Though the author is right to find moral bearings in the teachings of Jesus, his argument that one can follow Jesus yet not...
How to follow Jesus without believing in him.
USA Today columnist Krattenmaker (The Evangelicals You Don't Know: Introducing the Next Generation of Christians, 2013, etc.), the communications director at Yale Divinity, sticks close to his self-identity as a nonbeliever. Though he does not proclaim himself an atheist, he is indeed a secularist. Despite this, he finds in Jesus a role model of the highest order, and he attempts to convince his fellow secularists that Jesus is worth listening to, even worth following, so long as you don’t call it “religion.” Krattenmaker comes across as an almost stereotypical coastal liberal, working at Yale, with roots in Portland, Oregon, and a view of Christianity as something steeped in myth. Though he pokes fun at himself in this vein, the reality remains that he comes to his topic with a very defined worldview. He prides himself on having gotten to know some evangelical Christians, who were not as bad as he feared, but he still thinks they are wrong to have religious faith in Jesus. As a teacher of ethics and morality, however, Jesus is an unsurpassed example for the human race. Jesus’ words in the New Testament are not sacred to Krattenmaker but are indeed worth utilizing for daily ethical dilemmas. “When it comes to a secular engagement with Jesus,” he notes, “we can pick and choose, accept and reject, mix and match, however we wish.” The author stands in a difficult position. To nonbelievers, he will come off as a Christian. No matter how much he protests, the reality is that many self-professed Christians are just as unconvinced as he is of the supernatural aspects of Jesus’ story. Yet to many committed Christians, he will seem to be appropriating what they hold dear for his own purposes.
Though the author is right to find moral bearings in the teachings of Jesus, his argument that one can follow Jesus yet not believe in him falls flat.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-90642-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Convergent
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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
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
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