So it was something of a shock when, some years ago, I heard an elderly Dominican give a lecture on Camus at Providence College in Rhode Island that portrayed the French existentialist as an exemplary Christian thinker. During the discussion that followed, I expressed my disagreement, saying that Camus was utterly opposed to transcendence of any sort, which is hardly an aid for someone seeking to grow in knowledge and love of God in our secular age. The priest was adamant, even angry: Camus was a secular saint who could do more to teach us how to live as Christians than most theologians.
