George Grant and the Theology of the Cross: The Christian Foundations of His Thought

Susan McKnight is an administrator of the Courts Technology Integrated Justice Project at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

The thesis of this book is that George Grant’s thinking was deeply
rooted in the theology of the cross, an approach to Christianity
developed by Martin Luther. The author begins with an overview of
Grant’s life, including the considerable influence of both his
grandfathers on his early thought. Another profound influence was World
War II, which planted the seeds for Grant’s belief that technology
could cause irreparable damage if left unchecked by a strong faith in
God. Chapter 2 explains the concept of the theology of the cross in
detail, starting with in-depth coverage of Luther’s beliefs and a
summary of Grant’s thesis on John Oman. Grant follows Luther’s
theory but carries a more positive message for humanity.

The remaining chapters explore Grant’s works and their various
influences. The most important of these influences was the 20th-century
French philosopher-activist Simone Weil. Through his study of her
writings, Grant was able to formulate his own language of the theology
of the cross and apply it to his philosophy. Various other influences,
such as Jacques Ellul, Leo Strauss, Nietzsche, Hegel, and Heidegger,
were ultimately rejected for “their constructive proposals for
overcoming the crisis of the modern.” The decline of Western
Christianity and the secularization

of society are also discussed in detail in these chapters.

Athanasiadis proves that Grant was not a pessimist, as some of his
critics have argued. The theology of the cross is shown to have positive
value as a mitigating force in the modern crisis presented by
technology. The book includes extensive footnotes, and the chronological
format is conducive to use as a reference work.