Book Review: Communicatio Idiomatum: Reformation Christological Debates

wants to pull Protestant theology out of the abyss of excessive subjectivity, personal (often over-emotional) ‘spirituality,’ individualism, and self-obsession into which, according to him, Reformed spirituality and Pietism have led it. His book is very relevant. It is a much-needed tract aimed at an Evangelical tendency to forget the objectivity of the Gospel of grace (perfectly exemplified for him by Luther’s hyper-realistic Eucharistic theology and sacramental notion of the objectivity of Christ’s presence through the word proffered in preaching). It is not so different from Barth’s argument with Schleiermacher but is even more timely in a world increasingly dominated by tele-evangelists, mega-churches, privatized salvation, and self-obsessive spirituality. A massive dose of Luther-objectivity is more necessary than ever: but it seems unfortunate to me to do it by presenting a reductionist version of Augustine’s subtle, delicate, nuanced theology, in which the inner and outer, the social and individual, and the absolute enduring centrality of the incarnate Christ are always paramount. It is a splendid treatment of Luther, but its account of Augustine, fascinating as it is, must be read with some degree of caution.