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Jesus and the Peasants
by Douglas E. Oakman
Cascade, Eugene, Ore., 2008. 336 pp. $38.00. ISBN 978-1-976752-275-5.
This collection of essays is a valuable addition to the reference library of pastors, preachers, Bible teachers, or students interested in the life of the historical Jesus. Douglas Oakman writes from perspectives that are often ignored by biblical scholars today. Focusing on the economic situations that motivated Jesus and the people he addressed, Oakman opens the texts to exciting sociological, archaeological, and anthropological vistas that uncover the day-to-day values that concerned Jesus and the peasants and farmers he labored to assist.
A few brief examples will illustrate the basis of his conclusions. Oakman contends that in the original form of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus expresses profound concern for the landless workers who face imprisonment or slavery if they cannot pay their debts. Although the admonition to forgive one another’s debts calls for a non-violent economic revolution, Jesus challenges the very heart of Rome’s method of rule through excessive taxation, as well as the oppressiveness of the Herodian-Judean political order, thereby evoking a violent response.
As another example, in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the behavior of the Father and the profligate both violate customary rules of inheritance and debt repayment as Jesus tries to envision possibilities for a new way of life and economic relationships. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus shows that there are greater values than money and wealth, such as being family to another human being (even an enemy) and living out the worth of “general reciprocity.” Oakman argues, convincingly, that one reason why Revelation almost did not make it into the canon was because its essential message is not eschatological millenialism but rather one that provocatively attacks the way in which Rome used religion and the support of Jewish elite leaders to dominate the economy and main- tain power.
Providing careful analysis accompanied by excellent charts and graphs (useful for teaching and preaching), Oakman contends that Jesus’ historical activity was not about religion and theology or one’s personal relationship to God, but rather about real life, the value of money and wealth, and political power vis-à-vis the honor and power of the one true God. For twenty-first century Christians who face similar struggles with critical issues of violence and economic oppression, Oakman’s studies are valuable opportunities to hear Jesus’ call to action afresh.
Earl S. Johnson, Jr.
First Presbyterian Church
Johnstown, New York
Knowing Truth, Doing Good: Engaging New Testament Ethics
by Russell Pregeant
Fortress, Minneapolis, 2008. 388 pp. $29.00. ISBN 978-0-8006-3846-7.
Aware that Christians often find themselves deeply divided over how the Bible should be used in making ethical decisions, Russell Pregeant seeks to present a comprehensive proposal for analyzing the ethical teaching of the NT and evaluating its significance for contemporary Christians. To achieve his goal, Pregeant employs a hermeneutical method that makes use of Alfred North Whitehead’s theory of language as open-ended and yet striving for a comprehensive understanding within the world of experience. Accordingly, Pregeant approaches the ethics of the NT in five steps. First, he employs the historical-critical method to establish an initial meaning of the text. Second, he reads the writings of the NT as a whole to uncover their basic ethical patterns. Third, he looks for ambiguities, gaps in meaning, and the presence of other currents of meaning in the text. Fourth, he traces out the implications of competing strands of ethical meaning in the text. Finally, he seeks to reconstruct these competing strands of meaning. By applying this approach, Pregeant provides readers with a method that enables them to employ the insights of the NT and their own experiences to make ethical decisions for their lives.
Pregeant’s work is a comprehensive and reliable study that is in conversation with a wide range of scholars. Like many works of NT ethics, this one provides its readers with an overview of the ethical teaching in the NT writings, beginning with the ethics of the Jesus movement, before considering each of the canonical writings. What distinguishes this work from most other books on NT ethics is its careful attention to method and application. Aware that there are competing ethical strains within the NT, Pregeant proposes a way to listen to these diverse voices and adjudicate among them. This work, however, gives a great deal of attention to contemporary gender and sexuality issues, which could give the impression that these are the central ethical issues of the NT. It also tends to privilege the teaching of the historical Jesus and Paul over other NT writings, which could suggest a canon within the canon. That said, Pregeant has made a significant contribution to NT ethics for which I am grateful.
Frank J. Matera
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.
Thumpin’ It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics
by Jacques Berlinerblau
Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 2008. 190 pp. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-664-23173-6.
“The Bible is back,” writes Jacques Berlinerblau. “And it’s as somewhat relevant as ever” (p. 133). Recent decades have seen a rapid resurgence of the role of religion in both formal and informal public life. Biblical references adorn speeches from across the political spectrum. But those who worry about theocracy need not lose any sleep, according to Berlinerblau. The same Protestant commitment to sola scriptura that makes the Bible central to public life in the United States invalidates all the resources that could produce politically effective consensus on any interpretation of the Bible. When Scripture interprets Scripture, interpretations proliferate—and cancel out—each other. Thus, the Bible has great symbolic significance but almost no impact on the substance of policy.
The symbolic importance of the Bible means that every politician today needs an effective “Scripture game” in order to succeed. Berlinerblau analyzes contemporary political discourse to break down moves such as “the cite-and-run,” “the generic,” and “the transvaluation.” He argues that masters of the game know to keep their references to the Bible sparse, positive, vague, shallow, veiled—and “not too Christey!” (pp. 83, 85). Berlinerblau sets forth short, sharp analyses of the Scripture games of John McCain, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, and more. He sorts through the tangles of biblical references in debates about the environment, abortion, and foreign policy. These close studies are both timely and of enduring significance. Berlinerblau gives the reader new ears with which to hear political discourse in the United States.
Berlinerblau’s analysis would have been even sharper if he had paid more attention to the significance of race for the cluster of topics he is considering. For instance, Berlinerblau explains why John Kerry did poorly among white evangelicals, but he does not ask why Kerry did so well among African American evangelicals who value the Bible at least as highly. Did Kerry’s Scripture game play differently to these different constituencies, or was his use of the Bible trumped by other considerations? Such ques-tions trace the limits of the book. But the book’s ability to raise them with new precision underscores its value.
Berlinerblau writes with a sharp-edged wit that will attract many readers and alienate a few. But it makes the book a lively read and a good choice for broad-minded undergraduate, seminary, and adult Sunday School classes that are trying to understand religion and politics in the United States today.
Ted A. Smith
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
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