Overview

God's Kinde Love book is the first first full-scale study of Julian of Norwich's doctrine of grace. The thesis of the book is that Julian of Norwich developed a sophisticated, multifaceted doctrine of grace that reflected a profound knowledge of the theological tradition; at the same time, Julian resisted the dominant theological tradition and its established socio-political alignments, and she offered instead a new theological paradigm: that of God's kinde love. Through a close reading of the Long Text, and in particular through an analysis of Julian's use of the word grace, Lamm identifies three distinctive, interrelated facets of Julian's doctrine of grace. Julian's theological brilliance and artistry comes through as she develops these three facets by means of kinetic imagery that Julian develops thematically. These three facets of her doctrine of grace are so intricately bound up with the most important theological discussions that Julian had added in the Long Text that those additions cannot be fully understood apart from her theology of grace. To date, scholars have not noted the exponential increase in Julian's use of the term grace in the later editions of her book, Showings. The reason for this increase was evidently twenty years of prayerful reflection on the meaning of her original revelations in light of scripture; a secondary revelation she received that ""Love"" was the meaning; and, Lamm suggests, the socio-political context of a post-Revolt England. This is where the vernacular, and in particular the range of associations of the Middle English kinde enter into the discussion.

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9780824599928

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"""... The depth and breadth of God's love is more fully explored in Lamm's book, God's Kinde Love. It is a text that also offers fresh insight into the life and text of Julian as a theologian rather than a preacher. Lamm reminds us that theology is not merely created from intellectual exercises or discussions; our understanding of God is mediated by our experiences, and those who have gone before us. It is the classic ""three-legged stool"" of the Anglican tradition. We need scripture, reason, and tradition. Any of those alone do us and God a disservice. Lamm's text is deep, thorough, and engaging. She begins by providing the background and context for her writing on Julian as a theologian and the context in which Julian lived and wrote. As with any theologian, while there is much that is universal in her texts, our understanding is enriched when we know something of Julian's world - of plagues and life in medieval England. Lamm goes on to examine the theme of ""Revelation as Exposure"" and then ultimately to discuss Julian's writings along- side Romans 5:5 and Augustine's Doctrine of Grace. The most significant chapters, and the most significant impact of Lamm's work, focus on developing a rich and deep understanding of God's Grace and God's Mercy. Lamm notes, ""Julian resisted the dominant religion-political understanding of mercy-as-amnesty . . . and retrieved instead a Biblical understanding of mercy-as-compassion,"" and Julian's understanding of grace is about God as ""the cheerful gift-giver who delights in humanity"" and a world where ""human persons are equal to one another in dignity"" (p. 177). It is this explication of Julian's doctrines over the course of multiple chapters, as well as the engagement with longstanding theological traditions, that make Lamm's text so compelling and important. It is not hard to argue the dam- age that has been done over the centuries from a theology embedded in patriarchy that emphasized power, sin, and punishment. How different might our world be if the starting place for understanding God, ourselves as individuals, and humanity, was the grounded belief that God is compassionate and delights in us, and we have an essential dignity that cannot be taken away? These may be understandings frequently found in contemporary theological texts, but they are not the dominant theme of patristic or medieval texts and their almost exclusively male authors. Lamm's understanding of Julian and her presentation of her as a theologian make God's Kinde Love a text that should be a part of historical and systematic theology courses. So often students only encounter Julian along with the other mystics of her time - Rolle, Kemp, Cloud of Unknowing, etc. She does belong there. She also belongs in classes that discuss the doctrines of Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Luther, etc. Our world, institutions, education, and our own faith lives could all benefit from a theological understanding that emphasizes compassion, delight, and dignity...."""

Author Information

Julia A. Lamm is a Professor of Theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she has taught since 1989. She received her B.A. in History and Philosophy from the College of St. Catherine, and her M.A. in Religious Studies and Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Chicago. She is a recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (Germany), and is founding Director of the Costan Lecture in Early Christianity at Georgetown. Lamm is an historical and systematic theologian with specializations in Friedrich Schleiermacher; Christian mysticism; the doctrines of God and of grace; Christology; and the relation between theology and philosophy. She is the author of The Living God: Schleiermacher's Theological Appropriation of Spinoza (1996) and numerous scholarly articles; editor of The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Christian Mysticism (2012); translator and editor of Schleiermacher: Christmas Dialogue, the Second Speech, and Other Selections for the Classics of Western Spirituality (2014). She is finishing another monograph, Schleiermacher’s Plato.

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