García, Albert L. and A. R. Victor Raj, eds. The Theology of the Cross for the 21st Century: Signposts for a Multicultural Witness. St. Louis: Concordia, 2002. Pages, 254. Paper, $14.99. ISBN: 0570052882

Reviewed by: Javier R. Alanís

As the subheading of this book indicates, the various essays on the theology of the cross are signposts for a multicultural witness for the 21st century. The thirteen essays explore the contemporary relevance of Luther's theology of the cross from the perspective of the tradition and experience of twelve multicultural theologians of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. This diversity in scholarship provides for a multifaceted expose of a central doctrine of the Lutheran tradition as reflected and embodied through the experiences of the writers and the particular cultures they represent and experience in ministry.

The book is divided into three parts. In Part 1, Alberto L. García, Robert A. Kolb, and Robert Scudieri identify key signposts for multicultural witness in the theology of the cross. García identifies four key elements as crucial to a faithful twenty-first century global witness of the love of Christ for the world. He adroitly refers to Luther’s various theses and extensive commentaries on the scriptures to substantiate his arguments for the countercultural, incarnational, eschatological, and sacramental dimensions of Luther’s theologia crucis. For García, the notion that Christ died for us cannot be confined to the abstract, but includes a particular (cultural), global (universal), and prophetic (critical) character that finds substance within the context of human experience.

For Kolb, the theology of the cross reveals who God is, how God’s people know God, who God’s people are, and how God’s people live. His essay highlights the central theme of the hidden God of the cross who is revealed in the crucified Lord. These revelations have implications for all cultures. In the God-man, “Jesus visits every society and brings to the center of every culture the death of false lordship and the renewal and revival of the gifts that God has given each tribe and nation” (44). Human culture is celebrated as a gift of God and brought to the service of the Gospel through critical reflection and offering of service across cultural boundaries.

Scudieri offers a missiology of the cross that looks at Christian mission from two vantage points. Mission flows from and to the cross. He distinguishes the notion of the Gospel as the starting point for mission (Missio Dei) from his notion of the cross as both the starting and ending point of mission. He argues that Christian outreach does not simply happen, but requires intentional agency, specifically in the context of a non-Christian and pluralistic United States. The church is apostolic and missional in character. God promises to be with the church in the great commission to make disciples. People are drawn to the cross where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered. The theology of the cross is central to the mission of the church because it provides the central focus for both missionary impetus and discipleship formation.

In Part Two, Won Yong Ji, C. George Fry, A. R. Victor Raj, Eshetu Abate, and Paul E. Muench identify global themes for witness from the perspective of five distinct cultural and interreligious contexts within the global outreach of Lutheranism. Yong Ji offers an intriguing and curious new paradigm for Luther studies in the East Asian context by connecting Luther's paradoxical dialectic with the classical T’ai-Chi cosmology. He contends that both contain similar elements that provide for cultural understanding and theological coherence. He argues that Luther’s paradox paradigm and the Eastern T’ai-Chi matrix find affinity within the mutual and parallel notion of harmony as central to the internal coherence of each religious context. Both are relational and "both/and" oriented which allows for reciprocal spiritual enrichment and peaceful coexistence in an ever-shrinking and crowded global village. Yong Ji provides an incisive though at times strained connection between Eastern and Western thought. One might argue that one cannot equate the two in the final conclusion. The elements that define Christian self-understanding (e.g. soteriological, eschatological, ecclesiological) are missing in T'ai-Chi, thus making the connections with Christianity tenuous. However, he does make a good case for mutual understanding across the cultural and theological divides for the sake of ending the polarity that leads to strife and confusion. In the final analysis, he believes that making these connections will serve to enhance the Lutheran witness to the peoples in East Asia.

C. George Fry writes from the perspective of his experience within Muslim Turkey. In contrast to Yong Ji, Fry does not advocate for mutual dialogue and understanding, but instead argues for an urgent Christian witness and need for mission among the great variety of Islamic communities. Fry advocates for the evangelization of the Muslim peoples using the classical missiological models for mission. He clearly draws from the experience of the early twentieth-century missionary movement as a basis for his witness of the cross in the twenty-first century. This perspective seems outdated at best and the reader wonders whether any space exists for a more constructive and convincing witness, especially after 9/11. One can admire Fry's sense of urgency for the task of sharing the story that makes Christianity, and specifically the theology of the cross, distinctive in the global community. How that witness occurs in the context of the multiplicity of Islamic cultures remains a complex challenge.

A. R. Victor Raj writes from the perspective of Hindu spirituality in India. Raj provides clear concise definitions of the Hindu concepts of God, the soul, human suffering, soteriology, sin, karma, etc. in ways that make the theology of the cross compelling as a witness to a relationship that is initiated by God for the sake of human redemption and transformation. His clear understanding and exposition of Hinduism makes for a powerful Christian alternative to a religious tradition steeped in a polytheistic conception of the divine.

Eshetu Abate speaks from the perspective of the African context. He addresses the sociopolitical dimension of the cross that is a welcome shift in the trajectory of the reader. Abate takes us beyond the atonement significance of the cross. He asks us to consider the difficult issues of justice and the opposition to political and social oppression that was an intrinsic part of the ministry of Jesus. This shift in perspective is particularly relevant in light of the African experience of human suffering, social injustice, and systemic oppression. He appropriates the theology of Jon Sobrino who reminds us that "God is to be found on the crosses of the oppressed" (126).

Paul E. Muench writes from the perspective of post-Marxist Russia. His essay uses three foci which include the theology of the cross, Marxism, and Russian society. He notes that Russian history is steeped in mysticism. He draws insightful parallels between the mystical elements found in the theology of the cross and those found in the experience and faith of the suffering Russian people. He argues for the notion that the hidden and revealed God of the cross finds resonance in the sensibilities of Russian culture. He distinguishes by noting that Luther opposed the medieval idea of the Russian mystics who believed that one earned salvation through suffering. Luther countered by instructing on the merits of the suffering Christ. Muench insists that Russian culture provides the venue for a theology of the cross that speaks to the experience of the Russian people. He offers a poignant reminder of the need to maintain an affirming dialectic between faith and culture.

In Part Three, Gene Edward Veith, Richard C. Eyer, Alberto L. García, John Nunes, and Roland C. Ehlke identify key North American themes for witness. Each relates the experience of the cross to a particular theme such as postmodernism, the bioethical revolution, the Hispanic and the African American experience, and the New Age movement, respectively. Each presents his own unique insight and hermeneutic to shed light on the significance of the cross within a particular North American cultural experience.

Gene Edward Veith critiques the ideologies of the modern era that gave rise to the modernist and postmodernist theologies of glory. After noting the excesses of materialism, the disheartened faith in rationalism, and the disillusionment created by the modernist and postmodernist movements, Veith argues that the postmodern church is ripe for a theology of the cross. It offers meaning and purpose in an otherwise alienating and shifting culture of relativism and excess.

Richard C. Eyer defines bioethics as “the study of ethical questions relating to both secular and religious concerns” (178). He observes that “the bioethical revolution challenges Christians and non-Christians alike, both by revelation and by reason, to claim a moral vision that will enable human beings to flourish in this world” (180). The foundation for this worldview is the cross that reminds us that life in Christ is more than what technology creates. It is a life lived in faith and sanctification. Noting the complexity of the current technological revolution, he suggests that one turn to the cross for the ultimate answers that technology cannot address. He offers a pastoral perspective that points us to the grace of God as revealed at the cross as the final arbiter of our human and technological achievements.

Alberto L. García locates his own story within the larger Hispanic-American context. He joins the voices of other Hispanic theologians in their assessment of mestizaje and popular religion as vital sources of epistemology in the cultural and religious self-understanding of a people. He offers some suggestions for celebrations of festive hope in light of the Hispanic reality and witness of the cross. Writing as a confessional Lutheran, he suggests an appropriately nuanced version of liturgical and cultural practices that affirm the values, faith, and culture of a people who live with hope amid sufferings and a borderland existence.

John Nunes speaks to the diversity of the African American experience in the inability to confine it to one monolithic critical interpretation. He observes that “the theology of the cross has been central to the Christian black experience in the United States” (218), and that Luther’s mission focus demands concrete “consideration of the theological/spiritual aspect where the dignity and worth of the individual is seen most in being created and redeemed by God” (229). He notes striking parallels between the reform movements of Martin Luther and Martin Luther King and offers lessons that can be learned from their experience.

Roland C. Ehlke examines the New Age movement and the strains of thought proffered by such gurus as Shirley MacLaine, Deepak Chopra, Swami Muktananda, and others. He offers a critical exposé of the deception behind this movement. In true Lutheran witness, he maintains that only the Law and Gospel can direct sinners to their need of a Savior. Anything else is false enlightenment.

This anthology of essays will be of great value not only to scholars of the theology of the cross and of Luther, but to missiologists, pastors, laity, and those interested in promoting Christian mission and witness in the global context. The voices and experience of feminist and other multicultural women scholars is missing from this work and one cannot help but note this glaring absence. Notwithstanding this weakness, it remains a valuable contribution to the apologetic task of Christian witness in a post-Christian, post-modern, and multicultural context.