THE⋅JRI⋅BRIEFING PAPERS – No.7 True 'Creation Spirituality': Original Blessing and ~ a critique of Matthew Fox’s ~

Who is Matthew Fox? Matthew Fox's 'Four Paths' The book Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality was published in 1983. Its author was a) Via Positiva: a Roman Catholic and Dominican, living in "Befriending awe and wonder." , named Matthew Fox. In 1990 he was Celebrate creation and do not treat expelled by the , and invited into it with disdain. Earthiness is good. ordination in the US Episcopalian Church (part of b) Via Negativa: the world ). Since then Fox has continued speaking and writing, and has "Befriending loss and letting go." Be empty, founded an institute for ‘Creation Spirituality’ at be emptied and be content to be nothing. (But don't annihilate ourselves.) Welcome Holy Name (R.C.) College, where he teaches. silence, let pain strip us of our cover-ups.

My aim is to set out Fox’s main ideas in a way c) Via Creativa: that is helpful even to those who have not read any of his writings. "Celebrating the artist and artisan in each of us." See ourselves as 'divine' and creative. Why is he important? d) Via Transformativa: Matthew Fox’s approach attracts many Christians “Compassion that transforms and brings who are searching for a more ‘creation-friendly’ about justice." We and all creation shall be spirituality and liturgy. However although Fox is transformed, and we are in the process of correct in identifying defects in some streams of being transformed. Christianity, his response leads him into serious doctrinal errors. To me, the book Original Blessing is like a river. Fox proposes that the traditional ‘threefold path’ A myriad ripples enliven the surface, and each is be replaced by four paths to the true Christian life interesting. Some are beautiful, some are of value, of his Creation Spirituality. In Fox’s writings the some less so. Creation Spirituality is the obvious theological applications of these ‘paths’ falls into main current of the river, but there is a dangerous doctrinal error. However, they are in themselves undercurrent which is not immediately apparent to mostly biblical, and remind us of the essential those who see only the surface. goodness of God’s creation, the ‘original blessing’ Fox coined ‘Original Blessing’ as a counter to the of Genesis 1. idea of Original Sin, and he sees it as an antithesis a) Via Positiva. and antidote to what he calls a ‘Fall-Redemption’ Biblical texts like Genesis 1, Job 38,39, Romans view. I aim to show that Fall and Redemption are 8, Hebrews 1:1-3, as well as details in the Mosaic both necessary to any true ‘Creation Spirituality’. Law, and above all the Incarnation of God, make The Four Paths clear that God’s creation has real value and that Fox proposes ‘Four Paths’ to delineate what he we should love and look after it for him. feels is important in the light of the ambivalence b) Via Negativa. of some streams of Christianity in their attitude Luke 9:23, Habakkuk 3:17-18, Galations 2:20 and towards God’s creation. The language of ‘paths’ much of Job point to an ‘emptying’ of ourselves should be understood in the context of Christian before God, and a ‘resting in God’. mysticism, which historians define as an approach to God comprised of a threefold path: preparation, c) Via Creativa. illumination, and union. Fox argues that this cat- This can be seen in the fruit and gifts of the Holy egorisation does not do justice to the true mystical Spirit and in God’s affirming of human activity, tradition, in that it leaves out a delight in creation, such as in Genesis 2:20, Exodus 31:3, Hebrews 6: and omits a concern for justice. 10 and the parable of the Talents. d) Via Transformativa. Two good books setting out a mainstream Christian Transformation of humans (Rom.12:2, 1 Peter 1) and view are Paul Marshall’s Heaven is Not My Home also of the wider creation (Rom.8:21, Col.1:20, Eph. (1999) and Tony Campolo’s How to Rescue the 1:10) is an important biblical theme. Earth Without Worshipping Nature (1992). Here is a paradox. If Fox’s ‘Creation Spirituality’ is Fox’s Problem and Response the antithesis of the Fall-Redemption view, how can In his formulation of the Four Paths, Fox is reacting such Christians be at the forefront of the Four Paths? against what he calls a ‘Fall-Redemption’ view, and The answer must be that true ‘Fall-Redemption’ and in his distaste for that over-compensates and presents ‘Creation Spirituality’ are NOT opposites. the four paths as the antithesis of that view. Creation, Fall and Redemption are three key themes But, the ‘Fall-Redemption’ which Fox encountered in the Bible, with a balance between them depicted in and describes is not the Bible’s Fall-Redemption but Fig.1a. But much Christian thought has tended to is a rigid, rule-bound, joyless idea. It might be called suppress one or another. For example, Fig.1b depicts a Fall-Only view: Fall without Redemption. Fox is a ‘pietist’ view, which neglects Creation, and Fig.1c right to reject it, but his own understanding of both represents an emphasis on premature Redemption, on Fall and Redemption is also flawed. His version of being completely freed from suffering, which can be Creation Spirituality is counter-productive, and his found in some, but not all, charismatic groups.

‘original blessing’ becomes, in the end, a curse.

Current and Undercurrent Balancing Biblical Themes The main current in Fox’s theology is his affirmation of God’s physical creation. The current is positive, helpful and propels us forward. The undercurrent is Creation his misunderstanding of Fall and Redemption, and Fall this is negative, distracting, and deflects his followers Redemption into futile uncertainties. Fig 1a Biblical balance The current is clear and easily seen, the undercurrent can only be felt. Christians reading Fox’s book on ‘Original Blessing’ feel the undercurrent and rightly Creation react against it. What I want to do here is to lay bare the undercurrent, so that we might understand it and Fall respond in more constructive ways to what Fox is Redemption saying. I will explain what I think is the root of Fox’s misunderstanding and propose that, in fact, the Fig 1b Imbalance of some Christians doctrine of original sin, when understood in context, is good and even beautiful. Creation Creation-Fall-Redemption Fall Christians who believe in ‘Fall and Redemption’ are Redemption often participants in, or even at the forefront of, movements which – in practice, though they would Fig 1c Imbalance of some charismatics not think of themselves in those terms – follow the four paths of Creation Spirituality, even if not in precisely the way Matthew Fox might hope. This is not just a matter for theologians. FitzSimons Some examples might be: Allison’s excellent book on The Cruelty of Heresy (Via Positiva) ‘Conservation Sunday’, supported shows that doctrinal error or imbalance can have by the Evangelical Alliance, A Rocha and others. disastrous practical effects. (Via Negativa) Holiness movements, the aim for For example, in the full humanity and divinity of ‘Not I but Christ’ in Roy Hession’s Calvary Road. Christ, the themes of Creation and Redemption are (Via Creativa) Arts Centre Group, celebrating the combined in the Incarnation. On the one hand, if the arts as God-given, and UCCF professional groups. humanity of Christ is rejected, or downplayed, we end up with an ‘escapist’ religion that cares nothing (Via Transformativa) Healing ministries, such as for a groaning Creation or for the poor, and refuses in the charismatic movements. Justice for the poor that suffering with Christ which in Fox’s language is such as in Tear Fund, Christian Aid and CAFOD. called the ‘Via Negativa’. On the other hand, rejecting the divinity of Christ For a helpful discussion of this, its roots in Greek turns our religion into a ‘teeth-gritting’ attempt to body-soul dualism and its secularised modern forms, follow Jesus’ ‘good example’ that ends up either in please see Dooyeweerd’s Roots of Western Culture: arrogance (if we believe we can do so) or despair (if Pagan, Secular and Christian Options . we realise that we cannot). Rejecting any aspect of a Fox seems to have suffered at the hands of a modern balanced biblical truth is cruel, robbing us of the ‘Fall-Only’ imbalance, and he blames this theology abundant life promised by Jesus. Such imbalances for most of what he perceives as today’s ills, such as are the basis of all heresies. environmental damage and the oppression of tribal We can take Allison’s approach further, considering peoples. Fox’s response was to reject it and seek a the consequences of rejecting the third component, theology in which the Fall is diminished (though he the Fall. That leads to complacency. Believing we acknowledges the presence of evil) and Creation is are basically OK, we would reduce Redemption to emphasised at its expense, as depicted in Fig. 1e. growth or education. No repentance, no turning back to God, would be needed – God a mere doting aunt Understanding Fox who pats us on the head. Perhaps most serious, we Our understand of Fox’s stance is that he is reacting would fail to diagnose the problem we faced, and against a seriously deficient form of Christianity, in therefore find no real, lasting solution. which both Creation and Redemption are suppressed, and has responded by playing down the Fall and Fall-Only stressing Creation and a weak kind of Redemption. ‘Fall-only’ ideas affect various parts of Christianity. So, the following can be stated: Fox seems to have encountered such an imbalance, 1. Fox is right in his identification and rejection of a which is depicted in Fig.1d, in a Roman Catholic distorted Fall-Only religion. setting, but it also occurs in Protestant contexts. Often, such errors arise from popular folk religion (of 2. Fox is right in the positive things he proposes, the type Graham Greene wrote novels about) rather namely the Four Paths. than official theology, and much of contemporary 3. Fox is wrong to react against and suppress the Roman Catholic thought is innocent of this error. biblical doctrine of the Fall. Roland Bainton argued in Here I Stand that some 4. We should welcome what is helpful in Fox’s work forms of “mediaeval religion deliberately induced but strenuously develop his ideas in relation to the [tensions] playing alternately on fear and hope. Hell reality of the Fall. This is what I shall try to do now. was stoked, not because men lived in perpetual dread, but precisely because they did not.” Christ Original Blessing? Original Curse! was distant, salvation was a tenuous wish to attain The current of ‘original blessing’ is jeopardised by to an escape to heaven, no longer something to be the undercurrent of Fox’s rejection of ‘original sin’. experienced here and now by ordinary folk. The He sets up Four Paths, but gives us no ability to occupations of laymen and their everyday life were follow them; all we are left to do is ‘try harder’. disdained. The Creation order (the natural world, But, as Paul knew (Rom.7) and as Terry Waite had work, art and sexuality) served only as a backdrop discovered when he wrote “there is no such thing in for the drama of human salvation. But it did not me as a purely altruistic motive”, we can never live work, it led to cruelty in the name of righteousness, up to their demands. So, Fox’s ‘original blessing’ and injustice being excused for the sake of a becomes a dead-weight, a curse. heavenly reward. Original Blessing Via Original Sin The only way to follow the Four Paths and reach the Creation ‘original blessing’ is via the truths of original sin Fall (Fall) and God’s atonement in Christ (Redemption). Redemption 1. Creation (‘Original Blessing’). God made plants,

Figure 1d Fall-only Theology animals and humans and also our potential in art and technology. In the beginning, all was good and humans had a special role of stewarding the creation Creation for God, to bless the creation by discovering, Fall developing and enriching it (Gen.1:28, Gen 2). To enable us to do this, we were given special Redemption characteristics, and a special relationship with God.

Figure 1e Fox’s reaction against 1d We are called to walk the Four Paths. God enters his creation and shows us how. 2. Fall (Original Sin). But we turn away from So Fall-Redemption and true Creation Spirituality God. We become self-centred, a source of harm can be integrated. Indeed, I believe they cannot to others, a curse not a blessing. This manifests really be separated because we cannot have Hope itself in pride, arrogance, unconcern (e.g. for the without Redemption, nor can we have Original poor, Ezekiel 16:49), rebellion, and these all lead Blessing without the idea of Original Sin. to injustice and suffering. Unconcern for creation prevents us from taking the Via Positiva. Pride prevents us taking the Via Negativa. Rebellion Further reading distorts the Via Creativa. And arrogance prevents Bainton, Roland Here I Stand: A Life us taking the Via Transformativa. We cannot of (New York: Abingdon- escape the curse. Nothing in creation (education, Cokesbury Press, 1950). law, healing, or human will) can overcome it. It Basden, Andrew The Beauty of Original goes deeper than inability; our presuppositions Sin. An open letter to Matthew Fox, 1994, about reality prevent us realising, and pride available from the Christian Studies Unit, 65 prevents us admitting, how helpless we are. Prior Park Road, Bath, BA2 4NL. 3. Redemption. “But God so loved the world,” Campolo, Tony How to Rescue the Earth (note: the world, not just human beings), “that he Without Worshipping Nature (Milton gave his only Son ...” to redeem us (John 3:16). Keynes: Word Books, 1992). Romans 8 gives a broad picture: those who accept Dooyeweerd, Herman Roots of Western God’s redeeming work are no longer condemned Culture: Pagan, Secular and Christian (v.1), rightly call God “Father” (v.15) and are Options (Toronto: Wedge Publishing transformed (v.12-14) and set free (v.21), and Foundation, 1975). nothing can separate us from God’s love (v.35). FitzSimons Allison, C. The Cruelty of 4. Real ‘Creation Spirituality’. Notice Romans 8 Heresy (London: SPCK, 1994). v.19-22: the Creation itself will share this joy. It is the truly-redeemed who bring joy to Creation, Fox, Matthew Original Blessing (San not because there is no Fall, but because God lives Francisco: Bear & Co, 1983). in them, and empowers them to treat Creation Marshall, Paul Heaven is Not My Home aright (Gal.5:22-23). They walk the Four Paths so (Leicester: IVP, 1999). that the Creation, which includes ourselves, will come to completion in Christ (Col.1:20).

This briefing has been prepared for the John Ray Initiative by Dr Andrew Basden, Reader in Knowledge Systems and Human Factors, University of Salford. Thanks are also due to

Dr Celia Deane-Drummond and the JRI Trustees, for their helpful comments.

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