Einführung in Die Fundamentaltheologie by Harald Wagner (review)

124 BOOK REVIEWS curs in the handling of other key concepts. Religion is said to be " an attitude of the whole personality" (p. 372), yet there is little analysis of the particular and diverse " attitudes " fostered by particular religious communities. Similarly, there is little analysis of how " religious thought" is encountered concretely as Scriptures are used, rituals are celebrated, laws are applied, church buildings are erected.:.._all done more or less thoughtfully. The result is that the subject matter of the book- " religious thought "-is too quickly abstracted from the concretions of religious life. Whether it is an apt abstraction or not we will only know once we have a tale of all the varieties of religious thought. Thus, the story-if there is a coherent story-of twentieth-century religious thought has yet to be written. But those interested in the topic will find Macquarrie 's treatment of various figures, movements, and issues nothing short of indispensable. Loyola College of Maryland Theology Department Baltimore, Maryland JAMES J. BUCKLEY Einfiihrung in Die Fundamentaltheologie. By HARALD WAGNER. Darmstadt : Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1981. Pp. xiii + 132. DM36. Wagner's book is part of a series of introductions to the object, methods, and results of the various theological disciplines. As such it provides a helpful, if at times sketchy, introduction to the basic task of fundamental theology from a Catholic perspective. The main contributions of the book can be found on two levels. First, Wagner presents a historical and typological survey of the development of the discipline of fundamental theology. Of particular note is a suggestive summary of the contents and tenor of traditional (Vatican I) Catholic fundamental theology (18-24). Also helpful is a brief survey of four major contemporary Catholic approaches to the discipline : Heinrich Fries's transcendental approach, Eugen Biser's hermeneutical approach, Peter Knauer's ecumenical approach, and Johann Baptist .Metz's practical approach. Finally, Wagner introduces briefly the recent Protestant attempts to appropriate and develop fundamental theology, especially the work of Gerhard Ebeling and Wolfhart Pannenberg . Th,e second major contribution of Wagner's .book is the model it pre-. sents. in itself of the dominant post-Vatica:11 II Qatholic approach to BOOK ll:EVmws 125 fundamentai theology. This approach, drawn heavily. from Karl Rabner, has rejected the old method of trying to prove abstractly, on the basis of reason alone, the truth of Christian faith. Instead, it focuses on showing the credibility or desirability (Glaubwurdigkeit) of Christian faith itself, but in a manner understandable to those on the " outside " (40). According to Wagner, such an approach to fundamental theology would involve three. basic tasks (51ff). First, there would be the need to clarify the fundamental components of Christian faith. By this he means a phenomenological reflection on the Word of God, the nature of humanity as believer, and the nature of the church as believing community. Second, there would be the attempt to confirm or establish these fundamental components of Christian faith as credible and desirable. This would be done on two fronts: a) through a reflection on and validation of the methods used to determine these components and b) through an attempt {by correlation) to make these components understandable to those on the outside. Finally there would be the task of apologetics which would directly address objections to the basic Christian worldview. Wagner's book is a helpful introduction to a particular conception of fundamental theology and is worthy of translation into English. Its most significant problem is that it has not dealt adequately with the recent alternative conceptions of the discipline which would focus more attention on issues of theological method (Sohnung, Joest) or would argue that apologetics is not part of fundamental theology (Stirnimann, Knauer). An adequate introduction to the discipline per se should have dealt more with these alternatives. RANDY L. MADDOX Sioux Falls College Sioux Falls, South Dakota Liberation Theology in Latin .America. By JAMES V. SCHALL, S.J. San Francisco : Ignatius, 1982. Pp. x + 402. $10.95. In this compact volume, Schall offers a valuable summary exposition and critique of liberation theology, backed up by a selection of critical articles and some highly pertinent documentation. In a lengthy preliminary essay he...