Reviewed by Robert Sivigny, University Librarian

Given the fact that most Christians today live in the non-Western world, what implications does this have for the Church and its theological task? This is the central focus of this thought-provoking collection of essays based on papers presented at a 2004 Trinity Seminary mission conference, “Doing Theology in a Globalizing World.” Contributors to the conference convened in honor of Dr. Paul A. Hiebert, long-time mission professor at Trinity for his contributions to missiology, included mission professors and specialists from seminaries (especially Trinity), throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and Sri Lanka.

The study is organized into three parts focusing on world Christianity and theological reflection, methodological issues, and implications of globalizing theology, with introductory and concluding essays by editors Harold Netland and Craig Ott, both mission professors at Trinity. Included at the end is an extensive bibliography and contributor bios.

From the first and second centuries, when Christianity was confronted by Gentile Christians, the church embraced cultural diversity and refined related theological issues accordingly. The history of Christian theology shows a richness and diversity largely attributed to the influence of new cultural ideas and interaction. In this manner, the history of theological inquiry has proven resilient and strong. Today, perhaps more than any other time, the church is called to embrace globalization and “…turn to the hard work of discerning new ways of seeing.” “To engage in ‘globalizing theology’ today means that we must guard the commitment to the particular and the local while taking account of the fact that we live with an intensified awareness of the global. If theology is to serve the church throughout the world, it must reflect this bifocal way of seeing; this becomes the vantage point from which we must think and revise theology conceptually, methodologically, and programmatically.”

According to Darrell Whiteman, contributor of the second essay, “Anthropological Reflections on Contextualizing Theology in a Globalizing World,” Revelation 7:9 presents a grand picture of the direction the church is headed. “After this I looked and there were before me a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” Whiteman observes, “If this is a picture of what will someday be, why should we not begin now, while still on earth, to work to find a way of using our diverse cultures to bring a richness to our understanding of the gospel?” Are we not called to the kingdom for such a time as this?

In the concluding essay of the book, editor Craig Ott asks, “What could demand greater love, deeper humility, and more childlike faith than the human endeavor to understand and serve the eternal, living God? To do this more faithfully, we must live and think more as a global church, interconnected and interrelated, not merely by new technologies of a globalizing world but by our common bond with our heavenly Father.”

Things Fall Apart (1958) is a magnificent novel. Like all great writers, Chinua Achebe is at once compassionate and detached, and his story is both intensely local and universal. One of the great strengths of the novel is its refusal to do the reader’s work for him and interpret the events as they unfold. Achebe, in his strong, classical prose is the ideal artist described by Hamlet, “whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature.”

Achebe grew up in a devout Christian home, and it is not difficult to detect in Things Fall Apart the literary style and influence of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, the Hymn Book, and Pilgrim’s Progress. Achebe is deeply respectful of his ancestral Ibo culture, but does not equivocate in post-modern fashion with regard to monstrous aspects of that culture, such as the throwing away of twins and the killing of Ikemefuna. Although no doubt disagreeable to some secular readers, Achebe beautifully conveys the way the Christian faith grew because it answered a longing in the hearts of reflective people such as Nwoye:

“It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated him. He did not understand it. It was the poetry of the new religion, something felt in the marrow. The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul-the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna, who was killed. He felt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul. The words of the hymn were like drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate of the panting earth.”

Achebe’s depiction of the primitive church in Nigeria is entirely convincing. His father, Isaiah, was an early Ibo convert to Christianity, and doubtless many of the details of the Christian community in Things Fall Apart come from his reminiscences.

The principal value of the pre-Christian Ibo culture will be familiar to readers of Homer: honor. Like Homer’s Greeks, this culture emphasized nobility, courage, loyalty, and generosity. More skeptically, one might add to this list, the domination of women. Kwame Anthony Appiah, however, in his introduction to the Everyman’s Library edition, writes that the Ibo culture of Things Fall Apart was not characterized by domination of women, but “a balance between masculine and feminine that [Okonkwo] does not acknowledge in part because he is ashamed of his father who has failed to be a real man.” Appiah’s view seems to me especially apt because one of the principal dynamics of the book is the powerful, menacing Oedipal temper that drives the protagonist. Okonkwo loathes his father, and in the end, his hatred leads to his destruction.

As a western, Christian reader, it is tempting to assume that Achebe regards the end of Ibo independence and traditional culture as a small price to pay for the coming of Christianity. The novel’s title, however, taken from a line in Yeats’ poem The Second Coming, suggests that Achebe is ambivalent about the coming of the white man:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Things Fall Apart was followed in 1960 by No Longer at Ease, and in 1964 by Arrow of God. No Longer at Ease is the story of one of Okonkwo’s Anglicized grandsons, and Arrow of God takes place amongst the Ibo villages in the 1920s. Together, Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, and Arrow of God are sometimes referred to as The African Trilogy.

On Tuesday, November 17, Bramwell Osula, professor of leadership in the School of GLE, will lead a discussion of Things Fall Apart in the Library. For information about this event, contact Harold Henkel at 352-4198 or harohen@regent.edu.

Reviewed by Leanne Hillery, Assistant Librarian

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas L. Friedman

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is Thomas Friedman’s chronicle of the changes taking place in science and technology that have, in essence, flattened the world. By “flat,” the author means the formation of a level playing field where trade and political barriers are lowered, allowing new technologies and the digital revolution to make the world more interconnected.

The book is divided into two sections: the ten forces that flattened the world and what a flattened world means for America, developing countries, and the global political scene. The first part of the book is devoted to describing in detail the ten factors and how they have worked together to increase competition on the global scale. The second part describes the effects of flattening on the world and how countries and individuals can work to adapt to the rapid changes taking place.

Within these pages, Friedman addresses how nations can survive in the constantly changing world. He posits that survival today is based on a culture’s ability to adapt to the changing global environment. He describes this as the ability to “glocialize.” This does not mean that a culture should sacrifice its unique character and core elements, but that it should adapt to include elements of the new environment affecting it.

He also suggests that companies not promise lifetime employment, but train employees to be employable in worthwhile lifetime occupations. Friedman also states that education will continue to be one of the most important factors that determine the success of companies and individuals. He suggests focusing educational efforts on four skill sets to help young people prepare for the increased global competition for jobs they will face in the future: 1) learn how to learn; 2) develop passion and curiosity; 3) improve interpersonal skills; and 4) enhance right brain (creative) abilities.

The World Is Flat sheds light on the many different effects and results of globalization on key professions (business, economics, politics, education) as well as on the individual. Thus, there is something in this book that will be of interest to everyone. We all have a stake in the global changes that are currently affecting our world. According to Friedman, globalization is driven by individuals. We all have a part to play in the process.

The Library is currently participating with SIFE in the “Let’s Can Hunger” initiative, which is sponsored by Campbell’s Soup Company and SIFE Headquarters. SIFE is partnering with Operation Blessing on this project, and one of its goals is to collect the $11,000 needed to build a food bank in Niger, Africa. These self-sustainable food banks will serve over 700 Nigeriens.

The Library is happy to join in with the other schools and departments on campus in encouraging people to donate their spare change. There is a container located at the Circulation Desk. The last day to contribute in the Library will be Monday, November 16.

Thank you in advance for you contributions!

November 11 is also Remembrance Day in many countries and commemorates the end of World War I.

Congratulations to Heather Brennan, who completed the 34th Annual Marine Corps Marathon on October 25, 2009. Heather completed the 26.2 mile race in Arlington, Virginia in 4:51:56.

Heather Brennan is new this year to the Library Circulation department. She brings a beautiful smile, excitement, and excellent customer service to this team. About the experience of running a marathon, Heather wrote, “What an experience it was; 26.2 miles of hoping to finish and then the finish line comes and tears fall freely. My sister and I are the perfect running partners and the best support for each other in all the matters of life. She keeps me going when I think I have no strength left.”

Heather is an undergraduate student at Regent. She is majoring in English and plans to become a Shakespearian scholar. She has lived in Virginia since 2008, but still considers Chicago home-”nothing beats the changing of the seasons!”

The Library is proud to celebrate with Heather her completion of one of sports’ ultimate tests of character.

Congratulations to Chester Branch, whose first book, Holy Subtext has just been published by Pleasant Word Press. The book is a work of film criticism that demonstrates how films like The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List, and On the Waterfront achieve dramatic power by weaving themes from the Gospels into the fabric of the story.

Chester Branch has been a Circulation GA since March 2006. His quiet spirit and gentle smile have been a welcoming asset to the University Library. He holds a BA in film with a minor in Theology. He also has a MFA in Script and Screenwriting and is currently completing his MA in Directing. He’s been a guest lecturer for RU’s The Christian Role in the Arts Today and Storytelling and Scriptwriting. He’s also scheduled to guest lecture at Norfolk State University and appear as a special guest on the HOT 91 FM radio station.

Chester has been named an All American Scholar, a Presidential Scholar, and has been listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. He is also the recipient of the 2003 Saint Augustine Film and Theater Award.

The Library is proud to celebrate with Chester the publication of his first book.

Religion in Multicultural Education, edited by Farideh Salili and Rumjahn Hoosain

Is it possible to understand and appreciate other cultures without knowing something about their religion? Does teaching about religion in public schools violate the principle of the separation of church and state? Can learning about other religions weaken a student’s commitment to his own religion? These are just a few of the questions addressed by the authors of the essays contained in Religion in Multicultural Education.

Editors Farideh Salili and Rumjahn Hoosain hope to encourage open discussion of religious pluralism as an important part of multicultural education. The essays in this book make an important contribution to that discussion by approaching the subject from a variety of national and religious viewpoints. The topics covered include the Islamic philosophy of education, religious diversity in Western Canadian education, and the relationship between Buddhism and multicultural education in Thailand. Essays dealing with the American context are mostly critical of what the authors view as the dominance of Christianity in American culture, the marginalization of non-Christian religions, and even “Christian privilege,” which is seen to go hand-in-hand with white supremacy. Although most Christians would disagree with their analysis, authors César Rossatto and Elaine Hampton are especially critical of what they perceive as the tendency of conservative Christians to promote fear of views different from their own, and therefore remain separated as much as possible. On a more positive note, an essay titled “Blessed Communion” focuses on the need for cultural competence among theology students and outlines a process for developing this competence.

While much of the book presents the subject of religion in multicultural education from a non-Christian, and sometimes anti-Christian, point of view, it is a valuable resource for members of the Regent community hoping to increase their understanding of the issues involved, and to some extent change the practices that have often brought criticism.

On November 17, Dr. Bramwell Osula will lead a discussion of Things Fall Apart, by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. The novel, first published in 1958, is recognized as one of the great African novels. The book is a powerful story about an Igbo warrior on the eve of British colonization and the establishment of Christian missions in the 1880s. Achebe’s father was among the first Igbo to become a Christian, and many of the details of the primitive church in Nigeria are no doubt based on his reminiscences.

Dr. Osula is Assistant Professor of leadership in the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship. He first read Things Fall Apart while attending boarding school in Nigeria. Among his professional interests are global leadership and cross-cultural analyses, so he is a uniquely qualified guide to Achebe’s masterpiece.

If you possibly can fit the book into your schedule (it is only around 150 pages), don’t miss this unique opportunity to read one of the great world novels of the twentieth century. Both of the Library’s copies are currently checked out, but the book is available very inexpensively from Half.com.

Our discussion of Things Fall Apart will take place in the Library on November 17 at 12:00. For more information on this and other Library literature events, contact Harold Henkel at 352-4198 or harohen@regent.edu.