True Paradox

Kevin Moss | February 2015 - Highfields Book of the Month

By David Skeel - (2014) Nottingham: Inter Varsity Press

I had not heard of David Skeel, a US law professor until I learned of his new book (published later in 2014) through academic colleagues in the US.

I can imagine this book being one which splits the voters, as it does not 'conform', as it were, to the idea that either Christians or skeptics might have of a 'defence' of faith. Such books ordinarily deal with a given topic in some considerable detail, or with a range of related topics in a summary of encyclopaedic manner - this, at 161 pages (excl references) is not long enough for either, and indeed even though a relatively brief read, Skeel is quite discursive in his approach.

In this case, the author sets out to discuss a number of key paradoxes in our shared human experience, and aims to show how the Christian proposition explains those paradoxes better than the competing world views - and, especially, better than the current secularising reinterpretation of life, which appears now to lie like a blanketing fog over Western culture. He covers five key areas of ideas: (1) ideas and idea-making, (2) beauty and the arts, (3) suffering and sensation, (4) the justice paradox and (5) life and afterlife.

I am not sure that he attains an unequivocal slam-dunk for the Christian worldview in each case, and I suspect that part of the reason for this is that the volume was co-edited by an atheist colleague, with the result that the conclusions are, if anything, understated or minimalist. But, I am not sure that this is a bad thing. Skeel does not come across as 'precious' about Christian truth - in fact, his presentation of the ways in which Christianity makes sense of these five areas (unlike competing world views) is relaxed and quite nuanced.

As someone who works in the financial sector in the UK, where it is quite clear that the Regulators sincerely believe that everything that is wrong may be 'fixed' by ever more draconian and complex legislation, I found his treatment of justice (and the human inability to create a 'just society') to be particularly insightful - especially as he writes from the perspective of a law professor. In some ways, I might wish that he had gone further in his conclusions, but actually the point he makes, he makes well enough. Christianity alone, with its valuing of law, whilst teaching the imperfectibility of human nature, gives us a model for our culture which is both realistic and idealistic. Unfortunately, each successive wave of secularists seem to exhibit a marked amnesia to the plentiful lessons from human history, and believe that, this time, they'll be able to come up with the goods. Skeel does I think persuasively make his point.

Overall, this is a good book. It sits far enough outside of our normal expectations to present a refreshing read, because it challenges preconceptions. It is a relatively quick read, but I suspect one that I will return to - and I found that I was appreciating the author's style of writing, which repaid recapitulation and further thought. I have not given it five stars because my sense is that there were areas where Skeel might have played his hand more strongly, to the benefit of both believing and skeptical constituencies.

If you are looking for something thought-provoking and different to read at the beginning of 2015, then this might be a good place to start!