What is the point of being a Christian? / Timothy Radcliffe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Radcliffe, Timothy.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christian life--Catholic authors.

Christian life.

Catholic Church--Doctrines.

Catholic Church.

Spiritual life--Christianity.

Spiritual life.

Physical Description:

218 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Burns & Oates, [2005]

Summary:

What is the point of being a Christian? One is pointed to God, who is the point of everything. If one thinks of religion as just 'useful' then one has reduced it to another consumer product. But if we are pointed to God, then this should make a difference to how we live. This is not a moral superiority. Christians are usually no better than anyone else. But the lives of Christians should be marked by some form of hope, freedom, happiness and courage. If they are not then why should anyone believe a word we say?

In this new book, Timothy Radcliffe is at his best, writing with a prophetic edge. His argument for Christian belief is profoundly Catholic and profoundly human. But what is just as remarkable, Radcliffe's argument for and interpretation of Christian Gospel is couched in a deep understanding of human nature and the problems and anxieties of modern men and women. Radcliffe is far distant from the theologian's ivory tower and yet his understanding of the Gospel is profoundly theological.

The frame of reference for this book is wide, and it is based amongst other things on Fr Radcliffe's pastoral experience of dealing with people with problematic marriages, those struggling with celibacy, those trying to understand the nature of religious authority and those trying to remain loyal to the Church which finds their sexual orientation 'irregular'. This book argues that the more one understands the Gospel, the more one is open to the outside world.

What is the Point of Being a Christian? is a breath of fresh air at a time when such a thing is sorely needed.

Contents:

1 'I Will Awake the Dawn' 9

2 Learning Spontaneity 29

3 The Peaceful Sea 49

4 'Do Not Be Afraid' 69

5 The Body Electric 89

6 The Community of Truth 111

7 I Am Because We Are 129

8 Citizens of the Kingdom 143

9 Root Shock 164

10 Breeding Pandas 179

11 Without the Day of the Lord, We Cannot Live 194.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [213]-218).

ISBN:

0860123693

OCLC:

62345565

Publisher Number:

9780860123699