Word & World 37/4•Fall 2017 radical politics, and the concluding two chap- ume in the series that Mjaaland promises is ters contain some fascinating reflections on on its way. Thomas Müntzer and the political theology of John W. Hoyum the German Revolutions. Luther Seminary I could register numerous critical com- Saint Paul, Minnesota ments about this intriguing and creative book. Recent, fashionable efforts to blame Luther for the invention of modernity—most notably by COUNTERFEIT : THE John Milbank and —at the PERSISTENCE OF ERRORS IN THE very least make this sympathetic engagement CHURCH, by Roger E. Olson. Nashville: with Luther on philosophical grounds quite Abingdon,2015. Pp.184. $19.99 (paper). novel given the current terrain. In any case, apart from my own reservations about the de- In the book of Ecclesiastes the Preacher ployment of the argument itself, as well as the notes, “There is nothing new under the sun” stylistic preference for the more obscure dis- (1:9b), and of all the things he said, this is most cursive habits that typify contemporary conti- certainly true! When it comes to theological nental philosophy, I fear the great weakness of distortions and downright errors in Christian- ity, there is indeed nothing new. Most of the Mjaaland’s philosophical account of Luther’s theological problems that we see in modern thought is that it fails to take Luther’s attacks Christianity have roots that go back hundreds upon reason, metaphysics, and speculative or thousands of years, even back to the begin- technique far enough. What I mean is that Lu- nings of Christianity itself. The only thing that ther does not simply propose an anti-meta- is different now is the “packaging” in which physical, anti-speculative method that these distortions and errors are presented to a might be retrieved through the creative and modern audience. Theologian Roger E. Olson ingenious efforts of contemporary phenom- (Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theol- enologists. Instead, Luther preaches the apoc- ogy, Baylor University) has written an ex- alypse of ’s coming in Christ, a word tremely helpful book in which he identifies from which sinners cannot secure themselves, these theological issues, both in their ancient whether by means of moral effort, metaphysi- roots and in their modern iterations. He also cal construction, or even the most self-aware, gives suggestions as to how and why such rationally chastened phenomenological pro- theological errors must be avoided. cedure. God’s absconding outside of Christ is , , Marcionism, not simply the opening of a space for politics —these sound like dimly-remem- or the dismantling of metaphysics. Even the bered entries in a dusty old textbook of the his- logic of radical politics will not be spared, for tory of . Didn’t we already God’s of the ungodly with a word deal with these things—isn’t that what the ec- of promise apart from the law mortifies all umenical (Apostles, Nicaean, Athana- human questing after the highest good (sum- sian) were supposed to solve? Well, if surveys mum bonum), even in the form of social jus- of rank-and-file American Christians are to be tice or the event of socialist revolution. Even believed, the answer to this is that heterodox with all this said, The Hidden God is a fasci- theological positions are alive and well, and nating, challenging read that is well worth the living in our congregations and in our society. time. I look forward, also, to the second vol- Ancient show up everywhere, 416 Copyright © 2017 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. All rights reserved. Reviews whether in a denial of the as ance individual Christians have to cobble to- Scripture (Marcionism), the resurrection of gether whatever theological ideas they think the body (Gnosticism), the divinity of Christ best, and this is where the heretical tendencies (Arianism), or of the (, et begin to seep in. al.). Add to this forms of works righteousness Aftertwoinitial chapterswhereOlsondeals () and the ever popular Moral Ther- withtheconceptsof“”and“orthodoxy” apeutic Deism, and you have utter theological in turn, his next eight chapters each deal with a confusion in the pews. single heresy, from the ancient ones like Olson does not suggest that most American Gnosticism and Marcionism to more modern Christians are heretics by conscious inclina- problems such as Moral Therapeutic Deism tion—hecarefully referstoheretical ideas, not and the “” of Health and Wealth. Each people. But he suggests that lack of sound chapter deals with the topics in their ancient theological teaching and preaching in our con- and modern guises, as well as providing sug- gregations, along with an “anything goes” atti- gestions about why these heresies are danger- tude toward theological , has created a ous and how they may be countered. The final vacuum into which these ideas have spread. twochaptersonthemodernissuesareparticu- Olson worries about American Christianity larly helpful, as they deal with ideas that are becoming a “folk religion,” which to his mind rampant in popular American religious writ- means a set of common religious practices ers and preachers, and are ideas to which lay without reference to a unified core set of theo- Christians are constantly exposed. The only logicalcommitments.Withoutsuchcoreguid- chapter toward which I have some reserva-

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417 Word & World 37/4•Fall 2017 tions is chapter eight, on Divine Determinism that for thirty-five years has been engaged in and Predestination, but that can still be read works of mercy and justice focusing on home- with some profit. lessness, mass incarceration, and anti-death- This is a great little book (176 pages). It penalty protest” (2). would be a great refresher for pastors to read, If you follow McBride’s work, the serendip- to remind them of the prevalence of theologi- ity here is not lost, that this book, the second cal errors in our modern world, and as a diag- academic work by one of our outstanding nosis for proper preaching and teaching. It is Bonhoeffer scholars, offers a report on what also organized and written for laypeople in the amounts to her own Harlem moment. Just as church, who could read this book and study it Bonhoeffer’sexperienceoftheHarlem Renais- togetherfor their own edification. Olson is nei- sance affected his entire theological produc- ther “preachy” nor condemnatory, but calmly tion,sotoodoesMcBride’sexperiencewiththe and clearly sets out his positions and the core Open Door seem to have reoriented her ap- ofChristianorthodoxyinanengagingmanner. proach to theology as a whole. I heartily recommend this book. Back in 2013, I had the honor of reviewing Mark Granquist McBride’sfirstbook,TheChurchfortheWorld: Luther Seminary A Theology of Public Witness. In that work, Saint Paul, Minnesota McBride put forward the rather remarkable thesis that “acceptance of guilt is the only ex- clusive claim about itself that the church has over the world” (130). McBride seems to have RADICALDISCIPLESHIP:ALITURGI- taken this thesis and made it her life mission, CAL POLITICS OF THE GOSPEL,by because the work in which she has engaged at Jennifer M.McBride.Minneapolis:Fortress, the Open Door is itself a life transformed by 2017. Pp.279. $34.00 (paper). such confession. In fact, of her previous work I Although the title of Jennifer McBride’s had argued that the ethnographic work she of- new book trips splendidly through key words fered in the final chapters kept a bit of distance in systematic theology (liturgy, politics, disci- from the theology in the early chapters. Here, pleship, radical, gospel), and in fact is an exer- McBride has elided any distinction, because cise in theological heavy lifting, it is also theentirebookisanexerciseinlivedtheology. wonderfully accessible. Itsmethodology isone In particular, McBride , as she dis- of “lived theology,” which McBride defines as cusses in chapter 3 (Christmas), that it is only “theological reflection born from disciple- in the reducing of distance that we overcome ship—from intentionally placing oneself in the alienation that is part and parcel of guilt situations of social concern as one responds to unprocessed.Whenwebringbodiesintoprox- Jesus’s call to follow him there” (8). imity, we habituate our actual bodies in the McBride, who currently serves as the presi- struggle. “If discipleship necessitates a new dent of the International Bonhoeffer Soci- situation, this means that where we place our ety—English Language Section, brings her bodies matters. We learn through our bodies, Bonhoeffer scholarship to bear. But the beat- our practice shapes our understanding, and ing heart of this work is her experience in com- so, like Jesus thehomeless wanderer,thecrim- munity with the Open Door, “an intentionally inal on the cross, [we] intentionally place our interracial, residential, Christian activist and bodies with the guilty” (22). worshipping community in Atlanta, Georgia, The focus on repentance is not ultimately 418