Toward a Theology for the Future ed. by Clark H. Pinnock and David F. Wells
1973; Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception; Volume: 37; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/tho.1973.0054
ISSN2473-3725
Autores Tópico(s)Religion, Society, and Development
Resumo386 BOOK REVIEWS sacraments, the human faith-response remaining indispensably necessary. Again Charles Curran's complaints (the correct term) that "ministry in the Church is practically limited to priestly ministry" (p. 3) is remarkable. His position is that, whereas scripture itself indicates " a great plurality of ministry" in the Church, (p. 32) priestly ministry, quite unfortunately, has come to include all other forms of ministry. This position seems to be historically indefensible and factually untenable. In addition to questions raised in this review, other positions taken by Father Curran in the pages of this work are also open to discussion to say the least. A word should be added-however disagreeable the task-about the author's style of presentation. In his Introduction Father Curran points out that the book began as a series of lectures. (cf. p. 8) This may account for the fact that a tedious repetitiveness, not merely of ideas but of identical phrases, comes to seem never-ending in this work. Only once, in this reviewer's judgment, does the writing come alive, this for a very few pages in the discussion of St. Paul's spirituality. Overall, the style is as dully repetitious as the book's content is theologically poverty-stricken. THOMAS U. MuLLANEY, 0. P. Providence College Providence, Rhode Island Toward a Theology for the Future. Edited by CLARK H. PINNOCK and DAVID F. WELLS. Carol Stream, Illinois: Creation House, 1971. $4.95. Pp. 329. Aggressive and comprehensive are the claims made in the Editors' Preface for the essays collected in this volume. On the one hand, say the Editors, these essays by Evangelical scholars will demonstrate theological workers who have remained committed to biblical Christianity when everyone else has rejected the Bible, leaving shattered convictions. On the other hand, these essays will show that contemporary Evangelical Protestants do not deserve the charges of anti-intellectualism, cultural isolation, and social indifference made against them in the past. Indeed, these essays mean to be a gauntlet cast into the arena of contemporary theological scholarship by Evangelical Protestants. They are to show that Evangelical scholars are " intellectually vigorous and moving toward a fully articulated theology." They are to show that Evangelical scholars have what the situation today demands: " a vigorous restatement of historic belief, " a " convincing and credible way out " of the "dangerous cul-de-sac" theology is now in. More than that, even these essays are to demonstrate a movement toward " constructive Evan- BOOK REVIEWS 387 gelical proposal " for the future of theology. These are mms and high claims. To accomplish these goals, the editors have gathered eleven essays from a wide range of theological areas, essays written by Evangelical Protestants in America, Canada, and England. Of the American authors, the majority are teaching at or have been closely associated with Fuller Theological Seminary. The field of Biblical scholarship is represented by three essays. R. K. Harrison writes on Old Testament study; E. F. Harrison deals with the sayings of Jesus in the New Testament; Palmer Robertson authors an essay on Biblical theology. The areas of historical and systematic theology receive their due. Clark Pinnock, one of the editors, has an essay on contemporary systematic theology. Geoffrey Bromiley writes on Patristic studies. David Wells, a second editor, deals with the relation of theology to the institutional Church today. A discussion of Ethics in the Theology of Hope is provided by Bernard Ramm. And Stanley Obitts' chapter on Hans Kling's view of infallibility belongs also to the area of theology. Concerning the relation of Christianity to culture, three essays are included. One by Harold Ockenga discusses preaching; another by J.D. McDonald offers an Evangelical correlation of theology and culture. And Arthur Glasser writes on the Church's ]\fission and the cultural environment . Strikingly absent is anything on hermeneutics. This is a surprising lacuna, since interpretation of Scripture is a burning problem today, a problem about which Evangelical scholars should have something important to say. This lack leads me to the major criticism I have of this collection of essays. The reader of this book, led by the Editors' Preface, expects some positive statements about new ways to do theological work. He expects not...
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