This is a collection of one short lecture series and four occasional items (two sermons, a lecture, a speech in Synod) by the Bishop of Durham. Its miscellaneous nature makes it a little hard to review; so does the Bishop’s frequent lack of clarity. When he speaks of ‘encountering a structured space’ or describes his own views as ‘relativized positivism’, it is hard to understand him. (Not, admittedly, when he is trying to be offensive, which he quite often is.) In so far as there is a connecting theme, it is that of miracle; but his views on this topic are not easy to pin down. At one point he declares that anyone who believes God intervenes in the world is worshipping a ‘cultic idol’, or the devil. This is because God did not intervene to prevent, say, Auschwitz or Hiroshima. This is indeed a notorious problem for theism; but whereas traditional theists believe God may have had good reasons (e.g. his gift of freedom to mankind), Dr Jenkins seems to believe in a God who has simply determined to do nothing, and is this really more admirable morally? In any case, elsewhere Dr Jenkins is less sweeping. ‘God is at work in the world’, he says, and ‘I am quite clear that miracles occur’. The point evidently is—and here he is correct and biblical—that mere displays of power are of no spiritual value; miracles do not compel faith, they can only in fact be identified by faith. But he writes as if this truth somehow entailed that God’s work in the world was limited to work upon human minds and souls (though he does not stick rigidly to this). It does not, of course, follow; and if it were true it would be open to the same objection that he raises to traditional views. Auschwitz and Hiroshima were after all the work of human beings with whom God might have interacted, to persuade even if not to compel.
The second part (lectures at Oxford in 1987) is more coherent, though still marred by the note of contempt (here chiefly for his colleagues on General Synod). Evangelicals may even find themselves agreeing with parts. For in it Dr Jenkins is dealing with the appeal to history made by those to whom ‘tradition’ is an authority for doctrine and church life. Although the ‘moral’ argument against divine intervention is repeated, Jenkins is willing to allow some such ‘quasi-unique events’ (those involved in the Incarnation, in which, let it be remembered, Jenkins does believe). But we cannot use these to infer constant divine guidance of the church, which has in fact been riven by disagreements and stained with crimes. ‘Church history’, including his own version of it, is normally propaganda, and predicting history is impossible (though he ventures one or two forecasts himself); so that appeal to holy tradition is ruled out. As for the Bible, Jenkins seems a little unsure; he does acknowledge it as an ‘essential reference point’ which directs us to God, but does not go into detail.
This is really rather a saddening book. Here and there a real note of faith in God and in his Christ is heard; but the note of vituperation is more obvious, and there is no attempt to consider what might be said on the other side of the debate. (Perhaps limitations of time and space prohibited.) A publishers’ advertisement says the book will ‘delight his admirers and surprise his critics’; I fear it is more likely to dismay the former and alienate the latter.
