Books Reviewed in Modern Believing 48:3 July 2007
Stephen Pattison,
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2007. Pp. 304.The Challenge of Practical Theology: Selected Essays
Reviewed by Mark J. Cartledge
After an initial biographical and disciplinary sketch, the essays are clustered around five main categories. First, ‘ethics and values in practice' discusses the meaning of the term ‘values', especially in relation to the NHS and professional codes of practice and ethics. Secondly, ‘organisation and management' considers the ways in which beliefs are hidden within leadership styles, how aims and objectives are used within organisational rationality and the nature of organisational spirituality. Thirdly, ‘Christian practice and opportunities' offers insights into subjects such as healing, health care chaplaincy, sexuality, child abuse and the emotions. Fourthly, ‘theology and Christian tradition' elucidates the role of theology in the secular academy, the notion of public theology, as well as a reflection on the ‘shadow side of Jesus'. Fifthly and finally, ‘pastoral and practical theology' outlines methodological issues, especially the arts versus science debate and the role of empirical research methods within the discipline. Under these classifications important areas are discussed and there are a number of significant contributions to the field.
Full Review (Word)
Edited by Stanley E. Porter,
London: Routledge, 2007. Pp. xii, 406.Dictionary of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation
Reviewed by Thomas O'Loughlin
Because the volume and variety of writing in every area of theology has never been so vast, we are all in the debt of people who produce encyclopaedic works that serve to digest this variety and present it to us in manageable form. Since time researching problems is always limited, through such works – if they are done well – we can be conveniently focused on what is useful to our needs. If you accept that premise, then we are hugely indebted to Porter for digesting an area that has become very diverse during the last three decades, and which touches virtually everyone involved in theology.
Full Review (Word)
William A. Clark,
Collegeville, Minnesota: A Michael Glazier Book/Liturgical Press, 2005. Pp. xxviii, 222.The Authority of the Local Church
Reviewed by Paul Gadie
The theme of this book, the authority of the local parish community juxtaposed with that of the universal (RC) church, is sharply contemporary. Clark, an American Jesuit, notes that ‘it is [t]hrough the local community, the Spirit of Christ works to ground the mission and authority of the universal church in the intimate person-to-person communal relationships out of which the church originally grew as a human reality' (xxii).
Full Review (Word)
Nancey Murphy
Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies?
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. x , 154.
Reviewed by Paul Badham
Many Christians will find this book both liberating and convincing. Nancey Murphy argues that we can, and should, accept the growing consensus in philosophy of mind and neurophysiology that we are irreducibly physical organisms, and that death is the complete end of our present being. However, she argues that this need not at all affect our Christian faith in moral and spiritual values, nor our hope for the life of the world to come.
Full Review (Word)
Brian Wicker (ed.),
Witnesses to Faith? Martyrdom in Christianity and Islam
Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006. Pp.166. £40.
Reviewed by Paul Middleton
This collection of essays by Christian and Muslim scholars examines the concept of martyrdom in both religious traditions, particularly with a view to finding common ground in the definition of martyrdom, and the possibility of recognising one another's martyrs. The book is divided into three parts, with appendices: Aquinas and Rahner on martyrdom; and a plea for non-violence within Muslim communities.
Full Review (Word)
Duncan B. Forrester,
Theological Fragments: Explorations in Unsystematic Theology
London: T & T Clark, 2005. Pp. 216. £19.99.
Reviewed by Stephen Edwards
Despite being a relatively short collection of essays, Theological Fragments is not an easy introduction to Duncan Forrester. Drawing on a diverse lifetime of experience and learning he offers the reader a seemingly wide variety of so- called ‘theological fragments' in this collection of essays.
Full Review (Word)