Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Collected Works of George Grant, Vol. 4 -- book review by Ron Dart

Collected Works of George Grant: Volume 4: 1970-1988
Edited by Arthur Davis and Henry Roper
University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 2009

George Grant (1918-1988) is viewed by many as ‘Canada’s greatest political philosopher’. George/Sheila Grant were also Anglicans. There is little doubt that Grant was one of the most preeminent public intellectuals in Canada in the latter half of the 20th century. Few Anglicans in Canada have attained such status.

The fact that Grant was at the forefront of political, artistic, religious, literary and educational life in Canada cannot be missed. The publication of the Collected Works of George Grant began in 2000 with Volume 1, and the recent publication of Volume 4 (more than a 1000 pages) brings to a close a decade of serious sleuth work to compile primary material by Grant.

"Called out of darkness" - by Brad Jersak

My friend, Kevin Miller, spoke at church last Sunday. He shared about some of the joys and sorrows of being a movie screenwriter. I laughed as I heard about his encounters with some famous characters: shaking Chuck Norris' hand, getting eye-contact with the pope, duking it out with Ben Stein, and getting sued by Yoko Ono. But when he shared from the heart about how a series of deep disappointments can lead to a sense of broken trust with God, I sobered up quickly. He was preaching right to my sadness.

In my disappointment, I know that I lost confidence in God's way of running this buggered up world and at times, took it upon myself to take his place--with disastrous effects. I have seen my capacity to fail others miserably and know the hellish pride of self-loathing. It's easy for me to get stuck there, because that place opposes the very core of God's message. Kev related how our old friend, Tyler, had challenged him to stop and to just spend time "soaking" in worship and just listening to God. Sounds simple, but the resistance to engage that way was itself instructive. He recommended sitting quietly and listening to Kim Walker's "Oh How He Loves Us" ... repeatedly, until a message came through.