Charles Williams: Essential Writings in Spirituality and Theology

Rating:
Summary: Co-Inherence in Our Time
Review: Charles W. Williams is, in many ways, the "forgotten" member of the Inklings, a literary group that more famously included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, among others. His most well-known works are the seven "Theological Thrillers", i.e, "All Hallows Eve", "The Place of the Lion", "Shadows of Ecstasy", "The Greater Trumps", "War in Heaven", "Descent into Hell", and "Many Dimensions". There are few, if any, novels like them in modern English literature, and they truly are "thrilling" - frightening (Stephen King is a piker by comparison), uplifting, amazing, and simply glorious. Williams' literary output was considerably larger, and included poetry, literary criticism, and especially philosophy and theology. This volume is a dense but in the end highly satisfying taste of his theology and spirituality, which is rich and unique, to say the least, and includes a discussion of his unique constructions of "Co-inherence" and "Substitution". While a knowledge of his seven novels is useful, a new reader will find this collection to be a fascinating reflection of a towering thinker who has been much overlooked, but hopefully will find a new audience in our time. Highly recommended. One can only hope that more of his works will soon be back in print.

Rating:
Summary: Co-Inherence in Our Time
Review: Charles W. Williams is, in many ways, the "forgotten" member of the Inklings, a literary group that more famously included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, among others. His most well-known works are the seven "Theological Thrillers", i.e, "All Hallows Eve", "The Place of the Lion", "Shadows of Ecstasy", "The Greater Trumps", "War in Heaven", "Descent into Hell", and "Many Dimensions". There are few, if any, novels like them in modern English literature, and they truly are "thrilling" - frightening (Stephen King is a piker by comparison), uplifting, amazing, and simply glorious. Williams' literary output was considerably larger, and included poetry, literary criticism, and especially philosophy and theology. This volume is a dense but in the end highly satisfying taste of his theology and spirituality, which is rich and deep, to say the least, and includes a discussion of his unique constructions of "Co-inherence" and "Substitution". While a knowledge of his seven novels is useful, a new reader will find this collection to be a fascinating reflection of a towering thinker who has been much overlooked, but hopefully will find a new audience in our time. Highly recommended. One can only hope that more of his works will soon be back in print.