Professor Lash: A Visionary of Faith and Synodality

At Fisher House Chapel in Cambridge, Dr John McDade delivered a lecture celebrating the legacy of theologian Professor Nicholas Lash. He reflected on his commitment to the Church, Synodality, and the importance of a mature, meaningful faith in modern times. Eunice Kwashie reports.

On November 6, Fisher House Chapel hosted a lecture in memory of Nicholas Lash, marking 46 years since his election to the Norris-Hulse Chair of Divinity. Lash was also the first Catholic Professor of Theology at Cambridge University since the Reformation. The event featured Dr John McDade, former Principal of Heythrop College, and Professor Janet Soskice, president of the Cambridge University Catholic Association. Family, friends, colleagues, and students gathered to honour his legacy, filling the chapel in a way that, as his widow Janet Lash noted in her opening remarks, had not been possible at his funeral due to Covid restrictions.

Describing Lash as having “a holy mind,” Dr McDade reflected on Lash’s commitment to the Church, grounded in a vision of synodality. Lash believed the Church should not be built solely on hierarchy but on mutual understanding and shared decision-making, inspired by Yves Congar’s “church from below.” Lash saw the laity as integral to Church decisions, echoing John Henry Newman’s insight that ‘truth is wrought out by many minds working together freely.’ For Lash, synodality was not just meetings or councils but a way of building a Church that truly reflects its people.

Dr McDade outlined Lash’s critique of “infantilist” faith, where belief remains unquestioned, as children might accept religion as fact without moving beyond literal understanding. Lash argued that adults must grow beyond mere ritual and dogma to develop meaningful faith. Over-intellectualising faith, however, can also be stifling, potentially leading to rationalism or indifference. Lash believed the individuals and the Church must “not be stuck in immaturity” but rather encourage a mature faith that holds meaning in today’s complex world.

Lash also warned against absolutism in faith – a rigid attachment to certain symbols, texts, or narratives can reduce faith to superstition or idolatry. When this happens, Dr McDade explained, religion can become “something that just goes alongside life” without offering true meaning or being life-giving.

Dr McDade shared Lash’s view that synodality addresses anthropological and theological concerns. Lash believed the Church often struggles to understand or articulate what it means to be human today. “The Church has yet to identify its own anthropology,” Lash remarked, suggesting it learns from other sources what it means to be human. He envisioned a Church that recognises individuals as part of a “living body,” creating a community celebrating the diversity of contributions within the Body of Christ.

Lash’s theological vision drew on thinkers like George Eliott and Newman, especially von Hügel’s model of the Church as balanced between the institutional, intellectual, and mystical aspects of faith. Lash believed that “you cannot separate what is humanly meaningful from what is religiously meaningful.” Theology, he held, is “done through the body of Christ,” and even theologians cannot be “experts on God.”

The evening ended with a Q&A on articulating faith meaningfully and the importance of adult formation beyond intellectual study. Janet Lash closed by thanking everyone for celebrating Nicholas’s life and legacy. Guests left with a renewed appreciation for Lash’s lasting impact and vision, inspired to challenge current practices and reflect on ‘what ought to be’.

Pictured above: Dr John McDade and Janet Lash after the lecture. Photo by: Eunice Kwashie

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