Laughing Pilgrims: Humor and the Spiritual Journey Book

I cannot possibly do justice in just a few words to describe how these three volumes have impacted me! For the past 30 years of my life, I have developed a keen fondness for the stories of George MacDonald . . . and have fallen in love with this man who seemed to know the heart of God in such an intimate manner. Since purchasing the complete works of George MacDonald for my Kindle, I have been rediscovering my love for his stories . . . yet also drawn more than ever before by his theology . . . leading me to this three volume set of his Unspoken Sermons.

Reading these volumes has represented the most delightful journey into Christian theology that I have ever experienced. He was harshly judged by his church for his theology, a rejected prophet in his day. But if his teaching were to become less obscure in our day, no doubt he would be equally and harshly condemned by many of our contemporary theologians, indignant at his challenge to the atonement theories that prevail in the 21st century evangelical church. We need only look so far as the recent condemnation faced by Rob Bell when he offered an alternative view of God's loving judgement. Perhaps it is only in the relative obscurity of MacDonald's theological works that permit his novels (where his theology is also accessible) to continue to grace the shelves of church libraries everywhere.

It is a pity that MacDonald is not more known for his theological teaching. It would no doubt serve as the same valuable corrective and soothing balm for the judgemental theological correctness of our day as it did for his day. But no doubt the vast majority of us will need to depend on other more familiar names to bring us the spirit of the teaching of this dear man whose deep love for God oozes out everywhere in his teaching.

Christian author Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) wrote that "it is a striking indication of the trend and shallowness of the modern reading public that George MacDonald's books have been so neglected." Thanks to contemporary authors like Michael Phillips, and perhaps also to e-book technology, this is fortunately less the case in the past 30 years than it has been previously.

Here is what C.S. Lewis says about MacDonald's Unspoken Sermons: "This collection, as I have said, was designed not to revive MacDonald's literary reputation but to spread his religious teaching. Hence most of my extracts are taken from the three volumes of Unspoken Sermons. My own debt to this book is almost as great as one man can owe to another: and nearly all serious inquirers to whom I have introduced it acknowledge that it has given them great help'sometimes indispensable help toward the very acceptance of the Christian faith. I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself. Hence his Christ-like union of tenderness and severity. Nowhere else outside the New Testament have I found terror and comfort so intertwined . . . I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him. But it has not seemed to me that those who have received my books kindly take even now sufficient notice of the affiliation. Honesty drives me to emphasize it."

MacDonald was able to avoid the dualistic error made by so many of us who have viewed the anger and the love of God as separate and distinct qualities of his nature. MacDonald viewed them as one and the same: "I believe that justice and mercy are simply one and the same thing; without justice to the full there can be no mercy, and without mercy to the full there can be no justice; that such is the mercy of God that he will hold his children in the consuming fire of his distance until they pay the uttermost farthing, until they drop the purse of selfishness with all the dross that is in it, and rush home to the Father and the Son, and the many brethren--rush inside the centre of the life-giving fire whose outer circles burn. I believe that no hell will be lacking which would help the just mercy of God to redeem his children".

Another favourite author of mine (Dallas Willard) always struck me for his gracious holding of truth. Yet he could be severe when needed. He had no hesitancy in confronting, in his book The Divine Conspiracy, the fundamentalist teaching of a popular theologian of our day - John MacArthur. With similar boldness, MacDonald harshly confronted what he saw as the error of the teaching of one of his most infamous predecessors: "From all copies of Jonathan Edwards's portrait of God, however faded by time, however softened by the use of less glaring pigments, I turn with loathing. Not such a God is he concerning whom was the message John heard from Jesus, that he is light, and in him is no darkness at all (from MacDonald's sermon Justice)". The title of Edwards' infamous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is still frequently quoted today, treated as on a level with inspired scripture, and still influencing 300 years later the minds of believers and unbelievers alike on the character of a harsh and condemning God.

Although I need some time to continue to sift through some of MacDonald's more controversial doctrines (on atonement and his view that not even the most evil person born may yet be allowed the opportunity for repentance, while requiring perhaps aeons of punishment before he may be willing to come to such repentance), MacDonald is not only one of the most brilliant theologians I have ever read but also one whose writing continues to exude a deep love for his Master. In aspiring to the same love that he had for his God and his diligent hunger for the truth of his God, I continue to regard MacDonald as one of my most important mentors on the Christian journey. I view him as I would a father.