I hope your week has been wonderful. This week holds special significance as we delve into the theological meaning of Holy Week, which is central to the Christian faith. Jesus endured suffering, died, and triumphed over death!

I want to share some insights from my devotions this week. Each day, I reflected on the Passion of Christ and composed 25 meditations on Holy Week. My prayer is that they resonate with you.

With the peace of Christ,

Dr. Antipas

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Meditations on Holy Week

1. As we enter the sacred time of Holy Week, let us take a moment to reflect deeply on the profound journey of Jesus. The gravity of the Resurrection is illuminated through the trials and tribulations outlined during this significant week.
2. Today marks Palm Sunday, the ceremonial beginning of Holy Week. This is an opportunity to learn from Jesus, who exemplified the art of repositioning Himself for what lay ahead. He made a remarkable entrance into Jerusalem, riding on a humble colt, an emblem of simplicity and vulnerability. How might you prepare yourself, adjusting your stance for the divine plans God has in store for your next chapter?
3. Riding a young donkey, though seemingly mundane, speaks volumes of Jesus’ readiness to embrace the challenges ahead. This choice symbolizes the discomfort and struggle that would unfold throughout the week, as He traversed a path marked by pain, ultimately leading to a victorious destiny. Repositioning ourselves often demands radical and even uncomfortable changes.
4. The journey of Holy Week is steeped in profound humility, a call to lay aside our egos and acknowledge something greater than ourselves. Lord, forgive us for the moments when we fail to embody humility, and guide us to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ’s example!
5. Holy Week serves as a powerful testament of faith played out in the public arena. Jesus showcased unwavering love even amidst brutal and violent opposition. Though love may sometimes be overshadowed or trampled, His steadfast commitment to love remained resolute. Indeed, love is far mightier than hate.
6. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was laden with prophetic significance. The crowd recognized His divine essence as they cheered, witnessing the spectacle of His arrival on a colt. Their adoration hinted at the ultimate victory to come, despite the turbulent path ahead, fraught with pain, betrayal, and denial. While we may know the conclusion of the story, it was a profound and challenging faith journey for Him.
7. The journey of faith is not one of flawless perfection but rather one of exploration and growth. As we navigate through life, we encounter moments of learning and reflection. It echoes the sentiment of Bishop Anselm of Canterbury, who spoke of “Fides quaerens intellectum”—faith seeking understanding. May this week serve as a transformative journey filled with fresh insights, nurturing our lived witness to the world.
8. After sharing His last meal with His disciples, Jesus spoke these comforting words: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth… You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Come, Holy Spirit!
9. During Holy Week, a poignant and transformative moment unfolded as Jesus knelt before His disciples to wash their feet, symbolically commissioning them for a life of unwavering service. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly stated, “You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” Jesus exemplified this truth, His actions a masterclass in humility! What about us?
10. Faithfully pursuing the depth of Christ’s love demands a spirit of humility and a commitment to serve. The Master Teacher and Lord, in a gesture of unparalleled love, lowered Himself to the dusty ground, knowing that among those He served, two would soon betray and deny Him. Christ’s love is boundless and knows no restrictions, reaching even the most unreachable hearts.
11. As we meditate on the Passion Story, our focus is drawn to the profound hope we find in Christ’s enduring promise. This sacred week serves as a reminder that mental stress and emotional turmoil are transient; they do not linger. Sunday’s resurrection is coming, heralding a new dawn!
12. Holy Week unveils a deep and transformative connection between love and hope. God’s love extends to every individual, even to those who seem difficult to embrace. Lord, in Your infinite mercy, guide us to love as You do. Hope, after all, is a relentless force. Our struggles do not dictate our destiny; rather, through them, we find resilience and emerge even stronger!
13. We must not underestimate the profound devastation of feeling crushed; it brings pain, a burden that resonates with many hearts. Jesus intimately understood the depths of this agony. Yet, it’s essential to recognize that these crushing experiences do not define us—our true beauty does.
14. In the midst of suffering, a glimmer of hope emerges as beauty slowly reveals itself. Just as wine is born from the pressing of grapes and oil flows from the pressing of olives, our life’s true purpose often springs forth from the trials we endure. Jesus faced His own moments of crushing anguish in Gethsemane, a testament to the human experience. Soon, we will gather to celebrate the immeasurable lesson uncovered in such trials: while crushing moments are temporary, the victories they yield are everlasting!
15. J.P. Lederach reminds us that theo-moral imagination invites us to envision ourselves within a vast network of relationships—one that even includes our enemies. It encourages us to embrace the complexities of life without reverting to simplistic dualistic thinking, to pursue creativity boldly, and to bravely accept the inherent risks of venturing into the unknown.
16. Let us not rush to the resurrection; there’s a compelling story that unfolds before the glory! Let’s take time to reflect on that narrative. Jesus endured profound suffering, reminding us that if we seek His resurrection power, we must also partake in His suffering (Phil 3:10). Beyond the shadows of despair lies magnificent glory!
17. The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin word for “commandment,” a poignant reference to Jesus’ profound humility on Maundy Thursday when He washed His disciples’ feet and called them to embody that same spirit of service and love. Lord, in Your boundless mercy, guide us toward a deeper understanding of how to love and serve others with true humility.
18. Have you ever felt the sting of loneliness or the weight of abandonment? Consider that even Jesus experienced such heart-wrenching emotions on the cross, crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Remember, even in the heaviest of moments, this is not the end for you—in this life and beyond. A brighter dawn is ahead; just wait and see!
19. “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46. Like Jesus, entrust everything into God’s capable hands. Let it go. Trust that God can carry your burdens with grace and strength.
20. “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross; The emblem of suffering and shame, And I love that old cross where the dearest and best; For a world of lost sinners was slain….” (Hymn)
21. Through the boundless love of Jesus, vividly revealed on the cross, we encounter a profound and transformative truth: True love, at its core, endures suffering. The ultimate victory of love emerges only through the crucible of pain and sacrifice. In essence, love bears the weight of suffering; yet it also triumphs in unfathomable ways!
22. Good Friday is a sacred moment of reflection, a time to honor a Savior who willingly gave His life for the sins of the world. St. Augustine reminds us, “The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory.” In the face of the cross, we witness the profound generosity of our loving Jesus. Yet, paradoxically, this true love exposes its vulnerability, open to the wounds inflicted by those who abandon, betray, deceive, strive to sow discord, and walk away. The depth of this love makes the hurt all the more poignant and real.
23. Good Friday beckons us into a deep theological reflection on the suffering Christ—a Jesus who embraces pain with open arms. Theologian Jurgen Moltmann articulates beautifully that the God who suffers is the God who loves deeply. Our God is not distant; rather, He is profoundly moved by our own struggles and heartaches. In our moments of vulnerability and distress, God draws nearer, embodying the essence of true and abiding love.
24. In the words of scripture, “Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matt 26:27-28) Our sins are forgiven, and we can respond with fervent joy: Hallelujah!
25. Revelation 5:9 resounds with triumphant praise, declaring, “They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered, and by your blood, you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” In these words, we find the powerful truth that the blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us, wrapping us in grace and love beyond measure.

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Cletus Hull provides an exegetical engagement with Paul’s Christology and Pneumatology from the first chapters of 1 Corinthians. His proposal is that, for Paul, these cannot be separated from one another particularly with regard to the life of the church as church. For Hull’s reading of Paul, Christ crucified is the enfleshment of the Spirit poured out in power, and the Spirit in power in the midst of the church is Christ crucified. This approach to “Christ crucified” by no means excludes such things as Christ’s life, resurrection, and ascension, but reimagine these in light of the cruciform Christology of Paul.

This volume is the edited fruit of Hull’s doctoral work at Regent University and thus bears some marks of such a project by way of historical bases, narrow exegesis, and proposals for application. Hull has divided his work into two broad sections: the first concerns background and the primary exegetical work, with the second proposing the theology of Pauline pneumatology in Paul’s Christology and conclusions for practical ministry.

The readership of this volume would best be suited to advanced students of the NT, scholars, and ministers with advanced education in Greek exegesis. This volume is not easy reading (nor intended) for general readership interested in the general topic of the book. The untranslated Greek terms/phrases/verses require the reader to have sufficient acumen in reading Koine NT Greek. Despite this caveat, this volume offers a helpful introduction to the topic of Paul’s Christology and Pneumatology drawing upon the Corinthian correspondences (with particular work on the first chapters of 1 Corinthians).

Abstract: The cross of Christ crucified symbolized the central theme of Paul’s ministry. In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle commenced his correspondence with “the message about the cross” and “power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18, NRSV). The proposal for this book utilizes the method analogia scripturae. Set within the wisdom motif of the Greco-Roman world, this study is dedicated to the examination of the apostle’s Christology in the context of 1 Cor. 1:18-25 and the Pneumatology in 1 Cor. 2:9-16 as both pericopes are juxtaposed in his epistle. Essentially, the thesis concerns the grounding of the Pneumatology of Paul with his Christology in 1 Corinthians. The Corinthian church required clarification and pastoral wisdom with their pneumatic experiences; thus, Paul recognized that a strong theology of the cross complemented their encounters with the Spirit. The question for biblical studies involves a lively tension of the Pneumatology of the Spirit with a robust Christology. Because the power of God throughout this passage has the cross as its paradigm, the structure of the paper leds to the significance of the apostle’s pneumatological contribution of the cross and Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:18; 2:2). For this reason, a strong Christology must ground the Pneumatology of the Pauline corpus. This study in biblical literature commences a new discussion in ecumenical dialogue between pneumatic experiences in the church and christological issues in scripture.

There is power in the cross of Christ. In this excerpt, pastor, theologian, and historian Cletus Hull introduces us to his new book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church.

It is the power of God that uses all that the Cross of Christ represents to separate those that are being rescued from those that are lost. This excerpt Cletus Hull’s book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church, is an exegetical study of First Corinthians 1:18-21.

What are some of the practical implications of a theology of the cross and the Spirit in the realm of healing and ministry? This excerpt comes from the final chapter of Cletus Hull’s book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church.

The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church: Grounding Pneumatic Experiences and Renewal Studies in the Cross of Christ by Cletus L. Hull, III (Pickwick, 2018).

What are some of the practical implications of a theology of the cross and the Spirit in the realm of healing and ministry? This excerpt comes from the final chapter of Cletus Hull’s book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church.

This excerpt comes from pages 144-148 of The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church: Grounding Pneumatic Experiences and Renewal Studies in the Cross of Christ by Cletus L. Hull, III (Pickwick, 2018).

As a pastor for thirty years, I preach and teach about the power of God to heal. Because salvation and healing are in the cross (Matt. 8:17), I believe prayer for healing is appropriate for pastoral ministry. Charismatic episcopal priest Dennis Bennett wrote that healing “is the most widely accepted of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in Christendom today.”[1] However, the results of healing prayer must be tempered by a reasonable theology of the cross and suffering. Charles Farah expressed concern between the balance of Christian healing and modern-day emphases on faith. Because of disregard within some Pentecostal/Charismatic circles with their teaching on healing, he believed a correction with classic theology was necessary. In his perceptive book, From the Pinnacle of the Temple, he presented a common scenario in renewal healing:

Major premise: Healing is on the Atonement.
Minor premise: Faith is the key to healing.
Conclusion: Therefore, those who are prayed for in faith will be healed.

Right? Not always. It just is not that simple. There is always an X factor in healing, an unknown quantity that God does not chose to reveal. Healing is a divine mystery and humility is our best approach to unraveling the answers.[2]

Yet, most of the healings of Christ appeared instantly, thus, we have believed that healing should occur sooner than later. The issue in renewal healing has lacked acknowledgment that suffering was a component of the faith journey. An acceptance of the suffering of Christ on the cross can relieve the proposition that “everything will always be fine.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this type of faith “cheap grace.” “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices.”[3] Thus, as Farah aptly writes:

theology always lives within the realm of mystery. No theologian can escape the mysterious ways of God, the capricious ways of the Spirit. Theology is a peculiar science because, when it is most true to itself, it prostrates itself in humility, prayer and adoration. True theology is a theology of prayer, and in the presence of a living God one adores; he never wholly understands.[4]

Thus, sound theology is necessary for practical faith and healing.

At times, comments such as “not having enough faith” or “pray harder” causes damage in a situation of healing prayer. We read that Paul left Trophimus sick (2 Tim. 4:20) and Epaphroditus almost died (Philippians 2:26-27). Did the apostle lack faith with his thorn in the flesh? (2 Cor. 12:7-9). D.R. McConnell, in his controversial book, A Different Gospel: A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement, asks this piercing question: “One cannot help but wonder how Paul’s bodily illness would have been received today among charismatics. Would charismatics ‘despise’ and ‘loathe’ his illness as an indication of his immature faith?”[5]  A balanced theology of the cross with divine healing would revive trust in solving many problems in these specific situations.

It is the power of God that uses all that the Cross of Christ represents to separate those that are being rescued from those that are lost. This excerpt from Cletus Hull’s book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church, is an exegetical study of First Corinthians 1:18-21.

Christology and the Cross
 

Employing numerous antithetical parallel statements, [Paul] begins writing about how the crucified Lord, in the wisdom of God, divides humankind into two groups. Mihaila observes, “for Paul, the cross is the great divider, acting ‘as an eschatological discernment,’ separating τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις from τοῖς σῳζομένοις (1 Cor. 1:18).”[1] The present tense participles, ἀπολλυμένοις (those who are perishing) and σῳζομένοις (those who are being saved), provide the meaning of life’s continuum to accept or reject Christ. Additionally, the present participle denotes the process of salvation in the believer. Salvation is both instantaneous and continues forward in life. Literally, perishing means “to be ruined or destroyed.”[2] Therefore, a choice not for the cross is interminable destruction. Anthony Thiselton remarks that “two ‘worlds’ confront each other at the foot of the cross”[3], as the kingdom’s salvific entrance into humankind reveals the dividing line between the perishing and those who are saved. Paul utilizes similar language in his second letter to the Corinthians when he writes, “for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:15). The metaphor of aroma becomes symbolic of the meaning of the cross to the Corinthian church. The message of the cross brings judgment, as it divides humanity into two specific groups. Thus, the fullness of their salvation will not be completed until the eschaton.

This excerpt comes from pages 17-21 of The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church: Grounding Pneumatic Experiences and Renewal Studies in the Cross of Christ by Cletus L. Hull, III (Pickwick, 2018).

The cross led to the ensuing topic of δύναμις power (1 Cor. 1:18). He writes a similar comment in a non-polemical context in 1 Thess. 1:5 which states “because our message (λόγος) of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power (δύναμις) and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” Gräbe suggested, “the concept of power belongs to the heart of Paul’s message. It is the apostle’s deepest conviction that the gospel has a decisive effect on people’s lives.”[4] The word δύναμις revealed the basic meaning of “being able” and “capacity.”[5] Walter Grundman in TDNT notes that “the δύναμις θεοῦ is the power of God, and therefore the power of salvation, which is at work in history, and specifically in the Christ event.”[6] Δύναμις “describes the effect of Paul’s divine message on this world,”[7] and as a result, an understanding of the power of God in the cross conveyed the joie de vivre in the theology of the cross.

Paul use of γέγραπται in the present tense locates an event that occurred in the past but has present and continuous consequences. In 1 Corinthians 1:19, Paul quoted Isaiah 29:14 from the LXX, as the OT context unveiled that judgment by Assyria foresaw a fall of the hypocrites in Israel. He wrote “I will set aside” rather than “I will hide” which the LXX contained.[8] This change of meaning fit his purpose for citing the OT prophet.
Fee notes that “Paul sees this Isaiah passage as now having eschatological fulfillment.”[9] Paul handled this OT content illustrating that just as the wise people of Israel were destroyed, so also the Greek wisdom came to naught when contrasted with the power of the cross. Ciampa and Rosner writes, “Paul uses Isaiah 29:14 to announce that God’s eschatological judgment and salvation are taking place among the Corinthians.”[10] The parallelism in the Isaiah text strengthens the themes of God’s judgment on sin and human depravity (cf. Isa. 6:9-10; 29:9-10; 42:18-20; 63:17). Certainly, Paul’s quote is an appropriate choice in connection to the Corinthian concept of wisdom.

There is power in the cross of Christ. In this excerpt, pastor, theologian, and historian Cletus Hull introduces us to his new book, The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church: Grounding Pneumatic Experiences and Renewal Studies in the Cross of Christ.

The cross of Jesus and Christology are inseparably intertwined. Jürgen Moltmann succinctly writes that “Christianity has rightly been described as ‘the religion of the cross.’”[1] Across the spectrum of church history, numerous theologians have written about Paul’s Christology. St. Basil, of the Cappadocian Fathers accentuated, as Paul wrote in Colossians 1:15 that Christ was “the Image of the Invisible God.”[2] Martin Luther’s theologia crucis expounded the Pauline theology of the message of the cross. John Calvin shared a high view of the cross in his writings. These theologians, among others, noted and observed from Paul’s epistolography, the apostle’s emphasis on the cross.

This excerpt comes from pages 9-10 of The Wisdom of the Cross and the Power of the Spirit in the Corinthian Church: Grounding Pneumatic Experiences and Renewal Studies in the Cross of Christ by Cletus L. Hull, III (Pickwick, 2018).

On the other hand, modern theologians have invented a schizophrenic relationship with the cross. The so-called New Perspective on Paul offers a drastically different view of the salvific message of Christ. E.P. Sanders advocates in NPP [Editor’s note: Follow this link for PneumaReview.com coverage of the “new perspective on Paul.”] that the Jews did not live by a system of works-righteousness. He counters Luther’s reformation views of sola fide claiming that Luther misrepresents Paul as well as Judaism. However, his unorthodox writings eliminate the strong vitality that the apostle declares in the Pauline corpus (Eph. 2:8-10).

Historical-critical theologians such as Rudolph Bultmann and John Macquerrie spiritualize the cross to the extent that the historicity of the life of Christ is diminished. Their demythologizing of the Bible creates suspicion and lack of belief in the supernatural. Michael Welker in God the Spirit writes that “it is no secret that biblical criticism has totally destroyed all attempts to divinize Scripture or to attribute any form of ‘supernaturalness’ to it.”[3] These rationalist modern biblical interpreters reveal their bias toward a suspicious Enlightenment approach to scripture. Ultimately, because of the emphasis placed on their notions, the vitality and power of the cross has generated a diminutive effect in the life of the church and the academy.

Yet, not all present-day theologians consent to liberal theology. Udo Schnelle, Frank Matera, and Gerhard Forde creatively write about a classical teaching of the cross. In the past thirty years, an abundance of evangelical scholars have written and superlatively supported an original Pauline theology. My survey of this most important topic includes their works.

As a Christian youth, the first book I read from cover-to-cover was David Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade. For my senior paper in college, I wrote about “The Wisdom of the Cross in 1 Corinthians 1:18.” Throughout my life, the theme of the cross of Jesus has appeared in my life and academic studies. My preaching and pastoral ministry became guided by the overarching theme of the cross of Jesus. I believe without the cross, the New Testament contains implausible words with little power. In my research as a pastor-scholar, I have recognized that the central motif of Paul’s message centers on the cross of Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle commenced the correspondence with “the message about the cross” and “power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18, NRSV). This article will consider the power of the cross in a pastor’s ministry with regard to healing. My thesis underscored the need for a robust theology of the cross with the issue of healing. The key thought of this paper is not a new idea for healing is as old as the New Testament. Both the theology and practicality of the cross in healing will be investigated. Salvation overcomes sin through the power of the cross. The apostle’s eschatological doctrine of the cross contains a theology of salvation; subsequently, the preaching of the cross sets the release of the power of God for healing in the church. Therefore, the cross of Christ reveals God’s eternal plan for all people, and that power undergirds his sovereign purposes. As a pastor of a congregation, I believe a firm understanding of the cross remains essential for ministry, especially in the area of healing.

Image: Dennis Ottink

Relationship between the cross and healing

David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed is an honest and candor assessment written by the son of David Wilkerson (founder of Teen Challenge and personality behind the famed story The Cross and the Switchblade). As he reminisces with graphic stories from his childhood, Gary Wilkerson evaluates his father’s life and ministry until his death in 2011. Wilkerson’s chronicle contains a window into the verve of a man who pioneered an inner city ministry and also prophesied of the end-times. For myself, as a youth, The Cross and the Switchblade was the first book I read from cover-to-cover. The astonishing stories caught my attention as I sought to discover the foundational experiences of a preacher who left his pastorate in rural Pennsylvania and moved to New York City.

Wilkerson’s formative years were based in a strict Pentecostal-holiness home, as the second child of five children. His father, also a pastor, ran a tight ship as a parent. As the son of a preacher, “no” was the operative word. No movies, no sports, no television, no extracurricular activities in this Pentecostal-holiness culture. Gary, as his son, was privy to his father’s private stories, sharing them with serious reflection and humor.

David Wilkerson’s amazing ministry had many twists and turns, yet the foundation remained living by faith on every occasion. Whether he ministered to a recovering drug addict or proclaimed a message about judgment in America, Wilkerson was never deterred by problems or money. However, what is remarkable about this memoir was Gary’s openness about his father’s successes and failures. Though Teen Challenge is by all accounts a success story, he also relates the tragedies. On one occasion, he shares the story of a police officer who contacted the ministry because a Teen Challenge card had been found in the hands of a dead woman who overdosed on the roof of a building.

Many well-known personalities associated with Wilkerson’s ministry were depicted with frank fondness. Nicky Cruz, the converted gang member of the Mau Mau’s was a noticeable figure. Dallas Holm, the musician and songwriter, became a friend to Gary, teaching him the enjoyment of motocross while his family lived in southern California. Pat Boone, intrigued by the miraculous stories contacted Wilkerson. Ultimately, without the television star’s persistence, the movie version of The Cross and the Switchblade may have never materialized. In due course, David’s brother, Don Wilkerson associated himself with Teen Challenge. Leonard Ravenhill, one of the few mentors David accepted, introduced him to Puritan writings and books. Of course, David’s wife, Gwen and their children’s’ sacrifices for the ministry are intertwined throughout the book.

Wilkerson’s visionary ministry at World Challenge in Texas and the consideration that he was a prophet, from his book The Vision, are deemed as trail blazing works and controversial. However, when he founded Times Square Church in Manhattan, as a pastor, his message turned toward grace. The newsletter World Challenge Pulpit Series, included his current sermons, which were mailed to millions throughout the world.

I have three take-aways from reading this book. First, God can do miracles when you live by faith. An ordinary preacher from rural Pennsylvania believed God called him to New York City and he obeyed God’s voice. Second, one can struggle with being good (because of a legalistic background), yet encourage others to higher acts of faith. Gary Wilkerson keenly wrote that his father’s “authority came from his own suffering” (205) and related numerous moments when his soul was in anguish. Third, humility, dedication, and sacrifice remain the essential virtues to aspire in the Christian ministry.

In short, I would highly recommend the reading of this book for pastoral ministry. David Wilkerson, though imperfect and vulnerable regarding his sense of significance, discovered strength only in a fervent prayer life with the Lord. Gary Wilkerson’s raw and visceral description of his father’s spirit produces a full view of authentic ministry based on the God’s grace. David Wilkerson struggled all his life with self-worth, yet he recognized that God loved him deeply as he preached that same message to others. Indeed, a discerning reading of the book declares that the cross is mightier than the switchblade.

Reviewed by Cletus L. Hull

Preview: https://books.google.com/books?id=pFxtAgAAQBAJ

Publisher’s page: http://www.zondervan.com/david-wilkerson

Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross is principally a supplemental volume to an earlier book entitled Recovering the Scandal of the Cross (2000, second edition 2011), which was co-authored by Joel Green and Mark D. Baker. The earlier volume pointed out several weaknesses with the penal satisfaction model of the atonement, particularly in the thought of nineteenth century theologian Charles Hodge, and Baker hopes to build upon this work. The editor notes many misconceptions of the atonement that are commonly perpetuated within popular Christianity, and he desires to correct these mistaken beliefs. Notably, Baker wants to discredit the idea that penal satisfaction is the only biblical view centered on this theological concept, so he presents a variety of models for consideration. Metaphorically he proposes a “choir” of voices and not just a soloist. Baker is clear to point out that he is not opposed to all forms of the substitutionary model, but he is very cautious about the manner in which the penal satisfaction theory is employed. For him, no single model can fully exhaust the power and mystery of the atonement, and he hopes that the presentation of multiple views can “be a catalyst to advance creative thinking about communicating the atonement” (36).

The bulk of this volume is dedicated to presenting twenty different contemporary theories of the atonement through the words of many diverse contributors. These authors range from well-known authors, such as C.S. Lewis and Rowan Williams to lesser-known pastors. These theological approaches not only vary in content, according to the model that they present, but they also differ in style. Some of them are drawn from larger theological works, while others are taken from sermons, chapel talks, youth group lessons, and autobiographical presentations. Baker is to be commended for the vast assortment of voices that he includes from various branches of the Christian Church, such as Evangelical, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican. At the beginning of each chapter the editor provides some background information concerning the context from which each model was taken. At the end of each chapter Baker also provides a brief reflection upon each passage, highlighting some of its main features – or at least those features that he wants to emphasize. At several points throughout the reading of this text, however, I was left wanting more reflection and analysis of each theory from the editor.

Overall, Baker’s goal to present a vast array of atonement models and to supplement certain dominant models is commendable. His goal of reaching a popular audience is feasible based upon the manner in which the contents are exhibited, and I could envision this text being used in a college-level classroom or an adult Christian education setting. It would likely evoke some stimulating thought and vibrant conversation. For example, some readers may find the narrative form of many of its chapters to be engaging and comprehensible. Those with higher-levels of theological training, however, may find some of the models, or at least their presentation, to be too simple and lacking the various nuances of each theory. Herein lies one of the challenges that Baker attempts to overcome: the strengths of presenting these models to a popular audience must be weighed against the possible charge that some models have been “watered-down” too much. Consequently, and to build upon his musical metaphor, the text should be viewed as an opening number in this musical concert of atonement theories. It is a number well-worth the price of admission.

Reviewed by David Bradnick

Publisher’s page: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/proclaiming-the-scandal-of-the-cross/230810

PneumaReview.com: You have been working with the theology of Karl Barth for many years. What has drawn your long-term interest?

Terry Cross: I began reading Barth seriously in 1980 while working on the MDiv thesis. I was comparing Karl Barth and the evangelical theologian, Carl Henry, on their views of revelation. Henry was quite adamant about some of Barth’s errors in relation to the Word of God—as were a number of evangelical scholars. However, when I actually read Barth himself, I realized that the caricatures made of him by many evangelicals did not hold water. Barth actually said in numerous places the direct opposite of what Henry thought he said. I began to wonder, ‘If Henry can read this incorrectly, what else has been written by Barth that deserves closer attention?’ That started my journey through the 13 volumes of the Church Dogmatics. It also fueled the flame to learn German well enough to read Barth in the original language he wrote. Over and over I have discovered that rather simplistic thumbnail sketches of Barth’s ideas on any one theological position have missed the complexity and nuance of Barth’s own words. In addition, as a Pentecostal theologian I became fascinated with some of Barth’s ideas as related to Pietism and, by extension, to Pentecostal thought. For example, in Church Dogmatics I/1, Barth expounds his idea that the Word of God has a threefold form—Jesus Christ (Word in flesh); Scripture (Word in writing); and Preaching/proclamation (Word of God in preaching/teaching). Barth has a rather “occasionalist” view of what occurs. The Scripture, for example, becomes the Word of God but may not be the Word of God (in some fundamentalist sense) because such equation of God’s Word in revelation with written Scripture can make the Bible into a “holy” book that has almost magical qualities instead of a record that becomes God’s Word when God’s Spirit enlivens it to our hearts. Indeed, Barth is the only theologian I know who has a pentecostal-like theology of preaching: our human words are taken up by God’s Spirit and are made clear and powerful as it becomes the Word of God to individual believers in the community of faith. In many ways, this seemed reminiscent to me of the high respect for preaching that Pentecostals have whereby a “word” from the Lord becomes clear and really rings true when the Spirit drives it home in our hearts.

PR: Some argue that Barth was the most important Protestant Theologian of the Twentieth Century. Do you agree?

Terry Cross: Barth is the only theologian I know who has a pentecostal-like theology of preaching: our human words are taken up by God’s Spirit and are made clear and powerful as it becomes the Word of God to individual believers in the community of faith.

Terry Cross: Yes, I do. While others have had long-lasting impact from the 20^th century (e.g., Tillich, Bultmann, Reinhold Niebuhr, Juergen Moltmann), Barth’s herculean shift of the balance of the weight off of the old Protestant liberalism of his professors (like Harnack and Herrmann) that signaled the immanence of God in human lives and onto a view of the transcendence of God in which God is entirely other than humans. The old liberal school had proposed that Jesus taught a valuable morality that we should follow, but was not divine. For them, God’s Spirit was to be equated with the human spirit—the human personality. Faith, then, was some psychological commitment that connected on a deep emotional level with God. Into this situation that seemed to glorify humans, Barth became frustrated with the easy manner in which his German professors rushed to support Kaiser Wilhelm going to war in 1914. Barth was a pastor in a small village in Switzerland at the time (Safenwil) and gave himself totally into the socialism of the day, working as the “red pastor” in assisting laborers to form unions and more equitable wages. By 1915, his excitement for socialism began to run dry and his theological source for preaching was no longer effective. Into this setting in 1915, Barth and his close friend (a nearby pastor named Thurneysen) began to study Scripture again, but this time not through the lens of historical criticism or psychological critique of the authors. They studied the book of Romans, all the while Barth wrote his thoughts about each verse in a notebook. In a later lecture, he described this encounter with Scripture as a “new world of the Bible.” What was this? He tried to listen to and read Scripture as if God himself were speaking to him today from this long-ago text. The result was a vivid freshness of his preaching and interpretation. Some called this a “pneumatic exegesis” because of the emphasis on the Spirit but also because of his sense that the Spirit operates with the text and with the hearer. The freshness of letting God be transcendent and speak to the Church through the Scriptures today was so powerful that one theologian described his commentary on Romans as a “bomb on the playground of theologians.” Instead of starting theology from the human dimension and attempting to build one’s way up to the divine (a la Schleiermacher), Barth began theology from the divine dimension and asked what God was saying to us through his revelation. While some folks during the decade of the 1920s called Barth’s theology “dialectical,” Barth himself preferred to speak of it as “a theology of the Word of God.” Almost singlehandedly Barth turned the theological trajectory away from the old Protestant liberal school of thought to a new, fresh way of viewing God that tended to sound more like the Protestant Reformers of the 1500s. To be even more precise, some felt they saw in Barth a simple rehashing of old Protestant Scholastic Orthodoxy of the 1600s and 1700s. For this alone, he could be considered an important theologian of the 20^th century, but add to that the depth of his understanding of the connections between Christology and various doctrines as well as his dogged determination to keep Christ as the center of the revelation of the triune God and we have someone who is not only innovative and interesting, but paradigm-setting for the future of the theological task.