Mark A. McIntosh, Divine Teaching: An Introduction to Christian Theology (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008), xi + 252 Pps.
Mark A. McIntosh is Professor of Systematic Theology and Spirituality at Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois. He has taught there for fifteen years. He is also a priest within the Episcopal Church, having served before as canon theologian to the Presiding Bishop and Primate. The main premise of this book is that the real teacher of theology is the God of heaven and earth in his triune oneness. His stated goal is not to present a dogmatic of systematic theology, but rather to guide the reader in doing Christian theology for him or herself. Thus, the text does not necessarily require a faith commitment, but fosters within the reader an involvement in the subject itself. His aim is to give the reader a taste of what Christians think it is like to do theology (x).
In the first three chapters, McIntosh describes what seems to happen to people when they learn from God in a very direct manner, as he admits that a mysterious affinity kindles between theology’s object and theologians, which is clearly laying forth an experiential base for the doing of theology. Within each of the later chapters that deal with issues largely related to salvation, the mystery of God’s life, the mystery of creaturely life, and the mystery of salvation, he has three subdivisions, which he titles ‘Orientation’, ‘Landmarks’, and ‘Pathfinding’. The ‘Orientation’ sections seek to give the reader the big picture of what is to be discussed, what is at stake regarding the discussion, and some of the chief questions involved in the discussion. In the ‘Landmarks’ section within each chapter, McIntosh considers the important figures in the history of Christian theology, and within the ‘Pathfinding’ sections he provides possible ways forward in the discussion under review. Within this text, one encounters the thinking of theologians as varied as Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Maximus, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Barth, Rahner, von Balthasar, and a number of feminist theologians. One can reasonably say that it is ecumenical in its thrust, and interdisciplinary in its nature. In what follows, I will highlight salient points of the text, prior to summing up my review.
McIntosh posits that the character of the Christian life and the beliefs of the Christian faith are really two expressions of the same activity: that is, of God’s way of re-creating the world (12). In so doing, he somewhat affirms the Eastern Orthodox conception of the mystical life that theologians (and believers) share with the Godhead (24). Moreover, he contends that the place where our way of knowing and God’s way of being most intimately encounter one another is in Jesus, by the Holy Spirit (59). Therefore, McIntosh highlights the primacy of salvation for thinking about any and all things in Christian theology. This salvation is necessarily bound up with the affirmation of the Trinity, it seems, for McIntosh notes that this primordial relational life is the foundation of the whole universe (113). He contends – and aptly demonstrates, in my view – that the Christian vision of God as Trinity emerged organically from the early Christian’s experience of transformation by means of a relationship through Jesus, in the Spirit, and thereby with the Father (117). Although recognizing the explicit doctrinal formulation of the Trinity did not arise until the fourth century, McIntosh asserts that it was intrinsic to the beliefs of the early followers of Jesus.
Within the sixth chapter, which explicitly covers the Divine life, I appreciate infinitely the inclusion of what McIntosh refers to as a ‘Terminology Survival Guide’. This proverbial vocabulary bank allows the introductory student to grasp the meaning of such terms as the economic Trinity, essence, nature, hypostasis, immanent Trinity, and procession. Without this inclusion, introductory students could very well be lost in a sea of unknown words. Also within this chapter, it becomes evident that although heavily influenced by Anglican resources, McIntosh’s theology is equally influenced by Augustine, as his reliance upon Augustine is pronounced in this chapter. Even considering his implicit reliance upon Augustine, McIntosh nevertheless acknowledges that Augustine’s conception of the Spirit as the bond of love between the Father and the Son is one of the more disputed (and rightly so, in my opinion) positions of contemporary theology. Also included within this chapter is excellent coverage of the most far-reaching issue in contemporary Trinitarian thought – that of relationality – which alone makes the purchase price of this book worthwhile.
Although no new ground is broken in the chapter seven, I do appreciate the emphasis that McIntosh places upon the self-giving of God (i.e. kenosis). Moreover, his asseveration to the effect that theology must make contact with and dialogue with science in order to be amenable to contemporary science is, in my view, also laudable. All in all, I contend that this volume is an imaginative and lucid analysis of the Christian way of thinking, one that offers informative insight into the history of, and modern practice of, Christian theology. I admire the humility of McIntosh, as well as his overall approach at doing theology. I deem it true that the first three chapters that highlight how God makes theologians, the characteristics of those theologians, and the priority of high morality versus ‘correct’ theology in the life of the believer, to be the strongest within this book. I would recommend it to be used in theology courses as a supplementary volume to the primary texts of the Christian tradition.
Bradford McCall
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA