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Love, Imperfectly Known: Beyond Spontaneous Representations of God
Believer, non-believer or undecided, every one of us is influenced by unconscious psychological projections that, in part, condition our instinctive conception of God and therefore our personal beliefs. Demonstrating the valuable insight that can be gained from a fruitful encounter between psychology and theology, this book unmasks the major obstacles that can arise in the quest for meaning or on the way to a spiritual doubts about the existence of a God of love in a broken world; persistent images of a rather distant or frightening Divine Being; unhelpful contrasts between science and faith, psychology and theology, sexuality and spirituality . . . By tackling these culturally conditioned barriers to belief and spirituality within Western Christianity, Brother Emmanuel explores a new theology of love, both human and divine.
- GenresTheology
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 17, 2014
UPDATE 2025: Brother Emmanuel has been convicted of sexual abuse and child pornography. This puts this book in a different light, especially for such a vulnerable and personal book.
https://english.katholisch.de/artikel...
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2017
Exquisitely French, academic in its presentation and wrought with personal experience, this book is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to speak meaningfully about Christianity proper.
Brother Emmanuel uses notions from psychoanalysis and femininist, Catholic and Orthodox writings (also engaging science and philosophy on the way) to discuss the effect of our upbringing on how we tend to view God, both consciously in our theology and less consciously in our spiritual experience.
Ultimately this book is a vigorous defence of the mystic experience of a god of love and is tailored towards bringing the reader closer to that experience. It engages and opposes both conservative religion as well as reductionist secular worldviews.
As a layman in theology, I am unable to tell how strong his argumentation is. It was a refreshing read for me. His discussion of science and reductionism is elegant, although intuitively he occasionally seems to skirt over the heart of the atheist's argument against a meaningful universe (that of the human tendency to project meaning when it is not there).
The spirituality is awesome though. It shows the simplicity, freedom and beauty of Christian mysticism, and is a spirituality rooted in an ancient tradition yet worthy of the 21st Century. As such, this heartfelt book is a very welcome voice in a secular world that seems throw out the good of religion with the bad.
https://english.katholisch.de/artikel...
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2017
Exquisitely French, academic in its presentation and wrought with personal experience, this book is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to speak meaningfully about Christianity proper.
Brother Emmanuel uses notions from psychoanalysis and femininist, Catholic and Orthodox writings (also engaging science and philosophy on the way) to discuss the effect of our upbringing on how we tend to view God, both consciously in our theology and less consciously in our spiritual experience.
Ultimately this book is a vigorous defence of the mystic experience of a god of love and is tailored towards bringing the reader closer to that experience. It engages and opposes both conservative religion as well as reductionist secular worldviews.
As a layman in theology, I am unable to tell how strong his argumentation is. It was a refreshing read for me. His discussion of science and reductionism is elegant, although intuitively he occasionally seems to skirt over the heart of the atheist's argument against a meaningful universe (that of the human tendency to project meaning when it is not there).
The spirituality is awesome though. It shows the simplicity, freedom and beauty of Christian mysticism, and is a spirituality rooted in an ancient tradition yet worthy of the 21st Century. As such, this heartfelt book is a very welcome voice in a secular world that seems throw out the good of religion with the bad.
August 30, 2012
This is a breathtaking book, and like most breathtaking books it is also very subtle, and warrants much critical reflection, something which I am only just grasping. Love, Imperfectly Known: Beyond Spontaneous Representations of God I would expect to be regarded in future – if there is any sense in Christian readers – as a theological classic. Brother Emmanuel begins with a deep consideration of the implications of what can broadly be described as a neo-Freudian analysis of the human psyche. What makes a human being unable to worship the living God, to seek God, to know who God is, to seek understanding through faith? Unlike Freud and his successors, Emmanuel recognises that woven into the mundane and extraordinary experiences of every person there will inevitably be conditioned psychological structures (for want of a better metaphor) which make people think about God in a certain way. We are not, says Emmanuel, as Christians just conditioned to indulge in a petty religious neurosis, or rather if we are then that must be properly brushed aside for true worship. There is something about this which I think will resonate with the experience of everyone – believer or unbeliever – regardless of upbringing, since I know it does so with me.
Neurosis brushed aside for what? The answer is: the mystery of the God who is Love: not the divine object, the deist’s grand architect, or the petty tyrant – not a being like other beings. We have, says Emmanuel, in our minds and hearts all kinds of images of God from childhood and from the normal social functions of our daily lives and formative experiences, which make us confuse our guilt, self-pity and desire to dominate others with the activity of God. Most fascinating is his scene-setting opening section, Beyond the Desire for Omnipotence. In reflection upon the modern philosophical confusion about evil and the God of Love, he argues decisively that in taking God as a being like other beings, we fail to apprehend that divine omnipotence is fundamentally unlike the human desire to control other beings and objects. Our agency, and understanding of our own and therefore God’s agency, is conditioned substantially by our primordial psychological desire for satisfaction. God’s omnipotence is rather the unstoppable and unfailing desire to love all creatures, as manifested in the universe in the sacrificial life of the Son and the activity of the Spirit. This insight fits beautifully, I find, with much of the best of modern Catholic theology – I think especially of Herbert McCabe’s insistence on the understanding that God is not a manipulative ‘thing’ operating in the universe which can be identified amongst other causes or conflict with them – a tradition which goes back to Aquinas and beyond. In all this insight the domineering, manipulative godlet so critiqued and destroyed from Hume to Nietzsche to the ‘Death of God’ theologians and beyond, simply melts away! Joy of joys, this was a phantom we, Western believers and unbelievers, haunted ourselves with: not the God who is, in Emmanuel’s words concerned definitively with ‘reciprocal divine-human love’!
Emmanuel persuasively shows the reader how the modern version of the Christian tradition has, by losing sight of its own doctrines and theological conversations, misrepresented God. How? By stretching too far certain kinds of theistic analogy and reifying them, or by failing to even recognise the analogical basis of many images of God. We have, Emmanuel says, misunderstood God by failing to understand, for example, that gendered analogies for the divine persons of God are exactly that. In the most level-headed and ecumenical (that is, at home in the Church) discussion of gendered images and analogies of God in a long time, Emmanuel argues that the discussion must proceed on the lines of truth and appropriateness, and of prayer (theology) rather than for political reasons. The conclusion is hardly shocking but controversial still to some: if we rid ourselves of our hidden fear of the divine object, often based on the loving mother/angry father distinction we have imagined for ourselves, then we may incorporate appropriate feminine analogies for God into the tradition – along the precedent set by the prayerful consideration of the Church and Scripture – since Father, Son and Spirit do not refer to gendered beings but to divine persons. This warns against both a vapid ‘traditionalism’ in theology which threatens to suffocate the faith of the Church by restricting it to the language of certain periods of theological understanding, and also a liberalism which takes on too keenly similarly conditioned innovations. Emmanuel has a quite profound way of integrating contemporary understanding with the tradition, a critical synthesis which is reminiscent of the formative period of early Christian understanding. As such, this work has the capacity to breathe new life into the faith.
Despite Emmanuel’s (occasionally insufficiently critical) preference for psychoanalysis and cautious engagement with modernist theology, the concerns he reveals turn out to be profoundly catholic and profoundly open. I quote one of his manifesto-making summaries:
In the course of our journey, we will show and deepen the true foundations for confidence in the fulfilment of this reciprocal divine-human love . . . These foundations will be shown in a new light by Christian revelation, for which such reciprocal love constitutes both the heart and the peak of any spiritual quest. (52)
Beyond ‘spontaneous’ representations of God the reader goes, to a hint of the fullness and eloquence of the truths of the Christian faith, re-articulated anew for a new century and new generation. Emmanuel asks; how are we to live faithfully to tradition, yet to approach and communicate the mystery of love, of the Trinity, in new ways? It may not be fashionable, but this is contemporary fides quaerens intellectum at its boldest and most sublime, and every page flows with that prayerful yet down-to-earth wisdom which seems to come from a life-long sacramental faith. ‘Radical Orthodoxy’ eat your heart out, because this is better at both, and as such I recommend it to everyone.
Neurosis brushed aside for what? The answer is: the mystery of the God who is Love: not the divine object, the deist’s grand architect, or the petty tyrant – not a being like other beings. We have, says Emmanuel, in our minds and hearts all kinds of images of God from childhood and from the normal social functions of our daily lives and formative experiences, which make us confuse our guilt, self-pity and desire to dominate others with the activity of God. Most fascinating is his scene-setting opening section, Beyond the Desire for Omnipotence. In reflection upon the modern philosophical confusion about evil and the God of Love, he argues decisively that in taking God as a being like other beings, we fail to apprehend that divine omnipotence is fundamentally unlike the human desire to control other beings and objects. Our agency, and understanding of our own and therefore God’s agency, is conditioned substantially by our primordial psychological desire for satisfaction. God’s omnipotence is rather the unstoppable and unfailing desire to love all creatures, as manifested in the universe in the sacrificial life of the Son and the activity of the Spirit. This insight fits beautifully, I find, with much of the best of modern Catholic theology – I think especially of Herbert McCabe’s insistence on the understanding that God is not a manipulative ‘thing’ operating in the universe which can be identified amongst other causes or conflict with them – a tradition which goes back to Aquinas and beyond. In all this insight the domineering, manipulative godlet so critiqued and destroyed from Hume to Nietzsche to the ‘Death of God’ theologians and beyond, simply melts away! Joy of joys, this was a phantom we, Western believers and unbelievers, haunted ourselves with: not the God who is, in Emmanuel’s words concerned definitively with ‘reciprocal divine-human love’!
Emmanuel persuasively shows the reader how the modern version of the Christian tradition has, by losing sight of its own doctrines and theological conversations, misrepresented God. How? By stretching too far certain kinds of theistic analogy and reifying them, or by failing to even recognise the analogical basis of many images of God. We have, Emmanuel says, misunderstood God by failing to understand, for example, that gendered analogies for the divine persons of God are exactly that. In the most level-headed and ecumenical (that is, at home in the Church) discussion of gendered images and analogies of God in a long time, Emmanuel argues that the discussion must proceed on the lines of truth and appropriateness, and of prayer (theology) rather than for political reasons. The conclusion is hardly shocking but controversial still to some: if we rid ourselves of our hidden fear of the divine object, often based on the loving mother/angry father distinction we have imagined for ourselves, then we may incorporate appropriate feminine analogies for God into the tradition – along the precedent set by the prayerful consideration of the Church and Scripture – since Father, Son and Spirit do not refer to gendered beings but to divine persons. This warns against both a vapid ‘traditionalism’ in theology which threatens to suffocate the faith of the Church by restricting it to the language of certain periods of theological understanding, and also a liberalism which takes on too keenly similarly conditioned innovations. Emmanuel has a quite profound way of integrating contemporary understanding with the tradition, a critical synthesis which is reminiscent of the formative period of early Christian understanding. As such, this work has the capacity to breathe new life into the faith.
Despite Emmanuel’s (occasionally insufficiently critical) preference for psychoanalysis and cautious engagement with modernist theology, the concerns he reveals turn out to be profoundly catholic and profoundly open. I quote one of his manifesto-making summaries:
In the course of our journey, we will show and deepen the true foundations for confidence in the fulfilment of this reciprocal divine-human love . . . These foundations will be shown in a new light by Christian revelation, for which such reciprocal love constitutes both the heart and the peak of any spiritual quest. (52)
Beyond ‘spontaneous’ representations of God the reader goes, to a hint of the fullness and eloquence of the truths of the Christian faith, re-articulated anew for a new century and new generation. Emmanuel asks; how are we to live faithfully to tradition, yet to approach and communicate the mystery of love, of the Trinity, in new ways? It may not be fashionable, but this is contemporary fides quaerens intellectum at its boldest and most sublime, and every page flows with that prayerful yet down-to-earth wisdom which seems to come from a life-long sacramental faith. ‘Radical Orthodoxy’ eat your heart out, because this is better at both, and as such I recommend it to everyone.
May 26, 2025
Unless I am terribly mistaken - in that case, please correct me - the writer of this book is convicted of severe misconduct: sexual abuse. He was a member of the Taizé Community, was arrested and is suspended from the community. I think this deeply affects the topic and contents of this book and readers should be aware of it. You can check the data by googeling for example 'brother emmanuel taize abuse'. I am very sorry to mention this.
January 17, 2019
one of the most enlighting books I've ever read on Christian faith. In search for a deeper, more mature, broader image of God.
May 16, 2020
Definitely one to reread and remember. Beautifully written. Not an easy read; time and attention and an open mind necessary.
December 31, 2014
Concerning Love, Imperfectly Known by the Christian monk and mystic, Brother Emmanuel of Taizé: I have to confess that I consider this book my personal friend. With that in mind, know that I won't give you an unbiased review. What I will tell you is why this book captured my heart.
Love, Imperfectly Known is a book-length, academically founded, love letter to God. Far from a stern, stony thing, the God who shines forth from these pages is alive, and wants the willing, but free, return of my love. In this light, it is easier for me to step across the pillars of Christian doctrine, considering the sins that separate me from God, but now the steps are made with a more sensible narrative. There is no finger wagging here. Every word starts with the idea that God can only love.
That's not to say that the author ignores God's sacrifice. The agony of Divine suffering for humankind is central to his discussion. However, the reader is invited to deepen their view of it. Does God condemn humankind? Why does God allow evil? Why does God seem so far away? Brother Emmanuel's answers often broke my heart so completely that I was left in tears. Unlike so many other Christian theologians, though, he did not allow me to wallow in my own misery. Instead of fiery torment, I was guided to a God waiting beside me in my own darkness; waiting only for me to reach out.
Ever read "The Shack?" If that book were written by an academic, it would read like "Love, Imperfectly Known." Prepare yourself to be captured. However, do not expect to read a nursery rhyme. Infused into Br. Emmanuel's discussion is a treatment of theology and psychology that will sometimes challenge your concept of God.
In my opinion, the author's challenges are justifiable, and lead to the breaking of psychological walls that often separate the believer from God. Every chapter in the book tackles a new barrier, but I think the idea that made the largest impression on me was the way that he handled Divine "gender identity." Many theologians defiantly project the pronoun, "He," onto God; justifying it in scripture, but stubbornly excluding all other Divine imagery. Some theologians rebel against that, insisting that God is "She," and others avoid the topic entirely. Brother Emmanuel politely acknowledges all sides, and then runs headlong into the debate, where he incorporates all views of God with no apologies. He argues that humankind is made in the image of God, and proceeds to suggest an interpretation of the Spirit that is both personal and undeniably feminine. As I read, I was surprised at the chance to envision my own nature in the Divine. It slowly dawned on me that Br. Emmanuel's God is both male, like my husband, and female, like me. Such a God is uniquely positioned to both understand and treasure me.
This realization changed me forever.
Concerning readability for us English speakers: The title is originally written in French, and so the English translation is rather dense. Brother Emmanuel helps us by dividing his message into very small bites. This is to his credit. Still, it takes a little extra time to read Love, Imperfectly Known. Don't let that discourage you. Center yourself, buckle down, and keep reading, because your focus will pay off at the end of the book.
I can only sum this up by saying that Love, Imperfectly Known is a watershed book in my own life. By the end of the book I met a God who was both "He" AND "She." I met a sister, a girlfriend, a companion; and then, I celebrated God as a warrior and King, fully returning His love. Brother Emmanuel's letter to God is, for me, a letter from my God. He . . . She? . . . The Divine is revealed alive here, in the beauty of perfect love.
Love, Imperfectly Known is a book-length, academically founded, love letter to God. Far from a stern, stony thing, the God who shines forth from these pages is alive, and wants the willing, but free, return of my love. In this light, it is easier for me to step across the pillars of Christian doctrine, considering the sins that separate me from God, but now the steps are made with a more sensible narrative. There is no finger wagging here. Every word starts with the idea that God can only love.
That's not to say that the author ignores God's sacrifice. The agony of Divine suffering for humankind is central to his discussion. However, the reader is invited to deepen their view of it. Does God condemn humankind? Why does God allow evil? Why does God seem so far away? Brother Emmanuel's answers often broke my heart so completely that I was left in tears. Unlike so many other Christian theologians, though, he did not allow me to wallow in my own misery. Instead of fiery torment, I was guided to a God waiting beside me in my own darkness; waiting only for me to reach out.
Ever read "The Shack?" If that book were written by an academic, it would read like "Love, Imperfectly Known." Prepare yourself to be captured. However, do not expect to read a nursery rhyme. Infused into Br. Emmanuel's discussion is a treatment of theology and psychology that will sometimes challenge your concept of God.
In my opinion, the author's challenges are justifiable, and lead to the breaking of psychological walls that often separate the believer from God. Every chapter in the book tackles a new barrier, but I think the idea that made the largest impression on me was the way that he handled Divine "gender identity." Many theologians defiantly project the pronoun, "He," onto God; justifying it in scripture, but stubbornly excluding all other Divine imagery. Some theologians rebel against that, insisting that God is "She," and others avoid the topic entirely. Brother Emmanuel politely acknowledges all sides, and then runs headlong into the debate, where he incorporates all views of God with no apologies. He argues that humankind is made in the image of God, and proceeds to suggest an interpretation of the Spirit that is both personal and undeniably feminine. As I read, I was surprised at the chance to envision my own nature in the Divine. It slowly dawned on me that Br. Emmanuel's God is both male, like my husband, and female, like me. Such a God is uniquely positioned to both understand and treasure me.
This realization changed me forever.
Concerning readability for us English speakers: The title is originally written in French, and so the English translation is rather dense. Brother Emmanuel helps us by dividing his message into very small bites. This is to his credit. Still, it takes a little extra time to read Love, Imperfectly Known. Don't let that discourage you. Center yourself, buckle down, and keep reading, because your focus will pay off at the end of the book.
I can only sum this up by saying that Love, Imperfectly Known is a watershed book in my own life. By the end of the book I met a God who was both "He" AND "She." I met a sister, a girlfriend, a companion; and then, I celebrated God as a warrior and King, fully returning His love. Brother Emmanuel's letter to God is, for me, a letter from my God. He . . . She? . . . The Divine is revealed alive here, in the beauty of perfect love.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews