God's Gamble: The Gravitational Power of Crucified Love

by Gil Bailie

The Cross of Christ has left a crater at the center of history, an inflection of sacrificial love toward which everything before and after this event is ordered and properly understood. That Christ is the Alpha and Omega—the logic, the meaning of creation itself, from whom the drama of salvation emanates and toward whom it moves—is a central but often neglected doctrine of Catholic Christianity. Though it is a mystery that will ever elude rational explication, sufficient traces of it can be found. Drawing primarily on the insights of René Girard and Hans Urs von Balthasar, Gil Bailie’s new book is a work of reconnaissance, an effort to locate and explicate some of these traces. He presents a narrative of both rich and subtle textures—the story of God’s gamble in and on history. “God’s Gamble is a vividly written, engaging account, at once personal and provocative, of man’s search for meaning. Designed for a general audience, Bailie’s unique telling of the story of Christian revelation invites the reader to a rich reflection on the meaning of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to deeper readings in the grand intellectual tradition of the Christian West.”—+CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia “This is a masterful synthesis of insights from Girard and Balthasar, among others, in an attempt to take seriously the proposition that Christ is the fulcrum upon which all of human history turns. Bailie accepts Balthasar’s judgment that eschatology is the storm center of the theology of our times and carefully unpacks the issues of greatest pastoral relevance.”—TRACEY ROWLAND, Dean, John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Melbourne) “This remarkable book is both demanding and deeply penetrating, a Girardian tour de force plumbing the depths of the current postmodern malaise and presenting a rich Christology and a robust anthropology, both of which will challenge readers to see salvation history with new eyes.”—CARL E. OLSON, author of Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead? and co-editor of Called To Be the Children of God “With God’s Gamble, Gil Bailie has written his masterwork. He shares the fruits of a lifetime of patient reflection upon the innovative anthropological hypotheses of René Girard and the fearless theological explorations of Hans Urs von Balthasar. The result is a breathtaking synthesis that meditates on all the most puzzling questions of human history. In a spirit of humility, Bailie investigates what we can know about both the origin and the destiny of humankind. It is a wondrous history that becomes all the more fascinating as we continue to learn more about it through evolutionary science, cultural anthropology, and theological contemplation.”—CHRISTOPHER S. MORRISSEY, Seminary of Christ the King, British Columbia “As the civilization formed by Catholic Christianity renounces its own patrimony, many have forgotten what it means to be human. In Gil Bailie such lost souls have a guide to return to sanity, and a fearless one at that, willing to lead them, and us all, through the difficulties of violence, death, sin, sacrifice, resurrection, and hope. An outstanding book, and one I’m eager to read again.”—R. J. SNELL, Director, Center on the University and Intellectual Life, Witherspoon Institute

Genres: Catholic

386 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Andrew Marr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gil Bailie gained some renown for his 1995 book Violence Revealed which remains a fine and highly readable introduction to the theories of sacred violence of René Girard. He has blogged on his site The Cornerstone Forum for many years but this is his book since Violence Unveiled. There is some continuity with the earlier title but it is quite a different book.

This book is a long and deep meditation on the universality of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus as envisioned by Catholic Christianity. In the earlier portions of the book, Bailie does make extensive use of Girard’s theory that culture is founded on collective violence that is sacralized in myth, ritual and law. Like Girard, he interprets these victims of collective violence as precursors of Christ. That is, the crucifixion of Jesus is the definitive act of collective violence that reveals the truth of this violence while myth, ritual and law had disguised it. Bailie suggests that, although there was much misrecognition on the part of those perpetrating ancient collective violence, that is was a catharsis of pity and fear, to use Aristotle’s terms for catharsis. In this, Bailie sees the pity involved as the beginnings of conscience even if the fear overrides the pity in the act of collective killing. I haven’t made up my mind as to whether I agree with this notion, but I am working on it.

For the rest of the book, Bailie relies most heavily on the thought of the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar and papal documents by Popes John Paul and Benedict XVI. In followiong Balthasar’s dramatic theology, Bailie argues that Jesus experienced the effect of sin, namely God-forsakenness at Gethsemane and on the Cross from which he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” It is in this desolation that Jesus must remain faithful to his Heavenly Father. This is where Bailie sees God’s gamble: that Jesus, with the freedom of any human, must choose to remain faithful in the midst of experiencing God-forsakenness.

Most particularly, Bailie examines Balthasar’s theology of Holy Saturday. Balthasar interprets the Descent into Hell of Jesus on Holy Saturday as Christ’s extending salvation to all who have died before his time by revealing the truth of His Passion, that is, that all see “the one whom they have pierced” (Zech. 12:10) This line of thinking is attractive to me but Bailie’s book seriously bogs down at this point in belaboring subtle points of Balthasar’s thinking. Since this issue is controversial among Catholics (and many other Christians for that matter) I can see why Bailie would tackle the matter as thoroughly as he does. The price, however, is ponderousness of reading that is bound to be difficult for many readers.

Bailie also relies on Balthasar for arguing for a qualified universal salvation in that time expands at the point of death of each individual so as the reveal the full truth of what that person has done and how what the person has done has pierced the side of Christ. The upshot is that eternal damnation would happen only if it should (or even could) be self-selected. Balthasar. This notion, however attracted to many (including me) is also controversial within Catholicism and elsewhere and so is subject to a ponderous and detailed defense that continues to make this book a heavy read.

The emphasis is on the cross and the descent into Hell with not much on the Resurrection. This seems to reflect a concern on Bailies’s point (and Balthasar’s) that the Cross not get short shrift in light of the Resurrection but it does mean that the lightness that could come from dwelling more on the Resurrected life does not occur in this book.

Much of the power of Bailie’s earlier book comes from his social analyses both of ancient and modern culture in light of Girard’s insights. There is almost nothing of this element in this book. The only social ethical issues that get mentioned (briefly but forcefully) are that human life begins at conception and erotic relationships are only morally and spiritually valid with they are heterosexual. The presentation of Holy Saturday and the offer of salvation at the point of death are geared to individuals. There is no communal context except that these values are taught and guarded most deeply by the Catholic Church. Since this is already a long and often ponderous book, one might feel that Bailie should not be criticized for what he did not write here. Fair enough. What I am doing here is trying to give prospective readers a fair idea of what to expect of this book. There is much valuable food for thought in Bailie’s writing and his use of Balthasar for those who are interested with grappling with the issues that he explores here wit such density.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The retired pastors Book Club that I belong to read this book. I was not familiar with Rene Girard or Hans Urs von Balthasar whom Bailie draws heavily upon in his writing. I would not recommend this book beyond those who have an interest in Catholic theology. I was glad for the exposure to the material, and for the opportunity to talk and discuss it with my colleagues in the Book Club.

[Bernard O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary!

Complicated and difficult to read, but thorough to the end. Keep an advanced dictionary close by because you will need it page by page.

[Philip Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, Gil Bailie's book "Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads", revolutionised my thinking about violence, society and religion. I've subsequently met with Gil a half dozen times and each encounter has contained a new challenge to taken-for-granted, or never examined, assumptions.

This new book is an outstanding work. I've taken six months to read it slowly. I will take years to read it more. Gil's way of writing has an attractive and erudite literary bent. It's a joy just to read his sentences. In this book, inter alia, Gil explores the meaning of Easter Saturday, the possibility of universal Salvation, and the place of the Eucharist in our life "abiding" in Christ. Woven throughout are connections with the work of René Girard, and Gil's personal commitment to Roman Catholicism.

[Jacques-jude Lépine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monumental in scope. some excellent and really creative extensions of the mimetic anthropology. A daring exploration of the topics of death, freedom, and hell, essentially based on HUVB. Only the reader familiar with HUVB will be able to evaluate the enrichment brought by Bailie here. the use of mimetic analysis to address some of HUVB's issues was interesting however modest, as far the implications. HUVB' a bit unbalanced focus on the theological implications of Good Friday could have found in Girard the material to complete his work with a vision rooted in the life of the Resurrected Christ such as the one that permeates Eastern Christianity.