Abstract
These two volumes represent the fruit of a graced collaboration between a celebrated young theologian and an older much-respected bishop (and presiding bishop), given added depth and poignancy by the pervasive sense of the younger’s impending death from the effects of ALS. Although each volume informs the other, each also stands on its own: the first as a kind of spiritual systematic theology, the second as a guide to techniques of engagement with scripture and a very brief tour through the yearly cycle of scripture readings. The two books were written in collaboration, but note is made of each authors’ contributions, tagged familiarly enough as Mark and Frank. This use of Christian names epitomizes the homey, conversational feeling that pervades the texts, which manage to address deep theological questions without resorting to the academic jargon that can make systematic theology and scriptural exegesis impenetrable—and unhelpful—to the bulk of the Christian faithful. For example, McIntosh discusses the theology of the Atonement without any of the standard terminology, though Griswold does slip in propitiation and satisfaction (Seeds, p. 103)—if only to dismiss both from further discussion. In this way, these books fulfill the promise made early in the first volume, “Our faith reaches its fulfillment not in the words of theology themselves but in the divine life toward which theology directs us” (p. 2). In this task, the authors act as fellow pilgrims along the Holy Way rather than as instructors in a didactic exercise.
Seeds of Faith makes this pilgrimage along the familiar path of systematic theology’s standard topics, from revelation to death and resurrection, with a few side-trips for good measure, in “a prayerful exploration of each of the central mysteries of the Christian faith.” (Harvest, p. 130) The approach is one of mystical theology, a meditative rather than a didactic method, and it serves well in the hands of both authors. McIntosh is the more clearly mystical of the two, while Griswold brings decades of pastoral ministry experience to bear, keeping things related to down-to-earth realities. Their differing styles work well together: McIntosh often waxing poetic in his own words, Griswold more often offering citations from a rich well of ancient and modern sources. They cover the range of topics in an accessible manner, which makes the volume an excellent resource for a parish study group taking up a chapter or two each week, perhaps as part of a Lenten program.
Harvest of Hope is perhaps less deeply helpful for such a program, although its first three chapters offer a very useful guide to a contemplative method of engaging Scripture. Griswold recounts a personal experience that showed him how powerfully Scripture can speak to a heart open to its voice (p. 20), and McIntosh affirms that when we read Scripture we are not just thinking about God or even only hearing the divine voice, but truly encountering God’s own self. “The Word who communicates with us, through . . . the special revelation of Holy Scripture, is communicating God’s very life in our midst. And God the Holy Spirit opens the ear of our heart to take in this divine truth and life.” (p. 29)
The remainder of the book consists of a tour through the seasons of the church year, highlighting selected Scripture readings as they appear. This is by no means a complete guide to or commentary on the Lectionary; rather, it shows ways in which the contemplative method outlined in the first chapters can be applied to selected readings, in their seasonal setting. Each of the authors takes up different passages, and each brings his own style to bear. McIntosh excels himself in unpacking the walk to Emmaus in a long passage that ranges from an overturn of the theology of reward and punishment through to rejection of the theology of scapegoat and sacrifice: “Love unmasks the other mendacious system . . . of making victims, and by explaining all the passages concerning himself in Israel’s Scripture, Jesus is beginning to open the disciples’ eyes to the truth: that the victims are not worthy of condemnation, their sacrifice is not necessary to God. . .” (p. 126). Griswold offers very helpful advice concerning Pentecost: to understand its meaning as a Jewish feast day, so as to inform and enrich our “appreciation and understanding” of the account in Acts, and to “reflect upon what it meant to Peter and the others as they experienced Pentecost in a new and startling way” (p. 141).
The book ends with Griswold’s reflection on Moses’ encounter with the bush that burned but was not consumed. It is a fitting ending, though it leaves the reader with a poignant feeling of loss, as the volume ends, rather than concludes. It is noted in the introduction that McIntosh died before the final editing was complete and the volume published. We can be grateful that these two books preserve some of his wisdom, along with that of his senior partner, and perhaps most of all the evidence of warm fellowship they shared in this grace-filled collaboration.