edited by Amy Plantinga Pauw and Serene Jones. Columbia Series in Reformed Theology. WJKP, 2006. Hb., 280 pp.  $29.95. 

Amidst signs of shifting paradigms of church and expanding concepts of contemporary Christian identity, reforming traditions need firm ground and a healthy theological imagination. The women who have contributed essays to this fine collection all have an offering to make to this time of transition for what it means to “do church” and to practice Christianity. They invite us to know and embrace ourselves as Reformed and always reforming with fresh appreciation and possibility. 

The collection begins appropriately with Lynn Japinga’s examination of fear in the Church. She calls for the Church to be a model for how to “tolerate anxiety and fear in more productive ways.” (18) More openness, less certainty is the invitation. Indeed, letting go of fear is a good place to start when we want to look toward a future that includes the gifts of Reformed Christianity. This text embodies both a promising phase of feminist and womanist constructive theology and a profoundly relevant conversation for all people of faith in this time of change.

These women work in “grateful conversation” with the rich history of the Church (xi).  They are working not to “sever” their identity from the church, but to honor the heritage of the reformed and always reforming community of faith (x). Indeed this is a sincere attempt by women of faith, who have been marginalized in more ways than one by the institutional church, to feel at home in their own family of faith.  They are not only claiming their space; they are taking up space in a way that is responsibly critical, at times eloquently constructive, and invariably attentive and hopeful. It is cause for rejoicing for all people of faith to have such life-giving voices so clearly at the table of conversation. 

While the essayists in this collection pay close attention to the ever-growing canon of feminist and womanist theologies they are also careful in their reading of the tradition. Their critical but generous use of John Calvin is, for instance, a solid example of how contemporary constructive theology can be more than simply an interrogation.  This collection is deeply descriptive; at the same time, it has moments of important revelation on doctrines that some have all but abandoned. The writers attend to important foundations of Christianity such as grace, the authority of Scripture, imago dei, and Incarnation in a mode that is well grounded and also responsive. 

The collection’s dialogue is opened in various essays that, at times, blur ecclesial lines and traditional boundaries. The nature of creation, of human nature, of Divine presence in the world, and of communal belief and action are universal questions for all people of faith. The “aesthetic sensitivity” of creation that Serene Jones describes, the inner life of grace that Katie Cannon illuminates, and the revitalizing of sacramental theology by Leanne Van Dyk  provide just a few examples of work in this collection that invite readers to consider a expanded, less sectarian (even though located) understanding of doctrine. 

It is in the breadth of ideas and doctrine covered that the strength of this collection lies. The contributors shine a light on so many pivotal issues of the Reformation that reading the book provides an interesting kind of history lesson (or at least a refresher course) for even those well schooled in this story. Katie Cannon’s essay on grace, for instance, is a gift in the way it reveals the scant attention given to the history of Black Presbyterians, even as she illuminates the neglected embodied layers of Christian life.  Her definitions of grace enable her to shine a light on the gifts of preachers and theologians and practitioners of the faith who deepen our understanding of what it means to be those who live in God’s grace. Their words and images are liberating on many levels, and radically grounding on many others.

Perhaps it is the lack of such new ground in other parts of this collection that may leave some feeling unsatisfied at times. Even as old ground is examined quite thoroughly, there are moments when a few more pages could have expanded us into promising new territory. The dissatisfaction, however, that some who are steeped in Reformed heritage may experience can well be offset by the overall spirit of this collection. Knowing ourselves as Reformed more thoroughly, even the parts of ourselves that have been hidden or ignored, means we are coming into a new maturity, a new day of integrated identity and creative possibility.

Marcia Mount Shoop is a member-at-large in New Hope Presbytery. She resides in  Chapel Hill, N.C.

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