John Macquarrie

The Anglican Spiritual Tradition, parts 1 and 2

by

By Martin Thornton

PART ONE
There is good reason for dividing this lecture into two unequal parts. I must first offer a brief resumé of what I take the Anglican spiritual tradition to be; then I should like to look rather more fully at the contemporary impact of our tradition, concluding with a somewhat dangerous game of attempting to read the signs of its future unfolding.

Pedantic haggling over the meaning of words is not the most exciting exercise, but it is apparent already that some attention must be given to that most ambiguous and abused term “Tradition”; paradosis, traditio, literally a giving-over, or handing-over. Handing-over be it noted and not handing-down.

Read more

An extended excerpt from PRAYER: A NEW ENCOUNTER by Martin Thornton

by

The next step of our reissuing of Martin Thornton’s books is an extended excerpt from Prayer: A New Encounter, and it is now available. This extended excerpt includes both Forewords that John Macquarrie wrote, first for the 1972 edition from Hodder and Stoughton, and second for the 1988 reissue by Cowley Publications. An intriguing bit from the … Read more

“Prayer and Incarnation”

by

By Martin Thornton[1] Contemporary theology is in confusion: which is at least to start with a proposition that nobody is likely to dispute. It is neither my present task, nor is it within my competence, to try to unravel the tangle; I am to be concerned with an examination of incarnational prayer within the contemporary … Read more

Homily: Faith’s name for reality is God

by

Delivered on Trinity Sunday, 31 May 2015, at Saint Paul’s, Riverside, Illinois. [display_podcast] This past Thursday was the 8th anniversary of the death of Father John Macquarrie. He was without question a major theologian in the 20th-century Church, and remains known to this day quite literally around the entire world. What’s more, Fr Macquarrie had a special … Read more

Why set-prayer?

by

What, exactly, is the ontological basis for set-prayer? The primary set-prayer for Christians, of course, is the Our Father. And it is from those words of Jesus that the Divine Office derives its raison d’etre. We often (and justifably) hear about the existential basis for set-prayer, as well as its scriptural basis. For example, the existential … Read more

The Person of Jesus Christ (Lecture 5 of 5) by John Macquarrie

by

[display_podcast] LECTURE 5 “The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ” In his concluding lecture, John Macquarrie explores what is meant by the claim of uniqueness given to Jesus Christ by the Christian religion. How can we, who are thinking creatures without an “olympian” view upon all of reality, claim absoluteness or uniqueness for Jesus and His Church? … Read more

The Person of Jesus Christ (Lecture 4 of 5) by John Macquarrie

by

[display_podcast] LECTURE 4 “20th-Century Western Christology: Barth and Bultmann” This lecture begins with a comparison of the christologies of Karl Barth and Rudolph Bultmann, and concludes with a riveting contemplation of the Mysteries of Christ’s Preexistence, Nativity, and Descent to the Underworld. Firstly to Karl Barth, who, reversing 19th century theology, began his christology in the Word of … Read more

The Person of Jesus Christ (Lecture 3 of 5) by John Macquarrie

by

[display_podcast] LECTURE 3 “Christology ‘From Below’” Macquarrie continues with a description of christology that is “anabatic,” which can be said to be theology about Jesus that is “from below” and “goes up” to the divine nature of Jesus. It is in this approach, Macquarrie argues, that Christ’s humanity comes into its best and most accessible light. … Read more

The Person of Jesus Christ (Lecture 2 of 5) by John Macquarrie

by

[display_podcast] LECTURE 2 “The Historical Problem of Knowing Jesus” Macquarrie begins his inquiry into the Person of Jesus of Nazareth through an analysis of the fruits of historical, source criticism of the New Testament Gospel accounts of Christ. 18th century thinker Samuel Reimarus proposed an account of the historical Jesus whereby he was a political … Read more

“‘Spiritual but Not Religious’ as Seed of Evangelization: A Personal Tale”

by

[Note: This article appeared in the 9 September 2012 issue of The Living Church.] Surely enough ink has been spilt about how the claim “I’m spiritual but not religious” reflects some sort of depravity. Whether it is a pervasive laziness or unthinking reaction to any whiff of institutional religion (usually the Christian Church) is unclear. Perhaps … Read more