Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in its Social Context

edited by Philip F. Esler

Fortress, Minneapolis, 2005. 420 pp. $35.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8006-3767-4.

Scholars from various theological disciplines met in 2004 at the “St. Andrews Conference on Old Testament Interpretation and the Social Sciences.” Papers presented at this conference form this collection of essays, which explores the cultural context of the OT. The first chapters detail methods for social scientific modeling. The next section explores various macro themes including: polygyny, sacrifice, wealth, and barrenness. The third section highlights specific texts: Micah, Deuteronomy, Judges, 2 Samuel, Ezekiel, Nahum, Maccabees, and the Qumran texts. The book concludes with an examination of the hermeneutical lenses of socio-cultural development, interfaith dialogue, and Freudian psychology.

God and Human Dignity

edited by R. Kendall Soulen and Linda Woodhead

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006. 355 pp. $32.00. ISBN 0-8028-3395-0.

Concerned about the degradation of the ideal of human dignity in modern deconstructive models, contributors to this volume seek to restore its pivotal role in the increasingly interconnected world in which we live. Using the resources of the Protestant Christian tradition, they reframe the concept of human dignity in a theological context. Essays address issues including evolutionary theory, biotechnology, death, disabilities, race and gender issues, and globalization. The volume is organized in five sections. The first defines the source and scope of human dignity. The next three sections cover core theological topics: Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification. The final two essays reframe the Imago Dei as a multidimensional aspect of humanity by shifting from the reductionist, Enlightenment view of particular faculties to a more holistic view that is Creator rather than creature focused.

God's Life in Trinity

edited by Miroslav Volf and Michael Welker

Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 262pp. $24.00. ISBN 0-8006-3823-9.

Inspired by the trinitarian work of Jürgen Moltmann, this book explores contemporary meanings of "three in one" in four discrete sections. The first examines the relationship between a triune God and modern definitions of the human being. "Trinity and Religious Traditions" addresses the challenges of intra-faith and interfaith diversity of belief to a doctrine of God. The third section, "Trinity and God-Talk," deals with specific attributes of the Divine: gender, perfection, providence, and justice. Final chapters highlight sources within the tradition that offer insights for a contemporary trinitarian theology.

Performing the Gospel: Orality, Memory, and Mark

edited by Richard A.R. Horsley, Jonathan A. Draper, and John Miles Foley

Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 239 pp. $35.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8006-3828-X.

Ten scholars reflect and expand upon the pioneering work of Werner Kelber on the Gospel of Mark. They explore the narrative form of the text, the origin of the Gospel’s words in oral discourse, and how the written texts were constructed in the context of a communal cultural memory. Part 1 provides a general survey of orality and literature. In Part 2, the writers investigate the impact of cultural memory on various NT texts. The final section deals specifically with the Gospel of Mark.

Byzantine Christianity

edited by Derek Krueger

A People’s History of Christianity, Fortress, Minneapolis, 2006. 252 pp. $35.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8006-3413-6.

This third volume in the A People's History of Christianity series reconstructs the lives of ordinary Christians in the eleven centuries from the founding of Constantinople in 324 C.E. through its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 C.E. Using cutting-edge research methods, various contributors unfold the distinctive character of the practice of Byzantine Christianity. Essays cover various topics: lay piety, martyrdom, shrines, festivals, funeral rites, icons, prayer life, and the religious lives of children and adolescents.

Justice in a Global Economy

edited by Pamela K. Brubaker, Rebecca Todd Peters, and Laura A. Stivers

Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 165 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-664-22955-7.

This collection of essays outlines strategies that can be employed by ordinary Christians in response to the increasingly dysfunctional effects of globalization on our communities and those of our neighbors. Challenging the assumption that multi-national business practices are beneficial, the contributors offer readers the opportunity to move past guilt for complicity with the system to a place of empowerment in which they can make informed choices. The text is organized in three sections that expand the individual's sphere of influence: “Household Strategies,” “Community Strategies,” and “Public Policy Strategies.” Specific topics include responsible consumption, relations with household laborers, accountability for corporations, and sustainability. A closing chapter challenges readers to recognize that their own worldview is merely a set of assumptions, not the only nor the “right” way to see the world.

Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation

edited by William C. Placher

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2005. 468 pp. $38.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-8028-3048-X.

This volume gathers the wisdom of some of the greatest Christian thinkers on questions related to vocation. Excerpts from the works of Justin Martyr, Christine de Pisan, John Calvin, Howard Thurman, and many others offer insight into how the called individual can find a way to be in the world but not of the world.

This Incomplete One

by Michael D. Bush

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2006. 176pp. $12.00. ISBN 0-8028-2227-4.

This collection of sermons gives expression to the emotions of communities exploring the loss of a young person in the context of the Christian faith. Sixteen contributors, including Karl Barth, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Ron Byars, and William Sloane Coffin, eloquently address the loss of a precious young life and the hope of the knowledge of a life after death. Five of these sermons were delivered by the preacher at the death of his own child.

The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God

by David Ray Griffin, John B. Cobb Jr., Richard A. Falk, and Catherine Keller

Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2006. 175 pp. $19.95. ISBN 0-664-23009-1.

Four scholars—three Christian and one Jewish— offer a critique of United States political, economic, and environmental policies, citing religious, spiritual, and moral objections grounded in the major faith traditions of the world. In Part 1, the authors raise objections to the co-opting of religion for political purposes, the current administration’s declarations of an expansionist policy, the imposition of U.S. policies and practices on others, plutocracy, and imperialism. In Part 2, they craft a vision by which the world can be genuinely democratized with decision-making power held at the “lowest level” effectively possible. Finally they reflect upon the religious imperatives that underpin their arguments, citing the anti-imperialist message of Jesus Christ.