Après church

In Cafe Theology, Michael Lloyd writes that ’Many of the problems we have…stem from forgetting that creation is good.’  The first chapter states that ‘In the end, there are basically only two possible sets of views about the universe in which we live. It must, at heart, be either personal or impersonal.’ For Lloyd, the goodness of creation is rooted in its personal nature.

Many view religion as a mechanism of control and repression. Faith is sometimes seen as a means of distancing oneself from reality, so as to have a kind of ethereal anaesthetic by which to survive life.  To these viewpoints, Lloyd states ‘Pleasure is God-given. It is part of what creation is for, and God takes pleasure in the pleasure of his creatures.’ The constant emphasis of Cafe Theology is the closeness of God to his creation, mankind included.

All this talk of pleasure and the ‘personal nature’ of creation may lead some to suspect that Lloyd’s theology is at best idealistic and at worst self-centred or vulgar. However, Cafe Theology is a comprehensive work. It consistently anticipates the questions it prompts, and responds to tough questions in a manner that’s thoughtful and interesting rather than dogmatic and prescriptive.

An example of this is found in Lloyd’s treatment of political and religious fanaticism. One of the issues that repels people from religion is undoubtedly the conflict and division it has caused all over the world. Lloyd, confessing his own fear of fanaticism, writes

‘…one of the things that most frightened me was the suspicion that if I were to give myself unreservedly to God, I would end up a fanatic. Now, fanaticism left me cold. It scared me rigid. And one of the lessons I learnt through the hard thinking that the experience prompted was that fanaticism is not different in degree from christian faith. It’s not having too much of a good thing. It’s not Christian faith just taken a little too far. It’s different in kind..’

This point is directly related to the idea of a personal universe. Lloyd elucidates the idea that people resort to extremism when they feel that their identity is under threat. In an impersonal universe, they may have no option but to fight to retain their identity. However, in a universe created by God, a universe which values uniqueness and diversity, extremism has no place.

Violence to the other becomes violence to God because it destroys his diverse creation. Lloyd therefore makes a convincing case for the goodness of diversity, and stands against any religious practice that promotes uniformity of thought and behaviour. This is one of many examples of Michael Lloyd’s ‘joined up thinking.’ One of the central achievements of this book is that it consistently makes clearly structured arguments without presuming to have the matter sewn up, without imposing a value system on the reader.  

Cafe Theology is a scholarly yet intimate and accessible book. It raises as many questions as it answers, gesturing toward the diversity and beauty of life without pretending to encapsulate it. Its structure is clear and comprehensive, its insights razor sharp and specific. It is appropriate for both the seasoned person of faith and the most tentative of enquirers.