THE NEW TESTAMENT: A HISTORI-CAL AND THEOLOGICAL INTRO-DUCTION, by Donald A. Hagner. GrandRapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012. Pp. xxiv+ 872. $49.99.

This informative tome, totaling more than900 pages, is a testament to the extensivelearning and dedicated scholarship of the au-thor (senior professor of NT at Fuller Theolog-ical Seminary). Among other published works,he has also produced scholarly commentarieson the Epistle to the Hebrews (2011) and theGospel of Matthew (two volumes, 1993–1995).I would call this volume a worthy companionto the great volume done by Raymond E.Brown in 1997, a testimony to Roman Catholicbiblical endeavor.

Part 1, entitled “Introduction and Back-ground,” covers three areas, namely (1) Ap-proaching the New Testament as the Church’sScripture; (2) The Old Testament as Promiseand Preparation; and (3) The World of the NewTestament (3–55). Hagner emphasizes thatScripture is God’s gift to the church; that itmust be engaged using the historical-criticalapproach, and the need for the role of faith instudying the Scriptures.

Part 2 deals with the theme of “The Gospels:The Proclamation of the Kingdom” (59–305).Included are seven chapters on various topicsrelated to study of the Gospels such as themessage of Jesus, the origin and reliability ofthe Gospel tradition, and the Synoptic prob-lem, followed by fine chapters on each of thefour Gospels. These all represent a scholarlyexamination of many of the issues confront-ing a serious student of these books, and one iscontinually made aware of the perception thatthe NT is no primer for anyone intent on find-

ing its nature and message. Our author opts forMarkan priority, says that the writer “inventsthe Gospel genre,” and affirms it as really “theGospel according to Peter,” functioning as themain source of the Gospels of Matthew andLuke.

Part 3 examines “Acts: The Earliest Preach-ing of the Kingdom.” Hagner reminds thereader that the writer of this book (namely,Luke) intends that his second volume be“the continuation of the work of Jesus,” andthat it “presupposes the story told in the Gos-pels” (307). However, there are some definitechanges in terminology. Less emphasis on“the kingdom of God” (a risky title, taken bysome as standing in opposition to the then cur-rent “kingdom of Caesar”), and more Spirit-inspired language, e.g., redemption, forgive-ness, and salvation/reconciliation. Acts alsoprovides the student of the NT with the out-reach of the gospel westward to Rome, and theministries of the chief apostles, Peter and Paul.Along with this, it sets up a discernable back-ground for the life and epistles of Paul.

Part 4, the longest in the book, is entitled“Paul and His Epistles: The Interpretation ofthe Kingdom” (345–581). Our author craftseight chapters preliminary to an examinationof the letters (ch. 17–24), then devotes sevenchapters to opening up Paul’s letters toGalatians, First and Second Thessalonians,First Corinthians, Second Corinthians,Romans, Philippians, and Colossians andPhilemon (ch. 25–31). The former sections aredevoted to an attempt to arrive at an under-standing of “this complex man,” and to dis-cern how he was a faithful, zealous Jew, yettransformed by his encounter with the risenJesus. One key query is whether his DamascusRoad experience was a “conversion” or a

Copyright © 2014 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. All rights reserved. 215

“call.” And this will lead one into anotherenigma: What is the relationship between theteaching of Jesus and the birth of Christianity?The nine letters noted in this part are consid-ered the (most) genuine letters of the Apostle.Hagner notes them in what he believes to be achronological sequence, and does a rigorousexamination of their historical settings, theirtheological (especially christological) tenets,and their practical advice to the readers ofthese first-century churches. He realized thatthe future of these congregations might welldepend on how successfully he dealt with theissues involved.

Part 5 contains a study of “The Deutero-Pauline Letters: Extending the Teaching of theApostle” (585–642). Included here are Ephe-sians and the Pastoral Epistles, the latter hav-ing been held in question by scholars for manyyears, along with a chapter on “The Tenden-cies of ‘Early Catholicism.’” Hagner freely ac-knowledges and discusses the issues involvedhere, ending with the observation, “But proba-bly the most we can say is that these letterswere written by someone who was a close andtrustworthy associate of Paul” (637). He doesaffirm the spiritual and practical insights ofthese epistles.

Part 6 contains “Hebrews and the CatholicEpistles: Non-Pauline Christianity” (645–728), covering Hebrews through the Johan-nine Epistles (Jude is studied along with 2 Pe-ter). Adequateattentionisgivenheretoquestionsof authorship (which are multiple), develop-ment in the life/theology of the churches, andthe relation these letters to the teaching/admo-nitions of the Hebrew Scriptures. These booksmirror a somewhat later period than do thePauline letters.

Part 7 gives detailed insights into “TheApocalypse: The Consummation of the King-dom” (745–780). In the face of its enigmas andmysteries, Hagner queries, “What really doesthe book of Revelation reveal?” (745). He aidsthe reader in surveying the options to interpre-tation, and gives good grounds for a stable,

balanced response. His final discussion is given inPart 8, “The Text and Canon of the New Testa-ment” (783–822). As a somewhat technical sec-tion, it will probably be of interest mainly toadvanced students in biblical studies.

A final word. One cannot avoid being im-pressed by the massive amount of biblio-graphical material contained in this volume. Icounted a total of at least 156 pages of book,article, and commentary listings, which willgive any diligent researcher many moons of in-vestigation. Read and study it to your profit.

Walter M. DunnettSt. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchGlen Ellyn, Illinois

KIERKEGAARD FOR THE CHURCH:ESSAYS AND SERMONS, by Ronald F.Marshall. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock,2013. Pp. 350. $43.00.

Anyone who wonders whether pastors readshould pay a visit to First Lutheran Church ofWest Seattle, where Ron Marshall has servedsince 1979. Kierkegaard for the Church in-cludes more than a thousand footnotes draw-ing deeply on Kierkegaard, Martin Luther, andthe biblical writings to address the church bypointedly engaging reflection about congrega-tional life and contemporary culture. Thispreacher reads and writes (more than fifty ar-ticles as well as other substantial books). Andthis preacher preaches: in his commendationof the book, Robert Perkins, editor of the Inter-national Kierkegaard Commentary series,aptly characterizes the author’s style as “dis-tinctively ‘declarative.’” As Marshall puts it: “Ido not enter into a critical discussion over thetruth of Kierkegaard’s philosophy and theol-ogy. Instead, I simply, by and large, believewhat he wrote and run with it” (7). On that runhe takes on, and also draws on, many of theranking commentators in the Kierkegaardcommunity.

There are eleven essays ranging from “OnSimplicity and Complexity” to “On Walking,”

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978-0-8010-4865-4 • 208 pp. • $21.99p“This student's guide is a model of clarity, economy, and explanatory skill. Writing in a straightforward and interesting style and spicing up her discussion with specifi c ancient and modern examples, Patricia Dutcher-Walls lays out a sensible reading plan for any who wish to take the Bible seriously in all its aspects…. [A] fi ne book that should gain a wide readership.” —V. PHILIPS LONG, Regent Collegeaspects…. [A] fi ne book that should gain a wide readership.” —

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978-0-8010-3919-5 • 288 pp. • $24.99pAdonis Vidu suggests that the history of atonement thinking can be read as an ongoing conversation with the history of thinking about justice and the law. Understanding this relationship yields a better understanding of atonement thinkers by situating them in their intellectual contexts.

and addressing such specific pastoral con-cerns as worship, discipleship, divorce, andprayer. Then follow seven sermons, all but one(to be the author’s funeral sermon) actuallypreached at First Lutheran. In these expository,didactic sermons he has tried to follow the formathefindsintheLutheranConfessions,“going fromcondemning sin to proclaiming Christ and fi-nally to addressing specific good deeds todo”(248–249). He has appended essays deal-ing with Kierkegaard’s four crises (involvinghis father; Regine Olsen; the attack on thechurch after Bishop Mynster is eulogized as a“witness to the truth”; and his deathbed re-fusal to receive Holy Communion from any or-dained representative of that church), acritique of Joakim Garff’s controversial biog-raphy of SK, a focused discussion of the Dane’srelationship to Luther, and a response to Caro-line Coleman O’Neill’s novelistic treatment ofhis engagement to Regine. In his conclusion hereflects back on his 300 pages as a Kierke-

gaardian “thorough kneading of reflection”for the church. His postscript rightly identifiesSK as his “father in the faith.” Perkins’s enco-mium closes the book in a spirit of apprecia-tion shared by Carl Braaten, who opens thebook with a foreword thanking the author forbeing a “reliable guide” to an author whoseteachings Braaten found hard to “sort out”(xvii).

So, what does Ron Marshall find for thechurch in S�ren Kierkegaard? The frontispieceof a bronze Kierkegaard statue at First Lu-theran Church carries the message in the pow-erful language of Christian Discourses: “I willseek my refuge with…the Crucified One…tosave me from myself.” In The Nature and Des-tiny of Man, Reinhold Niebuhr drew onKierkegaard for his devastating analysis of thediverse forms of pride. Marshall presentsKierkegaard offering perhaps an even morecopious critique of human “selfishness”(177n.8) and arrogance (87). Self-denial is

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22nd Annual

May 19-23, 2014

Central Luthearn Church Minneapolis

Preaching with Holy Imagination

www.festivalo$omiletics.com

Speakers to include:Barbara Brown TaylorWalter Brueggemann

David LoseKaroline LewisMichael Curry

Anna Carter FlorenceBrian McLaren

Rolf JacobsonOtis Moss III

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seen to be “at the heart” of Kierkegaard’s con-cepts (203) and he may have learned the im-portance of “self-depreciation” from Lutherand the Lutheran Confessions (197n.68). Hisformulation of our only hope is no less resolutewith an insistent affirmation of the substitu-tionary atonement through Jesus Christ (9–20,77n.9). Marshall does not back away fromchallenging language: in one of many passagestaken from Kierkegaard’s journals we learnthat “out of love, yes, out of love” “God joins inbeating up his own ambassador” (263).

In The Book on Adler, Kierkegaard criti-cized a contemporary for “lax concepts and in-determinately fluid relations” which “do notshape a true extraordinary” (101). The criticpractices what he preaches and labors long tohelp his reader understand how “with God’shelp, each one of us can fight ‘for himself withhimself within himself’” (227). Marshall hasstudied Works of Love thoroughly, and in hisessay “On Self-Hatred” notes with care the

place of “proper self-love” (86). Dying to theself “excludes all self-destructive impulses,while including all self-effacing ones” and doesnot render the person “inert” (77). All thesame, he stands his accusatory ground, writ-ing that “the depressed need to be stripped ofpride and arrogance too” (87). Holding thingstogether, dialectically, he writes: “self-hatredand self-love are to work together. Self-hatredstrips the person of selfishness and self-pityand self-love provides energy and concentra-tion for the work at hand” (87).

Kierkegaard was highly sensitive to con-text. Much of his attack on Danish Christen-dom was based on his belief that Luther’sreforming critique with regard to works hadhardened into doctrine and amounted to tak-ing grace in vain (188n.45). He knew that“from above there is always good news” (189,citing The Moment, 269), but the context re-quired that in Christianity’s dialectical “mild-ness in severity” “severity has to be the element

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Oct. 6-8Luther Seminary | St. Paul, Minn.

Preaching as Divine and

Human Drama

www.luthersem.edu/celebration

Speakers:Anna Carter FlorenceGrace ImathiuClay SchmidtFrank ThomasRalph Winter

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Celebration of Biblical Preaching

Registration opens May 1

emphasized” (339). Has Ron Marshall read thecontemporary context accurately in maintain-ing, perhaps even intensifying, that emphasis?He invites his reader to decide. One may won-der whether this rather singular emphasisrisks being undialectical and could fail to wit-ness adequately to the God “who will love us tothe end” (223). Or even to the Creator who notonly “omnipotently takes from nothing andsays, ‘Become’; he lovingly adds, ‘Becomesomething even in relation to me’” (ChristianDiscourses, 127; discussed by Marshall,58n.21). One reaches for the comfort availablein the call to confession of sins and repentancethat accompanies the claiming of God’s “won-derful love.” Surely every pastor may ask howthese concepts are to be practiced in her con-text, with this parishioner. Happily, the testseems to be “life ‘in the Spirit,’” which “pro-motes good works” (78). Ron Marshall may bewilling to share his “father in the faith’s” risk-ing being an “impractical exaggeration” (340),but his challenging Christology yields alife-changing soteriology.

Paul R. SponheimLuther SeminarySaint Paul, Minnesota

FAITH FORMING FAITH: BRINGINGNEW CHRISTIANS TO BAPTISMAND BEYOND,by Paul E.Hoffman.Fore-word by Diana Butler Bass.Eugene,OR: Cas-cade Books, 2012. Pp. 110. $16.00 (paper).

By outward appearances, the Lutheranchurch in North America is a valley of drybones. Our membership across the various Lu-theran denominations has been in decline fordecades. It is as if decline, and not the gospel, isthe “old, old story” we tell when we gather. Atthe same time, strong public voices (called bysome “the new atheists”) are challengingChristian faith as literally in-credible. Seekersare finding their way along many divergentspiritual paths, most of which seem to disre-gard anything looking like traditional institu-

tional religion. While such realities are less ob-vious in some communities in the midsectionof the United States and Canada, on the coaststhese patterns of secularism, pluralism, andanti-institutionalism are strongly established.They are on the rise here in the heartland, aswell.

Can these dry bones live, faithful Christiansrightly ask? Can our church move from a storyabout a dying church to a story of a church en-livened by the Spirit? Pastor Paul Hoffman, inhis stunning new book, Faith Forming Faith,answers with a powerful, “Yes!” Writing aboutthe context and ministry of Phinney Ridge, anELCA congregation in Seattle, Paul Hoffmandescribes contemporary adaptive use of theancient catechumenate—a pattern of appren-ticeship forming people into faith in JesusChrist. He offers pastors, seminarians, andcongregational leaders sage council for begin-ning this baptismal pattern of “font-forming-faith” in their own communities, and in doingso sets out a gracious and vital proposal aboutthe witness of faith in an increasingly secularsociety.

The book seems slight, just over 100 pagesin total. But don’t be mistaken! The book istheologically serious and full of engaging sto-ries. It is perfect to share with a church councilor lay leadership teams working at the inter-sections of worship, Christian education, andoutreach. Beginning with the Ezek 37 story ofthe valley of dry bones, Pastor Hoffman takesthe readers’ hands and walks them through ayear of “The WAY,” a discipling process theyhave developed over almost two decades. Thepremise is simple: baptism is too important tothe individual Christian and to the church as awhole for it to be relegated to a few preparatorysessions with a pastor before a one-time ritualevent. Rather, their process welcomes seek-ers—those interested in baptism for them-selves or their children, or those alreadybaptized but considering membership—tojoin an intentional process of preparation for

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RETHINKING FAITH FORMATION Christian Identity andPractice in a Pluralistic World

cultures and stories.

July

23-

25

www.luthersem.edu/rethinking

RETHINKING STEWARDSHIPExploring Year-Round Stewardship

is con erence ill encoura e ar ci ants to consider o t e i t incor orate ste ards i into t e li e o t eir con re a on

e ond ust t e all ca ai n. o et er e ill i a ine ne a s to cele rate od s a undance and all t at od as entrusted into our care. et er ou are ust e innin a ste ards i inistr or alread a e a ear round ste ards i lan in lace ou ill recei e s ula n ideas and rac cal su es ons.

July

28-

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membership in the church through baptism oraffirmation of baptism.

The process works largely by trained layleaders. Beginning in September each year,groups of newcomers and sponsors assignedto them meet on Sunday evenings every otherweek. They share dinner around tables, familystyle, and after the meal engage in reflection onthe intersections between their daily lives andthe Scripture texts from church that morning.Lay catechists facilitate discussion at each ta-ble. Near the beginning of this process, a rite ofwelcome takes place in church. Each candidateis given a Bible and is blessed as they under-take this journey with the congregation to-wards baptism or affirmation of baptism.Then, as Lent begins, all who wish to stand be-fore the congregation to “put in their names”for baptism or affirmation at the comingEaster Vigil in six weeks’ time. Now a more in-tense focus begins, exploring key aspects ofcatechesis: the Ten Commandments, theApostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and at ev-ery step working with catechists and sponsorsto make connections to daily life. This faithformation process, however, is not merelyabout the candidates. In the preparation andparticipation of the congregation accompany-ing these candidates through their journey,significant faith formation happens, deepen-ing the congregation’s sense of discipleship aswell.

His is no wooden description of this pro-cess of catechesis and faith formation. PastorHoffman is clear that the process is “rich andmessy.” Hoffman tells of one man, diagnosedwith cancer and wishing to reconcile with God.With a carefully chosen sponsor, he wentthrough the year and affirmed his baptism atEaster surrounded with a loving faith commu-nity who not long after gathered for his funeral.Another couple, troubled by the difficulty ofthe Sunday gatherings with their young child,were planning on dropping out of the process.Instead, their sponsors stopped by church topick up dinner, drove over to help out with

bedtime, and provided dinner and conversationaround the young couple’s table. The welcomehelp with dinner and clean-up and the delight-ful hour of thoughtful adult conversationabout faith and life made all the difference tothe couple.

In short, this lovely book seems to say, ourfuture is a radical embrace of our past. Post-modern life is to be met squarely with the richresources of our premodern ancestors in thefaith. Through water and the word, God’s HolySpirit can and will “make these bones live”!

Chris ScharenLuther SeminarySaint Paul, Minnesota

BRINGING THE WORD TO LIFE: EN-GAGING THE NEW TESTAMENTTHROUGH PERFORMING IT, byRichard F. Ward and David J. Trobisch.Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013. Pp. 110.$18.00 (paper).

This is an admirable book. From the title tothe conclusion it is well conceived and produc-tive. The authors are well qualified to write thebook, and the depth of their study and experi-ence is evident throughout. They are bothskillful preachers, and they take seriously thetasks of preaching, preparing to preach, andsupporting the work of those who preach. Fur-ther, Ward and Trobisch are solid, insightfulscholars, so this book about performing NewTestament texts is not just intriguing, it is builton a sound foundation. And, most importantfor this particular book, both Ward and Tro-bisch are experienced performers of biblicaltexts; both have led workshops that prepareothers to perform texts, and both are engagedin performing, as well. This means that thissolid little book offers real help, and real en-ticement, to those who are engaged by NewTestament stories, but have not yet engagedthose stories through performing them.

The book is laid out well. After an introduc-tion that offers a winsome glimpse of the au-

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Please pass on these deadlines and event dates to someone you know who may be discerning a call to ministry.

DOKIMAZO (dok-im-ad’-zo)April 6-7An event at Luther Seminary �lled with the sharing of stories and discernment of the call to Christian public leadership

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINESPriority dates for seminary full-time and Wallace part-time scholarships

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thors’ own first encounters with storytelling,the book is built out of three parts: Perfor-mance in Antiquity, How Performance Criti-cism Informs the Interpretation of the Text,and Performance Today: From Preparation toReview. The logic of this structure is immedi-ately obvious: interpreters begin their work inthe ancient past, the native home of our texts,and complete it in the present, with a reviewand evaluation of what was preached ortaught. On the way from the ancient past to themoment after a sermon is preached, the inter-preter digests historical research, engages thetext in a hermeneutical dance, and weaves allthis into an interpretation that lives in thefleeting moments a preacher shares with thepeople who come for worship and study. Thestructure is obvious (and good), but Trobischand Ward are up to something more than lay-ing out a chronological sketch of the work ofinterpretation. In their detailed considerationof ancient performance practice, they are, infact, illustrating ways that would-be perform-ers might prepare to perform today. Whenthey discuss ways that performers might makethe words and conflicts of New Testamenttexts “their own” (83), they have already pre-pared their readers for this task through theirdiscussion of Quintilian’s injunction to “per-sonally [experience] the emotions felt by acharacter” (11). When they note that congre-gations listening to the Bible during worshipmay well be suspicious of “acting” (83), theyhave already linked this suspicion to ancientRoman nervousness about bombast and pre-tense and to Roman preference for earnest,persuasive performance by orators known tobe of good character (6–9). And when theyurge their readers (imagining them to be partof a group preparing to perform a biblical text)to “internalize” the script (69), they have al-ready worked this fertile soil when they dis-cussed the fact and effect of ancient deepknowledge of texts that were known by heart, cit-ing Quintilian again, who points out that texts

known so deeply give “force and direction toour own thoughts” (10).

This last link between ancient history andcurrent performance is the most important, asis seen clearly in the middle chapter of thebook. The aim of the book, revealed already inthe subtitle, is to facilitate “engaging the NewTestament.” Performance of biblical textsmatters, for preachers and for congregationmembers who might be induced to perform,because this mode of engagement fosters deep,living knowledge of the Bible. Deep, livingknowledge, gained through the practice of per-formance, allows Scripture to give “force anddirection to our own thoughts,” now as inancient times. That is a worthy goal, indeed.

Ward and Trobisch not only set this goal infront of their readers, they offer practical,workable examples and advice for those whowould like to try performance as a mode of en-gaging Scripture. I have attended workshopsled by each of the authors, and their sugges-tions work. Even fairly reluctant, resistant par-ticipants come away from the workshopappreciating the benefits of trying to performtexts. The authors also offer an extensive bibli-ography that approaches the matter of perfor-mance from a rich variety of perspectives. Areader who found herself interested in explor-ing the idea of Performance Criticism furtherbefore attempting to perform will find a wealthof resources ready to hand. A reader who de-cides to take the plunge and see what happenswill find this to be a book that will give goodsupport in her initial efforts at performing. Be-yond that, a reader who gathers a group andbegins to explore what happens when they en-gage the Bible the way the Bible was built to beengaged will find that the word does indeedcome to life, often in quite surprising ways.This book is admirable, and it is helpful.

Richard SwansonAugustana CollegeSioux Falls, South Dakota

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