Reviewed Book: Wiebe, Ben. Messianic Ethics: Jesus\u27 Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Church in Response. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1992

Buck, Erwin

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 19Issue 1 Martin Luther and Spirituality Article 175-1-1993Messianic Ethics: Jesus' Proclamation of theKingdom of God and the Church in ResponseErwin BuckFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationBuck, Erwin (1993) "Messianic Ethics: Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Church in Response," Consensus: Vol. 19 :Iss. 1 , Article 17.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol19/iss1/17Book Reviews 181In fact, the last two chapters of the book dealing with the Anabaptistsmay be the best section of the book. Above all, Shaull’s book is a workof partisan advocacy. He is not calling upon Protestants to celebrate theirheritage in quiet and safety. He is calling for a new Reformation involvingdiscipleship under the cross for the sake of the oppressed and marginal-ized. All Christians, Protestant or otherwise, need to hear his propheticchallenge. His own words bear rich testimony to that biblical commission:Committed Christians are citizens of another world. The state isthe realm of power and domination; the church, a community oflove and service. The function of the church in society is not tolegitimate these structures of power but to be a prophetic voice,exposing their injustice and corruption. The church is not orientedtoward the high and mighty and the conquest of prestige and powerbut toward the poor and marginal people of the world and an effortto raise them up. Never completely at home in this world, it lives“in the wilderness,” a pilgrim people witnessing to the future reignof God (113).Oscar Cole ArnalWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryMessianic Ethics. Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdomof God and the Church in ResponseBen WiebeWaterloo, Ontario and Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press,1992223 pp.Ben Wiebe, a pastor and university lecturer, has set himself the taskof examining the central significance of the kingdom of God as proclaimedby Jesus. Did Jesus wish to underline the decisive activity of God, or thehuman ethical response? Did he address his ethics primarily to the individ-ual or was he concerned about the wider issues of justice and community?These are the major questions to be explored.The author places his discussion in historical perspective by illustratingin chapter one how scholars in the past have differed in their assessment ofthe ethics of Jesus. From Ritschl to Bultmann, the Kingdom of God hasbeen interpreted as a realm introduced solely at the initiative of God, asa society realized in Christian ethical action in the present, or even as anexperience in the human heart. The ethics associated with the Kingdom,accordingly, has been regarded as an integral part of life in the kingdom, oras intended only for an interim period preceding the soon to be expectedarrival of the kingdom. It has been characterized as an individual ethics bysome, and as a community ethics by others.182 ConsensusAs background against which to examine the relevant concepts in theproclamation of Jesus, Wiebe in chapter two explores the idea of God’skingship in the Old Testament and in postbiblical Judaism. He considersDaniel as “the most immediate but not the only source for Jesus’ eschato-logical proclamation.” As supporting data for this conclusion he points tothe presence of the Son of Man concept in Daniel.In chapter three Wiebe gets to the heart of the investigation as he pur-sues the question: “What response does Jesus seek to elicit to his procla-mation of the kingdom of God?” To ensure that he is actually in touchwith the historical Jesus, the author examines the relevant texts by ap-plying to them the criteria developed by the New Quest of the HistoricalJesus. Wiebe is aware that these criteria are not as solid as many wouldclaim. Particularly suspect is the criterion of dissimilarity. On the otherhand, Wiebe finds the criterion of multiple attestation most useful and heshows a surprising degree of confidence in his reliance on the criterion of co-herence. The (rather facile?) application of the latter criterion allows himto classify as Historical Jesus material many of the traditions (includingthe Lord’s Supper traditions) which others tend to assign to the creativeactivity of the early church.As expected, Wiebe finds in the Jesus tradition both kerygma^ an em-phasis on God’s initiative in establishing the Kingdom, as well as didache^an accentuation of the human response to God’s decisive act. He observes,as C.H. Dodd had done, that kerygma is always primary. This means thatdidache, whose subject matter is ethics, takes on the nature of a response toGod’s gracious act. Even repentance (which John the Baptist required asa sign of readiness for the judgment) becomes in the proclamation of Jesusa summons “to repent as a response (emphasis added) to the kingdom ofGod.”God’s decisive initiative is experienced in Jesus’ free and often unso-licited gift of forgiveness. The corresponding ethics of Jesus is corporate inscope; it is an ethics intended not for all people, but for the life of a com-munity living in expectation of the life of the eschatological future. It is, inshort, the “charter of messianic Israel.” Its dominant themes are liberation,reconciliation, love, and servanthood.In chapter four Wiebe refiects on the mission of Jesus as the Messiah.Here it becomes clear why the author focuses so much attention on histor-ical Jesus research. His chief point is that “the ethics of Jesus is utterlyinseparable from his personal plenipotentiary authority.” This ethics is “theproduct of Jesus who regards himself as messianic king, intent on restoringa faithful people of God” and demonstrating that God’s way is the way ofa love which suffers for humanity.Most scholars will probably be less optimistic than Wiebe is regardingthe possibility of recovering the historical Jesus. In this respect many willjudge the book to have failed in its objective.Wiebe evidently has examined the ethics of Jesus not primarily frominterest in the ethics as such, but for what light this ethics can shed onBook Reviews 183the messianic self-consciousness of Jesus. That is unfortunate, becauseWiebe has a lot to offer in the area of ethics. The texts (whether or notthey can definitely be assigned to the Historical Jesus stratum) lead him toconclude that the ethics he has investigated represent an ethics of responseand gratitude. If these findings are correct, Wiebe will have establishedan important link between the ethics of Jesus and the ethics of Paul, forwhom, too, ethics is a matter of grateful response to the gracious acts ofGod.Although “Jesus held to a near-expectation of the end,” and althoughthat end has not yet come even now, Wiebe contends against Jack T.Sanders that the ethics of the historical Jesus is all-sufficient for today.The study is well documented, although one wishes Wiebe had madeat least passing reference to the research currently being conducted by themembers of the so-called Jesus Seminar. The book contains many freshand stimulating insights into familiar texts and it is to be recommendedfor study by pastors as well as by university and seminary students andfaculty.Erwin BuckLutheran Theological Seminary, SaskatoonConflict Mediation Across Cultures—Pathways andPatternsDavid W. AugsburgerLouisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992310 pages $24.99David Augsburger, a Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling orig-inally at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries and presently atFuller Theological Seminary, hails from the Anabaptist, non-violent tradi-tion. Interestingly enough his first books, and he has written many, notonly focused on the specialized topic area of anger and confrontation butmore specifically on how these aggressive dynamics can and should be in-corporated in caring and healing relationships.In the early 1980s Augsburger started researching a new focus areain multicultural studies and ministry, culminating in a monumental work:Pastoral Counselling Across Cultures (1986). In this original and long over-due book Augsburger presents major theological themes (related to, amongothers, culture and humanness, grace and values, the individual and thefamily, sickness and wholeness) from cross-cultural perspectives, therebyliberating the Christian consciousness and ministry from being predomi-nantly defined in Western world, if not North American middle class, termsof reference.

Messianic Ethics: Jesus\u27 Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Church in Response

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 19
Issue 1 Martin Luther and Spirituality Article 17
5-1-1993
Messianic Ethics: Jesus' Proclamation of the
Kingdom of God and the Church in Response
Erwin Buck
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Buck, Erwin (1993) "Messianic Ethics: Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Church in Response," Consensus: Vol. 19 :
Iss. 1 , Article 17.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol19/iss1/17
Book Reviews 181
In fact, the last two chapters of the book dealing with the Anabaptists
may be the best section of the book. Above all, Shaull’s book is a work
of partisan advocacy. He is not calling upon Protestants to celebrate their
heritage in quiet and safety. He is calling for a new Reformation involving
discipleship under the cross for the sake of the oppressed and marginal-
ized. All Christians, Protestant or otherwise, need to hear his prophetic
challenge. His own words bear rich testimony to that biblical commission:
Committed Christians are citizens of another world. The state is
the realm of power and domination; the church, a community of
love and service. The function of the church in society is not to
legitimate these structures of power but to be a prophetic voice,
exposing their injustice and corruption. The church is not oriented
toward the high and mighty and the conquest of prestige and power
but toward the poor and marginal people of the world and an effort
to raise them up. Never completely at home in this world, it lives
“in the wilderness,” a pilgrim people witnessing to the future reign
of God (113).
Oscar Cole Arnal
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Messianic Ethics. Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom
of God and the Church in Response
Ben Wiebe
Waterloo, Ontario and Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press,
1992
223 pp.
Ben Wiebe, a pastor and university lecturer, has set himself the task
of examining the central significance of the kingdom of God as proclaimed
by Jesus. Did Jesus wish to underline the decisive activity of God, or the
human ethical response? Did he address his ethics primarily to the individ-
ual or was he concerned about the wider issues of justice and community?
These are the major questions to be explored.
The author places his discussion in historical perspective by illustrating
in chapter one how scholars in the past have differed in their assessment of
the ethics of Jesus. From Ritschl to Bultmann, the Kingdom of God has
been interpreted as a realm introduced solely at the initiative of God, as
a society realized in Christian ethical action in the present, or even as an
experience in the human heart. The ethics associated with the Kingdom,
accordingly, has been regarded as an integral part of life in the kingdom, or
as intended only for an interim period preceding the soon to be expected
arrival of the kingdom. It has been characterized as an individual ethics by
some, and as a community ethics by others.
182 Consensus
As background against which to examine the relevant concepts in the
proclamation of Jesus, Wiebe in chapter two explores the idea of God’s
kingship in the Old Testament and in postbiblical Judaism. He considers
Daniel as “the most immediate but not the only source for Jesus’ eschato-
logical proclamation.” As supporting data for this conclusion he points to
the presence of the Son of Man concept in Daniel.
In chapter three Wiebe gets to the heart of the investigation as he pur-
sues the question: “What response does Jesus seek to elicit to his procla-
mation of the kingdom of God?” To ensure that he is actually in touch
with the historical Jesus, the author examines the relevant texts by ap-
plying to them the criteria developed by the New Quest of the Historical
Jesus. Wiebe is aware that these criteria are not as solid as many would
claim. Particularly suspect is the criterion of dissimilarity. On the other
hand, Wiebe finds the criterion of multiple attestation most useful and he
shows a surprising degree of confidence in his reliance on the criterion of co-
herence. The (rather facile?) application of the latter criterion allows him
to classify as Historical Jesus material many of the traditions (including
the Lord’s Supper traditions) which others tend to assign to the creative
activity of the early church.
As expected, Wiebe finds in the Jesus tradition both kerygma^ an em-
phasis on God’s initiative in establishing the Kingdom, as well as didache^
an accentuation of the human response to God’s decisive act. He observes,
as C.H. Dodd had done, that kerygma is always primary. This means that
didache, whose subject matter is ethics, takes on the nature of a response to
God’s gracious act. Even repentance (which John the Baptist required as
a sign of readiness for the judgment) becomes in the proclamation of Jesus
a summons “to repent as a response (emphasis added) to the kingdom of
God.”
God’s decisive initiative is experienced in Jesus’ free and often unso-
licited gift of forgiveness. The corresponding ethics of Jesus is corporate in
scope; it is an ethics intended not for all people, but for the life of a com-
munity living in expectation of the life of the eschatological future. It is, in
short, the “charter of messianic Israel.” Its dominant themes are liberation,
reconciliation, love, and servanthood.
In chapter four Wiebe refiects on the mission of Jesus as the Messiah.
Here it becomes clear why the author focuses so much attention on histor-
ical Jesus research. His chief point is that “the ethics of Jesus is utterly
inseparable from his personal plenipotentiary authority.” This ethics is “the
product of Jesus who regards himself as messianic king, intent on restoring
a faithful people of God” and demonstrating that God’s way is the way of
a love which suffers for humanity.
Most scholars will probably be less optimistic than Wiebe is regarding
the possibility of recovering the historical Jesus. In this respect many will
judge the book to have failed in its objective.
Wiebe evidently has examined the ethics of Jesus not primarily from
interest in the ethics as such, but for what light this ethics can shed on
Book Reviews 183
the messianic self-consciousness of Jesus. That is unfortunate, because
Wiebe has a lot to offer in the area of ethics. The texts (whether or not
they can definitely be assigned to the Historical Jesus stratum) lead him to
conclude that the ethics he has investigated represent an ethics of response
and gratitude. If these findings are correct, Wiebe will have established
an important link between the ethics of Jesus and the ethics of Paul, for
whom, too, ethics is a matter of grateful response to the gracious acts of
God.
Although “Jesus held to a near-expectation of the end,” and although
that end has not yet come even now, Wiebe contends against Jack T.
Sanders that the ethics of the historical Jesus is all-sufficient for today.
The study is well documented, although one wishes Wiebe had made
at least passing reference to the research currently being conducted by the
members of the so-called Jesus Seminar. The book contains many fresh
and stimulating insights into familiar texts and it is to be recommended
for study by pastors as well as by university and seminary students and
faculty.
Erwin Buck
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon
Conflict Mediation Across Cultures—Pathways and
Patterns
David W. Augsburger
Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992
310 pages $24.99
David Augsburger, a Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling orig-
inally at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries and presently at
Fuller Theological Seminary, hails from the Anabaptist, non-violent tradi-
tion. Interestingly enough his first books, and he has written many, not
only focused on the specialized topic area of anger and confrontation but
more specifically on how these aggressive dynamics can and should be in-
corporated in caring and healing relationships.
In the early 1980s Augsburger started researching a new focus area
in multicultural studies and ministry, culminating in a monumental work:
Pastoral Counselling Across Cultures (1986). In this original and long over-
due book Augsburger presents major theological themes (related to, among
others, culture and humanness, grace and values, the individual and the
family, sickness and wholeness) from cross-cultural perspectives, thereby
liberating the Christian consciousness and ministry from being predomi-
nantly defined in Western world, if not North American middle class, terms
of reference.


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