Andreas J. Kostenberger, Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 270 pages, ISBN 9781581349708.

As suggested by the title, Kostenberger’s interest in “excellence” has to do with Christian scholarship. For Kostenberger, Christian scholarship is the “pursuit of truth on mission for God in the world” (p. 66). The study of Scripture “must always lead to application” (p.80). The goal is “always obedience” as “there is no place in the Bible where God’s people are enjoined to study solely for the sake of study” (p. 80). The pursuit of excellence is different from the pursuit of perfection. Excellence is to not settle for mediocrity. It is pursued in order to fulfill one’s calling effectively, whatever that calling may be and to “bring glory to God.” Kostenberger’s purpose is “to identify, describe, and encourage those virtues essential to fulfilling the specific call to glorify God in the finest way possible through Christian scholarship. Rather than an end in itself, as adding to our own learning, Christian scholarship is a means of “engaging the unbelieving world with the truth of God’s gospel” (p. 65).

Fundamental to “excellence” in Christian scholarship are holiness and spirituality and he relates them not so much to the process of communication as to the person who is doing the communicating. The character of the scholar “bleeds through” what one says or writes and can have either a positive or negative effect upon the hearer or reader. In part two of the book, Kostenberger identifies six different virtues that lead to vocational excellence. These are diligence, courage, passion, restraint, creativity, and eloquence. His recommendations are priceless. This reviewer encourages any would-be writer to take to heart what Kostenberger shares in this part of his book.

Stanley Hauerwas, Working with Words: On Learning to Speak Christian (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2011), 322 pages, ISBN 9781608999682.

I recommend this book to all Christians, and especially to those in pastoral and the theological vocations. Like his other publications, the Duke Divinity School professor of ethics and theology asks poignant hermeneutical and theological questions pertaining to Christian discipleship and witness. In Working With Words, Hauerwas shares his vision, approach, and experience as a pastor-theologian writing for the Christian public. His goal is to paint a vision of God with discipleship and witness in mind. And because he addresses life’s puzzling complexities honestly, this volume will be a good companion to his Hannah’s Child, a memoir of his theological autobiography.

The book has three parts, and Hauerwas writes seven essays for each section. Most of the essays are either public lectures or church sermons that he had shared in recent years. A few other essays fill the gaps for this compilation. Part 1 addresses disciplines for those learning to speak about God. These disciplines include reading, hearing, seeing and naming God amidst evil. Part 2 explains the Christian language of love for a) dealing with greed, b) discerning the Christian body, c) engaging the reality of “finite care[s] in a world of infinite need” (154) and d) explaining what it means for the church to be on a mission. In Part 3, Hauerwas co-writes (with a few theologians) on the lessons he had learned from some of his teachers. These teachers are political philosopher Charles Taylor, political activist-theologian Richard Niebuhr, and philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. He also include a chapter examining the friendship between political pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eberhard Bethge, and a few chapters explaining some of the virtues that underwrites medieval thinker Thomas Aquinas’s writing of Summa Theologicae, contemporary Catholic Social Teaching, and contemporary Methodist theological ethics.

This book is not for the faint of heart or the non-academic reader of philosophy. James R. Peters wraps his thesis around abstract conceptualizations, while he weaves loquacious arguments throughout his book. The text is thickly worded and the reader is urged to keep a dictionary nearby. Essentially, Peters posits a philosophical middle way that balances rationality and mysticism. He proposes that the rationality of the heart must become entangled neither in the objectivity of Modernity, nor in the subjectivity of post-Modernity. In doing so, Peters engages the foundational rationalists (Descartes and Hume) of Modernity conversationally with the mysticism of Augustine and Pascal.

There are two principle difficulties with this book. First, it is elitist in its use of language and written exclusively to the academic community. In doing so, its genre is generally inaccessible to the layperson. Indeed, it is so unapproachable that it may characterize the elitist genre whereby no academic dares to proclaim that the emperor has no clothes, for if one has the courage to confess that Peters is incomprehensible, then one risks the accusation of being dull of mind. Second, Peters has two simultaneous conversations that compete for the reader’s attention. One is in the body of the text and the other is in the footnotes. As a reviewer of this book, it is a noteworthy distraction and one would prefer to see the two conversations merged and the footnotes reserved for reference citations.

How then can someone untrained comprehend this book? We offer three suggestions: First, read the ending first so that you will see the target that the author is aiming at. Second, read the concluding segment of each chapter so that you will discern the logical steps that the author has taken to achieve his goal. Finally, read the introduction to each chapter. Once the reader has a basic understanding of Peters’ theme for the book, then one can begin to explore the depths of his argument. To approach the book with the mindset of reading it front-to-back will undoubtedly find the reader lost before the end of the first chapter.

Reviewed by John R. Miller

Preview The Logic of the Heart: books.google.com/books?id=USJFI8wgQRwC

Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website. Later included in the Spring 2013 issue.

This book is a recent release of Eerdmans (2000), as the second volume of the series called “First-Century Christians in the Graeco-Roman World” for the Institute of Early Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World, Cambridge. As a historical search, the book gives a fascinating socio-historical background of the New Testament which will be helpful to students of Biblical studies. However, the content will also benefit students of practical studies as its major concern is about leadership practice in the early Christian community.

The focus of the book is to discuss “the nature of leadership in the early Christian community … taught by Paul and practiced in the congregations of the first century” (preface, ix). The book is divided into two major sections. The first of these sections mainly deals with different leadership practices of first century Graeco-Roman world, in which Christians had to locate themselves as a distinct social community. The second section is about how early Christians practiced their leadership within the church (and in front of the surrounding culture) as an application of their faith, while living in such diverse social contexts.

After first warning readers about “the hermeneutical gap” between distant Graeco-Roman world and modern society—in language, culture and philosophy—Clarke opens with a confession of the historical ambiguity related to his current topic. He promises that better answers will eventually come from the “significant wealth of archaeological finds” of recent decades (p. 5).

In part one, to overlay his background studies, Clarke categorizes five socio-political parties of Graeco-Roman world and gives detail discussion on each while indicating that how each party could undoubtedly influence the emerging Christian community. These are: wider Graeco-Roman cities and their political leadership tradition, growing Roman colonies (and cities) and their leadership system, less influential Graeco-Roman voluntary associations and their leadership practice, wide use of Roman household structure and patria potestas (absolute authority with the head) concept, and Jewish synagogue structure as the nearest leadership model for emerging Judeo-Christianity.

Scandals pop up everywhere. Type into a Google search, “Scandals of 2012,” and one finds about 81 million results. Are scandals really scandalous in this day and age or is the use of the term “scandalous” simply utilized to gain attention? Admittedly, the title captured me because I sense excitement about the prospect of understanding further how the first century observer of the cross and resurrection might have seen these components of the life of the Christ as scandalous. After reading the thoughtful and insightful text, I was surprised by the direction D.A. Carson took as he guided the reader through ironies, miracles, doubts and unexpected components of the cross and resurrection.

D.A. Carson’s text, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, contains addresses given at the 2008 Resurgence Conference. He indicates the purpose of this book is “to provide an introductory explanation of the cross and resurrection. I do this by unpacking what some of the earliest witnesses of Jesus’ death and resurrection wrote” (p. 11).

Carson’s text examines Matt 27:27-51a, Rom 3:21-26, Rev 12, John 11:1-53 and John 20:24-31. Expository in nature, Carson provides practical illustrations for readers to have another way of looking at the centrality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Carson utilizes Matt 27:27-51a to effectively highlight four ironies that occur at the cross. With increased doubt and skepticism in the world today, Carson reveals that on the cross, Jesus not only cries out in despair but ironically trusts God. Carson borrows from Martin Luther’s idea that Rom 3:21-26 serves as the “center” of the entire Bible (p. 39) and expounds upon Paul’s words to the Romans reinforcing Luther’s claim. The examination of Rev 12 reveals the slaughtered lamb will reign. John 11:1-53 reveals the surprising nature of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, and the book abruptly ends with investigating the doubt of Thomas in John 20:24-31. Carson’s insights may prove useful for personal study and reflection or for the pastor or layperson about to teach or encounter these texts.

In Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, Carson employs poignant phrases that expose and explode pre-suppositions that may negatively impact one’s ability to process the significance of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. One example is the accusation that we are somehow guilty of what Carson calls the “de-godding of God” (p. 68), which appears to be idolatry. Is it idolatry when we worship God for who we want him to be and not who he has revealed himself to be? For example, is it possible that we are guilty of de-godding God when we mention only the love of God on the cross and not the justice of God? Do we strive to teach the revealed nature of God even when it may appear scandalous? Carson undoubtedly gives the reader much to ponder regarding the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Reviewed by Matthew Jones

Preview Scandalous: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Scandalous/ZaCzO7l4jeUC

Jerry Tousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam International. He has also served as a church planter in the Muslim world. This volume is sure to be a source of great encouragement to those who seek to bring others to Jesus, particularly if the “others” are Muslims. While Muslims might be difficult to reach, this book shows that they are reachable. In fact, they are coming to Jesus in large numbers in some parts of the world. This book is an interesting combination of information, strategy, and testimony.

In this book the author not only tells us that a great many Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus but he also shares some of the significant factors that are helping to make this happen. Prayer is, of course, essential because evangelism is a spiritual battle as light seeks to invade darkness. One thing that the Lord is using to reach Muslims is Discovery Bible Studies. In order to set up one of these Bible studies a Christian worker goes into a Muslim area and looks for a “person of peace.” This individual is one who is open to the gospel. Once this person is located he or she is encouraged to gather their family and friends for a Bible study. In this way the ministry is not directed to an individual but to a group of people. What is interesting about the Discovery Bible Studies is that they are not primarily evangelistic in emphasis. They do not seek to make converts; instead, they seek to make disciples. This may sound backward to those of us who live in the West, but it is in fact very biblical (Matthew 28:19-20). The Bible study is designed to expose the people to God’s Word and then to ask them how they should respond to what they have read. The book lists a number of texts and topics that are good for these studies. The topics include: creation, the fall, and redemption. The studies are geared toward moving the hearers toward obedience to the biblical text. As amazing as this may sound, this approach actually works.

The author also mentions some other things that contribute to the success of the gospel among Muslims. I will mention two of them here. The first is a sense of frustration or disillusionment with Islam among Muslims who are spiritually hungry. The other is dreams and visions. The Lord is giving dreams and visions to many Muslims in our day. These supernatural encounters are having a profound impact on them, in many cases bringing them to faith in Jesus.

This book is easy to read and contains encouraging reports of what the Lord is doing around the world today. I think that the Discovery Bible Study method is one that we in the West should take a closer look at and consider using here. It may prove very beneficial in moving us on from gathering converts to making disciples who produce other disciples, which is what Jesus called us to do.

Reviewed by John P. Lathrop

R. T. Kendall, Unashamed to Bear His Name: Embracing the Stigma of Being a Christian (Bloomington, MN: Chosen, 2012), 208 pages, ISBN 9780800795160.

“Ashamed of the Gospel? Who, me?” Today it is easier than ever for individuals to proclaim their religious preference. Targeted mass marketing has made it possible for modern Christians to exhibit their faith at all times with a variety of novelty items. You can wear a parodied Christian t-shirt and offer someone a Bible shaped mint while listening to Christian music in your fish decaled car. In such a Western Christian culture where faith is almost expected to be constantly on display, it can be difficult to admit that there are times when one feels embarrassed, or even ashamed, to be associated with the term “Christian.” I will be the first to admit that I have my list of “Christianisms” that cause me to cringe when I see them acted out in the public arena. I am even more ashamed to confess that there are some aspects of the Gospel message itself are not the most pleasant for me to explain to someone outside of the Christian faith. These are both reasons that the term “Christian” carries (and has always carried) a stigma in the larger realm of society. This stigma is what R. T. Kendall sets out to wrestle with in Unashamed to Bear His Name.

While Kendall admits that much time can be spent arguing over what is offensive and what is not, he lists several activities that he feels are important parts of the unashamed Christian lifestyle. Although the efficacy of the method elicits mixed reactions, Kendall includes confrontational street witnessing in his list, confessing that even he felt ashamed of the behavior at first. At the end of his book he lists three distinct doctrines that, while they can be extremely offensive to non-believers, he believes the church must uphold: creation, predestination, and eternal punishment. Kendall also takes a side in the debate concerning the place of social justice in the Gospel message and strongly cautions that believers not shy away from presenting the stigma of the Gospel as the primary focus when reaching out to the lost.

Darrell L. Bock, Recovering the Real Lost Gospel: Reclaiming the Gospel as Good News (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2010), 146 pages, ISBN 9780805464658.

In a postmodern era engaged in endless speculation and thought provoking possibilities, Dr. Darrell Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), offers a return to the basics of the Gospel. Bock accurately perceives that the message of the Gospel has, at best, become “cloudy.” The messages of promised prosperity, political progress, personal protection or providential piety cloud the clarity of the good news. The purpose of the good news becomes lost in the midst of a world clamoring for something opposed to what they observe on a regular basis. Consequently, Bock attempts to clear the murky waters that have diminished the power of the good news and diluted the message of the Gospel. The author recovers what has been lost in regard to the Gospel so that the reader can experience the transformation available by the act and grace of God through the cross and made possible by the Holy Spirit so that one might know the presence of God.

Experiencing the presence of God involves more than the pneumatic fervor associated with Holy Spirit baptism. Bock, while initiating the discussion of the promise of a relationship with the Holy Spirit, effectively addresses other components essential to experiencing God’s presence. For the primary audience of The Pneuma Review, Bock’s text may not sufficiently emphasize the charismatic nature of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the believer. In spite of this, Recovering the Real Lost Gospel deserves attention from all ministers of the Gospel. The Gospel serves as the core of not only what we are communicating to those willing to hear but also the foundation by which we build upon our relationship with God so we might experience his presence. Bock’s text might further benefit from a greater emphasis upon the charismatic component of experiencing the presence of God. In spite of this, his text acknowledges the significance of the Holy Spirit in relationship to the Gospel.

Methodically utilizing practical and usable illustrations throughout the text, Bock addresses the Gospel and the import of the sacraments, the cross, and the gift of God’s grace. Thankfully, Bock’s text also addresses the reality of sin. He reminds the reader that sin still exists but the beauty of the Gospel woos the follower of Jesus Christ to live in right relationship with God and his creation. Acknowledging and addressing this vital component of the Gospel, Bock jogs the memory of his readers regarding the power of God’s salvation. The Gospel paves the way for repentance, faith, reconciliation and restoration whereby each individual possesses the potential to experience a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. While Bock acknowledges the believer’s relationship with the Holy Spirit, he indicates that recovering the lost Gospel embraces a much more comprehensive understanding of the presence of God.

As a former pastor, I read this text with the pastor and lay leader in mind. I can confidently say that Bock’s text accomplishes its goal to assist in rescuing the Gospel as good news. Even though his emphasis is not upon the charismatic component consequent to the spread of the Gospel, he acknowledges the value and role of the Holy Spirit in experiencing the presence of God. In spite of this lack of emphasis upon the pneumatic nature of our experience with God, reading this text can cause its reader to consider whether the Gospel needs reclamation in one’s personal life and in the life of her or his congregation. I agree that the message of the Gospel has been lost, and thankfully, Darrell Bock helps his readers to reclaim the beauty of the Gospel so that those who lead, teach or interact with this text can assist in rediscovering the beauty of the Gospel.

Reviewed by Matthew Jones

Preview: http://books.google.com/books?id=UwG9bK4-RekC

About the Author
Matthew Jones, Th.M., is currently pursuing a Ph.D. through Regent University in Renewal Studies with a concentration in Biblical Studies while serving as an Advisor and Affiliate Professor at Colorado Christian University. Matt is married to Cathy Jones and loves hanging out with his three children, Hannah, Tyler and Kenzie.

As appearing in the Pneuma Review Spring 2013.

Thesis and Introduction

Scholars from disciplines other than the theological guild have observed the value that congregations play in their members’ everyday lives. When churches engage in the affairs of the community within which they are located, their presence and participation as community leaders result in profound community transformation, impact felt far beyond the walls of the church.¹

State officials and community leaders confirm scholars’ research findings that there is a need for churches to play a leadership role in transforming communities that are victims of urban blight.² Brian Gullins, Program Administrator for the Strengthen Families Initiative at Virginia Department of Social Services, comments that “State governments are beginning to recognize that encouraging the faith community to strengthen families is actually a poverty reduction strategy beneficial to all.”³ Gullins concludes that of the social service and civic organizations within urban communities, the most promising institutions to effectuate community transformation are the churches. He says, “If we could get the churches to partner with us, we could address the issue of absent fathers in a profound way.”⁴ Scott C. Alleman, Associate Commonwealth’s Attorney of the Special Prosecutions Trial Team (Narcotics/Vice) in Virginia Beach adds that when the legal team goes onsite to do a criminal investigation, most of the time there are several churches within a stone’s throw from the crime scene. Alleman comments, “It would be great if we could get the churches to get involved. I think there is huge potential for partnerships and cooperation between the church and law enforcement.”⁵

A lack of church involvement in their own neighborhoods, which baffles state officials and community leaders, appears to be the result of a flawed theological framework undergirding the churches’ ecclesiology.⁶ The most salient questions, moreover, are whether or not churches recognize that God has appointed them as viable mechanisms to lead in holistic transformation. Does their practice of theology allow them to be open and involved in community transformation? Also, given the wide-range of needs and need for a variety of gifts, do churches have an ecumenical⁷ theology that gives them reason to partner with churches of different denominational traditions?

In this essay, I will argue that a prophetic⁸ church is not a single congregation working to make right the wrong in communities and in the world but rather the unified ecumenical coalition of churches that together are a witness to Christ in voice and action. Ecumenical ministries are necessary mechanisms for advancing God’s kingdom on earth. This much-needed conversation on ecumenical coalition building has particular implications towards urban transformation.

A Pentecostal Perspective for An Ecumenical Theology

Twentieth Century American Pentecostalism was born as an ecumenical ministry—people from several different denominational, theological, and doctrinal traditions and different ethnic groups came together based on the common denominator that God was moving by the Holy Spirit.⁹ Walter Hollenweger argues that “the Pentecostal Movement started as an ecumenical revival movement within the traditional churches.”¹⁰ Dale T. Irvin points out that William Seymour, founder of twentieth century American Pentecostalism, understood that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit overcomes hate, bigotry, racism and prejudice, as well as doctrinal and theological differences that caused divisions in the churches.¹¹ In the essay “Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future” Amos Yong laments how historically Pentecostals, as an ecumenical movement in many ways have “squandered a golden opportunity to continue as a prophetic voice not only on racial and ethnic issues, but also on socio-economic ones as well.”¹² Since then, Paul Alexander and others have taken up portions of this torch and championed theologies from a Pentecostal perspective that advocate for social activism in regards to acts of war ethnic equality and racial reconciliation. Yet, there remains a need to plant the seeds of Pentecostal ecumenism in a theology for urban ministry.

This essay is a step towards a theology for urban ministry from a Pentecostal perspective. It contributes to the necessary rationale for all churches to minister as a unified Body of Christ for more viable prophetic ministry—addressing, engaging, and transforming urban communities by the power of the Holy Spirit.¹³ Ministry must be both ecumenical and prophetic to be effective in our cities.

Walter Brueggemann describes the impact that results from the lack of a prophetic outlook in ministry. The absence of a prophetic theology in ministry results in churches that are disconnected from the community into which they are called. From a mainline denominational perspective, Brueggemann explains that “ministry most often exists in congregations that are bourgeois, if not downright obdurate, and in which there is no special openness to or support of prophetic ministry.”¹⁴ He seems to ignore the heavy emphasis on the prophetic within Pentecostal Churches.