The View from the Centre

The trouble with all religion is that the extremists usually have the loudest and clearest voices. Moderates are often disappointingly timid, muddled and vague.

But this book argues clearly for a fascinating middle way in Christianity: both between the high-church and the low-church people, and between the traditionalists and the progressives. It shamelessly steals all of their best ideas, while firmly rejecting their errors. It describes a perspective which is shared by many in the middle ground of the Church of England and elsewhere, but which is sadly rarely articulated with clarity and conviction.

The book therefore offers a map for understanding today's churches. It shows how to make sense of the historic arguments which divided Protestants and Catholics in the past, and the issues which divide Christians today (including the ordination of women, same-sex marriage, styles of worship and approaches to mission).

The result is a faith which can take the text of the Bible more seriously than most of today's Evangelicals, can enjoy the beauty of traditional Christian worship more fully than most of today's Catholics, and can offer a deeper understanding of God's work in our changing world than most of today's liberals.

The view from the centre of Christianity is a fascinating panorama, open to all to understand and enjoy.

The Revd Dr Keith Eyeons is a Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge, where he is the Chaplain and Director of Studies in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion. His previous book, The Theology of Everything, was shortlisted in 2019 for the Michael Ramsey Prize, which celebrates the most promising contemporary theological writing from the global Church.