Introduction
Introduction
We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.
Edward O. Wilson
This short book deals with the theme of Christian discipleship—the quest to go beyond a superficial grasp of our faith, discover its depths and riches, and be refreshed and transformed by them. “Discipleship” is not a biblical term; it is, however, most certainly a biblical theme. It is about a conscious and committed decision to be followers of Jesus Christ in every way possible, including the way we think, love, and act. It is about growing in our faith, as we quest for wisdom rather than the mere accumulation of information about Christianity. Discipleship is rooted in a secure, reflective, and deepening grasp of the Christian gospel. This kind of wisdom goes far beyond a simple (and often superficial) knowledge of basic Christian ideas. It arises from a deep and prolonged personal reflection on the Christian faith over an extended period of time, informing both thought and action.
This quest for Christian wisdom lies at the heart of a “discipleship of the mind”—an acquired habit of understanding and imagining ourselves and our world that is firmly rooted in the Christian gospel. It allows us to see things as they really are, stripping away illusions and misunderstandings. It also helps us with what the American philosopher John Dewey called the “deepest problem of modern life”—that we have failed to integrate our “thoughts about the world” with our thoughts about “value and purpose.” We don’t just want to know how things work; we want to know what they mean.
Yet the discipleship of the mind does not take the form of an immediate illumination of our minds, as if there is some dramatic moment of clarification through which we suddenly find ourselves in possession of full answers to all of life’s questions. Rather, it is a process of gradual growth in wisdom, paralleling an athlete’s training regime, through which we absorb and assimilate the Christian vision of reality and allow it to percolate through our minds and inform the way in which we think, imagine, and act. Happily, other people can help us do this—especially those who have thought about this over many years. This is one reason why engaging with writers who are thought to be wise—such as the four figures considered in the second part of this work—can be so helpful.
As in my earlier work Mere Theology (2010), I engage regularly and appreciatively with C. S. Lewis, now widely regarded as one of the most significant Christian writers of the twentieth century. I draw on Lewis in two ways. First, I endorse Lewis’s notion of a generous consensual Christian orthodoxy, famously set out in his classic work Mere Christianity (1952). This emphasizes the core ideas that Christians share in common, without advocating any specific denominational agenda. Christian discipleship transcends denominational boundaries, even though it can be enriched by the spiritual traditions of individual denominations.
Second, I frequently use Lewis himself as a point of reference in this work, not least on account of his idea of Christianity as offering a “big picture” of reality, which helps us to see ourselves and our world in a new way. This basic theme is expressed with particular clarity in an image used by Lewis in the concluding sentence of his landmark lecture “Is Theology Poetry?” (1945), which is explicitly referenced at three points in this work and implicitly assumed at many others: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” For Lewis, the “big picture” that lies at the heart of the Christian faith allows us to discern the patterns of meaning and value that lie behind and beneath our observations. Discipleship is about grasping this picture and living meaningfully within its frame.
Each of the thirteen chapters gathered together in this collection addresses aspects of the theme of discipleship. Some had their origins as sermons, some as informal talks, and some as major public presentations over the period 2010–17. I have edited these lectures and presentations to reduce their size, achieve consistency of style, and sharpen their focus.
The work is divided into three parts. The first consists of five substantial chapters introducing the discipleship of the mind, developing the general theme of what I like to call the “reflective inhabitation” of the Christian faith. To be a Christian is not to passively accept a set of intellectual beliefs, but to take delight in them and explore their implications for the ways in which we think and behave. As the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset observed, we exist within a world that is shaped and nourished by beliefs, which in turn shape our mental and spiritual life. These beliefs shape our vision of reality: “In them we live, move, and exist.” They concern what really matters and the difference that this makes to the business of life.
Ludwig Wittgenstein made a similar point, suggesting that religious belief is about “passionately taking up” an interpretation of the world, so that it is not simply a way of thinking but “a way of living.” Good theology is thus about fostering authentic and meaningful living, not simply right thinking. And for Christians, that life of faith is supported and nourished by the community of faith—by the church.
Christians stand within and belong to a community of reflection and proclamation, deeply rooted in the past yet able and willing to engage the issues of the present. We gain insights and wisdom from those who have journeyed in faith before us, as well as those who are now journeying alongside us on the road. These five chapters open up and explore some important themes, such as how the creeds help us deepen our faith, the role of the church in encouraging discipleship, and the place of books and mentors in our personal growth.
The second part of this work is more focused, looking at four leading recent exemplars of a discipleship of the mind—Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957), C. S. Lewis (1898–1963), John Stott (1921–2011), and J. I. Packer (born 1926). These chapters were originally public lectures. These four writers have developed their own distinct modes of reflective inhabitation of the Christian faith from which there is much to be learned. These are only four of the writers who have become my fellow wayfarers on the road of faith. It goes without saying that many others—such as Marilynne Robinson—could easily have been included. I have highlighted some points made by these four that I personally find both wise and illuminating. Most of us end up adopting a group of writers as our trusted friends—not because we agree with them on everything, but because we find them to be thoughtful, engaging, and helpful. Even when we disagree with them on some things, we find others that they help us find new insights into.
Finally, the third part of this work brings together four sermons touching on the discipleship of the mind, focusing on how we cope with journeying in hope through darkness. The elusive word “hope” has been the subject of immense interest in recent years. Dozens of theories and definitions have been put forward about what the word means, and the difference that hope makes to human life. Christianity has always known this idea, which it sees in its own distinctive way as allowing us to cope with suffering, to journey through darkness, and to live meaningfully in a world in which things often don’t seem to make complete sense. The Christian philosopher John Macmurray captures this aspect of hope well: “The maxim of illusory religion runs: ‘Fear not; trust in God and he will see that none of the things you fear will happen to you’; that of real religion, on the contrary is, ‘Fear not; the things that you are afraid of are quite likely to happen to you, but they are nothing to be afraid of.’”
Two of these final four pieces are university sermons, one preached before the University of Oxford in 2016, the other before the University of Cambridge in 2015. These sermons are traditionally seen as substantial reflections on aspects of the Christian faith, intended to engage and stimulate university audiences. The remaining two are much shorter, representing sermons preached in Oxford in 2013 and 2014, which were broadcast live on BBC Radio 4. As the BBC allowed me only 1,000 words for these sermons, I found myself struggling to pack as much insight as possible into such a short piece.
It remains for me to thank those who invited me to give these lectures and presentations in the first place, and my many correspondents who urged me to publish them in the second. There is much more that needs to be said about all the themes engaged in this collection, yet I hope these pieces will serve as useful starting points for going “further up and further in” (C. S. Lewis) to the life of faith.
I have pleasure in dedicating this small volume to Regent College, Vancouver, a school of theology that excels in bringing together heart and mind in exploring and grasping the riches of the Christian faith. I have long valued my association with this school and its dedicated and talented faculty.
Alister E. McGrath
Oxford