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Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief

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This book is based on Rowan Williams' talks in Canterbury Cathedral during Holy Week 2005 and is an introduction to Christianity focusing on six major themes - trusting in God, creation, Jesus, suffering, the church and life after death. These themes are considered with reference to the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed alongside reflections on historical characters such as St Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and modern people and events.

The book doesn't presuppose significant knowledge about Christianity but the writing style is rather wordy and feels a little more academic than usual in books aimed for this market. It isn't the usual checklist of basic Christian beliefs but is instead a well-written and interesting approach in discussing the trustworthy and unchanging love of God and how we begin to live in the light of this knowledge.

In 1943 CS Lewis transcribed some talks he gave on the BBC radio into a book called Mere Christianity. What Lewis had in mind was to set forth not what any particular denomination believed, but the essence of faith common to nearly all Christians in all times and places. Since then other writers have made similar efforts to distill the gospel. John Stott's Basic Christianity (1961), The Heart of Christianity (2004) by Marcus Borg, and NT Wright's Simply Christian (2006) all come to mind.

The latest and one of the best efforts at explaining the basic tenets of Christian faith comes from no less than the Welshman Rowan Williams (b. 1950). After lecturing at Cambridge University, at the remarkably young age of thirty-six Williams was appointed the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford. In 2003 he became the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the 100 million-member Anglican church. Considered by many to be one of the most important English-speaking theologians, Williams is also a noted poet. He speaks or reads eight languages. Suffice it to say that any book by Williams is a model of intellectual rigor, cultural relevance, Biblical fidelity, and pastoral care.

This book is an expanded version of a series of talks that Williams gave at Canterbury Cathedral before Easter 2005. The text is written in an informal style and intended for a general readership. As he says in his introduction, he takes nothing for granted (eg, any knowledge of the Bible). The entire book has only twelve footnotes (although numerous references to poetry, history, film, music, etc.). To explain the basics of the faith Williams follows the Apostles' Creed and, when needed to expand and expound, the Nicene Creed. His six chapters, then, take their cue from the creed:

1. I believe in God the Father Almighty
2. Make of heaven and earth
3. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord
4. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again
5. And I believe one catholic and apostolic Church
6. I look for the resurrection of the dead

In addition, the book includes numerous illustrations by the painter David Jones, along with other photographs from around the world. Williams skillfully avoids the perennial temptation of theologians to say either too much or too little. He is as confident and bold in his faith as he is in acknowledging honest questions and profound mysteries. His method draws on his own Anglican tradition to synthesize what we learn from Scripture, church historical tradition, reason, and experience about a God who is characterized by unconditionally generous love, and who invites us to trust our lives to Him.

Based on talks given at Canterbury Cathedral in the weeks before Easter,2005, this beautifully written primer on Christianity by Archbishop Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the Church of England and 100,000,000 Anglicans worldwide, should be read by anyone interested in the marvellous questions presented: What does it mean to believe in God? Can God be almighty amidst so much evil and disaster? What is the purpose of the church? What does it mean to follow Christ in today's fragmented world?
Once one accepts that God is good and can be trusted, then thought, action and prayer start to make sense. The author discusses statements about belief that were forged in the first three hundred years of the church's history: the creeds. He also examines the records of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
This is a book to be sipped slowly, reflected upon, discussed. Archbishop Williams shows and shares with the reader what it means to put our hands into the hands of God, "into a darkness that is God's welcoming touch."
A little gem.

This year, my church had a Lenten study on the Nicene Creed. The discussion was lively. As the weeks went on, it seemed to me that there were at least two different approaches to the Nicene Creed: one that was analytical and logical, and another that was more meditative and poetic. I would summarize the first approach as wondering, "how much of the Creed can I say without crossing my fingers behind my back?" and the second approach as wondering, "God is big, I'm not, it's a mystery, so why couldn't this be true?" Full disclosure here: I fall into the second set.

The experience of this study inspired me to go back and reread Tokens of Trust, a book on Christian belief by Rowan Williams. Dr. Williams is the current Archbishop of Canterbury, and his speeches and his writings can be rather dense. But this book is based on a series of talks presented in Canterbury Cathedral during Holy Week, 2005, so the content is fairly accessible.

Dr. Williams' book fits neither of the two approaches I described above. He uses the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed to structure his book, discussing God, creation, Jesus, and so on, but his approach considers the very word "belief" as meaning something other than pure intellectual assent. He points out that the words "I believe in one God" might remind us of questions like "Do you believe in ghosts?" or UFO's, or the Loch Ness monster, but that isn't what they originally meant or should mean to us. The meaning is closer to what I mean when I say I believe in my husband. I have confidence in him. I trust him. For Dr. Williams, the Creed is "a series of statements about where I find the anchorage of my life, where I find solid ground, home."

Dr. Williams discusses why we might consider God trustworthy before he even approaches the question, is any of this is actually true? Does God exist? He admits that he doesn't have the decisive argument to prove the existence of God; instead, he points to the examples of believing people who are themselves trustworthy. Indeed, as his discussion proceeds, he makes the point that Jesus himself "is supremely the one who makes God credible, trustworthy."

Rather than quoting half the book (where would I stop?), I encourage you to read it. The book is enriched throughout by a carefully selected series of illustrations: some works of art by the Welsh artist David Jones, and various other photographs that support the text. The images are striking. In particular, some of the works by Jones are themselves suitable subjects for meditation.

In this thematic group of reflections based on the ancient creeds of Christendom, the 104th archbishop of Canterbury once again demonstrates his stature as a scholar with a deep concern for the spiritual welfare of contemporary believers. Author of Grace and Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love, and a former professor of divinity at Cambridge University, the author investigates the great themes of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, from creation to crucifixion, sin to resurrection. But while he does not evade examining the doctrines under girding these early church confessions, his purpose is to support his central argument: when we do not know whom to trust or where to turn, we can have complete confidence in the reliability of a loving God. "At the heart of the desperate suffering there is in the world," writes the author, "suffering we can do nothing to resolve or remove for good, there is an indestructible energy making for love." At times sober, but rarely inaccessible, the learned archbishop brings a restrained passion to these meditations that will make them more available to readers seeking pastoral guidance along with their theology.

This is a beautifully written book. When reading it one feels surrounded by God's love. You don't want the book to end. It will be by my bedside for years to come to read and reread. It is the type of book one wishes they could remember every word and every line.

This book is a delightful and thoughtful presentation of the dynamics of faith in practice, rather than an abstract set of beliefs one must accept. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, explores the personal and historical meaning of key practices and worship themes in the Christian community of faith.

He addresses the forms and concepts and how they have arisen out of cultural thought. This book will be helpful for those who wonder if ther is more to it than they have thought. But he always stays focuses on the personal meaning of Christian faith in practice. He writes warmly and personally, so we feel we are listening in as he thinks through things.

The reader will find here a very clear and deep commitment to the historical stream of faith while feeling free with the archbishop to acknowledge and bypass the great errors made by the church or certain Christian leaders art various times in our past. Williams looks at the symbols in Christian worship and evaluates their meaning and value in the changed and changing culture and society we now live in.

This little volume is a tightly designed, with no fluff and waste in his wording. Williams is a scholar who retains his common humanity and is articulate without becoming arcane. He draws upon a wide range of sources, referencing Eastern Orthodox practice and mystics, for instance, to give us a broader picture of how Christian believers have expressed their faith in their cultural setting.

The thoughtful practical scholar focuses further on the underlying unity of meaning, intent and focus among all Christian believers. He assists us also to see how these represent universal values, not parochial concerns of one time or place.

As I read I got the feeling I was involved in a warm, comfortable conversation with a person sharing his deepest understandings of life in thoughtful reflection.

This book is, essentially, a description of Christian Theology in terms of the following questions: "Who or what do you trust? Who or what is worth trusting? What is the difference between belief in the modern sense and what Christians mean when they say 'I believe?'" Archbishop Williams presents, in simple language, a discussion of these questions through the eyes of the Apostles' Creed. A good devotional for the committed Christian, and a good groundwork for the person who is considering joining the church.

Convincing, beautifully written, clear and cogent theology. How and why we should wholly trust God.

"Tokens of Trust" is an erudite gloss on the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. It's a rich book that demands to be read slowly and meditatively: while the writing is clear, graceful, and heartfelt, it is also dense in theological concepts. The book would be a good resource for any Christian who wants to know more about the fundamental concepts that have structured the church's worldview over the centuries and what their meaning is today.

That said, the book will leave non-Christians unmoved and possibly bewildered, for it has almost no discussion of the life and teachings of Jesus. I suppose the omission is understandable, given the book's focus on the grandiose pre-modern cosmologies of the Creeds. Yet most non-Christians are drawn to Christianity by the force of Jesus' example, not by abstruse theology or extravagant dogmatic formulas. "Tokens of Trust" will leave them scratching their heads and wondering how a religion with such simple origins managed to put so many concepts into orbit.