Cross-cultural Paul: Journeys to Others, Journeys to Ourselves.

Cross-cultural Paul: Journeys to Others, Journeys to Ourselves. By Charles H. Cosgrove, Herold Weiss, and K. K. (Khiok-Khng) Yeo. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005. vii and 293 pages. Paper. $25.00.

This volume is a collection of six articles, two by each of the authors. Each author provides a piece on Paul from his own cultural perspective and a piece on Paul from a cultural perspective other than his own. These articles are framed by an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction includes autobiographical sketches by the authors. All three authors currently teach at institutions in the greater Chicago area.

Weiss contributes "Paul's Journey to the River Plate" and "Paul's Journey to Russia." The River Plate region shared by Argentina and Uruguay is the land of his birth. His ancestors immigrated there from Russia. Weiss's presentation of his native Latin American culture draws heavily on twentieth century novelists Carlos Fuentes and Eloy Martinez. Weiss's primary conversation partners in his discussion of Russian culture and theology are the nineteenth century Feofan the Recluse and the twentieth century Nicholas Berdyaev.

Cosgrove contributes "Paul and American Individualism" and "Paul and Peoplehood in African American Perspective." According to Cosgrove, self-reliance, human rights, and freedom, which he terms "focal centers" of American individualism, contain points of comparison and contrast with Paul's theology of interdependence and equality. In his contribution from an outside cultural vantage point looking in, Cosgrove concludes that African-American strivings for freedom and identity, and experiences of suffering, resonate with Paul's image of Christ crucified.

Yeo contributes "Paul's Theological Ethic and the Chinese Morality of Ren Ren" and "Christ and the Earth in Pauline and Native American Understandings." A loving person (ren ren) reflects the ideal, fully human person in both the Confucian and the Pauline ethical systems, since the ethical life is inherently relational, claims Yeo. Yeo is optimistic about points of contact between Chinese morality and Pauline thinking about human beings as relational beings; but he finds more tension between Paul's thinking and the perspective Native Americans, particularly with respect to Paul's view of humanity's relationship with creation.

Most Currents readers would find this volume fun to read and a stimulus for lively discussion. A prior volume edited by Yeo, Navigating Romans Through Cultures (T&T Clark, 2004), may also appeal to interested readers.

John Roth, Pastor

Faith Lutheran Church

Jacksonville, IL