Introducing the Christian Faith

Anglican Theological Review, Summer 1998 by Williams, A N

Introducing the Christian Faith. By Arthur Michael Ramsey. London: SCM Press, 1961. Rpt. 1996 by Terry and Mary Kohler. 97 pp. $5.00 (paper).

This little book, originally preached as a mission to Oxford University in 1960, intends to present the basics of Christianity to those who know little and believe less. In attempting to answer both the question: "What is to be believed?" and "What is believed?", it answers neither question very well. It is hard to imagine that a skeptic would be persuaded by Ramsey's arguments, brief as they are. Yet as an account of the Christian faith, some of its omissions are rather odd: the Holy Spirit is treated as an epilogue to the chapter on the resurrection, and the Trinity is not given any significant treatment at all.

In places, moreover, Ramsey's account of the Christian faith, apparently intended to be basic and uncontroversial, takes a rather eccentric turn that would be more appropriate in a work intended for theologians. His explanation of the parable of the sheep and the goats, for example, claims that the Gentiles (whom Ramsey oddly identifies as those outside the Christian covenant), are to be judged by their practice of kindness (p. 86). Appealing though this exegesis might be to those troubled by the idea of hell, it scarceIy seems responsible to represent this reading as if it were the generally accepted meaning of the text.

The strength of these little talks lies in the tone of seriousness and compassion with which Ramsey treats doubt. For a parishioner who wants to believe but feels tormented by doubt, the book might serve the purpose of consoling and encouraging its reader to persist in striving to understand. Then too, there is much good pastoral advice concerning the living of the Christian life, and its recurrent theme of grace and our dependence on God will provide a useful corrective to the unconscious Pelagianism of the average Anglican.

As an. account of the Christian faith intended either to commend Christianity to the unbeliever or to deepen the understanding of the faithful, however, it falls rather short of the mark. The unbeliever will be better served by Lewis' Mere Christianity and the believer by Austin Farrer's Saving Belief, recently back in print.

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale New Haven, Connecticut