Constructive Theology: A Contemporary Approach to Classical Themes The Faith of the Christian Church A Primer for Christian Doctrine

Books reviewed:
Serene Jones and Paul Lakeland, eds., Constructive Theology: A Contemporary Approach to Classical Themes. Tyron Inbody, The Faith of the Christian Church. Jonathan R. Wilson, A Primer for Christian Doctrine. Reviewed by Mike Higton University of Exeter     

Pope Benedict XVI and the Church in China

ABSTRACT

Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to the Church in China in 2007 emphasises the importance of papal authority, the relationship between local and universal churches, and the appointment of bishops. This article highlights Pope Benedict’s centrist ecclesiology, which had been normative for the Catholic Church since he was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981 to 2005). In spite of his conservative stance regarding church doctrine, he was open to dialogue with the Chinese authorities. He understood the complexities of the Chinese Church, the hardship and predicament faced by the faithful.     

An Orthodox Perspective on the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

In 1999, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, one of the main points at issue at the time of the 16th‐century Reformation. This article seeks to offer an Orthodox perspective on the Joint Declaration, through presenting an “Orthodox” approach to the doctrine of justification as the doctrine is set out in the text of the Joint Declaration. The article then discusses how this approach is reflected in the three international and regional dialogues between the Orthodox Church and the churches of the Reformation that took place almost simultaneously with the dialogue leading to the Lutheran–Catholic Joint Declaration.     

The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology – Kevin J. Vanhoozer

Book reviewed:
The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology , Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Westminster John Knox Press 2005 (0-6642-2327-3), xv + 487 pp., $25.00     

Understanding the Windsor Report. Two Leaders in the American Church Speak Across the Divide – Ian T. Douglas and Paul F.M. Zahl

Book reviewed:
Understanding the Windsor Report. Two Leaders in the American Church Speak Across the Divide , Ian T. Douglas and Paul F.M. Zahl, Church Publishing 2005 (0-89869-487-6), viii + 184 pp., pb $20.00     

Schleiermacher's Repudiation of Dordrecht in his Essay ‘On the Doctrine of Election’

Friedrich Schleiermacher intended his essay ‘On the Doctrine of Election’ to defend the Augustinian/Calvinian logic of the Reformed doctrine of unconditional election. Counterintuitively he repudiated the Synod of Dordrecht which similarly defended unconditional election for reasons both political/ecclesiastical and theological. Politically he wanted to protect the newly united Reformed‐Lutheran Church in Prussia and the Synod had ended up dividing the Reformed churches over the doctrine of election. Theologically Schleiermacher sought a revised doctrine of election to eliminate any bifurcation between the blessed and the damned in God's decree and to elide completely the notion of eternal punishment in hell.     

Aquinas on Doctrine

Book reviewed:
Thomas Weinandy, Daniel Keating and John Yocum (eds). Aquinas on Doctrine: A Critical Introduction.     

Karl Barth, the Church and the Churches – Edited by William G. Rusch (ed.)

Book reviewed:
Karl Barth, the Church and the Churches , William G. Rusch (ed.), William B. Eerdmans 2005 (0-8028-2970-8), xi + 59 pp., pb $12.00     

History of the United Church of Christ

Book reviewed:
The Living Theological Heritage of the United Church of Christ , Barbara Brown Zikmund (ed.), Pilgrim Press 1995–2005. Vols I–VII
Ancient and Medieval Legacies, Vol. I , Richard Ulrich (ed.), Pilgrim Press 1995 (0-8298-1064-1), 583 pp., $60.00
Reformation Roots, Vol. II , John Payne (ed.), Pilgrim Press 1997 (0-8298-1143-5), xii + 683 pp., $60.00
Colonial and National Beginnings, Vol. III , Charles Hambrick-Stowe (ed.), Pilgrim Press 1998 (0-8298-1113-3), x + 518 pp., $60.00
Consolidation and Expansion, Vol. IV , Elizabeth Nordbeck, Lowell Zuck (eds), Pilgrim Press 1999 (0-8298-1110-9), xvi + 668 pp., $60.00
Outreach and Diversity, Vol. V , Margaret Lamberts Bendroth, Lawrence Jones, Robert Schneider (eds), Pilgrim Press 2000 (0-8298-1111-7), xiv + 536 pp., $60.00
Growing Toward Unity, Vol. VI , Elsabeth Slaughter Hilke (ed.), Pilgrim Press 2001 (0-8298-1112-5), xvi + 744 pp., $70.00
United and Uniting, Vol. VII , Frederick Trost, Barbara Brown Zikmund (eds), Pilgrim Press 2005 (0-8298-1113-3), xx + 828 pp., $70.00     

A Pilgrim People. Learning through the Church Year – John H. Westerhoff III

Book reviewed:
A Pilgrim People. Learning through the Church Year , John H. Westerhoff III, Seabury Classics (Church Publishing Inc.) 2005 (1-59628-010-7), ix + 114 pp., pb $13.00     

The Orthodox Church in the Contemporary Ecumenical Dialogue

Since its beginnings, the ecumenical movement has been influenced by the Orthodox Church, as seen, for example, in the 1920 Encyclical of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Two convictions have underpinned the ecumenical commitment of the Orthodox Church: the need for better mutual understanding between churches and the desire of the Orthodox Church to witness to the truth in its ecumenical relations. There have been instances where the Orthodox Church has not been able to assert its views, and indeed its dialogue partners have come to decisions contrary to the principles of the Orthodox Church. However, this article will focus on the extent to which the Orthodox Church has been able to present its message and effectively influence developments, something that can be observed mainly in two areas: (i) the early church creedal tradition, specifically the Nicene Creed, and (ii) the liturgical heritage, particularly the relationship between baptism and chrismation.     

The Church and the Trinity I: The Church of the Spirit

We are commemorating the tenth anniversary of the death of the outstanding young preacher Geoffrey Preston by publishing this trilogy. It was written not very long before he died and has not appeared in print before. Its other two parts, 'The Church of the Son' and 'The Church of the Father', we will be publishing in our July/August and September numbers.     

Three Ways of Being Church

This article proposes a theological re-appraisal of three images of the Church: institution, servant and community. The defining characteristics of an institution can be applied positively to the Church when it is seen to have been instituted by Jesus Christ. But what is instituted is a continuing relationship grounded in Christ's own presence. The servant Church is characterized by its commitment to the purposes of God in ‘secular’ society and the promise of God's kingdom. The community model of the Church has two common expressions, one emphasizing social relationships, one stressing mystical communion, but these are grounded in the trinitarian community itself. While each model has its own contribution and integrity, taken together they suggest mutual inter-dependence, itself reflecting the divine community and expressed in the mutually affirming virtues of faith, hope and love.     

Biblical mothers as images of the Church

Among the many images and symbols of the Church which the church Fathers used, biblical mothers had an important role. Some of these images, such as Mary as an image of the Church, became widespread and have influenced later Christian theology and iconography. In this article, both the development and different applications of these images will be explored. How and to what purpose these images were used in the Early Church will also be studied. Among the topics dealt with by using these images were the origin, age, character and purpose of the Church, as well as its relation to several ‘others’ (the Jews, the schismatics and the heretics). In modern ecclesiological discussions, especially of Eve and Mary as images of the Church, the role of the Church in salvation, as well as the communal interpretation of biblical mothers, are relevant.     

Aquinas on Doctrine: A Critical Introduction

Books reviewed:
Thomas G. Weinandy, et al ., eds, Aquinas on Doctrine: A Critical Introduction. Reviewed by Nicholas M. Healy St John's University, New York     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Biblical Exegesis and Church Doctrine by Raymond E. Brown
Divine Impassibility: An Essay in Philosophical Theology by Richard E.
The Country Parish by Anthony Russell
The Gospel of Anger by Alastair V Campbell
God's Action in the World by Maurice Wiles     

The Motherhood of the Church in Henri de Lubac and John Calvin

Both Henri de Lubac and John Calvin described the Church as ‘mother’. From the patristic tradition, the motherhood of the Church had two dimensions: (i) the Mother Church as an institution delimited by the episcopacy of which inclusion was a necessity for salvation; and (ii) the Church as the mother of believers through whose ‘motherly’ care of bringing to life, nourishing and teaching through the sacraments God makes provision for his children. Both de Lubac and Calvin stress the maternal functions of the Church, but differ over how the Church’s motherhood relates to its visible identity and why inclusion in the Church is necessary for salvation. This article argues that this connection represents a rich theme for ecumenical ecclesiology. Despite divergent ecclesiological grammars and themes, Catholic and Reformed traditions are drawing from a shared patristic inheritance which gives good ground for dialogue for respective ecclesial self-understandings.     

The Church in the Closet

Abstract

This article employs the metaphor of ‘the closet’ to explore the ambivalent status of the contemporary Church. The requirements of prophetic ministry and mission require that the Church leaves the security of the closet and claims its vocation as a counter cultural movement. However, remaining within the closet the Church enjoys the security and protection of the dominant powers. It is hard to relinquish these comforts particularly in contexts where ‘coming out’ may result in persecution or even martyrdom.