What is the Point of Being a Christian?

This is the first book by Timothy Radcliffe that I have read. I bought it at Greenbelt Festival last year on the basis of some talks he did there. My copy still bears the scars of Cheltenham Racecourse mud. I don't know much about Catholic speakers and writers, since a good deal of what I have read to date tends to be recommended by friends of the Protestant tradition. We Catholics either do not read books with religious/spiritual themes or we guard our reading habits jealously. I also think that the Protestant writers have the marketing sussed. Their books are not necessarily any more interesting, they just package them better.

Anyway, I digress. I went to see Timothy Radcliffe speak on the basis that (a) I'd heard of him (just about) and (b) he is a Catholic. I felt duty bound to drop in on a fellow Catholic. The only other alternative that I knew about was James Alison. As his talks were veering into the arena of homosexuality I thought I would give them a miss. This was not for reasons of homophobia, I hasten to add (though for one or two self-indulgent seconds I thought the world at large might get the 'wrong impression' about me!); no, my reasons were that the whole 'gay' issue can be a bit bandwagonish and so I thought that on this occasion I would give it a miss. To be fair, given another opportunity I probably would go along and listen.

Radcliffe was extremely popular. They opened up the side of the tent so that people would not be disappointed. I had to sit outside but was able to hear him clearly. I was immediately impressed by him. He is well-spoken, erudite and humourous. The realm of his experience as a widely travelled Dominican Friar and theologian lends an air of authority to what he has to say. In spite of his academic prowess, he is a great communicator and is able to convey complex ideas in simple language. His practical experience as Master of the Order means that he has seen a great deal of what life in this world has to offer to the most disadvantaged and so his message is one of hope mixed with realism. So I bought the book...

The title of the book is What is the Point of Being a Christian? In one sense, this is a personal quest but there is much in Radcliffe's search to which I felt able to respond affirmatively. He begins with what was, by his own admission, the glib response of "because it is true" but in the chapters of the book the deeply complex concept of Christian truth is unpacked. Central to the notion of Christian truth is the role of the individual within the community and the difficulties which arise within human relationships. Radcliffe tackles the fact of and theories for the polarisation between faith groups, within the wider Christian Church and indeed within the Catholic church itself. He considers the impact of the 'Now Generation' and the concept of 'Liquid Modernity' as expounded by Zygmunt Bauman. Liquid modernity is the point we have reached in post-modern culture whereby we are no longer dealing in the concrete but the abstract - we deal in a currency of signs and symbols - think of the golden arches of McDonalds, the Nike swoosh. He explores the changing role of sabbath in the 21st century.

This book is intelligently written, balanced,well researched and shows a solid grasp on the complexities of the modern world. Timothy Radcliffe OP may be an academic but dry he is not.

What is the Point of Being a Christian? ISBN 0-86012-369-3 available in Christian Bookshops or on order from any good bookshop.