THE SECULAR SAINT

by Allan R. Brockway ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 9, 1967

In The Secular Saint, Mr. Brockway, a Methodist minister, attempts to show how the old Christian symbols can be reinterpreted so as to be guidelines for a new dimension in sanctity. He first describes ""The Setting,"" the world as it is today: an unstable, urban, leisured and religionless world; then he describes what that world demands of religion; and finally he explains how organized religion can change--or rather, can evolve--to meet those demands by re-creating itself in conformity with the requirements of the present and of the future rather than with the historical exigencies of the past. Basically, the book is intended to offer to the hypothetical ""alienated intellectual"" an alternative to acceptance of the death-of-God thesis. In fact, it assumes that the alienated intellectual recognizes the need for religious belief and is casting about for a tenable (religious) position--a classic petition of principles to which modern clergymen of all persuasions fall easy victims. This is not to say that The Secular Saint is not without value; it is indeed a readable, wise, and helpful guide to an intellectually viable form of Christianity--for those who already regard themselves as Christians. The book's only fault is that the author aims at an audience that hardly exists.

Pub Date: Feb. 9, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION