Paul Faber: Surgeon. Chapters 17 - 23
In his writings MacDonald never misses an opportunity to underscore his deep convictions as to the nature of God, and Chapter 17, beginning with a portrait of Faber’s atheistic thinking, includes yet another excellent statement as to the nature of God that, sadly, so many theologians, who feel a need to have an abstract system of thought that excludes paradoxes, distort. And his analysis of the atheist’s thinking is quite perceptive and helpful.
Juliet was raised under the tutelage of the type of narrow thinking MacDonald wants to expose and, when she opposes Faber’s common sense with it, it seems inadequate. When he pleads his love for her, she sternly rejects him; nevertheless, he persists, and she begins to capitulate.
Chapter XVIII begins by observing that Bevis is growing spiritually under the teachings of Wingfold. MacDonald observes that Christians grow through various phases, and the more they grow, they more they acquire a more accurate view of the true nature of Christ, and hence become more Christ-like. And he opines: “the atheism of some . . . is a nobler thing than the Christianity of some of the foremost of so-called . . .Christians.”
MACDONALD IS MAKING SOME VERY STRONG JUDGMENTS ON THE INADEQUACIES OF NARROW SYSTEMS OF THEOLOGY. IS HE BEING UNDULY HARSH? DO YOU THINK HIS DAY DIFFERS MUCH FROM OUR OWN?
The conversations between Wingfold and Faber also reveal something of MacDonald’s attitudes towards the current state of scientific thinking. Their differences concerning the theory of spontaneous generation have behind them, of course, Darwinian assertions in The Origin of the Species, which was published some twenty years before the time of MacDonald’s writing.
Hearing from the butcher about Mr. Drake’s poverty-stricken condition and attitude that refused any help and failed to trust God fully, Wingfold visits the Drake’s home with a proposal that Juliet come to live with them and help them by paying board out of her salary earned by tutoring. In the detailed description of Mr. Drake’s state of mind and inner turmoil, and of Wingfold’s solid faith expressed so movingly in his extended prayer, a discerning reader cannot but feel the inner struggle that MacDonald himself is going through as he is writing, for, as I have said, he is in desperate need of money to join the remainder of his family as they are in Italy with their seriously ill and failing daughter Mary. The curate is praying for absolute trust and confidence in God’s provisions, and the peace that comes from suc h complete commitment.
Wingfold is summoned to the home of Mr. Drake and there he finds him in agony and distress, feeling God has forsaken him. Curiously, the cause of his depression is not his on-going poverty, but rather that he has become the heir to a large fortune. He now feels God has forsaken him to serve Mammon. Wingfold counsels him to spend the money, or at least the interest from it, thereby ridding himself of the temptation.
IS THIS EPISODE VERY CONVINCING? DOES DRAKE HAVE A FURTHER SPIRITUAL PROBLEM THAN THAT OF COMPLETELY TRUSTING IN GOD TO PROVIDE?
Comments
I do not think he is being harsh but he is saying what is considered unmentionable things about both the luke-warm Christians and the atheist. Today’s atheist pop-philosophers can say that God is a "Flying Spaghetti Monster" but that is only designed to infuriate and add heat without light in a theological dialogue. The best an atheist can say is the belief in God is the, “opiate of the people”, but then will not allow any rebuttal on that statement without derision. It seems like the only non-harsh statement a Christian can make is something like “I need Christianity because I need my opium,” or “I need the opium to control the little people into subservience.” As alluded to above, the genius of this book is its ability to unmask the outward responses to Christianity and God from the inward thinking of a typical atheist.
MacDonald’s time from what I have heard had a better crop of philosophers who were atheists that had better arguments against God, but I have not read them. I hear that the 19th century atheists were somewhat envious of the Christian because of the theological hope Christians had, even if they thought it was misguided. The opiate quote is from Marx from the middle of the 19th century but it is still popular today. Even though it is used a little out of context, the only change in modern theological debate is its increasingly stridency, not in its thoughts. I do not think MacDonald is unduly harsh as much as he is brutally honest and there is no way to not be equally honest without unmasking the brutality of the atheists’ thoughts.
I discussed about the atheists’ theologies, but I can say that the backstory of Juliet’s religion is even more harsh and brutal and for me even more scary. It seems to me that the inexorable rise of the “nones” and the “spiritual but not religious” crowd is due to haphazard religious upbringing of their parents who themselves were the product of haphazard upbringing—although I think the upbringing of today’s children is worse than ever. MacDonald being a first-class storyteller and wordsmith cannot be too harsh, or maybe even not harsh enough.
Drake I think trusts God but he knows just how weak he himself is. He trusts in God more than he trusts in people, but does he trust in God more than he trusts in himself? Because he has had to be poor much of his life if not all, he knows exactly how to be a good Christian and be poor. Now he is called to be a god-fearing steward of a small fortune and he is not sure of his abilities in his new realm.
I found this a humorous turn in the story. I always think of “Fiddler on the Roof” with the scene of Reb Teviah singing “If I Were a Rich Man!”
Yes, he has a great talent for giving us believable characters that illustrate vividly the effects such belief has on various personalities. MacDonald insists that the essence of true Christianity is to love Christ and try actively to obey him. He sees God working in the lives of all people with tender love and great patience, in no wise violating their wills, but urging them on to the next phase of their spiritual development.
Really enjoying the book.
Yes, it takes careful scrutiny and prayer to understand our experiences.