McGrath and Lewis on Theology
One of the most important theological mentors in my life has been Alistair McGrath. In his book What's The Point of Theology?: Wisdom, Wellbeing and Wonder, which has inspired me in my current series of blogs, he writes:
Looking back on my own journey of faith, I now see that I was fortunate in those I chose as my theological mentors. I discovered C. S. Lewis and initially relished his rigorous intellectual and imaginative account of the Christian faith. Yet Lewis served another function for me: he acted as a gateway to a tradition of wisdom, pointing me backwards to writers he had found helpful--such as Augustine of Hippo, G. K. Chesterton, Dante, George Herbert and Thomas Traherne. As I explore this rich territory of theological wisdom, I found myself being anchored to the past, not in the sense of being restricted and confined by the limits of that past but, rather, in the sense of being connected with a long history of interpretation and reflection on the great themes of faith, from which I could learn.
Lewis had an intellectual framework that helped McGrath and can help us today as we connect with other Christians who write on theology. In An Experiment in Criticism, Lewis wrote:
My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others . . . Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality . . . In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad of eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
We can tap into a rich tradition of Christian theology, exploring the voices of the past that challenge and explore the faith without having uncritical acceptance. Left to our own understanding, we may not be gaining spiritual wisdom but only admiring our own spiritual skills. The pursuit of good theology is done in community--yes as individuals but as individuals who engage with a great cloud of witnesses.
Comments