BOOK REVIEW SECTION

(All inquiries and correspondence pertaining to the reviewing of books

should be addressed to: Karen Robinson, PNEUMA Book Review
Editor, Library, Oral Roberts University, 7777 South Lewis, Tulsa,
Oklahoma 74171).

Jurgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit (New

York: Harper and Row, 1977), 407 p., $15.00. Reviewed by D.
William Faupel.

After focusing on the resurrection of the crucified Jesus and the

cross of the risen Christ,1 Moltmann has now written on ecclesiology,
the third major work in a trilogy in which he seeks to reinterpret the
doctrine of the church. He writes from the conviction that the church
in the 20th century is in the midst of deep crisis. Far from being pessi-
mistic about this, however, he contends that such an hour will force the
church to reexamine its origins, and in so doing, it will find its bearing,
rediscover its mission and move into the future in the power of the
Spirit.
For Moltmann, the early church was rooted in an eschatological
vision of the coming kingdom, a vision that has recurred within the
church throughout its history, bringing with it spiritual renewal. Two
world views flow out of this eschatological vision. The first holds an
apocalyptic view of a corrupted church in the midst of the decaying
world. In this view God is about to break into history, judge the wicked,
and redeem his faithful remnant. The second view stems from a con-
viction that God has already decisively broken in from the end of history
in the Incarnation. The church, therefore, takes its bearing by looking
back to the Easter event and Pentecost, rather than attempting to read
the "Signs of the Times" (optimistic or pessimistic) in the age in which it
lives. This second option, Moltmann asserts, is the authentic Christian
view.

1Theologyof Hope (New York: Harper and Row, 1967) on The Crucified God (New
York: Harper and Row, 1974).

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 In this view the church becomes the new exodus, the pilgrim com-
munity of faith, bearing witness to and traveling toward the "not yet"
of human history. In the power of the spirit, the church extends the
mission of the risen Christ as it experiences the reality of the kingdom
within its midst and serves as a catalytic agent that will bring about the
liberating power of the kingdom in its fulness.
Such a view of the church provides a challenge in several respects
and should provide the "grist" for much thoughtful discussion and
theological reflection. In this view the church cannot be equated with
the kingdom, rather it must recognize that when it has come in its
fulness, the church will cease to exist. Moltmann rejects a hierarchical
view of the New Testament church, seeing rather in its structure the
priesthood of all believers, all having charismatic gifts, and together
functioning as the body of Christ. Those who are set apart as apostles,
prophets, and pastor-teachers, are called from the body to serve the
body. The gathered community experiences the liberating power of the
Spirit in their own communal life and are thrust out in the transforming
power of the Spirit to serve the world about them. Moltmann reaffirms
that the church is Holy, Catholic and Apostolic: Apostolic in so far as it
is faithful to proclaiming apostolic doctrine and carrying out the
apostolic mission; Catholic in so far as it seeks to restore to God's loving
grace, the lost, rejected and oppressed; Holy in so far as it confesses its
own shortcomings, identifies with suffering humanity, and actively
resists the principalities and powers of every age.
For Pentecostals and charismatics this book should prove both
stimulating and provocative. Moltmann's thorough knowledge of the
current state of theological discussion and ecumenical dialogue is re-
flected in ways that should provide a window into a world that may have
been previously unknown and threatening to the tradition. Many,
though certainly not all, of his motifs are themes of renewal and change
which Pentecostals have been calling for since their movement came
into being. Though Moltmann's view does call into serious question
the premillennial, pre-tribulation theory of the second coming, in a
curious way he also reviews what was at the heart of early Pentecostal
theology: the finished work of Christ, (however that was variously inter-
preted), and the restoration of the apostolic faith and practice of the
early church.

Charles Farah, Jr., From the Pinnacle of the Temple (Plainfield,

NJ: Logos International, 1979) 243 pp. Reviewed by Robert W.
Herron, Jr. Ph.D., student, Rice University, Houston, Texas.

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 If the twentieth century church is indeed experiencing manifes-
tations of the Holy Spirit comparable to the New Testament era, we
should not be surprised if we experience some of the growing pains as
welL In his work, From the Pinnacle of the Temple, Charles Farah
diagnoses what he considers to be one such spiritual disorder, the
popular "faith message." According to Dr. Farah, the school of thought
which teaches "confession brings possession" has focused on selected
passages resulting in a distorted view of the Biblical promises. The
thrust of the "faith message" is: "If I can only learn how to exercise
my faith, my rights as a child of God, I can enjoy perfect health, perfect
peace, and perfect prosperity. It is simply a matter of applying the right
laws in the right way" (p. 116). The problem, says Farah, is that this
makes demands on God which are causative. It "guarantees God will
always act in such and such a way due to certain prayers repeated or
rites performed" (p. 135). Such prayers do not allow for the higher
purposes of a sovereign God.
Most of the book challenges the thesis of "Faith Theology" that
the sole criterion for the appropriation of the healing accomplished
by Christ is exercising faith in the promise (i.e., confessing your healing
even though the symptoms prevail). Since there are no qualifications,
the only explanation for an unanswered prayer is rather simple-lack
of faith. This, Farah replies, is not a holistic biblical theology. It rather
resembles the over-realized eschatology of the Corinthians.
First, says, Farah, we are still in "this age." And until "that which
is perfect is come ... we know in part." Thus, while healing is clearly
part of God's total plan, it is impossible for a believer in "this age" to
fully evaluate all the variables in a given situation and know that a
certain prayer is the will of God. Secondly, healing is not as universal
as salvation. In the millennium perfect health will be as fully realized as
perfect fellowship with God. But in "this age"..."the actual experience
of healing is not (even in New Testament) enjoyed as universally as the
grace of salvation by those who believe (p. 85) ... The 'not yet' of the
kingdom may only come fully at Christ's return" (p. 36). There is, on
the other hand, a faith of unmitigated certainty, but it is one of which
God is the subject and author (Mk. 11:22-23). Farah calls this
"pneumatic knowledge," and it is acquired in the form of a special word
from God (rhema) revealing His will to an individuaL The rhema is to
be distinguished from the logos, the Word of God in general, Le., the
Bible. Farah contends that "where this faith exists, anything God gives
as His will for that situation can and will be accomplished" (p. 125).
From the Pinnacle of the Temple challenges the proponents of the
"Faith Theology" to reevaluate their theological framework, and

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offers encouragement to those for whom the faith formula has not
worked. The success of Dr. Farah's work lies in his ability to com-
municate academic theological principles on the layman's leveL The
communication tends to bog down, however, in personal experiences
and illustrations. The seminary level reader will find the appendix, A
Methodology for Ecumenical Theology, quite engaging, especially the
call for "a theology of the Word determined by contextual scientific
exegesis" (p. 233). Elsewhere in the book one occasionally detects a
more personal hermeneutic at work. The concept of a rhema (special
word) from the Lord may prove helpfuL It resembles C. S. Lewis' idea
of a petitioner of God who can be "so united with Him at certain
moments that something of the divine foreknowledge enters his mind"
(Letters to Malcolm, p. 61). Farah has provided no criteria for dis-
cerning such a "word," although probably by definition no criteria are
possible. The book is recommended as corrective to the extremes of
the "Faith Theology" written on a popular level.

Fr. George T. Montague, The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical

Tradition (New York: Paulist Press, 1976), 374 pp. Reviewed by
R. Dennis Walters, a poet and businessman whoholds a Ph.D. in
English Literature. He lives with his family in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Designed to blend scholarly with spiritual writing, Fr. George T.

Montague's The Holy Spirit. Growth of a Biblical Tradition fulfills its
central purpose: to satisfy one's hunger for information about the
Bible's views of the Spirit while stimulating a greater thirst for that
River of Life.
The book's scholarly side impresses itself first. He learns of dis-
tinctions between the Hebrew words for spirit (neshamah as opposed
to ruah) and of their associations with Biblical concepts like the
formation of man's flesh (basar) from the earth (adamah). Such dis-
cussions are necessary, it turns out, because the Bible has many ways
of talking about the Spirit But the author has no intention of scaring
the non-scholarly reader away. Montague handles his material in a
professional manner. Yet he normally sustains a relaxed, occasionally
offhand, style that carries his reader through some rough terrain, and
his practice of quoting entire passages before commenting on them
divides the material into manageable units.
The author's chronology deserves comment. Concerned as he is
with the growth of a biblical tradition-"No father can tell his child
everything at once," he observes in the preface, "and neither can the

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Lord his people"-he must decide on a historical or a literary way of
tracing it He chooses the latter, taking the books of the Bible in
roughly the order that "scholars generally agree" they were written.
The agreement of scholars aside, Montague's real chronology rests on
the development of a teaching. He wants to show how Scripture pro-
gresses from an early doctrine of the Spirit-as-Life-Breath to a late
one of the Spirit-as-Paraclete. And with that end in view, he organizes
his material.
As a piece of spiritual writing, too, the book impresses. The reader
first notices that historical events receive from Montague a strong
emphasis on their inner meaning. For example, the manner of the
Spirit's descent on Jesus in the Jordan and on the disciples at Pente-
cost-as well as the manner of Scriptural narration-reveals a pattern
of God's activity, in the light of which factual details seem unimportant.
One then begins to discover how the author sees the New Testament
anticipated by the Old, and the Old at work within the New. Thus, the
reader encounters an exciting biblical picture-diverse insights about
the Spirit woven into a unity of vision whose panorama astounds with
its majesty and its mystery. Finally, one finds himself selecting whole
chapters of the book for special note. I liked the treatment of 1 Corin-
thians 13, and was engrossed by the discussions of the gospels, parti-
cularly the sobering commentary on Mark.
A Roman Catholic, Fr. Montague quotes frequently from the New
American Bible translation, unblushingly accepts the canonicty of the
"apocrypha," and discusses certain passages with an eye to their
sacramental significance. Yet he speaks to a much wider audience than
Catholics. Charismatic Christians of any denomination will recognize
their own experience in his pages. But regardless of experience,
reasonably well-educated Christians everywhere who seek under-
standing and faith will find both in this book.

David Christie-Murray, Voices from the Gods: Speaking with

Tongues (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978), xiii + 280 pp.,
6.95 pounds. Reviewed by Paul Elbert.

Christie-Murray (C1V)7 former reader in theology at St. Peter's

College, Oxford, testifies to being introduced to speaking in tongues
forty years ago when he heard an illiterate Pentecostal charwoman
pour out a fluent paean to God in what seemed a foreign language. In
this work he sets forth to explore this phenomenon in various cul-
tures beginning with the Greeks. Within the Hellenistic background,

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(cf. W. Mills, "Ecstaticism as the Background for Glossolalia," J Am.
Sci, Affl, 27 (1975), 167) he focuses on "First Whitsun," the first
Jerusalem Pentecost. At points CM has difficulty accepting as historical
reality statements attested by Scripture. Thus, the wind and fire could
have been hallucinations which just seemed to be objective to the
disciples. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is not given full credit for moti-
vating the Pentecost scenario. However, CM does not doubt that the
early Christians were moved in ecstasy to speak foreign languages.
After treating The Acts of the Apostles, CM turns to I Corinthians
where he offers an insightful discussion regarding Paul's interaction
with the church at Corinth. He notes, for example, that theology
followed the practice of glossolalia.
Dispensing the history of glossolalia from the time of the early
church to the beginning of the 19th century in just thirty-three pages,
CM devotes one third of his book to Spiritualist tongues of the 19th
and 20th centuries. He is reluctant to suggest that the numerous cases
of reported xenolalia and associated occult phenomena are motivated
by spirits other than the Holy Spirit. In this reviewer's opinion, the
writer should have sought to identify the possible sources of such
phenomena as well as discussing their manifestations.
The same kind of weakness is manifest in the following section
where CM interprets the charismatic movement from a history of
religions perspective, defining the movement by its involvement with
glossolalia. In using a purely phenomenological approach, CM fails
to give adequate attention to the content of the Spirit speech and its
interpretation. Thus the centrality of Christ in charismatic thinking
is totally deemphasized.
Since psychological case studies suggest that languages once
stored in the brain in childhood can be the basis for later utterance
in that language, CM urges caution in attributing a supernatural ex-
planation to all glossolalia. He wonders also with Samarin whether a
tape recording of xenolalia exists which is linguistically verifiable.
Still he does ask the question, "Who, or what, are the entities that
communicate?" He concludes that unless or until more knowledge is
forthcoming to provide a naturalistic explanation, one has to accept
the possibility that a spiritual dimension does exist
He concludes with the observation that many religious glossolalists,
not just Christians, may have a feeling that they have worshipped
"God in the Spirit" and that their worship has been accepted even
though they have no idea what was being communicated. Their tongue-
speech has resulted in a feeling of being at peace.

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