Revisiting the Response to the 1977 Book The Myth of God Incarnate

Abstract

In 1977, SCM Press published a controversial theological book titled The Myth of God Incarnate. Although the authors had close ties to the Church of England, their book denied the divinity of Christ. It caused an uproar. This study revisits contemporary responses to the book and examines why so many of them were negative. The book was viewed as a failure by many observers because it was supposed to be a work of “popular” theology—though written by serious scholars—but many reviewers found it both inaccessible for a popular audience and too superficial for an academic one. Furthermore, it was publicized in a way that was insensitive to the faith of churchgoers. Finally, the book’s approach is a prime example of what Peter L. Berger called “the self-liquidation of the theological enterprise.” In short, if the book’s conclusions were accepted by the Church, they would undermine the church’s existence.