DLT £10.95 (0-232-52489-0); Church Times Bookshop £9.85
This is, in some ways, an unconventional sequel to Alex Wright's
Why Bother with Theology? The publication of that book, in which
theology was told to "get a life", contributed, the author says, to the ending
of his job in religious publishing, and to a self-questioning that led to
this book.
Wright's first book's challenging critique of the traditional methods of
Christian theology, and develop-ment of a secular theology, is complemented
here by an attempt to outline a secular spirituality, within which those with
an "open and enquiring mind" are encouraged to wrestle with questions of
ultimate concern.
Dismissing as "anachronistic" and "distastefully imperialistic" the
possibility of finding the meaning of life in any one religious
tradition, Wright looks for meanings in personal remembrances. He is confident
that reflection on the story of one's own life-journey, and of the relationship
between self, people, places and creation, can illuminate a more transcendent,
overarching meta-narrative.
This method underlies each main chapter, as personal reflections from
different staging-posts along the author's journey invite the reader to
consider meanings of life under the headings of self and the world, loss, love,
and fulfilment. Examples from contemporary fiction and film, woven into
the story-telling, provide a map to guide readers through their experiences.
The openness and creative depth of Wright's self-reflection is, perhaps,
this book's greatest strength; but he bears the scars of his unemployment, and
not far beneath the surface of this exploration of secular spirituality lie
bitterness and resentment directed at Christianity. But those who wish to
defend traditional forms of organised religion will here find challenging
questions and an insightful methodology that conventional responses will not
satisfy.
The Revd Dr Jones is Chaplain of Merton College, Oxford.
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