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Meanings of Life

Author:	Alex Wright
Published By:	Darton, Longman and Todd (London)
Pages:	144
Price:	£10.95
ISBN:	0 232 52489 0

Reviewed by Louis Darrant.

Careful attention to the title of this profoundly moving book will give the reader an idea of what the author is seeking to develop: meaning is not found in a single tradition, but is discerned through a variety of sources. Any author who bravely seeks to address the timeless question of the ‘meaning of life’ ought to be given a fair hearing. Alex Wright’s former role as a publisher of theological books qualifies him to write an eloquent plea for theology, which connects with the reality of everyday lived experience. Meanings of Life is not a work of systematic theology, but draws instead upon film, literature and autobiography. The author’s passion for the value of telling stories ought to strike a chord with those involved in the demands of pastoral ministry where the sharing of stories is crucial. In this pastiche of different stories, Wright asks the fundamental questions about what it means to live. His dissatisfaction with the answers of institutional religion needs to be heard if we are not to lose touch with the people the Church is currently failing to reach.

While I deeply sympathise with the challenges that the author puts to the churches, I nevertheless still want to hold on to an understanding of God and his Church which is generous and broad enough to hold each of these stories. Do our churches offer space for the author’s questions to be heard?

The book is highly accessible and can be read as an encouragement to busy church leaders to read more novels, go to the cinema, go walking and listen!