The life and letters of Paul are often an enigma to modern Christians; why did he say that – and moreover, why did he say it like that? Is what he meant merely applicable to his own locale? Or should it be translated to our modern times? Herein, Capes, Reeves, and Richards place Paul within his own world aptly, but also translate his importance for today. In their reconstruction of the life and times of Paul, the authors rely on the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul, both found within the New Testament. The author’s goal in producing this text is to present an overview of Paul that gathers together context, content, and theology, with the goal of answering the age-old question that both students and laity alike have: ‘So what?’

The authors begin by describing the ancient Mediterranean world in which Paul lived. After describing Paul’s world, they then look into how he wrote his letters, as well as placing them in the context of his ministry. In an interesting admission and application, the authors trust the Lukan Paul over and above what Paul seems to note of himself. This, I contend, is somewhat questionable, and is one of the qualms I have with this text. Why are second-hand accounts more reliable than firsthand? Nevertheless, the authors present an overview of the ministry of Paul. His life is presented in three general stages: his conversion and call, his itinerant ministry, and his prison ministry.

In the authors’ opinion, the letters of Paul present a common mind, and therefore they reject the view that there are so-called pseudo-Pauline letters (i.e. the contested letters of Paul). They accept both the internal evidence and the church’s early witness to their authenticity. The final part of the book looks beyond Paul’s immediate context and impact and into his ongoing legacy in today’s church. Even though Paul wrote his letters for the early churches, they have proved valuable for today’s churches. Therefore, this book closes looking at the continued relevance of Paul and his letters for today’s Christians.

Included within each chapter are text boxes that ask, ‘So what?’ These text boxes serve to elucidate the ongoing relevance of Paul’s theology today. Moreover, there are several ‘What’s More’ text boxes within each chapter. These serve to present additional information that supplement the presented material, give further background information, or explore additional related issues that enable one to rediscover Paul. All in all, this is a fine text, and well worth the price.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Publisher’s page: https://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3941

Further reading:

Read Martin Mittelstadt’s review of the 2015 book by Capes, Reeves, and Richards: Rediscovering Jesus.

It is well established that knowledge without application is fruitless. Additionally, it is well understood that one can know of a subject, but not really know it. In the twenty-first century, it is critical that Christians learn not only about culture, but also how to interact with culture. The title currently under review attempts to set forth ideas of how Christians are to relate with contemporary culture. Foundational to any attempt to interact with culture is the hermeneutical understanding of texts and trends within that culture.

Usually, students, theologians, and pastors are well-trained in the task of biblical exegesis, but when it comes to understanding culture, there is often a great disconnect. In the second title under review, Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), Charles A. Anderson, and Michael J. Sleasman, edit essays that seek to explore the area of cultural exegesis – that is, reading and interpreting the texts and trends produced by culture. This title, Everyday Theology, is the first volume in a new Cultural Exegesis series. Each volume is intended to work within a specific cultural discipline, illustrating and embodying the theory behind cultural engagement. By providing the appropriate tools and methodology, this series seeks to equip the reader to engage and interpret the surrounding culture responsibly.

This book is intended to be used by Christians; it is the result of four years of coursework by the students of Vanhoozer, meaning that each chapter (following the excellent introduction by Vanhoozer) is a revised version of term papers submitted to Vanhoozer in his “Cultural Hermeneutics” class at TEDS. It is comprised of four parts: 1) an introduction that sets out the methodology to be employed, 2) essays that employ the methodology to interpret specific cultural texts, 3) essays that attempt to make sense of more complex trends and movements, and 4) a postscript that essentially summarizes the preceding chapters and leads the reader step-by-step through the interpretation process. The purpose of the book is to teach Christians to get the theological lay of the cultural land.

More specifically, in the introduction Vanhoozer proposes that we understand the world in, behind, and in front of a cultural text (drawing from Adler). Thereafter, one will find a series of essays that engage cultural texts and trends, from the gospel according to Safeway, the music of Eminem, the historical context in which the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights took shape, an exploration of Church architecture, the phenomenon of Internet blogs, to the transhumanist movement. As this selective list indicates, the essays herein are diverse and appealing.

Vanhoozer’s essay alone is worth the price of the entire text. Moreover, I appreciate the sidebars throughout the texts that contain editorial comments that unite the individual essays to the overall content of the title. Although most of this text is usable for every-day life, there is a significant reservation of my own, however. I am a theologian who uses the theological jargon, but most readers, presumably, of Everyday Theology will be just that – everyday people. As such, some of the terminology used by Vanhoozer will be cumbersome (e.g., he employs the terms locutionary, perlocutionary, and illocutionary to communicate his framework in the introduction). I find that this perceived flaw is limited to Vanhoozer’s essay, however. In sum, one will not go wrong in reading this title, as it highlights a burgeoning area of theological inquiry: cultural exegesis and hermeneutics. With it, may we go forth, crossing borders and doing everyday theology.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Editor’s note: Bradford McCall’s review of Everyday Theology was originally published on September 14, 2010 on the In Depth Resources page of the Pneuma Foundation website. Michael Muoki Wambua’s review of Everyday Theology was published in the Fall 2010 issue of Pneuma Review.

Zeb Bradford Long and Douglas McMurray, Receiving the Power: Preparing the Way for The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1996), 251 pages.

The authors of the book The Collapse of the Brass Heaven have teamed up again to write about finding power to do what Jesus did. Coming from a Third Wave or what they call a neo-evangelical viewpoint, they introduce readers to the biblical concept of empowerment for ministry and offer practical explanation of how to receive this power from God.

This book appears to be written to those who have been somehow wounded or ostracized by Pentecostal and charismatic churches but who know there must be more of God’s power available to the believer than what they are presently experiencing. Nevertheless, even for Pentecostals and charismatics this is an excellent introduction to the thought of the Third Wave. This book also represents a revival of the theology and renewal experience of R. A. Torrey.

Although many outside of the charismatic movement see virtually no difference between the Third Wave and other charismatics, Brad Long and Doug McMurray make it clear what the basic difference is: initial evidence. They believe that this teaching that tongues (glossolalia) is the evidence of being “Spirit-filled” has prevented Pentecostals and charismatics from further reaching the world because of the division that they say this teaching brings. They state, “The present activity of the Holy Spirit around the world requires us to find some other way of interpreting twentieth-century outpourings than by means that exclude everyone but tongues-speakers” (p. 30).

Zeb Bradford Long

It is true that many among the Pentecostals teach that not only is tongues the normal initial evidence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit, they teach that it is the only evidence of being Spirit filled. However, it is a leap for the two authors to maintain that classical Pentecostals are trapped and are without a theological basis for initial evidence (see pp.136-137). The trap they claim that has been set is that if “you must speak in tongues to be Spirit-filled”, then logically, you must not be saved if you cannot speak in tongues.

What can be said about this? This review is not sufficient to answer the “initial evidence debate.” It is obvious that the simplistic explanations given of what charismatics and especially Pentecostals teach regarding this issue do not truly represent either of these “waves” as a whole. Disturbingly, the authors do not seems to be aware of anyone from the Pentecostal or charismatic movements that believes tongues to be, yes, the normal initial evidence but necessarily the only evidence of being Spirit filled.