Embodied Faith: Reflections on a Materialist Spirituality by Ola Tjørhom

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

294 Antiphon 13.3 (2009) Council but interested in the development and impact of Catholic theology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. On another level, it achieves an impressive balance of theological acumen and a robust understanding of the historical, political, economic and sociological developments that shaped the world in the latter part of the twentieth century. Finally, Linden is successful in highlighting and balancing the tension between the “horizontal networking” that was spreading throughout the world in this era and the “hierarchical structures” (272) that had long-dominated the traditional Church. He demonstrates the way that the rise of diversity throughout the world catalyzed a desire for dialogue in many Catholics and a quest for uniformity in others. For him, the real meaning of Vatican II was realized in acts of working out concrete, particular problems and negotiating how the diverse experiences of local churches could be navigated in relation to a strong central authority. With each of these accomplishments Linden’s book also advances the debate over the proper interpretation of Vatican II by shedding light on the relationship between center and periphery and, perhaps more importantly, by illuminating how this relationship develops. In the end, Linden’s book is valuable because it has the potential to contribute to a variety of debates and conversations. His work builds bridges that seek to integrate the tremendous diversity that has grown up within the Church since Vatican II, and in doing so, he bridges many discourses which deserve greater conversation among them. Kristin Colberg University of Notre Dame South Bend, IN Ola Tjørhom Embodied Faith: Reflections on a Materialist Spirituality Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009 201 pages. $30 In the media a disclaimer is sometimes made when there is an association between agents, like Disneyland and ABC. In a similar spirit of disclosure, I should note that Ola Tjørhom is a friend of mine and we share the common background that neither of us is a “cradle Catholic.” We are what I call “credo Catholics,” having come to full communion in the Church after extensive rational investigation. Ola and I first met as Lutherans, and now we meet as Catholics on the other side of our respective journeys. His conversion made a bigger splash than mine, as he was already a professor of systematic theol- 295 Book Reviews ogy and dogmatics who taught at the Lutheran School of Mission and Theology in Stavanger, Norway, and also since at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France. He was responsible for official dialogue between the Norwegian Lutheran Church and the Anglican Church, and was a key author of the Porvoo Statement, which was something of a breakthrough in a stalemated conversation. He was established as a dogmatician and ecclesiologist in the ecumenical dialogues, and his reception into the Catholic Church was, shall we say, “noticed” in Norway. This personal information is relevant because it is a thread running through this stimulating book on what Tjørhom calls “materialist spirituality.” Though acknowledging his debt to a Norwegian, neopietistically inclined, fairly low-church Lutheran piety, he admits “it became increasingly difficult to integrate it into my actual life,” and “this led to a longing for a spirituality that could be more effectively incorporated in my life; a piety that did not depend on my own – clearly insufficient – spiritual presence; something I could bring with me at work, in fellowship with family and friends, and during evening strolls …” (14). And that is the motivation for this work: we are recommended to read it “as signs of the joy of having full access to the treasures of Catholic spirituality” (ix). Tjørhom sketches the contours and components of materialist spirituality through a well-organized and clearly written theological proposal. After giving his definition against the background of the modern world, he turns to the Trinitarian foundation of materialist spirituality in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then he turns to its rootedness in Church and sacrament and prayer. Finally, he considers how this spirituality affects life in the world, culture, art, ecumenism, and even Christian dialogue with other world religions. Although he is often describing the cultural situation in Norway or western...