The Mystery of Christ and Why We Don't Get It
(Robert Farrar Capon). Review by
David L Rattigan
The Post Evangelical (Dave Tomlinson).
Review by David
L Rattigan
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
(Marcus J Borg). Review by
Richard
Gillingham
Reviews wanted
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The Mystery of Christ and Why We Don't Get It
By Robert Farrar Capon (1993)
Robert Farrar
Capon is an Episcopalian priest with an eccentric edge, whose writings
rarely fail to provoke imaginative theological reflection. This, the first
Capon I read, was one of a
handful of books that helped me tremendously in
the early days
of my move away from fundamentalism. Capon writes passionately about the
gospel, milking the Scriptures for every last bit of irony he can,
enthusing at every opportunity over the radically astounding, even foolish
grace given us in Jesus Christ.
"The Mystery of
Christ" takes the form of a series of conversations based on real-life
situations he has encountered in ministry, each interspersed with his own
reflections, a kind of thrashing-out of the implications of everything
that happened in the previous chapter. In chapter four Capon introduces a
cast of five characters, again fictionalized from real experience, whose
conversation we overhear as they discuss and debate the ins and outs of
the situations we've read about in the previous chapter. Each of the five
characters represents a different perspective - liberal and evangelical,
for example - and their exchanges provide the foil for Capon's typically
playful and teasing way of challenging us with the gospel. He takes great
delight in pulling the rug from underneath the reader and sneakily
shooting our perceptions and assumptions to pieces.
You'll find
Capon offers a refreshing and inspiring perspective on Scripture and the
gospel. If his style gels with you, you may also want to check out the
witty, if dated "Hunting the Divine Fox: Images and Mystery in Christian
Faith" and his books on the parables, recently brought together in one
volume, entitled, "Kingdom, Grace Judgment: Paradox, Outrage and
Vindication in the Parables of Jesus".
Review ©
David L Rattigan 2005
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________________________________
The Post Evangelical
By Dave Tomlinson (2003)
Tomlinson writes
as a one-time evangelical who, after many years as a pioneer in the
British house-church
movement, struggled to reconcile evangelicalism entirely with his changing
spiritual journey. Today he is an Anglican priest, and in 1995, when he
wrote the first edition
of the book, he put a label to his evolving faith: Post-evangelical.
He suggests it is a useful term to cover those disaffected with their
evangelical faith, who like him are taking "as given many of the
assumptions of evangelical faith, while at the same time moving beyond its
perceived limitations."
His attempt to
reconcile Christianity with the reality of living in a postmodern age is
compelling, even if the success of this seminal book has long since been
eclipsed by authors doing a similar thing on the other side of the
Atlantic, such as Brian McClaren.
The book begins
with an overview of what Tomlinson understands by "evangelicalism"
and "post-evangelicalism", and he offers some interesting analysis that
will surely resonate with those on the journey away from conservative
Christianity. He talks about his increasing estrangement from the
evangelical world in terms of its subculture, its ethics and its theology,
and he describes his "longing to grow" and push beyond the boundaries. The
second half treads on much more intellectual territory, which may pose a
barrier for those not so inclined, even if there is much they'll identify
with in the first half. Tomlinson explores new ways of looking at the
Bible, drawing a lot from the theology of Karl Barth, and finally, in a
chapter entitled, "Positively Worldly", he eschews the fundamentalist fear
of "the world" and discusses how Christians can engage fruitfully with
culture.
"The Post
Evangelical" was the first of its kind, and without doubt has been and
will hopefully continue to be a helpful resource for those who want to
leave behind evangelical faith without leaving Christianity.
Review ©
David L Rattigan 2005
Buy this book:
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Reading the Bible
Again for the First Time
By Marcus J Borg (2002)
It was early on in my second
year of theological college that I stopped regarding the
bible as the literal Word of God. Ever since this point, my
response
to the Bible has been one of either bemusement, fear, or
regret. Bemusement because I know to read the text but
don't know how. Fear because I know the Bible really should
be important in one's spirituality but in truth it is
easier not to bother and wondering what sort of Christian
and am. Regret because life seemed so much easier when the
Bible was read in a fundamentalist way and I sometimes yearn
for the certainty that brought. The "Again" in Marcus
Borg's Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
refers to the time one can read the Bible without reading it
through the eyes of a fundamentalist (like a great many
liberals, Borg began as a conservative).
The book is comprised of
brief surveys of the major types of biblical book (the
Torah, Prophets, Wisdom literature, Gospels, Pauline Letters
and the book of revelation). Throughout all this Borg
presents the Bible as a testimony to two options for those
who would call themselves the People of God. One of a Royal
Theology that, to put it bluntly, advocates a Might is Right
philosophy and a subversive wisdom, exemplified in the ethic
of Jesus of Nazareth, that turns the wisdom of the world on
its head. In particular I took away three things for the
text:
- The Bible is an
authoritative text for Christian identity
- Whilst Borg advocates
a metaphorical approach to reading the Bible, he does not
seek to explain the away the extraordinary/miraculous
aspects of the stories to make them amenable to the
modern person
- If your reading of the
Bible does not lead you to want to help the helpless and
seek a just world, you are not reading it right
For those who are seeking
a route into a way into reading the Bible as though it
really matters but with regard to its humanity,
contradictions, and diversity, this book would be an
excellent place to start. I only wish I had read it five years
ago!Review ©
Richard
Gillingham 2006
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book:
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Amazon.co.uk
________________________________
Reviews wanted
If you are a
competent writer and reviewer, have a think about submitting something. To
give you an idea of the sort of books to review, I am currently interested
in reviews of (among others):
Bruce Bawer,
especially A Place at the Table, Stealing Fundamentalism
Marcus J Borg,
especially Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time
Brennan Manning,
The Ragamuffin Gospel
Any books on
fundamentalism, spiritual abuse etc.
If you have a
suggestion or an original review,
email
Dave. Keep your review fairly focused on the book's usefulness to
former fundamentalists, using the above reviews as a guideline. All
submissions of material for publication (i.e. articles and reviews, rather
than just suggestions or links) should include your name, a brief bio (2-3
lines) and a link to your website, if applicable.
