The Beginning and the End of 'Religion' by Nicholas Lash

by Nicholas Lash

Is the subject-matter of theology everything there is, considered in relation to the mystery of God as the source and life and destiny of all things? Or is it a particular district of experience and language and behaviour called 'religion'? The latter view, which makes religion something quite separate from politics, art, science, law and economics, is peculiar to modern Western culture. But, according to Professor Lash, the 'modern' world is ending, and the consequent confusion contains the possibility of discovering new forms of ancient wisdom which the 'modern' world obscured from view.These essays explore this idea in a number of Part One examines the dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism, while Part Two considers the relations between theology and science, the secularity of Western culture, and questions of Christian hope or eschatology.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Nicholas Langrishe Alleyne Lash was an English Roman Catholic theologian. The son of a brigadier in the British Indian Army, Nicholas Lash served in the Royal Engineers from 1951-1957. He then studied at Oscott College (of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham) and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. He did not remain a priest for long, however, as he received permission to leave the priesthood and marry in 1976. At University of Cambridge, he became a Fellow of St Edmund's College (1969) and served as dean of the college (1971-1975). He also became a Fellow at Clare Hall (1988, and emeritus in 2001). He held the post of Norris-Hulse Chair of Divinity at Cambridge from 1978 to 1999. Brilliant and imaginative, Nicholas Lash was the author of numerous theological books and a regular contributor to The Tablet. A loyal and obedient Roman Catholic, Lash voiced strong but measured criticism of authoritarian practices among leading figures in his tradition, arguing for open debate on a variety of topics, including the ordination of women. In 2017, a papal knighthood was conferred upon him by Pope Francis.

References:

*https://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/news...

*https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/1317...

*https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/...