Thinking with Theologians does pretty much what it says on the tin. In each course, we will take three weeks to grapple with some significant texts by notable Christian theologians, past and present, in the hope of expanding, deepening and challenging our understanding of what it might mean to talk about God. Each session will include a short presentation by the tutor, followed by a period of focused group discussion of a particular text or texts. Sometimes the focus of the course will be on a particular figure or school of thought; sometimes it will be a particular theme or doctrine. Either way, the method will be the same: read carefully; reflect deeply; talk honestly – then see what happens.
Karl Rahner SJ
The Jesuit thinker Karl Rahner is one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. He was appointed as a peritus (theological adviser) for the Second Vatican Council, and his thinking played an important role in shaping some of the most important documents of the council. His thought is based on a distinctive theological anthropology; that is, a carefully worked out account of what human beings are, or the fundamental situation in which they find themselves.
This theological anthropology has interesting connections with the way that Rahner discusses central theological questions, like the nature of Christ, or the relationship between Christianity and other religions.
We will look at a few of his most well-known essays, and see what we can make of them together.
Week 1: Humans, God and mystery
In this session we explore the ideas at the foundation of Rahner’s thought: that humans have a “pre-apprehension of God”, which means that “an experience of God [. . .] therefore, is present from the outset in everyday life, even though the individual may be interested in everything else except God.” So in Rahner’s view, experience of God is not an exceptional event; it is there in the background of all truly human experience – it is right there as the “condition of the possibility” of human freedom.
Week 2: Christ, nature and grace
One of the general tendencies of Rahner’s work is to try to show that any particular claims that Christian theologians make—for example, that God became incarnate in Jesus—fit within the broader picture of the relationship between God and creation – so that all important Christian beliefs have the same basic pattern. One reason for this might be that it ensures that Christian doctrine always remains credible, and intelligible. But some have argued that it shouldn’t be; that the idea of incarnation is meant to be scandalous and strange! In this session we explore these issues by looking at a couple of Rahner’s essays on Christology, and nature and grace.
Week 3: Rahner on “anonymous Christianity”
One of Rahner’s most well-known ideas is the idea of the “anonymous Christian”; someone who has “accepted the salvific grace of God, through Christ, although [they] may never have heard of the Christian revelation.” This idea provides a useful way for us to evaluate Rahner’s thought, and explore how it might help (or not) as we try to make sense of the relevance of Christianity in today’s
Stuart is the Theology Lead at LJC. He graduated with a degree in Literature and Theology from the University of Hull in 2000. From 2003-9 he studied Philosophical Theology part-time at the University of Nottingham, whilst continuing to work in the third sector with vulnerably-housed or homeless people, and young asylum seekers (as well as pulling pints in a pub). He was Lecturer at York St John University for almost a decade, before moving to London Jesuit Centre in 2021. He now lives in South East London, and spends as much time as he can in the woods.