Peter Holloway
Paul Higginson structures his book as if he was our spiritual guide on a medieval walking pilgrimage of 121 miles from London to Walsingham, so there are 121 concise chapters providing a range of spiritual insights. These are organised within nine larger steps along the journey, and they invite us to take a fresh look at the words of Jesus.
The underlying premise of the book is that with Christianity, belief is the easy bit (some may disagree), but by far the hardest thing, as well as the most crucial, is putting faith into action. The key reference is the too often overlooked verse in James (2:17), ‘If good works do not accompany faith, it is dead’. In the chapter ‘Know them by their fruits’ Higginson again highlights the heart of the gospel message, “religion is not primarily about what you believe, it is about what you do… it is no good having a wonderfully coherent set of theological principles in our heads, if our beliefs do not bear fruit in our daily works or actions…it’s easy to say ‘I believe’ or ‘I’m a Christian’ but the hard bit is the doing: forgiving others, loving the unloved and building up the community.”
With chapters including ‘The Problem with Religion’, ‘Doubt is our Friend’ and thoughts about the Good Samaritan and the Woman at the Well, there is much to ponder here. In the story about the woman at the well Higginson reminds us that Jesus wasn’t interested in the woman’s gender, marital status or Samaritan background, he simply saw her as someone in need of help.
Higginson says that the gospel challenges us, threatens our complacency and shakes us up: “before we can be transformed, we must first be disturbed and made uncomfortable”. And added to these uncomfortable thoughts is his assertion that “traditional church-going Christianity in the West will disappear completely, unless something changes”.
As well as being a thought provoking read, Doing Christianity is also nicely produced, with a superb front cover painting of the Road to Emmaus by Royal Watercolour Society artist Thomas Plunkett. Higginson has some thoughts about the road to Emmaus too: he notes that Luke only names one of the two walkers (Cleopas) and asks if perhaps we are the other one? Finally, much of the book talks about themes of compassion and forgiveness, reflecting the emphasis Jesus placed on these actions in his teaching.
The author taught religious education and politics for 35 years and was Assistant Principal at Saint Dominic’s Sixth Form College in Harrow. He has a post-graduate diploma in social ethics and among other things has worked for Saint Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. A Roman Catholic, he conveys how little denominations, or even different religions, matter.
Doing Christianity didn’t allay all my doubts, and I’m sure it wouldn’t claim to attempt this, but the underlying premise is profound, and I think the book will succeed in making many readers ask themselves what more they can do to put faith into action.
Doing Christianity by Paul Higginson available here