power to form specific tissues. He suggests that the 'person' begins with the 'primitive streak' stage. So, in his view, the embryo from human fertilisation deserves respect, but not yet as a 'person'.
There follows a statistical chapter on methods of control of the pregnancy, along with abortion and its long-term effects. Reasons for and against abortion are discussed and its use after rape defended.
The discussion on infertility is rather technical and statistical, outlining various causes of both male and female infertility, although he admits that the process of donor insemination and surgery is fraught with ethical problems, especially if a sex act is involved. However, the use of the gametes of a dead partner or an aborted foetus may have profound effects on the child so produced when he or she is old enough to ask questions about their origin. Likewise cloning is unacceptable for the child as it disrupts normal family relationships.
The discussion on Christian teaching on the use of ART (artificial reproductive techniques) is worth reading, e.g. ``If ART facilitates the conjugal act or helps it reach its natural objectives it can be morally acceptable".
Prenatal diagnosis is also discussed, but the general conclusion is that, except in a few cases, it is not justified, and even where it is carried out, should not automatically lead to abortion. In fact, where the tests were positive for a life-long genetic condition, only a quarter of such parents opted for abortion. Abortion is considered unethical, but the use of aborted foetuses from other legal abortions is considered ethical in, for example, the treatment of Parkinsonism.
The final chapter deals with the newborn. Guidance is given for dealing with severe and complex abnormalities in, for example, Down's Syndrome with bowel blockage, or conjoined twins with shared organs. But one has to be reasonably sure that the treatment would benefit the patient (the infant, not the parents) in such cases.
There are fifty one pages of references from a world wide medical literature, as well as a glossary of medical terms and a select bibliography.
In summary, an interesting book for medics. It has, however, limited relevance to ordinary church ministry, although it might be of value to hospital chaplains faced with specific problems in the maternity department.
Alan Franklin
Shelter from the storm: caring for the victims of Kosovo
Bruce D Thompson
Epworth Peterborough; 121pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 7162 0569 6
It is a truism of ministerial life that you never know what each day will bring. In 1999, members of the author's Methodist church in Manchester were invited to help gather resources to send to support Kosovar refugees. Subsequently some of those refugees came to a centre near the church and this book is a reflection on the impact of the two communities on each other.
Reading like an extended journal, the book has the strengths and weaknesses of that medium. It is raw, honest, occasionally mundane and often moving. It captures well the emotional and spiritual demands of ministry in the face of a complex situation. How, for example, should they name the country from which the refugees came? To the Serbs (and to the West?), it is Kosovo while to the Albanian refugees - and everywhere in the book (except in the sub-title) - it is Kosova!
Bob Sneddon
Prayer and the Knowledge of God
Graeme Goldsworthy
IVP, Leicester, 2003; 220pp; £9.99; ISBN 0-85111-398-2
In intention at least, this is an admirable book. In it Graeme Goldsworthy, formerly a lecturer at Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia, seeks to anchor our understanding and practice of prayer in a solid biblical and theological foundation. He is right to suggest that right praying follows from a right understanding of the divine nature and activity. The trouble is, I am not sure finally that his understanding of God is one that all readers of Ministry Today will share.
Successive chapters in the book seek to establish the reality of prayer in the Trinity, the basis of prayer through the sonship of Jesus, the source of prayer in the fatherhood of God, and the enabling of prayer by the indwelling Holy Spirit. So far, so good, but the following chapters, which seek to describe the progress of prayer through the pages of Old and New Testaments, are less satisfactory and fail to sustain the quality of the opening sections of the book. One important omission is any discussion of the teaching of Jesus about prayer in the Gospel of Luke, particularly the parable of the Friend at Midnight and the sayings that follow it in Luke 11, and the parable of the Unjust Judge in Luke 18.
However, the chief reason why readers of Ministry Today will need to think carefully before deciding to buy and use this book is the image of God that predominates within it. Goldsworthy writes from a decidedly evangelical and reformed perspective, and the authorities he quotes belong heavily to these traditions. Few of them appear up to date. What is more, he appears to present a remote and angry God who seems far from the Father whom Jesus proclaimed. There is much talk in the book of sovereignty and judgement, but little of the love of God. Goldworthy's God does not listen to the prayers of anyone except Christians, so there is no sympathetic appreciation here of the significance of the post-modern spiritual search. The movement here is almost exclusively from doctrine to experience. If there had been a greater recognition of the complementary movement in the other direction, then maybe Goldsworthy would have arrived at a more open and generous doctrine of God.
Philip Clements-Jewery
God in All Things: The Sequel to God of Surprises
Gerard Hughes
Hodder and Stoughton, 2003; xii+244pp; £10.99; ISBN 0 340 86135 5
Having felt God of Surprises to be one of the very best books in its field in the past twenty years, I approached this sequel with a considerable sense of anticipation, which was largely justified.
Hughes' basis thesis is that we suffer from a 'split spirituality', by which he means that we show "great reverence in our formal worship while ensuring that God does not interfere in everyday matters" (back cover blurb). This is illustrated most clearly, and brilliantly, in his story that begins with Jesus appearing on our doorstep and ends with his being locked in a cupboard at which we bow when we pass, as a way of acknowledging him, but also containing him (pp.9f).
Some of the passages about Ignatian spirituality may test some readers, but it will do those good to try who are unfamiliar with it. There are also some thought-provoking sentences like "intense seriousness and a lack of humour is a danger sign in any religiously inclined person" (p.24).
To this reviewer the later chapters on pilgrimage, Christian unity and suffering seemed rather tangential to the main theme, but they do contain some provocative material. One example is the suggestion that anti-capitalist protestors should contribute the money they would spend in demonstrating to enable eight developing countries to invite heads of governments to live destitute amongst the destitute for a week (pp.185).
On the current pastoral 'hot topic' of sex offenders, Hughes questions what he regards as the scapegoating of them and has some questions about the value of 'aversion therapy' (p.229). He is strongly pacifist, but does not explain to your reviewer's satisfaction how someone one like Hitler can be successfully opposed without military force.
All in all, this book is very challenging and well worth reading. It contains plenty of material for personal reflection, preaching and group discussion. As Hughes himself says, the most valuable part lies in the exercises at the end of each chapter.
Finally, Hughes has his own website, www.gerardwhughes.com, and do look at the site of the Irish Jesuits www.sacredspace.ie, which offers daily help with prayer. Never thought of having your daily devotions in front of your computer? Don't knock it until you have tried it!
John Matthews
Can it be true? A personal pilgrimage through faith and doubt
Michael Wakely
IVP Leicester 2002; 224pp; £6.99; ISBN 0 85111 285 4
Mike Wakely grew up in Ireland, is now based in London, but has lived and worked in India and Pakistan. The seventeen chapters of this book interweave personal stories from his Christian pilgrimage with apologetics building bricks such as personal faith, the church, other religions, global inequalities and life after death. It is written in an informal way from a conservative evangelical point of view, though without excessive rigidity. Whether this book deserves a place on your shelves will depend what other resources you may have available and your congregation's approach to evangelism/apologetics.
Bob Sneddon
To Love and Serve - being the body of Christ in a time of change
Jonathan Draper
SPCK, London 2003; xii+112pp; £7.99; ISBN 0 281 05540 8
The fact that your reviewer read a good part of this book during a train journey of about half an hour is partly due to the author's readable style and partly to there being blank pages (21 of them in total) between chapters - which may be useful for notes if you are so inclined.
One part of Draper's argument is that we become the Body of Christ as we attend properly to God. The other part is that we attend properly to God in a context of change when we pay proper attention to the changes.
He is critical of seeing spirituality in terms of looking for ways to be more fulfilled and argues that genuine Christian spirituality is about how our focus on God leads us to focus on others. Not surprisingly in a book about change, he argues that we must be willing to be surprised by God, and urges us to recognize and celebrate the work of God's Spirit in some of the contributions that those who are not Christians make to our national cultural life.
In his final chapter he provides useful ammunition, including biblical material, for ministers who want to counter resistance to change, including some wise things about the proper meaning of metanoia. Change, for Draper, is not an evil to be avoided, but a theological and spiritual imperative.
So, an easy to read book, with some good material (though not a lot of it) about the context of change and the need for it, but there is little in the way of specific suggestions.
John Matthews
Tools for Transformation - Making Worship Work
Peter Craig-Wild
Darton, Longman and Todd, London 2002; 150 pp; £10.99; ISBN 0 232 52449 1
This is a terrific book if you're an Anglican, and a fascinating and creative book even if you're not! The author, Peter Craig-Wild, is a Vicar, a member of the Church of England's Liturgical Commission, who, in 2001, spent a sabbatical in the USA with the Cherokee.
His thesis is that the past five hundred years have left us with an intellectualised and word-based approach to worship, and consequently liturgical renewal has concentrated mainly on the revision of texts. He claims that what is needed is a radical rethink of how we 'do' worship, and in particular the non-verbal elements of worship, that he believes affect people most. His way forward involves making the inner dynamics of the liturgy more apparent, and by exploring the place of symbol and action, he demonstrates how we can create environments that will foster transformative encounters with God.
He begins with a helpful overview of the history of liturgy. He goes on to examine worship in four dimensions - heart, soul, mind, and strength - before considering how worship transforms the individual worshipper into the person God wants them to be, individual Christians into the people of God, the world, and the whole created order. He looks at the place of storytelling and symbol, and emerging from this proposes three shifts which are necessary to make our worship relate more to the changing society around us. These are from the textual to the visual, from understanding to experience, and from presentation to engagement. This occupies him for the rest of the book.
There were a number of new discoveries for me in relation to Anglican liturgy, and other things which were clarified. One concept which I found particularly pleasurable is what he calls 'expectancy violation'. This is the principle that something violates what you expect to happen and so accentuates the force of the point being made. It happens all the time in music e.g. Haydn's 'Surprise' Symphony, or the final verse of Vaughan Williams setting of the 'Old Hundredth', but liturgy can do the same thing. In music, this is the stuff of tingle factor, and why not in liturgy?
Although this book will be of particular interest to Anglicans, it has enough breadth for people of most of the Christian traditions. The author is clearly at home in a charismatic environment and speaks positively of 'Toronto'. Also he draws upon his knowledge of the Cherokee Indians, which gives the book a certain novelty. As well as providing understanding, there are many practical suggestions to make worship work.
Tools for Transformation is written in a lively style. It has substance and is creative. I enjoyed it and was enriched by it.
Geoff Colmer
1600 Quips and Quotes
H J Richards (ed)
Kevin Mayhew, Stowmarket 2003; 320pp; £16.99; ISBN 1 84417 007 1
Sermon Hooks
Nick Fawcett
Kevin Mayhew, Stowmarket 2003; 288pp; £19.99; ISBN 1 84417 090 X
Kevin Mayhew continues to produce a useful range of worship-leading helps for busy ministers. 1600 Quips and Quotes is right up there with the best of them. This is that rare and endangered species - a book which is exactly what it says it is, no more and no less. There are lots of fascinating bits and pieces here, some of which I recognised, most of which I didn't, some of which made me laugh and most of which would enliven even the dullest sermon. And at a fraction over 1p per quote, one could not ask for better value. Let one random example suffice: "We would all be Christians if it weren't for the Christians" (Mahatma Ghandi).
However, Sermon Hooks is, in this reviewer's opinion, rather less useful. I had never heard the phrase before and had to scan the text of the book to find out what it meant. I think it refers to 'hooks on which the preacher can hang a sermon'. And I think the author's intention is to give desperate preachers a starting place from which to launch the sermon, and I'm sure there are those who might find that useful. I confess, however, that few of these stories and illustrations grabbed my attention, mainly because, in my experience, a story or illustration can only work for you once you know what point you want it to illustrate. So the whole idea of 'sermon hooks' is actually coming at the process of preparing sermons from the wrong end.
Only time will tell whether it will be useful. Preachers who love preaching and sermon preparation and who were taught to allow the sermon to arise from their meditation on Scripture, may well find this book useful as a book of extended sermon illustrations. Preachers from other traditions will perhaps be glad of all the help they can get when faced with the agony of sermon preparation. However, I'm unconvinced as to whether it is worth its glossy format, which may be the reason for the £19.99 price tag.
Alun Brookfield
Blessed Be Our Table: Graces for mealtimes and reflections on food
Neil Paynter
Wild Goose Publications, 2003; 350pp; £9.99; ISBN 1 901557 72 3
Don't be fooled by the deceptively simple title. This is much more than a handy collection of graces for every occasion and table. It is a wonderful source for that purpose, but also offers an invitation to recommit ourselves to justice every time we share a meal together. Throughout the collection, one senses the daily life of the Iona Community and its members wherever and whenever they gather for a meal. George MacLeod wrote: "The mark of Christian spirituality is to get one's teeth into things. 'I was an hungered and ye gave me meat...' Painstaking service in humankind's most material needs is the essence of Christian spirituality. Yet it is only the spirit in which we do things that profits anything."
Blessed Be Our Table manages to capture that spirit. Its writer, Neil Paynter, worked as a resident and volunteer with the Iona Community and was involved in social work. His collection includes several of his own prayers, along with contributions from many community members, associates and friends, other religious communities, humanitarian organizations and various faiths and traditions. It spans the globe and includes many sung graces - just the thing for retreats, away days and prayer breakfasts and camps and holiday clubs for children and young people. We made very good use of three of the prayers during a recent Holiday@Home event at my own church.
The contents are split into 23 main sections, which begin with 'Washing one's hands' and end with 'Washing up'. The sections in between include 'Getting our teeth into things', 'Christ our host, Christ our Guest', 'Family friends and fellowship', 'All-humorous Mother and Father', and 'Special occasions'.
The final prayer is by the medieval mystic, Meister Eckhart: "If the only prayer you ever said was 'Thank you', you would have said all the prayers." Perhaps the best thing about this book is its potential to inspire and enable folk to make more creative use of one of the most regular prayer opportunities they meet in their daily lives.
David Grainger
Short Notes - Paul Beasley-Murray
Of the book of Esther Martin Luther said: "I am so hostile to it that I wish it did not exist". By contrast Michael Beckett, a Cambridge Anglican vicar, sees great value in this Old Testament book, even although it makes no mention of God of or prayer. In Gospel in Esther (Paternoster, Carlisle, 2002; 156pp; £7.99; ISBN 1 84227 137 7), he expounds the story of Esther as an illustration of God's sovereign grace, with Esther as a female 'type' of Christ. Whether or not one is convinced of the argument will no doubt depend upon one's approach to Biblical interpretation! For those who are, then this exposition will provide a real stimulus to preaching - indeed, the book itself had its origins in a series of sermons.
Yet another welcome volume has appeared in IVP's 'Bible Themes' series, which itself is part of 'The Bible Speaks Today', namely The Message of Prayer: Approaching the Throne of Grace (IVP, Leicester 2003; 271pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 85111 406 7) by Tim Chester. This volume does not offer a general discourse on the subject of prayer, but rather contributes to our understanding of prayer through the exposition of a series of Scripture passages, and in so doing offers a marvellous resource to preachers. Part 1 deals with 'the foundations of prayer' and is divided into five chapters: The conversation of friends (Genesis 1-Revelation 22!), Praying to the Father (Luke 11.1-13), Praying through the Son (Hebrews 4-5), Praying by the Spirit (Romans 8 and Jude), and Praying with faith (James 1 and 5).The longer second part deals with 'the practice of prayer' and is divided into ten chapters, which include praying with the patriarchs (Genesis 18 and 22), with Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2), as Jesus taught us (Matthew 6), and with Jesus (John 14-17). The exposition is done well, and includes helpful quotations and illustrations. The author is clearly well-read, but not widely read - the bibliography includes very few books on prayer by anybody outside the evangelical world!
John Drane, who manages to combine teaching practical theology in the University of Aberdeen with being an adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, California, is a stimulating individual. Cultural Change and Biblical Faith (Paternoster, Carlisle, 2000; 182pp; £10.99; ISBN 0 85364 979 0) is less a book than a collection of papers written over the past ten years on a series of related issues such as Cultural Change, New Age, the Environment, Missiological Lessons arising out of the Death of Princess Diana, and Theological Education for the Third Millennium. Readers of this journal will probably be most interested on his essay on "Cultural Change, the Church and the Future Shape of Christian Ministry". There he argues that in the future pastors will need to be "relational, not hierarchical" (e.g. soul-friends, not spiritual directors), and "strong partners rather than strong leaders". They will be women and men from different theological and denominational backgrounds working together; and will be missionary pastors equipped to minister to people outside the church. Drane also argues that just as more and more people are constructing their own 'designer lifestyles', the most effective pastors will need to be equally flexible - "for many, pastoral work may not be lifelong, and it may not be full-time".
Ajith Fernando has been director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka since 1976, and for more than twenty years has been active in the leadership of his local Methodist church. Jesus Driven Ministry (IVP, Leicester 2002; 255pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 85111 995 6) is a mixture of this experience together with reflection on a series of biblical texts, seasoned occasionally with illustrations drawn from such illustrious evangelicals as Spurgeon and Wesley. I find it difficult to characterise this book: in part devotional, in part inspirational, it contains a lot of good things. It is primarily concerned for personal life-style, rather than for ministry technique. A flavour of his approach may be drawn from his chapter on 'Facing Wild Animals'. Instead of drawing upon the insights of specialists in conflict resolution, the author is much more concerned on how ministers personally handle conflict: "I have seen too many good people whose lives are ruined by the actions of bad people. Those bad people should not be allowed to have such a powerful impact on you ... Don't let a day pass without waging this war against bitterness by utilizing the sufficient grace and comfort of God".
Any book which arises from the practice of ministry is to be welcomed. So Mark and Emma Greenwood are to be commended for writing 50 Festive Ideas For Evangelistic Events (Kingsway, Eastbourne 2003; 254pp; £9.99; ISBN 1 84291 098 1). Here the Greenwoods share ideas on celebrating such special days as Burns Night, Valentine's Day, Shrove Tuesday, Commonweath Day, and St Patrick's Day. I confess that many of their ideas left me cold - on the other hand, I am grateful for five of the 50 ideas, which, on reflection, is not at all bad!
I am pleased to be able to recommend warmly and unreservedly an extraordinarily amusing, stimulating and insightful book entitled Men Behaving Badly (Paternoster, Carlisle 2000; 327pp; £8.99; ISBN 1 84227 012 5) by John Goldingay, currently Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, California. In twenty-one riveting chapters the author engages on a lively series of studies on characters who appear in 1 and 2 Samuel. Would that every biblical scholar could expound Scripture in the way in which Goldingay does! Every preacher would do well to buy this book!
At first sight Church Without Walls: A Global Examination of Cell Church (Paternoster, Carlisle 2002; 133pp; £7.99; ISBN 1 84227 139 3) edited by Michael Green and Counting People In: Changing the way we think about membership and the Church (SPCK, London 2003; 152pp; £8.99; ISBN 0 281 05397 9) by Richard Thomas, seem to have very little in common. The former consists of a lively series of essays which examine and critique the natures, values and growth of the cell church movement; the latter is concerned for developing a strategy toward the so-called 'associates' of the Church of England, who never attend a church service, but nonetheless feel that they 'belong'. Yet underlying both books is the fact that while traditional churches are on the wane, there is a rise in spirituality - as many as 70% of the UK population are apparently willing to own some recognition of the spiritual. As far as Green and his colleagues are concerned, the most effective way of 'cashing in' on this new spiritual trend is the development of cell structures (characterised by the four 'w's: welcome, worship, word and witness). For Thomas, the church needs to soft-pedal the Cross and instead concentrate on a theology of creation. For all the careful research regarding membership and spirituality underlying Thomas' book, I confess that I am much more challenged by the cell approach.
Although George Herbert spent only two years in parish ministry, the experience he gained nonetheless encouraged him to write a primer relating to the calling and work of the Anglican country parson. A Priest to the Temple or The Country Parson was first published in 1652, has been beautifully re-published together with a selection of twenty-one of his poems (Canterbury Press, Norwich 2003; 122pp; £9.99; ISBN 1 85311 532 0), edited and introduced by Ronald Blythe. Although inevitably dated, it contains some splendid jewels: e.g. "The Countrey Parson preacheth constantly, the pulpit is his joy and his throne" and "Nothing is little in God's service". This new edition would make a wonderful gift for a country parson!
Communication and the Gospel (Darton, Longman and Todd, London 2003; 119pp; £8.99; ISBN 0 232 52488 2) by John Holdsworth, Archdeacon of St David's in South Wales, is part of the new 'Exploring Faith: theology for life' designed for "people who want to take Christian theology seriously in a way that engages the mind, involves the heart, and seeks active expression in the way we live". In this particular book, the author looks at the many ways in which churches consciously - and unconsciously - communicate with the wider world as also with one another. I confess that I found the author patronising and irritating, and with nothing really new to say. For instance, in the section on preaching, he maintains that few preachers have an aim to their preaching; that preachers rarely think about courses of sermons; that preaching is primarily about 'enabling others to engage in the great adventure of the Christian enterprise'; and that preachers are at liberty to express doubt along with certainty. I confess that I find myself heartily disagreeing on every point. Sadly, the other chapters are not much better.
Larry W Hurtado is a Canadian New Testament Scholar, currently teaching at the University of Edinburgh. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cambridge, UK, 2003; 746pp; £39.95 hardback; ISBN 0 8028 6070 2) is a scholarly and yet accessible wide-ranging survey of Christian devotion, both within and outside the New Testament. With accolades on the cover from well-known theologians such as Martin Hengel and Graham Stanton, it seems churlish to raise any criticism. However, I was surprised by the author's failure to give any real prominence to such pre-Pauline hymns as Philippians 2.6-11 and Colossians 1.15-20. Although he devotes several pages to each hymn, to my mind he fails to note the true significance of the fact that there were 'theologians' before the Apostle Paul who dared to describe Jesus as Lord of the universe. Those who have not the inclination to wade through such a substantial discussion of Christology may get a flavour of the author's thesis by reading a shorter and more popular summary of his position in At The Origins of Christian Worship: The Context and Character of Earliest Christian Devotion (Paternoster, Carlisle, 1999; 138pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 85364 992 8), which represent the 1999 Didsbury Lectures given at Manchester's Nazarene College. This latter book is more geared towards the needs of ministers, not least in its final chapter which contains the author's reflections for Christian worship today, and which highlights the way in which the persons of the Father and the Son are often confused in popular devotion.
Would God allow me to divorce my abusive husband? Would it be a sin if I got remarried? Such questions as these underlie Divorce and Remarriage in the church: Biblical solutions and pastoral realities (Paternoster, Carlisle 2003; 203pp; £8.99; ISBN 1 84227 180 6) by David Instone-Brewer, a remarkably popular re-working of his earlier scholarly work, Remarriage in the Bible - the social and literary context (Eerdmans, 2002). Based on his knowledge of Rabbinic studies, the author, for instance, argues that when the Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was lawful "to divorce one's wife for any cause?", they were not asking Jesus whether or not divorce was lawful, but what he thought about the new groundless 'Any Cause' type of divorce. The author goes on to argue that Jesus in his reply took issue with the way in which the Hillel and his followers had interpreted Deuteronomy 24.1, where adultery is clearly the issue, but in so doing he did not rule out the other Biblical grounds for divorce, viz. neglect and abuse (see Ex 21.10-11). After a fresh examination of the teaching of Paul, the author offers a series of pastoral guidelines a church might adopt. This enlightening book would form a good study guide for lay-people involved in pastoral care or in church leadership.
IVP are to be congratulated on publishing an excellent new series of Bible study booklets, which will probably surprise, but certainly delight church leaders from outside the evangelical stable. For, as the title indicates, the new Spiritual Disciplines series by Jan Johnson, an American who specialises in giving spiritual direction and in leading retreats, is designed to help individuals and groups to connect with God by incorporating a variety of spiritual practices. These are Community and Submission (ISBN 0 85111 692 1), Prayer and Listening (ISBN 0 85111 693 0), Reflection and Confession (ISBN 0 85111 694 9), Service and Secrecy (ISBN 0 85111 695 7), Simplicity and Fasting (ISBN 0 85111 696 5), Solitude and Silence (ISBN 0 85111 697 3), Study and Meditation (ISBN 0 85111 698 1), and Worship and Celebration (ISBN 0 85111 699 X). All the booklets were published in 2003, and cost £2.99 for 62 pages. Each contains six studies, each of which is based on a passage of Scripture. In addition to containing a series of ten questions, each study also contains a number of creative 'transformation' exercises.
Although not primarily directed toward grass-roots ministers (it has been written with the institutional decision-makers of the Church of England in mind), Affirmation and Accountability: practical suggestions for preventing clergy stress, sickness and ill-health retirement (Society of Mary and Martha, Sheldon 2002; 125pp; £7.50; available from the Sheldon Centre, Dunsford, Exeter EX6 7LE www.sheldon.uk.com) by Carl Lee and Sarah Horsman, is a book of interest to all ministers, both Anglican and Free Church. For instance, the authors make the following recommendations for education and review: (1) Expect all clergy to undertake a minimum of forty hours' worth of learning each year, and regularly follow up any who opt out; (2) Make group supervision routinely available for all clergy 6-12 times a year, and provide for individual work consultancy as an alternative, and sometimes additional resource; (3) Include 5-10% of working time for clergy to be allocated for work out of the parish - it would broaden experience of ministry, and go some way to addressing the problem of the flat career structure by providing responsible outlets for experienced clergy who stay in parish ministry; (4) Continue to develop provision for ministerial review - preparatory tools such as completing a time log of all activities between 7am and midnight for one month prior to review can help provide objective assessment of working hours, and measure actual activity against care priorities. With a host of many other recommendations based on the Society's work for supporting and caring for people in ministry, this is a book which deserves to be widely read.
Fathers and Sons: The Search for a New Masculinity (IVP, Leicester 2002; 256pp; £9.99; ISBN 0 85111 291 9), by the Canadian academic psychologist Mary Stewart van Leewen, is a rewarding, although at times tough, read. Facts and figures abound, and a host of myths relating to the sexes are shattered. I was, however, most struck by a simple statement regarding the so-called 'cultural' mandate in Genesis 1.26-28: "God does not say to the woman, 'Be fruitful and multiply' and to the man 'Subdue the earth'. Both mandates are given to both members of the primal pair". It is this which leads the author to argue for a father and mother both to share in the raising of their children, and to be involved in waged work, the combined work week for a father and mother with young children coming to no more than 60 hours. Needless to say, there is much more besides in this book, which will challenge both traditional and liberal Christians!
Devout Sceptics: Conversations on Faith and Doubt (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 2003; 192pp; £10.99; ISBN 0 340 86202) with Bel Mooney features people like Kate Adie, Melvyn Bragg, Edna O'Brien, Joanna Trollope and Mary Warnock. An interesting, but often saddening read.
For years in the USA, dispensational premillennialism, as characterized first by Hal Lindsey in Great Planet Earth and then by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins in their Left Behind series, has been all the rage among North American evangelicals. Kim Riddlebarger, an American Reformed Church pastor and professor of systematic theology at California's Westminster Theological Seminary, in A Case For Amillenialism: Understanding The End Times (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, and IVP, Leicester, 2003; 271pp; £11.99; ISBN 0 85111 997 2) conducts a careful review of the biblical evidence, in which he argues that the millennium is a symbol for Christ's present reign. The author is to be commended for the way in which he has made a complicated issue quite readable. This is a helpfully rational guide to a subject which in some circles is exceedingly controversial.
Transforming Congregational Culture (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids and Cambridge, 2003; 138pp; £12.99; ISBN 0 8028 0518 3) by Anthony B Robinson, an experienced Congregational minister in Seattle, seeks to deal with the present crisis faced by mainline churches in North America, all of which face major decline. In a nutshell, the theme of the book is 'from maintenance to mission', and stresses the vital role of leadership that ministers have to play in bringing about the transformation of church life. Inevitably, perhaps, the context in which it is written means that its insights are difficult to transfer immediately to our British context.
The King of God's Kingdom: A Solution To the Puzzle of Jesus (Paternoster, Carlisle 2002; 648pp; £17.99; ISBN 1 84227 075 3), by David Seccombe, is an excellent introduction to the life of Jesus. The author stands in an evangelical tradition, but is no obscurantist - he is clearly up-to-date with the world of New Testament scholarship. In spite of the evident scholarship present in the notes at the end of each chapter, it is an easy book to read, and full of interest. Initially I wondered for whom this book was intended, but then I noticed that David Seccombe is Principal of George Whitefield College in Cape Town and Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Potchesftroom University of Christian Higher Education, and I realised that this book would form a splendid introduction to students about to study the New Testament.
Future Leader: Spirituality, Mentors, Context and Style for Leaders of the Future (Paternoster, Carlisle, 1999; 189pp; £7.99; ISBN 0 85364 949 9) by Viv Thomas, the International Co-ordinator of Leadership Development with Operation Mobilisation, is a confused amalgam of management theory and popular Biblical exposition. I find it breath-taking how a book on Christian leadership can fail to contain any reference, let alone exposition, of what Jesus meant by 'servant-leadership'. Maybe his advice that "leaders for the future... are able to move rapidly into a situation and exit at the appropriate time" ("helicoptering") is applicable to international missionary organisations - it certainly, however, is not applicable to leadership in the local church.
The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited (SCM, London 2003; 290pp; £25; ISBN 0 334 02904 X) is a collection of ten posthumous papers of the Mennonite, John Howard Yoder, edited by Michael G Cartwright and Peter Ochs. Yoder's essential thesis is that Jesus did not reject Judaism, nor did Judaism reject Jesus, and that the Apostle Paul's missionary activity is best understood in the context of his Jewish heritage. "The early Christian communities" were "a 'free church' renewal movement within Jewry". As far as Yoder was concerned, the second and third century schism between Jews and Christians "did not have to be". Not the easiest of reads, I confess that I personally do not find the argument convincing. To my mind the schism was in fact inevitable. This book would no doubt make for fascinating study by a Jewish-Christian inter-faith group!
Recent offerings from Grove of Cambridge, most published in 2003, 28 pages and priced at £2.50, include: How To Read The Book of Revelation (Biblical Series 28; 32pp; ISBN 1 85174 533 5) by Ian Paul, a lively non-technical read, which has questions for reflection at the end of each chapter and would therefore form a useful basis for a home group; Scripture-Based Liturgies (Worship Series 175; ISBN 1 85174 527 0) by Ian Tarrant, which includes examples of such liturgies drawn from Luke 24 (An Easter Ecumenical Communion), John 6 (A Liturgy for Holy Communion), Acts 8 (Service of the Word with Affirmation of Baptismal Vows), Philippians (An Office) and Hebrews (Morning Prayer); The Ethics of the Johannine Epistles (Ethics Series 129; ISBN 1 85174 528 9) by Greg Forster who gives a scholarly overview of recent scholarship, but does not, alas, root it in the contemporary church scene; Reaching Those Affected by Prison (Evangelism Series 62; 32pp; ISBN 1 85174 531 9) by Ralph Upton which primarily relates to work in prison, but does include in its appendix an interesting, indeed, challenging 'agreement' to be entered into by an ex-prisoner and a church leader; Community-Led Regeneration and the Local Church (Pastoral Series 94; ISBN 1 85174 532 7) by Samuel Wells, who reflects on his experience in Norwich where as the incumbent of a deprived estate church he was closely involved in New Deal for Communities programme; Celtic Spirituality: Rhythm, Roots and Relationships (Spirituality Series 85; ISBN 1 85174 530 0) by Ray Simpson, who among other things highlights the Celtic tradition of 'soul-friends' - "Celtic Christians knew that, to understand oneself, one must be able to pour out the thoughts of the heart to another". In this respect he cites as a modern parallel the practice of a Suffolk rector who used to find a soul friend for every confirmation candidate! In Adoption: A Challenge to the Church (Ethics Series 130; ISBN 1 85174 535 1), Sarah Lamb argues that adoption should not first and foremost be about meeting the needs of childless couples, but rather of Christian couples (and even individuals) meeting the needs of children, who otherwise might remain in care. Whatever one's views of charismatic gifts, nobody could fail to be stimulated by John Goldingay's Old Testament Prophecy Today (Renewal Series 13; ISBN 1 85174 536 X). It is fascinating to see the way in which Old Testament scholarship is applied to today's church. He argues, for instance, that by dint of being on the church payroll "it is virtually impossible for a pastor to be a prophet. His assertion that "pastors (in Southern California) spend their energy helping their churches deny that God has left them and that death is imminent" leave me wondering whether Goldingay is not a modern prophet himself.
You are reading Book Reviews by Ministry Today Reviewers, part of Issue 29 of Ministry Today, published in October 2003.
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