Surprised by Oxford

"The truth is in paradox, Miss Drake. Anything not done in submission to God, anything not done to the glory of God, is doomed to failure, frailty, and futility. This is the unholy trinity we humans fear most. And we should, for we entertain it all the time at the pain and expense of not knowing the real one."

Carolyn Drake did not know what to make of the statement made by her revered undergraduate professor. Drake was confident that she was her own master. She was headed to Oxford University on a full scholarship, ready to experience all the magic that 700 year old academic institution of England had to offer. And little did she imagine that she would be as much challenged by God and questions of Christian faith as she would be by her studies to obtain a masters of philosophy in Romantic literature.

It was romance that Carolyn found, but perhaps not that in the manner she had anticipated upon arriving at Oxford. In Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir, Carolyn Weber writes the story of that academic year at Oxford, and how a providential meeting to save money in overseas correspondence set her on a journey that would challenge and confront her beliefs and force her to choose an entirely new path.

I found Surprised by Oxford a compelling read, because so many of Weber's arguments in confronting and questioning what she believed on the path to Christian faith rang so similar to my own journey. “Repentance. Resurrection. Redemption. Grace? Such words meant nothing to me,” she writes. And yet, slowly over months of discussion and reading and evaluation and meditation and prayer, Weber finds the answers to those questions which have challenged her. Unexpectedly, with thoughtful intellect and reason, she finds that even a feminist academic from a broken family can find the joy and yes, grace, that only belief in Jesus, who is everything He says He is, offers.

As you might expect of a memoir written by a doctorate of philosophy, literary quotes and references fill Surprised by Oxford. Weber also takes care to paint a picture of the tradition and beauty of Oxford. At times, I did wish that the story would speed along a bit- I wanted a conclusion more quickly than her experience allowed. But overall, I would recommend this book to others, particularly to those who enjoy biographies and the questions of those who struggle with questions of faith.

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