Categories: uncategorized
Date: 27 February 2009 23:00:04
Tonight I went to a public lecture given by Rowan Williams on the subject of Theology and Reading books. A packed lecture theatre enjoyed this gifted theologian and communicator give a lecture defending the role of theology within the humanities.
The key arguments he was making, quoting some Canadian bloke whose name I never quite caught, were that texts embody something spoken and invite a response from our imaginations. With a text there are no last readers, until the end of the world and maybe even beyond. When you read and properly engage with what you are reading you never have a final understanding. Even if you think you have finally understood something will come along to disturb you. Theology is based upon reading and the processes of re-reading. Tradition becomes a process of re-readings.
He argued that when we engage with theology, as people of faith. Good theology involves allowing the text to remain free from me because something should always be left to unsettle me and other readers. The reader should always be frustrated. There was a slight tangent into AI and there being something involved in interpretation that goes beyond choices, meaning computers will never really be able to deal with history or critical engagement.
After continuing on a bit more about the whole feedom thing and how it leads to transcendence he moved onto looking specifically Christian readings. He started going on about identity and how the practice of reading connects who we are and what we are and how we relate to other. A good sense of reading involves the othernesses of others.
He concluded this line of thought by talking about how we need to expect to become different as we engage with the text. The more we expect to be changed via reading the more we will. Quoting the Canadian guy again he talked about the way a "defenceless reading" allows engagement.
Know that the summary of my notes I have given doesn't give justice to what he was saying but hope it gives you a flavour of lecture which was really enjoyable. What I liked was the way the archbishop focused on the positive and addressed the uses of theology. It might be possible to identify a number of issues he was touching upon and critiquing without mentioning them, but this would be missing the point. Central to the talk was the idea of positive engagement and allowing the texts to be read and re-read to aid and develop understanding. Through entering into this positive engagement we gain freedom, both in relation to ourselves and in relation to others.
Beyond the lecture I really enjoyed a spot of people watching. It's at events like this one really sees how the academic and religious communities in Durham work and the networks which exist; people were sitting in clearly identifiable groups. Yet these groups weren't isolated. With just a little knowledge of the city it was possible to start drawing the lines between the ickle groups of people sitting together and drawing the network which connects church and university in the city. It was also interesting to sit and identify my own connections within to various groups seated around the room. It helped me realised that I'm not isolated, I'm actually plugged into a network of amazing people - some of whom I enjoyed a really nice meal with afterwards as we decided to head out to one of the cities many Italians.