Christ the Stranger: The Theology of Rowan Williams

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Rowan Williams is a complex, creative and versatile thinker. Not only a theologian and church leader, he is also a poet, a translator, a literary critic, a social theorist and historian. His imaginative vision brings together the streams of modern literature, patristic theology, Russian orthodoxy, German philosophy and Welsh piety. In this lucid and elegant guide, Benjamin Myers explores Williams' thought from the 1960s to the present. He shows that Williams has developed an immensely resourceful - and distinctively Christian - response to some of the major social, moral and intellectual challenges of our time.

Reviews

Myers' book exhibits many of the traits he describes in the theology of Rowan Williams: an attentiveness and care that makes the familiar strange, a sparse but rich prose that bears re-reading, a seeking always for historical foundations and resources. In fact, this elegant book is a complex intellectual biography that convincingly roots its hero in a series of engagements - the centrality of MacKinnon, Wittgenstein and Hegel in Williams' thought is revealed - but those engagements are then shown to occur within an on-going practice of and reflection on the life of prayer. Throughout the complex paths of Williams' theology are introduced with clarity and verve.' - Lewis O. Ayres, Durham University, UK -- Lewis O. Ayres
An accessible, interesting, and persuasive account of this difficult yet important modern theologian.' - Alister McGrath, King's College London, UK. -- Alister McGrath
Listed in the 'new titles just published' section of the Church Times.
... what this book does is to trace Williams' theological development and set outthe main themesof his work in a concise and accurate way. -- Church of England Newspaper
This is really a very good book. Like the writings of its subject, it is at once engagingly readable and densely complex. -- Medi Ann Volpe, Durham University (UK) * Modern Theology *
In his book Christ the Stranger Benjamin Myers offers an account of the intellectual sources of the former archbishop of Canterburys Theological vision. Myers organizes the book into fourteen vignettes, each illuminating a different aspect of Williams thought. While this structure allows for quite a diversified account, one theme emerges as central: Williams negative theology rooted in Christ There are more elements to Myers bookEliot, Hegel, Freud and others play a role in Williams development. Such a varied account raises a few questions regarding the synthesis of Williams vision These questions suggest the value of entering further into Williams work, and Myers has provided a helpful introduction. -- Matthew Thollander * Anglican and Episcopal History *

Author Bio

Lecturer in systematic theology at Charles Sturt University's School of Theology in Sydney. He is author of many essays in theology and literature and writes at the popular blog, Faith and Theology.