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The Journal of Religion
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142 THE JOURNAL OF RELIGION
tion of what he says "must be the basic These pattern
remarks areof not meant to give a solely
a Christian doctrine of the HolynegativeSpirit" (p. 14).
judgment of the book. We agree whole-
It might be proposed, however, that heartedly
evenwitha the editor that "a fuller under-
basic
pattern should make reference to the concept
standing of non-Christian religions
of the leading
holiness itself and to the work ofrequires
the Holy Spirit
books written by men speaking from the
as sanctification.-CARL BANGS. point of view of their own faith, and edited by a
Westerner." In fact, those in the general reading
public who wish to acquaint themselves with the
MORGAN, KENNETH W. (ed.). The Path of the
Buddha: Buddhism Interpreted by Buddhists. doctrine, history, and practice of Buddhism will find
this volume very useful. This reviewer only regrets
New York: Ronald Press, 1956. viii+432 pages.
$5.00. that none of the eleven competent Buddhist
scholars discussed the relation of Buddhism to
This book is a companion volume to The Religion culture and history and other pertinent questions.-
of the Hindus, also edited by Mr. Morgan. In the JOSEPH M. KITAGAWA.
Preface the editor states that this is not a study in
comparative religion but a straightforward presen-
tation of Buddhism. Thus the value of the book must MACLENNAN, DAVID A. Entrusted with the Gospel.
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956. 128
be judged by how well this aim is carried out.
pages. $2.00.
The strength of the book lies in its comprehen-
siveness. In the words of the editor: The minister of the Brick Presbyterian Church
"At the outset we had to decide whether or not in Rochester, New York, delivered the Warrack Lec-
Southern or Northern Buddhism should be included tures on Preaching at the universities of Glasgow and
in one volume. We came to the conclusion that there
Aberdeen in 1955. He spoke out of his experiences
are important advantages in a single volume whichin an American large-university professorship and
introduces the reader to the whole Buddhist word,big-city pastorates. Obviously, the result was pleas-
showing the great diversity of interpretations ofant to his Scottish hearers.
the Buddha's teachings. .. and at the same time American preachers, struggling with the less
making it possible to see the underlying unity informal and more creative demands of our church-
the Buddhist world." going public, will find many things here to meditate
Also, admirable care was taken regarding theupon. How relevant is the formal theological ap-
proach to the current world scene? Is traditional
selection of contributors, as the following passage
indicates: preaching becoming anachronistic? Do we really
"First, I sought the advice of teachers of the his- understand the deep needs of the individuals who sit
tory of religions, asking them to help me prepare an hopefully in our pews? MacLennan takes a serious
outline covering the materials we thought should be crack at some of these questions, and his answers
included in a fair and representative presentation and illustrations are often provocative.
of Buddhism. Then I visited Japan, Hong Kong, The five lectures follow the conventional pattern
Thailand, Burma, India, and Ceylon, interviewing --call, gospel, hearer, psycho, and how lonely we
leading Buddhists in each country, revising the all are. The analysis of the hearers provides, per-
outline in accord with their suggestions, and getting haps, the best chapter, and illustrations throughout
their recommendations for men qualified to write theare fresh and stimulating.-FRANKLIN D. ELMER, JR.
different sections.
In spite of such paintaking preparation, and in a NIEBUHR, H. RICHARD. The Kingdom of God in
sense because of the particular way in which the America. Hamden, Conn.: Shoe String Press,
whole enterprise was envisaged, the book is not so 1956. 215 pages. $4.00.
challenging as it could have been. We are told that
the eleven writers were reminded that "they had Purloined, overdue, stealthily borrowed copies
been chosen by their fellow Buddhists and that of this book can now be returned to owners and
the Buddhist world was expecting them to give a librarians. The unrevised reappearance of Niebuhr's
complete and fair picture of their beliefs and prac- classic study of a score of years ago underlines his
tices" (my italics). This type of reminder may have place in American religious thought. Life last year
given implicit pressure to the contributors to present placed him first among the eminents, praising (or
only uncontroversial and safe views. At least some dooming) him as a "theologian's theologian." He
of the contemporary philosophical debates couldhas also been the historian's theologian, asking the
questions of American history which the theologian
have been incorporated into this kind of compre-
must ask. Unfortunately, he has not provided a
hensive presentation of Buddhism. Actually, none
revised Introduction for this reprint. Certain earlier
of the writers deals seriously with the dynamic
interpretations need re-examination; three examples
aspects of contemporary Buddhist movements. We will suffice.
recognize the limitations of space, of course. But In the light of his recent The Purpose of the
then some of the obvious overlapping of materials Church and Its Ministry he seems to have shifted his
(cf. pp. 53-60 and 114-24) could have been avoided. emphasis to a more positive understanding of the
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