Timothy Radcliffe considers the strength of the Christian imagination in its ability to inspire others.
How can we touch the imagination of our contemporaries with our faith? The disciples returning from Emmaus (Luke 24) said that when they met the stranger on the road their hearts burnt within them as he expounded the scriptures. What blocks the reception of Christianity today is not so much secularism or atheism but the banality of contemporary culture—what could be called “the globalization of superficiality.” We need the help of creative people to open our minds to the transcendent. We will only excite people about our faith if we show that it is the response to an invitation to live fully.
Christianity is an adventure that takes the puzzled disciples to Jerusalem. Radcliffe describes aspects of being alive that the disciples encounter along the way: healing, struggling with negativity, growing up, and forgiveness. These all relate to our coming alive in Christ. Radcliffe shows how thinking and study relate to our human and more-than-human flourishing. Doctrine is not indoctrination but the liberation of the heart and mind. A chapter called “Affliction” explores the utter negation of life on Good Friday, embraced and overcome. The last section of the book, called “The Risen Life,” explores what it means to be alive spiritually, physically, and justly through liturgy and prayer.
