The God Who Is: The Christian God in a Pluralistic World.

Mattes, Mark

The God Who Is: The Christian God in a Pluralistic World By Hans Schwarz. Eugene, Ore.: Cascade, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-6089-9434-2. xi and 288 pages. Paper. $33.

Prolific author Hans Schwarz is especially gifted in that he accurately coveys the most important theological loci as well as how they pertain to various non-theological disciplines, and he cuts to the chase with what is most important in the intersection between those loci and their bearing on wider society. This volume deals with what in traditional theology was called the article on the one God (de deo uno) (in contrast to the article on the triune God [de deo trino]), and which has always carried apologetic import. Masterfully, Schwarz approaches his topic in three overarching themes: (1) approaching the God phenomenon, (2) discerning God among the gods, and (3) the God who entrusts.

In the first section he presents the claims of the classic masters of suspicion, atheists such as Feuerbach, Marx, and Freud, for whom God is a projection of the human, a "figment of the human mind," and which alienates humans from claiming their own power. Within this debate, Schwarz notes that religion cannot be reduced to a projection since religious matters also contain some historical remembrances (18). He also presents Dawkins' critique of religion as "memes" socially produced ideas which take over the mind like viruses taking over a host (27). Yet he notes that this approach already assumes what it aims to prove, "metaphysical naturalism," which is not itself subject to scientific verification (27-28). After this, Schwarz presents the classical arguments for God's existence, the 1) ontological, 2) cosmological, and 3) teleological, deftly expounding on their strengths and weaknesses. Appealing to a kind of apophaticism, Schwarz notes, "if there is God, however, God cannot exist like you and me or even like a tree or mountain. God does not exist as something that stands forth and is clearly discernible ... God is, but does not exist" (61).

In the second part, Schwarz examines various theories of the nature of religion, leaving no stone unturned, including John Allegro's conviction that religion is a product of "orgiastic drum and fertility cults" (80), again a stance which Schwarz sees as reductionistic (81). From here, he offers an overview of the major religions, focusing particularly on Islam and Buddhism. Pausing on the question of religious pluralism, Schwarz spends some time with the teachings of John Hick for whom "religion is not just a cultural phenomenon... [but] a way of life ... In the various forms of religious experience we have human encounters with the divine reality, and there are on the other hand theological doctrines or theories which humans have developed to conceptualize the meaning of those encounters" (174). For Schwarz, while all religions have some insight into the nature of spirituality, for Christianity, God as incarnate in Jesus Christ accentuates a "personal I-thou encounter" between God and people; likewise the Judeo-Christian tradition emphasizes grace and not a legalistic approach to God, "the total primacy of God's invitation to salvation our of which humanity's response follows" (189).

The last section examines the biblical witness of God active in history providing salvation for the world. Ultimately it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a "proleptic" event including all people: "Jesus' resurrection meant that that which was envisioned For the end of time had already occurred in an individual so that all others could then know what was also in store for them" (223).

After decades of scholarly contributions, the name Hans Schwarz signals erudition mediated with pastoral sensitivity--in the case of this book especially for those who at some point question God's existence or goodness. It is highly recommended for pastors, students, and thoughtful laity.