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.