Reviewed Book: Oden, Thomas C. The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989

Muller, Richard A.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 18
Issue 1 Issues in Church Life Article 16
5-1-1992
The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2
Richard A. Muller
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
Muller, Richard A. (1992) "The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2," Consensus: Vol. 18 : Iss. 1 , Article 16.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol18/iss1/16
140 Consensus
completely convincing (e.g., head seems clearly at times to mean “source”
or “origin”, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-12; Colossians 1:15-18; 2:19 etc). Ellis
stresses that the primary purpose of ministry according to Paul is not to
serve or change society but to call and then build people up in their new
identity in Christ. This seems well grounded as far as it goes but ques-
tions arise when he goes on to fire barbs of criticism at liberation theology.
This is too sweeping. If there is misconception of the gospel in versions of
liberation theology, surely it is also true that salvation concretely involves
liberation (cf. Exodus 15; Romans 8).
The book deals with questions directly; one may disagree at key points
and still find the work illuminating. This is at once an important and
strongly argued contribution addressing many of the critical questions and
casting light at many points on ministry as presented in Pauline theology.
Ben Wiebe
Hamilton, Ontario
The Word of Life. Systematic Theology: Volume Two
Thomas C. Oden
San Francisco: Harper Row, 1989
xxi + 583 pp. U.S. $32.95
This second volume of Oden’s projected three-volume Systematic The-
ology carries forward the method and approach of its predecessor. The Liv-
ing God. Systematic Theology: Volume One. Oden approaches Christian
doctrine from a biblical-traditional perspective that enables his readers to
encounter the riches of the church’s teaching and to grasp the significance
of traditionary formulations. He demonstrates a sound grasp of the tradi-
tion and an ability to state its message clearly for his readers. Readers can
only admire his exploration and exposition of patristic, medieval, and clas-
sic Protestant theologies—and readers ought also to appreciate the broadly
ecumenical character of Oden’s doctrinal statements. In his own words,
Oden offers here a “systematic statement of the meaning of Jesus’ author-
ity, life and work that . . . attends to classic Christian exegesis (especially of
the first five centuries) without getting embroiled in ever-extending modern
historical interpretations and debates” (xi). On this fundamental level, the
work continues to be one of the best contemporary efforts at presenting the
traditional message of Christianity to a more or less conservative audience.
This is not, however, to say that there are no problems resident in
Oden’s approach—and, indeed, Christology is precisely the place where
the problems become evident. A few substantive encounters with “modern
historical interpretations and debates” would be salutary. For although he
reflects some of the results of modern New Testament exegesis and theology.
Book Reviews 141
I
j
there are crucial places in the work where Oden abandons the conclusions
t
of modern historical study in the name of the “postmodern, postcritical sit-
uation, wherein the assumptions of modernity are no longer credible apart
!
from tiny, introverted elites”—and, at least to the mind of this reviewer,
only demonstrates the necessity of recognizing the opposite, that theology
! is no more capable of abandoning the results of the “modern” historical-
critical method today than it was in 1918 when Barth attempted to do so in
his Epistle to the Romans. The place where this problem is most apparent
is Oden’s proposal that “the premise of theandric union” be “entertained
as a serious hypothesis by historians” (527). He moves from discussion
I
of the “history of Jesus” to the declaration that “Christ was a historical
I
person, not merely an idea” without clear recognition that his very us-
I
age symbolizes the christological problem—and he speaks of the “recovery
of classic [i.e., patristic and traditional] Christological exegesis on its own
I
terms” (533), while nonetheless declaiming only two pages later that “clas-
!
sic Christology ... is not exegesis” . The exegetical and historical problem
' is perhaps most clearly evidenced in Oden’s use of Johannine Jesus-sayings
!
(e.g., 509, 511) as possessing the same historical value as sayings belonging,
I
for example, to the Sayings Source (“Q”) underlying Matthew and Luke.
This homogenization of christological issues neither supports the traditional
approach—which, if it is to be reconstructed and defended, must come to
terms with critical exegesis—nor offers a genuine alternative to critical ex-
egesis itself. Indeed, the inherent problematic of Oden’s approach indicates
i only that, if historical-critical thinking has become the property of a “tiny,
introverted elite”, the task of teachers of theology is not to abandon it, but
to bring its results to bear on Christian teaching clearly enough that its
credibility will be obvious to a larger audience.
By way of summary—Oden’s Word of Life, like its predecessor. The
Living God, represents an important attempt to recover the church’s great
1 tradition for contemporary students of theology and, as such, it is a sig-
I
nificant and readable text. It is also a genuinely “catholic” text that will
often be able to address an audience that would have difficulty with the
I
older orthodox manuals of theology, like Louis Berkhof’s Systematic The-
ology or J.T. Mueller’s Christian Dogmatics. But it will have to be used in
conjunction with works that present the critical problems raised by mod-
ern theology and exegesis. Much of the difficulty faced by conservative
theology today is that orthodox systems like Oden’s fail to recognize that
exegesis and hermeneutics are not only at the heart of theological formu-
lation but also that traditional formulations become less than convincing
when grounded solely on exegetical and hermeneutical approaches that are
no longer practiced.
Richard A. Muller
Calvin Theological Seminary


The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 18Issue 1 Issues in Church Life Article 165-1-1992The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2Richard A. MullerFollow 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 CitationMuller, Richard A. (1992) "The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, 2," Consensus: Vol. 18 : Iss. 1 , Article 16.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol18/iss1/16140 Consensuscompletely convincing (e.g., head seems clearly at times to mean “source”or “origin”, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-12; Colossians 1:15-18; 2:19 etc). Ellisstresses that the primary purpose of ministry according to Paul is not toserve or change society but to call and then build people up in their newidentity in Christ. This seems well grounded as far as it goes but ques-tions arise when he goes on to fire barbs of criticism at liberation theology.This is too sweeping. If there is misconception of the gospel in versions ofliberation theology, surely it is also true that salvation concretely involvesliberation (cf. Exodus 15; Romans 8).The book deals with questions directly; one may disagree at key pointsand still find the work illuminating. This is at once an important andstrongly argued contribution addressing many of the critical questions andcasting light at many points on ministry as presented in Pauline theology.Ben WiebeHamilton, OntarioThe Word of Life. Systematic Theology: Volume TwoThomas C. OdenSan Francisco: Harper Row, 1989xxi + 583 pp. U.S. $32.95This second volume of Oden’s projected three-volume Systematic The-ology carries forward the method and approach of its predecessor. The Liv-ing God. Systematic Theology: Volume One. Oden approaches Christiandoctrine from a biblical-traditional perspective that enables his readers toencounter the riches of the church’s teaching and to grasp the significanceof traditionary formulations. He demonstrates a sound grasp of the tradi-tion and an ability to state its message clearly for his readers. Readers canonly admire his exploration and exposition of patristic, medieval, and clas-sic Protestant theologies—and readers ought also to appreciate the broadlyecumenical character of Oden’s doctrinal statements. In his own words,Oden offers here a “systematic statement of the meaning of Jesus’ author-ity, life and work that . . . attends to classic Christian exegesis (especially ofthe first five centuries) without getting embroiled in ever-extending modernhistorical interpretations and debates” (xi). On this fundamental level, thework continues to be one of the best contemporary efforts at presenting thetraditional message of Christianity to a more or less conservative audience.This is not, however, to say that there are no problems resident inOden’s approach—and, indeed, Christology is precisely the place wherethe problems become evident. A few substantive encounters with “modernhistorical interpretations and debates” would be salutary. For although hereflects some of the results of modern New Testament exegesis and theology.Book Reviews 141Ijthere are crucial places in the work where Oden abandons the conclusionstof modern historical study in the name of the “postmodern, postcritical sit-uation, wherein the assumptions of modernity are no longer credible apart!from tiny, introverted elites”—and, at least to the mind of this reviewer,only demonstrates the necessity of recognizing the opposite, that theology! is no more capable of abandoning the results of the “modern” historical-critical method today than it was in 1918 when Barth attempted to do so inhis Epistle to the Romans. The place where this problem is most apparentis Oden’s proposal that “the premise of theandric union” be “entertainedas a serious hypothesis by historians” (527). He moves from discussionIof the “history of Jesus” to the declaration that “Christ was a historicalIperson, not merely an idea” without clear recognition that his very us-Iage symbolizes the christological problem—and he speaks of the “recoveryof classic [i.e., patristic and traditional] Christological exegesis on its ownIterms” (533), while nonetheless declaiming only two pages later that “clas-!sic Christology ... is not exegesis” . The exegetical and historical problem' is perhaps most clearly evidenced in Oden’s use of Johannine Jesus-sayings!(e.g., 509, 511) as possessing the same historical value as sayings belonging,Ifor example, to the Sayings Source (“Q”) underlying Matthew and Luke.This homogenization of christological issues neither supports the traditionalapproach—which, if it is to be reconstructed and defended, must come toterms with critical exegesis—nor offers a genuine alternative to critical ex-egesis itself. Indeed, the inherent problematic of Oden’s approach indicatesi only that, if historical-critical thinking has become the property of a “tiny,introverted elite”, the task of teachers of theology is not to abandon it, butto bring its results to bear on Christian teaching clearly enough that itscredibility will be obvious to a larger audience.By way of summary—Oden’s Word of Life, like its predecessor. TheLiving God, represents an important attempt to recover the church’s great1 tradition for contemporary students of theology and, as such, it is a sig-Inificant and readable text. It is also a genuinely “catholic” text that willoften be able to address an audience that would have difficulty with theIolder orthodox manuals of theology, like Louis Berkhof’s Systematic The-ology or J.T. Mueller’s Christian Dogmatics. But it will have to be used inconjunction with works that present the critical problems raised by mod-ern theology and exegesis. Much of the difficulty faced by conservativetheology today is that orthodox systems like Oden’s fail to recognize thatexegesis and hermeneutics are not only at the heart of theological formu-lation but also that traditional formulations become less than convincingwhen grounded solely on exegetical and hermeneutical approaches that areno longer practiced.Richard A. MullerCalvin Theological Seminary

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