Tuesday, July 04, 2006

[LIF] Books!


Paid a visit to the local used book store and bought my very first Hegel! I also picked up Bibby's Unknown Gods which should be fun. I am pretty excited to actually have the dreaded Hegel on my shelf. I was hoping to pick up some use Nietzsche but alas none was to be found.

Currently I am reading Miroslav Volf's Exclusion and Embrace which is incredibly profound. I find that it is uncovering my own patterns of exclusion, especially in regard to how I construct my own identity. I am not liking what I see but the book is just starting and I think is going to be a good partner through a difficult personal journey. BTW Volf's Free of Charge is an incredibly worthwhile read! On the go I always have something from Moltmann, still The Crucified God. And devotionally I have added Nouwen's With Burning Hearts to my lectional readings, this is the book I would love to use as an intro for a course on Eucharistic Imagination.

I am thinking of constructing a Reading List, what I would like to read next. I'm just going to deal with books on my shelf already and give preference to books I've either started or haven't touched yet.

Thinking Biblically Ricoeur & LaCoque (started, need to finish)
The Idea of the Holy Otto (have picked at, but always wanted to sink my teeth into)
Philosophy of the Right Hegel
In Memory of Her Fiorenza
Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason Kant
Theology of Hope Moltmann
The Rule of Metaphor Ricoeur
The Future of Hope Volf & Katerberg (read the Moltmann essay only so far)
Followers of Jesus Vanier
The Gospel of the Kingdom Ladd (I've never finished this one)

That should keep me busy a while. Of course this goes out the window as new books come into my house.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frank, what store did you hit up? Like I said, All Books by the Bytowne Market is a good place for Nietzsche!

One of Freedom said...

Yeah, I got confused looking for that one. Ended up just going to the Book Market on Merivale. They had some interesting stuff in the Philosophy section but mostly crap in the Theology/Religion section. I think Hegel is my best find there though. I might try to get downtown today to check out of few stores.

Anonymous said...

Benjamin seemed teeming with good stuff. All Books is on Rideua St., just past King Edward to the East. Trust me, you'll probably jump out of your skin if you go.

byron smith said...

I found The Future of Theology a little more bland than I'd hoped. I never got round to finishing it either. Ricoeur was the only one I still want to read.

One of Freedom said...

Which one, Rule of Metaphor or Thinking Biblically. Thinking Biblically, what I've read so far, is absolutely brilliant. A philosopher and a biblical scholar in dialogue on some of the great themes in the bible.

One of Freedom said...

Kenny, finally made it over with the family. I bought the Lonergan Reader, Raschke's Fire and Roses, a fun little book called Women Preachers and Prophets and Martin Buber and the Human Sciences. All are way down on my to read list, but I suspect Women Preachers will come in handy this coming semester.

Cedricstudio said...

That looks like a full reading list. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for commenting on my blog. I'm curious, what is it about Ray Comfort's ministry that makes you want to "rend your garments"? I'm not looking for an arguement, I'd sincerely like to know what you meant. In my opinion Ray Comfort's ministry is one of the most biblical ones around, and you are the first Christian I have ever heard who dislikes him.

One of Freedom said...

What do you mean by biblical? What I dislike is that he is all about confrontation and endorses some of the most disturbing christian pop-culture garbage out there. Here is a great example:

http://scottpaeth.typepad.com/main/2006/07/refuting_evolut.html

Now seriously, this is only a "proof" if you start with the same assumptions - otherwise it is just idiocy. But that is just the tip of it. Take the Left Behind Christian Horror based on just a flawed view of God's relationship to history.

But what really bugs me about the Comfort ministries comes from my relationship to folks who are enamoured with it. Friends who have so bought into a single and simplistic worldview that they can no longer engage in intellegent conversation and have bought into the culture of fear that surrounds much of pop-Christian culture.

For someone to be "biblical" they would need to have a ministry that at least balanced the whole of the bible. I don't see that in Mr. Comfort, I see a small subset of the bible being exploited to justify a particular view of evangelism to the exclusion of all else.

Hope that helps to clarify my comments.

Cedricstudio said...

Thanks for answering my question, I really appreciate it. I've seen the "banana" clip all over the internet, and frankly it is taken out of context as an unfair representation of Mr. Comfort's ministry. The focus of his ministry is not a travelling banana show. Rather, he emphasizes a humble and loving use of the Law to humble sinners and bring conviction of sin...so that they will seek forgiveness from the Savior. And he does so not by judging people, but by asking people questions so that they judge themselves. That kind of ministry may not be politically correct or intellectually sophisticated, but it is thoroughly Biblical. Please go to livingwaters.com and listen to his free sermon, "Hell's Best Kept Secret", it will give you a much more balanced view of what Ray Comfort believes. You may find that you agree with him more than you think.

One of Freedom said...

I might do that. But one thing that bugs me on their site (I have visited it BTW) is that test. They are assuming that we all start from the point of the law - but that really only fits a Judeo-Christian worldview. For those foreign to this worldview it is offensive for a whole different reason than can be justified by its presentation. I disagree that the law needs to be part of a gospel presentation - people know they are screwed up already and want to know how to live life, not have some vague unprovable promise for an afterlife. The law, which reveals our need for Christ, is already at work in the world in every frustrated effort to live up to our own expectations for ourselves. Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf so that we could be brought to the Father irregardless to our ascribing to some sinners prayer or other methodical approach to evangelism. For me the heart of evangelism is foremost my life in the world before people and secondly opportunities to share what I have come to find out about a life in Christ.