Neither a sophisticated and innovative theological work, nor a primer fit for novices.
A garbled look at Christology.
Spearman, a convert to Christianity, explores the Holy Trinity and the paradox of Jesus’s being both fully human and fully divine. He affirms the basics of Christian Scripture, peppering the book with passages from the Bible. In the first half, he grapples with Jesus’s humanity, asserting that He did not “become” human, but is fundamentally both human and divine. Jesus demonstrated a radical obedience to God, notes the author, even though that obedience led to his crucifixion, an experience through which Jesus came to know human suffering. Spearman defends the Virgin birth and examines terms like “begotten,” “Logos” and “mystery.” He explains aspects of traditional Christian doctrine, such as the idea that God is unchanging, and that the nature of God the Father and that of God the Son “communicate” with each other. Spearman also effectively shows that the Eucharist is centrally connected to Jesus’s humanity and divinity, suggesting that through the Eucharist, communicants are united with Jesus. In the second half, Spearman turns to God’s divinity. Departing from classical Trinitarian formulation, Spearman argues that “Jesus is God the Father.” He also examines the role of the Holy Spirit, focusing in particular on how the Spirit acts after Jesus has ascended to Heaven. Theological tyros will find some of Spearman’s language obscure–“Humanity lays down His life and Deity takes it up again”–and lengthy lists of biblical passages obfuscate more than they clarify; a few concrete analogies in each chapter would have been beneficial. Rather than relying solely on Scripture, Spearman could have leaned more on the 4th-century Church fathers who devoted their lifetimes to parsing the very questions to which this book is devoted.
Neither a sophisticated and innovative theological work, nor a primer fit for novices.Pub Date: May 11, 2006
ISBN: 0-9769188-0-3
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
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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