The End Is Music: A Companion to Robert W. Jenson's Theology (Chris E. W. Green, Cascade Books, 2018)

Author Chris Green acknowledges, within the first few words of his Preface, the difficulty of writing a worthwhile companion to a theologian's broader work. This is especially the case, he writes, for a theologian of such prodigious writing volume as Robert Jenson (1930-2017). Because I am virtually unfamiliar with Jenson's work, I picked up this volume as a means to acquaint myself

with Jenson and to help me decide whether or not to investigate more deeply his theology.

In spite of Green's reservations, his relatively brief (around 125 pages, without bibliography) companion to Jenson is well done. He lays out with clarity Jenson's theological program in broad terms and then systematically parses his work into chapters which include: God, Truth, Creation, Salvation, Church and Kingdom.

Green captures my attention in several ways. (1) I'm fascinated by the connection Jenson, a devoutly Lutheran theologian, has with the pre-Colonial Puritan Jonathan Edwards. Green's several references to this connection intrigue me to investigate more deeply this unlikely trans-historical, cross-denominational theological match-up. (2) Throughout Green's brief companion volume, he references Jenson's explication of the nature of time and its relationship with a creative God in ways that open new thinking vistas for the practical theological (i.e., the "pastor," the "preacher"). (3) His final chapter, especially his thoughtful coverage of Jenson's eschatology is hopeful and faith-inspiring. It is a healthy, optimistic contrast to much of Christian publishing's past two or more decades of "Left Behind" nonsense.

Like many pastors, I have taken little time since seminary days to intentionally devote time to reading theological tomes. Occasionally I have dipped into some of the past's heavy-hitters (Barth and Brunner, for example), but not for any protracted period of time. The ever-present hum of sermon and Bible study preparations have garnered my attention for much of my vocational life.

Green, however, has whet my appetite for more of Robert Jenson's theology. Green's focused, brief but meaty companion to Jenson is a good start.