Good points but unlikely to spark a new Reformation.
Impassioned but incomplete argument for dismantling the institutionalized church as we know it.
Smith, a missionary’s son, former Baptist minister and former Marine, issues a call for Christians to leave the organized church. The author argues that the institutionalized church perverts the freedoms Christ provided for his believers, and that it is an institution created and perpetuated by power-hungry clergy who have fooled Christians into believing that a clergy class is both biblically mandated and necessary. Smith contends that one of the problems is that today’s Christians have taken up “churchianity,” an adherence to religion over faith. His solution is to rediscover the Christian “assembly” described in the Book of Acts, a community of Christians without structure that is led by wise elder members. These groups would not meet in particular places or at particular times and would live only under the rule of love. While Smith raises several salient points about problems inherent in American Christianity–no doubt many readers may share his disdain for religious services turned into entertainment, million-dollar buildings used twice per week, etc.–his viewpoint is exceedingly narrow and focuses on large, likely urban/suburban Protestant congregations, i.e., well-to-do clergy in well-to-do churches, while ignoring the fact that many congregations do not enjoy such luxuries. Despite his parents’ missionary past, he all but overlooks the role of the institutionalized church outside of the United States. Readers may also sense that Smith is carrying around a full set of emotional baggage, displayed in admissions such as “the gospel as I came to know it growing up had to do with hellfire and brimstone.” As such, the author may speak to the disgruntled and disillusioned, but the average Christian will remain unconvinced.
Good points but unlikely to spark a new Reformation.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-4196-5286-8
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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