The Troubled Family
Hope For the Family: Five Essays, by Arnold de Graaff, Paul G. Schrotenboer, John A. Olthuis, Gordon Spykman, and Hendrik Hart (Wedge, 1971, 52 pp., $1.25 pb), Solving Problems in Marriage, by Robert Bower (Eerdmans, 1972, 148 pp., $2.45 pb), Is the Family Here to Stay?, by David Hubbard (Word, 1971, 97 pp., $2.95 pb), The Family First, by Kenneth Gangel (His International Service, 1972, 139 pp., $1.95 pb), and Power Ideas For a Happy Family, by Robert H. Schuller (Revell, 1971, 128 pp., $3.95 pb), are reviewed by H. Norman Wright, assistant professor of Christian education, Talbot Theological Seminary, La Mirada, California.
Today many people are concerned about actual and proposed changes in the family structure, and numerous writers have tried to analyze these changes and suggest responses.
That is the nature of Hope for the Family. The five essays in this volume were originally talks given in a lecture series of the Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship, in Toronto. Although the essays are brief, the authors make their points adequately. The plea throughout is that Christians, individually and as families, must create and maintain distinctive life styles despite conflicting social trends and pressures. The biblical conception of the family is discussed, along with the cultural background of the biblical commands. This is lacking in many similar works.
Perhaps the most pointed chapter is “Hidden Invaders of the Home.” Parents, the state, business, schools, and even the church fall under critical analysis. Many will be disturbed by some of what is said here, and should be! For example:
Many Christians try to live according to two visions—to enjoy the best of two worlds—to remain Christians while at the same time pledging to uphold the faith of consumption. Sooner or later, however, one vision, one spiritual force, will gain the upper hand, will become the directing, the determining force in our lives.
The book is not limited to an exposé of the problems. The final section especially includes specific suggestions on what to do to improve family life. The book will be helpful for ministers, families, and classes in family relation.
A book that moves from the diagnosis to solutions is Dr. Bower’s Solving Problems in Marriage. Though written for Christian couples, it would not be unsuitable for non-Christians. The treatment of Scripture is not extensive; with so much practical teaching in the Bible about interpersonal attitudes and behavior, the author would have done well to bring in more scriptural applications. When he does use Scripture, it is well integrated in his discussion.
Bower has not tackled so many subjects that he has to be superficial. For the most part what he says is well illustrated, though at times one would very much like to have the discussion extended.
What Bower says about openness and self-disclosure in marriage is well balanced. Two examples of his advice are:
The marital motto Peace at Any Price may involve white lies in order to maintain tranquility, but it tends eventually to create increasing falsehood and hypocrisy.
If honesty has been absent in a relationship for a considerable time, sudden decision to be open with a spouse who may be undergoing severe physical illness or undue stress may be more than he can emotionally handle. A person must assess the spouse’s emotional strength to receive the material to be disclosed and select an appropriate time for disclosure.
The discussion on “Learning Acceptance” deals with the danger of idealistic thinking, the fallacy of comparison, the uniqueness of the individual, and similar points. “The tendency to expect equal performance from all persons,” suggests Bower, “opposes the concept of the uniqueness of the individual, with his own kind and intensity of needs.”
What the book really needs is a concluding chapter drawing everything together and focusing on the stability and hope Jesus Christ can give to any relationship. And, as I suggested before, it needs to bring in more scriptural teaching.
Dr. Hubbard’s thoughts in Is the Family Here to Stay? are really not his own; they originated with the Bible. Unfortunately, this volume is too brief, especially in the latter chapters. It should be expanded to include more specific answers. Unlike many writers, however, Hubbard can convey meaning and depth in a very few words; what he says is said carefully.
Are marriages made in heaven? Yes, Hubbard says, because our capacity for marriage is God-given. It is divinely commissioned. From this point he moves into a discussion of the purpose of marriage.
Throughout the book the author shows insight into the biblical pattern for marriage and understanding of practical problems. A practical amplification of First Peter 3:1–4, 7 focuses on the meaning of the grace of God in a marriage relationship. At the start of the discussion Hubbard points to a basic problem:
What makes marriages take a turn for the worse?… At root it is our inability to accept each other as we really are that sabotages our marriage. Where criticism is a commodity and forgiveness is in short supply, you have a ready market for martial disaster.
The author’s presentation of the biblical teaching on the roles of husband and wife is brief, specific, and refreshing. In discussing “What ‘Be Subject’ Does Not Mean,” he suggests,
For a wife to be subject to her husband does not mean a compromise of the wife’s conscience. In our sinfulness we as husbands may ask wives to do just that. And in your sinfulness you as wives may be tempted to give in and avoid a struggle. When your conscience is involved, stick to your convictions, but be sure your conscience is taking its orders from the Bible as God’s own Word and not from your whims, hunches or intuitions.
He goes on to discuss what being subject actually means.
The endorsements accompanying Kenneth Gangel’s The Family First lead one to expect a complete and practical presentation on family life. But although it scratches the surface in many areas, it does not go far enough in its analysis of the problems or in its solutions.
The book is obviously directed toward a very conservative audience. For those who have done much reading in the area of family life it will have little appeal. Those who are just beginning their study may find it provides an overview, but other books could be more helpful. For example, to devote only a page and a half to the biblical teaching on divorce is almost a hindrance to a proper understanding. It would be better not to speak on a subject than to treat it so inadequately. On the whole, much of the material in this book has been discussed in others; there are few new ideas.
A positive refreshing look at the family and its potential comes from Robert Schuller in Power Ideas For a Happy Family. In seven brief chapters focusing on such points as the family as a whole, marriage, and teen-agers, Schuller presents rules or suggestions followed by practical examples or illustrations. His style is simple, even homey, and to the point. Many of his admonitions are just common-sense suggestions, such as “Be intimate always.” “Put priorities on your values.” “Give, give in, forgive and never keep score!” Several times the reader is challenged with the idea of committing his life to Jesus Christ as the answer to life’s problems.
In his chapter addressed to teenagers, Schuller tackles some of their usual gripes and complaints, showing them the positive side of the picture. This chapter and the one on the “Six Success Points For Parents” are the best in the book.
If you are looking for in-depth research, this is not the book to choose. But if you have limited time for reading and are seeking an uplift with a few simple principles to consider, Schuller’s “power ideas” can be of help.
Leo And Luther
White Robe, Black Robe, by Charles L. Mee, Jr. (Putnam, 1972, 316 pp., $7.95), is reviewed by Marvin W. Anderson, associate professor of ecclesiastical history, Bethel Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Luther Yearbook for 1971 lists 853 items directly related to Luther. Edith Simon’s Luther Alive (1967) and Richard Friedenthal’s Luther, His Life and Times (1967) are among the more notable recent biographies. Now in a “gossipy” account, Charles Mee, Jr., editor of Horizon, attempts to set off the white-faced Medici Pope Leo X from the black-robed Augustinian Eremite, Luther. The chapters of this well-written account alternate between Luther and Leo. Chapter III, “The Cardinal’s College Education,” is the best of the lot.
Apart from its literary merits. White Robe, Black Robe has some historical flaws, more of omission than of commission. Mee’s claim of the rehabilitation of Leo X ignores such works as G. True, Leon X etson siècle (Paris, 1941). Nowhere does Mee suggest why the Reformation broke out in Germany. The Fifth Lateran Council with its clamor for reform is missing. K. M. Setton (1969) has examined the entire Turkish peril, which needs greater attention than Mee gave it if one wishes to read other reasons for Leo’s transalpine policies. Notable for their absence from the bibliography are the following: Richard Douglas, Jacopo Sadoleto; H. Jedin, Trent I; especially J. M. Headley, Luther’s View of Church History; two recent works by M. Spinka on Hus; and Fife’s 1957 Revolt of Martin Luther, which should replace the 1928 Young Luther listed.
Mee’s weaving together of what scholars have learned of these two figures makes fascinating reading for the layman. At the end, however, one might question Mee’s conclusion that the establishment fosters its own ruin. If that is so, how can he explain that the Reformation led to a vigorous survival of papal authority as it reformed itself under Leo’s successors? Not until the twentieth century has papal authority been challenged so severely. One must conclude that for all its merits, White Robe, Black Robe misses the point of Luther’s protest. By 1547 one could read this epitaph of Luther: “Living I was thy plague, dying I shall be thy death, O Pope.”
This biography of Luther and Leo, original in its conception and skillfully executed, at times dazzles the reader with its accounts of Renaissance Rome. It is like the shallow lagoon at Venice, shimmering in the Adriatic sun. The real truth lies elsewhere, a full five fathoms deep, in Catholic and Protestant aspirations that the papacy be purged.
The Right Question
Understanding Speaking in Tongues, by Watson Early Mills (Eerdmans, 1972, 76 pp., $1.95 pb), is reviewed by Edmon L. Rowell, Jr., minister, Lee Street Baptist Church, Danville, Virginia.
This compact volume attempts to interpret glossolalia for the non-glossolaliac so that he can understand not just the phenomenon itself but his fellow Christian who has this gift. It is a comprehensive and balanced interpretation of tongues-speaking.
After defining glossolalia, Professor Mills offers a brief historical survey of the practice, concluding with its recent outbreak among non-Pentecostals and the organization of a number of interdenominational glossolalia “fellowship.” Then he turns to the bulk of his study:an examination of the roots of the present glossolalia movement in the religious ecstasy of the Near East, and glossolalia in Acts and First Corinthians.
The Hebrews of the Old Testament were only one people among many who practiced religious ecstasy; Mills cites examples from Phoenicia and Greece of “ecstatic speech” (not necessarily unintelligible as is tongues-speaking today—at least to the novice). Then he turns to a brief survey of ecstaticism in Old Testament prophecy, concluding with the reminder that there was a “development away from ecstatic forms of prophecy toward a more ordered form of discourse.” Mills adds that the important lesson of this survey is that at least by the first century, in some quarters, “objective phenomena intended to prove the indwelling of the Spirit were suspect … even considered manifestations of an evil spirit.” The situation changed by the time of Paul and Luke.
Dealing first with Acts, especially the Pentecost narrative (Acts 2), Mills marks three traditional interpretations of “tongues” and cites major proponents: (1) that tongues represents unintelligible speech (foreign languages); (2) that what was unintelligible speech to the uninitiated was understandable to those who possessed the Spirit; and (3) that the Pentecost narrative is invalid, either corrupted or fabricated.
Mills suggests that “the theological intent of Acts, in the final analysis, is to demonstrate that the gospel is dependent neither upon Peter nor Paul, nor the twelve, but rather upon a superhuman power—the Spirit of God.” In view of this intent, he says, glossolalia “is the effort to express the inexpressible: the indwelling of the Spirit of God in the lives of men. When the kerygma sank home to a responsive heart, ordinary human language could not express the emotions that were aroused; therefore, the believer broke forth in ecstatic speech.” Finally, Mills says, in view of Luke’s emphasis on the role of the Spirit in the early Christian community, glossolalia in Acts “should be seen as a legitimate example of the way God worked through these Christian pioneers to the end that all men might come into the circle of the redeemed.”
Turning to Paul, Mills notes the ambiguity of the account in First Corinthians and the seeming ambivalence of Paul’s attitude towards “strange speech.” He concludes that Paul accepted speaking in tongues as at least one valid “gift of the Spirit” while cautioning moderation and tolerance, and that therefore Paul’s attitude is not different from Luke’s—that glossolalia is a legitimate expression of the indwelling power of the Spirit.
At this point Mills goes astray. He insists that Luke’s account of glossolalia in Acts (Pentecost) should be considered primary. Evidently his reasons are the ambiguity of Paul’s teaching on glossolalia and the question over whether glossolalia at Corinth was a true “gift of the Spirit” or merely an attempt to imitate Pentecost. Luke’s account, however, is at least two generations removed from the event at Pentecost, while Paul’s interpretation of “tongues” in First Corinthians speaks to a situation immediately at hand.
Glossolalia in the New Testament was seen as one manifestation of the ecstatic union with the Spirit, but not the only or even the normative one. This is the conclusion to which Mills comes, but on the basis of Paul, not Luke. In his final chapter, he encourages the nonglossolaliac to get behind the “noise” of this “strange speech” and hear what the glossolaliac is saying. It may be, he suggests, “that one of the greatest needs of the modern church is to rediscover the tremendous resources of the Holy Spirit. All of Christendom needs to experience the joy and vigor of the Spirit’s presence.” Mills leaves the reader with what is surely the right question to be pondered: “Could it be that through this ‘strange stirring’ in the church God may be calling Christians to a higher level of faith and service?”
Off The Beaten Path
A Tudor Tapestry: Men, Women and Society in Reformation England, by Derek Wilson (University of Pittsburgh, 1972, 287 pp., $9.95), is reviewed by A. N. S. Lane, doctoral candidate in church history, Cambridge University, England.
The tapestry of the Tudor period presented a story by a series of panels, each depicting a scene or event. That is what Derek Wilson’s book succeeds in doing for the English Reformation from 1520 to 1546.
In the foreword this book is aptly described also as “a landscape, the deepest recessions of which are from time to time pulled into focus by the telescope of research.” The nine chapters progress stage by stage through the developing Reformation. But whereas most books speed the reader down the much travelled highways of this landscape, Wilson has chosen rather to lead him through the less explored country lanes. He seeks to show how the Reformation affected ordinary men and women, though his “ordinary” folk are almost entirely gentry. This he does by considering especially some Lincolnshire families, mainly the Ayscough family (pronounced Askew).
All except the most important footnotes are put at the end of the book, a practice that will no doubt please the layman as much as it irritates the scholar. The style is not always what one would associate with a scholarly work (two chapters take the form of individuals musing over their past careers), but this should not lead one to underestimate the book. Many years of painstaking work with the primary sources lie behind it. The foreword is correct in stating that this study is “based upon massive evidence rather than upon dogmatic and question-begging ideologies” (such as those associated with Weber and Tawney).
The chapter titles are taken from chess, a happy choice for the year of Bobby Fischer. Don’t attempt to guess the contents of the chapters from the titles. The “King’s Bishop” is John Longland, not Cranmer. There are chapters on Lincolnshire, covering Sir William Ayscough (“A Knight’s Progress”), the 1536 rising (“Knight’s Defensive”), and the aftermath thereof (“Rival Knights”). Centered more on the court are those chapters on Thomas Cromwell (“Pawns in the Game,” which concentrates on his Nottinghamshire agents) and the aftermath of his execution (“Check, Countercheck”). In the final chapters the two themes are blended as Anne Ayscough moves into the center of the stage and becomes engulfed in the court intrigues. The book ends with her martyrdom in 1546 with John Lascelles, one of the Nottinghamshire pawns. There is a brief epilogue on the futures of the causes and families discussed.
By concentrating on the study of more obscure persons, Wilson succeeds in showing what was happening in the country at large, and not just at the center. The extent to which Reformation doctrine took root under Henry VIII is a good example of this.
The book is not totally without blemish. For example, Anne of Cleves may have kept her head because she was continental rather than because she was plain. Also, it seems strange to denote the Protestant position repeatedly as “liberal.” Several times Wilson speaks of the rise of a new middle class as a characteristic of this period without showing awareness of penetrating criticisms of this theory by J. H. Hexter.
But the bulk of the book is fresh and interesting. Although the obscurity of most of the characters makes it impossible for all but specialists in that precise area to vouch for the accuracy of many points, the standards of the book as a whole inspire confidence in the author.
This Tudor tapestry is most attractively presented. There are not only eight plates of illustrations but also five pages of family trees and three pages of maps. These last two items are an invaluable aid in following the text, especially where it becomes genealogically complex. There are also a nine-page index and a six-page bibliography.
Because of the subject matter, this well-produced and very readable study is not for those who know nothing of the period; for them a book like A. G. Dickens’s The English Reformation would be much, more useful. For one who has already made the journey once up the main highway, however, this tour round the country lanes is warmly to be recommended. Studies like this of other bypaths in the history of the Church are much needed.
NEWLY PUBLISHED
When Parochial Schools Close, by Martin Larson (Luce [McKay, 750 Third Ave., New York, N. Y. 10017], 313 pp., $7.50). What really has happened to the public schools—and their financing—in those cities where, gradually or suddenly, large numbers of students at Catholic schools have transferred to them? Research gathered in this book shows that parochaid propaganda is far removed from the real situation. (See also editorial, page 28.)
The Christian and Social Action, by Charles Furness (Revell, 256 pp., $8.95). The head of the social-work department of Philadelphia College of Bible discusses the biblical bases for contemporary expressions of Christian concern with social problems.
Buddhism, Christianity, and the Future of Man, by Douglas A. Fox (Westminster, 184 pp., $6.95). A comparison of two great religious systems by one who knows and is sympathetic to Buddhism but subscribes to Christianity and recognizes that both cannot be true. Although Fox does not try to gloss over the conflict, he offers no real basis for choosing between them, and concludes that both can be “meaningful.”
Maria, by Maria von Trapp (Creation House, 203 pp., $5.95). The story of Baroness von Trapp, from her painful childhood to her recent baptism in the Spirit at one of Notre Dame’s large charismatic conferences.
Are Demons For Real?, by Robert Peterson (Moody, 136 pp., $.75 pb), and My Name Is Legion, by Glenna Henderson (Bethany Fellowship, 128 pp., $3.95). Many accounts of demon possession in Borneo with reflection by missionary Peterson (British title: Roaring Lion), and an autobiographical account of a formerly demon-possessed American.
The Expectation of the Poor, by B. N. Y. Vaughn (Judson, 182 pp., $3.50 pb). The Anglican bishop of British Honduras describes the disillusion of third-world nations with economic development and what the Church can do about it.
The Ideal Church, by Erroll Hulse and others (Carey Publications [5 Fairfield Close, Haywards Heath, Sussex, England], 89 pp., about $1 pb). Papers read last year at a predominantly Calvinistic Baptist conference.
Tired Dragons, by Edwin C. Lynn (Beacon, 272 pp., $12.50). Attempts to provide plans for rejuvenating church buildings and gives examples (with floor plans) of churches that have remodeled. The book affirms that church buildings are not unnecessary.
A Religious History of the American People, by Sydney Ahlstrom (Yale, 1158 pp., $19.50). The definitive one-volume study by the leading authority. He tries to be fair to all phases and beliefs. Well worth the price.
Jesus Power, by Sherwood Eliot Wirt (Harper & Row, 124 pp., $4.95). The author, who stands close to the center of the evangelistic dynamic in our age, gives biblical and psychological insights into the nature of the human will to power and how it can be redeemed and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Timely and stimulating.
The Problem With Prayer Is …, by David Hubbard (Tyndale, 91 pp., $.95 pb). Very practical help.
Fictional Transfigurations of Jesus, by Theodore Ziolkowski (Princeton, 298 pp., $10). From the late nineteenth century, fiction has evinced a fascination with Jesus. Often the conception of him has been quite different from the evangelical’s, however, and it is these “transfigurations,” wrought by such widely read authors as Hesse, Faulkner, Steinbeck, and Greene, that have been the most influential. Ziolkowski thoroughly explores the change in the image of Jesus and concludes that an even stranger shift is taking place: Judas is replacing Jesus as the central figure.
White Black Man, by Bob Stultz and Phil Landrum (Creation House, 172 pp., $3.95), and The Black Christian Experience, by Emmanuel L. McCall (Broadman, 126 pp., $3.95). These two books provide a shocking contrast. The first grippingly explains the black ghetto man’s life, while the second historically, blandly explores those black Christians who haven’t had it so bad.
Why Priests? A Proposal for a New Church Ministry, by Hans Kiing (Doubleday, 118 pp., $5.95). The controversial Catholic theologian writes much more as if he were with the Plymouth Brethren.
Religion and Bereavement, edited by Austin H. Kutscher and Lillian Kutscher (Health Sciences, 216 pp., $12.50). Essays, readings, and quotations designed to help professional men help the bereaved. Most of the excerpts fall within the Judeo-Christian perspective. Practical advice on funerals and funeral music is also included.
We’re All in This Together: Issues and Options in the Education of Catholics, by Mary Perkins Ryan (Holt, 166 pp., $6.95). Protestant reflection on religious and general education can also be enhanced by the reading of this book.
About School, edited by Mark Tuttle (Lanthorn Publications [Houghton, N. Y. 14744], 144 pp., $2.50 pb). Thought-provoking essays by evangelicals involved in higher education on meanings and methods of Christian colleges.
The Shape of the Question, by Kent S. Knutson (Augsburg, 128 pp., $2.50 pb). A serious attempt by the head of the American Lutheran Church to rephrase and understand questions about the nature and person of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the Church. Fails to discern the apostate elements in certain “radical” theologies and thus, despite its winsome style, is a weak contribution to a vital discussion.
East to Eden, by Charles Corwin (Eerdmans, 181 pp., $2.95 pb). Taking the current Western fascination with Eastern religions as his point of departure, the author explores the impact of biblical religion and the concepts it created on social change in the Orient, especially Japan, and comes up with some striking and persuasive reversals of traditional clichés.
What’s a Nice Jewish Boy Like You Doing in the First Baptist Church?, by Bob Friedman (Regal, 102 pp., $1.25 pb), and Pursued, by Vera Schlamm with Bob Friedman (Regal, 212 pp., $1.25 pb). What happens when a Jew becomes a Christian? These two books explain the difficulties and the joys involved in such a reversal. Considering the upsurge in the “Jews for Jesus” movement and the antagonism of “Jews for Judaism,” these are timely volumes to read and to pass on to your Jewish friends.
Confronting Popular Cults, by Thomas Starkes (Broadman, 122 pp., $1.95 pb). Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Armstrongism, Christian Science, Unitarianism, and American expressions of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are covered in an excellent introduction. Good text for study groups.
Raping Our Children, by Gloria Lentz (Arlington, 224 pp., $7.95). Despite its grotesque title, this book is soberly written and gives a wealth of background information on the burgeoning business of school sex-education programs, bureaucratically imposed and commercially exploited with scant consideration for the welfare of the pupils, the rights of parents, and Judaeo-Christian moral standards. Inconclusive but thought-provoking.
Winning Souls Through Buses, by Jim Vineyard (Impact Books, 160 pp., $3.95). Very practical guide by bus director at three congregations where it has really worked.
The New Testament: The History of Investigation of Its Problems, by Werner Georg Kümmel (Abingdon, 510 pp., $10.95). A masterly survey of the history of New Testament research by the successor to Rudolf Bultmann at Marburg. To balance its tendency to neglect British and more conservative scholarship, use an earlier work by Stephen Neill, The Interpretation of the New Testament, 1861–1961 (Oxford, 1964).
Helping the Helpers to Help: Mental Health Consultation to Aid Clergymen in Pastoral Work, by Ruth Caplan (Seabury, 241 pp., $6.95). Report, with examples, of Harvard psychiatrists’ attempts to assist (not replace) clergymen involved in counseling. Wider implications are discussed.
Art and the Religious Experience: The “Language” of the Sacred, by F. David Martin (Bucknell, 257 pp., $15). Drawing on all the art forms—music, literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture—Martin explains that the arts have become the religious experience (á la Matthew Arnold). Christians who want to understand our culture need to recognize this, and Martin provides a good introduction.
The Public Servant and the Pastor, by A. James Armstrong (Tidings [1908 Grand Ave., Nashville, Tenn. 37203], 56 pp., $1 pb), lectures delivered by Bishop A. James Armstrong at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church that attempt to focus on the whole gospel mission.
Ecumenical Progress: A Decade of Change in the Ecumenical Movement 1961–71, by Norman Goodall (Oxford, 173 pp., $10.25). Sequel to a 1961 book on the World Council of Churches by one long associated with the council. An adequate reference work, but not to be considered a critical appraisal.
The Expanded Life, by Myron S. Augsburger (Abingdon, 127 pp., $3.25), and The Old Law and the New Law, by William Barclay (Westminster, 121 pp., $1.95). Two books that can be used in creative study of discipleship. Augsburger considers only the Sermon on the Mount, while Barclay includes the Ten Commandments in his study. The former has a more stylistically imaginative approach.
Confessions of a Heretic, by Dave Hunt (Logos, 216 pp., $2.50 pb). Tells of wheeling and dealing in lumber, real estate, and other commercial endeavors, with frequent “miraculous” aid to stay one jump ahead of creditors and lawmen. He also relates in a kind of sub-plot the difficulties with his Brethren assembly brought on by his naïve but vigorous enthusiasm for the charismatic movement.
