Although H. Richard Niebuhr is known less in America than his brother Reinhold, nonetheless Richard's theology should continue to be examined by Christians because of its timelessness. This particular collection, while not Richard's best known works or even very polished in its language at times, still imparts some warnings and insights we all need to hear. The Cole Lecture series on the "Next Steps in Theology" are somewhat outdated but general enough to have meaning for any Christian involved in theological education.

But the gems of the book are two short pieces that are memorable Christian witnesses unto themselves. "A Christian Interpretation of War" forcefully states that God is sovereign in war, regardless and often despite the intentions of its actors. Richard's objectivity is intense, and you can tell that he truly and prayerfully struggled with his own biases in order to write this work. And the epilogue on what the church does during war should be posted on every pastor's wall.

H. Richard's sermon on I Corinthians 1:18, "The Logic of the Cross," was preached at Yale Divinity School over fifty years ago and still speaks to our human tendency to ignore the cross. Richard directly confronts our desire to earn survival and to outlast our enemies. By doing so, Richard opens up the word "perishing" so that we can then understand how we are "being saved" in this moment when we have faith in the power of God through the cross. He suggests a relationship between our survival instinct and our faith that is both realistic and uplifting.

Johnson challenges the static 'neo-orthodox' image of Karl Barth, bringing him into conversation with postmodern thought, especially that of Jacques Derrida. He picks up on the Barth's idea of God as mystery and of Barth's image of the empty space of the wheel at which the spokes of theology's questions converge and finds in these a point of contact for dialogue with poststructural thought. Weighed against Barth's Christocentrism (the center of the wheel) is Barth's theocentrism (God as mystery); as Barth had said, God is veiled in His revelation and vice versa. Johnson takes a refreshing and promising approach which is a fine contribution to a larger discussion taking place between Barth's theology and postmodern thought.