This is a superb collection of 18 essays by Dr. Joseph C. McLelland. They span a half-century and cover a variety of topics grouped under three main headings: Theology and Ministry, Theology and the Reformed Tradition and Theology and Canadian Society. Most of the essays were written during McLelland's 50-year association with The Presbyterian College, Montreal, and his almost equally long association with McGill University where he occupied the J. W. McConnell Chair in Philosophy of Religion. A witty, lighter take on the history of The Presbyterian College entitled Adventures in P-C Land: A Saurian Testament has happily been included as an appendix. The essays are written in McLelland's lively, engaging style and are a delight to read.
To give readers a taste of the rich fare offered here, I will focus on one essay from each part. Of particular interest in Part One is the challenging 1993 convocation address, Where's the Beef? Theology for 21st Century Adults.
Taking his cue from New Testament texts calling on Christians to be mature in their thinking (1 Cor. 14:20) and counselling them as adults to feed on solid food (Hebrews 5:11-6:5), McLelland speaks of the threefold ministry required in the 21st century as prophetic, mystical and alienated. There is no greater need, he believes, than to have prophets in our pulpits who hear a word from the Lord and warn of the dire consequences of not heeding God. Also needed are mystics who have the gift to discern the divine in the ups and downs of human life and to invite and persuade people, by faith, hope and love, to join the family of God. The 21st century minister must also be a “resident alien.” Prophets, mystics and aliens must be properly equipped. “To be a prophet demands a theology of church and society. To be a mystic involves a theology of experience. To be an alien, however, requires a theology of 'possible worlds.'” Ministry, he concludes, cannot be satisfied with subsisting on “soft food and simple notions” but must offer “a diet of beefy truth.”
Part Two has essays on predestination, covenant theology, Calvin and philosophy, the mundane work of the Holy Spirit and on Peter Martyr Vermigli, the 16th century Italian reformer, the renaissance of whose work can be largely attributed to McLelland's 1957 pioneering study The Visible Words of God: An Exposition of the Sacramental Theology of Peter Martyr Vermigli and his subsequent editorship of the Peter Martyr Library.
Of considerable interest and continuing relevance in this second part is a study paper on Episcopacy in the Reformed Church. McLelland rightly contends that Presbyterianism is not anti-episcopal. The kind of episcopacy it advocates, however, is not, “monarchical episcopacy, that is, vested in a single bishop” but “corporate episcopacy,” that is, episcopal government by a council of presbyters. A quibble can be raised: he affirms that ruling elders share with ministers in the episcopal function of presbytery. Yet he also states that ordination is not in the hands of the court of presbytery “but only and strictly in the ordained ministers of that Court.” Is this consistent? Is the act of ordaining not an aspect of the corporate function of governing (in which ruling elders are included)? This is definitely not a problem of McLelland's making but that of the Presbyterian tradition. Should we continue to live with this ambiguity or do we need to rethink and clarify this matter as the Church of Scotland has done recently?
Essays on W. W. Bryden, religion in Canada, Canlit's view of Presbyterians, and doxology make up Part Three. The final essay, A Serious Playfulness, is McLelland's favourite. It is also, as he says, a reliable expression of his theological position. The essay is a play of ideas based on the Genesis stories about Isaac, the child of laughter, God's gift of grace and promise to Abraham and Sarah, each of whom had one foot in the grave.
The Isaac stories offer McLelland the opportunity to reflect both playfully and seriously on such central themes as God's love and care for humankind, images of God, justification by faith, comedy and tragedy, jubilee and utopia, and covenant. On the last subject he suggests God makes other covenants, in particular with the Ishmaelites, the peoples of Arabia, the religion of Islam, but he does not enlarge on this point. But perhaps we should not expect him to do so in a highly poetic essay on spirituality. Still one is tempted to ask how these “other covenants” are related to the eternal covenant God made with Israel and the Church (see the earlier essay, Covenant Theology – a Re-evaluation)?
McLelland emphasizes that humour or playfulness is never free from suffering and pain but it is that which sustains us despite life's contradictions. “Because Jesus once cried out: 'Why have YOU forsaken ME?' we can rest in the surety that we are never forsaken. Even in our darkest hours, at bedside of the dying or graveside of the dead, in our own pain and loss and fear of death – especially there we may hear the trumpet of victory and hope. Such is the good news from Jesus, descendant of Isaac, doorway to Life.”
Understanding the Faith is the inaugural volume in a new series of publications called Presbyterian College Studies in Theology and Ministry, edited by Principal John Vissers. What a splendid start to this new series!
