Theological Notebook: Reading Rowan Williams

[novak]

Been reading Rowan Williams, now finishing up his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, and about him. Wanted to jot a few passages down, such as this precise critique of the anthropological assumptions underlying peace movements (and the political and cultural Left more broadly, perhaps?) since the 1960s: When, in the late sixties and early seventies

Comments

[canonjohn]

I am rather attracted to +Rowan at several levels, although I must admit that I haven't read him as much as I should. More reading about him and his thought (kind of like reading about prayer rather than praying - my great defect i the spiritual life!). So all this just to say that I am glad you are tking him seriously and reading him. I've been really impressed at the volume of writing that +Rowan ha produced even while being an active bishop. No disrepect, but I can't think of many US RC bishops who are good theologians.
John

[novak]

No, I'm afraid a lot of our bishops weren't selected with those strengths in mind. I do think B16 is being more mindful of selection, from what I've heard.

I was introduced to reading RW from Philip Sheldrake, taking a Theology and Spirituality Master's course from him at Notre Dame twelve years ago. We read some articles I found collected later in a volume of his that I later picked up entitled On Christian Theology that I found really stimulating to the theological imagination in a similar way to Origen (if more proper to contemporary orthodoxy). After seeing what being bound down to the pastoral responsibilities of being a bishop did for Augustine and Ambrose, I could wish more theologians got saddled with that work!