Paper
R. M. Burns. The Great Debate on Miracles. Pp. 305. (Associated University Press, 1981.) £17.50.
Published Jun 1, 1984 · J. Gaskin
Religious Studies
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Abstract
that God is literally all-knowing. Why does it follow that he must be idolatrously worshipping the proposition God is all-knowing or the concept of all-knowingness ? And is there not a confusion in linking idolatry with literalness (p. 145) and not with exclusiveness, between the use of a metaphor exclusively and its use literally? Professor McFague seems to pay insufficient attention to the logical consequences of taking theology to be a discipline in which stating the literal truth about God is for some reason impossible. The objection that the statement 'Theology is metaphorical' is metaphorical could be met by a distinction between firstand second-order statements. But from time to time Professor McFague says things like ' The Christian life is pre-eminently one of relationship, in trust toward God and love toward others' (p. 539). Is this a literally true theological statement? Is not the only consistent attitude for the metaphorical theologian to adopt that of uttering the metaphors without further comment? In the final chapter the model of God as father is treated as a case study. According to Professor McFague radical feminists have found it to be both irrelevant and idolatrous. In the face of such critiques she proposes and discusses an alternative model, God as friend. All parties to this dispute seem to ignore the obvious fact that both men and women have both fathers and mothers.
The book is a valuable resource for those interested in theology, but it may not be suitable for those seeking a comprehensive introduction to the subject.
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