THE GRAMMAR OF FAITH REVISITED

Neither Phillips's nor Lindbeck's grammatical arguments seem able to yield a theologically coherent account of Christian realism. If these approaches do not work, but, as I argued at the end of chapter 3, we need one which respects the grammar of Christian faith, how are we to argue a case for a realism that does respect this grammar? In the previous chapter I suggested that the grammar of Christian faith is God himself; this is where my proposal parts ways with Wittgenstein and his followers. We saw that for Wittgenstein it is ‘agreement … in form of life’ and ‘in judgements’ (19783: §§241–2) that keeps our practices and our use of particular expressions in order. Hence, when he makes the parenthetical remark ‘Theology as grammar’ (§373), what he means is that theology articulates or uncovers the rules governing language about God as it is used in our practices: it is a clarification of what it makes sense to say about God, how the term ‘God’ is to be used. ‘What is ridiculous or blasphemous also shows the grammar of the word’ (Wittgenstein quoted by Ambrose 1979: 32). Now, so long as we are confident that we can distinguish blasphemous from reverent Christian language, this might seem to be acceptable.

The problem is that Christians' powers of discrimination are being tested by non-realism and the Sea of Faith Network. Here is a dispute concerning what is ridiculous or blasphemous to say about God.