Faith is not a proud self-consistent f philosophy. It involves maintaining oneself between contradictions that can’t be solved by analysis. It is therefore a living response to the grace of God as revealed in fragile lives. It resembles a collage. Collages are slowly pieced together out of diverse materials in an attempt to present a portrait whose integrity is found in its variety and creativity. A collage of Christian faith will be built out of the Christian traditions and texts, the myriad experiences of human living, imagination, silence and prayer. This is not to deny the concept of revelation. On the contrary, I want to argue here that ‘truth’ for those who journey with God is not to be defined by the rational criteria of verification and falsification. It can instead be understood as meaning ‘manifestation’, letting what shows itself be, by the creative grace of God. No one has ever seen God, says St John. He is made known.

The Collage of God

Mark Oakley