An Introduction to Christian Theology: Biblical,
classical, contemporary
Anthony Towey
Bloomsbury £22.99
(978-0-567-04535-5)
Church Times Bookshop £20.70 (Use code
CT413 )
Theology: A very short introduction (Second
edition)
David Ford
Oxford University Press £7.99
(978-0-19-967997-3)
Church Times Bookshop £7.20 (Use code
CT413 )
THE OUP Very Short Introductions have something of a following,
and justly so. International experts cover vast subjects within the
limits of a handy pocket-sized book. Each one manages to combine a
certain comprehensiveness with a somewhat moreish character - the
reader is left well fed, but always wanting more.
The series as a whole covers everything from advertising
(Winston Fletcher) to Wittgenstein (A. C. Grayling), and includes
Anglicanism (Mark Chapman), Christianity (Linda Woodhead),
Fundamentalism (Malise Ruthven), and Spirituality (Philip
Sheldrake) .
David Ford's approach to theology will be well-known to many
readers. This second edition contains valuable new material that
recasts Christian theology in the light of developments in
scriptural reasoning and interfaith dialogue. This is most welcome,
and the expansive way in which Ford addresses and advances
theological thinking is both fresh and original.
Ford's sentences are peppered with the traces of his long-time
colleague (and father-in-law) Daniel Hardy. Phrases pivoting on
words such as "rich", "deep", "wisdom", and "intensities" pervade
the book. The "multiple intensities of modernity" are to be met by
discernment, cultivated creativity, new partnerships, virtues,
practices, and discipleship. All of this is to be rooted in the
overwhelming abundance of God, the face of whom, in Jesus Christ,
theology constantly seeks.
Ford's theology is a rich and subtle blend of deductive and
inductive methods, but is cautiously reticent about any of the more
reductively inclined theologies. This might account, perhaps, for
the rather slight focus on liberation theologies, under which
umbrella one might include feminist, queer, and other forms of
radical theological reasoning. And it may be that when it comes to
a third edition (as it surely will) much more could be said about
the urgency of reshaping our current theological discourses -
ideally, with much greater focused attention to the experiences and
voices of those who experience the Church as marginalising and
apolitical.
Anthony Towey's book is a rather different project, and hails
from a Roman Catholic foundation. At more than 500 pages, it is
excellent value for money, and offers an open, clear, and lucid
perspective on theology - the kind that could be bettered only by
Alister McGrath. Indeed, Towey's work would make an excellent
companion for the kinds of introduction for which McGrath has
become well-known. It is strong on ecclesiology - as one might
expect - and his coverage is unfailingly clear and
comprehensive.
Towey is clearly a very gifted writer, and able to take his
readers through dense and complex theological issues with assurance
and clarity. In the highways and byways of Christian history, and
the maze of doctrines, and theological and moral issues, he is as
sure a guide as one could hope for. The treatment of sacraments,
for example, achieves in about 20 pages of text more than most
authors could convey in a long book. Towey has that great knack of
distillation and clarity, but without oversimplifying or
distorting.
But both volumes could, arguably, do more to affirm the
tradition of loyal dissent that often drives the Church forward -
restless, uncomfortable, and rebellious though such proponents may
be. In an ecclesial world that sometimes feels increasingly
"climate-controlled", both volumes could perhaps do more to
emphasise and honour the prophets who have given us clarity and
conscience in equal measure.
The danger of all introductions to theology is that there is a
tendency to neaten and straighten the edges. Yet it is the rough
edges of ecclesial communities which often bring the greatest
creativity in their interaction with the real world, and then go on
to challenge the centre of the Church. The rough rims of religion
are often the ones that contest the borders and boundaries of those
vested power interests governing faith.
The difference between the two volumes - price and size aside -
is that Towey lays out arguments and theological issues in very
clear sections, and the book is, in many respects, analogous to a
well-signed motorway, pointing us towards divinity. The clarity
will suit some readers well, especially at the early stages of
undergraduate level. But, if you think the route to divinity should
be a more labyrinthine journey, with space built in for getting
lost, sidetracked, and distracted, then it is likely that you will
be more drawn towards Ford's approach, with its emphasis on
density, depth, richness, wisdom, and expansiveness.
But to evaluate the two is really to compare apples with
oranges. Both are excellent value, and represent sure and sublime
introductions to theology. Careful readers will know, however, that
all introductions to theology are a beginning and not an end. But
with Towey and Ford you could not make a better start.
Canon Martyn Percy is the Principal of Ripon College,
Cuddesdon, and of the Oxford Ministry Course. He is the Professor
of Theological Education at King's College, London.