Approaches to God
APPROACHES TO GOD. By Jacques Maritain. (Allen and Unwin, 8s. 6d.) THE NEW MAN, CHRISTIANITY AND MAN'S COMING OF AGE. By R. Gregor Smith. (S.C.M. Press, 10s. 6d.) CHRIST AND THE MODERN OPPORTUNITY. By C. E. Raven. (S.C.M. Press, 8s. 6d.) WHAT Al3OUT You? By George Reindorp. (Hodder and Stoughton. 4s. 6d.)
NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY. By J. B. Phillips. (Hodder and Stoughton, 10s. 6d.)
'THERE is not just one way to God. as there is to an oasis across the desert or to a new mathematical idea across the breadth of the science of number. For man there are as many ways of approach to God as there are wanderings on the earth or paths to his own heart.' Maritain. who prefaces his latest book with these words, is well known for his approach to God through philosophical reflection. Although he writes here of a pre-philosophical knowledge of God and describes the approach of the practical intellect, his main emphasis is on the 'Five Ways' of S. Thomas. and the Angelic Doctor speaks here with clarity through the words of his most dis- tinguished modern interpreter. It would be difficult to imagine a more succinct and successful modern exposition of Thomism, and those who disagree profoundly with its presuppositions cannot fail to be impressed by the acumen of its exponent and by the intellectual passion with which it is presented.
If Thomism fails to satisfy today, it is—to use T illich's phrase—because of its 'heteronomous' nature: it seeks to impose a system of ideas on the forms of a society to which they are fundamentally alien. Gregor Smith, in his Alexander Love lectures. takes up Tillich's point, and sees what he calls the 'Great Revolution' from the Renaissance onwards in the overthrow of Christianity as a metaphysical system, with the return to history as the place of God's activity and of man's self-understanding. Gregor Smith has a fresh and incisive analysis of the past and he defines his problem thus : 'What we are concerned with is the search for a new anthropology which will pay proper respect both to the insights of the Renaissance about men and the insights of Christianity about God.' His own approach lies through Buber and Bultmann to Bonhoeffer, that great German Christian who wrote in his prison cell on the eve of martyrdom about the need for a 'religionless Christianity' which is concerned not with personal salvation but with the 'worldliness of God,' a Christianity which is saved from immanentism by the individual's secret discipline of self-effacing devotion and hope.
There is much that is obscure as well as stimulating in this approach, and German categories of thought arc not easily grasped by the English mind. Christianity is not just one of the religions : it is a total way of life for the whole man and for the whole of life. This is the concern not only of Gregor Smith, but also of the Dean of Exeter. The first three chapters of Christian Focus are devoted, perhaps surprisingly, to economics, history politics and war. The Dean (who has had much lay as well as clerical experience) has one eye on the 'Kingdom' as well as the other on the 'Church.' This bifocal vision enables him to see the spiritual meaning behind much that lies beyond the conventional orbit of 'religion.'
One of the most fruitful approaches to God is through the testimony of those whom we admire and respect. Here lies the main value of Canon Raven's Mission addresses in McGill University. There is nothing new here, but the exact reproduc- tion of the spoken word impresses the reader with its freshness and spontaneity. Here is the testimony of one who has wrestled all his many years with the problems of religion, science, politics and social conditions. 'At the risk of egotism every preacher has got to say somehow : Come hither and I will tell You what the Lord has done for my soul.' These addresses form a moving witness from one who has found Christ as the inspiration behind his varied experience of life and his vast array of knowledge. For some the approach to God will not be by these paths, but through the traditional teaching of the Church. Such people will want a plain statement of the Christian faith, with its prac- tical difficulties and its unique challenge. What About You? will tell the reader not only about himself but also much about God. Parts of this book have been previously broadcast or published : brought together, these chapters form an admir- able refresher course for Lenten reading. Mr. Reindorp is bracing without being brash : he has an unusual gift for stories which are both amusing and profound : his approach is not speculative or philosophical but practical and direct and sometimes almost naive.
Philosophy, history, testimony, tradition—these all provide different approaches to the Christian faith. For most people, however, the best approach will be a return to Christian origins. This is what the Rev. J. B. Phillips has achieved in his New Testament Christianity. He has managed to recapture what he calls the sheer spiritual zest and drive of the New Testament 'The secret,' he writes, 'is not a mere theory or idea but a fresh quality of living worked out in terms of ordinary life and circumstance.' Deploring ill-informed attacks on what is supposed to be the Christian religion, he has some telling criticisms of much modern evangelism. Apart from an imaginary conversation among angels (it is high time that a halt be called to this modern vogue of theological science fiction), this is a splendid book. Mr. Phillips points the way to a true spiritual revival, and this book deserves as wide a circu- lation as his modern translations of the New Testament to
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