Two little Rowan Williams books are in a batch of recent arrivals. I'm impressed with the way Williams takes big subjects and presents them in an approachable and pastoral way.
Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief
Publisher's description...
What does it mean to believe in God? Can God possibly be almighty in the
midst of so much evil and disaster? How am I to understand the meaning
of Jesus Christ's ministry and resurrection? To what purpose is the
church called? And what does it really mean to follow Christ in today's
broken world? Tying together the answers to all of these questions and
addressing perplexities such as the possibility of miracles and how to
read the Bible, Rowan Williams demonstrates that each of the basic
tenets of Christian faith flows from one fundamental belief: that God is
completely worthy of our trust. With vast knowledge of Christian
history and theology and characteristically elegant prose, Rowan
Williams is a superb and compassionate guide through the richness and
depth of Christian faith.
Why Study the Past?: The Quest for the Historical Church
Publisher's description...
The well-worn saying about being condemned to repeat the history we do
not know applies to church history as much as to any other kind. But how
are Christians supposed to discern what lessons from history need to be
learned?
In this small but thoughtful volume, respected
theologian and churchman Rowan Williams opens up a theological approach
to history, an approach that is both nonpartisan and relevant to the
church's present needs. As he reflects on how we consider the past in
general, Williams suggests that how we consider church history in
particular remains important not so much for winning arguments as for
clarifying who we are as time-bound human beings. Good history is a
moral affair, he advises, because it opens up a point of reference that
is distinct from us yet not wholly alien. The past can then enable us to
think with more varied and resourceful analogies about our identity in
the often confusing present.
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