KEITH WARD is one of the most influential British philosophers of religion. He has written many books, but his latest book may be the most significant.

This year I reviewed John Caputo’s book What to believe? Twelve short lessons in radical theology (Books, March 8) I praised the book for its consistent approach, as Caputo rejects any traditional understanding of God, but also said it poses a challenge to anyone who would advocate a more traditional understanding of Christianity in light of modern science and biblical scholarship.

I doubt Ward has read Caputo’s book, let alone the review, but in many ways his book provides exactly the kind of answer that was needed. It is accessible, thorough, and above all honest in addressing the challenges facing Christianity without patronizing the reader. His book will not be popular with biblical fundamentalists or those who wish to be constrained by conventional liturgy or exclusive claims to Christian truth. Ward, however, succeeds in staying true to central Christian ideas while providing new and compelling interpretations.

The idea that we can know what Jesus actually said is rejected. He spoke in Aramaic, and the memory of his words was translated into Greek some time later. Both he and St. Paul were men of their time, and Paul’s initial idea that Jesus would soon return a second time was clearly wrong. Paul could not have known anything about the cosmos as we understand it today, or about the laws that govern it.

Ward is clearly critical of the many Anglicans who have been exposed to biblical scholarship during their education but do not pass it on to their congregations. As he puts it: “I have heard sermon after sermon in which a simple gospel story is retold as if it had never been critically examined. … It would be intellectually irresponsible to tell biblical stories as if they were an accurate record of what happened in Jesus’ day.”

Ward attributes the clergy’s reluctance to be honest to a fear that honesty will alienate the congregation, but says the congregation is already largely lost. What is needed is an account of Christianity and science that retains core Christian insights. Ward succeeds in doing this.

Ward examines central Christian claims, including incarnation, atonement, redemption, life after death, the nature of God, and spirituality. While rejecting central parts of traditional understanding, he offers plausible and compelling alternatives that can be intellectually viable in the modern world.

Ultimately, he is an idealist who assumes that mathematical and other truths necessarily exist, that mental states cannot be explained by science, and that God chooses (an important word) to realize one of several possible worlds in which love, freedom, and an afterlife are central to humankind.

Ward’s book should be read and internalized by bishops and priests, and his ideas should be communicated to a wider lay audience that longs for more honesty and rigor in its preaching, as well as to those who dismiss Christianity as anti-intellectual.

Dr. Peter Vardy is a former Vice-Principal of Heythrop College, University of London.

Spirituality and Christian faith: Life-affirming Christianity for questioning people
Keith Ward
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