Church Dogmatics Research Articles

Imperfect Happiness and the Final End of Man: Thomas Aquinas and the Paradigm of Nature-Grace Orthodoxy

247 The Thomist 78 (2014): 247-89 IMPERFECT HAPPINESS AND THE FINAL END OF MAN: THOMAS AQUINAS AND THE PARADIGM OF NATURE-GRACE ORTHODOXY THOMAS JOSEPH WHITE, O.P. Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception Washington, D.C. HE TWO MOST influential paradigms in modern theology concerning the relationship of grace to nature are at opposite extremes of the spectrum, and yet the extremes touch in their criticism of Thomism as it is exposited in the classical Dominican tradition. On the one hand, there is the influential view of Karl Barth, whose radical vision of the extrinsic transcendence of grace to nature was paired with an equally radical—some would say dialectical—disavowal of any predisposition or potential inclination in human nature for the gift of divine life. On the other hand, there is the vision of Henri de Lubac in his Surnaturel, which charts out the idea of an inclination toward the supernatural inscribed in the human spirit from its creation, such that we are always and everywhere animated by a latent natural desire for the gratuitous gift of supernatural beatitude, the vision of God. One paradigm sees in man no natural point of contact (Anknüpfungspunkt) upon which grace might act to elevate him beyond his own natural capacities (such that grace must itself create in human nature the very conditions for its own reception).1 The other sees in man’s natural capacities an innate, we might say inherent, inclination toward divine life, a life that is provided by grace alone, such that man is an enigma 1 See Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 1/1, English trans. by G. W. Bromiley (London and New York: T & T Clark, 2003), 27-36. T 248 THOMAS JOSEPH WHITE, O.P. or paradox of natural desiring for that which grace alone can disclose and resolve.2 There are nuances to the positions that both Barth and de Lubac developed on these matters over the course of their careers. Both paradigms, however, maintain important forms of opposition to the classical Dominican tradition, and not least because of the Aristotelian character of its interpretation of Aquinas on the matter of the final end of man. The Barthian paradigm perceives with distrust the attempt by Thomists to demonstrate a natural openness to God by way of the philosophical ascent to God through metaphysical analysis of created being and through a corresponding reflection on the natural final end of man as made in some real way for the contemplation and love of God.3 The other paradigm sees this same metaphysics and anthropology as, if not theologically illicit, then at least as potentially misleading, particularly as interpreted by figures such as Thomas de Vio Cajetan, Sylvester of Ferrara, and Domingo Báñez.4 The reason for this is that it risks formulating the notion of an autonomous human nature, knowledge of God, and natural beatitude that have their own rational integrity in distinction from (and therefore over and 2 Henri de Lubac, Surnaturel: Études historiques (Paris: Aubier, 1946), 231-60, 43334 ; “Duplex hominis beatitudo (Saint Thomas, I-II, q. 62, a. 1),” Recherches de science religieuse 35 (1948): 290-99; The Mystery of the Supernatural, trans. Rosemary Sheed (New York: Herder and Herder, 1998), 55-56, 140-66. 3 On Barth’s mistrust of the analogy of being as the “invention of the anti-Christ,” see Church Dogmatics 1/1:xiii, 40-42, 69, 119-20, 239-40; see also Bruce L. McCormack, “Karl Barth’s Version of an ‘Analogy of Being’: A Dialectical No and Yes to Roman Catholicism,” in Thomas Joseph White, ed., The Analogy of Being: Invention of the Anti-Christ or the Wisdom of God? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2010), 88144 ; Bruce L. McCormack, Karl Barth’s Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development, 1909-1936 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995). 4 See, for example, Surnaturel, 153-54. 174-75, 437; Mystery of the Supernatural, 68-74, 157-59, 194. One can identify common themes in texts of Dominican commentators on Aquinas such as Cajetan’s commentary on STh I, q. 78, a. 1, n. 5 (Leonine ed., 5:252); STh I-II, q. 3, a. 8 (Leonine ed...

The Comedia of Virginity: Mary and the Politics of Seventeenth-Century Spanish Theatre by Mirzam C. Pérez (review)

Perez, Mirzam C. The Comedia of Virginity: Mary and the Politics of Seventeenth-Century Spanish Theatre. Waco, TX: Baylor UP, 2012. 173 pp.The Comedia of Virginity provides a sound, albeit brief, introduction and divided into five concise chapters, followed by a conclusion, extensive notes, and a comprehensive bibliography. In a style that can be accessed by both the seasoned scholar and the novice student, Mirzam Perez outlines the critical role played by Marian-themed comedias and how their commission and performance not only served to unite a Church that was becoming increasingly fractured, but also assisted to confront the patriarchal, misogynistic ideals of the Church. Far from the passive and submissive Mary Mother of God associated with the Bible, the plays analyzed by Perez present a Virgin who is evoked as a proactive, articulate, and, at times, belligerent female role model who simultaneously inspires, guides, and protects the faithful (2).In chapter 1, Perez delves deeper into the political motivation that drove the writing and performance of these works. She seamlessly blends both theatrical and political history, providing the reader with context and analysis. The author outlines the importance and political pull held by the University of Salamanca, and this background allows her to create a historical and political milieu that identifies the renowned institution as a key player in the eventual adoption of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as Church dogma. The purity of the Mother of God was a source of heated division amongst the religious orders, and Perez clearly presents the positions held by each. Moreover, the author demonstrates the invaluable resource that the Relacion de las fiestas que la Universidad de Salamanca celebro desde el 27y el 31 de octubre del ano de 1618 became in understanding the political positioning of the University, in its campaign to fully endorse the cult of the Immaculate Conception. This historical perspective sets up Perez's analysis of Lope's La limpieza no manchada.In chapter 2, the author summarizes the plot of Lope's comedia, making connections to the biblical and political references in the play. Of particular interest are the iconographie details, which allow the reader to envision the performance and the impact that it would have had on the audience. The wealth of information found in the Relacion stressed, and Perez remarks that, with such special effects, Lope creates a dramatic space where the invisible becomes visible and the impossible feasible; he transforms the otherworld into a tangible organism that spectators can see and therefore believe (36).Perez's third chapter provides a discussion that intended to frame or contextualize the society for which the plays were being performed. …

Nachmetaphysische Dreifaltigkeit Barth, Jüngel und die Transformation der Trinitätslehre

This essay presents a post-metaphysical reading of Karl Barth's Trinitarian approach and its critical follow-up in the work of Eberhard Jungel. For this purpose, part one gives three important examples of the post-metaphysical core element, namely the transformation from thinking in ontological substances to an understanding in hermeneutical processes. Part two is dedicated to the beginning of Barth's Church Dogmatics restructuring its main argument by five transitive identifications. Accordingly, God as God's effective reality is the word event as God's address to his creatures. Part three uses Jungel's paraphrase to clarify constructively a post-metaphysical, but nevertheless Trinitarian theology in the wake of Barth. A concluding remark meets the question as to in which precise sense this program is located post metaphysica.

Church and war in the theology of Karl Barth

The issues around church and war followed Karl barth during his whole career. His most extensive and systematic discussions of war are found in the Church Dogmatics. Here he questions the naturalness of war and develops a theologically motivated understanding of the practical primacy of pacifism for the disciples of Christ. However, his discussion of possible exceptions qualifies the main line of his argument to such an extent that the latter loses most of its content. His practical imagination was shaped by established semi-national churches and by his native Switzerland. This disjunction between his central theological account and his practical reasoning helps explain why his thoughts on war have been used by proponents of radically different positions. What is lacking is a display of the sort of church life and practice this kind of thinking presupposes. This is true whether one emphasises the main pacifist argument or develops barth’s thought in the direction of the just war tradition.

The abandonment of inauthentic humanity: Barth’s theology of baptism as the ground and goal of mission

This article explores the development of Karl Barth’s theology of the sacraments, with specific reference to his evolving understanding of the function and ground of baptism. It is argued here that Barth’s late explication of baptism in the final fragment of Church Dogmatics IV/4 posits an inextricable link between the nature and purpose of baptism and the ground and goal of mission, as two inseparable acts of ethical obedience to the call and Word of God.

‘Doing the Alexander’: On Christmas motifs in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander

Abstract This short subject examines Christmas motifs in Ingmar Bergman’s film Fanny and Alexander with particular emphasis on autobiographical, literary and ethnographic roots, and explores visual and psychological themes defining the contrasting lifestyles of the Ekdahl and Vergérus households: joie de vivre vs rigid moralism; sensuality vs asceticism; light vs darkness; magic vs stark realism; and theatrical performance vs church dogma.

Is it Possible and Desirable for Theologians to Speculate after Barth?

This essay asks what Karl Barth meant by ‘speculation’ in volume two of the Church Dogmatics. Rather than equating speculative theology with metaphysical theology in general, Barth views speculation not as a monolithic act but as a conglomeration of modes of theological speech that undermine God's revelation in Jesus Christ. This essay argues that Barth's views of speculation, rather than undercutting the use of metaphysics in theology, pave the way for a responsible Christian use of metaphysics by tying one's use of categories and concepts in theology closely to the text of Scripture.

Hoe vertel hulle die storie? Oor Karl Barth

The paper argues that the theme of the consultation on "How are they telling the story?", raises complex but intriguing questions when put to the theology of Karl Barth. In a straightforward way, the question seems to be whether Barth himself regarded story (or narrative) as the appropriate way "to gather the fragments" (Ernst Conradie) of the Christian faith, of the Biblical message, of the proclamation of the Church. Barth scholarship has been divided over this question for many years. While some well-known Barth scholars maintain that his theology was indeed a form of narrative theology, sometimes claimed about his doctrine of reconciliation, sometimes claimed about the whole of the Church Dogmatics, other prominent scholars disagree and argue that the structure or movement within his theology was much more determined by reflection and discursive argument than by story and plot. In an attempt to take the question (and this ongoing scholarly controversy) seriously, the paper points in a second section to six formal but characteristic ways in which Barth dealt with stories. In a next section the question is taken a step further, when it is argued that materially, behind these formal characteristics, Barth saw indeed no meta-narrative, but rather a Person, a Living One, about whom he spoke by means of a "Trinitarian grammar." A brief conclusion therefore claims that Barth's theology was called forth by "the scandal of particularity," indeed coming in story form, but calling for reflection and argument, witness and proclamation, and prayer and life, rather than for further story-telling.

Schleiermacher on Justification: A Departure From the Reformation?

AbstractIn his 1923–4 lectures on the theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth offered a strikingly negative verdict on Schleiermacher's doctrine of justification, lamenting that it was radically discontinuous with the theology of the Reformation. The core purpose of this article is to assess this verdict in detail. The introduction presents in outline Barth's criticism of Schleiermacher's doctrine of justification from these lectures. The first section of the article provides a summary of the doctrine of justification as it is found in Schleiermacher's mature work, The Christian Faith, together with a brief consideration of the related doctrines of conversion and sanctification, and an exposition of the dogmatic location and inter-relation of the three loci. In the second section, the article proceeds to investigate closely whether three of the central criticisms of Barth pertaining to Schleiermacher's doctrine of justification reflect an accurate reading and adjudication of the underlying material. The criticisms explored are: that for Schleiermacher there is no justification as a free act of God but only a justification which takes place according to the law of nature; that in the event of justification Schleiermacher considers both God and the human being to be active; and that the doctrine of Schleiermacher repeats the heresy of essential righteousness after the fashion of Andreas Osiander. The common theme underlying each charge is that Schleiermacher has departed significantly (and lamentably) from the tradition of the Reformation. The third section of the article proceeds to explore these charges carefully in light of a close reading of Schleiermacher's dogmatic work on justification and related doctrines. In the case of each of the criticisms directed at his doctrine of justification, it is argued that there are strong grounds for asserting that Barth's concerns may be rather misplaced and that – true to his word – Schleiermacher indeed remains in broad dogmatic continuity with the Reformation tradition. In the conclusion, two further theological possibilities are noted. First, it is suggested that, far from leaving the Reformation tradition behind, Schleiermacher's work on justification resonates strongly with one particular reading of Calvin's work which has much currency in contemporary theology. And second, it is suggested that, far from Schleiermacher being the one to depart from the Reformation tradition on justification, it might actually – ironically – be Barth who is more guilty of that charge in view of his own doctrine of justification in the Church Dogmatics.

Karl Barth’s understanding of Christian Baptism as a basis for a conversation on the praxis of Sacraments in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

This article is an initial attempt to bring the subject of baptism and to a lesser extent infant baptism in particular, as demonstrated in Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics, into a conversation with the practice of this phenomenon in African Reformed churches in South Africa, specifically the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). Whilst the Roman Catholic and Reformed traditions regarding the sacraments differ significantly in the understanding of this subject, this article will examine Barth’s understanding of baptism. This is done by critically examining key themes in his Church Dogmatics. The praxis of the sacraments and especially that of baptism continue to be a praxis that is highly venerated in African Reformed theological circles. This is so because it is believed that symbolism continues to occupy centre stage in African Reformed churches. In a sense therefore it seems that the African Reformed Christian leans more towards a Roman Catholic understanding of this sacrament. Is that perhaps true? Essentially this conversation will explore the relationship of faith to baptism and how this impacts on infant baptism for instance.

Researching the Dominant Religion: Anthropology at Home and Methodological Catholicism

Abstract The article discusses methodological problems of researching the dominant religion by native anthropologists in a majority Catholic society. By presenting both ethnographic examples and scholarly publications on religion we point at a Catholic hegemonic frame in Poland, within which religion is interpreted. Such an approach results in treating Catholicism as the taken for granted denomination, and the Roman Catholic Church as a bearer of moral authority. Engaging critically with the existing scholarship we argue that in Poland one can speak of methodological Catholicism, connected to certain implicit assumptions: treating Catholic faith as a desirable norm, describing religiosity at large with Catholic vocabulary and measuring religiosity through the prism of the Church dogmas as opposed to inquiring about the ways Catholicism is lived as a religion.

Friendship and Being: Election and Trinitarian Freedom in Moltmann and Barth

AbstractThis article constructs two responses to Moltmann's critique of Barth's doctrine of divine freedom in Trinity and the Kingdom, a first on the basis of Barth's programmatic treatment of divine freedom in II/1 of the Church Dogmatics and a second on the basis of Bruce McCormack's reading of Barth's doctrine of election. It shows why the Barth of II/1 must dismiss Moltmann's concern for the priority of God's loving relationship to the world while Barth as interpreted by McCormack can accommodate it. Finally it observes the significance of this twofold defense for mapping Barth onto the terrain of modern theology.

Idea pentarchii jako rękojmia jedności Kościoła w dobie ikonoklazmu. Stanowisko Teodora Studyty

From the first half of the eighth century until the mid-ninth century the Church of Constantinople struggled with heretical iconoclast movement. Dur­ing the period of iconoclasm, St. Theodore of Studium (759-826) stood at the side of the defenders of the cult of images. He was a great thinker and abbot of the Studium monastery near Constantinople. One of the main themes he discussed was an independant status of Church from secular power, which frequently intervened in issues relating to faith and morals. St. Theodore of Studium wanted to prove that the Church dogmas and rules derive not from emperors, but bishops. In this context, his idea resembles the concept of pentarchy. According to St. Theodore, the guarantee of orthodoxy, which is the basis for the unity of the universal Church, is rooted in ecclesial body of pentarchy. Decisions about divine and celestial dogmas are entrusted to five patriarchs, who should be characterized by unanimity to reach a joint deci­sion at the universal council. All of them together have the highest position in the Church and their consent is necessary for recognition of the ecumenical council. Among the five patriarchs the privileged position has the patriarch of Rome, without whom no ecumenical council can be called. The Roman Church is the reference point and stands at the center of the unity of Church. St. Theodore of Studium considered the primacy of the bishop of Rome not in isolation from other patriarchates but in orbit of the entire Church.

Adam Neder, Participation in Christ: An Entry into Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), pp. vii + 135. $25.00.

Adam Neder, Participation in Christ: An Entry into Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), pp. vii + 135. $25.00.

TAKING EXCEPTION TO THE GRENZFALL'S RECEPTION: REVISITING KARL BARTH'S ETHICS OF WAR

AbstractThis article investigates Karl Barth's ethics of war and its reception by placing the discussion within the larger framework of the general ethics of Church Dogmatics II/2 and the special ethics of Church Dogmatics III/4. It gives careful attention to the infamously problematic “exceptional case” to illumine what sort of “exception,” if any, the provocative passages on war entail. The outlines of Barth's ethical framework and the Grenzfall, or borderline case, provide the background for the re‐evaluation of three common interpretations of his views on war.

Resurrecting cannibals: the Catholic Church, witch-hunts, and the production of pagans in Western Uganda

This book explores cannibalism, food, eating and being eaten in its many variations. It deals with people who feel threatened by cannibals, churches who combat cannibals and anthropologists who find themselves suspected of being cannibals. It describes how different African and European images of the cannibal intersected and influenced each other in Tooro, Western Uganda, where the figure of the resurrecting cannibal draws on both pre-Christian ideas and church dogma of the bodily resurrection and the ritual of Holy Communion. In Tooro cannibals are witches: they bewitch people so that they die only to be resurrected and eaten. This is how they were perceived in the 1990s when a lay movement of the Catholic Church, the Uganda Martyrs Guild [UMG] organized witch-hunts to cleanse the country. The UMG was responding to an extended crisis: growing poverty, the retreat and corruption of the local government, a guerrilla war, a high death rate through AIDS, accompanied by an upsurge of occult forces in the form of cannibal witches. By trying to deal, explain and heal the situation of internal terror, the UMG reinforced the perception of the reality of witches and cannibals while at the same time containing violence and regaining power for the Catholic Church in competition for lost souls with other Pentecostal churches and movements. This volume includes the DVD of a video film by Armin Linke and Heike Behrend showing a to identify and cleanse witches and cannibals organized by the UMG in the rural area of Kyamiaga in 2002. With a heightened awareness and reflective use of the medium, UMG members created a domesticated version of their crusade for Western (and local) consumption as part of a shared ethnography. Heike Behrend is Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Cologne, Germany, the author of 'Alice Lakwena and the Holy Spirits' [James Currey, 1999], and co-editor of 'Spirit Possession, Modernity and Power in Africa' [James Currey, 1999].

Relocating Barth's Theology of Culture: Beyond the ‘True Words’ Approach of Church Dogmatics IV/3

AbstractBarth's writings present two discrete approaches to culture and attempts to link the two overlook Barth's rationale for isolating them. Though interpreters of Barth's theology of culture typically turn to CD IV/3, I argue that this material is not the place to look for insights into his analyses of cultural forms (e.g. the Mozart essays), but is better understood simply as a necessary extension of his doctrine of the Word – identical in content and context to his remarks against theology of culture in CD I/1. Instead, Barth's eschatology provides us with greater insights into his theological approach to culture.

The Church as Israel and Israel as the Church: An Examination of Karl Barth's Exegesis of Romans 9:1–5 in "The Epistle to the Romans" and "Church Dogmatics" 2/2

Abstract The prefaces to Karl Barth's Epistle to the Romans highlight Barth's desire for his commentary to be judged as a genuine piece of biblical interpretation. Likewise, in the preface to Church Dogmatics 2/2, Barth suggests that the viability of his reworking of the Reformed doctrine of election stands or falls on its strength as a reading of Scripture. Recent interpreters of Barth have rightly attempted to take seriously Barth's desire to be assessed as a biblical interpreter and have begun to engage his theological exegesis accordingly. Building on that work and pressing beyond it to look at a specific textual test case, this article (1) sketches Barth's reading of Rom 9:1–5 in The Epistle to the Romans, (2) compares the reading there to the later treatment of this text in the Church Dogmatics 2/2, and (3) suggests a model for understanding Barth's exegetical efforts that avoids both dismissing him as an "eisegete" as well as unqualifiedly praising his interpretive efforts. The concept of the "double agency" of biblical text and theological interpreter offers a heuristic model for plotting Barth's widely differing readings of Rom 9:1–5 on a spectrum of divergent realizations of the semantic potential of the biblical text. In the Romans commentary, the agency of the interpreter threatens to overwhelm that pf the text, while in the Church Dogmatics the agency of the biblical text exerts more obvious influence as Barth attempts to wrestle seriously with Paul's references to Israel in their historical particularity.

The Church as Israel and Israel as the Church: An Examination of Karl Barth's Exegesis of Romans 9:1–5 in "The Epistle to the Romans" and "Church Dogmatics" 2/2

Abstract The prefaces to Karl Barth's Epistle to the Romans highlight Barth's desire for his commentary to be judged as a genuine piece of biblical interpretation. Likewise, in the preface to Church Dogmatics 2/2, Barth suggests that the viability of his reworking of the Reformed doctrine of election stands or falls on its strength as a reading of Scripture. Recent interpreters of Barth have rightly attempted to take seriously Barth's desire to be assessed as a biblical interpreter and have begun to engage his theological exegesis accordingly. Building on that work and pressing beyond it to look at a specific textual test case, this article (1) sketches Barth's reading of Rom 9:1–5 in The Epistle to the Romans, (2) compares the reading there to the later treatment of this text in the Church Dogmatics 2/2, and (3) suggests a model for understanding Barth's exegetical efforts that avoids both dismissing him as an "eisegete" as well as unqualifiedly praising his interpretive efforts. The concept of the "double agency" of biblical text and theological interpreter offers a heuristic model for plotting Barth's widely differing readings of Rom 9:1–5 on a spectrum of divergent realizations of the semantic potential of the biblical text. In the Romans commentary, the agency of the interpreter threatens to overwhelm that pf the text, while in the Church Dogmatics the agency of the biblical text exerts more obvious influence as Barth attempts to wrestle seriously with Paul's references to Israel in their historical particularity.

Downhome Gospel: African American Spiritual Activism in Wiregrass Country (review)

Reviewed by: Downhome Gospel: African American Spiritual Activism in Wiregrass Country Thomas L. Bynum Downhome Gospel: African American Spiritual Activism in Wiregrass Country. By Jerrilyn McGregory. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2010. xx, 214 pp. $50.00. ISBN 978-1-60473-782-0. In Downhome Gospel, Jerrilyn McGregory documents a variety of African American sacred music performance communities found among burial leagues, Baptist union meetings, singing conventions, and anniversary gospel programs in the Wiregrass Country of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. This ethnographic study not only documents African American sacred music performance communities but also notes how these communities fortify spiritual as well as social needs. The title, Downhome Gospel, may lead readers to believe the book is solely about gospel music, but McGregory's research explores an array of sacred music such as spirituals, common meter, Sacred Harp, shape-note, and traditional and contemporary Gospel that persists in Wiregrass Country. While noting the geographical uniqueness of Wiregrass Country, McGregory also reveals how African American folk traditions make this region distinct. Of the many folk traditions that characterize Wiregrass Country, the Emancipation Day celebrations are most prominent. Although not as well known as the Juneteenth celebrations, the Twentieth of May celebrations typify this region. May 20 marks the date when the general order concerning the Emancipation Proclamation arrived in Wiregrass Country. Celebrated as a day of remembrance, May 20 celebrations, often combined with May Day festivities, consist of a formal program, food, games, musical performances, parades, and other jovial entertainment. While May 20 celebrations still feature prominently in Wiregrass Country, today these activities have significantly declined. Within the historical context of May 20 celebrations, however, Wiregrass African Americans assembled to sing. African American sacred music performance communities "are trademarks of life in Wiregrass Country" and their sacred music performances, which take place outside of "Sunday church-related activities," create a spiritual space that transcends the denominational divide. This ecumenical spirit is evident in the singing conventions and anniversary gospel programs, which consist of participants from various denominations such as Baptists (Missionary and Primitive), African Methodist Episcopal, and Christian Methodist Episcopal to name a few. McGregory states, "when individuals accept membership into a sacred performance community, they enter not on the basis of denomination but formulate a [End Page 145] network, an expansive community with a similar aesthetic and scriptural orientation" (p. xx). Membership in these communities does not require one to have a spectacular singing voice. McGregory maintains that "in Wiregrass Country, the people often say, 'You don't have to sing like an angel'" (p. xvii). Praising God through song does not require one to have a trained voice because "'good music is God's music regardless of the manner delivered'" (p. xviii). Moreover, these sacred music performance communities are not organized to promote a specific church dogma, neither is membership opened only to those with trained musical voices. The unique feature of Wiregrass Country sacred music performance communities is that emphasis is on praising God and enjoying genuine Christian fellowship. Largely populated by women, African American sacred music performance communities foster egalitarian ideals and practices. According to McGregory, Wiregrass African American women espouse a "womanist theology" that is concerned with promoting the good of the whole community. For these women, it is about ensuring the success of their entire sacred music network and not just their organizations. McGregory asserts, "these women represent the womanists of whom Alice Walker wrote, who are 'committed to the survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female'" (p. 162). Although the communalism within sacred music performance communities is unique, why did these Wiregrass women promote such an egalitarian ethos over individual pursuits? Why is this behavior more pronounced within Wiregrass Country than outside of it? McGregory points to African American female socialization patterns in the Wiregrass region to understand this phenomenon, which partly substantiates her argument. Downhome Gospel achieves the goal the author hopes to accomplish, which "is to introduce Wiregrass Country's African Americans and to examine their sacred music performed outside of Sunday church-related activities" (p. xvii). One criticism of this work, however, is that the author discusses too many sacred music organizations, particularly those that make up the singing...