Customer Reviews

John MacQuarrie, a Master of Theology

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I discovered Macquarrie back in the mid-1970s when he came to speak at my undergraduate university. At the time I fancied myself a Sartrean existentialist, fond of sprinkling my speech with romantic talk about the absence of meaning. A talk over dinner with Macquarrie (I was one of the students lucky enough to wrangle an invitation) shook my foundations. I began reading his Heidegger-inspired theology books, and a completely new way of thinking about the world--one which made room for meaning and God--opened up before me. Although I'm no longer the Macquarrie groupie I once was (a fact I'm sure Macquarrie would applaud), I can honestly say he's been a major influence on my own theological thinking. And it was Macquarrie's writings which first introduced me to Karl Rahner, a theologian whom Macquarrie rightfully admires.

Owen Cummings provides a decent overview of the nature and structure of Macquarrie's theology in this little primer. Cummings begins the book by explaining Macquarrie's dialectical theism and his "from-below" Christology, then moves on to an examination of Macquarrie on the Church, sacraments, Mary, and prayer. The discussion is punctuated throughout with Cumming's personal anecdotes of Macquarrie, which some readers may find invigorating even as others (alas, I'm one of these) find them a bit distracting.

It might be argued that Cumming's treatment gives too much space to Macquarrie on the Church and too little (almost none, really) to Macquarrie's groundbreaking work in theological anthropology as well as his always insightful ethical reflections. One of the best books on peace written in the 20th century came from Macquarrie's pen, and it is sadly neglected in Cumming's book.

All in all, I think that Gene Long's now out-of-print "Existence, Being, and God" is a much better introduction to Macquarrie's thought. But Cumming's book does have a couple of strong points. It's up to date, and this is important since Macquarrie is still a very active theologian. And it's written with an infectious affection and warmth for its subject. Well worth a read as an introduction to one of the best theologians of this century.

I discovered Macquarrie back in the mid-1970s when he came to speak at my undergraduate university. At the time I was a hardnosed Sartrean existentialist, fond of lamenting meaning and extolling absurdity. A talk over dinner with Macquarrie (I was one of the lucky philosophy majors invited to eat with him) shook my foundations. I began reading his Heidegger-inspired theology books, and a completely new way of thinking about the world--not to mention God--opened up before me. Although I am no longer the Macquarrie groupie I once was (a fact which I'm sure he would applaud), I can honestly say he's one of the primary influences on my own theological convictions. And it was Macquarrie who first introduced me to Rahner, a theologian whom Macquarrie rightfully admires.

Owen Cummings provides a pretty good overview of the nature and structure of Macquarrie's theology in this little primer. Cummings begins the book by explaining Macquarrie's dialectical theism and his "from-below" Christology, then moves on to an examination of Macquarrie on the Church, Sacraments, the Eucharist, Mary, and Prayer. The discussion is punctuated throughout with Cumming's personal anecdotes of Macquarrie, which some readers may find invigorating and others may find distracting (alas, I'm one of these).

It might be argued that too much space is allowed for the discussion of Macquarrie on the Church, and too little (almost none, really) allowed for Macquarrie's groundbreaking work in theological anthropology as well as his always insightful ethical reflections. One of the best books on peace written in the 20th century came from Macquarrie's pen, and it is sadly neglected in Cumming's book. All in all, I think that Eugene Long's now out-of-print "Existence, Being, and God" is a much better introduction to Macquarrie's thought. But Cumming's book does have some strong points. It's up-to-date, and this is important since Macquarrie is still a very active theologian. It's biographical information is valuable. And it is written with an infectious affection and warmth for its subject. Well worth a read, particularly since I'm confident that Macquarrie is one of the 15 or 20 best theologians of this century.