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Adventure and fireworks

by
27 March 2012

Jennie Hogan looks at two presentations of Christianity

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Meet Jesus: A call to adventure
John Twistleton
BRF £6.99
(978-1-84101-895-9)
Church Times Bookshop £6.30

Insurrection: To believe is human; to doubt, divine
Peter Rollins

Hodder & Stoughton £11.99
(978-1-444-70342-9)
Church Times Bookshop £10.80

TWO approaches to Christology can be found here: one providing food for the curious, the other, fire to the fading. The former can be described as a handbook to the Christian faith. Such guides are surprisingly difficult to find, certainly those that manage to combine unpatronising, fact-filled teaching with sensible calls for action and reflection.

Encountering Christ here marries the body with central tenets of faith. “Open your mind” relates to reason, for instance; “open your hands” relates to service. The chapter on the eyes explores worship, which is compared to an electric lift. Such directness is combined with sen­sitive approaches to the sacraments, with the help of Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI, the prophet Isaiah, and a slice of St Matthew’s Gospel using the translation The Message.

Chapters are interspersed with meditation using spliced biblical passages. Each chapter contains a deft summary, and ends with calls to action. All of these are realistic, some brave in their scope: the three calls completing the above chapter suggest an extensive examination in preparation for the parish Sunday eucharist; a visit to evensong in a cathedral and a trip to a Charismatic church, “staying open to the possibility that God may speak to you directly through the worship”. Lack of sentimentality is maintained throughout with frank and cour­ageous honesty.

Jesus the connector is John Twistleton’s focus, and his imper­ative is at once clear and invigorating. The appendix is daring in its simplicity, and includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat, and the Ten Commandments. Group-session guidelines following the six chapters end this accomplished gem, which unassumingly demands top place on a confirmand’s book list, and prominent places in parish-church bookshelves.

“Go in pieces to see and feel your world.” So ends Peter Rollins’s assault on comfort-making Christianity. Each page explodes with the fervent desire to convince readers again and again of the terror of the crucifixion. His insistent message is repetitive, but well argued. Rollins describes his work as “pyro-theology”, and it is a fitting trope.

The quirky anecdotes that precede each chapter, the large fount, and short attention-seeking headings cleverly seduce the reader. And yet its intention is to dislodge and question pretentions and collusion with crutch, deus ex machina Christianity. Moreover, the elaborate coverings we construct upon ourselves receive mordant criticism. Death, guilt, and meaninglessness are exposed in the face of the cross.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the theme of part 2, “Resurrection,” while remaining tireless and demanding, is a call to loving action. His statement, “to believe in God means nothing other than to be the site where love is born” comes as a relief. But, of course, that L-word has always been deceptive. Romance is forbidden; instead, unfettered “violent loving action” is demanded. Such force, he suggests, can rupture abuse and power.

The dynamism of St Paul and the conviction of Bonhoeffer help to flesh out Rollins’s uncompromising calls. It is a brave new world described here — the aftermath of the Christological fireworks Rollins displays. It is not pretty, but it is certainly compelling, with the power to transform: a Christ- shaped kick to anyone sitting comfortably.

The Revd Jennie Hogan is the Chaplain at Goodenough College, in London.

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