David F. Ford

Reading texts, seeking wisdom: A Gospel, a system and a poem

Reading texts is fundamental to Christian wisdom-seeking. In this article three very different texts are interpreted for their wisdom. The closing verses of the Gospel of John are a charter for ongoing discipleship inseparable from continuing theological creativity, at the heart of which is Spirit-guided interpretation of Scripture. Kelsey’s magisterial experiment in theological anthropology is radically God-centred and shifts the doctrine of creations centre of gravity towards the Wisdom Literature. Kavanagh’s poem ‘Lough Derg’ imagines how God sees and hears us with compassionate wisdom.