Imagining God: Theology and the Religious Imagination

Rating:
Summary: Imaginary theology, real apostasy from the Christian faith
Review: By conceiving the point of contact between divine revelation & human experience in terms of "imagination," the author contends, we can acknowledge the priority of grace in the divine-human relationship while at the same time allowing its dynamics to be described in analytical & comparative terms as an entirely human religious phenomenon. As for the Bible, he argues that its "inspiration" consists simply of its imaginative force, the literary power it has to re-form the human imagination; its "unity" is the ability of the canon, despite inconsistencies & contradictions, to render a coherent gestalt; its "authority" is its actual functioning as a normative paradigm for the faithful imagination. To the theologian, he asserts, belongs the exciting task of continually reinterpreting that normative imaginative paradigm to meet the ever-changing needs of the believing community. The message of the cross, he says, is merely that it images a God who rejects the use of force, choosing rather to work by capturing the imagination of us fallen humans. If you have read this summary without feeling sick to your stomach, this book may be right for you. Otherwise, I would recommend it only for academic study.

Rating:
Summary: Imaginary theology, real apostasy from the Christian faith
Review: By conceiving the point of contact between divine revelation & human experience in terms of "imagination," the author contends, we can acknowledge the priority of grace in the divine-human relationship while at the same time allowing its dynamics to be described in analytical & comparative terms as an entirely human religious phenomenon. As for the Bible, he argues that its "inspiration" consists simply of its imaginative force, the literary power it has to re-form the human imagination; its "unity" is the ability of the canon, despite inconsistencies & contradictions, to render a coherent gestalt; its "authority" is its actual functioning as a normative paradigm for the faithful imagination. To the theologian, he asserts, belongs the exciting task of continually reinterpreting that normative imaginative paradigm to meet the ever-changing needs of the believing community. The message of the cross, he says, is merely that it images a God who rejects the use of force, choosing rather to work by capturing the imagination of us fallen humans. If you have read this summary without feeling sick to your stomach, this book may be right for you. Otherwise, I would recommend it only for academic study.

Rating:
Summary: Calling this 'imaginary' theology is a cheap shot
Review: To call this eloquent and provocative book an 'apostasy' is misleading in the extreme. Green's book tackles precisely the dichotomy between imagination and reality that such a statement assumes. Green argues that imagination is a necessary, even vital, aspect of human knowing, like it or not. I agree. We should not ache longingly for the days in which imagination (and Christianity) was villified and scientific positivism was championed. Green's apologetic, in my view, is a step up from the stuff of Josh McDowell's Evidence That Demands a Verdict!

Green's main argument, summarized sparely in the other review, is that imagination forms the divine-human 'point of contact,' which was the meat of the Karl Barth-Emil Brunner debates of the late 1920s-1930s. This is not some sort of fantastic imagination, like a theology of Alice in Wonderland. Rather, Green qualifies the theological imagination as 'faithful,' 'realistic,' and 'paradigmatic.' Green's exposition of imagination makes use of Thomas Kuhn's philosophy of science to qualify the imagination as 'paradigmatic,' that it makes use of holistic patterns which cannot be dispensed at will. In the vein of Brunner, Green suggests that the paradigmatic imagination may be considered the formal point of contact between God and humanity. In a tip of the hat to Barth, however, Green does not contend that the imagination gives any theological content. For that, he points to Jesus Christ as the 'paradigmatic' image of God -- very much in the manner of his doctoral mentor, the late Hans Frei.

The point of using imagination as a central category is not to say that Christianity is imaginary (although people this side of the eschaton will continue to think it so). On the contrary. The point is to talk about revelation in such a way that makes it intelligible and comparable with other imaginative enterprises (such as science, history, and fiction). This recovery of imagination proves remarkably helpful for thinking about Christianity itself, whether we're talking about the image of God, the problem idolatry, or the biblical treatment of the 'heart.' A good sermon, in my view, provokes me to imagine things differently, as well as pushing me back into the text. This book has a similar effect.

Imagining God, as well as Green's more recent (and expensive) book, should only be considered apostasy to those who have a vested interest in maintaining a stolid fundamentalist/biblicism or an equally unimaginative liberalism. There are many provocative points along the way, but this book can be read and re-read for its numerous little insights. All thing said, this is one of the best little theological books that most people never read. Five stars may be a little much, but at least it evens out that other review.