religion update iv

7/27/2019 Religion Update IV

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The Ways Forward in Biblical and Religious Studies

A QUARTERLY RESOURCE OCTOBER 2013 VOL.60

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F e a t u r e | R e l i g i o n U p d a t e

bestselling Hebrew Bible scholar WalterBrueggemann finds striking correlationsbetween the destruction of Jerusalem in587 B.C.E. and the catastrophic crisis of9/11, says Eerdmans senior editor Allen

Myers. The book charges that the char-acteristic U.S. ideology of exceptional-ismchosenness, entitlement, privi-legemust be countered by propheticrealism and truth-telling.

In Hebrew Bible studies, the Psalms aremaking a comeback. Weve responded toa renewed interest in the Psalms withbooks from major scholars, says WJKsRatcliff. Patrick D. Millers The Lord of the

Psalms (WJK, Nov.) attends to the Psalteras a window into the character of God,both for ancient Israel and contemporarypersons. Bernd Janowskis Arguing withGod: A Theological Anthropology of the Psalms (WJK, Oct.) demonstrates what thePsalms can reveal about ancient Israelsunderstanding of what it means to behuman. And doing for David what many

Aug.), the follow-up to their To Each ItsOwn Meaning (WJK, 1993), Steven L.McKenzie and John Kaltner, editors,explore recent developments in, andapproaches to, biblical criticism since

1999.The New Testament contains such dif-

ferent kinds of writing andreflects such a diverse culturaland religious background thatreading its various texts can bechallenging. Warren Carterand Amy-Jill Levine introducethree aspects of New Testamentstudy in The New Testament:

Methods and Meanings (Abing-don, Nov.).

THE FIRST TESTAMENT

In the Hebrew Bible, prophets regularlywarned Israel that if it continued its arro-gant and selfish ways, God would punishthe nation. In Reality, Grief, Hope: ThreeUrgent Prophetic Tasks (Eerdmans, Jan.),

In John, Jesus, and the Renewal o f Israel (Eerdmans, Nov.), Richard Horsley andTom Thatcher approach the Gospel of

John as story, examining the ways the oralcommunication of Jesus as prophet

prompted renewal of community andresistance to imperial powers in the earlyChristian movement. Readingthe Epistles of James, Peter, John,

and Jude as Scripture by DavidNienhuis and Robert Wall(Eerdmans, Nov.) offers freshreadings of the so-called Cath-olic epistles, arguing that thelet ters are intent ional lydesigned and theologicallycoherent. Westminster JohnKnox executive editor RobertA. Ratcliff says, The ferment and exper-imentation that have so characterizedbiblical studies in recent years show nosign of slowing down. In New Meanings

for Ancient Texts: Recent Approaches to BiblicalCriticism and Their Applications (WJK,

Bart Ehrman

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R e l i g i o n U p d a t e P r o f i l e s

P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y O C T O B E R 7 , 2 0 1 316

Veronica Mary Rolf

Following theLight of Julian

of NorwichVeronica Mary Rolfs relationship with

Julian of Norwich, the 14th-century mys-tic, began on 91st Street and Fifth Avenuein Manhattan. A theology teacher at theConvent of the Sacred Heart quoted Juliansmost famous lineAll shall be welltoRolf in a time of crisis. Then a youngBroadway performer and dancer, Rolffound comfort in the words of this womanwho seemed worlds away. I was in crisis alot, because I was doing eight Broadwayshows a week and doing ballet shows, andrunning myself ragged, Rolf says. And Iwas trying to live out my Christian faith inthe world of the theater.

Years later, Rolf placed Revelations of Divine Love, Julians reections on 16 mys-tical visions of Christs passion, on hernightstand. She has continued to refer toit throughout her career as she trains anddirects actors around the globe. Julianasked all the big questions I was goingthrough growing up, Rolf recalls. I lovedhow she confronted fears, and I was in aweof her total trust in Gods unconditionallove. Her probing mind and largehearted-ness made her appealing. Julian becamemy mentor and guide.

Rolf later moved from New York Cityto Berkeley, Calif., where she lives withher husband of 42 years. In addition toworking at Berkeley Repertory Theater,she began a lecture series on the history ofChristian mysticism. Rolf was thrilled

when her students also showed interest in

IN Profiledeaths of Jobs fam-ily, Larrimore says.

Now Larrimore isa messenger of a dif-ferent kind as the author of The Book of Job:

A Biography (Oct.) . As part of PrincetonUniversity Presss Lives of Great ReligiousBooks series, The Book of Job is not a bibli-cal commentary but a reception historythat traces how philosophers, rabbis, poets,and others have interpreted Job throughthe centuries. Larrimore, a philosopher atEugene Lang College The New School forLiberal Arts, says he is interested in thepresentation and conversation about Job.

How people address Job in differenteras, Larrimore suggests, reveals as muchabout the interpreters themselves as about

Job. For example, centuries ago there wasmuch hand-wringing about why Godgets into a wager with Satan in the rstplace. Is God playing dice? And early rab-bis were often nervous about the ques-tion of whether Job was Jewish.

Today, if anything, the ambiguity of Jobs religious identity is part of the booksappeal. Because Job has a relationshipwith God outside of the covenant, it makeshim a quintessentially modern figure,Larrimore explains. Job stands alone fac-ing God, and I think thats true of manymodern religious people.

In fact, Larrimore notes that the Bookof Job has taken on a literary life of itsown apart from the rest of the Bible. Insome Great Books courses in colleges, Jobis the only thing they read from the Bible.This is in direct contrast to earlier gen-erations, when people said, This book isreally hard to understand! Good thing wehave the rest of the Bible to help us makesense of it.

Both classical and modern interpretershave roundly criticized Jobs friends, whoare infamous for their unhelpful advice, but

Larrimore believes we should be careful of

Julian of Norwich. Everyone wanted toknow more about the woman, and I real-ized I did, too, she says. Rolf quit herwork in theater to immerse herself in thehistory and drama of the 14th century.The result is Julians Gospel: The Life &

Revela tions of Jul ian of Norwich (OrbisBooks, Oct.) .

The rst part of the book delves into thehistory surrounding Julians life as a clois-tered nun in 14th-century England whoexperienced a series of visions of Christand began to write about them; the secondpart delves deeper into Julians reectionsthrough a chapter-by-chapter commen-tary. The text consists of Rolfs originaltranslation of Julians reections from theMiddle English. She tells the essentialChristian message of Gods unconditionallove, but in a womans voice and point ofview, Rolf says. I think thats a voice weneed to hear, especially in our churchestoday. In her translation, Rolf lets standsome Middle English words, syntax, andphraseology, viewing these as texturedentry points into Julians voice, both phys-ical and spiritual. She adds, Julian breaksopen the gospel. She startles you.

Rolf hopes that her historical look at Julians life will help draw readers into Julians spirituality and story, so they willbetter understand her. Its a drama of thesoul, Rolf says. Julian wanted us to gothrough what she went through to realizewhat she realized. Then we can start tolook at the fact of revelation in our ownlives. Kerry Weber

Mark LarrimoreJob Through the AgesMark Larrimore was still in high schoolwhen he had his rst experience with theBook of Job: he had a bit part in ArchibaldMacLeishs play J.B. , a dramatization ofthe Bibles famous rumination on suffer-ing. I didnt get to be Job, or God, orSatan, or any of the friends, but I was the

messenger who brought all the news of the


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this. Although the friends appear cluelessand limited, Larrimore says there is no tex-tual evidence that they ever leave Jobs side,and this constancy in itself teaches us some-thing.

Larrimore cites the later chapters of theBook of Jobthe theophany when Godcalls attention away from human experi-ence and toward the rest of creationasparticularly relevant to contemporarythinkers who approach the book with aholistic, environmental sensibility. Hisown next book, as yet untitled, is relatedto this; it explores human ethics in thecontext of broader moral communities,which includes animals, plants, and rocks.

Jana Riess

Molly WorthenEvangelical ParadoxesThere is nothing like teaching religioushistory at a world-class university thathappens to be in the Bible Belt, saysMolly Worthen, assistant professor of his-

tory at the Univer-sity of North Caro-lina at Chapel Hill.The diverse student body of Baptists,Mormons, atheists, and everyone inbetween constantly challenges Worthento rethink her assumptions. This freshperspective informs her second book,

Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism (Oxford Univer-sity Press, Nov.), which examines the dia-logue and debate between religiousauthority and secular reason that hasshaped modern evangelical doctrine.

Worthen grew up in a secular family,but became interested in spiritual thoughtduring her college years. Curious about

the history of humanitys speculationsabout the supernatural, Worthen spentone summer living with an obscureRussian Orthodox sect in rural Alberta,attending their ve-hour worship services

and learning to slaughter chickens. Thisexceptional real-life experience fed herfascination with how people translateabstract theology into real life. Her laterwork as a freelance journalist (she haswritten for the New York Times, Sla te,Christianity Today, and other publications)sharpened her interest in the history ofthose religious traditions that are mostinuential in America today, particularlyevangelicalism.

Apostles of Reason is different in scopefrom Worthens rst book, The Man onWhom Nothing Was Lost (HoughtonMifin Harcourt, 2007), a political biog-raphy of Yale professor Charles Hill. Herrst book considered politics and historythrough a single lens; the new one isbroader. Worthen approached the diver-

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sity of American evangelicalism byincluding all Protestants who have cir-cled around a shared set of questionsabout how to connect with Jesus, recon-cile faith and reason, and live out their

religion in an increasingly pluralisticworld, she explains. Worthen thenexamined core samples of the mostinfluential traditions to see how theyanswered those questions.

Asked if any particular evangelicalmovement most strongly illustrates herassertion of deep-rooted paradoxes inevangelical beliefs and behaviors,Worthen mentions younger believerswho have turned to Catholic monasticismin recent years. These new monastics,Worthen says, are looking for a firmsource of authority that the averageevangelical megachurch doesnt provide.On the other hand, these same seekers areindividualistic Americans who resist fol-lowing a single religious authority andinstead tend to pick and choose teachings.The paradox, says Worthen, is this: themore they pursue historical, hierarchicaltraditions like Catholicism, the moreradically evangelical they often become.

Worthen takes nothing at face value;her probing scholarly approach allows herto turn an idea around and examine itfrom all angles. A core nding, for exam-plethat evangelicals escalate theiropposition to modern biblical scholarshipwith every new scientic or historical dis-coveryis interesting on its own.Worthen, however, doesnt stop there.She goes on to uncover the sincere beliefbehind the opposition, by people whosee themselves as the most faithful dis-c ip l e s o f b o th Ch r i s t a nd t heEnlightenment. Apostl es of Reason isWorthens intriguing examination of theways in which evangelicals have tried tocraft an approach to knowledge that bal-ances the opposing authorities of religionand secular reason. Sheila M. Trask

Scot McKnightBible PoliticsIf someone were to tell you, The Biblehas nothing to do with politics, would

you believe them? Most likely not,


because it seemsthat today stanceson various issuesfrom every political perspective comeundergirded with proof texts from theGood Book. Still, the question remains:what does the Bible have to do with poli-tics? According to New Testamentscholar, historian, and author Scot McK-night, quite a lot.

When he hears young evangelicals saythings like, Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not,McKnight explains to them what they arereally saying. They are surprised by allthe politics involved [in the NewTestament]they just werent aware.

Combining his dedication to the studyof the New Testament with his passionateviews on faith and politics, McKnightworked with co-editor Joseph B. Modicaand several prominent scholars to pro-duce IVP Academics collection of essays,

Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not: Evaluat ingEmpire in New Testament Studies(Apr.) .

Reared Baptist, McKnight always tookthis Christian view at face value. Then inseminary he came across Ronald J. Siders

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger . Fromthat point on, McKnight was on a trajec-tory toward Anabaptism. I am moreAnabaptist today than ever, he says,which means I believe that the heart ofthe Christian commitment is in thechurch and not in the political sector.

Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not interpretsthe New Testament in its Roman politi-cal context. McKnight argues that overthe past two decades, such empire criti-cisma method of New Testamentstudies aiming to place Jesus life andministry within the Roman politicalcontexthas emerged in reaction toscholars own political views. Specicallyin the U.S., McKnight and his co-authorsfound an uncanny connection between

the [critics] personal politics and the

amount of empire criticism [they] nd inthe New Testament.

And while McKnight says he is notnave enough to think anyone can escapetheir own politics when reading the New

Testament, he believes the multiauthorapproach he and Modica took in puttingtogether this critical evaluation of empirecriticism provides perspective. In the end,they concluded, empire critics werestretching the evidence, he says.

Even though it is his academic conclu-sion, it does not sit well with McKnightsspirituality. As an Anabaptist, I wantempire criticism to be trueit ts withwhat I already believe, he says, whichmeans I believe the Christians calling isto rst and foremost follow Jesus regard-less of political implications. As a histo-rian, however, he says, as I watchedempire criticism grow, I thought we wereseeing far more politics at work than is fairto the evidence. There lies the moral ofthe story for McKnight. We need tobecome more conscious of the inuence ofour own politics on the way we read theBible, he says.

Still, McKnight believes Jesus Is Lord,Caesar Is Not bears not only exegeticalvalue but also political force. This bookhelps us see the kinds of politics at workin the New Testament and how Christianscan follow Jesus in our pluralistic worldtoday more effectively. For McKnightthat means pledging allegiance to Jesusand, as a result, engaging social, moral,and political issues from a different start-ing point, a different lordship.

Ken Chitwood

Johnny Bernard Hill

Turning Rageinto Action

Johnny Bernard

Hill, a Morehouse College graduate

R e l i g i o n U p d a t e | P r o f i l e s


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R e l i g i o n U p d a t e R e v i e w s


Paul and the Faithfulness ofGodN.T. Wright. Fortress, $89.95 trade paper(1,700p) ISBN 978-0-8006-2683-9

A ccording to acclaimed New Testa-ment scholar Wright ( The Resurrectionof the Son of God ), most works on Paul focuson his ideas of salvation and justification asthe centerpiece of Pauline theology. In thismagisterial study, the former bishop of Dur-ham passionately challenges those readingsof Paul by exploring the ways that Paulstheology develops out of, and in conversa-tion with, the competing cultural, philo-sophical, and religious views of his day. InParts I and II of his provocative book,Wright painstakingly examines the Jewish,Greek, and Roman contexts in which Paulstruggled to develop his thought; in PartsIII and IV, Wright closely reads Pauls lettersto illustrate how Pauls theology evolved inresponse to these influences. Out of thisengagement with his world, Paul developsthree categories central to his theology:monotheism, election, and eschatology:one God, one people of God, one future forGods world. Wright concludes: Paul wasdoing theology because the life of Godspeople depended on it, depended on hisdoing it initially for them, then as soon aspossible with them, and then on their beingable to go on doing it for themselves. AllPauls theology is thus pastoral theology.(Nov.)

iGods: How TechnologyShapes Our Spiritual andSocial LivesCraig Detweiler. Brazos, $16.99 tradepaper (256p) ISBN 978-1-58743-344-3

Detweiler ( A Matrix of Meanings), whoteaches communication at PepperdineUniversity, in Malibu, Calif., examinestodays technology, from Apple to Insta-gram, and its impact on Americans spiri-tual lives. He knows the literature, organizes

it as a good information curator should, and

Books in Review

Professor Baden sifts out the myth and polit-ical spin from the biblical evidence thatshows that King David was a subjugatingusurper who unseated the popular and ableKing Saul. After explaining the traditions

underlying Davids idealized character (e.g.,the attribution of Psalms to Davids hand,the tendency of later works to tidy hisrecord), Baden opens up the text to the layreader. He presents the plausible historicalevents leading to Davids claiming of thethrone, the nature of his reign, and, some-what speculatively, the significance of Solo-mons succession. That the biblical accountof Davids rise to power is a political apol-ogyan answer to the contemporarycharges against him, which included impli-cation in murders and regicideis not newsto those familiar with critical Bible scholar-ship. Badens offering, however, is notable aspart of a recent trend, even in traditionalcircles, to view critical scholarship as essen-tial to general Jewish religious self-under-standing, rather than as an academic orpotentially subversive exercise. (Oct.)

Religion Without GodRonald Dworkin. Harvard Univ., $17.95(192p) ISBN 978-0-674-72682-6

F or years, the Christian Right has beenarguing that secular humanism, anethical and humanistic system of viewingthe world without reference to God, shouldbe considered a religion. Now, from theopposite direction, Dworkin ( Justice forHedgehogs) argues the same. In his last book,the late Dworkin, an atheist, believes thatatheists share with theists a strong ethicalsensibility as well as an appreciation of aes-thetics that opens them to a sense of awe andan experience of the sublime that is similarto religious transcendence. He also asserts,in what is no doubt music to the ears ofChristian evangelicals, a belief that the twoassumptionsthat a god does or does notexistseem on a par from the perspective ofscience. Although it will possibly outragesuch fellow atheists as Richard Dawkins,who want to keep a distinct demarcationbetween religion and atheism, Dworkinscharacteristically well-argued book raisesmany provocative questions worthy of fur-

ther discussion. (Oct.)

cites the provocative and deeper thinkerssuch as Jaron Lanier and Kevin Kelly. Hedoes forget that not everyone is on Facebookand that smart phones are common but notuniversal, which is understandable given

that he teaches and so is surrounded by thewired generation. The balance betweentheological reflection and simple back-ground reporting could be better tuned.Most of todays technology writers dontunderstand the lure of iDols. An excellentconversation starter recommended for class-room use; Detweiler has made a solid con-tribution to the growing literature aboutreligion and technology. (Nov.)

Prophetic Rage: A Postcolo-nial Theology of Liberation

Johnny Bernard Hill. Eerdmans, $25trade paper (192p) ISBN 978-0-8028-6977-7

The title of this ambitious text from Hill(The First Black President ), an associateprofessor of philosophy and religion at Claf-lin University, suggests that the book mightcontextualize current trends in social justiceand theology. Instead, it capitalizes on the50th anniversary of the watershed March onWashington and the re-election of PresidentBarack Obama as opportunity for reflectionon how theologians and Christians con-sideror fail to considernotions ofempire and nihilism. Hill grew up in theSouth on the edge of a plantation, whichsuggests that his working-class roots mightbe fueling his rage, but the anger to whichthe title alludes is not made clear. Propheticrage as Hill defines it has to do with rightremembering of a brutal past and how itslegacy continues in the present. Hill repeatsparts of his personal story in almost preach-erlike fashion throughout the book. He alsooffers brief calls to action to help the blackcommunity and others who are marginal-ized. (Nov.)

The Historical David:The Real Life of an InventedHero

Joel S. Baden. HarperOne, $26.99(320p) ISBN 978-0-06-218831-1

With a Jewish sensibility and a critical

scholars eye, Yale Divinity School


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T R A D E

My Healthy Church877-240-6680

[email protected]

C A N A D A

David C. Cook 800-263-2664

davidccook.ca

I & II Corinthians$19.99 978-0-88243-853-5

Part 3: Matthew to Acts$7.99 978-1-62423-002-8

Part 2: Job to Malachi$7.99 978-1-62423-001-1

Part 1: Genesis to Esther$7.99 978-1-62423-000-4

Classic TheologyContemporary Accessibility

Part 4: Romans to Revelation$7.99 978-1-62423-003-5

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The Works ofJohn Wesley, Volume 13

9781426766978 | $57.99The New Testament

9781426741906 | $39.99

While meaning-making isthe task of every reader,how we read the NewTestament shapes ourunderstanding of it .

An Illustrated Guideto the Holy Land

9781426757297 | $24.99

The Sermons ofJohn Wesley9781426742316 | $49.99

To All Nationsfrom All Nations

9781426754890 | $49.99

Calvin vs. Wesley 9781426743351 | $17.99

Incarnation9781426757549 | 13.99

To request an exam copy, please visit AbingdonAcademic.com

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