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Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation

Author:	J Philip Newell
Published By:	Wild Goose Publications (Glasgow)
Pages:	160
Price:	£10.99
ISBN:	978 1 905 01052 3

Reviewed by Luke Penkett.

John Philip Newell has long been known for his outstanding writing on Celtic spirituality. In his latest book he examines afresh who Christ is for us at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Christ of the Celts makes a timely appearance. When, by now, most churches have woken up to engage with the environment, Newell explores again the long tradition of Celtic spirituality which, since the earliest days, has been aware of the divine in all creatures, all places and at all times.

In Chapter One he reminds us of the sacred root of every being and the harmony that can exist between us all as we take part in the dance of the universe. In the second chapter he examines the doctrine of original sin which has divided rather than united us. The next chapter emphasizes the continuing creation that comes from the heart of God. In “Empty Notes”, Newell argues, as the great Celtic teachers have always done, that creation does not come from nothing, but from God. Chapter Five demonstrates to us that the deepest feeling throughout the universe is love and longing for union. In the sixth chapter, the doctrine of “substitutionary atonement” is shown to have caused great disharmony, even within the individual soul. Chapter Seven is entitled “The Hymn of the Universe”. The final chapter makes clear that individual salvation is a stumbling block that prevents our recovery of the sense of the oneness of the universe.

A superb book that deserves to be well read before the established churches crumble through division.