Book Review: J. Philip Newell. Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality. Paulist
Press, 1997.
I have
recently immersed myself in some reading in the area of Celtic spirituality,
theology and history. In the great sweep of history, it is remarkable that the
Celtic worldview was so thoroughly crushed by the authority and control of
Roman theology as early as the 7th century. Thus the Celtic vision had,
as far as I can tell, no influence on the Protestant Reformation in England , Scotland
or Ireland .
It is not until much, much later, in the 20th century, that this
quiet and gentle stream of Christian theology re-emerged and has been enjoying
a grand renewal, now with a rebuilt Iona as a
powerful spiritual location. How would our American Presbyterian Church history
be different if the Scots, Irish and British Presbyterians who first immigrated
here had a theological worldview that included some of the Celtic themes? In a
larger sense, the utter crushing of the Celtic worldview by the powerful dominance
of the Roman Church begs us to ponder the source and formation of Christian doctrine
itself. There were some powerful forces in the realms of international
relations and politics that allowed the ascendancy of the Roman perspective and
the declaration that the Celtic perspective was heretical. Was this the work of
the Holy Spirit? If so, how do we understand the re-emergence of these Celtic
themes now, and their popularity today? Is it possible that we got it wrong in
the first place? Is it possible that the intention of the Holy Spirit, as
demonstrated by the recent, influential rebirth of the Celtic vision, is to
help us in the Church realize that there are different viewpoints,
perspectives, and worldviews? Maybe the Church is at its best when we learn to
respect and hold on to all of them.
Today J. Philip Newell is one of the leading voices for the
reclaiming of the Celtic perspective. I highly recommend his small book as an
easy introduction to these questions. The one paragraph copied here introduces
many of the deep questions I believe we should ponder:
“The stream of Celtic spiritual, from Pelagius in the fourth
century to George MacLeod in the twentieth, is characterized by the expectation
of finding God within, of hearing the living voice of God speaking from the
very heart of life, within creation and within ourselves. It is a spirituality
that recognizes the authority of St.
John and reflects his way of looking and listening for
God. At the decisive Synod of Whitby in 664, where two distinct ways of seeing,
represented by the Celtic and Roman missions, came into conflict, the former
allied itself to John. Coleman of Lindisfarne argued that the Celtic tradition
originated from St. John ,
the disciple who was, he said, ‘especially love by our Lord’. Wilfred, on the
other hand, argued for the Roman mission, which, he claimed, was based on the
authority of St. Peter, whom, he claimed, was based on the authority of the
Apostles.’ The tragic outcome of the synod was not that it chose the Roman
mission but that it neither made room within the Church for both ways of seeing
or declared that both were firmly rooted in the gospel tradition.”
Other resources in Celtic thought:
Esther De Waal. The Celtic Way
Grace Clunie. Sacred
Living: Practical Inspiration for Celtic Spirituality for the Contemporary
Spiritual Journey. (Kindle edition, 2011). (The Rev. Grace Clunie is the Director
of The Centre for Celtic Spirituality, Armagh ,
Northern Ireland
The Classics of Western Spirituality. Celtic Spirituality. (Kindle Edition).
