In the banner photo, I am with three of my students who have been teaching for years. From left to right, is Shaun Galford who wrote the forward for Theopoetics, Jeff Sherrod who wrote the review below for Theological Adventures and Nate on the far right has traveled with me throughout the Philippines. On our trips we helped incarcerated persons, trafficked women, scavengers at dumpsites, the homeless, orphans, the poor, local youth groups, educational institutions, and churches.
Author’s Note on Theological Adventures followed by a Review
Theological Adventures
Nonviolent, Non-sacramental, and Relational Theology - Interspersed with Personal Stories
Theological Adventures began as a challenge to the teachers of The Institute for Global Outreach Developments International. I asked them to provide me with those passages of scripture they found the most difficult to produce an interpretive theology consistent with nonviolence and a nonviolent God. The allegorical method for dealing with OT violence has not led to a constructive theology capable of eradicating violence from the Christian tradition. However, genre identification of particular books enables a reader to discern the prejudicial nature of a book claiming to speak for God e.g. Joshua as conquest narrative, Judges as a reflection on violence and male-female relationships qualifies as a ‘social critique’ on Israelite society. This is wonderfully portrayed in the study of Samson as the archetypal strongman who represents Israel as a people.
It is healthy to be honest enough about OT scripture to require basic morality as a guide for reading its claims and stories. The gift of a moral conscience is a powerful voice for God’s image in us. I have found the OT to be consistent with the revelation of God in Christ Jesus when a person learns to read correctly. The guiding interpretive lens is honesty about the intolerable violence sanctioned in the OT.
Review
Engaging both heart and mind
This was a very enjoyable read. Garner offers several “original” readings of passages. By original, he means a theological reading similar to the kind of readings Jesus offered. A reading that engages people’s hearts and minds but is still responsible to valid hermeneutical approaches. Garner’s personal stories interspersed throughout the book worked well. Not only were they a nice break from the denser content, but gave insight into the author and why non-violence, non-sacramental, and male/female relations were so important to him. Many of the sections, including his analysis of Samson, table fellowship, and his treatment of Elijah, were excellent. Hebrew and Greek words are always translated and the book is accessible for anyone interested in thoughtfully engaging the Scriptures or theology. The copy came in good shape and appreciated that the font size wasn’t overly small.
Jeff Sherrod - Bible College Professor
B.A. Applied Linguistics, B.A. Biblical Studies, M.A. Theological Studies
Jeff Sherrod
