Saturday, August 2, 1997

Religion in the media: a look at recent books and magazines

The Dallas Morning News

BOOKS

"Her Hand in Marriage: Biblical Courtship in the Modern Word," by Douglas Wilson (Canon Press, $7.50; 1-800-488-2034). Before dismissing the author as antique or backward, the reader may want to pause over a question: Given the rate at which we get pregnant as teens and divorce as adults, does anyone really want to defend the dating game as the best of all possible worlds? The author contends that modern dating doesn't train young people for (ital) a (end ital) relationship but for a series of them. It is "as much a preparation for divorce as it is for marriage. Whenever the other person starts to wear a little thin, you just slip out the back, Jack." The biblical courtship for which Wilson argues isn't the same as arranged marriage. But it is grounded on the father's authority, which spells security and protection, especially for his daughters. Much of what the author writes is an indictment of parents, fathers in particular, who take a hands-off approach to child rearing. -Paul R. Buckley

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"Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays," by Peter J. Leithart (Canon Press, $15.50; 1-800-488-2034). The author, who is working on a doctorate in theology at Cambridge University, taught Shakespeare to junior high and high school students during his days as a pastor. Christians have often had a difficult time coming to terms with fictional literature (recall some of the early Church Fathers and the Puritans, for example). So Leithart opens his work with a brief apologia for a Christian approach to literary study. His commentary on the plays - two histories, two tragedies, two comedies - is informed by a rich biblical theology. Each chapter includes review questions and "thought questions," which makes the guide suitable as a textbook. The author even offers succinct reviews of film versions of the plays. -Paul R. Buckley

MAGAZINES

The Atlantic Monthly (July) examines the widening gap between the values of the U.S. military and civilian society. While the military's sexual mores are the only thing getting the attention of the general public, the all-volunteer military sees a nation of "pervasive selfishness and consumerism," reports Thomas E. Ricks. The writer, who covers the Pentagon for the Wall Street Journal, recommends a return to the draft. Numbers and religion mix in an interesting article by Dick Teresi on when the next millennium begins. The story, "Zero," involves Jesus' birth, two monks and a missing year. Garry Wills, in "Dostoyevsky Behind the Camera," says Oliver Stone is "one of the few filmmakers who regularly treat religion in a serious way." -Robert Plocheck

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The Lutheran (July) visits the Dallas studio of former pastor W.A. Slaughter, who paints landscapes of bluebonnets. "All art is religious - it glorifies God, the giver of the talent," Slaughter says. This issue also has extensive coverage of ecumenical moves toward the Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Reformed churches. The hierarchical structure of the first two churches appears to cause the most concern at the grass-roots level. -Robert Plocheck

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Hinduism Today (July) devotes much of its issue to news coverage of Heaven's Gate. The magazine finds that the U.S. media used too broad strokes in references to "Eastern religions" in reports that followed the suicides. Another package of articles addresses the subject of passing on faith to children. Of interest to all parents are the presentation of "Precious Precepts." Included in those precepts are five guidelines: good conduct, home worship, talking about religion, continuing self-study and joining a fellowship. -Robert Plocheck

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REVIEWER'S CHOICE

"The Trinity in a Pluralistic Age: Theological Essays on Culture and Religion," edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Wm. B. Eerdmans, $20). Can Christianity coexist with other faiths and modern culture without conflict? The essayists here contend that the doctrine of the Trinity not only sets Christianity apart from other religions and worldviews, but also offers answers to the questions those worldviews pose.

Lesslie Newbigin's contribution, "The Trinity as Public Truth," is a highlight. The "shadowy figure" of a unitarian God looms over our modern public discourse, he writes, citing two reasons. First, a unitarian deity corresponds and contributes to a radical individualism that sees human beings as autonomous units who aren't intimately bound to society at large. Second, the unitarian model suggests a monarchical figure of unyielding power, a figure that contributes to the modern view of power as the basis for conducting human affairs.

According to Newbigin, a trinitarian view of God reshapes man's thinking so that he sees himself as relational by nature. He's created in the image and likeness of the trinitarian God, after all. And if human beings aren't autonomous units, their quest for power can be redirected toward a quest for the truth found in God.

Other essays consider the Trinity vis-a-vis non-Christian religions. For Stephen Williams, the distinctive mark of trinitarian theology is that God reveals himself personally to the world through his incarnate Son while remaining in heaven, apart from the world. God reveals himself particularly, within history, and in large part to a particular people. This is no scandal but rather an affirmation of the trinitarian mystery. Other faiths do not possess this personal, particular revelation of a God who remains transcendent while revealing himself to the world.

The essays vary in style and perspective, but all see trinitarian doctrine as radically distinctive. -Paul R. Buckley

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(Writers are staff members of The Dallas Morning News. Write to them in care of: the Religion Section, Dallas Morning News, Communications Center, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265.)

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(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

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