A solid, brief introduction to Christian doctrine that should appeal to the like-minded.
A debut book offers a defense of Christian belief in the midst of an increasingly secular age.
Howerton begins this volume with an unsettling diagnosis of our contemporary predicament: once-dominant Christian belief is on the wane, while an irresolute moral relativism is in the ascendant. The author catalogs a list of familiar signs that the world is spiraling into moral decline: the greater acceptance of homosexuals, abortion, and the rise of militant Islamic fundamentalism. In response to these scourges, he attempts to both clarify and defend the core of Christian doctrine, focusing on the covenants, in both the New Testament and the Hebrew Scriptures, that articulate the nature of our relation to God and the obligations that bind us. Howerton’s study is brief, but also wide-ranging; he carefully considers key biblical texts in order to render them rationally and historically defensible. Some of his conclusions are unorthodox; for example, Howerton contends that Jesus actually died on a Thursday and was resurrected on a Sunday. But the principal draw of the analysis is not its originality, but its rigor. The author has a professional background as a lawyer and a judge, and he scrupulously marshals evidence to substantiate his views in that spirit. At its very best, the book evokes the natural law tradition within Christian thought, which seeks to support the dictates of revelation with the findings of reason. “The Christian beliefs have eternal value and can stand up against anything in open and honest debate and dialogue,” the author writes. Howerton is admirably learned for an autodidact, especially when he argues for the historical veracity of the exodus of the Jewish people. Also, this is one of the clearest accounts available regarding what it means to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, something preachers often sermonize about without adequately explaining. Howerton contends this is a book for people of all faiths, but it is unlikely to attract readers who are not Christians. Also, some will find the gloomy prophecies discomfiting. For example, he suggests that the recent terrorist attack in Paris may be a message from God regarding the sovereignty of Israel. Statements like this belie the philosophical moderation the book otherwise evinces.
A solid, brief introduction to Christian doctrine that should appeal to the like-minded.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5127-2419-6
Page Count: 204
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: March 31, 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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