Thinking of Christ

Tatha Wiley teaches at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is the author of Thinking Christ and Paul and the Gentile Women.

"As I write this review the din surrounding Mel Gibson's ‘The Passion of the Christ' continues to increase. Whether one applauds the film for its purported faithfulness to Gospel texts or laments it as a tragic instance of Christian anti-semitism, the movie—at the very least—has ignited questions on the person of Jesus Christ within the church and beyond. Amid the cacophony appears Tatha Wiley's wise and provocative volume, gathering eleven prominent Roman Catholic theologians of our time. Reading it adds clarity to the issues of Gibson's movie and poses challenges for the church's confession of Christ as Lord in light of historic abuses. " The book's movement follows the threefold pattern of recovering classical Christology, naming its blind spots, and reconstructing doctrine for a North American context. Wiley's splendid introduction suggests ‘there have always been many Christologies' (7). Her essay focuses chiefly on the contemporary challenges of articulating these many faces of Jesus and the salvation he brings....Wiley concludes her essay with a strong endorsement of ascending Christology, beginning with the historical events of ‘Jesus' life, ministry, and effects on those around him' (18), and suggests that valuing history yields fruit as the church addresses issues of cultural diversity, religious pluralism, and sexism.... "Though some pieces are more technical than others, the eleven essays that comprise Thinking of Christ are equally compelling. Amid the contention over what it means to confess Jesus as the Christ, this book is a welcome addition indeed." —Insights: The Faculty Journal of Austin Seminary