Clayton/Knapp and Christian Minimalism

During part of my life, I played tournament chess. In chess your Elo rating is determined by how often you win, lose, or draw against other players above, below, or roughly equal to you in strength. After you've established a permanent rating, there is a point where the graph of your progress does not fall below. For example, if you have consistently kept your rating in a range of 1600-1700 then it can be safely assumed that you won't fall below 1400 no matter how bad a single tournament might go for you. This is called your "floor".

Philip Clayton, professor at the Jerusalem of Process Studies, Claremont Theological, co-authored a book this past year with Steven Knapp entitled The Predicament of Belief. Clayton is a very interesting figure on the Process side of Christianity. He routinely breaks out of standard categories. For example, while most Process folks set up a symmetrical relationship between god and the world (pantheism), he posits an asymmetric one (panentheism). He apparently even believes in creatio ex nihilo as well. He is passionate, almost 'evangelical', about his ideas, but also very gracious to people who do not agree. Whatever you might think of his theology/philosophy, he models Christian humility and charity. If you are unfamiliar with him, check out podcast #24 on Homebrewed Christianity/TNT where he talks about the book.

Clayton and his co-author ask a simple question concerning how believable various parts of Christianity are today. In other words, what parts are rationally credible. He works with a tiered concept of rationality. At the lowest levels are bits of scientific information that have been reproduced time and again. These are intellectually secure. As you work your way up the mountain (see cover of latest book), it gets rationally more difficult to convince the hypothetical unbiased individual. Eventually, beyond even "rationally permissible" and "useful metaphor", the top of the mountain is obscured by clouds. So, whether or not you believe in a full trinitarian god, you should at least recognize that mind/consciousness is a part of the universe. Whether you believe the creeds, you can at least recognize that "infinite grace and compassion of the UR [ultimate reality]" were present in Jesus of Nazareth. Whether or not you believe in a physical resurrection, as Paul apparently did, you can at least believe in a trans-physical or perhaps a spirit-centered/ participatory understanding.

I've followed the reviews of the book with interest. The usual suspects and their expected positions appear, but I've also seen a bit of a push-back from some that would normally be sympathetic. Anyhow,Clayton is essentially saying that there is a "floor" of Christian belief and that we should seek to climb the mountain, if we are so inclined, as long as we realize that the air is thinner (rationally speaking) the higher we go. This, among other things, distinguishes him from theological liberalism and makes him an helpful voice in the ongoing theological conversation.