Leaven Leaven

Volume 7 Issue 2 Adult Nurture Article 13

1-1-1999

Weaving the New Creation, James Fowler Weaving the New Creation, James Fowler

James Oliver

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Oliver, James (1999) "Weaving the New Creation, James Fowler," Leaven: Vol. 7 : Iss. 2 , Article 13. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol7/iss2/13

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Book ReviewsMarkus McDowell,Eleanor Daniel, Editors

Linda J. Vogel, Teaching andLearning in Communities ofFaith: Empowering AdultsThrough Religious Education(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,1991),219 pages includingreferences and index. Reviewedby Robert Countiss.

Vogel defines religious educationas "knowing and soul nourishing thattake human development seriouslyand focuses on the intersections oflife" (p. 47). For the church, thismeans that adequate time and effortneed to be spent on examining andunderstanding the transition points oflife so that people can begin tointegrate their personal stories intoGod's story.

Because of this, and appropri-ately so, Vogel emphasizes thebiblical stories as an importantelement in Christian education. Shenotes that there are several stories,not just one. True enough, and yet wecannot forget to take a canonical

approach to the Bible. Differencesamong the stories can and should benoted, but the Bible should ultimatelybe seen as one Master Story. Still,despite this criticism, Vogel's ap-proach is thoroughly biblical. Unlikesome authors, she does not attempt toabandon biblical metaphors andimages for a new set. She recognizesthat these biblical metaphors, such asKingdom of God, Sabbath, Grace,Authority, and Trinity are stillmeaningful and important, even tothose with little or no history in thechurch.

Vogel's point is supported by heranalysis of2 Kings 18-19 (p. 7). Shesuggests that adult Christian educa-tion makes people bilingual and ableto integrate faith into daily activities.This concept is at first hard toimagine in a society that still tends toregard itself as basically Christianoriented. The traditional metaphorsthat are part of the history andlanguage of faith are the language"behind the wall" that enables

Christians to begin to integrate theirstories into God's story. Vogeldiscerns and explains four metaphorsthat are helpful here: Schooling,Pilgrimage, Household of Faith, andNew Earth. All of the styles ex-plained by these metaphors arebiblically based; Vogel offers bothstrengths and precautions for each.

Vogel also develops her ownmodel for Christian education basedon the feeding of the five thousand(p. 124). A key found in this model isthe sacramental connection, whichcould have some interesting connec-tions with education, particularly inthe emphasis of the gathered commu-nity at worship. For Vogel this is asignificant element in remaining trueto the language "behind the wall." Itis in the reliving and retelling of thisevent of Christ's life that the churchis enabled to communicate its primestory. There is more emphasis hereon individuals and less on a plan ordeveloped program. Individuals learnby dialogue (p. 67), and teachers may

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not have ready-made answers yetmay be willing to risk conflict (p.68). So then teachers are servant-leaders (p. 98), and curriculumresources are "maps for the journey"rather than ends in themselves (p.146). The real action of teaching isbetween the individual and God, withthe teacher acting as "midwife" (p.158). "Learning about" becomessecondary to invitation (p. 165).

This is Vogel's model; to hercredit, she recognizes that it may notbe entirely appropriate for others. Forthat reason, she offers steps fordeveloping other models and theninvites those who develop programsto consider these principles to seewhat would guide them. Vogelrecognizes that what she has writtenshould not be seen merely as a

James Fowler, Weaving the NewCreation (San Francisco: Harper &Row, 1991), 204 pages. Reviewed byJones Oliver.

James Fowler describes thestructure of this book as being likeone of the narrative tapestries hung inthe papal palace in Avignon, France(p. vii). The story of the tapestry istold as new patterns are woven of thesame threads from the community.Fowler's tapestry seeks to faithfullyguide the church into participation inGod's continuing work in the world.

If Fowler's book is a narrativetapestry, then each chapter is a scenefrom the narrative. The first scenedeclares the reality and profoundbreath of change in the immediatepast and the present. Fowler empha-sizes the dual nature of this change as

program to be lifted from the pagesand installed in any church. She istrue to her own model in encouragingdialogue and invitation.

I like much of what Vogel has tosay. However, she says little aboutmotivation for the journey that sheasserts to be so important. I am also abit troubled by her statement thatlearning scripture is secondary toinvitation (p. 165). Though I agree inthe sense that a simple knowledge ofBible content is not the definition ofbeing Christian and that the churchmust continually extend the invita-tion to individuals to accept salvationand discipleship, I think that Vogeldoes not really address modembiblical illiteracy. The church mustteach content; an important aspect ofChristian education is purely content.

potential opportunity and ominousperil for the church. In the secondscene, Fowler portrays the concept of"divine praxis" through biographicalsketches of Martin Luther King Jr.;Thomas Merton; Carlyle Marnay, apersonal mentor; and SuzanneMassie. He describes "divine praxis"as focusing on "the question of thecharacteristic patterns of God'sinvolvement in and providentialguidance of the processes of ourevolving universe, including God'sinteraction with humankind" (p. 31).

The third chapter presentsFowler's case for substituting theimagery of Sallie McFague-God asMotherlParent, Lover, Friend, andthe world as God's body-for thetraditional imagery of God as Sover-eign, Father, and Creator. The fourthscene summarizes Fowler's work on

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We cannot assume that adult learnershave had this opportunity as children.Many people come to the churchhaving had no previous Christianexperience, and they want to knowwhat is in the Bible.

Even so, there is much in Vogel'sbook that is helpful and inspiring.Any church can be greatly helped bytaking a comprehensive look at itseducation program and by givingintentional direction to what Chris-tian education seeks to do for adults.

ROBERT COUNTISS is minister ofRural Retreat United MethodistChurch in Rural Retreat, Virginia,and a student in the D.Min. programat Emmanuel School of Religion inJohnson City, Tennessee.

the stages of faith. Several of theseven stages closely parallel stages ofcognitive development found in thework of others. Fowler concludesthat "the stages of faith are sequentialand invariant" (p. 17), but the illus-trating stories in chapter 4 demon-strate that faith development iscomplex and personal.

Chapter 5 begins with a discus-sion of vocation, which Fowlerdescribes as "finding a purpose inChrist that aligns your life with thepurposes of God" (p. 126). The focusthen shifts to the importance ofexpressing Christian faith in poetryand hymnody. The work of BrianWren is used to illustrate Fowler'sgoal of fresh and theologicallysensitive expression.

The sixth image of Fowler'stapestry describes what he terms

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"public church." Public church"seeks to be faithful to a biblicalgrounding in its claim that ecclesialcommunity, formed by the presenceand fellowship of Christ, pointsbeyond itself to the praxis of God inthe process of history" (p. 151).

The final panel of the tapestryseeks to weave together the personaldimension of the stages of faith withthe corporate character of "publicchurch." Assumed in this pattern is aperpetual need for rebirth andreformation within the church andfaithfulness to the defining character-istics basic to the church. He listsfive such characteristics: preaching,worship, mission, community, andinstruction.

Fowler writes, as all authorsmust, with a set of values, assump-tions, and experiences not shared byall readers. He invites the reader tointeract and participate in weavingthe tapestry of God's new creation.

Albert Y. Hsu, Singles at theCrossroads: A Fresh Perspectiveon Christian Singleness (DownersGrove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1997),194 pages. Reviewed by RuthPicker.

Hsu's Singles at the Crossroadschallenges the twentieth-centurychurch's theology in its meagersupport of singleness. In the UnitedStates, where nearly half the popula-tion is single, the church's approachto programming in Christian educa-tion must change to fit the biblicalmodel or lose its mission-to minis-ter to all people. Hsu reminds us thatfew congregations reflect the demo-graphic realities. Beginning a token

I felt able to do that, with the excep-tion of substituting Sallie McFague'simagery of God for that which ismore directly biblical. Fowler rejectsthe traditional images of God be-cause, he claims, they distance thebeliever from God and are beyondrehabilitation because of human sin. Ibelieve that the purposes of God arebetter served by a process that callsthe believer to live according toGod's praxis than one that substitutesnew images that are easily subjectedto the perversions of a renewed"Mother Earth" paganism.

Fowler's book presents at leastfour significant concerns for Chris-tian ministry. First, the goal ofChristian instruction is not just theperpetuation of information. Thechurch must seek to call and formpeople into Christian vocation.Second, the nature of faith is dy-namic through life. The churchshould deliberately work toward the

singles' group may at times furtherentrench our faulty assumptionsabout singleness. Hsu quotes onesingle: "I want to go to church and bepart of the body, not part of a data-base" (p. 25). We must remember, hecautions, that "there is no such thingas a 'typical single' any more thanthere is a 'typical marriage'" (p. 28)."A new vision of singleness for thetwenty-first century" is in order (p.31).

Hsu begins his shift toward bettertheology by discussing the history ofsingleness. He traces ideologies fromthe Jewish stigmatization of theunmarried, to the Catholic elevationof celibacy, through the current

lofty goal of "universalizing" faiththat seeks to "participate in theperspective of God" (p. 113). Third,the church must recognize theprofound changes that are occurringin the world. Prayerful and creativeresponses to those changes will helpthe church reap the potential of theiropportunities and avoid the perilouspitfalls of their dangers. Finally, thechurch must prepare people to applythe gospel faithfully on a multitudeof levels. The church has an obliga-tion to speak to the individual, thecommunity, the society, and theworld. Let us heed Fowler's pleas toactively and faithfully discover andparticipate in God's praxis in theworld-his new creation.

JONES OLIVER is minister of FaithChristian Church of Christ inChristiansburg, Virginia.

evangelical idolization of the family.In between, he highlights the NewTestament role models of the singlelife: Jesus and Paul. He carefullystresses that neither marriage norsingleness is in itself more holy thanthe other. Neither is a permanentstate. Neither makes a person whole.Relationship with Jesus Christ, not amarriage partner, is the pinnacle ofintimacy and identity.

Hsu's most helpful sectiondebates the frequently faulty exegesisof the gift of singleness. He asks,ironically, "[If being single] really isa gift, why doesn't anybody want it?"(p. 49). He answers with a seven-point refutation of the myth that the

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gift of singleness means God makessome singles supernaturally happywithout a partner. Within this list hedebunks the idea that gifted singleshave perpetually good feelings aboutbeing unmarried and face no sexualtemptations. He calls into questionthe "two-tier class system" (p. 52)that creates the married, the singleswith the gift, and the singles withoutthe gift. Hsu says, "Paul gives no hintthat marriage is normal, whilecelibacy is a 'special' condition" (p.54). He believes that the currentpopular view of singleness leavessingles who desire marriage yet nevermarry in the lurch. He says the goalis to become content with whichevergift the Lord bestows. He warns thatwe must not "penalize the virtue ofcontentment" (p. 55) by calling it anunsolicited gift for some. All Chris-tians must seek the spiritual maturityof being at peace with their circum-stances. Marriage is a gift. Singlenessis a gift. All good gifts come fromGod. Whatever one's status, it isGod's gift for the moment. The pointis to become satisfied therein and toseek God's will for service in andthrough the church.

In Hsu's further discussion aboutGod's will, he points out that thepassages that state God's desire forman not to be alone do not have toimply that God wants all people to bemarried. "Aloneness is what is notgood here, not the lack of a spouse,"Hsu exhorts (p. 68). Companionshipis a must for everyone. He notes thatthe many current sitcoms aboutfriendship give evidence of this needfor singles. The desire for closeness

need not, and cannot, be fulfilledexclusively in a sexual way, Hsuasserts. "Companionship withChristians is the cure for aloneness"(p. 123).

Besides the boon of companion-ship, Hsu also suggests the disciplineof solitude. Personal aloneness neednot be loneliness. Resting in Christcan be the greatest peace of all."Solitude and community are paralleldisciplines" (p. 123) for the single.

Sound theology of singlenessfurther rests on the biblical truth thatthe church is "the first family" (p.124). Hsu calls into question thetrend of evangelicalism to view thenuclear family as the first priority.Where does that leave the single orthe church? He states, "There isnothing inherently noble or virtuousabout the nuclear family" unless it isengaged in the larger context of "thefirst family .... For singles whoyearn for a sense of belonging to aspouse and family, God reminds usthat we are part of a family far moresignificant and enduring than thebiological family. In one sense weare already married-as the bride ofChrist" (p. 126).

Hsu gets to the heart of thematter for adult education. Churchministries for singles must seebeyond current misuse as patheticdating services or group therapysessions. Such models presupposedysfunction in singleness or singles'need to move on to a better state. Hewonders if it wouldn't be morebeneficial to incorporate accountabil-ity, partnership in ministry, andfellowship into our singles' minis-

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tries. He asks whether we shouldn'tjust treat singles as functioningmembers of the body of Christ withspecial gifts of mobility and au-tonomy. Hsu astutely continues, "Inthe first family of the Church, it isstill true that blood is thicker thatwater" (p. 136).

Hsu follows up this wisdom forthe re-education of the church withpoignant advice about the tempta-tions and the false cultural views ofromance with which singles struggletoday. He leaves no area of single-ness unaddressed. This book is themost thorough discussion in print forthe most neglected half of ourpopulation.

I read this book with interestbecause the author was once one ofmy students. I expected to appreciateit much as a mother appreciates eachof her child's "masterpieces." To mygreat joy, I found it to be the mostaccurate theology I have seen on thesubject. It is about time!

Furthermore, the book is ex-tremely cogent and reader friendly.In my opinion, this is the mostimportant book a Christian directorof adult education could read at thismoment in history. Hsu's partingwords to singles apply to us as adulteducators, as well: "Let us put ourlives on hold no longer. Let us starttoday" (p. 175).

RUTH PICKER is professor of Chris-tian education, English, and commu-nications at Minnesota Bible Collegein Rochester, Minnesota.

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R. Wade Paschal Jr., Vital AdultLearning: Choices to Fit YourChurch, Effective Church Series,ed. Herb Miller (Nashville:Abingdon, 1994), 151 pages.Reviewed by Frank H. Floyd Jr.

This excellent little volume ispacked with practical advice forchurches who are seeking to rebuildand grow their adult educationprograms. Paschal presents a ratio-nale for and a description of adultlearning that avoids much of thejargon associated with modern adultlearning theories. He garners insightsconservatively from those theorieswithout intensive excursion intothem, making this an excellentvolume to place in the hands of layleaders. Christian education commit-tees will find Paschal an invaluableresource as they struggle withdefining their task and will gaininsightful suggestions that areimmediately applicable in situationswhere the luxury of extended studymay not be available.

The chapter "Classes HavePersonalities" is a creative way ofdescribing why classes thrive or failto do so, and what one can reason-ably expect from various class"personalities." This chapter recallsCarl S. Dudley and Sally A.Johnson's Energizing the Congrega-tion: Images That Shape YourChurch s Ministry (Louisville:Westminster, 1993) and can be readproductively in concert with thatvolume. What Dudley and Johnsondo with the church as a whole,Paschal does with the adult Sunday

school class. Subsequent chaptersthat treat the formation of newclasses, teacher recruitment, andcurriculum choices contain valuablesuggestions. There is nothing star-tlingly new in these chapters, but thematerial is well organized and clearlypresented-again, making the bookan excellent resource for volunteerswho organize educational programsfor adults.

Paschal admirably meets the goalof the series of which this book is apart: to present "how-to" answers inspecific areas of church life. Thereare some weaknesses, however, in thework. One is that many of thesuggestions are geared to the me-dium-to-Iarge congregation andwould require significant adaptationfor congregations where personneland resources are limited. Whilerecognizing that adult learning in thesmall church presents is own chal-lenges, the book makes few sugges-tions for meeting those challengesexcept to grow and change.

Chapters are dev~ted to thetopics. of singles and small groups.There are good insights for both. Forexample, "singles" have significantvariations among them and cannot betreated all the same, and small groupshave drawbacks and must be supple-mented by other larger treatments.But this book primarily treats theadult married population in thestandard Sunday school class.

A third weakness, to my way ofthinking, is the market approach toChristian education. Paschal writes:"Needs that we know and see moti-

vate us best. Needs that our friendsknow and see motivate us secondbest" (p. 21). This fits modern adultlearning theories that adults "come toclasses with a more specific sense ofneed" (p. 27). Some educators takethis to mean that adults shouldchoose their own courses of study.Indeed, it is argued that our educa-tional efforts must be pitched towardpeople's felt needs. No one wishes tobe understood as believing people'sneeds are unimportant. Adult reli-gious education, however, must helppeople recognize their true needs, notassume that all felt needs are equallyvalid. Indeed, Paschal recognizes thatthe purpose of the church is to"challenge in the name of the gospel,the normal tendencies of individualsand cultures," because "individualsare not always their best guides" (p.30). This statement notwithstanding,Paschal most frequently aims at thefelt needs of adult learners. The bookwould be stronger if greater attentionwere given to balancing felt needswith the challenge the gospel pre-sents to the tendencies of individualsand cultures.

In spite of these drawbacks,Paschal has performed a valuableservice for the church. He has writtenan understandable, practical work foruse by both ministers and lay volun-teers. We need more books like thisone.

FRANK H. FLOYD JR. is minister atthe Christian Church in Astoria,Oregon.

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William Strauss and Neil Howe, TheFourth Turning: An AmericanProphecy (New York: Broadway,1997), 382 pages including notes andindexes. Reviewed by James RileyEstep.

"History repeats itself." Straussand Howe affirm this cliche, but theyalso ask, If it is true, why can't thehistory of the future be projectedbased on the successive cycles ofhistory's past? Ifhistory is cyclical,containing the same basic patternwith only the events within thecommon pattern differing, whycannot the trajectory of history allowthe reader to virtually predict theoutcomes of events before theyoccur? In short, this work is a studyof the past and present, particularlythe latter half of the twentiethcentury in America, with "prophecy"aboutthe coming generation inAmerica that extends well into thetwenty-first century.

Strauss and Howe present theircyclical pattern of history in part 1.They maintain that cultures developcyclically, with each cycle havingfour eras, or "turnings" (hence thetitle of the book), each lasting aboutone generation. The four turnings areHigh, Awakening, Unraveling, andCrisis.

The first, the High turning,denotes a time of growth andprogress, confidence in the newcultural developments. Individualsborn during this period will flock to"prophetic" personalities because ofthe positive and visionary messagesthey bring. Awakening, the secondturning, symbolizes a time of matur-ing, wherein the confidence in theHigh institutions is questioned andultimately rejected. Strauss and

Howe characterize those born duringthis period as "Nomads," distrustfulof the culture's institutions andlacking allegiances.

The turning which follows,Unraveling, captures the idea ofcultural entropy, wherein the institu-tion is subject to the individual'sinterests, and into which "Heroes"take center stage as those who haveovercome the institutions. Finally,the fourth turning is Crisis, fromwhich comes rebirth of the cultureand the loss to history of the institu-tions of the High turning. The adventof the "Artist" occurs in this turning,with a period of creativity and newideas. These new ideas are destinedto become the institutions of the nextHigh turning, and hence the cycle isrejuvenated.

Part 2 of the book applies thecycle to American history since1946, the close of World War II. Thefirst turning (High) is identified as1946-64, roughly corresponding tothe Boomer generation. The secondturning (Awakening) is equated with1964-84, corresponding to thethirteenth generation (more com-monly known as Generation X orBusters). It is at this point that thetext takes on its prophetic voice. Thethird turning (Unraveling) is said toextend from 1984 to 2005 (?), aperiod marked with ensuing "culturewars" in America, paralleling thearrival of the Millennial generationinto adult life.

The final turning (Crisis) isactually addressed in two chapters.Chapter 9 presents other "fourthturnings" in history, so as to developpossible patterns of development inthe years 2005+. The followingchapter then applies those possiblepatterns of cultural development to

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America, making what Strauss andHowe call "A Fourth Turning Proph-ecy." It is this prophecy that coulddevelop into the Crisis stage ofAmerican culture, which provides aplatform for part 3, "Preparing forthe Fourth Turning."

Strauss and Howe do not speakof how to avoid the final turning,since its occurrence, to them, isnatural, inevitable, and necessary.Rather, they address how individualsand institutions can survive bymoving through the fourth turning bytaking advantage of the Unravelingand coming Crisis seasons in Ameri-can culture (p. 306). Of all the partsof this work, part 3 proves to be mostbeneficial for adult education.

Christian educators, and educa-tors in general, have often made useof generational studies to developprograms of education. The firstvaluable aspect of this part of thebook is the presentation of thegenerational differences. The de-scription includes the Millennialgeneration just preparing to enterhigher education. In fact, chapter 11goes so far as to "age" the genera-tional voices (e.g., how a Boomerwill sound in 2010 as a seniorcitizen), providing "scripts" for eachgeneration including a hypotheticalscript for the generation that followsthe Millennials.

The second valuable aspect ofpart 3 is Strauss and Howe's sugges-tions as to how individuals andinstitutions can weather the changeof seasons between the Unravelingand Crisis turnings. One need notaccept the premise of cyclicalhistorical development in culture orthe possibility of establishing histori-cal trajectories in culture to findvalue in this section. The prepara-

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tions for turnings described inchapter 11 would generically applyto any period of intense or unprec-edented change in the lives ofindividuals or institutions. Theserecommendations can be readilyapplied to the church as an institu-tion.

While the authors do have apluralistic view of religion, evencriticizing Christianity's perspectiveof time (pp. 9-11), Strauss and Howeare not silent on the place ofevangelicals in their prophetic future:

Boomer evangelicals will jointhe search for a spiritual old age.Elder conservative Christianswill sharpen their sermonizing

about good and evil, implant Godand prayer in public life, anddemand more divine order incivic ritual. They will view assacrilegious many of the unravel-ing era's new pro-choice life-cycle laws, from geneticallyengineered births to non-tradi-tional marriages to assistedsuicides. They will desecularizebirth, marriage and death toreauthenticate the core transi-tions of human life. (p. 281)

If there is one innate and cardinalcriticism of the book, it is that it restson the premise that history is some-how predictable. Can historiansreally predict the future? Also, how

valuable is a pattern of history if itdoesn't explain and identify theevents leading to or from it? Forexample, what kind of "crisis" willAmerica face? Will it be nuclearholocaust, famine, natural disaster,civil revolution, economic collapse-or even positive crisis, such asspiritual revival or radical socialreformation? In short, while the bookis valuable for some of its content, itsclaim to be a prophecy "aboutAmerica's next rendezvous withdestiny" seems a bit presumptuous.

JAMES RILEY ESTEP is academicdean at Great Lakes ChristianCollege in Lansing, Michigan.

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Robert H, Stein, A Basic Guide toInterpreting the Bible: Playing bythe Rules (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 1994),219 pages. Reviewedby Morris Yates.

Robert Stein offers the common ,untrained, believing reader a basicnontechnical guide on how to readthe Bible to discover what theoriginal authors meant. .This isfollowed by showing how theordinary reader "can discover thelegitimate implications that flow outof this meaning, and how thisapplies today" (9). The authortackles these goals by consideringthree major elements in two distinctparts of this clearly written book. Inthe first part, he discusses the firstmajor element, the roles of thewriter, the text, and the reader. In aneffort to increase understanding andto minimize confusion, he nextpresents his second major element,the need for a precise vocabulary,which he supplies and usesconsistently. In the second part hepresents his third major element bybriefly introducing the reader tovarious literary genres found in theBible and by setting forth guidelinesto help the uninitiated reader moreaccurately read the texts.

The author uses the analogy ofan athlete playing various sports.The rules for playing different sportsvary, and the players must know andobserve the rules in order to playaparticular game. In the same way,the reader must know the rules ofthe various genres (games) in orderto play the game of interpretation.This analogy functions as a kind ofcontrolling metaphor throughout thebook, but it is especially prevalent inthe second part.

The first chapter, "Who MakesUp the Rules? An Introduction to

Hermeneutics," discusses the threenecessary components ofcommunication: the writer, the text,and the reader. He asks the basicquestion of where meaningoriginates. Stein argues that itoriginates with the author or encoderof a given text. He briefly discusseslinguistic theories that hold that thetext has semantic autonomy when itgains the questionable classificationstatus of literature and is thus thesource or origin of meaning. Hediscusses how and why he findsthese theories wanting. The chiefreason is that the text is an inanimateobject and cannot consciously willmeaning, thought, or reason any ofwhich require a sentient being. Toomit consideration of the intent ofthe writer leaves open the possibilitythat the reasoning source might bethe reader. Thus, he takes uptheories that argue for the reader ordecoder as the person whodetermines the meaning of a text orcode. He rejects the contention ofsome synchronic methods such as"reader-response-criticism" (20)that hold that a text can have asmany legitimate meanings as it hasreaders.A person engaged in the newerliterary criticism could thus haveproblems with Stein's arguments.This very potential is seen by Steinas a significant argument, in thatbefore what he has written could beargued with, his meaning in the textwould have to be understood by thereader, thus demonstrating his pointthat the writer originates themeaning. He describes the argumentof "intentional fallacy" (23) andfinds it to have missed the point thatthe reader is looking for theconsciously willed meaning that theauthor "intended to communicate"(23) in the text, rather than climbing

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into the mind of the author todetermine his psychological state atthe time of writing.

Within the framework of theauthor being the determiner ofmeaning, Stein discusses the role ofthe author, the role of the text andthe role of the reader ininterpretation. He discusseshistorical particularity, specificmeaning, pattern of meaning, andlegitimate implications that grow outof specific meaning. He usesseveral illustrations and biblicaltexts as examples to help the readerunderstand the interpretive process.Several charts and line drawings areused to make remarkably clear thismany- faceted task of interpretation.He does an especially fine jobthroughout the text of showing howcontext functions to help the readerunderstand a text. He clearly showshow and where various tools likelexicons, concordances and Bibledictionaries can help the reader whois not familiar with the originallanguages to more accurately get theauthors' meaning by staying withinthe "norms of language" (54). Heshows how both literary andhistorical context are involved inarriving at the meaning of the writer.

The role of the Holy Spirit inthe writing of scripture is discussedin chapter three. Stein states,"Throughout the entire process ofinterpreting the Bible, the HolySpirit is intimately involved" (61).He is viewed as the cause of thewriting of the scriptures, as havingguided the canonization process, andfinally as helping the believer applythe Bible to her or his life. Steinbelieves that when the reader has theauthors'originally intended meaning, thatreader also has the meaning intendedby the Holy Spirit.

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In chapter four, entitled"Different Games in the Same Book:Different Forms of Scripture," theauthor discusses commissive andreferential language and explainsthe purpose and function of both.He shows numerous exampleswithin common experience whereone has likely heard or will heareach type of language. He explainsthat both types of language can befound in a given biblical genre, buthe carefully explains where a readeris most likely to find each type.

In chapters five through thirteenStein defines and discussesproverbs, prophecy, poetry, idioms,hyperbole, parables, narrativeepistles, treaties, laws and songs.All of these discussions are helpfuland provide many illustration fromthe Bible. They are clearly andcogently presented. The extendeddiscussions advocating thehistoricity of all narratives wasfinally declared to be beside thepoint in determining the meaning ofa text. The matter as to whether ornot the text's narrative actuallyhappened is, in the end, consideredto be an evaluation of the subjectmatter of the text and has to do withsignification rather than meaning.Balance and depth might have beenimproved in analysis. Chapter five,"The Game of Wisdom: Proverbs,"was too brief to be of very muchhelp with the interpretation of thisgenre. However, one must keep inmind that this book is anintroductory work, a good startingplace. The work concludes with abrief, usable glossary of technicalterms, a selected bibliographydealing with hermeneutics, and avery good scriptural index.

MORRIS YATES worships with theChurch of Christ in Tulare,California.

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