BOOK OF THE MONTH: Godforsaken by Stephen Cottrell

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH

REVIEWER: Peter Crumpler

GODFORSAKEN

BOOK: GODFORSAKEN: THE CROSS – THE GREATEST HOPE FOR ALL Godforsaken: the cross - the greatest hope for all. 
AUTHOR: Stephen Cottrell
(Hodder Faith, 2023) 144pp, paperback 

‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’ are Christ’s last words on the cross, as recorded by Mark. They have prompted controversy among Christians for many generations. Preachers approach these words with care, accepting them as, perhaps, challenging to explain. Some may choose to overlook them and focus on other aspects of Christ’s death. They are among the very few phrases recorded in Aramaic: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani.’

Why read the book?

In what way was Christ forsaken by his heavenly Father as he died in agony on the cross? Is this, some argue, the sign of a cruel God demanding the death of his Son, in return for humankind’s failings? If God forsook Christ on the cross, what hope is there for us?

In this helpful, accessible book, the Archbishop of York sets out to examine these puzzling words. He organises his thoughts into seven chapters for study during Lent or Holy Week, with suggested questions for reflection or discussion, and describes the book’s aim as ‘simply and steadfastly to plumb the depths of these words, discovering in them a strange and beautiful hope: the hope that Jesus, in his passion and death, has indeed shared the horrors of our own isolation, desperation and alienation from God and from one another.’

The depth of Christ’s words

Cottrell reminds readers that Christ’s words are from Psalm 22; that the whole psalm helps us understand the cross, and that Christ’s original hearers misunderstood what he was saying. He describes Christ’s words as ‘terrifying,’ and highlights the significance of the darkness that descended following his death. Ultimately, he declares ‘This isn’t just Jesus suffering in his humanity, but all of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is immersed and engaged in the suffering of Jesus. And because the risen Jesus bears the marks of suffering, then those marks, those glorious scars, are present for eternity in the heart and life of God.’

The book, which derives from sermons given by Stephen Cottrell to congregations in Chichester, Chelmsford and York Minster, provides a valuable examination of a challenging passage and could form a helpful introduction to a more detailed study of the issues raised.

 Reviewer: Peter Crumpler
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, and a former communications director with the CofE.