An attempt to rally Christians against hypocrisy and greed that gets lost in political debates.
A debut book examines the increasing divide between conservatives and liberals among Christians and in the nation.
“The potential of Christianity for good has remained untapped and unrealized,” writes Bracquemont, as he dives into a critique of the religion that divvies up contemporary believers into two opposing sides. His central thesis is that “the Left gets it wrong, and the Right does not get it.” In his view, differing philosophies of internalism and externalism split liberals and conservatives, Christian or otherwise. Internalists believe their own choices, like sin, drive their situations, while externalists look to change all of society, radically reinterpreting the Bible in the process. For Bracquemont, both of these ideologies go too far and ignore what he deems “the true, radical equality and social justice of the Bible.” He focuses on dismantling liberal strategies of political correctness, in particular radical feminism (which he sees as counterproductive to equality among the sexes), but he also acknowledges the inherent greed of contemporary mega churches. He strives for a compelling synthesis of the two positions, calling them both out for their avarice and ignorance of the global poor, the truly oppressed in his estimation. It is a noble goal to try to find balance between so many hostile and competing views, but the majority of his argument is too imbalanced itself to be convincing. Bracquemont tries to address the various factions of the church and the political spheres simultaneously. Unfortunately, that ambition stretches his otherwise lucid and impactful writing too far from his central thesis and what he understands best: the church. He writes of his own negative experiences as a white male with autism in a politically correct seminary—a potentially powerful, emotional lesson for his target Christian audience—but it proves a weak tool for exposing hypocrisy in the larger frameworks of liberal rhetoric and abstract political theory. The end result is mostly a questionable takedown of leftist ideologies, with some added caveats for conservatives, instead of a more precise and balanced analysis of both sides.
An attempt to rally Christians against hypocrisy and greed that gets lost in political debates.Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4908-9276-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 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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