Book Reviews

Toward a Christian Political Ethics.

By Jose M iguez Bonino. Philadelphia, Pa: Fortress Press, 1983. Pp. 126. Paperback $5.95.

Ch rist in a Poncho: Witnesses to the Nonviolent Struggles in Latin Ame rica.

By Adolfo Perez Esquivel. Edited by Charles A ntoine. Translated from the French by Rob­ ert R. Barr. Ma ryknoll. N. Y : Orbis Books, 1983. Pp. iv, 139. Paperback $6.95.

These two volu mes by Argentinian Christians provide contrapuntal un der­ sta ndings of Christian polit ical respon­ sibility, especially in Latin America. UNEXPECTED NEWS Miguez , Pro tes tant professor of theolo­ Reading the Bible with gy in ISED ET (ecume nica l semina ry in Buenos Aires), author of Doing Theology Third World Eyes in a Revolutionary Situation, is heir of Leh­ by Robert McAfe e Brown mann and World Council of Churches Viewin g th e Bible from th e ecumenica l ethics. Perez, Catholic stan dpoint of third world painter and scu lptor, fo under of Serv i­ C hristians, the author cio por Paz y [u st icia, 1980 Nobel Peace draws disturbing new Laureate, sometime pri so ner, is heir to insights from ten familiar Gandhi, King, and the 1968 Medell in scriptural passages. Conference . Discussion of the vari­ Mi gu ez employs dialogical ethical ous passages is followed method, following em pirica l an alysi s by reflection on wi th th eological reflectio n-from pra xis th e issues th ey raise. to th eor y and back. Perez is a catalyst, Paper, $7.95 connecting Latin America's man y no n­ violent movements. He writes :" O ne of th e keenest fru strations of modern in­ ISLAM: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE dustrialization arises from th e extreme by Michael Nazir-Ali dispropo rtio n bet ween catastrophic in­ for ma tio n an d effective remedy" (p. This enlightening discu ssion of the religiou s, polit ical, socia l, and economic 40). His illustratio ns of participat ion problems of Islam is written from th e standpoint of one who is a C hristian with and stra tegy incl ude the mothers of the a Muslim background living in a Muslim world. " ... compulsory reading for all Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, ceme nt students of religion and histor y .. ."-Lamin Sanneh, Ce nter for th e Study of workers, Indian s, and peasants. World Religions, Harvard University Paper, $11.95 Miguez traces th e " modern ization pro ject" from au thoritariansim to de­ THE POLITICS OF SPIRITUALITY mocracy, th en to th e na tio nal security by William Stringfellow state, w ith its total concentration of power, suppression of dissen t, and The noted atto rney, activ ist, and lecturer William Stringfellow views holiness ideological cover for transnat ional in ­ as wholeness and connection with all of creation, encom passing neither moral terests . T his has failed : " A regime th at spirituality nor religio us pietism. Taki ng a somber view of today's technological has nothing but sheer rep ressive force world, he advocates a political strategy for th ose called to live in th e Da rk Ages on w hic h to rely is ul tima te ly doomed" of the present. Paper, $7.95 (tentative) Available N ovember 5. (p . 75) . He notes " the complex relatio n be tween th e Protestant missionary en­ A vailabl e from your local bookstore or direct from th e publish er terpris e and th e expans ion of the (please in clu de $1.00 per book for postage & handling). nort hern capita list wo rld ," and Catho­ lic support of governing elites (p . 62) . THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 925 Ch estnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Paul Deats is Walter G. Mu elder Professor of Social Ethics, Boston University School of The­ ology, Boston, Massachusetts.

October 1984 179 NEW From. William. Carey Library, Now both churches come to criticize the Missions Publisher authoritarian regimes. The new project of liberation will be socialist, demo­ MISSIONS GROWTH: A Case Study on Finnish Free cratic, open, and self-correcting (p. 77). Foreign Missions, by Lauri Ahonen, 88 pages, paperback. Miguez criticizes prior political Most case studies on church growth focus on the development of a church ethics; Luther's two kingdoms; "the re­ or a denomination while the exploration of the factors which have contributed sponsible society" (relevant to stable to the growth of a mission is a rare activity in missiology. This new study discerns societies, not the Third World); Chris­ the distinct factors that contributed to the growth of the Finnish Free Foreign tian realism (a pragmatism that finally Mission of Finland. supported the status quo). The libera­ Retail $5.95 Special Offer $4 ..25 postpaid tion project embodies an incarnational ethic, with love and justice no longer UNTO THE UTTERMOST, Doug Priest Jr., Editor, 313 pages, subordinated to order. There is an "in­ paperback. evitable tension between the human A volume of collected essays on missions related subjects written by those who cost of their realization (structural have either served on the mission field or who have dedicated their lives to changes) and the human cost of their fulfilling the Great Commission. Among the contributors of original articles postponement." The criterion is maxi­ are Donald McGavran, Tetsunao Yamamori and Charles Taber. mizing human possibilities and mini­ Retail $8.95 Special Offer $7.50 postpaid mizing human costs (p. l07). The ..THE BAHA'I FAITH: Its History and Teachings, by William conflict always involves some measure McElwee Miller, Reprinted 1984, 444 pages, paperback. of violence, though Jesus" rejected vio­ With the recent growth of the Baha'i and the focus of attention on the group lence. Power refuses to 'yield to norms because of events in Iran, this is an important standard title on the subject. and principles; yet ethics is normative. It is an authoritative and readable work compiled by one who has had intimate These tensions are never resolved. acquaintance with the subject. A facsimile translation of the Al~Kitab Al~Aqdas, For Perez, nonviolence in Latin holy book of the Baha'is, is included in the book. America emerges at the confluence of Retail $10.95 Special Offer $7.50 postpaid two torrents: the militarization of pow­ er in the state and the evolution of the Order from church to "gospel radicalism." He questions armed liberation struggles, wi{{iam Care~ Librar~ "for fear today's oppressed will be­ come tomorrow's oppressors" (p. 27). P.O. BOX 4012Y, PASADENA, CA Yl104 Liberation theologians have not yet re­ flected sufficiently on nonviolence (p. 31). When the masses have their backs to the wall, "They seem to have to re­ sort. to violence"; Perez understands the attitude but disagrees on method (p. 29). The Nicaraguan revolution did Jacques Desseaux CHURCHES THE APOSTLES LEFT BEHIND, THE, Raymond not unambiguously demonstrate the TWENTY E. Brown, 5.S. A distinguished scholar looks at success of military action. "The Decla­ CENTURIES seven different New Testament churches after the ration of the International Meeting of OF death of the Apostles. 0352-4 (cloth) $8.95 Latin American Bishops on 'Nonvio­ ECUMENISM 2611-7 (paper) $4.95 lence: A Power for Liberation' " (print­ ed in Appendix A), in 1977, (;:) GROWTH IN AGREEMENT: Reports and Agreed Statements distinguishes the spirit from the meth­ :!21'" of Ecumenical Conversations on AWorld Level, edited by od of nonviolence: "As a spirit, nonvi­ {!1~ Harding Meyer and Lukas Vischer. Provides access olence takes its point of departure in Af/jl to key agreements between the Churches ataworld the conviction that human beings are level. 2497-1 (paper) $14.95 not irremediably set in mutual con­ ~]~ DOING THE TRUTH IN CHARITY,_ Statements of Popes Paul frontation as enemies" (p. 125). Miguez warns against hatred of tntroducnun by I.Ullf~IW M. Hur"(~. 1:. ....1' VI, John Paull, John Paul II,and the Secretariat for PrO.. motlng Christian Unity, Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. the enemy. Neither author is a dogma­ and John B. Sheerin, C.S.P. Essential resource for tist, unaware of other options. TALES ecumenism. 2398-3 (paper) $12.95 -Paul Deats d TALES OF CHRISTIAN UNITY, The Adventures of an CHRISTIAN UNlIT Ecumenical Pilgrim, Thomas P. Ryan. C.S.P. Adiary of a year's journey to ecumenical centers and experi­ The Other Side of 1984: ences in Europe, England, and the Near East. Questions for the Churches. 2502-1 (paper) $9.95 TWENTY CENTURIES OF ECUMENISM, Jacques Des­ By Lesslie Newbigin. Geneva: World seaux. An objective study of past divisions within Council of Churches, 1983. Pp. 75. Paper­ Christianity, attempts at reconciliations, and ecu­ back $3.95. menical activity during this century. 2617-6 (paper) $4.95 This small book was prepared within a study for the British Council of Churches and has been reissued by the World Council of Churches, with a perceptive postscript by Wesley Ari­ arajah, who evaluates its thesis from

180 International Bulletin of Missionary Research within the context of churches in the rageously commended to an age for technology about which we have been Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. which it is the crucial clue both to self­ "undeceived" but of which we can "The other side" of 1984 is not, here, honesty in the present quandary and never again be innocent. the factors by which human sanity to common salvation. -Kenneth Cragg might contrive to prevent the wilder Wesley Ariarajah, in his Post­ nightmares of Orwell's perverted tech­ script, asks pertinently how this bib­ nology. Rather, it is years ahead in lical, Christian "fiduciary framework" Anglican BishopKennethCragg livesin Oxford­ which Bishop Newbigin reads an anal­ is to engage with other "frameworks" shire, England, and serves as Honorary Assist­ ogy with Augustine's fifth-century of religious "trust," given the tempta­ ant Bishop in the Oxford Diocese. He was verdict against a classical order that tions of recovered "dogma:' as history formerly Assistant Bishop in the Middle East had spent itself and was doomed, and knows them, and given the vital need (Cairo ) and has written and translated in the his vision of a new order, which alone for intercultural encounter with the field of Islamic and Judaic studies. could suffice for a future beyond its disintegration. Comparably, the au ­ thor reads "1984" as the time of the doom of secular, scientific, liberal hu­ manism, which has reduced religion to a feature, an option, of culture and has limited "truth" and "reality" to the ra­ tionally demonstrable, the verifiable, and the efficient. So doing, it ha s, in If anyone would he first, his view, forfeited and ignored the whole meaning of entire experience as he must he last of all and "entrustment" and "sanctity." He calls for a radical disavowal by Chris­ tians of the thesis of the passing age , and for a fervent, resolute counteraffir­ Servant of All* mation of the order of faith . In that order,I"doubt"-the pri­ mary corollary of autonomous ration­ alism-becomes the primal sin, a basic questioning of the humility, and the spiritual "receiving:' of our humanity, within, by, and for the due recognition of God. This "fiduciary framework," as the author calls it, drawn from th e Bible's vision and word, has to be cou­

Henry Clay Morrl.on Jallan C. McPheeten Frank Baleman Stanser o..ld L. McKenna Founder·Pre.ldenl Pre.ldenl Pre.ldenl Pre.ldenl 1923·1942 1942.1962 1962-1982 1982·

In Christ's teaching and life, Asbury Seminary finds rationale, role model and mandate for ministry as "servant of all." We joyfully accept servanthood under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we call and challenge our students to do the same.

Our heritage stands secure. Our theological stance continues unchanging, unwavering. And today Asbury offers unequalled excellence in thorough preparation for Christian service.

Responsibilities for formal instructional experiences of the Divinity School, Continuing Education and TheE. Stanley Jones School of Evangelism and World Mission are shared by faculty of all divisions, using the facilities and resources of the entire seminary. Degree programs include: MASTER OF DIVINITY (M.Div.); MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGION (M.A.R.); MASTER OF THEOLOGY (Th.M.); DOCTOR OF MINISTRY (D.Min.); DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) in process. Majors offered : Pastoral Ministry; Pastoral Counseling; Evangelism and World Mission; Christian Education; Church Music; Biblical Literature; Theology; Spiritual Formation; and Philosophy. Now in our 6lst year, Asbury Seminary continues to prepare world class Wesleyan leaders who are servants of all. Write or call Director of Admissions Cary Rickman for prospective student information. -Mark 9:34 ~ , "" I~.... , For application and more information : ~ James M. Phillips , Associal!' Director ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY t:'.( I OVERSEAS MINISTRIES Wilmore, KY 40390 (606) 858-3581 ...... STUDY CENTER Ven,nol, NJ 08406 Publishers of the International Bulletin of MissionQry Research

O ctober 1984 181 Going Forth: Missionary Church of the south as distinct from Consciousness in Third World the Churches of east and west. This Catholic Churches. coming is an epoch-making event within the one Church of Christ." By Orner Degrijse, C.l.C.M. Maryknoll, Degrijse's book might well serve N. Y.: Orbis Books, 1984. Pp. xi, 98. Pa­ as a statistical companion to Biihl­ perback $6.95. mann's book and prove the point that the missionary endeavor of the church Orner Degrijse is professor of missiol­ Walbert Buhlmann's book, The Coming is quickly moving from North and ogy at the Catholic University of Lou­ of the Third Church, where Buhlmann West to East and South. It also gives us vain and national director of the says: "The outstanding opportunity of the basis for thinking, since Vatican II, Pontifical Mission Aid Societies in his the present time is the coming of a that the churches in the Third World native Belgifim. This well-documented Church which I would like to call the are coming into a new age of evangel­ book seems to have been inspired by 'Third Church,' that is to say, the ism and presenting a common front in doing mission ad extra. More than ever the local churches in Third-World World Religions-.Challenge and Promise of Liberation countries are becoming a very impor­ tant factor in the universality of mis­ sion. A GANDHIAN THEOLOGY OF LIBERATION The final considerations of this by IGNATIUS JESUDASAN, S.J. book give us much food for thought An Indian theologian offers a very readable theological reflection when we think that the time is coming on how Gandhi, a Hindu, drew inspiration from the life of Christ in when the churches of the Third World his search for a mode of political and spiritual liberation. will be sending out more missionaries "Clarifies the linkage of religion and social transformation." than the Western churches. The mo­ -DANIELe. MAGUIRE 192pp. Paperback $10.95 nopoly of the West may well come to MUHAMMAD AND THE CHRISTIAN an end as missionary activity in the A Question of Response Third World gains momentum. This is by KENNETH CRAGG a most welcome sign because evange­ An indispensable resource for Christians interested in the dia­ lization will then be borne by all the loque with Muslims, Muhammad and the Christian remains loyal churches, and the unfinished task of to Christian criteria while outlining a positive response to reaching out to all the peoples of the Muhammad. 180pp. Paperback$8.95 world will truly be the responsibility of all Christians. PLANETARY THEOLOGY by TISSA BALASURIYA GoingForth makes us conscious of the fact that the geographical emphasis Although theology must grow out of and speak to the experi­ on those who will do mission in the fu­ ences of particular groups, the context for any adequate theol­ ture is rapidly changing and that some­ ogy argues Balasuriya must be nothing less than the whole planet. Here he describes the elements for such a "planetary thing should be done by the West to theology. ', 352pp. Paperback $10.95 continue its partnership with the new missionaries to form one global mis­ CHRISTIANS AND RELIGIOUS PLURALISM sionary endeavor. Patterns in the Christian Theology of Religions -Joseph R. Lang, M.M. by ALAN RACE By his clear analysis of Christian responses to the world's varied Joseph R. Lang,M.M., currentlyExecutive Sec­ religious history, Alan Race brings into view underlying Christian retary oftheGeneral Council at Maryknoll, Neui concerns and theological questions, particularly the pivotal doc­ York, wasa missionary in Peru forsixteenyears, trine of the Incarnation. A major contribution to interreligious understanding. 192pp. Paperback $8.95 andalsoserved in Romeas Procurator General of Maryknoll for sevenyears. PARTNERS IN DIALOGUE Christianity and Other World Religions by ARNULF CAMPS Evangelicals United: Ecumenical "This text offers a convincing case that interreligious dialogue Stirrings in Pre-Victorian Britain, stands alongside liberation theology as one of the most urgent 1795-1830. challenges and promising sources of renewal for contemporary Christianity." -PAUL F. KNITTER, Xavier University By Roger H Marlin. (Studies in Evangelical­ 288pp. Paperback $10.95 ism, No.4.) Metuchen, Ni]: Scarecrow Press, GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLES 1983. Pp. xii, 230. $17.50. by WALBERT BUHLMANN "Explores and reinterprets the theme of election, examining it The period 1789-1830 was a time of from biblical, historical, comparative religion, and theological dynamic stirrings within Western civi­ viewpoints ... ", emphasizing that' 'When election of all peoples lization. The French Revolution sent its is understood does the message of revelation come clear." shock waves throughout the West with - The Bible Today 320pp. Paperback $8.95 unsettling effect until 1815. The forces of chaos threatened to overturn the political order of the day. Yet this was also the milieu in which highly creative movements were set afoot. The eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival under Whitefield

182 International Bulletin of Missionary Research and the Wesleys set the stage for the next generation to consolidate and channel these energies through the Herald Press: formation of numerous domestic and foreign mission societies and all sorts of philanthropies dedicated to the ame­ Thought- lioration of social ills. Roger H. Martin, associate dean of the Harvard Divinity School faculty, Provoking Studies wrote this doctoral study at Oxford University. In it he examines in depth Pilgrimage in Mission the emergence of four missionary soci­ Donald J.Jacobs updates Anabaptist/Mennonite missiology in light of a half eties, which bid for roles as pan-evan­ century of involvement in cross-cultural missions. It recognizes the importance of gelical agencies. On the one hand, preserving deeply held beliefs while proposing new, more realistic, and positive ad­ Martin's study underscores once again vances in mission. "This book exudes a biblicallybased optimism and enthusiasm the heavy contribution the evangelism­ about the future of mission." -Wilbert R. Shenk mission dynamic made in fostering the Paper, $6.50 ecumenical movement. On the other hand, it documents the constant ten­ Pilgrimage in Mission Leader's Guide sions that resulted from these new ini­ by Richard A. Kauffman Paper, $4.95 tiatives. In the eighteenth century White­ Anabaptism and Mission field and the Wesleys took opposite Wilbert R. Shenk's collection of essays that present a variety of perspectives on positions with reference to ecclesiasti­ Anabaptism and mission. Through the book one discovers that the Radical cal relations. Whitefield largely ignored Reformers of the 16th Century had insights into the nature of the church and its niceties of polity and church discipline, mission to the world which willthrow needed light on our questions today. Authors preaching where and to whom he of the essays include: Franklin H. Littell, Cornelius J. Dyck, John H. Yoder, Hans pleased. John Wesley maintained his Kasdorf, Wolfgang Schaufele, H. W. Meihuizen, Leonard Gross, Jose Gallardo, loyalty to the Anglican Church to his N. van der Zujpp, Wilbert R. Shenk, Robert L.Ramseyer, Takashi Yamada, and dying day. His critics accused him of David A. Shenk. Number ten in the Missionary Study Series. violating church order, of course, be­ Paper, $11.95 cause he preached and pastored in un­ So Who's Perfect! conventional ways. Nevertheless, his concern for order rubbed off on his fol­ Dhyan Cassie allows 60 persons with visibledifferences to tell what it is liketo lowers. In the next generation John "stand out" in society so that we all may learn to be more sensitive, knowledgeable, Wesley's followers did not find it easy and supportive. Do we assist the stutterer, remark on the birthmark, gUide the blind? to cooperate in some of the pan-evan­ Here the experts tell us how they want us to react. gelical movements, whereas the White­ Paper $12.95 field spirit and example inspired many In Search ofRefuge of these efforts toward cooperation Yvonne Dilling's (with Ingrid Rogers) journal of a North American volunteer who across denominational lines. spent 18 months with Salvadoran refugees on the border between EISalvador and Martin traces the background, ini­ Honduras. Through her journal, Yvonne shares what lifeis like on the receiving end tial developments, controversies, and of U.S. foreign policy as she watches the gradual militarization of the border zone. contributions of the London Mission­ Illustrated with photographs by Mike Goldwater. ary Society, the British and Foreign Bi­ Paper $9.95 ble Society, the Religious Tract Society, l and the London Society for Promoting CoDling in Nove.ber Christianity among the Jews. In an ap­ pendix we find thumbnail sketches of Ventures in Discipleship the principals in this organizing move­ John R. Martin explores the meaning of Christian discipleship in this handbook of ment, a virtual dramatis personae, which 23 lessons. Each lesson contains biblicalmaterial, Anabaptist writings, contemporary points up the degree to which a hand­ writings, a spiritual exercise, and an exercise for developing a discipling skill. Care­ ful of men were at the heart of these fullyfield-tested, this handbook willstrengthen a congregation's spiritual disciplines efforts. These were the men who kept as they focus both on the content of discipleship and the process of applying discip­ the Whitefield vision alive. leship to life. But the "Wesleyan" instinct for Paper, $12.95 ecclesiastical order kept many others When A Congregation Cares from throwing their whole lot with this Abraham and Dorothy Schmitt share an experimental model for caring in crisis group. Thus Martin's study offers an situations within the congregation. Rather than just exhorting persons to care, this important view into this phenome­ book illustrates how to care. The purpose of the book is to stimulate more churches non-the uneasy relationship between to meet needs through a team approach. Crisis situations such as distress in mar­ ecclesiastical tradition and ecumenical riage, divorce, and financial setbacks are used to illustrate how you can help comprehensiveness. Though historical someone you see heading for the rocks. They demonstrate how the team may in its focus, it has a strangely contem­ interact in a healing process. porary ring! Paper, $6.95 -Wilbert R. Shenk Herald Press Dept.IBMR Wilbert R. Shenk, Vice President for Overseas Scottdale, PA 15683 Ministries, MennoniteBoard of Missions, served in Kitchener, ON N2G 4M5 Indonesia from 1955-59.

October 1984 183