Longenecker, Richard N. Life in the face of death: the resurrection message of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998

Rattee, Mike

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Life in the face of death: the resurrection message of the New Testament

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 25Issue 2 The Arts and the Church Article 1411-1-1999Life in the face of death: the resurrection message ofthe New TestamentMike RatteeFollow 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 CitationRattee, Mike (1999) "Life in the face of death: the resurrection message of the New Testament," Consensus: Vol. 25 : Iss. 2 , Article 14.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss2/14118 Consensusits true and enduring source.Martin MaiinaSt. Peter’s Lutheran ChurchBrodhagen, OntarioLife in the Face of Death: The Resurrection Message of the NewTestamentRichard N. Longenecker, EditorGrand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998322 pages, $35.50 SoftcoverExcellent! - scholarly and accessible, biblical and pastoral, homiletical andtheological, educational and devotional. These adjectives aptly describe thelatest book edited by Richard Longenecker in the McMaster New TestamentStudies Series. For the last three years McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton,Ontario) has convened a New Testament Symposium by inviting prominentscholars from around the world to present papers on a New Testament theme.These papers are responded to and revised as necessary before being collectedinto the published book form. This current volume on death and resurrection inthe New Testament contains twelve essays from such authors as RichardBauckam, Joel B. Green, Murray J. Harris, William L. Lane, Andrew T. Lincoln,and Allison A. Trites.The overall tone and theological emphasis of the book would be classified asevangelical. It doesn’t seek to advance new, controversial theories for NewTestament scholarship as much as it tries to validate the Gospel message (“Jesusrose from the dead and offers eternal life”) as central to the New Testament andour lives today. The book is full of solid scholarship with plenty of footnotes,bibliographies, and indexes for those who want to study issues further. Pastorswill be interested to know that all the research is used in the service of affirmingand deepening the faith of readers. A key question looming behind each essay is,“how can this help readers to embrace resurrection life in the face of death?”Section one contains four essays which survey the views of death and afterlifeaccording to ancient cultures (Ggaritic, Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Roman), themajor world religions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) and prominentcontemporary worldviews (Humanism, Reincarnation, Platonism, Christianity).This is the most informative section of the book as it gives readers a historical,international and holistic backdrop to see how the New Testament’s message ofbodily resurrection is unique. This first section asserts that across most culturesBook Reviews 119in most periods of history death is seen as a tragedy, an inevitable enemy thatcannot be defeated, and a mystery that cannot be fully understood. How to copewith death is the universal problem of life. Christianity alone offers a unique andsatisfying solution - because Jesus died and conquered death, in his resurrectionwe too shall live.The rest of the book focuses on death and resurrection specifically in the NewTestament through the Gospels (section two), the Pauline Epistles (section three)and the books of Acts, Hebrews, and Revelation (section four). Through theseexcellent biblical book studies the reader is left with the overwhelming impressionthat the resurrection of Jesus and subsequent granting of eternal life to hisfollowers, is the central doctrine of the New Testament, the cornerstone ofChristianity, and the event that separates the ages into “old” and “new”. As aresult, this reader has begun looking at his own and others’ preaching in a newlight, to see how implicitly or explicitly the good news of resurrection life ismentioned. After reading this book, one will be more inspired to believe andpreach the foundation of our faith.While the book is strong in its biblical, theological, and historical portrayal ofdeath and resurrection, it does not help readers to see the daily practicalconsequences of this belief. Pastors and lay people who struggle to know whatresurrection life means in the here and now will have to figure it out themselvesor read another kind of book. Another minor criticism is that with so manyauthors the book does not flow as well chapter to chapter. Arguments do notbuild on each other, many facts are repeated throughout, and the writing style isnecessarily uneven. Still, the overall theme unifies the work and the reader has theadvantage of being exposed to twelve different writers. This makes it a veryworthwhile read!Mike Rattee,Emmanuel Bible CollegeKitchener, ON.From Our Mothers’ Arms: The Intergenerational Impact ofResidential Schools in SaskatchewanConstance DeiterToronto: United Church Publishing House, 1999100 pages“The schools forcibly removed these children from the influence of theirparents and community, and their gentle teachings. Once at school, the children

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