Difficult Gospel: The Theology Of Rowan Williams

Rating:
Summary: Williamsian Theological Thinking At Its Best
Review: Many people, within the Anglican Church or without, were excited by the election of Archbishop Rowan Williams, who is probably one of the few theologians in the English-speaking world that command respect across a wide spectrum for his "theological integrity" (a hallmark of good theological thinking, as he admirably articulated in his _On Christian Theology_). I am sure that Higton's timely book will be welcomed by many. For he achieves what an introductory book on Williams must do, i.e. not only explains Williams' thought but ILLUSTRATES Williams' thinking process and exemplifies its complexity and challenges, hence the aptly chosen title of _Difficult Gospel_. In its own right, Higton's book is already a minor contribution to theological thinking conducted in a genuine Williamsian manner. No greater tribute can be paid by a theologian to another theologian. Higton raises new questions that would arise from thinking through Williams' theological stance on many paramount issues confronting contemporary Christians. One of them that I find most stimulating is on the topic of education in general (not just religious education as such), an area surprisingly neglected by many academic theologians. In my opinion this book is by far the best introduction to Williams' theology and I would love to see it updated and expanded to incorporate the latest developments and controversies since Williams assumed his office. Laypeople who prefer a more easy-going introduction, with more biographical information and less theological sophistication, may try the little book written by Rupert Shortt instead. Since this book seems to be not available from the American amazon, reader may wish to buy from the UK site direct.