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The Hippo and the Fox: a cautionary tale
Author(s) -
Atkins Margaret
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
new blackfriars
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-2005
pISSN - 0028-4289
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-2005.1992.tb07269.x
Subject(s) - hippo signaling pathway , art , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , effector
Matthew Fox's popular but over‐simplified retelling of the history of Christian attitudes to creation makes St Augustine the prime enemy. In the table at the back of Original Blessing, Augustine is the first‐named spokesperson in the enemy camp, so to speak, of ‘fall‐redemption’ theologians. It might seem appropriate therefore to borrow the pages of a Dominican journal to ask whether Fox has somewhat missed the point. 1 It seems important to correct the distorted account for two reasons, negatively because Fox's sharp distinction into either ‘creation‐centred’ or ‘fall‐redemption’ theologians allows him to pretend that these two fundamental elements of Christian theology are conflicting rather than complementary; positively, because Augustine himself has a great deal to contribute to serious thought about creation.