As all Tablet readers will know, the title of this book comes from Bonhoeffer, rather than Hugh Grant. The theologian, facing execution in a Nazi jail, wrote, in the light of the ugly new world that had been ushered in, “Who is Christ actually for us today?”He was raising, of course, the all-important question, one that is heard on many lips today, including those of Pope Francis, “How can Christ become the Lord of the religionless as well?”The popular historian and novelist James Carroll makes four good points. The first is that “Jesus is elusive. If he were not, he would be useless to us.” This is an observation that we need to recite to ourselves several times a day. The second, denied by the Nazis, and too often by the Church, but asserted by Bonhoe
26 February 2015, The Tablet
Christ Actually: the Son of God for the secular age
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login