Review of Philip Clayton, Adventures in the Spirit
Review of Philip Clayton, Adventures in the Spirit
May 29, 2009 by 0 Comments
Here’s a table of contents with links to the recent posts reviewing and interacting with Philip Clayton’s book Adventures in the Spirit: God, World, Divine Action
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Blogging Adventures in the Spirit
May 5, 2009 by James F. McGrath
Although there are all sorts of spiritual adventures that can involve blogging, I
am referring here to Philip Clayton’s recent book Adventures in the Spirit: God,
World, Divine Action(Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008), a copy of which Tripp Fuller kindly provided me with as part of the Transforming Theology TheoBlogger Consortium.
In the book’s prologue, Clayton sets the stage for what follows by highlighting
the denial by many that middle ground exists in the interaction of sacred and
scientific, of ancient and contemporary (pp.viiviii). A key aim of the book is to
show that the dichotomy between conservative/evangelical and
liberal/modernist is a false one, that there are in fact a range of possible views
all along the spectrum. We are not forced to choose either to merely preserve or
merely dismantle and destroy.
The book itself is unusual, inasmuch as it is a collection of Clayton’s earlier
writings, dating from 19972008, edited by Zachary Simpson, and Simpson,
while not unappreciative of Clayton’s work, is also himself rather critical – at
least, moreso than one might have expected the editor of a volume of this sort to
be. The introduction nonetheless provides a helpful overview of what is to
follow, contextualizing the book’s arguments into the wider range of both
Clayton’s writings and those of other theologians.
Among the highlights of the introduction are some key terms and ideas which
are presented. One major emphasis, which will characterize the book as a whole,
is the desire to take completely seriously the data from the natural sciences,
even when these require rethinking of traditional theological ideas. This attitude
is characterized as “devout uncertainty” (p.4), and represents nothing more
than the committment to allow one’s views, even deeply cherished theological
views, be subjected to rigorous critical inquiry and when it seems necessary to
revision. It is this submission of one’s views to scrutiny, including that of
experts in other fields of knowledge with which coherence is sought, that is the
only way to achieve “traction” for one’s religious views (p.5). This is perhaps the
aspect of Clayton’s writing that makes it the most exciting – even if one feels
that he, inevitably, doesn’t fully achieve his aim, which is this: to not keep any of
his beliefs or presuppositions off the table, away from scrutiny and the
possibility of rethinking.
Other concepts that will be central to the argument of later chapters (and the
book as a whole) are introduced first by the editor, such as emergence, divine
action, panentheism, and the notion that God, as greater than any single
component of the universe, ought to be conceived of as “at least personal” (p.15,
quoting Arthur Peacocke). One potential criticism of Clayton’s argument noted
by Simpson is that, because of the former’s focus on human personal agents as
(Gethseminary)Gethseminary(Gethseminary)(Andre Gagne onthe Gospel ofThomas)Andre Gagne onthe Gospel ofThomas(AndreGagne on theGospel of(Church of theBeatitudes (NoGuns, Please))Church of theBeatitudes (NoGuns, Please)(Church of theBeatitudes (No(Penn LibrariesHoly LandCollection)Penn LibrariesHoly LandCollection(PennLibraries HolyLand Collection)« Dream Think Be DoThe Rocks (and Blogs) Cry Out »loci for divine activity in the world, his system is open to the charge of beinginappropriately anthropocentric (p.17).
Be that as it may, one thing thatbecomes clear as the book progresses is that Clayton is in dialogue not only withnatural scientists but with philosophers both ancient and modern, includingsome who are alltooinfrequent dialogue partners in discussions ofcontemporary theology or of the relationship between religion and science.
Although the book’s title focuses on Adventures in the Spirit, the book offers an
exciting and stimulating intellectual journey as well – not that “mind” and
“spirit” can be separated.
I intend to dedicate a blog post to each major section of the book. Part One is
labelled The Methods of Philosophy and Theology. Within it, the first chapter is
entitled “Critical Faith: Theology in the Midst of the Sciences”. That’s where
we’ll pick up again next time. In the mean time, I will mention that there has
been a series about this book on Bob Cornwall’s blog,
which I’ve avoided reading thus far, lest I either simply duplicate what was said there, or feel that what was said there was so exhaustive that I might as well forego my own blogging about the book. It even includes video of Clayton himself!
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May 5, 2009 by James F. McGrath
Although there are all sorts of spiritual adventures that can involve blogging, I
am referring here to Philip Clayton’s recent book Adventures in the Spirit: God,
World, Divine Action
In the book’s prologue, Clayton sets the stage for what follows by highlighting
the denial by many that middle ground exists in the interaction of sacred and
scientific, of ancient and contemporary (pp.viiviii). A key aim of the book is to
show that the dichotomy between conservative/evangelical and
liberal/modernist is a false one, that there are in fact a range of possible views
all along the spectrum. We are not forced to choose either to merely preserve or
merely dismantle and destroy.
The book itself is unusual, inasmuch as it is a collection of Clayton’s earlier
writings, dating from 19972008, edited by Zachary Simpson, and Simpson,
while not unappreciative of Clayton’s work, is also himself rather critical – at
least, moreso than one might have expected the editor of a volume of this sort to
be. The introduction nonetheless provides a helpful overview of what is to
follow, contextualizing the book’s arguments into the wider range of both
Clayton’s writings and those of other theologians.
Among the highlights of the introduction are some key terms and ideas which
are presented. One major emphasis, which will characterize the book as a whole,
is the desire to take completely seriously the data from the natural sciences,
even when these require rethinking of traditional theological ideas. This attitude
is characterized as “devout uncertainty” (p.4), and represents nothing more
than the committment to allow one’s views, even deeply cherished theological
views, be subjected to rigorous critical inquiry and when it seems necessary to
revision. It is this submission of one’s views to scrutiny, including that of
experts in other fields of knowledge with which coherence is sought, that is the
only way to achieve “traction” for one’s religious views (p.5). This is perhaps the
aspect of Clayton’s writing that makes it the most exciting – even if one feels
that he, inevitably, doesn’t fully achieve his aim, which is this: to not keep any of
his beliefs or presuppositions off the table, away from scrutiny and the
possibility of rethinking.
Other concepts that will be central to the argument of later chapters (and the
book as a whole) are introduced first by the editor, such as emergence, divine
action, panentheism, and the notion that God, as greater than any single
component of the universe, ought to be conceived of as “at least personal” (p.15,
quoting Arthur Peacocke). One potential criticism of Clayton’s argument noted
by Simpson is that, because of the former’s focus on human personal agents as
(Gethseminary)Gethseminary(Gethseminary)(Andre Gagne onthe Gospel ofThomas)Andre Gagne onthe Gospel ofThomas(AndreGagne on theGospel of(Church of theBeatitudes (NoGuns, Please))Church of theBeatitudes (NoGuns, Please)(Church of theBeatitudes (No(Penn LibrariesHoly LandCollection)Penn LibrariesHoly LandCollection(PennLibraries HolyLand Collection)« Dream Think Be DoThe Rocks (and Blogs) Cry Out »loci for divine activity in the world, his system is open to the charge of beinginappropriately anthropocentric (p.17).
Although the book’s title focuses on Adventures in the Spirit, the book offers an
exciting and stimulating intellectual journey as well – not that “mind” and
“spirit” can be separated.
I intend to dedicate a blog post to each major section of the book. Part One is
labelled The Methods of Philosophy and Theology. Within it, the first chapter is
entitled “Critical Faith: Theology in the Midst of the Sciences”. That’s where
we’ll pick up again next time. In the mean time, I will mention that there has
been a series about this book on Bob Cornwall’s blog
which I’ve avoided reading thus far, lest I either simply duplicate what was said there, or feel that what was said there was so exhaustive that I might as well forego my own blogging about the book. It even includes video of Clayton himself!
attr(title) Stay in touch! Like Exploring Our Matrix on Facebo
