The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It

by Robert Farrar Capon

Widely recognized as a creative, insightful writer, Robert Farrar Capon offers still more of his uniquely provocative fare in The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It. This engaging book probes the meaning of salvation – peace, forgiveness, grace, reconciliation - spoken of in the New Testament as a "mystery."
Reminding his readers, sometimes in startling ways, that salvation is a gift rather than a transaction, Capon uses a variety of dialogues to drive home the truth that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Along the way he explores guilt, forgiveness, love, anger, romance, grief, spiritual contentment, the Incarnation, reincarnation, resurrection, and more - and manages to make salvation something fresh and new in the process.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality

195 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 1993

About the author

Robert Farrar Capon was a lifelong New Yorker and served for almost 30 years as a parish priest in the Episcopal Church. His first book, Bed and Board, was published in 1965 and by 1977 left full-time ministry to devote more time to writing books, though he continued to serve the church in various capacities such as assisting priest and Canon Theologian. He has written twenty books on theology, cooking and family life.

His lifelong interest in food intersected with his writing and led to his becoming food columnist for Newsday and The New York Times and also teaching cooking classes.

Reviews

[Michael Liaw]

The general description for this book on goodreads GROSSLY mischaracterizes the contents of the book. Capon does not explore that "salvation can be achieved not just through faith, but by active works." From the back jacket (as well as from having read the book), Capon reminds his readers "sometimes in startling ways, that salvation is a gift rather than a transaction," which is almost the exact opposite of the current description.

If someone has librarian status, please update. Here's is the full quote from the back jacket:

'Widely recognized as a creative, insightful writer, Robert Farrar Capon offers still more of his uniquely provocative fare in The Mystery of Christ . . . and Why We Don't Get It. This engaging book probes the meaning of salvation – peace, forgiveness, grace, reconciliation - spoken of in the New Testament as a "mystery."
Reminding his readers, sometimes in startling ways, that salvation is a gift rather than a transaction, Capon uses a variety of dialogues to drive home the truth that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Along the way he explores guilt, forgiveness, love, anger, romance, grief, spiritual contentment, the Incarnation, reincarnation, resurrection, and more - and manages to make salvation something fresh and new in the process.'

I don't intend to give a summary of the book except to say that I found the dialogue the book produced was very challenging, insightful, controversial and most of all, loving.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those Capon tomes that is a pleasure to read and reread, and to return to afterwards. Again he chooses an original form to present his usual message, which is that we have diluted the good news of the gospel by presenting it as a transaction, dependent on something we do, whether it is good works, moral perfection or working up belief. Jesus as an electricity company we have to be hooked on. Instead he takes a more sacramental approach to the mystery of Christ. We already bathe in it, it is already present in us, the redeeming presence of God, who creates life out of death and has taken away our sins from before the foundation of the world. It is all true for us, whether we believe it or not, whether we live righteously or not. The presence of this mystery in all creation, has become visible in Jesus' death and resurrection, that are a sacrament of something that was already true (not something that we have to act upon or react upon). The only thing God asks of us is to open our eyes to what is already true and live in that reality. Even if we don't 'believe' it. To live like it is so. If we live a transactional, religious life, we only damage ourselves (just as we do if we go on using drugs or behaving inhumanely), as the truth about us is the truth, and cannot be changed by us. This, according to Capon, is good news. And he is willing to go to extreme length to get it across, shocking us awake from our slumber in well known phrases, jolting us from our distraction with bible knowledge or philosophy, and even taking away the blanket of our need to be right. His views may seem a bit heretical to our well honed christian sensibilities, but that's because we have taken in the 'bad news' of Jesus only being present to those who do something specific or are something specific. The real gospel is clear as water, cool as from a gletcher, maybe even so cold it hurts our sensitive mouths, but ultimately lessening our thirst.
And there's a lot of wit and fun in the form Capon chooses: a series of conversations with people, discussions with his small home group (and his wife), giving everybody a point of view, and not sparing himself. At the end it got a tiny bit tiresome for me, and I think there could have been one conversation less, but all in all this is one to return to again and again. Warmly recommended!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Capon was an enormously popular writer in the '60s and '70s, writing all kinds of books from a liberal Episcopalian perspective, ranging in subject from marriage and housekeeping to gourmet cookery to straight theology. He has always been something of a provocateur--"If you think an onion is basically a little ball, dry and papery on the outside and wet and juicy on the inside, consider, my child, the depth of your error..." followed by a two-page rhapsody on onions. In this book, through a series of pastoral interviews with parishioners, interspersed with chapters of criticisms from a group of challengers, he outlines and repeats his view of the Gospel--that with the death and resurrection of Jesus, God declared himself to be out of the religion business, that the whole world is loved and saved and always has been, a free gift of grace, and that nothing more is required of you than to trust in him. (Not belief, in the sense of intellectual assent to various man-made doctrines, and certainly not the bribery of good works.) He declares (I think rightly) that Jesus's parables are nightmares for moral philosophers, since the key to most of them is the very trust he emphasizes, not good behavior or right thinking. In the Wise and Foolish Virgins, for example, he says that the fault of the foolish ones is not that they aren't prepared, but that they don't trust the bridegroom to welcome them no matter what. They think (wrongly) that they have to be on the spot with their lamps to win his approval. It all sounds very convincing until you go back and read the parable and find that the expressed point at the end is that you should hold yourself always ready. I have many of the same reservations as the challengers he quotes, and even with his vigorous and provocative writing, he doesn't succeed in explaining them away.

[Bianca Klein Haneveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book.
My expectations were high. This book was recommended by my husband for the way it completely centres around Gods grace and love, for its humor and for the obvious zest for life of Capon. It lived up to all these descriptions.
There were pleasant surprises as well. Capons writing choices appealed to me. He uses vividly described cases and lots of dialogues as a starting point to dive into his theological themes. It works. In caring for the people described and their pleight, the gravity of the themes comes apparent. Capon strives to convince his reader that trusting in grace and love is not some philosophical luxury, but a very important choice that can change lives. He convinced me.
Another pleasant (though almost expected) surprise was Capons depth of reasoning and the sheer amount and diversity of the thinkers he refers to. He has obviously done his homework!
I especially liked (and had not expected) the way Capon embraces life in all its messiness. The book really touched me every time he identified with people living their lives with lots of trial and error.

Though it is a wonderful and very accessible book, it was not an 'easy read'. I've got some thinking/feeling to do.
I love 'getting stuff right'. It makes me flirt with notions of reincarnation or thoughts of the person I could be in perfect circumstances. If I could just get that 1.000th chance ;-). Capon hit a nerve when he exposed these tendencies as ways not to accept grace. So now it is up to me...

[Wade Stotts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Capon bothers me. It's a happy kind of bothering, though, that I could use once in a while.

To quote Douglas Wilson's review of another book, "Robert Farrar Capon is a cheery old semi-Marcionite, and an unvarnished antinomian. Various times in this book, you find yourself wishing that one of the apostles, preferably Paul, would show up and box his ears for him. He says things in here that are as atrocious as it gets. That said, at the same time, on the self-deceptions of the self-righteous, and on his descriptive abilities in describing the graciousness of grace, there is no one better."

I was taught in school to never end with a quotation, so here's another sentence.

[deLille · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that will annoy you to no end.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, provocative, hilarious, and I think perhaps right on point.

[Steve Irby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished "The Mystery of Christ: ...& Why We don't get it," by Robert Farrar Capon, 1993.


The book begins with "Helen" coming to Fr. Capon to say she made a deal with God: if he would save her daughter from damage or death from a skiing accident she would give up her long term affair. Now that her daughter is healed she admits she really doesn't want to end the affair and is God going to punish her? Capon says this is two questions she blended into one: God's grace is so much bigger than your affair, God as revealed in Jesus Christ isn't going to "Volcano God" her over a broken promise. His grace is that awesome. Place that over there. What is she to do about the affair?


This is where Capon tells us that he is writing against what he calls transactionalism (you do X and I'll do Y in return) because while we were still sinners Christ died for us, and that, that counterintuitive grace is the mystery of Christ. The incarnation is the mystery of Christ, that God became one with man. The marriage of God to His creation is the mystery of Christ. 


The above counseling format makes up the book with the goal for us to get and embrace the Mystery of Christ.


#RobertFarrarCapon #RobertCapon #TheMysteryOfChrist #PracticalTheology #PastoralTheology #Grace

[Marlee Starliper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really value how this book was uniquely written in a dialogue/conversationalist way, which demonstrates how good theology can be effectively shared with people of differing backgrounds and denominations within the Christian faith. It speaks to truths that go far beyond what most churches dare to teach and beautifully illustrates how we can connect with others and grow the Kingdom by simply staying focused on sharing the GOOD NEWS and celebrating the reality of Jesus giving life to us all as His new creation!! At the same time, Capon also wonderfully digs into theology to provide new insights that are further eye opening to illustrate how faith alone ultimately remains as the only gateway for us to live out the reality of our salvation.

[Keith Beasley-Topliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Capon’s books on the parables and so picked this one up used and took a few years to get around to it. There’s some interesting theology in here, but the format is a bit much. Odd numbered chapters are accounts of fictional pastoral encounters in which he “shockingly” cares less about the others’ concerns than about their unwillingness to receive God’s grace. The even chapters are fictional accounts of a group of diverse parishioners discussing the writeups in the odd chapters and he gets to deal with their questions. It’s all just too cutesy or pat or something. Good stuff in there. And Capon loved to be a storyteller. But these stories are a bit far-fetched.

[Jon]

Unexpected & Enlightening

I was already a fan of Capon, after reading Kingdom, Grace, Judgment. The case studies in this book make The Mystery of Christ so much easier to understand, especially because each is followed up with a question and answer session. Most Christian's will be shocked by Capon's responses to some issues. However, Capon provides convincing evidence for his beliefs. For those who are exploring the Christian faith for the first time, Capon will make it easy to understand how easy it can be to accept God's gift of eternal life.

[Clint Leavitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Capon: a more pastoral approach to his unwavering focus on the uniquely Christian notion of grace. A must-read for folks who still see Christianity as, somehow, anything other than a stupidly free gift, and a great shorted companion to his books on the parables of Christ. Made me want to recommend his work to all skeptic friends and spiritual wanderers (which is really all of us at some point).

[Xian Nyhärt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a must read for anyone who's felt too ashamed to return the Jesus, as if they need to repent more first, clean up first, get your act together first, before Jesus will receive you. That's not true - Jesus desires to have you back, anytime, just as you are. And from there, in him and through him, the heart transformation begins.

[Dwayne Shugert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I love this book.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a stretch for my evangelical upbringing. But, it is all grace, grace, grace - and my response of faith in the person of Jesus.

[Adam Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Capon is an episcopal priest, one who has written helpful books on the theology of food (Supper of the lamb) and marriage (bed and board). This is his book on the nature of Christ and the atonement. It's written in an interesting style which alternates between counselling conversations and theological explanation. The long and the short of his thesis is that Christ's death on the cross has literally taken away the sin of the entire world, saved and unsaved, so the book sort of comes across as a "grace overload." In the first chapter a woman comes to him and admits she is having an affair. Instead of chastising her or commanding her to do this or that, he refuses to tell her that she should stop carrying on the affair. When the woman gets more and more irritated with him for not telling her to quit it, he simply tells her that she already knows that it is wrong and she should stop, but that she really wants him to take the responsibility for ending it from her, and he won't do that.

A very interesting book, and one which would seem to be blessed relief for many. After all, theologically speaking, Jesus did take away our sin and not our sin only but that of the whole world (1 John 2:2). In the grand typology of the Bible, Jesus becomes the firmament between heaven and earth, the new conduit between God and man, communicating us up through the veil to the Holy of Holies. Nevertheless, it seems to me Capon ignores passages like John 10:14-16, where Jesus says He lays down His life for His sheep only and that there are some that are not in His flock. Jesus does take away the sin of the entire world (1 John 2:2), but the way we know we have propitiation in Him is if we follow His commandments (1 John 2:3).

If Jesus really efficaciously takes away the sins of everyone, then we have universalism. If we insist He died for a limited few only, we must redefine statements like "takes away the sin of the world" beyond reality. I suspect the covenant allows us to walk the line between these two. Speaking in terms of the covenant, Jesus becomes the new covenant head of all the universe, ascending to the place of the firmament, being the only way to the Throne and takes away the cosmic sin of the universe. But, one must enter into the covenant to participate in this redemption.

The way Capon swings, not much can be done about sin in the life of the church. I think his procedure has benefits in certain places, such as not allowing people to let him make their tough decisions for them and acknowledging that they already know what they should do. On the other side, he seems to have little room for "thus saith the Lord."

So it was enjoyable and had some helpful elements in it, but I think Capon lacks the balance which the covenant allows. It's a very big lack, a major imbalance. But still some helpful stuff there.

[Dr. Jon Pirtle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think Capon may've misunderstood the Holy Spirit's work of conviction in the lives of believers. Seems notitia, assensus, and fiducia need to be throught through more precisely. Capon's view, if I read it correctly, leads to antinomianism.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capon writes radical stuff. He draws the reader with devices that display the humanity of his subject: biographical accounts drawn from his own pastoral experience and invented dialogue with an almost fictitious chorus (he worked through a draft of the book with a demanding group of readers). The Mystery of Christ he finds is God's presumption of our innocence in Christ - not a mere temporizing presumption held unless or until our guilt is confirmed but a new relationship between human beings and God accomplished in the life-affirming death of Jesus. God loves and forgives ever person that has ever lived, offering each of us opportunity to accept these gifts and ourselves love and forgive. That's my two-sentence attempt at summary of the theology Capon offers. But the fun of the book - and its meat too - are the people and their interactions through which his account comes to pass.

[Jamie Howison · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this one in the context of one of our church book breakfast groups, and it gave us plenty of material for discussion. The format wasn't entirely successful - interspersing accounts of pastoral counselling sessions with imagined small group "debriefings" - but in the end it did give Capon a way to proclaim his audacious theology of grace. I love what James A. Carpenter (General Theological Seminary) had to say on the book's back cover: "This is an exuberant, triumphant theology. A rigorous Paulinist, Capon is at least half right — a very good score for a theologian!"

I don't think I'd recommend this one as an introduction to Capon. For that, it would have to be "The Romance of the Word," which collects together his three earliest theological books, including "Hunting the Divine Fox."

[Emily Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the writing style- example conversations in one chapter, then theological explanations in the next. This pastor is comfortable leaving many questions unanswered. He points calmly to the finished work of Christ- objective justification. Though I do not agree with all of his conclusions, I found this a good and challenging read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, honest, thought-provoking, and exciting, this collection of conversations dives headlong into some of the spiritual tensions that plague us all. It's certainly not a pristine package of answers to learn by rote, but by this very nature it feels a bit closer to truth than most "religious" books ever do.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provocative and sometimes maddening, it nevertheless presents a hard kernel of truth about grace and forgiveness that is irresistible. The format of counseling sessions followed by dialogues was an excellent way of presenting what he had to say -- the dialogues are almost Platonic, and the counseling sessions feel real and engaging.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Capon persuasively conveys the centrality and unconditional nature of Grace using semi-fictional counseling sessions and group discussions of those sessions. This approach enables him to confront the objections and straw men which are commonly posed and to remove them as obstacles.

[Philippe Deblois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Capon

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I loved the content, I did not enjoy the format as much as I have in his other writings.
Theologically, I think he is pretty right on.

[Renate Fraatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A message we very much need today: God loves you - God has forgiven you !A message for those who struggle with guilt - the down trodden - the poor in spirit !

[John Beeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conversational, but sprawled. Gets to some places, sometimes, and other places, nowhere.

[Rachel Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a liberating read...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish he wrote better