Rowan Williams on the biggest theological challenges today

Living with Difference and Biblical Theology

For those who do not know, Rowan Williams is a former Archbishop of Canterbury, a very erudite theologian, and always worth listening to.

I frequently assign his books and essays to my students to read. Not because they are going to agree with him, but because he is profound, deep, and spiritual in ways that they will rarely encounter.

Williams is definitely not an Evangelical, he is more Anglo-Catholic, a bit mystical even, yet well-versed in Latin and Eastern traditions. He is someone who thinks of theology as a conversation, not a conclusion derived from a system. This latter point is, I’d say, both his strength and his weakness.

Below is an interesting interview he did in South Africa where he was asked what are the biggest theological challenges of today. It is only 5 minutes long, it raises some good points, especially at the end. That said, I think his diagnosis is utterly wrong.

On the final point, he is right, people are losing the ability to engage in honest persuasion and live with difference.

Social media creates enclosed bubbles and echo chambers. Some churches have a righteous remnant mentality, some churches have even become more defined politically than theologically (whether conservative or progressive).

Even worse, we forget what we have in common with other Christians, with other citizens, and with other humans.

No matter how great your disgust and frustration with other people, when you wake up tomorrow you will still have MAGA conservative neighbors on one side and rainbow-haired nose-ringed progressive neighbors on the other side.

So we need to figure out a modus vivendi, a way of living together, a way of living with differences.

This is precisely why I’ve advocated and championed John Inazu’s concept of confident pluralism, which for me embodies the Christian ethic of loving your neighors as someone different to you.

Beyond that, I think Williams is profoundly wrong about biblical authority, even racist in his remarks.

---

To read further, consider joining the “Aviary” by taking out a paid subscription, only $7 per month or $75 per year, supports me in my ministry and scholarship, and gets you 4-5 posts per week on biblical studies, Christianity and gender relationships, cultural commentary, book reviews, previews of my forthcoming books. Also, access to exclusive content in the Paideia Academy, which includes my video lectures on several topics.