Christian Faith and Life

by William Temple

First published in 1931, this book provides a picture of Temple's theology in an accessible form. The addresses, delivered at Oxford, reveal Temple not as the clerical superstar who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury, but as a down-to-earth evangelist offering a very passionate, dynamic, personal testimony.

139 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 1981

About the author

Archbishop William Temple

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pressure of practical affairs in life is very great. If we are conscientiously to do the duty that lies before us, it often seems that it will claim nearly all our energy. Is it not enough that each man should do this own job thoroughly and conscientiously, and leave all this speculation (as he will call it if he is in the mood to talk like this at all) concerning the purpose of God for the world to other people who are interested in such things, and perhaps especially to those who may be regarded as being personally committed to that aspect of life, which means the clergy? But, is it not plainly true that the real value of your job depends upon the truth, speaking broadly at least, of those things of which we have been thinking this week? Is there not a grave possibility, if you leave that out of sight, that you are committing yourself to futility?

In the 1930s, William Temple hosted a series of talks at Oxford about Christian Faith and Life. Fortunately, his message is as timely and inspiring today as it was then. Temple possesses a great ability to winnow away all the distracting fluff and focus on core concerns.

At times, especially in the first third, Temple moves through "proofs" which are neither clear nor compelling, yet his conclusions reached after these academic excursions are inspirational and applicable to any wishing to walk the spiritual path. Reminiscent of Anselm ("I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order that I may understand"), Temple notes:

And you must realise that the greatest decisions always have to be taken before there is a complete sufficiency of evidence, because it is only after they have been made, and the experiment tried out, that the evidence can be there.

On the whole, a rich, rewarding read. High recommended.