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Book Review: Engaging the Doctrine of Creation: Cosmos, Creatures, and the Wise and Good Creator. By Matthew Levering

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clarity of a shared experience” (63). Based on biblical examples, H. rightly underscores the successful philosophical sorting out by the early Christians in their proclamation of Jesus, the Truth. That… Click to show full abstract

clarity of a shared experience” (63). Based on biblical examples, H. rightly underscores the successful philosophical sorting out by the early Christians in their proclamation of Jesus, the Truth. That such a fine observation is dotted with some exegetical stretch (Anna foretelling Mary’s future anguish [61], but later, rightly pointing to Simeon [92], and an interpretive leap [Devil in Genesis 3 and Job]) is rather unfortunate. Retracing some of the past conflicts between Christianity and science, H. avers that the fundamental issue was the method. His proposed remedy, therefore, is the time-tested sciences that he deems as the best guarantee of truth. As such, H. is even confident that the well-conducted historical-critical method would yield the intention of the original scriptural authors! However, if the growing sensibilities among the current biblical scholarship are any indication, “author,” “original,” and “intention” remain persistently challenging categories that call for a nuanced appropriation. Magesa situates the Life in a war-torn and corruption-ridden African context that cries out for life and healing. Opting for a practical, rather than a propositional African Christology, M. calls for the need to name Jesus. In bringing forth life, nurturing it to maturity, and sustaining it across the generations, M. perceptively finds in Jesus the Ancestor par excellence (148). Yet, M. is aware of Jesus’ state of celibacy, poverty, and crucifixion— all of them are in a collision course with the African perception of the ancestor. In response, M. interprets Jesus’ celibacy as all-inclusive fecundity, his poverty as liberating wealth and his crucifixion as a life-transmitting form of death. It is an admirable balancing of cherished ancestor traits vis-à-vis the counter-cultural, prophetic values of Jesus. The final chapter lists Stinton’s responses to the three presenters. She begins by situating the biblical verse in question in the literary context of the farewell discourse. S. then surveys the presenters’ choice of sources and methods. One wonders why such helpful, clarifying guideposts are delayed until this point. Her responses, which are given an African touch by two Bateke proverbs, are grouped around two apt images: confluence and watershed—in that order. All the same, given the explicit scriptural preeminence in all the presentations, a reversal of these images would also be equally, if not more, meaningful to the book’s overall goal of making Jesus the Christ known. By drawing from the Scriptures, Christian tradition, and the Johannine trinomial-based reflections, the book is rich with contextually relevant christological insights together with some probing queries for further reflection.

Keywords: book; engaging doctrine; book review; doctrine creation; life; review engaging

Journal Title: Theological Studies
Year Published: 2018

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