413 Sermons
Twenty Centuries of Great Preaching, thirteen volumes, edited by Clyde Fant, Jr., and William Pinson, Jr. (Word, 1971, 4,750 pp., $199.95), is reviewed by James Davey, minister, Arlington Memorial Church, Arlington, Virginia.
Just a year before the appearance of this set, a book from the same publisher declared that great preaching is no longer a worthy ministerial goal. I suspect that this monumental set will be a useful tool in preachers’ libraries long after the former book is forgotten. Since the high purchase price would seem to augur limited sales and little profit for Word, the set can perhaps be viewed as a form of penance.
The value to the professional library is obvious, but it is for the average pulpiteer, hard pressed to produce one, two, or more sermons each week, that it seems designed. Although the first twelve volumes are uncommonly good, the thirteenth really sets this apart from ordinary compilations of sermons. Volume 13, the index volume, does for preaching what Mortimer Adler’s Syntopicon did for the Great Books. The cross-referencing of texts and subjects, illustrations, homiletical aids, and so on makes this a most useful publication. Men who believe in preaching will want to keep the set handy.
A brief summary of major events and dates in the lives of each of the ninety-six preachers sampled is preceded by a portrait of the preacher that often demolishes the myth of physical charisma. This generally well written but necessarily taut biography reveals shaping influences on the preacher and pays particular attention to his method of sermon preparation and delivery. A bibliography concludes each introduction. Each volume has a fold-out flyleaf relating the lifetime of each preacher to the social, political, economic, and religious events of his day.
It is possible, of course, to quarrel with the selection of some preachers and the exclusion of others. Some will regret the absence of Kierkegaard or of a personal favorite such as Charles Hodge or J. Wilbur Chapman. But to find fault is like criticizing a fruit cup for having too many cherries and not enough pears. There is an enormous range of preachers and viewpoints, from Origen and Augustine and Francis of Assisi to John Henry Newman, Walter Rauschenbusch, Paul Tillich, Billy Graham, and D. Martyn Lloyd Jones. Surely this is the most comprehensive study of preachers and their chief product ever attempted.
This raises the question of what criteria were used to determine inclusion. Obviously the compilers did not hew to a narrow theological line in making their choices. And a cursory reading reveals that homiletical excellence is sometimes lacking. Indeed, some of the sermons might give even the poorest sort of preacher fresh courage. Those who skip the preface will often find themselves puzzled. For there the compilers make the distinction between a great sermon and a great preacher, the latter being defined as one who leaves an impact upon his age. With this framework established they leave the more technical and theological questions about preaching to other scholars.
If one wishes to sharpen his pulpit abilities by reading at least one sermon for each one he produces, he could well begin with the 413 samples in these volumes.
A Knack For Provoking
Theological Investigations, Volumes VII and VIII: Further Theology of the Spiritual Life, by Karl Rahner (Herder and Herder, 1971, 302 pp. each, $9.75 each), is reviewed by David F. Wells, associate professor of church history, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois.
Karl Rahner is without doubt the most brilliant, versatile, provocative, and comprehensive of contemporary Catholic theologians; he can also be the most obscure, turgid, and frustrating to read. Two more English translations from the Schriften zur Theologie, then, are something of a mixed blessing! (His brother Hugo jokes that one day he will try to translate Karl into understandable German!)
These volumes contain essays on the spiritual life gathered from past writings. In Volume VII, Rahner moves from a consideration of faith in the contemporary world, to some meditations inspired by the life of Jesus (on such topics as the meaning of Christmas, death, and the festival of the future life), to some thoughts on Christian virtues (such as truthfulness, boldness, and mercy). The bulk of Volume VIII is concerned with callings in the church (childhood, laymen, women, intellectuals, and creative thinkers). It is preceded by Rahner’s theology of saints and followed by his counsel on how to venerate the Sacred Heart.
The connection between these themes is not obvious at first sight. One must remember, however, that Rahner’s method of thinking is essentially inductive and synthetic—he learned this from Martin Heidegger—and that his system is, in fact, cohesive and whole. The clue to this is his assumption concerning the “duality” of man, an assumption that runs through these essays and was first explained in his Geist in Welt (1936). He accepts Kant’s notion that the mind is unable to grasp directly non-empirical reality but counters that in its workings, the mind is preconditioned by the non-empirical reality it cannot grasp. So man involuntarily and perpetually gives utterance to the divine mystery he cannot know. Consequently, Rahner sees all aspects of conscious life, and hence of Christian life, as spokes that radiate out from the hub of ineffable mystery that he calls God. This is what connects these essays.
In one crucial passage, Rahner summarizes his concept of Christianity. It is, needless to say, a far cry from the four spiritual laws of Campus Crusade:
Christianity is the assent on the part of the whole community (Church) formulated and held explicitly by that community to the absolute mystery which exercises an inescapable power in and over our existence, and which we call God. It is our assent to that mystery as pardoning us and admitting us to a share in its own divinity, it is that mystery as imparting itself to us in a history shaped by man’s own free decisions as an intelligent being; and this self-bestowal of God in Jesus Christ manifests itself as finally and irrevocably victorious in history [VII, 60].
Rahner’s concessions to Kant, his dependence on Maréchal, Heidegger, and Blondel, render his thought unacceptable at many points. Nevertheless, his sheer intellectuality, his genius for questioning, his ability for opening up and developing themes, his knack for provoking and stimulating his readers, makes Rahner not only fascinating but in many respects valuable for the Protestant scholar.
The Slippery Type
Jesus and the Old Testament, by R. T. France (Inter-Varsity, 1971, 286 pp., $9.95), is reviewed by Glenn A. Koch, associate professor of New Testament studies, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
R. T. France, professor of biblical studies at the University of Ife in Nigeria, thinks the Synoptic Gospels show a consistent and original pattern in Jesus’ use of the Old Testament. France is skeptical of the results of literary criticism and views with open hostility the practice of assuming the unreliability of the scriptural tradition unless it is proven true. France proposes to start from the other end and assume essential reliability unless there are good reasons for questioning it. This means accepting from the Synoptics nearly everything that is attributed to Jesus as coming from Jesus himself, without due regard for the fact that the words of Jesus and the Jesus tradition have been passed down to us by the evangelists and the Church. France appears to be attached to the views of Riesenfeld and Gerhardsson, who believe that Jesus taught his disciples by rote memorization.
The body of France’s argument concerns the text-form of the Old Testament quotations and Jesus’ typological use of the Old Testament. He believes the evidence on text-forms shows many cases where quotations attributed to Jesus reveal a Semitic origin (agreement with Masoretic Text or known Targums), and in no case, he says, does the text-form demand a Greek origin for Old Testament quotes attributed to Jesus. “It would be rash,” he says, “to deny the authenticity of any saying of Jesus, especially of those involving quotation from the Old Testament, unless there is evidence to the contrary in that particular case. When there is no such evidence, we may with confidence assume that the sayings of Jesus have been faithfully preserved.”
France’s discussion of typology is slippery and confusing. Having defined typology he lists as types of Jesus the following: Jonah, Solomon, David, the Priesthood, Elijah and Elisha, and Isaiah. Then he says, “Obviously not all the above can be claimed as clear examples of typology.” Later, when speaking of Israel as a type of Jesus, he concludes a section by saying, “But the principle on which the application is made is less that of typology proper, viz. a recurrent pattern, than an idea of continuity.” Typology runs so deep for France that it becomes Jesus’ own self-understanding, particularly in the temptation narrative, where Jesus’ relation to Israel in the wilderness is “no mere teaching device, but reflects his own basic conception of his status and ministry.”
When Jesus spoke of himself using Old Testament predictions, they were “without exception in their original intention eschatological,” which is meant to be neither a repudiation of “consistent eschatology” nor an unconditioned acceptance of “realized eschatology” but has both a present and a future aspect. Since Jesus saw the last days as begun, his echatological views could be called “inaugurated eschatology.”
France concludes by saying that Jesus’ use of the Old Testament “falls into a single coherent scheme, with himself as the focus,” and that his approach to the Old Testament is “so clearly contrasted with that of his Jewish contemporaries that they cannot be combined as they stand. The Christian use of the Old Testament is original, and stands inevitably alone.”
The New Testament must indeed be viewed and interpreted in the light of the Old Testament. However, one cannot place the Greek and Semitic worlds of thought in water-tight compartments, as France seems to do, and certainly one has to allow for the Church’s molding of the gospel tradition, which in his treatment of the Synoptics France does not do. Not all that France attributes to Jesus can with certainty be attributed to him. The problem here is basic methodology.
Sober View Of ‘Charisms’
The Pentecostal Movement in the Catholic Church, by Edward C. O’Connor (Ave Maria, 1971, 301 pp., $1.95 pb), is reviewed by Charles Greenwood Thorne, Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
Pentecostalism has since 1967 gripped many thousands of Roman Catholics across the world, lay as well as clerical. In an account that was named best Catholic paperback of the year by the Catholic Press Association, Edward O’Connor begins by telling what happened when two lay staff members at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, prayed fervently for liturgical as well as personal renewal. Each day for months they recited the hymn from the Mass of Pentecost. Suddenly, in February, 1967, some twenty staff and students there experienced a “profound religious transformation” in which the charismatic gifts of tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits, and exorcism were manifest. From that sprang a small prayer group that today attracts people from all over Pittsburgh. The seed spread initially to Notre Dame University, and then on to Michigan and both coasts.
O’Connor has written with a keen desire to report respectfully and amplify a great many events in the movement’s short history, demonstrate their genuineness as well as question implications, and view the movement within the history of spirituality. He concentrates on the Pentecostal community at Notre Dame, where he is a member of the theology department. He is an apologist, and there is hardly a page where his own deep concern for spirituality does not show through.
O’Connor’s enthusiasm for “Catholic Pentecostalism” causes him to jump from the second century to the present in tracing Pentecostalism, recognizing later patristic and medieval episodes but finally taking them comparatively lightly and ignoring 1500 to 1900.
Most important is his wisdom about the dangers Pentecostalism can breed, and the reasons adherents do and sometimes ought to leave it. He views the “charisms” soberly and constantly stresses that Pentecostalism seeks to bring man face to face with God, and to lift not replace the church.
Time For Fruitful Dialogue
Issues of Theological Warfare: Evangelicals and Liberals, by Richard J. Coleman (Eerdmans, 1972, 206 pp., $3.45 pb), is reviewed by Clark H. Pinnock, professor of theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois.
Mr. Coleman, a United Presbyterian minister, is concerned over what he sees as the growing split in the major denominations between theological liberals and evangelicals. In this book he sets forth the basic positions of both camps on the fundamental issues that divide them, hoping to show that each side has some things to teach the other. He achieves his purpose remarkably well, without relativizing truth or appearing condescending to either side. He has mastered the arguments and concerns of each, and presents them with a lucidity often lacking in the proponents of those very positions.
At the conclusion of each of the five chapters, Coleman points out strengths and weaknesses of each side, explaining what is necessary for the dialogue to continue fruitfully. The demands he feels evangelicals ought to heed turn out to be ones they are already beginning to take seriously. That liberals will take as kindly to his criticisms of their theology is, in my opinion, less likely. Each chapter closes with some questions for further discussion and with suggested readings for liberals and evangelicals to acquaint them with the best thinking of the other side.
Coleman conducts a high-level discussion between liberals and evangelicals. At no time does he adduce a testimony from either camp that by its poor quality puts that side at a disadvantage. Reading his analysis of evangelical positions, for example, I was impressed again with the strength and beauty of evangelical theology and the astuteness of many of its ablest spokesmen. Coleman has grasped with considerable acumen the very heart of that theology. He does the same with liberal theology, and has if anything subjected it to greater criticism and demanded of it greater concessions.
The first chapter explores faith and Christology. How do we encounter Jesus Christ? Is it through meditation and prayer, or in the social context of worldly involvement? In evangelical theology, Coleman finds the basic movement of faith to be from the vertical to the horizontal, while in liberal theology it is the other way around. The same pattern appears in their Christologies: evangelicals emphasize the superhuman qualities of Christ that make him one with God, and liberals stress the human qualities of Jesus that make him one with man.
In the end, Coleman asks evangelicals to correct their often distorted image of Christ by recognizing his demand for costly discipleship. But of liberals he insists that they recognize the necessity of commitment to a Christ who is not simply an ethical model but the transcendent one who dwells in us. It seems that in this case Coleman is asking evangelicals to be more fully biblical and liberals to make a basic shift.
Chapters two and three give a superbly fair and accurate statement of the evangelical and liberal positions on revelation and inspiration. Coleman even defines correctly the current discussion within evangelicalism of biblical inerrancy; in keeping with his concern for fairness and balance, he in no way exploits this as a damaging weakness. The writer would like it if evangelicals would more readily accept the conclusions of biblical criticism, but he is by no means blind to the fact that they are already engaged in scholarly study of the Bible.
Indeed, his criticisms of liberal theology turn out to be much more damaging, his suggestions to it more demanding. The time has come for liberals to realize the destructive effect upon Christian faith of unrestricted biblical criticism. Coleman calls upon them to reconsider their attitude in the light of the very theological principles that move evangelicals so deeply. He is right to argue that if they would do that a new day would dawn in the relations between the two groups.
The fourth chapter talks about prayer, providence, and the world. On the evangelical side, Coleman is concerned about a view of prayer and providence that is insensitive to the innocent suffering in the world, though in accord with the biblical concept of a personal God active in the flow of history and open to fellowship with man in prayer. Liberal theology, on the other hand, has moved away from a biblical view of God as a free, gracious person, and needs to make a basic theological correction.
The final chapter concerns the Church and social involvement, a topic on which evangelicals are much exercised and on which they have already largely accepted the kind of suggestions Coleman proposes. Again, he chides liberals for leaving out of their social involvement a clear testimony to the liberating Gospel of Jesus.
This is a very good book, and we hope it will become the basis for fruitful dialogue between liberals and evangelicals. While most of us accept in principle the thesis that we can learn from one another, we are indebted to Coleman for a serious discussion of particular questions on which this is true. It is time we left behind the attitude “I have all the answers, you have all the problems” and began to encounter one another with understanding and love in the spirit of the Gospel.
Newly Published
How We Got Our Bible, by Ralph Earle (Baker, 119 pp., $1.50 pb). An excellent introduction to the origin, transmission, and translation of the Scriptures. Highly recommended for youth and adult classes and for those who are confused by the plethora of versions available today.
Church Alive, by William LaSor (Regal, 429 pp., $1.95 pb). A very good non-technical commentary on Acts by a respected scholar.
The Ministry of Pastoral Counseling, by James Hamilton (Beacon Hill Press [Box 527, Kansas City, Mo. 64141], 126 pp., $1.95 pb). An elementary guide for the minister with little or no training or experience in the field. Published by the Nazarenes.
Celebration of Life: Studies in Modern Fiction, by William R. Mueller (Sheed and Ward, 289 pp., $8.95). A fine treatment of such authors as Joyce, Ellison, Mann, and Kafka. Each of the four parts (three authors in each part) is preceded by an introduction explaining the thesis, which is taken from the Bible.
Understanding the Old Testament, edited by Jessie Lace, and The Making of the Old Testament, edited by Enid Mellor (Cambridge, 191 pp. and 214 pp., $6.95 each, $2.95 pb). Introductory volumes to the “Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible,” intending to make available in a non-technical way the consensus of academic Bible scholars. The first introduces Israel’s neighbors and surveys her history. The second focuses on the literatures of Israel and her neighbors and on the transmission of the Old Testament.
Lutheranism in North America, 1914–1970, by Clifford Nelson (Augsburg, 315 pp., $7.50), A People Called Cumberland Presbyterians, by Ben Barrus, Milton Baughn, and Thomas Campbell (Frontier [1978 Union Ave., Memphis, Tenn. 38104], 625 pp., $10), and The Mennonite Church in India, 1897–1962, by John Allen Lapp (Herald, 277 pp., $8.95). Major, thoroughly documented denominational studies.
Sect, Cult and Church in Alberta, by W. E. Mann (University of Toronto, 166 pp., $3.50 pb). In recent decades forthright evangelicals have had more to do with governing Alberta than any other province or state on the continent. The province may also have the largest number of distinct denominations in proportion to population. Reprint of a 1955 scholarly study.
A Study of Generations, edited by Merton P. Strommen, Milo Brekke, Ralph Underwager, and Arthur Johnson (Augsburg, 411 pp., $12.50). A thorough study of American Lutherans between the ages of 15 and 65 from their three largest denominations. A valuable research tool, not only for Lutherans. It helps dispel the stereotypes of the three bodies. (See News, August 11 issue, page 36).
Probing the New Testament, by A. M. Hunter (John Knox, 156 pp., $2.45 pb). Sixty-four word studies by the retired New Testament professor at Aberdeen.
The Kingdom of God Visualized, by Ray Baughman (Moody, 286 pp., $5.95). For those who can’t wait, a thorough description of the millennium in the more or less standard dispensational understanding.
Understanding the Bible Through History and Archaeology, by Harry Orlinsky (KTAV, 292 pp., $7.95). A short history of ancient Israel (first published in 1954) by a professor at Hebrew Union College is combined with numerous illustrations and the appropriate Hebrew texts plus English translation.
The Occult Explosion, by Nat Freedland (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 270 pp., $6.95), Magic: An Occult Primer, by David Conway (Dutton, 286 pp., $11.95), The Occult Revolution, by Richard Woods (Herder and Herder, 240 pp., $6.50), Demons in the World Today: A Study of Occultism in the Light of God’s Word, by Merrill Unger (Tyndale, 209 pp., $1.95 pb), and Occult Experimentation: A Christian View, by Pat Brooks (Moody, 16 pp., $.10 pb). Occultism is gaining ground on its opposite, naturalism, for the title of chief contemporary rival to Christianity. Freedland and Conway may be consulted cautiously only by mature Christians who want to know what occultists actually do in their rituals. (We warn as strongly as we can not to find out first-hand.) Woods, a Dominican, reflects on causes for the resurgence of ancient paganism. Unger explains the miraculous elements of the religion. Brooks’s pamphlet is for wide distribution.
A Search For Christian Identity, by Oscar C. Plumb (Exposition, 204 pp., $5). A practical handbook of Christian counseling and psychology. Rather vague theologically, it offers a smorgasbord of opinions on basic doctrines; but it does contain usable practical material.
Victory Through Persecution, by Kurt Koch (Kregel, 62 pp., $1 pb). On continuing revival in Korea.
Religious Perspectives in Faulkner’s Fiction: Yoknapatawpha and Beyond, edited by J. Robert Barth (Notre Dame, 233 pp., $8.95). Essays exploring the Calvinism of one of this country’s best modern novelists. The writers consider Faulkner’s major novels and stories as well as some of his lesser known, more difficult works.
Salvation and Health: The Interlocking Processes of Life (Westminster, 174 pp., $5.95). A Princeton Seminary professor discusses the integration of body and spirit in harmonious, purposeful activity as a condition for wholeness of life. The suggestion of the title that the book deals with the Christian doctrine of salvation from sin is misleading.
A House For Hope, by William A. Beardslee (Westminster, 192 pp., $5.95). An un-distinguished addition to the growing number of books that seek to derive hope from process philosophy and theology rather than from biblical revelation and promise. Occasional helpful insights.
On Nurturing Christians, by Wayne R. Rood (Abingdon, 174 pp., $2.75 pb). An attempt to suggest a challenging program for Christian education; the author presents a low view of Jesus, is sloppy in his use of biblical concepts, and does not consider a personal knowledge of Christ to be a goal of his “nurturing” process.
Journey Away From God, by Robert Benedict (Revell, 189 pp., $4.95). A Westinghouse engineer stresses the conflicts he finds between currently prevailing scientific views and the Scriptures. He shows why he thinks that God created everything in six days about eight to twelve millennia ago and that a universal flood occurred some two to four millennia subsequently.
Like a Great River: An Introduction to Hinduism, by Herbert Stroup (Harper & Row, 200 pp., $5.95). A clearly written, systematic, and laudably objective account that enables the biblically trained reader to see the difference between “Indo-Aryan” and biblical religion. Strangely, Stroup overlooks the part played by Western occultists and theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky and Annie Besant in the revival of Hinduism.
What Kind of God?, by Heinz Zahrnt (Augsburg, 279 pp., $5.95). Germany’s leading theological journalist struggles to make his country’s modernist theology seem, not apostate, but an attempt to communicate with that elusive creature, “modern man.” Heavily Germano-centric and turgid.
Atheism and Alienation, by Patrick Masterson (Notre Dame, 188 pp., $7.95). A balanced, judicious history of the genealogy of modern philosophical atheism. Masterson shows the dead end to which atheistic philosophies lead, but leaves us there with only a hint of a return to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Holiness and Mental Health: A Guidebook for Pastoral Counseling, edited by Alfred Joyce and Mark Stem (Paulist, 135 pp., $1.25 pb), Pastoral Care in the Modern Hospital, by Heije Faber (Westminster, 148 pp., $4.95), Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology, by Ian McIntosh (Westminster, 160 pp., $5.50), and Door of Hope: Dealing With Hidden Troubles, by Louise Long (Abingdon, 189 pp., $2.95 pb). Something of practical help for the pastor can be gleaned from each of these books by experienced counselors.
Sermons, by Charles H. Spurgeon (eight volumes, Tyndale Bible Society [Box 6006, MacDill AFB, Fla. 33608], c. 105 pp. each, $1.50 each pb). Each volume contains about a dozen sermons on a particular topic, such as faith or humility.
God, Money and You, by George Otis (Revell, 126 pp., $3.95). Christians in hot pursuit of material gain might really “profit” from reading this personal book by a millionaire converted in midlife.
Christian Marriage and Family Relationships, by Norman Wright (available from the author [13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, Cal. 90638], 97 pp., $5 pb). Pastors and teachers could make good use of this resource syllabus for a course on the family by a Talbot Seminary professor and licensed counselor.
Angels and Ministers of Grace, by M. J. Field (Hill and Wang, 135 pp., $5.95). A naturalistic explanation for biblical prophets and angels provoked by the author’s experience as a psychiatrist and ethnologist in west Africa.
World in Rebellion, by John E. Hunter (Moody, 143 pp., $1.95 pb). Looking at the prominence of rebellion in many areas of life, the author presents the biblical Gospel as the true answer to the restlessness signified by rebellion.
Beyond Cynicism: The Practice of Hope, by David O. Woodyard (Westminster, 112 pp., $2.95 pb). An attempt to get beyond the hopelessness of rationalistic cynicism by an irrational leap of faith that in some unclear way depends on Jesus. This book will not appeal to those looking for either intelligible or biblical content.
A Neglected Ministry
Successful Ministry to the Retarded, by Elmer L. Towns and Roberta L. Groff (Moody, 1972, 144 pp., $2.25 pb), is reviewed by Deborah C. Miller, a special-education major at the University of Maryland.
In this guide to understanding the physical and mental characteristics of the trainable retardate (I.Q. 30–55) and his learning potential, the authors illumine the retardate’s ability to know, understand, and accept the security and love of God. They stress the Sunday-school teacher’s role in developing this awareness in the retardate.
Trainables can and should be taught the plan of salvation on an elementary level. Their mental age is, of course, what primarily determines how accountable they are and what level of religious conceptualization they can reach.
The authors discuss programs for teaching retardates now in use in various churches in this country. They describe characteristics of a good teacher and tell of the importance of a teacher’s aide, concrete teaching methods, and a conducive setting.
The retardate’s learning is primarily a habit-forming process with more emphasis on conditioning than academic success. His learning processes can be encouraged through simple stories, playacting, pantomime, visual aids, creative art, and music. Religious concepts will mean more when expressed through channels other than language alone. The use of art and crafts and music allows the retardate to express feelings he cannot put into words, and gives him a sense of accomplishment.
Effective counseling methods are outlined that will help the retardate and his family accept him as the person he is. The importance of the counselor’s role in helping the retardate and his family cannot be stressed enough.
Although this book is intended for church and teacher use, it is recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand mental retardation.
