Theology for Pilgrims

“If God is a stranger in our house, then it is quite certain that our house is not our home, for we are made to be at home with God. That we are not yet at home is not, in itself, occasion for surprise. For we are travellers, pilgrim people. . . .” —from Among Strangers and Friends: Thinking of God in Our Current Confusion

Theologian Nicholas Lash’s new collection of essays exposes a crisis in our thinking about God, a crisis at the root of our misunderstandings about science and politics, ethics and economics, life and death. Opening with a critique of Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion, Lash discusses the “impossibility of atheism” and argues that faith and reason are not at odds for Christians. From there he proceeds to retrieve the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, consider the ministry of women within the Catholic Church, and—among other delights—give insights into the works of Diderot.

Of primary importance to Lash is theology as a process. He insists that “doing theology” is integral to practicing Catholicism thoughtfully: “To be quite blunt: those who refuse to do theology—to read, think hard, discuss—simply do not, in fact, care about the truth of Christianity or, at the very least, do not care sufficiently to seek some understanding of that Word through whom all things are made, into whose light we have been called, and which will set us free.” (from On Learning to Be Wise)

Theology for Pilgrims exhibits Nicholas Lash’s characteristic intelligence, honesty, and wit, while displaying again his unrivalled ability to make the reader come “to see the point about Jesus.”

“Nicholas Lash has a very good claim to being the most influential British theologian of his generation.” —The Tablet

Nicholas Lash's new collection of essays exposes the crisis in our thinking about God which is at the root of our misunderstandings and mistakes about science and politics, ethics and economics, life and death. Opening with a devastating critique of Richard Dawkins, he goes on to discuss the 'impossibility of atheism', disentangle faith and reason, retrieve the legacy of the second Vatican Council, and - amongst many other delights - offer sparkling insights into Diderot and Joseph Conrad.

Theology for Pilgrims exhibits Nicholas Lash's characteristic exuberance, combativeness and wit, and shows again his unrivalled ability to make the reader 'come to see the point about Jesus'.

Nicholas Lash is Emeritus Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. His many books include Believing Three Ways in One God and Easter in Ordinary, also published by the University of Notre Dame Press.