Christ and Contemplation: Doctrine and Spirituality in the Theology of Rowan Williams

Abstract

This article examines the integration of doctrine and spirituality in selections of the work of Rowan Williams. The contours of this integration are elucidated through attention to the ways that Williams critiques the notion, prevalent in several modern spiritualties, of a stable hidden self that is to be excavated through various forms of therapy. In place of this notion, Williams articulates a view of the self that is always in the process of becoming, and he does so by deploying resources drawn from the Christian theological tradition. Williams's theologically derived convictions about the self mesh nicely with his contemplative spirituality: a posture of silent attentiveness and patient openness to the presence of God and so also to other creatures.