A brisk set of optimistic, religious life-lessons.
An anecdotal, highly allusive series of Christian-oriented observations on life.
“Christianity insists that grace comes through the commonplace,” writes Orr (The Instruction of Youth in the Christian Life, 2018, etc.) in his latest book, stressing that “we become human in the network of everyday.” In a series of interconnected meditations on that network, he explores how Christianity can provide invaluable direction for solving problems, whether they’re man-made or not: “People do get lost in life,” he writes, “lost sometimes because they are simply in harm’s way, in the march of human evil, or the catastrophes of nature.” Specifically, Orr stresses how the Christian faith can provide an all-embracing support system for its believers. He criticizes the modern view of God as “a great celestial nag,” insisting instead that “Christianity is not a religion of control, but a religion of redemption” and that God’s love isn’t manipulative (“He treasures our freedom”). However, some of the observations here will strike readers as a bit confusing, as when the book asserts that the assassination of Mohandas K. Gandhi—a Hindu who was murdered by a Hindu—was a rejection of the Christian God’s grace. But the principal charm of this book lies in the wonderfully broad range of its references; in a series of smoothly presented stories and anecdotes, the author alludes to classic films as well as the writings of Leo Rosten, Arnold Bennett, Mark Twain, Stewart Alsop, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Paul Tillich, Loren Eiseley, and the lyrics of the Beatles. Orr effectively marshals his quoted sources to underscore his central, uplifting point that “There is something more to your life. Something, which lies deep inside, which hungers and thirsts for something permanent.” In quick-paced prose, he sympathetically attempts to sketch out what that “something more” could be for his Christian readers.
A brisk set of optimistic, religious life-lessons.Pub Date: July 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-973632-72-6
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
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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