Students of theology concerned with the business of making propositions that follow the ‘God is. . .’ formula will find this collection of essays a provocative departure from the norm. Originally a series of forums at North Park University sponsored by the Institute of Christianity, Faith and Culture, God is Not. . .seeks to answer the question ‘Who is God?’ by way of a contemporary translation of Aquinas’ strategy of negation. Concerned that the ‘incessant chatter of God-talk in contemporary American culture is simply too trite, banal and pandering’ the authors of this collection of essays believe that too much God-talk has made it even harder to talk about God in a way that gets beyond the clichés of contemporary theology. Although non-American readers will immediately note that these are essays written by and for Americans, they contain a great deal that will interest anyone concerned about the place of theology in contemporary Western culture or those interested in what it means to do theology in a so-called Christian context. Those involved in teaching theology at the introductory level may also find this book useful as they fight to move minds beyond the cultural assumptions of those who may well believe that God is a nice Western capitalist who is, just like the rest of us, a little bit lost and unsure of where life is going. By way of their strategy of negation the authors attempt to tackle a series of cultural assumptions that drive our theological thought and speech. To this end, Rodney Clapp insists ‘God Is Not a Stranger on the Bus’, D. Stephen Long brings the bad news that ‘God Is Not Nice’, Michael J Baxter asserts ‘God Is Not American’, Michael Budde adds ‘God Is Not a Capitalist’ and William Cavanaugh proclaims ‘God Is Not religious’. Finally D. Brent Laytham makes an overtly positive contribution in an essay entitled ‘God Is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic’.

The essays are written with a student audience in mind and thus those seeking a scholarly treatment of the issues may be disappointed. However, the authors have succeeded in achieving their goal of exploring some of the assumptions at play in contemporary American religious culture. Non-American readers may not appreciate the provocative nature of some of these essays and the writers are to be applauded for producing a collection that is remarkably well timed. Even the briefest exposure to mainstream Christianity in America makes one realise that the ‘God is Not. . .’ thesis is a minority report. While those of us in the so-called ‘old world’ may comfort ourselves with the belief that we would never claim that God was British or Scottish, these essays remind us of the ever-present temptation for us to sacralise our cultural norms and preferences. Michael Baxter's essay is of particular interest as he notes that the myth of ‘American exceptionalism’ is alive and well after September 11th. He devotes significant space to a critique of Richard John Neuhaus's December 2001 editorial in First Things. Baxter takes time to note the implications of Neuhaus's version of ‘Christian America’ and offer a robust challenge to Neuhaus's Pax Americana.

Although it is preoccupied with the correction of theological misappre-hensions, God is Not. . .concludes with a decidedly positive assertion of who God is. These observations, namely that ‘God Is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic’, are considered in connection with the church; according to Laytham, it is the church that is called to say and show who God is and what God is not. Thus we note that these essays do not identify the canker of contemporary culture as the root cause of current theological confusion. It is rather the church's failure to embody what God is that the authors identify as the root problem. Admitting that these essays may possibly fall short of their goal, Laytham acknowledges the potential for a lack of critical thought or rhetorical skill on the part of the authors. However, and here he demonstrates some rhetorical flair, the failure of these essays ‘May also be due to the failure of the Church to embody the truth that God is not American. It may be due to the failure of the Church to live the kindness of God. It may be due to the Church's captivity to capitalism, unable or unwilling to imagine the abundance of God's economy. . .Where the Church fails to embody truly what God is, the world is left to believe in various not-gods.’

God is Not. . .offers a provocative analysis of contemporary American Christianity that will enlighten many and offend some. Those interested in cultural questions and those involved in the theological teaching of students and interested lay-people will find this a highly accessible and useful resource.