Theological Fascinations

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Arthur McGill had numerous opportunities to air his rich theological musings outside of the classroom. We are now fortunate, some twenty-five years after his death, to have seventeen sermons brought to us by the aid of his wife Lucille McGill and editor David Cain (University of Mary Washington). These homilies reveal the core themes that distinguish his theological writings: relaxing in our neediness before God, participating in the death-to-life pattern of self-expenditure, and rooting our hope in the unique power of Christ. The collection culminates with what Cain notes as McGill's "signature" sermon on The Good Samaritan, wherein we see that the reception of grace always precedes the extension of grace. In addressing day-to-day issues such as possessions, speech, loneliness, and anger, McGill is both prophetic and pastoral. He does not hesitate to say that "the wickedness of Nineveh--alas!--is the wickedness of the United States." At the same time, he brings a refreshing word with theological depth about human suffering and the God who models ultimate vulnerability.