The Brink of Mystery

Description: Austin Farrer in his later years was striving for new depths of simplicity and insight. This collection of Farrer sermons preached mainly to undergraduate audiences is the third to be published since his death. Even readers who never heard him speak can form from the printed text a true impression of his qualities of imagination humor and spirituality. For preachers he not only advocates but illustrates preaching as a creative art; to the ordinary Christian he shows how worthwhile it is to take trouble with the questions of faith: to face them as issues of truth to probe them this way and that and to feel that language and imagery are friendly tools for undertaking the work. For theologians too he has a message: not to conceive their task too narrowly and to let a wide range of human resources mind and heart contribute to the task of clothing in words our experience of God. Endorsements: These sermons are a school for us all. For preachers tempted to give up on either theology or attractive devices he stands firm as the apostle of preaching as a creative art. . . . To the ordinary Christian he shows how worthwhile it is to take trouble with the questions of faith. . . . For theologians too he has a message: not to conceive their task too narrowly and to let a wide range of human resources of mind and heart contribute to the task of clothing in words our experience of God. -- J. L. Houlden About the Contributor(s): Austin Farrer (1904-1968) was ordained an Anglican priest at Oxford where he served as chaplain and fellow of several colleges. He was warden of Keble College from 1960 until his death. Both a noted theologian and New Testament scholar Farrer was a member of the Oxford Christians conversing frequently with C. S. Lewis J. R. R. Tolkien Dorothy Sayers and T. S. Eliot.