Interpretation articles from January 2007

Interpretation archives from January 2007

Guest editorial.(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... READERS OF THIS JOURNAL MAY ALREADY be familiar with a long-running series of books in which all the titles begin with a question, "What are they saying about...?" The point of the series is to introduce non-specialists and students to the...

Theology of religions after Knitter and Hick: beyond the paradigm.(Paul Knitter, John Hick)
January 1, 2007... The project in Christian theology known as the theology of religions is new only in the sense that it has occurred within the modernist paradigm, in largely Western civilizations, and in roughly the past fifty years. North American and European...

Theology of religions after Knitter and Hick: beyond the paradigm--a response to Terry Muck.(Critical essay)
January 1, 2007... Terry Muck's article, "Theology of Religions after Knitter and Hick: Beyond the Paradigm," identifies key challenges that face scholars and pastors facing the reality of religious pluralism in today's Christian missionary endeavors. Muck...

Can we get "beyond the paradigm"?--a response to Terry Muck's proposal in theology of religions.(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2007... I first encountered Terry Muck's work while in graduate school doing research on the topic of theology of religions. Coming from a conservative Protestant--more specifically, classical Pentecostal--background, I was pleasantly surprised to...

Christians, Muslims (and Jews) before the one God: Jean Danielou on mission revisited.(Critical essay)
January 1, 2007... In the slim companion volumes, Advent and The Salvation of the Nations, (1) written in the relative obscurity of German occupation, published in 1947 and 1948 and soon translated into English, Jean Danielou exercises his engaged scholarship in...

The Bible, mission, and social location: toward a missional hermeneutic.
January 1, 2007... How do we read the Bible faithfully? Whether or not this fundamental question is consciously articulated, the Christian community confronts it in every age and context. The question has inspired fierce hermeneutical debates of all sorts;...

Exodus 20:1-6.(Between Text & Sermon)(worship of idol in Exodus)
January 1, 2007... THE FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS, which forbid the worship of other gods and prohibit the making of idols, are foundational to faith and practice in Christianity and Judaism (Exod 20:1-6; also Deut 5:6-10). Together they speak of the...

Psalm 36:5-11.(Between Text & Sermon)
January 1, 2007... THIS LECTIONARY SEGMENT OF PS 36 consists of five verses that express a confident trust in the Lord's steadfast love and two verses of a concluding prayer. If this passage were set aside and considered as a separate psalm, it would be...

John 19:38-42.(Between Text & Sermon)(Good Friday)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2007... AS A SMALL BOY, I ASKED MY MOTHER, "Why do we call the day Jesus died 'Good Friday'"? I could see nothing good about the brutal death of an innocent man. My mother thought a minute and responded: "The day was good because Jesus' death made it...

Philippians 2:1-11.(Between Text & Sermon)(Philippines)
January 1, 2007... MANY SCHOLARS CONCLUDE THAT THE present epistle to the Philippians is a compilation of two (or more) letters. I follow those who think that chs. 3 and 4 are from the first letter Paul wrote to the congregation to thank them for financial...

Muslims and the Gospel: Bridging the Gap.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Muslims and the Gospel: Bridging the Gap by Roland E. Miller Lutheran University Press, Minneapolis, 2006. 452 pp. $35.00. ISBN 1-932688-07-2. AS ROLAND MILLER APPROACHES the subject of bridging the gap between Muslims and the...

Song of Songs.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Song of Songs by Robert W. Jenson Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 106 pp. $24.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-804-23117-6. WITH THE PUBLICATION OF THIS volume on the Song...

Song of Songs: A Commentary.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Song of Songs: A Commentary by J. Cheryl Exum Old Testament Library. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 263 pp. $39.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-664-22190-4. CHERYL EXUM'S COMMENTARY represents the most recent addition to the Old...

Encounters with Biblical Theology.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Encounters with Biblical Theology by John J. Collins Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 243 pp. $22.00. ISBN 0-8006-3769-0. THE MAIN PART OF THIS stimulating book is comprised of papers published elsewhere over the past thirty years,...

Theology for Liberal Presbyterians and Other Endangered Species.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Theology for Liberal Presbyterians and Other Endangered Species by Douglas F. Ottati Geneva, Louisville, 2006. 144 pp. $17.95. ISBN 0-664-50289-X. THERE ARE TWO REASONS to read Douglas Ottati's book. First, it does a very good job...

The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament, an East West Conversation.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament--An East-West Conversation by John J. Thatamanil Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 256 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8006-3793-3. THIS BOOK IS PART of a bold new effort to reorient...

Hagar, Sarah, and Their Children: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Hagar, Sarah, and Their Children: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives edited by Phyllis Trible and Letty M. Russell Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 211 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-664-22982-4. MODELING A COMMUNITY that...

The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery by Raimon Panikkar Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 141 pp. $16.00. ISBN 0-8006-3825-5. IN THIS MEDITATION on the experience of God, Raimon Panikkar, a Roman Catholic priest from India and...

Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac by Edward Kessler Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004. 222 pp. $75.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-521-83542-9. USING GEN 22:1-14 as a test case, Edward Kessler pursues the...

Rethinking the Pentateuch: Prolegomena to the Theology of Ancient Israel.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Rethinking the Pentateuch: Prolegomena to the Theology of Ancient Israel by Anthony F. Campbell and Mark A. O'Brien Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 183 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-664-22809-7. ANTHONY CAMPBELL AND Mark O'Brien...

Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus by William R. Herzog II Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2005. 243 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-664-22528-4. EXAMINING THE ECONOMIC, political, and social aspects of Jesus'...

Johannine Discipleship as a Covenant Relationship.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Johannine Discipleship as a Covenant Relationship by Rekha M. Chennattu Hendrickson, Peabody, Mass., 2006. 256 pp. $29.95. ISBN 1-56563-668-6. THE THEME OF DISCIPLESHIP is an important item on the agenda of many churches these...

Servant Leadership: Jesus and Paul.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Servant Leadership: Jesus and Paul by Efrain Agosto Chalice Press, St. Louis, 2005. 248 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-827234-63-5. EFRAIN AGOSTO PRESENTS a closely argued NT study of the much-abused subject of religious leadership. He...

Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith by Francis Watson T & T Clark International, London, 2004. 584 pp. $54.95. ISBN 0-567-08232-6. PAUL'S USE OF THE OT has become in recent years an important subset in the larger pursuit of the...

James and Jude.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... James and Jude By William F. Brosend II New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2004, 206 pp, $60 (cloth). ISBN 0-521-81482-0, Also available: $20.99 ISBN 0-521-89201-5. THIS CONTRIBUTION TO the New...

Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, General Editor Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2005. 896 pp. $49.99 (cloth). ISBN 0-8010-2694-2. THE CHARACTER OF THE usual contemporary dictionary of the...

Christ Present in Faith: Luther's View of Justification.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Christ Present in Faith: Luther's View of Justification by Tuomo Mannermaa Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 156 pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-8006-3711-9. TUOMO MANNERMAA FIRST ADVANCED his thesis more than a quarter century ago during ecumenical...

Introducing Radical Orthodoxy: Mapping a Post-secular Theology.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Introducing Radical Orthodoxy: Mapping a Post-secular Theology by James K. A. Smith Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2004. 291 pp. $21.99. ISBN 0-8010-2735-7. THIS BOOK PROVIDES AN accessible yet extensively documented "introduction"...

The Bible and Empire: Postcolonial Explorations.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Bible and Empire: Postcolonial Explorations by R. S. Sugirtharajah Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005. 247 pp. $27.99. ISBN 0-521-53191-8. IN HIS LATEST BOOK, R. S. Sugirtharajah, Professor of Biblical Hermeneutics at...

The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology by Amos Yong Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2005. 320 pp. $24.99. ISBN 0-8010-2770-5. IN THIS RATHER AMBITIOUS project, Amos Yong, associate...

Preaching the Atonement.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Preaching the Atonement by Peter Stevenson and Stephen Wright T & T Clark, London, 2005. 207 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-567-08999-1. ALTHOUGH THE TITLE may suggest arid analysis of Anselm, Abelard, and Aulen, Peter Stevenson and Stephen...

The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach by Carrie Doehring Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 184 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-664-22684-1. THIS THOUGHT-PROVOKING and constructive book attends to the matters of knowledge...

Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community.(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, & Community by Scottie May, Beth Posterski, Catherine Stonehouse, and Linda Cannell Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 369 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8028-2228-2. "CHILDREN...

Encountering Jesus and Buddha: Their Lives and Teachings.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Encountering Jesus and Buddha: Their Lives and Teachings by Ulrich Luz and Axel Michaels Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 256 pp. $22.00. ISBN 0-8006-3564-7. This study in the phenomenology of religion analyzes Buddhism and...

Abraham's Children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conversation.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Abraham's Children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conversation edited by Norman Solomon, Richard Harries, and Tim Winter T & T Clark, Harrisburg, 2006. 338 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-6567-08161-3. This collection of essays from the...

The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims by Joan Chittister, Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti, and Arthur Waskow Beacon, Boston, 2006. 218 pp. $24.95 (cloth). ISBN 0-8070-7728-3. A Benedictine...

Humanity before God: Contemporary Faces of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Ethics.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Humanity Before God: Contemporary Faces of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Ethics edited by William Schweiker, Michael A. Johnson, and Kevin Jung Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 326 pp. $22.00. ISBN 0-8006-3822-0. Jewish, Islamic, and...

A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 2d ed.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, Second Edition by J. Maxwell Miller and John H. Hayes Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 562 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-664-22358-3. This revised and updated seminary classroom classic...

Calvin and the Bible.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Calvin and the Bible by Donald K. McKim Cambridge University Press, New York, 2006. 296 pp. $29.99. ISBN 0-521-54712-1. Eleven scholars explore the major themes in Calvin's works beyond Institutes of the Christian Religion. The...

Transforming the Powers: Peace, Justice, and the Domination System.(Book Notes)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Transforming the Powers: Peace, Justice, and the Domination System edited by Ray Gingerich and Ted Grimsrud Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 226 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-8006-3817-4. Engaging Walter Wink's groundbreaking work Naming the...

Interfaces.(Book Notes)(Bibliography)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Interfaces edited by Barbara Green This expanding series is designed to provide a creative and engaging way to approach biblical studies in the undergraduate classroom through in-depth analysis of an individual character or group of...