A superb account of an increasingly important religious movement.
A debut book offers a concise introduction to Evangelicalism from an informed insider.
Coleman was originally drawn from the cultural Christianity of his parents to the fervent commitment of Pentecostalism, and this began a lifelong quest to refine and practice his faith. Eventually, he was born again into Evangelicalism, but he recalls that he slowly experienced doubts both about its core doctrinal components and its lack of inclusiveness, or openness to people of diverse backgrounds. The book is bifurcated into two parts: a scholarly account of the theology and history of Evangelicalism and a memoir recounting the author’s grappling with his own doubts about his faith. The first part is as lucid a précis as is available; Coleman patiently describes a widely misunderstood religious sect in accessible prose. What emerges is not only an unambiguous account of what it means to be Evangelical, but also a picture of a church much less monolithic than is commonly thought. Despite some basic theological commitments, Evangelicals are engaged in their own share of intramural disputes about scriptural exegesis, salvation, homosexuality and gay marriage, and a number of other significant topics. In the autobiographical portion of the book, Coleman candidly discusses the crisis of faith he experienced as he discovered differences between his view of the Bible and most Evangelicals’, and this interpretive dissonance ultimately birthed a philosophical skepticism that nearly destroyed his faith. He found his way back to God, though no longer as an Evangelical, and counsels that its members rethink their relations to non-Christians (“But as the world becomes smaller, and our communities become filled with people from differing backgrounds, there will be those that need alternative models of faith to that which Evangelicalism can provide”). The book concludes with an actual entry from the author’s journal that affectingly conveys the anguish he suffered from his trials of doubt. Coleman writes under a nom de guerre, apparently so as not to challenge the faith of the Evangelicals he knows, though it’s not entirely clear why writing anonymously will diminish the volume’s power to potentially nurture doubts. Nevertheless, this is a moving and educational book that will resonate with all of those in search of an authentically religious life.
A superb account of an increasingly important religious movement.Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5151-6040-3
Page Count: 156
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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