In the Foreward, Mike Higton writes that "this book provides a solid training in how to think theologically" (x). I completely concur.
Even though a relationship with God is greater than our propositions, it is not devoid of propositions. Theology is the attempt to reflect upon God, our relationship to God, and how we view life in light of this relationship. As such, theology is like a plank - "There are no handrails to grasp" - but we must walk on it nonetheless.
Fabricus' aim is not "to be systematic or comprehensive, but mischievously suggestive" (xv). He certainly succeeds. He offers ten propositions on various themes from Trinity to Theodicy, Pacifism to Same-Sex Relationships, Heresy to Hell.
Here's a great example of Fabricus' playfulness:
Heresy is, as Rowan Williams puts it, the "near-misses"--which actually help guide the church towards the target... Heretics like a "wrap," and heresies are fastidiously neat and tidy, the product of minds stuck inside the box of common sense. "Consistency," said Oscar Wilde, "is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Unsurprisingly, then, heresy is aesthetically unattractive, even ugly... Heretics are one-eyed, they lack the "vision thing": failing to see the bigger picture, they take the part for the whole. That is why heresy is inevitably rather boring. Heretics have no sense of adventure; they go only so far, they won't go "all the way." You could say they are theological prudes, often wearing philosophical chastity belts, who resist being ravished by revelation... Heresy is uncomfortable with the oddness of God. (181, 182)
This is a great book to inspire deep thoughts. As an added bonus, Fabricus begins each chapter with a poem, that more often than not, is just as enlightening as the propositions to follow.
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