FINISHED READING - Unapologetic by Francis Spufford

 

There is an immense amount to be appreciated in Unapologetic, Francis Sufford's book about his own experience of what purpose Christianity serves in our modern, increasingly secularised world. He puts a bucket load of conviction, his doubts and the good hearted, sharply focused mind behind it. It's a very precious thing to encounter.

Originally written when The New Atheists were flying far too close to the sun. This is not so much a riposte to atheists, but an exploration of his own feelings and understanding of what his faith is. To which he takes an honest, satirical and frequently scurilously amused eye. So concerned to show you it warts and all, as real, fallible and without resorting to any theological, let alone political, correctness. 

It's a real joy to read, whether you consider yourself to be a Christian or not. I found it has provoked quite a lot of thoughts and reflections, on the nature of not just this faith, but all sorts of faith, including my own. For being a person of any faith these days is to feel something of an outsider. 

Spufford correctly asserts that most people's choice of faith is emotionally based, than rationally arrived at. Most of the time faith arises in response to suffering. So having clear, compassionate views on human suffering is definitely required. This is where atheism will in some way be found as wanting as its traditional theist opponents.

He has then a great deal to say on Christian theological views on the nature and purpose of suffering. For when you have a deity considered responsible for the creation of everything, that makes human suffering God's responsibility too, doesn't it?  Can there ever be a credible, let alone workable fix for that?

And so he takes each of the Theodicies, traditional Christian propositions on God's purpose in human suffering, finding them all somewhat not up to scratch. Not fit for purpose at all. Our response to this are manifold, one of which is to say - this proves God is intrinsically a bastard - another that God doesn't exist - that if none of these make sense as answers, then wrqn4maybe it's the question that is wrong, or maybe our view of God is.

The existence, or non existence of God, is not fundamentally a question that can be answered incontrovertible. You can take a stance for or against, but none of us can know with uttmost 0certainty. Including Richard Dawkins. So anyone who is dogmatically certain either way is bullshiting you, or bullshitting themselves. One thing for sure, is there is a consequence of asserting God's existence, or non existence, that it will throw up its own problems.

I found Francis Spufford tried his utmost with this book to be utterly honest about what he believes. It is a refreshingly frank, humble and clear about the ramshackle inpredictable nature of his own Christian faith. It had a lot to teach me about my own, from an entirely different faith tradition. How, in a world that becomes more cruel and heartless by the day, holding to one's faith in a better world being possible, suddenly becomes extraordinarily radical once more.

CARROT REVIEW  - 6/8