Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Stanley Hauerwas' "Jesus Changes Everything" - Review by Bradley Jersak

Stanley Hauerwas, Jesus Changes Everything (Plough Publishing), 2025. 

Review by Bradley Jersak

In prayer and meditation, I have given this month to asking the Lord, “Show me where I am being tempted to despair and where I am being invited to despair.”

In the current Great Regression—social, political, and religious—I am recognizing both aspects. First, the temptation to despair speaks of hopelessness, despondency, paralysis, and gloom. Many, especially vulnerable folks on the margins, feel afraid, under assault, traumatized. Despair lurks.

But conversely, I also sense Jesus inviting us to a despair of a different register. I suspect we should despair of imagining we can fix our world, our nation, and even the Christian brand through worldly ways via partisan politics, culture wars ideology, and religious nationalism. These have proven ineffectual and have increasingly mutated Christianity into something foreign to the Jesus Way.

What then? Enter Stanley Hauerwas. For a long time, he’s being urging the followers of Christ to be “resident aliens,” where the church is not trying to “take the seven mountains” of cultural influence and certainly not to found a theocracy as a political power. But neither is Hauerwas calling us into a Christian conclave as lumps of tasteless salt and bucket covered lamps.

In Jesus Changes Everything, Hauerwas asks us to despair of cultural control and political power. Like Jeremiah, we are not citizens of the empire, but strangers from another world, planted wherever we live as yeast in the loaf. In only that way, “a new world is possible.”

In this tight (133 pages and just $10), clear manifesto, the author reorients us to Jesus, in six movements as simple that they are radical and provocative.

• Part 1: Following Jesus
• Part 2: Good News
• Part 3: God’s Alternative Society
• Part 4: Kingdom Economics
• Part 5: Sowing Seeds of Peace
• Part 6: The Politics of Witness

Hauerwas makes it hard to be a Christian (because, of course, basics such as radical forgiveness and enemy love involve a kind of death to self), and he makes it hard to not to be one, as the person of Jesus and his story are intensely compelling. This book shows us how Jesus’ story can be my story, our story, and from that center, trust the ripples. A keeper.

Here is an interview with Dr. Hauerwas about the book (with Charles Moore of Plough Publishing).   

Review of Hans Boersma's "Scripture as Real Presence" - by Ron Dart

Hans Boersma, Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church (Baker Academic, 2017).

Many are the tendencies and trajectories when approaching, reading and interpreting the Bible. The literal, grammatical, historic tradition and the higher-lower criticism approach have tended to dominate for many in the modern ethos. There has been a postmodern rebellion of sorts against such a reductionistic heritage, but such a leaning often lacks substantive depth and grounding. The decided and definite turn, in the last few decades, by those weary of the rather paper thin modern and postmodern approach to the Bible, has been to the wisdom and layered exegesis of the early church—Scripture as Real Presence stands within such a catholic and classical line and lineage.

How did the Fathers/Mothers of the early church read the Bible? Was it a one dimensional and rather flat approach or were there exegetical levels that were refined and nuanced? Scripture as Real Presence is a beauty and bounty of a tome that illuminates, in a pithy and poignant manner, portals through which, when walked in a meditative and participatory manner, new vistas in the relationship between text and experience, insight and transformation. The ten chapters are worthy of many a reread. Each of the Fathers of the Church (it might have been valuable to heed and hear some of the Mothers—there were many) are given their rightful due, place and space.

Review of Anna Yin's "Nightlights" - Ron Dart

Anna Yin, Nightlights (Black Moss Press, 2017)

Anna Yin has emerged, season by season, year by year, as a fine, probing and nuanced poet. There is a contemplative soul tenderness in her previous books of poetry that can only be accessed through many a slow and meditative read of each inviting poem. Anna’s recent book of poetry, Nightlights, illustrates Anna’s fuller potential that is ever being birthed and maturing. Nightlights is Anna’s newest book of poetry that embodies a venturing forth into the suggestive poetic pathway of haiku poetry and all the wavering and timid lights in the night such a journey taken reveals.

Nightlights is divided into six inviting parts: 1) Night Visitor, 2) Sweeping Gingko Leaves, 3) Dancing Alone, 4) Winter, 5) White Wreaths and 6) Reflections. Each of the haiku poems reveal, at ever deeper levels, quiet and unfulfilled longings, painful points on the journey, legitimate nostalgia, loneliness, mystery of unresolved desires, speech from nature to the heart, moments of tender union and places in the soul where few have lingered with the poet. Those who dare to go to the places Anna offers will discover much about their life pilgrimages yet needing to be lived into—a kindly yet aching call to hope in the night season.    

Nightlights should not be read merely for information. The deeper and wiser insights offered can only be understood by a slowing down and many a reread. The genre of the haiku, in many ways, is a form of expressing complex feelings, experiences and emotions, in a compact and succinct manner, which leaves many a portal open for entering the layered meaning of the poem. Anna has in this collection of subtle and refined haiku poems made it abundantly clear that this is way of expressing her poetic vision in a convincing and compelling manner. I found myself, at times, lingering at quite a few of the distilled haiku signals, doing my best to heed their call—each haiku in this collection has called forth much from Anna and, as such, reaches out to the reader and calls her/him to respond to the invitation of the unique haiku. A question—do we hear the call across the water from the further short—each poem certainly bids us welcome to cross the water.

The whispered and colourful front cover of Nightlights is a beauty worth many a quiet reflection as are the many poignant black and white photographs that introduce each part of the book. The “Introduction” by Claudia Radmore is worth many a read as a primer on haiku poetry. 

Many poets either say too much or what is said is so abstract or esoteric that the reader becomes lost in a maze. The simple and direct yet ever deeper layers of each congealed haiku that has lived through Anna in Nightlights offers a way of doing poetry that can speak to one and all. Nightlights is a thin book of poetry but once through the haiku doorway, a vast world of the soul, nature and society is revealed.

This is a book of poetry that will remain with me on the journey and does knit me to much that is essential to the core on the trail and off trial treks of life.

Ron Dart                                

Review of Brian Zahnd's 'Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God' - by Ron Dart

Brian Zahnd, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News (Waterbrook, 2017)

There has been a decided turn in the last decade by many from within this historic conservative evangelical tribe to a more nuanced read of the Bible, the Church Tradition and a serious questioning of Calvin and NeoCalvinism—Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God stands within such a line and lineage.

The title for this fast moving but reflective manifesto of sorts emerges from contra Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Obviously, the Puritanism of Edwards has done much to shape American Christianity and Brian Zahnd took in such a homily (and the broader exegetical and theological perspective for many years). Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, wisely and discerningly so, clarifies in ten packed and incisive chapters, the dilemmas raised by a flat and questionable read of the Bible. The core question comes to this: how can a thoughtful reader and exegete of the Bible (and much of this compact beauty lingers in the Bible) make some coherent sense of, on the one hand, a God of Love and, on the other hand, the warrior God of the Old Testament, the penal theory of the atonement and eternal punishment for those who do not accept Christ in their short journey through time?

Zahnd, in a judicious manner, cuts to the quick in offering an alternate and Christocentric hermeneutic as a way of reading the Old Testament and problematic portions of the New Testament, particularly the ever contentious book of Revelation. Many of the more sophisticated Christian thinkers such Lewis, MacDonald, Girard, Wright, Peterson, Noll, Volf, Balthasar, Dostoevsky, Chrysostom, Kalomiros and Moltmann are called forth as witnesses as viable and substantive exegetes of the Bible than that of Edwards, Hal Lindsay or Bunyan’s The Groans of a Lost Soul.  Sinner in the Hands of a Loving is, in many ways, a hand in glove companion to Brad Jersak’s A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel (2015).

There can be no doubt that Zahnd takes the Bible with utmost seriousness, but he is troubled (as he should be) by an exegetical Sanhedrin of sorts that has reduced and restricted a way of reading the Bible that legitimates a warrior god, penal theory of the atonement and eternal punishment (plus a rather horrendous reading of Revelation) to those who do not explicitly accept Christ in this life. The burden of Zahnd (and many of the former conservative evangelical revisionist readers of the Bible) is, indeed, to proclaim from the Bible, the “very good news” and “more beautiful gospel”.  Zahnd has done this in a symphonic manner of sorts, and the orchestral sound of each chapter, unfolding each into the next, works its eternal compelling music into the longing soul. Do read and inwardly digest Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God—your approach to reading and applying the Bible will never be the same again.

Ron Dart         

'Mystical Landscapes' (Katharine Lochman - ed.) - Review by Ron Dart

Mystical Landscapes: From Vincent van Gogh to Emily Carr. Ed. by Katharine Lochman with Roald Nasgaard & Bogomila Welsch-Ovcharov. New York: DelMonico Books, 2016.

There has been a regrettable tendency to falsely and naively assume the right wing of the Enlightenment project (with its excessive focus on the empirical, rationalistic, scientistic and secular ideology) defines the modern ethos. Such an approach negates the ongoing interest in spirituality, religion and a contemplative way of knowing and being that have played a significant role in the romantic and humanist commitments of the Enlightenment. The sheer beauty and bounty of Mystical Landscapes: From Vincent van Gogh to Emily Carr is the way this visual and literary text amply illustrates how many of the finest artists of the 19^th and 20^th centuries expressed their spiritual longings on canvass as they drew inspiration and deeper insights from the vast landscape of Nature.

The animated and deeply committed vision of Katharine Lochnan (Senior Curator, International Exhibitions, Art Gallery of Ontario) and Stephen Jost (Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO Art Gallery of Ontario) and Guy Cogeval (President of Musee d’Orsay and Musee de L’Orangerie) must be acknowledged for their intricate and meticulous labour in drawing together such a rich tapestry of historic art that links spirituality and nature. Needless to say, there are a variety of ways of approaching mystical landscapes and the varied painting in the tome and comprehensive essays illustrate the ways both mysticism and landscape can be understood in a wide spectrum. But, there can be no doubt the underlying thesis is clearly proven: there was much more afoot and awake for those who had the senses to see in the 19^th and 20^th centuries than merely hard and empirical science. The artistic and literary mystics and romantics refused to be caged by a narrow and one dimensional approach to life and their paintings make such a countercultural stance obvious. 

The intricate and delicate interplay in this packed tome between multiple essays and classical paintings drawn, mostly, from the European and North American context make for a comprehensive read and visual tour. The fact that Evelyn Underhill is often cited as a guiding visionary of the mystical grounds Mystical Landscapes in a solid and sustained manner. The equally important fact that the paintings included in the text were housed at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) from late autumn 2016 into the early months of 2017 make this collection an unusual and rare coup of sorts for the AGO.

Reviews of Mary Ford's "The Soul's Longing" & David Ford's "Wisdom for Today" - by Ron Dart

Dr. Mary S. Ford. The Soul’s Longing: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Biblical Interpretation. Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2015

David C. Ford. Wisdom For Today From The Early Church: A Foundational Study. Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press, 2015

I have, since the late 1970s-early 1980s, had an increasing interest in The Great Tradition of Christianity. The turn by Thomas Merton to the Patristic-Medieval contemplative way, C.S. Lewis’ Medieval-Renaissance vision, an MA on John Cassian, another MA on Origen-Anthony, translations of Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of Moses and the perennial wisdom of the Desert Mothers and Fathers all whet my appetite for more. In fact, the deeper the dives into the much deep  waters of the Classical past, the finer the pearls of lost or forgotten insight and wisdom. Werner Jaeger, Georges Florovsky and Jaroslav Pelikan taught me much on such a journey, hence I remain charmed by those who turn to those who have gone before to illuminate the trail that is often obscure in our thick cloud ethos. There can be no doubt Mary and David Ford are fine guides to the ancient pathways.          

The dominant ideology of progressive liberalism has tended, for the most, to adhere to what C.S. Lewis has called “chronological snobbery”.

Such an approach to history tends to demean and dismiss the past as, in many ways, inferior and subordinate to the newest facts, relevant statistics and information that besets and besieges the naïve and unwary. There are those who are not taken in by such a distorted way of reading history, who sense and see a substantive lack in the modern and postmodern ethos and long for something deeper and more nourishing: such is the longing of soul’s who, legitimately so, ask for cleaner and clearer waters---there still exists, happily so, life giving eternal wells in which a repository of classical wisdom still awaits those willing to lower their buckets.

It is rare indeed when husband and wife paddle in tandem to bring into being books that draw forth from the past wisdom that will satisfy the soul’s longing, but Dr. Mary S. Ford and David C. Ford have done so in The Soul’s Longing and Wisdom for Today from the Early Church. I might add that there is, within the broader culture of our time, a variety of voices that claim to address the soul’s longing and the meaning of wisdom in an age addicted to facts, information and knowledge. The sheer beauty of The Soul’s Longing and Wisdom for Today from the Early Church is the way David and Betty Ford have grounded human longing and classical wisdom within the time tried fullness of the Orthodox and Christian Tradition. Needless to say, both books are a hand in glove fit, complementary in a multitude of ways. Both books attempt, in their different ways, to answer the perennial question: what will most deeply and consistently nourish and satisfy the soul’s longing and restlessness?

The strength and pure gold of The Souls’ Longing is the way Mary Ford acutely and historically dissects the rabbit’s trail of sorts in the area of Biblical interpretation and hermeneutics. Sadly so, there has been a pointless and long journey cul de sac in the west in which Biblical Studies, century by century, has uncritically genuflected to the spirit of the age in which the Bible is studied as any other object. The quest for author, dating of texts, real sayings of Jesus or St. Paul, early texts, late texts, additions and deletions goes on world without end. Books are piled on books that, in the end, leave the soul hungry and thirsting for more. It is this one dimensional scholarly approach to the Bible that Mary Ford, rightly so, says a firm No to. But, in a countercultural No to such a convoluted protestant and post-protestant way of approaching the Bible, what does she say Yes to? Ford’s turn to the Fathers of the Church and their distinctive and layered way of reading the Bible is aptly summed up Appendix I-III: 1) Key Principles for a Patristic/Orthodox Approach to the Interpretation of Scripture, II) Hermeneutical Rules for Interpreting the Fathers and III) How to Learn to Love the Lord. The  three Appendix are a must read by those keen to know how to rightly read the Fathers-Scripture and come as a kindly corrective to postmodern Patristic dilettantes and voyeurs who cherry pick from the tree with little understanding of how to tend such an orchard and draw from its nutritious abundance.

The turn to what many see as the golden age of the church is wisely and well done by David Ford in Wisdom For Today From The Early Church. This well wrought urn is the congealed bounty of many years of teaching in this mother lode of the Christian Tradition and, indeed, it is about wisdom and depth, insight and transformation, clarity and clearing away that which hinder the soul’s longing for meaning. Each chapter touches on significant thinkers and themes that were relevant in the classical phase of Christianity but equally significant and relevant for our day. The large issues merely recycle from century to century, hence the reason to heed the wisdom of the Fathers. The lively tone of the book draws the inquisitive reader into a historic conversation that illuminates the insights of the past for our ahistorical and amnesia thick present. The past via David Ford’s read of it speaks across the centuries to our longing hearts, minds and ears and can still instruct and point the way to finer sites to see from. The wisdom of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church cannot be missed in this aerial overview that nimbly strides from ridge to ridge, peak to peak. “The Epilogue: An Unforgettable Story from the Life of St. John the Theologian” is worth many a reread just as “The Rise of Papal Presumption” brings much into needed focus. The chapters on Montanism and Tertullian echo across the canyons of time—many are the montanists and Tertullian types with us in our fragmented midst these days.

I have a few lingering questions that hover as I came to the end of these timely and, in some ways, timeless books. First, Mary Ford is right in calling the Church back to a more contemplative and applied read of the Fathers. But, many are the Roman Catholics, catholic (High Church) Anglicans and longing Protestants (Hans Boersma---Eugene Peterson) that are doing the same. There are, of course, the Renovare and Ressourcement movements as there was the Roman Catholic Nouvelle Theologie that attempted to step beyond Tridentine Catholicism to a more Classical vision (Von Balthasar, Chenu, De Lubac etc). There is no doubt the hunger exists to unite the text with the heart and mind, imagination and experience. There is, in short, at a more sophisticated level, ample room to ponder these diverse pilgrims and the place they are turning to quieten and deepen a longing for God by a more receptive and participatory approach to the Bible—an irenical dialogue could yield much fine fruit. Second, I have had an abiding interest in the life and writings of Georges Florovsky and Jaroslav Pelikan (having had a lovely correspondence with Pelikan) for many a decade, and I would have been interested to know how David might have engaged Florovsky and Pelikan’s read of The Great Tradition. And, third, as a finale of sorts, having taught for almost 30 years in a department of Political Philosophy and Religious Studies, I’d be interested to know how Mary and David Ford might apply the interpretation of the Bible and the wisdom of the Early Church to the pressing political, economic and ecological issues of the early 21^st century. These few questions are but hints and pointers to a further conversation that The Soul’s Longing and Wisdom for Today from the Early Church have, out of necessity, opened up better paths and revealed finer waymarks are yet before us to trek.

Ron Dart                                                           

Greg Boyd's "Crucifixion of the Warrior God" - Review (1/3) by Rob Grayson

Today I have the privilege of beginning to review the long-awaited new book by Greg Boyd, titled The Crucifixion of the Warrior God, officially released on 1 April 2017.

Weighing in at some 1,400 pages, with no less than ten appendices, an extensive bibliography and copious footnotes throughout, this truly gargantuan work took Boyd around ten years to write: no surprise when you consider that, as well as being a prolific author (with over fifteen books to his name), Boyd pastors a large church in St Paul, Minnesota (USA) and is also an adjunct professor of theology.

To make my review as accessible as possible, I had originally planned to write it in a single post. However, given the size and scope of the book, I’ve decided to break my review down into three parts. In the first two parts, I will attempt to provide a concise overview of the structure and content of the book; in the third part, I will share  some thoughts on the book’s strengths and weaknesses as I see them. (I hope to post parts 2 and 3 over the next few days.)

The Harrowing of Hades: A Visual Retelling of the Orthodox Tradition - Review by B Jersak

The Harrowing of Hades: A Visual Retelling of the Orthodox Tradition 

Illustration and Design: Margie & Michael Elgamal

Story: Dalia & Reda Fayek (Creative Orthodox, 2017).

Available on Amazon

The Harrowing of Hades is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Christian tradition of that same name. I became aware of the graphic novel while following Michael Elgamal's @CreativeOrthodox postings on Instagram. He is particularly good at educating believers about the gospel and the great saints of the church through icon-inspired, cartoon-styled illustrations and comments. He sometimes includes fascinating video footage of the artistic process.

The book itself begins with a foreword that starts out, "What I'm about to tell you may or may not have happened, but it is the truth."

Modern Western believers have a history of difficulty understanding how profound truth (theological or otherwise) can be conveyed through stories that may not claim to be factual history. They are often bothered by suggestions that biblical books like Job or Jonah might have been dramatic works of fiction. Or that the Genesis narrative is cast in the genre of mythology, as if that somehow made it less TRUTH. Orthodox Christianity, however, stewards a long-standing tradition of creating stories that communicate our most cherished theological treasures. This practice would be analogous to Christ's composition of parables, which we understand, but folks can get rattled when the stories include important historical figures as characters.

For example, ask a mature Orthodox teacher about the presentation of the Theotokos to the temple and you should hear a beautiful story of the Virgin Mary's childhood, her life in the temple, her experiences in the holy of holies, at so on. Ask them what the story means--the truth it tells--and you will be greatly enriched, especially in your Christology. But ask them whether they think it "actually happened" and you're likely to get a polite look of incredulity. If it's fiction, does that make it less true? Dostoevsky or Lewis fans know better.

So it is with the Harrowing of Hades. The narrative of Christ's descent into and conquest of hades is central to our understanding of who Christ is, what his death and resurrection mean, and how this accomplished for our salvation. The truth of that theology is embedded in our Scriptures, our theology and our liturgy. "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tomb, bestowing life." 

Did Christ actually conquer death and rescue the dead? Oh yes! Do we believe he died and was raised in fact? Of course. These events were, we believe, absolute truth and we would also regard them as historical facts, witnessed in time.

But in his death, did Jesus Christ literally go to a 'place' under the earth, confront a 'being' called Hades, work his way through a prison system with 'real' iron bars to break open actual locked doors? Did he descend all the way to the tombs of Adam and Eve and literally pull them out by the wrists and, with them, lead a parade of people out of the grave? Most of us doubt that the story happened in that way, but how better to witness to the truth it tells? We must visualize the mysteries of Holy Saturday and tell the story as best we can from our limited perspective. 

Elgamal states the matter better than I--what he says for the book applies to the whole tradition: 

This little book isn’t meant to be a historically accurate recollection of Christ’s descent to Hades, it’s a symbolic reimagining.

The narrative we call "the Harrowing of Hades" gathers together the prophecies of the Old Testament, apocryphal writings (esp. the Gospel of Nicodemus), an abundance of liturgy and teachings of the early Church, including Fathers such as Cyril of Alexandria, Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Ephrem the Syrian. 

Michael Elgamal consulted all these sources (and more) and gathered the pieces together in an attractive and imagination-provoking 42-page book. He walks readers through the story into the deeper truths the story tells. Here we meet Simeon, John the Baptist and Lazarus, prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel, King David and others, all proclaiming their hope in the One who would defeat the last enemy and ransom their souls from the grave in resurrection power.

The author granted me permission to post a few screenshots for this review, so readers can see the quality and simple style of his work.

After the narrative proper, the book includes appendixes with some beautiful excerpts from Macarius the Great and St. John Chrysostom's 'Paschal Homily.' These give us a sense of the rich sources the author is drawing from--hopefully teasers that will lead us to further study. To help us with that, he includes a page of 9 of his key references. Then he closes with 3 black and white pages for readers who enjoy contemplative colouring.  

All in all, an excellent introduction to the theological heritage of Holy Saturday that has been too long neglected as we rush from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. 

   

 

 

Review of Robert Macfarlane's 'Mountains of the Mind' - by Ron Dart

Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: How Desolate and Forbidding Heights were Transformed into Experiences of Indomitable Spirit (New York: Pantheon Books, 2003).

O the mind, mind has mountains

- Gerard Manley Hopkins

From death in valleys preserve me, O Lord

Robert Macfarlane (p. 9)

Have men and women, throughout the long stretches of human history, taken to the mountains the way we do in our time and ethos? Have white crowned peaks, rock diadems and spear spires always drawn the curious, energetic, skilled and interested? Have mountains always been a place of allure, delight, charm and attraction? Or, is the passion for the mountains and out of doors hiking, climbing and glacier traverses more a product of the last few centuries? If this is the case, why is it? And, deeper yet, what are the reasons (complicated and diverse though they might be) that women and men take to the mountains, challenging rock rims and high perched peaks?

Mountains of the Mind attempts, in a variety of ways, to answer these questions. Such abiding questions, though, are not merely answered from the safe confines of the academic and library chair. Robert Macfarlane, to his  credit, attempts to scale the peaks of such answers from a variety of routes. Macfarlane is Scottish, a climber and international in experience and interest. He has taken to many peaks, and his answers to the questions raised above emerge both from within himself and the multiple voices from those who have taken to the peaks in the past. Mountains of the Mind is as much about the internal ascents, hard places, difficult routes, worrisome crevasses, long trails, fears and insecurities that dog one and all as it is about the external and hard realities of real mountains and packed snow places.

Review of Ron Dart's, "The North American High Tory Tradition" by Matthew and Joy Steem

Review of The North American High Tory Tradition

With what has been transpiring on the US side of the border, it might be tempting to wag our Canadian fingers. Ron Dart, prodigious writer, mountaineer, poet, political science prof, and one of Canada’s leading intellectuals of the Red Tory tradition, admonishes otherwise. In his recent book, The North American High Tory Tradition, he demonstrates that the two apparently differing ideological camps have a single root. And we in Canada, wish as we might, are not as free of the offending subsequent effects as we may think.  

In this text, Ron Dart has managed to accomplish quite an astounding thing: not merely reflect cogently – and with pique – on wide-ranging topics such as (but not limited to), Noam Chomsky, Platonic versus Aristotelian philosophy, contemplative mysticism, Allen Ginsburg, C.S. Lewis, the Beats, Anglicanism, Erasmus, Puritan theology, Charles Taylor, colonialization, and T.S Eliot, but even more impressively, has masterfully strung through all these topics and personalities a thread which, by the conclusion, brings home to the reader an undeniable fact: liberalism is a weed which must be dealt with if we as people – not just Canadians, or Americans or Westerners – are to flourish.

Sound like a rather large undertaking which Dart has attempted? It is; and, he has done it beautifully. Each of the above topics, along with still others, are handily dealt with in a way that aids to a great enlargement on a topic that isn’t much explored these days: the importance of what true conservatism looks like.

Kierkegaard: Father of Christianity without the religion - Interview with Stephen Backhouse

Originally posted on CWR blog by Brad Jersak

Art by Delphine Lebourgeois

Kierkegaard: Father of Christianity without the religion - Interview with Stephen Backhouse

 

CWR magazine is known to our readers as promoting Christianity Without the Religion. But of course, we’re not the first to do so. Some of the 20^th century’s theological greats—Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth, for example—were great critics of Christ-less religion as over against the living faith of Christ-centered revelation. But if we were name “the father of Christianity without the religion” in the modern era, the honor would surely go to the Danish thinker and provocateur, Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). He once wrote,  

 

There is nothing so displeasing to God as taking part in all the “religious” Christianity with the claim that this is worshiping God. If you believe, as surely you must, that to steal, rob, commit adultery, and slander is displeasing to God, then official Christianity and its worship is infinitely more abhorrent to him. Again, it is my duty to exclaim, “Whoever you are, whatever in other respects your life may be, by refusing to take part in all this public worship of God as it now is, you have one sin the less, and that a great one.” You have been warned.

 

A relentless opponent of the Danish Lutheran state-religion, he sowed seeds for today’s nones (non-affiliated Christians) and dones (“done with church” Christians). But his influence extended far beyond either Denmark or even Christendom. He is also recognized as the father of existentialism, leaving his mark on philosophers such as Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. With that introduction, CWR magazine is pleased to welcome Stephen Backhouse, author of Kierkegaard: A Single Life (Zondervan, 2016), to shed more light on this author, his thought and his influence.    

 

CWR: Stephen, could you give us a brief summary of Kierkegaard the man?

 

Ha! No. I doubt I can briefly summarize Søren Kierkegaard, the funny, cranky, annoying, joyful, worshipful, genius who attacked Christendom in the name of Christ and the common man and who massively overestimated our ability to understand him as he did so. I can tell you that he died in 1855 at the age of 42 after a life of fragile health and probably epilepsy. That he spent almost all his days in Copenhagen, Denmark. That when he died there was a near riot at his funeral because his supporters and his enemies alike were offended he was being given an official Christian burial. That a popular newspaper waged a public campaign of mockery against him. That two generations or so of Danish boys weren't given the name Søren because of the association with him. That he loved - and was loved by - a wonderful woman named Regine but that he broke off their engagement because he knew he was being called to stand outside of the comfortable Christianized life that 19th century Danish marriage represented. That he wrote. A lot. All the time. That he invented existentialism, that he gave us the idea of 'the leap of faith', and that if you value 'being authentic' or like people who 'walk the talk' and 'practice what they preach', and that if you suspect there is a big difference between being a follower of Jesus Christ and being a member of common sense Christian culture then your imagination has been shaped by Kierkegaard whether you know it or not.

 

CLICK HERE to continue

Review of David Ford (trans.), "Chrysostom: Letters to Saint Olympia" - by Ron Dart

Saint John Chrysostom: Letters to Saint Olympia. Trans. and Intro. by David C. Ford (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press: New York, 2016).

There has been a dearth of sorts in the English speaking world of a solid book that covers, in thoughtful depth and detail, the letters that Archbishop John Chrysostom sent to one of his dearest friends, Olympia, in his painful exile (404-407 CE) that terminated in his death.

Chrysostom, as most who are acutely aware of the politics of his time, came to the golden city of Constantinople in 398CE from another major city, Antioch, to become the Archbishop. Constantinople was rife with political intrigue and Chrysostom, the golden mouthed, brooked little folly or foolishness from clerics, laity, leading political leaders and the high mucky mucks of the day. This, of course, led him to many a clash and tension with those in the church and state who opposed his vision of the church and a just society where tales of two cities dominated.

Olympia had established herself (coming from a wealthy and aristocratic family) as the leading spiritual director and Amma of sorts of Constantinople when Chrysostom arrived in 398 CE. Olympia had freed her servants, given much of her property and possessions to the poor and needy and established a convent of sorts in Constantinople (that became a home and haven for many women). It was predictable, therefore, that when John arrived in Constantinople, he and Olympia (given their leadership abilities and ascetic life styles) would work closely together to deepen and enrich the meaning of Christianity in a major see of Christendom.

The six years Chrysostom and Olympia worked closely together (398-404 CE) knit them together in a way that is most rare and unique. When John was, as anticipated, sent into exile in 404CE, it was natural that Olympia would feel part of herself had been severed. It was natural that Olympia would feel deserted, alone and opposed (for she identified with John and his followers contra those who supported the emperor and his wife). Olympia often felt discouraged, despondent and abandoned. Many were the women she had to shepherd, much was the opposition she faced and few were those who could, at a deeper level, console her soul.

David Ford has, in this superb missive of sorts, offered the curious reader, a finely wrought overview of the life of Olympia, some of the major themes of the seventeen letters Chrysostom wrote to Olympia and, much to the delight of Chrysostom-Olympia historic keeners, the letters themselves. This is the first time in English the letters from Chrysostom have been brought together in the way they have. Sadly so, the letters from Olympia have not survived, but much can be inferred from the letters by Chrysostom to Olympia.

Ford has brought together many an ample footnote for those who are interested in going further along the historic context and ethos of John and Olympia’s period of history. The larger themes that stand back of the letters such as internal church politics, church and state clashes and tensions are as much with us today as then. I was fortunate, many a decade ago, to do a Master’s degree at Regent College (1979-1981) on John Cassian. Cassian, like Chrysostom, suffered the theological clashes and church politics, and it was Chrysostom who sheltered him in 399CE from the intrigues of Alexandria and Constantinople.

It might be significant to note that many of John’s letters, perhaps, in trying to be pastoral, leaned too far in the direction of the mind as a means of curing despondency and depression rather than the heart. The task, of course, when being pastoral, is discerning how to address heart and head, feelings and mind. I think it can be noted that John leaned too far in one direction and this can be seen as a limitation in his letters to Olympia.     

The sheer beauty of Saint John Chrysostom: Letters to Saint Olympia is the way larger issues are played out in the agony of personal relationships and the way leaders of the church attempt, in their imperfect and finite way, to support one another. The letters by John to Olympia are landmark testaments to affinities and friendships that weather the storms of their time. The ending is not, at one level, pleasant. John died in exile, Olympia died a year later. It is the faithfulness of John and Olympia in the midst of demanding struggles and many a disappointment that shines through in these letters and makes this a burnished gold book. Do read and inwardly digest this bounty of a correspondence. The faith journey will have much more integrity as a result of sitting with these two all too human saints of the church. Many thanks, of course, to David Ford, for his yeoman’s labour in bringing forth a much neglected correspondence. The light from the past still shines clear and bright.

Ron Dart      

Review of Rowan Williams' "God With Us" - by Alex Rayment

Book Review - Rowan Williams ‘God with Us’

 

Reading Rowan Williams is a true privilege. His words lead the reader down familiar paths and into fresh, new plains.  Recently the former Archbishop has had a few smaller works published of sermons surrounding a particular topic: the life and challenge of a Christian, discipleship in its many guises and this time, the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.   

 

In the first half of the book, Williams take the three predominant views of atonement theory and weaves them together in a three-braided cord of deep theology presented simply.  As we first encounter 'The Sign' of the cross, Williams explores not only the obvious sign of sacrifice, the beauty and the horror of Jesus' love for us, but we also encounter a sign of God's freedom and his forgiveness.  Here we see an example of theology's proper task - Seemingly complex, overlapping themes become simple in Williams’ presentation of a most important doctrine.  

 

Rowan Williams' concludes Part 1 by writing: 'the meaning of the cross of Jesus is something that constantly moves between different poles.'  This conclusion is not only a challenge but an invitation. One can be tempted to choose a favourite atonement theory.  One that fits.  But here we are asked to stretch ourselves.  Think outside our own theological frameworks and explore what God may be communicating through these differing modes of understanding the moment history changed forever.  Once again our lives may be changed afresh as we observe the cross from a different angle, through a different lens and with a different posture.  

 

The second half of the book explores the resurrection.  Investigating the 'then' and 'now' of the resurrection leads us to explore more fully the impact of this defining moment in the life and work of God.  Beginning with the end allows us to see in true N.T Wright fashion that these 'final days' instituted by the resurrection means that 'God had brought in a new age, but a new age that was still historical and earthy.'  This then leads us to a most important factor in much of Williams' work.  The resurrection is yet another event, possibly the primary event, in the life of Christ where God shouts loud and clear 'Human beings matter'.   As Jesus appears in human form in the resurrection, walking, eating, and touchable we are allowed to believe that humanity does in fact matter in the eternal life of God.  No longer is religion escapism from the world but an immersion into a fuller humanity, shining as we embrace who we are rather than finding money, possession, habit, or technology shaped fig leaves to cover ourselves with; creating a mirage that everything is OK.  

 

This form of writing theology, also undertaken by N.T Wright, is a most welcome resource for the church.  Both these scholars tackle doctrine that is often overlooked due to complexity and confidence.  Yet, here is another example of theology aiding the church in its understanding, inviting it on a journey long-forgotten.  This book is perfect for small group reading or a lenten devotional.  The major problem with this book is it leaves the reader desiring more and to that end I would highly recommend Scot Mcknight’s work, following a very similar theme: ‘A Community Called Atonement: Living Theology”.

Review of Barry K. Morris' "Hopeful Realism in Urban Ministry" - by Ron Dart

Barry K. Morris, Hopeful Realism in Urban Ministry: Critical Explorations and Constructive Affirmations of Hoping Justice Prayerfully (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2016).

There are legions of books on the techniques of church growth, ways and means to be church friendly, selling the church as a commodity of sorts and the church reduced to, in many ways, an entertainment industry. Such a way of approaching the life of the church tends to demean and distort qualitative Christianity and pander to a shallow and cheap grace quantity. The sheer beauty and grace of Hopeful Realism in Urban Ministry is the way Barry Morris (with a fine foreward by Tim Dickau) offers deeper probes into a more authentic Christianity.

Hopeful Realism has eight compact chapters and Appendix A-B. Each of the evocative chapters draws the curious reader into their enticing orbit in a thoughtful and compelling way: 1) Proposal of Hopeful Realism, 2) Urban Ministry and Theology’s Enduring Themes, 3) Urban Ministry’s Dynamics and Triad Intimations, 4) Hope via Moltmann and Urban Ministry Intimations, 5) Justice via Niebuhr and Urban Ministry Intimations, 6) Prayer via Merton and Urban Ministry Intimations, 7) Longhouse Ministry and Networking and 8) Summary Considerations and Conclusions. Appendix A, in a wise and judicious manner, touches on “The Merton and New Monasticism Check and Balance” and Appendix B offers the practical “Networks‘ Viva Voce Testimonies and Inducing Central Story Line”.

The title of this must read missive makes abundantly clear the portal that must be passed through: this is not a book about naïve and untried idealism or a defeatist cynicism that collapse when the hard issues are pressed deeper and further. This book is, indeed, about “hopeful realism” (not despair or a sentimental optimism) in the midst of the urban fray (and some of the more rougher cultures within the urban context). The fact that Barry draws on such luminaries as Moltmann, Niebuhr and Merton speaks libraries about the way many of the ideas in the book have been tested and faithfully tried for decades.

Hopeful Realism is as much about the theory of hopeful realism within an urban context as it is about practical means of living from and into such a situation. This burnished gold of a book has certainly been refined on the anvil of real life and lived dilemmas that ministry must face in the trenches. In short, this is not merely yet another academic book on how to be a successful church in a city context. The obstinate fact that Barry has lived such a life and this book is his literary child and manifesto of sorts does need to be noted. The life of a minister who has been committed to one place for many years does bear witness to a life of integrity----not flitting like a spiritual butterfly (like many today) from place to place, conference to conference, retreat to retreat, guru to guru. The downtown area of Vancouver has been Barry’s vow of stability centre, family and home. Depth does emerge when stability and commitment to place becomes a spiritual discipline and Hopeful Realism amply illustrates how this is the indubitable case.

It was somewhat heartening to note how Barry mined the theological insights of Moltmann, Niebuhr and Merton, but, as a Canadian, I’d have been delighted if Barry had also given Canadian theologians more prominence. The Canadian colonial way does run deep. Barry does mention the Canadian theologian Douglas Hall in passing, but he does not mention Canada’s most important public theologian-philosopher, George Grant (who did much to shape Hall’s theology). Would it have been possible to raise Grant-Hall to the level of Moltmann, Niebuhr and Merton? It certainly would have, but overcoming a colonial tendency in which non-Canadians are valourized for guidance and a north star to the exclusion of Canadians does involve some soul searching.      

I have no doubt that Hopeful Realism will not be a bumper crop seller for those who think mega-church and thin church growth notions. But, for those committed to costly grace and faithfulness to a deeper understanding of Christianity, this book should be one of the central on the shelf books.

Ron Dart                                      

Richard Harries' "The Beauty and The Horror" - review by Alex Rayment

The Beauty and The Horror by Richard Harries
ISBN:9780281076932 published by SPCK 

God is good.  All the time.  All the time.  God is good. For that is His nature. But what about right now, in Aleppo?  What about in oncology wards?  Where is that goodness in the Congo as millions have been slaughtered over wars fuelled by a western desire for minerals to create a more powerful smartphone?  

In The Beauty and The Horror, Richard Harries unpacks these often unnerving questions in a way that is both pastoral and yet unsatisfied with hiding from serious contemporary evils.  Harries’ ability to communicate to an audience both in the Church and outside comes across as he beautifully weaves together strands of literature accessible to all.  An obvious fan of Rowan Williams, R.S Thomas, Reinhold Neibuhr, C.S Lewis and William Golding, Harries takes the reader on an epistemological journey, presenting the precise nature of the Christian response to suffering in the world.  

Richard Harries, whose influence spreads far and wide, is predominantly writing this as a response to a trajectory of atheistic rationalism however what is witnessed a few chapters in is a writer who cares about the reader’s opinion.  This is not a book to just consume and move on but it asks questions of the reader; principally ‘Is Harries right?’ 

As to the answer to suffering,The Beauty and The Horror presents us with Jesus of Nazareth.  Not only does Harries explore who we are talking about when discussing Jesus but goes on to say that through a filial relationship with this same One we may begin to experience the reality of how “the Christ who holds us now holds us close to himself through and beyond death.” (p.146)  It is this Christian ‘hope in the face of death’ that rises above simple wishful thinking and presents an answer; suffering happens, it is not good, we shall overcome because He overcame.

In the chapter Beyond Tragedy, Harries uses a series of novels to describe how, a Christian experience of suffering is never a full-stop.  Both the resurrection and redemption of and through Christ offer the best example of this.  Novelists, filmmakers and other artists often attempt this as their story arc, maybe because it does in fact give us hope.  Not hope of a sentimental sort but hope that changes the way we live and how we live.  “Furthermore tragedy can actually make more luminous the values that apparently lose out in the world of events.”(p.199)  Harries, by no means wishes to make light of suffering he wants to in fact suggest that a hope-filled engagement with very real suffering, and not wishful-thinking nor escapism, is what allows us to be ‘truly human’.

This book is great in prose and universal in accessibility.  It is not, however, the final word on the subject but allows the reader to begin to unpack how a Christian may profess a good God who is always good and still watch the news daily.  Harries does not go into detail of the parakletos that Jesus promises.  The comforting Spirit that is a well of refreshment in a dry and barren land; however he does present such an evangelistic message throughout that the keen eyed reader will in fact see the embrace of the Holy Spirit woven throughout. 

Review of Brad Jersak's "Jesus Showed Us!" by Chuck McKnight

A little over a year ago, I reviewed Brad Jersak’s A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel. In so many ways, it was exactly what I had been needing. While folks like Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd had introduced me to the idea of a God who looks like Jesus, it was Brad Jersak who helped me put all the pieces together into a full and rich theology, one soundly rooted in both scripture and church tradition (particularly the Eastern Orthodox tradition).

I have since then recommended his book to more people than I can count. I consider it to be among the most important and desperately needed works of our day. If you haven’t read it yet, I cannot urge you strongly enough to do so now.

Yet an important gap remained to be filled. A More Christlike God provides the perfect remedy for those of us raised with a toxic version of Christianity, now rethinking our beliefs. But what of our children? How do we communicate the truths of the beautiful gospel to our kids, without inadvertently carrying over the toxic baggage of our upbringing? We want to start them off with the picture of God we wish we’d had all along.

To this end, I could not be happier to tell you about Brad’s new children’s book, Jesus Showed Us! As the title implies, it’s all about how Jesus shows us what God is like. Paired with 16 iconic illustrations by Shari-Anne Vis, the book walks through the life of Jesus to teach children (and adults) about our perfectly Christlike God. 

Review of Richard Rohr's "The Divine Dance" - by Alex Rayment

This review is approached with fear and trembling.  Fr. Richard Rohr is a writer who almost needs no introduction and his latest work, The Divine Dance, he describes as the ‘most important book [he has] written’.  Even with a very limited knowledge of Rohr’s previous work, The Divine Dance is like reading a pilgrim’s journal at the peak of a very long and arduous journey.  With extensive engagement of Christianity’s finest scholars, Rohr is taking the book entitled the Trinity of the bookshelf of the Church, dusting it off and reminding us of its essentiality.

 

The Divine Dance’s major project is to present both the sheer beauty and urgent centrality of the doctrine of the Trinity.  Tracing the doctrine from Genesis to Revelation, from Early Church to contemporary writings, Rohr argues that whilst we talk about a Triune God, what Christians actually do is worship a patriarchal God that had an interesting Son and occasionally does things by his Spirit.  Rohr implores us to re-cast all that we think about who God is and uses countless images of relationship as a way of refreshing this ancient doctrine.  If one, as Rohr describes, ‘lives in the flow’, then this relationship language is the perfect language for describing a living relationship with God.  As the title suggests, the perichoresis (circular motion) of the Trinity is not a movement happening in the abstract cosmos but is a very real invitation from God to His creation, asking us to join that dance.  This ‘flow’ allows humanity to be truly human and enables us to be attentive and aware of the Spirit’s guiding.  Here is a prayer that Rohr draws on that sums up what he describes as The Divine Dance:

 

God for us, we call you Father.

God alongside us, we call you Jesus.

God within us, we call you Holy Spirit.

You are the eternal mystery that enables, enfolds, and enlivens all things,

Even us and even me.

 

The use of terms such as ‘mystery’ may be uncomfortable for some, so it is important to know where Rohr is writing from.  Being a Franciscan Priest of the Perennial Tradition, Rohr also states Karl Rahner as being his favourite European modern theologian.  Rahner (1904 - 1984) was an incredibly profound Catholic Theologian who lived through both world wars and was an advisor to the Second Vatican Council.  Also writing to a backdrop of the dawn of post-modernism, Rahner specialised in the realm of Christian mystery and Richard Rohr in this latest book, certainly takes up that mantle.  However, not all questions are answered.  Where Rohr focusses on the eternal nature of Jesus, he loses the profundity of the Trinity in the historic life of the Rabbi-Carpenter of Nazareth.  As Rohr attempts to focus our gaze on the Trinity he runs the risk of making it an abstract idea where the notions of ‘love’ or ‘relationship’ become God.  ‘God is love’ is not the same as saying ‘love is God’ and here we meet the supreme challenge of a work like Rohr’s.  God, in his freedom, defines the bounds of what may we say about Him in the life of Jesus.  Could He be other than that?  Of course He could. And Rohr is probably closer than most in explaining the Trinity, however if Jesus is not the starting point of how we talk about God we are on a razor’s edge between idolising subjective human attributes (like love) or fallen notions of who God should be (like a fighter for my cause).  

 

However, the absolute accessibility of this work despite the engagement of oft dismissed ‘heavier’ works of Christian literature, is a noble feat in itself.  The need for this kind of work is essential.  If only every Christian writer drew from wells as deep as Rohr’s, or even exposed themselves to a similar breadth of authorship, the Church would be much better at talking across denominational lines. Rohr’s ability to present such a doctrine with the tone of a friend on a long walk is a very special gift.  As a pastor, Fr. Richard has the Church’s spiritual life as his heart and this is witnessed throughout especially with the final section of the book which includes way of applying all that has been read into the daily life of a reader; again a strange and wonderful talent for a writer concerned with such a doctrine.  This book is not only a thought-provoking read but it is an invitation to go on a journey in the Divine Dance and never, ever leave.

Review of David W. Congdon's 'The God Who Saves' - by Alex Rayment

Congdon, David W, The God Who Saves: A dogmatic sketch (Chicago, IL, United States: Cascade Books, 2016)

 

A new kind of thing?

 

The term ‘Christian universalism’ may conjure up many images in the mind of the everyday follower of Jesus.   These concerns or preconceptions of the phrase are often tied up with humankind's need to judge that which is good or other.  What Congdon presents in his new book is a clear need for a revision of terms.  Where most scholars use a biblical methodology, in The God Who Saves, we see a more systematic approach to arguing for the Christian account of universalism.  The argument simplified is thus: the event of salvation is for all but not only that, it is the centre of all.  Congdon names this soteriocentrism.  In the age-old theological battle of doctrinal supremacy, here we see that rather than Patriology, Christology, Pneumatology, or any other -ology, the theology of Salvation becomes the arc above all existence.  

 

It is relatively simple as to how these jumps are made, although potentially explosive.  1) God freely chooses to define himself as the ‘Saving One’. 2) This is made concrete in the temporal life of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, and then made accessible by his Spirit through the Church.  And 3) (perhaps most radically) salvation is not a once for all change of nature but by life in God, salvation is an ongoing “ontic transformation of existence”.  Whilst we must wait until the Epilogue to find out what Congdon suggests regarding other faiths, people who have come to death through horrific means or, traditional belief in conscious life after death, here begins the necessary ground work on what we can enquire upon here on earth; and it is an utterly convincing effort.

Canadian High Tory Tradition Offers Alternative to US-Style Politics - C.S. Morrissey

Americans horrified at the prospect of a Trump presidency talk about moving to Canada. But what if Canada offered more than just a geographical solution to anybody disgusted with American politics?

In The North American High Tory Tradition, Professor Ron Dart presents a largely forgotten tradition from Canadian history. He argues it offers everybody in North America a political philosophy worth rediscovering.

Since 1990, Ron Dart has taught in the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia. In the 1980s, he was on staff with Amnesty International.

Dart distinguishes the Canadian Tory tradition from both the conservatism and the liberalism dominant in America. By explaining how Canadian history once showed us there is a third option, Dart’s hope is Canada will rediscover the High Tory tradition, even if America continues on its downward political spiral.

He wants Canada to stop being influenced by U.S. politics into thinking the only choice modern voters can have is a binary one. Renewal in politics will come only if we can conceive of a politics with aspirations higher than what is usually presented to us in the voting booth.

CLICK HERE to continue

Review of Richard Rohr's "The Divine Dance" - by Caleb Miller

The topic of the Trinity in Christian theology and history seems like a perennial discussion, one to which the answer is best left to the theologians and scholars to work out. Who on earth can fathom what it means to be one with God, yet simultaneously maintain the individuality we so cherish? The early fathers worked this out as “homoousian” – of the same substance – but even that language seems lacking to discuss the nature of perichoresis – crudely, interpenetration, or mutual infilling. Terminologies like “dance” seem to fit the bill in the best way possible, especially as the Trinity is discussed outside of the realm of academia.

Enter The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr & Mike Morrell. Immediately, from the foreword by Wm. Paul Young (The Shack), theology is given a proper setting, or rather context – “bad theology is like pornography”. Young immediately sets the stage for what is to follow. That is, a confession of an addiction to theological porn. And who better to take it on than Fr. Rohr?

Review of Gisela H. Kreglinger's "The Spirituality of Wine" - by Stephen Imbach

Stephen Imbach was the founder and director of Soulstream, a dispersed contemplative community that also trains spiritual directors. 

A few gleanings from reading one of my favorite books “The Spirituality of Wine” by Gisela H. Kreglinger.

A well-crafted wine teaches us that the world is bursting with the grandeur of God.  Savoring a glass of wine reveals something of the abundant generosity of God.  God could have just provided us with water, but for the joy and pleasure of his people and to reveal his extensive, loving generosity he gave us wine.  Christ’s first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana was not just a happen-stance, but expresses Christ’s desire for us as community to joyfully celebrate the grandeur of God and the abundant gifts of his creation.  Sharing wine in community allows us to lift our hearts toward God and to one another.

Historically, the church has been ambivalent toward our God given capacity to smell, feel and taste; setting these senses apart from spirituality.  The vintner can be a tremendous aide in the recovery of our God- given senses, turning them toward a life of contemplation.  Of course there will always be those who abuse the gifts of God, but a well-crafted wine encourages us to expand our senses into becoming prayer.  As we enjoy the pleasure of drinking a glass of wine we are offering our delight to the God who gave us such an unnecessary, excessive gift.  Enjoying God’s delightful gift of wine is truly a rich experience of worshipping our Creator. 

It would be incredible to see Western Christianity embrace, without reservation, the joy of delighting in God’s gift of wine as a sincere, honest way of enhancing our relationship with God and each other.