Reviews
Being Human
Thomas Creedy
Steve Chalke
Hodder & Stoughton, 320pp
Chalke needs little introduction. A prophetic voice in and
around the church for many years, his various challenges to
evangelicalism have made him a newsworthy figure. His latest book
is no exception. Exploring no less a topic than what it is to be
human is an admirable and important task. Recent Evangelical
Ministry Assembly conferences, Roman Catholic encyclicals and the
vibrancy of academic discussion of theological anthropology demand
a popularisation, an engagement, a mass-market version. This,
unfortunately, is not exactly what Chalke provides.
Chalke is a divisive figure, and this cannot be put to one side
when he casts a vision such as the one set forth in Being Human.
Evangelical Christianity and other parts of the church have long
been in disagreement over exactly what a 'five-fold' ministry is. I
would contend that, in this book, Chalke arguably takes on the
mantle of a prophet (with some particularly incisive observations
and reflections challenging the core of what many believe) but
unfortunately does so outside of an apostolic authority, an
evangelist's zeal, or a pastoral or teacher's emphases. In short,
Chalke is high on rhetoric and low on listening to the counsel of
others. This is the trajectory I will take in this review - that
Chalke writes directly out of the heart of God in some areas,
whilst ignoring it in others.
I have mentioned the unity of the church and the focus on what
it is to be human from different wings of the people of God. That
the Evangelical Ministry Assembly (a reformed evangelical
gathering) and a recent Pope would have similar concerns is
theologically fascinating. So is Chalke bang on trend? This may be
the case - and it is at this stage that the sheer lack of
engagement with theological accounts of being human is particularly
hard to fathom. There is an interesting chapter, 'The Indelible
Image', which discusses the language of the Imago Dei, is in this
reviewer's opinion helpful in grounding human dignity and
inclusivity in the notion of the Image of God, but Chalke's answer
to the key question of his book simply begs a deeper question. He
closes this chapter: 'What is it to be human? It is to be made in
the image of the God of love!', to which I would respond: yes,
amen, so what does it mean to be made in the Image of God?
In amongst some occasionally provocative and entertaining
observations on 'being human', 'doing life' and exploring faith,
there are a few points where it seems Chalke might be commenting on
various controversies and disagreements he has been involved in. In
particular, it is difficult to read chapter 25, 'Better Together',
in isolation from the fact that the Evangelical Alliance has this
exact phrase as its slogan. That is by way of aside, admittedly.
This reviewer, though, was consistently puzzled by the emphasis
solely on the 'social' nature of human being as understood by
Chalke. Whilst this is undeniably the case, I can't help but wonder
if a discussion of 'embodiment' might aid much of his discussion,
as well as providing a grounding for ethics and community.
Certainly the New Testament is rich on a discussion of the body,
and whilst evangelicals have not been known for their treatment of
this topic, the impact of Pope John Paul II's 'Theology of the
Body' lecture series, and Christopher Wests' popularisation of
this, has to be taken seriously.
It will be clear to readers of this review that I was relatively
unimpressed by Chalke's book in general. Whilst I don't want to say
that Being Human fails to answer its own key question, I would
argue that Chalke's overall vision is unconvincing, and ultimately
flawed. At a practical level, one symptom of the problems inherent
in this book is the Author's usage of the work of John Howard
Yoder. Chapter 15 of Being Human, 'A Counterrevolutionary life'
begins with a recounting of a story about Yoder, labelling him as
'best known for his pacifism'. So far, so unremarkable, except that
at no point in this chapter or its notes does Chalke acknowledge
the large scale sexual abuse perpetrated by Yoder, and essentially
ignores this in favour of using the story. This is a silencing of
victims' voices that goes against the much heralded thrust towards
inclusion and honesty that Chalke is seeking to write a narrative
of (for more: http://bit.ly/1FRzAoy).
Overall, then, this was a book that I read rapidly, disagreed
with firmly, and mostly enjoyed interacting with. The editorial and
authorial oversight regarding Yoder leaves a slightly sour taste in
my mouth, at least, and the general theological engagement seems to
me to be relatively unaware of what theologians (in all sorts of
disciplines, contexts and movements) are saying about what it means
to be human. For readers who enjoy Chalke's style, and the
theological trajectories he focuses on, this may be an interesting
read, but for those of us unconvinced by some of Chalke's
theological claims, and wanting a book that practices what it
preaches in terms of inclusion and relationship, we might want to
look elsewhere.
Thomas Creedy is a freelance writer and researcher in New
Testament studies. He is the PA to the President of the London
School of Theology.