Abstract
Thomas O’Loughlin, emeritus professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham, is a prolific scholar whose work will be well known to readers of ITQ. One of O’Loughlin’s many gifts is the ability to communicate abstract theological ideas in an accessible way for non-specialist readers. Allied with this is his readiness to expose ahistorical approaches to Christian theology and liturgy, which can so often stymie meaningful discussions, within the walls of academe as much as in the day-to-day life of ecclesial ministry. Discipleship and Society in the Early Churches is vintage O’Loughlin. Some readers will find it a provocative and confronting read; others will relish its questioning of long-standing shibboleths; few will remain indifferent to its content.
Those already familiar with contemporary scholarship in biblical studies and early Christianity will find little new here. However, O’Loughlin’s gift is in possessing the knack of distilling a wealth of scholarship and presenting it to a general readership in an engaging and compelling fashion. It is a rare trait, characteristic of the best of teachers; one cannot but conclude that O’Loughlin has successfully drawn on skills honed over many years of university teaching to achieve this.
In the early part of the book, O’Loughlin issues a salutary warning that ‘a false view of the past usually produces a distorted view of the present’ (p. 12) and likewise cautions against a romanticization of the earliest days of Christianity, such as can be found in the Book of Acts in the New Testament. Such a view, if taken literally, clearly cannot be squared with the sorts of issues that Paul addressed in his undisputed letters to early Christian communities, issues which point to a fractious start for the Christian movement, and which acknowledge the messiness of Christian discipleship (contra the depiction in Acts 2:41–47). When beginning to discuss what constitutes actual discipleship, O’Loughlin argues, there is much to recommend starting with the warts-and-all reality of the messiness of community living rather than with a mythic ideal. If, by contrast, you begin with the mythic ideal you are left with the problem of explaining where it all went wrong in the meantime (as the most cursory survey of Christian living in-practice immediately demonstrates). The problem then is that ‘there is always a quest for the source of the disease—be it heresy, bad practices, or wilful contrariness—and a blame-game’ (p. 54). To begin with a putative ‘golden age’, he continues, is historically fraudulent and theologically misleading (p. 55). There is much wisdom in this, and it could be argued that the crux of O’Loughlin’s argument can be found in these two pages. The reality, he continues, is that in all the earliest documents, calls for unity are an indication of the extent of actual division. He argues that the tendency of popes, patriarchs and pastors through the centuries to focus on a platonic ideal Church has not served us well; pithily O’Loughlin states: ‘there is no ideal church—just the one we have’ (p. 61). In this respect, he sees Luke’s method of depicting the earliest Christians in the Book of Acts as ‘rhetorical—and dangerous. It is dangerous because we—not the intended audience—can see it as a golden moment rather than as a perpetual challenge’ (p. 62).
A concept of discipleship that is not rooted in the everyday can also morph into what O’Loughlin terms a ‘two-tier Christianity,’ that of those who separate themselves from the world and are consecrated for a life of holiness, and the ‘ordinary folk’ who are caught up with the affairs of the world. This kind of thinking was a feature of Christian spirituality for many centuries and it is sobering to consider how novel the idea of a ‘universal call to holiness’ would have been to most Christians in the past. O’Loughlin colourfully describes such an approach as an outsourcing of discipleship to specialists (p. 70), in particular nuns and monks, on whose coat-tails (typically prayers of intercession) the great majority of those ‘in the world’ would have to rely. The rejection of the world, and a setting apart of those who were considered to be holy, could take bizarre turns. Provocatively, he ponders ‘But when the “holy” becomes the “odd”, one wonders if the Creator really does love his creation’ (p. 71).
In a subsequent chapter, O’Loughlin turns to the subject of the Eucharist and the messy realities behind expecting Christians to sit down to share a meal together. He reminds us that the meal element is not ‘simply “the context” in which religiously significant elements first appeared’; the reverse is the case. Rather, the religious ritual is what was left when what O’Loughlin terms ‘the socially demanding meal with fellow Christians was skipped, and then abandoned’ (p. 82). He is especially candid in setting out the awkwardness that diverse Christians (slaves and their owners, Jews and Gentiles, the wealthy and the poor, men and women) would likely have experienced in sharing food in inhabiting a common space while engaging in the intimacy of sharing a meal. The awkwardness continues to this day, of course, albeit in a myriad of different ways. Indeed, O’Loughlin declares that ‘there is no more divisive moment for Christians than when they gather for the meal [and] there is no topic on which they will more readily condemn and attack one another’ (p. 84). He explores issues relating to the weaponization of the Eucharist, and how it is so often used as a marker of theological boundaries. But not just theological boundaries. O’Loughlin recalls an experience in a Catholic church in India in which he encountered two lines for communion, one for ‘ordinary’ Christians and another for Dalit Christians (p. 94). Meals are never simply just about the consumption of food, O’Loughlin suggests; the foods we share are ‘not only vehicles of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, but bearers of memory, identity, and inclusion/exclusion’ (p. 94).
In a subsequent chapter, O’Loughlin deals with issues relating to discipleship and ministry, and in particular draws attention to the incongruence of a papal title such as ‘servant of the servants of God’ when set alongside the reality of power that contained within the traditional claim that a particular pope is ‘now gloriously reigning.’ He then spends some time exploring the priority that Christianity places on service of neighbour; indeed, in 1 John 4:20 the implication is that love of neighbour chronologically precedes abstract statements of love for God. The idea is that those who are needy get served first: ‘When that is done . . . then there will be time for formal prayer, lovely liturgy and reflections on the truth of the gospel. But right now there may be more urgent matters’ (p. 107). O’Loughlin’s thoughts here brought to mind the late Irish biblical scholar, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s observation, customarily delivered with an impish grin, that ‘we pray for people we don’t give a damn about; for those we love, we act.’
O’Loughlin’s penultimate chapter deals with issues pertaining to ministry, its origins and expression. In this he is keen to emphasize that ‘every specific ministry is a particular variation of the ministry of all the baptised’ (p. 116) and that ministry should more properly be viewed as service rather than potency. In this respect, he argues that ‘rituals like ordination should be seen as actualising and recognising gifts already within the church from the work of the spirit rather than the conferring of “powers” extrinsic to the person’ (p. 121). If the spirit truly empowers each community with the variety of skills it needs, he argues, then we might talk less of closing churches and the shortage of ministers and, instead, ‘move on to the more fruitful task of discovering the wealth of vocations that are all around us’ (p. 134). In the final chapter O’Loughlin touches on questions surrounding what he terms ‘The Challenge of Equality,’ most notably the role of women in ministry and the treatment of LGBT+ Christians, but the treatment here feels a little rushed. These sections might have been expanded upon and discussed at greater length, given their significance in contemporary discourse.
Slim in size, Thomas O’Loughlin’s work on Discipleship and Society in the Early Churches nonetheless packs a powerful punch. It is thoughtful, learned, engaging, and provocative, and some who pick it up will have their assumptions challenged and their certainties shaken; but there are few who will regret the journey with O’Loughlin as guide.