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ACADEMIC VOLUME 14 . NUMBER 1 . winter 2005 ALERT IVP’s BOOK BULLETIN FOR PROFESSORS INSIDE Making Grace Visible: Anabaptist Theology and P A G E 4 Spiritual Activism A New Look at the Cross homas N. Finger recently had a recessive gene, because I was deeply interested in Peter G. Bolt’s addition to Tcompleted his monumental big religious and philosophical questions from the time I the New Studies in Biblical work, A Contemporary Anabaptist was twelve. I sought to answer them through intellectual Theology series examines Theology: Biblical, Historical, inquiry but dropped out of college (actually, flunked out), Constructive. Editor Gary Deddo largely due to discouragement and accompanying emo- Christ’s atonement as found in had a chance to speak with him tional struggles. While I was a dropout, I finally became the Gospel of Mark. about his own background and a Christian in a way that seemed ridiculously simple: by the development of this work. simply asking Jesus into my heart. So I thank God for P A G E 4 Deddo: Tom, could you tell us allowing me to get to that low point where I was humble Thomas N. Finger a little about your background enough to accept whatever God offered. I had a definite Now Let’s Hear What the Rest and your relationship to the conversion experience—though I certainly don’t think of the World Has to Say . Anabaptist tradition? that everyone must. That was over forty years ago, but it Two new volumes in the Finger: My family of origin was not particularly reli- still seems like only a few years. It was wonderful to enjoy Christian Doctrine in Global gious, though we did attend a Presbyterian church occa- a fairly simple, lively faith at first. But I gradually real- sionally, beginning when I was about ten. My parents ized that God had not simply wanted to rescue me, but Perspective series assist Western and relatives were mostly business people, climbing the wanted to make me into everything for which I had been Christians in listening to our economic and social ladder. My background was very created. So I began the frightening journey back into aca- brothers and sisters around the far from Mennonite or evangelical. But I seem to have demia—in an evangelical context, which was brand new. world. continued on page 2 P A G E 5 Biblical Gender Equality: Complementarity Without Examining Evangelical Ecclesiology Hierarchy A reticence toward ecclesiologi- n October IVP released a lengthy, multidisciplinary cal reductionism meets efforts Ibook on gender issues—Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy (hereafter DBE)— toward a constructive theology edited by Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill of the church. Groothuis, with Gordon D. Fee as contributing editor. Jim Hoover recently interviewed Ron and Rebecca. P A G E 5 Hoover: With as many books out there on the subject of men and women in the church, what was the impetus Questioning the Consensus for this project? What makes it stand out from others in Ronald W. Pierce Rebecca Merrill Groothuis Editors Mark Goodacre and the field? Nicholas Perrin introduce a Groothuis: There seemed to be a clear need for a Hoover: You’ve subtitled the book Complementarity single resource that covered the main issues and argu- Without Hierarchy. Is that just deliberately provocative, diverse group of scholars who ments for biblical equality. I wanted people to see that or is there something substantive that you are trying to challenge the current consensus biblical equality makes sense from every angle; it’s not get at? just a matter of exegeting a few controversial biblical Groothuis: It is not intended to be deliberately pro- regarding Q. vocative, but it does make a point—namely, that the idea proof texts—or, in some cases, “proof words.” of male-female complementarity is not the issue at stake Pierce: DBE is the first comprehensive scholarly col- in the gender debate. Indeed, the concept fits as well with lection of essays from an egalitarian perspective to have gender equality as with gender hierarchy. It is axiomatic been published in North America in the past thirty that male and female are complementary; that is, they years. complete and correspond to one another. continued on page 3 ¾ ACADEMICALERT Anabaptist Theology, continued from page 1 Deddo: Some of our readers might be curious to mation of this book? know what a good Anabaptist is doing publishing Finger: I received my Ph.D. in a liberal set- in evangelical circles. Can you shed some light on ting but spent a year in Germany with Wolfhart the relationship you see between the two? Pannenberg. My main concerns were issues dis- Finger: Though I did not fully realize this then, cussed among evangelical, neo-orthodox and I was initially attracted to Anabaptism because it liberal Protestants. But through some hints in offered a creative way of integrating two valid fea- John Howard Yoder’s Politics of Jesus and Robert tures of Christian faith that other Christian groups Friedmann’s Theology of Anabaptism, I began to see affirm one-sidedly. Not, however, because it offered that while Anabaptists/Mennonites had writ- some easy compromise, some fifty/fifty solution, ten very little formal, or explicit, theology, a pro- but because it offered very creative ways of both found implicit theology underlay their practical understanding issues—for example, social vs. per- Christianity. Yoder hinted at how this perspective sonal dimensions of faith—and proposing viable might creatively resolve some main contemporary solutions. Early on I sensed that Anabaptism car- theological issues. From then on, I understood ried significant ecumeni- the explication of this implicit cal potential and was not theology to be my main schol- EVANGELICALS COULDN’T REALLY really “sectarian.” I dis- arly task. as Nicaea and Chalcedon. Other Anabaptists ADDRESS SOCIOPOLITICAL ISSUES. covered this standpoint Deddo: What of interest value approaches and beliefs affirmed by other LIBERAL CHRISTIANS, HOWEVER, in 1970 but didn’t join a to our readers can you tell us Christians. But this can lead to granting academic Mennonite congregation SEEMED REALLY INTERESTED ONLY IN about current developments methods or a broad ecumenical consensus a prior- until 1980. CHANGING SOCIAL STRUCTURES, AND in Anabaptist theology and ity. I argue that some ecumenically shared beliefs, As I finished semi- SEEMED TO HAVE A VERY SHALLOW church life? And how might rightly articulated, far from diluting Anabaptist nary, Vietnam protests PERSONAL FAITH. your book intersect them? distinctives, can help express them more strongly. were in full swing, but F i n g e r : E v e r s i n c e Second, Anabaptists/Mennonites have I had no clear idea of the Reformation, most always stressed ethics and community. Yet a strong what a Christian sociopolitical outlook might Anabaptists/Mennonites have been neither highly tendency to ethical and social reductionism exists be. At that time, most evangelicals claimed to be educated nor culturally sophisticated—mostly among Anabaptist theologians. At the same time, apolitical, though many were quite far to the right because mainstream society forced them to the this predominantly ethical, practical emphasis and supported the Vietnam war. During Ph.D. margins. Not until the 1940s did American is leaving many Anabaptist churches and their studies in a very different, left-wing environment Mennonites have a few visible Ph.Ds. By the members exhausted and spiritually hungry. I argue my social and political questions became acute. 1960, they were doing sophisticated work in New that the spiritual dimension, rightly understood, This, for me, was the basic problem: Evangelicals Testament and ethics. Constructive, or systematic far from diluting ethical, communal and socio- seemed really interested in personal conversions theology, in Anabaptist perspective began about political activities, can greatly strengthen them. alone. Their converts either became apolitical 1980. My book seeks to survey this field and inter- Deddo: In the researching and writing of this or maintained, uncritically, whatever social out- act with other Anabaptist theologians—as well as book did you have any “aha” moments where you look they held before. Evangelicals couldn’t really with Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox believ- recognized something really important that you or address sociopolitical issues. Liberal Christians, ers—on some main issues. These developments others had overlooked? however, seemed really interested only in chang- reflect greatly increased Mennonite involvement in Finger: The book took over seven years to ing social structures, and seemed to have a very higher education and mainstream society, but also write. Such experiences were not so much single shallow personal faith. How could the person- a quest for Anabaptist identity. When identity is moments as repeated ones of deeper wonder and al and social dimensions of Christian faith fit no longer defined by ethnicity and culture-specific excitement. I kept being amazed at how implic- together? It was as I wrestled with this amidst behavior, it must be defined, in part, by theological itly “sacramental” Anabaptists have been—in the protests and campus shut-downs over Vietnam convictions. practical sense of making invisible, spiritual grace that Anabaptism offered a fresh answer. For In my view, two intra-Anabaptist debates visible through every facet of their physical lives Anabaptists, I learned, faith is personal, since it are most important. First, how much emphasis and work. Yet their explicit theology—which involves decisive commitment to Jesus. Yet it’s should be placed on Anabaptist distinctives— was often somewhat unclear—downgraded the also social, since this involves commitment to the peace, believers’ baptism, etc.—and how much physical world, and especially their bodies. I was overall way of life that Jesus taught, and to com- on commonalities with other Christians? Some increasingly amazed at how profoundly Pilgram munities which made, and continue to make, that theologians rightly worry that as Anabaptists Marpeck understood this, and, often far better commitment.