Volume 32 Number 4 / October 2006 Religious Studies Review / 251

various levels, but at the same time suggests aChristian materialist alternative for those whoare “rethinking human nature.”

Amos YongRegent University School of Divinity

THE RESURRECTION OF GOD INCAR-NATE. By Richard Swinburne. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2003. Pp. vii + 224. $29.95,ISBN 978-0-19-925746-1.

Building on his earlier analytic-probabilisticarguments for the existence of the God of tra-ditional Christianity (summarized in part one),Swinburne deploys a similar apologetic for theChristian doctrine of the resurrection. However,the argument is more complex as the probabil-ity of the resurrection is intertwined with thedoctrine of the incarnation. In brief, if there isa God; if such a God had reason to becomeincarnate (either because of desiring to dosomething about the sin and suffering of theworld, or to show solidarity with human beingsin such conditions); and if there is evidence thatGod did in fact become incarnate, then therewould be reason to validate such an incarnationvia resurrection. So the evidence for the resur-rection (e.g., the appearances, the empty tomband Sunday observance, other rival theories—all detailed in part three) includes: evidence that1) Jesus lived the kind of life and taught thekinds of doctrines that one would have expectedof God incarnate (which is presented in parttwo on Jesus’ life, teachings, self-understanding,etc.), and that 2) there are no other candidatesknown in the history of humankind who fulfillthese premises and was said to be resurrectedfrom the dead. The apparent circularity of theargument—the evidence for the resurrectionrelying in part on the evidence for incarnation,and the validation of incarnation in resurrec-tion—is not vicious but, arguably, reflective ofthe hermeneutical spiral of faith and reason.Tightly argued, as expected of a Swinburnevolume.

Amos YongRegent University School of Divinity

MINDING THE SPIRIT: THE STUDY OFCHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY. Edited byElizabeth A. Dreyer and Mark S. Burrows.Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins Press, 2005.Pp. xvii + 382. Cloth, $60.00, ISBN 0-8018-8076-9; paper, $19.95, ISBN 0-8018-8077-7.

A collection of essays previously publishedin Christian Spirituality Bulletin and its rein-carnation as Spiritus, this book charts impor-tant developments in the academic study ofspirituality. It engages in interdisciplinary con-versations and disabuses notions that the studyof spirituality cannot be critical. Such conver-sations occur, for example, as methodologicalanalyses (e.g., Schneiders’s and McGinn’sparsing of presuppositions, definitions, andmethods), reflections on theory and praxis(e.g., Sheldrake’s critique of interiority,McGuire’s analysis of embodiment, and

McGinn’s exploration of inner experience),and critical engagement with classical and con-temporary interlocutors (e.g., Dreyer’s appealto Augustine, Burrows’s discussion of MichaelSells, and Sobrino’s encounter with Romero).The book’s contributors are among the leadinginterlocutors in these ongoing conversations inthe academy. The editors have selected seminaland lucid essays that illuminate trajectorieswithin a decade of scholarship on spirituality.Moreover, the book provides a substantivepoint of departure for the field of spiritualityand its expanding horizons, e.g., interreligiousdialogue, ecological issues, and questions ofsocial justice. A minor critique is that the pref-ace or introduction might have better explainedthe interrelation between the book’s fivecentral parts. The book has a broad appeal tospecialists in spirituality and theology,pedagogues (many essays discuss teachingspirituality), and graduate and upper-undergraduate level students.

Charlotte RadlerLoyola Marymount University

THE SPIRIT POURED OUT ON ALLFLESH: PENTECOSTALISM AND THEPOSSIBILITY OF GLOBAL THEOLOGY.By Amos Yong. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Aca-demic, 2005. Pp. 320. $24.99, ISBN 0-8010-2770-5.

Yong’s book is an ambitious attempt torethink the entire discipline of systematic the-ology from a pneumatological perspectiveinformed by the contemporary worldwide Pen-tecostal experience of the Spirit. Yong finds abiblical ground for his perspective in the Luke-Acts whose Spirit Christology and narrative ofthe Pentecost event produce a pneumatologicalsoteriology that understands salvation as: 1)holistic and concrete, encompassing bodilyhealing, ecclesial–communal fellowshipbeyond all racial, class, and gender boundaries,the provision of material needs, the transforma-tion of sociopolitical conditions, and responsi-ble ecological living; 2) dynamic, consisting ofone’s entire Spirit-driven transformative jour-ney from justification/regeneration to theeschatological fullness of the Spirit. Yong’semphasis on the Spirit points to a robust Trini-tarian theology rooted in the biblical and theo-logical tradition of Christianity while beingfallibilistic and multiperspectival enough tofunction as a public theology open to ecu-menism, religious pluralism, and the religion–science debate. Yong’s well-argued thesis isbased on an impressive command of sourcesand a fair assessment of opposing points ofview. But the book is not without limitations inthat his hasty attempt in the last chapter to pro-vide a publicly intelligible metaphysical frame-work for his theology on the basis of C. S.Peirce’s semiotics assumes that the reader hasat least some familiarity with Peirce. Even withthese concerns, Yong’s book represents Pente-costal theology “come of age,” and in that sense

deserves a careful reading not only by thoseinterested in Pentecostalism but also by anyoneconcerned about the eclipse of the Spirit inChristian theology.

Hyo-Dong LeeHobart and William Smith Colleges

EthicsGOD, TRUTH, AND WITNESS: ENGAG-ING STANLEY HAUERWAS. Edited by L.Gregory Jones, Reinhard Hütter, and C. Rosa-lee Velloso Ewell. Grand Rapids, MI: BrazosPress, 2005. Pp. 336. $39.99, ISBN 978-1-5874-3-151-7.

On the occasion of Hauerwas’s sixty-fifthbirthday, the editors have presented him withthis festschrift of fifteen essays by senior col-leagues—e.g., R. Greer, D. Burrell, R. L.Wilken, R. Bellah, R. Jenson, G. Lindbeck, N.Lash, P. Ochs, and others—with whom he hashad long-standing friendships and conversa-tions. Needless to say, the volume bristles withprovocative, creative, and pertinent ideasrelated to truthful witness and the freedom offriendship; being a Christian in a post-Christen-dom world; the Church and the churches beingcities on a hill; and the task of practicing the-ology and learning from others. Those familiarwith Hauerwas’s massive oeuvre will recognizethese as themes that he has engaged extensivelyover the years, and the essayists do not disap-point in producing first-rate pieces that eitherexpand on Hauerwas’s ideas or complementthem. Because of the wide range of topicsaddressed, classroom use of this book willprobably be limited to those focused on Hauer-was’s work. But for RSR readers specifically, P.Ochs’s concluding piece on how “theologicalconditions for justifying inter-Abrahamicstudy” can be derived from Hauerwas’s owncommitments and presuppositions reveals thepublicly engaging rather than merely sectarian(pejoratively construed) nature of Hauerwas’secclesiocentric project. That in itself justifiesthe place of this book on the shelves of alltheology and religious studies scholars andlibraries.

Amos YongRegent University School of Divinity

Arts, Literature, Culture, and

ReligionMEL GIBSON’S PASSION: THE FILM,THE CONTROVERSY, AND ITS IMPLI-CATIONS. Edited by Zev Garber. Shofar Sup-plements in Jewish Studies. West Lafayette, IN:

252 / Religious Studies Review Volume 32 Number 4 / October 2006

Purdue University Press, 2006. Pp. 184. $14.95,ISBN 1-55753-405-5.

This collection brings together a variety ofJewish and Christian scholars to mount a cri-tique of Gibson’s 2004 film, The Passion of theChrist. The essays uniformly support the posi-tion that the film is anti-Semitic in effect, if notnecessarily in intent. Additionally, the collec-tion makes a case for the film’s historical inac-curacy, as well as its theological problems.Each essay is followed by a series of discussionquestions. Some essays include footnotes, andthe book as a whole ends with a detailed anno-tated bibliography. The purpose of this book isnot to foster a debate about the film, but toeducate its audience about the film’s destructivepotential. The essays are largely written from aconfessional (Jewish or Christian) point ofview, although a few are more neutral historicalaccounts. Many of the discussion questions areleading, for example: “What is the differencebetween a truly Christian film of the Passionnarrative and the version of Mel Gibson?” Thebook contains historical information that mightbe useful for a secular study of the film, butotherwise, I would recommend this book onlyfor use in a confessional environment, such asa graduate-level seminary course.

Christine Hoff KraemerBoston University

MEL GIBSON’S BIBLE: RELIGION,POPULAR CULTURE, AND THE PAS-SION OF THE CHRIST. Edited by TimothyK. Beal and Tod Linafelt. Afterlives of theBible. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,2006. Pp. xii + 208. $16.00, ISBN 0-226-03976-5.

This accessible collection approachesGibson’s 2004 film The Passion of the Christas an interpretation of biblical and nonbiblicalreligious texts, as a religious phenomenon thatdemands an ethical and theological response,and as a cultural event that can be situatedwithin a wider American pop culture. Includedare essays from a wide range of well-knownscholars, theologians, cultural analysts, andfilm critics, including Crossan, P. Fredricksen,A. Hollywood, J. Miles, M. Miles, and M. C.Taylor. Although some of the essays have a toneof scholarly neutrality, others are delightfullyideological, making the book a useful tool forseeding debate over the film in the classroom.In addition, the collection is strong on explor-ing the cultural and religious backgrounds tothe film through histories of the Passion play,anti-Semitism, Jesus films, and Vatican II andits backlash. The book’s biggest drawback is itslack of a solid evangelical contribution. Noneof the writers wholeheartedly embraces thefilm; at best, it is seen as an important oppor-tunity for a Catholic–Protestant dialogue. Italso lacks citations, a loss I particularly feltwhen writers related personal details of Gib-son’s history (for example, Gibson’s possessionof a piece of Augustinian nun Anne Catherine

Emmerich’s habit, or his near-conversion toOrthodox Judaism as a young man). In sum,this book is weak as a work of scholarship, butis invaluable for classroom study of the film.

Christine Hoff KraemerBoston University

FROM FANTASY TO FAITH: MORAL-ITY, RELIGION AND TWENTIETH-CEN-TURY LITERATURE. By D. Z. Phillips. 2nded. London: SCM Press, 2006. Pp. xvi + 240.£19.99, ISBN 0-334-04028-0.

Time and space constraints make this a noteon notes about the meaning of meaning whatwe say—appropriate to this second edition ofPhillips’s homilies on a selection of twentieth-century writers. These fragments range fromL. F. Baum and W. Stevens through L. Piran-dello and J. Didion to B. Pym and F. O’Connor,from a meditation on why Dorothy longed toreturn to Kansas to a realism of distance rootedin the Christ-haunted US South. Haunted, yes.And Phillips is as aware as Pym that the Southof England is haunted, too, along with Walesand a string of writers (including Beckett,Camus, and Kafka) who did not seek to thinkof God. The author is a philosopher, but thereis no argument—only a collection of medita-tions that one hopes will point readers to theworks that inspired them. Phillips ends with anadmonition: “[I]t is of abiding importance todistinguish between fantasy and faith.” But thelast word, unspoken, belongs to Wittgenstein,who haunts this book from beginning to end:“Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darübermuss man schweigen.” Phillips has, and that isthe best reason to take up this collection againfifteen years after it was first gathered.

Steven SchroederChicago, Illinois

THE ALABADOS OF NEW MEXICO.Edited and translated by Thomas J. Steele, S.J.Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press,2005. Pp. 400; photographs. $49.95, ISBN0-8263-2967-5.

This monumental study of alabados pro-vides important insights into the Roman Cath-olic piety of the Spanish and Indian peoples ofNew Mexico over the last two centuries. Orig-inally, alabados were medieval-style hymnsabout Christ’s suffering and saving death,brought to New Spain and Mexico by Fran-ciscan friars whose spirituality stressed Jesus’humanity. Over time, hymns with other topicswere considered alabados. Steele amassed adatabase of these alabados from several collec-tions, including variations of texts found inhandwritten notebooks possessed by local sing-ers or families throughout New Mexico. Heprovides the Spanish texts, English translations,and introductions for each of the 126 hymns.Through a careful analysis of the structural for-mulas found in many hymns, characteristic ofsongs of an oral tradition, Steele concludes thatthe creation of alabados in New Mexico dem-

onstrates influences of oral and written trans-mission. His analysis of passion motifs foundin a number of the alabados, along with formu-laic patterns, helps the reader see the texts froma different perspective. A CD with sung exam-ples of the hymns would have been welcomed,but Steele cites the online Library of Congresscollection of J. B. Rael’s audio archives. Rec-ommended for hymnologists and students ofsouthwest Catholicism.

Rebecca J. SloughAssociated Mennonite Biblical Seminary

SPIRITUAL EDUCATION: LITERARY,EMPIRICAL AND PEDAGOGICALAPPROACHES. Edited by Cathy Ota andClive Erricker. Spiritual Education, 3. Portland,OR: Sussex Academic Press, 2005. Pp. 268.$27.95, ISBN 1-84519-018-1.

As the title indicates, this collection ofessays draws together a variety of scholarlyarticles in an intriguing interplay betweenempirical, literary, and pedagogical approachesto spiritual education. The authors successfullyaddress the agency of children and young adultsin their spiritual education; the possible correc-tive spiritual education offers toward a widerpublic discourse and the central values of dom-inant contemporary societies; and the integra-tive nature of spiritual education with allacademic disciplines at a generative level. Thistext not only defines the emerging conversationconcerning spiritual education, but also movesit forward through a kaleidoscope of inquiry.From studies considering young women wear-ing hijab in Britain to an examination of therole of tradition in transmitting spiritual forma-tion in a postmodern context, this publicationwill be helpful to educators, scholars, and spir-itual directors who are discerning the ever-changing landscape of spiritual education inyouth and young adults.

Tara HornbackerBethany Theological Seminary

MORAL IDENTITY IN EARLY MODERNENGLISH LITERATURE. By Paul Cefalu.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.Pp. x + 225. Cloth, $75.00, ISBN 0-521-83807-X; paper, $22.95, ISBN 0-8166-3823-3.

Cefalu’s work focuses on the connectionsbetween justification and sanctification andhow these two processes are theorized by earlymodern theologians and literary authors fromthe late sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth centu-ries. His ultimate goal is to discover how theo-retical structures of salvation may or may notlead to a practical program of moral develop-ment and ethical behavior. While the chapterson poetic explorations of soteriology by authorssuch as Spenser, Donne, Herbert, and Miltonare marred by logical flaws, his survey andsynthesis of early modern English theologicalideas on the subjects of justification and salva-tion is commendably varied and insightful.Cefalu’s analyses of sermons and treatises are

Volume 32 Number 4 / October 2006 Religious Studies Review / 253

especially strong and give a good overview ofthe varied positions available to the early mod-ern moral agent, none of which seems able tocompletely integrate theological imperativeswith moral behavior. This text should be ofmost interest to literary scholars working onlate Renaissance religious poetry and prose orto religious scholars particularly interested inpost-Reformation soteriology.

Heather G. S. JohnsonSouthern Illinois University

Ancient Near EastFROM REVELATION TO CANON:STUDIES IN THE HEBREW BIBLE ANDSECOND TEMPLE LITERATURE. ByJames C. VanderKam. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2000.Pp. xii + 604. Cloth, $175.00, ISBN 978-90-04-11557-6; paper, $59.00, ISBN 978-0-391-04136-3.

This is a collection of twenty-nine previ-ously published (with two exceptions) articles,which appeared between 1977 and 1996. Threeconcern material from the traditional HebrewBible (David, Psalm 2, Ezra-Nehemiah) and theremainder address Second Temple Jewish his-tory and literature. While VanderKam is well-known for his Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship,this collection represents his many excellentstudies not directly concerned with the Scrolls.Beyond the Hebrew Bible, the articles deal with“Calendar and Festivals,” “High Priesthood,”and “Apocalyptic Studies.” The final section,“Studies in 1 Enoch and Jubilees,” comprisesabout half of the book. In his studies of 1 Enochand Jubilees, VanderKam has made some of hismost formative contributions to our understand-ing of Second Temple Judaism. The articles thatbegin and end the book appear in this formfor the first time. The first, “Revealed Literaturein the Second Temple Period,” critiques viewsof the formation of a Jewish canon that considerthe canon closed by the second century BCE.VanderKam demonstrates openness to newauthoritative writings during this period, and hecalls for more accurate assessment of the evi-dence and comparative study with ancientMesopotamian and Alexandrian phenomena.VanderKam’s scholarship is consistently judi-cious and clear, and this excellent collectionwill be appreciated by all Second Templeresearchers.

James E. BowleyMillsaps College

UNDERSTANDING OLD TESTAMENTETHICS: APPROACHES AND EXPLORA-TIONS. By John Barton. Louisville, KY: JohnKnox Press, 2003. Pp. xi + 212. $24.95, ISBN0-664-22596-9.

Barton’s timely book is actually a compila-tion of a series of articles that have beenpublished over the course of the author’s

distinguished career. Each chapter of the bookrepresents a separate article that Barton haswritten and each one touches on a differentaspect of the emerging field of Old Testamentethics. Barton begins the book by, first of all,acknowledging the foundational contributionsof German scholars to the field, and then he,secondly, sets the course for a new direction inthe study of Old Testament ethics. In chartinga new research agenda, Barton suggests thatscholars interested in the field of Old Testamentethics should take into consideration the oftenneglected narrative sections of the HebrewBible as opposed to developing an Old Testa-ment ethic primarily from the poetic materialsof the prophets. Barton moves beyond his initialproposal in the next few chapters to discussimportant issues centered on Old Testamentethics: 1) the notion of natural law and poeticjustice; 2) methodological models for develop-ing Old Testament ethics; and 3) the potentialnarrative texts can lend to moral reflection. Thesecond half of the book is devoted to analyzingseveral ethical concepts from the biblical text.Barton begins this portion of the book with astudy on the ethical implications of the oraclesof nations in Amos 1:3-2:5 and he then pro-ceeds in the next two chapters to discuss theethics of Isaiah of Jerusalem (i.e., justice for thepoor, trust in God, humility, and piety) andthe Isaianic tradition. Lastly, Barton closes outthe book with a review of the theological ethicsin the book of Daniel and the message it con-tains for both Jews and Gentiles. On the whole,this book will serve as a valuable resource foranyone interested in the study of biblical ethics.

Kevin MellishOlivet Nazarene University

JUDGES, RUTH. By W. Gary Phillips. Editedby Max Anders. Holman Old Testament Com-mentary, 5. Nashville, TN: Broadman andHolman, 2004. Pp. xiii + 364. $19.99, ISBN978-0-8054-9465-5.

Phillips has written a commentary onJudges and Ruth that fulfills the stated purposeof the Holman Commentary series: to providea valuable resource to those in the church whodesire to teach the Bible and to put it in an“easily digestible” format. Written in a stylethat is amenable to a lay audience, this volumeis specifically designed to equip an individualor team to lead a group Bible study. Phillipsbegins his book by offering an introductorychapter on Judges and Ruth. Although notoverly technical or weighed down by scholarlyjargon, this chapter admirably acquaints layreaders with the chief historical and theologicalissues surrounding these books. The remainderof the commentary is dedicated to providing anexegetical evaluation and theological interpre-tation of the biblical material. Each chapter ofthe book is intended to serve as an individuallesson (twenty-one chapters/lessons), andPhillips follows a consistent methodology thatguides the reader through each text: introduc-

tion, commentary, conclusion, life application,prayer, deeper discoveries, teaching outlines,and issues for discussion. Phillips not onlycreatively titles each chapter to catch theaudience’s attention, but he also providesappropriate illustrations which tie the lessons toreal life. This is an excellent resource for teach-ers and leaders in a church setting who wish toconduct a dynamic Bible study.

Kevin MellishOlivet Nazarene University

A STORY OF THE PSALMS: CONVERSA-TION, CANON, AND CONGREGATION.By V. Steven Parrish. Collegeville, MN: Litur-gical Press, 2003. Pp. viii + 151. $14.95, ISBN0-8146-2906-7.

As the title of his book would suggest, Par-rish sets out to tell the story of the Psalms andhe performs this task in a manner that is usefulfor pastoral ministry and the church. In theopening chapter, the author lays the foundationof his thought by demonstrating how the vari-ous books in the Psalter actually retell the nar-rative of Israel’s past. According to Parrish,Psalms 1-2 recount Israel’s emergence as anation living in fidelity to the Torah, books 1-2signify the establishment of the Davidic mon-archy, book 3 represents Israel’s collapse andthe Babylonian exile, books 4-5 denote Israel’sreemergence from exile which is inspired bythe claim that Yahweh reigns. In chapters twoto five, the author follows his initial argumentby providing detailed information from variousPsalms to support his claims. As Parrish suc-cessfully delineates and defends his fourfoldschema (emergence, establishment, collapse,and reemergence), he concludes each chapterby showing how the lessons learned from thePsalter can be simultaneously applied to the lifeof the church. The results of his work demon-strate the notion that the various narrative ele-ments of Israel’s past tell also the story of thechurch. By constructing his comparison/contrast model on the book of Psalms, Parrishbuilds a bridge between an ancient context anda modern one, thereby making it possible forthe church to be in communication with thebiblical text. This creative study of Israel’s pastand the church is highly recommended forthose in pastoral ministry.

Kevin MellishOlivet Nazarene University

PSALMS IN COMMUNITY: JEWISH ANDCHRISTIAN TEXTUAL, LITURGICAL,AND ARTISTIC TRADITIONS. Edited byHarold W. Attridge and Margot E. Fassler.SBL Symposium Series, 25. Atlanta, GA:Society of Biblical Literature, 2003. Pp. xiii+ 474; photographs. $49.95, ISBN 1-58983-078-4.

This edited volume of twenty-five essays isthe result of a conference on the Psalms inJewish and Christian traditions held at YaleUniversity in 2002. These essays provide a rich