A Brief Review of
THE CASE FOR GOD.
Karen Armstrong.
Hardback: Knopf, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]
Reviewed by R. Dean Hudgens.
It would be surprising if anyone who “reads religion” has not heard of the prolific and popular Karen Armstrong. The Case for God is titled in parallel to her previous book The Battle for God (2001), however the title misleads. This is not an apologetic defense of God’s existence, but an irenic proposal for understanding the nature of religious truth. As in The Battle for God, Armstong continues her polemic against “fundamentalisms,” now broadening the attack to include contemporary secular fundamentalisms (i.e. atheism). Fundamentalisms distort religion by focusing on belief rather than practice. Religion, for Armstrong, is essentially a practical discipline, or a set of disciplines, that create a capacity for understanding religious doctrine. Armstrong asserts the need for a balance between mythos and logos, but in this book is more concerned with the damaging effects of unbridled logos. Her sweeping, but not superficial overview, of the course of Western theology is divided in two parts. Part One (“The Unknown God: 30,000 BCE to 1500 CE”) looks to basic elements of ancient religion that are later misdirected or upended. Part Two (“The Modern God: 1500 CE to the present”) traces the religious impact of the Enlightenment and the scientific revolution. Most of us know the outlines of this story well enough, so it is no small thing to note Armstrong’s ability to keep the reader entertained. However, by the end of this 400 page tale I sat back a bit disappointed. Armstrong has argued throughout that we must return to an emphasis upon liturgy, spiritual exercises and religious practices. She seems to call for a moratorium on divisive God talk, and the practice of apophatic God talk and liturgical silence. Despite her extensive survey of western theology she overlooks the classic medieval distinction between comprehension and knowledge: that is, that God can be known (because of revelation) although never comprehended (because of our own epistemological finitude). Armstrong’s winsome presentation of her own case finally leaves us with a God we can neither know nor comprehend. It is therefore an extensive and well-presented argument for an invisible and silent God.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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