What is the Point of Being a Christian?: : Timothy Radcliffe: Bloomsbury Continuum

What is the Point of Being a Christian?

Description

WINNER OF THE MICHAEL RAMSEY PRIZE FOR THE BEST IN THEOLOGICAL WRITING

Winner of the Michael Ramsey prize for the best in theological writing. Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is in demand the world over with Bishops, priests, lay people and above all young people. This book is his response.

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 they say?

In this book, Cardinal 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'.

Introduction
1 'I Will Awake the Dawn'
2 Learning Spontaneity
3 The Peaceful Sea
4 'Do Not Be Afraid'
5 The Body Electric
6 The Community of Truth
7 I Am Because We Are
8 Citizens of the Kingdom
9 Root Shock
10 Breeding Pandas
11 Without the Day of the Lord, We Cannot Live
Conclusion

Bibliography

Product details

Published	Dec 20 2005
Format	Paperback
Edition	1st
Extent	224
ISBN	9780860123699
Imprint	Bloomsbury Continuum
Dimensions	9 x 5 inches
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Timothy Radcliffe

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is a former Master of t…

Full of wisdom and insightful apercus... Radcliffe's book leavens its philosophy with good jokes (''Tesco ergo sum - I shop therefore I am''), references to contemporary novels and films and the timeless, universal pleasures of wine.

The Times
Timothy Radcliffe has written a wholly admirable statement of what it means to be a thoughtful, receptive, faithful, and generous Christian in the West today....Radcliffe displays the Christian life and tradition as being deeply enriching, and does so in language the world can understand.

Revd Dr Sam Wells, Church Times
This book deserves to be, and indeed must be read ... Radcliffe writes with the essential humility of a man who has lived the Christian life in many different cultures.

James Kelly, Catholic Times
Eloquent and moving.

Douglas Hedley, Times Literary Supplement
I cannot imagine this book going out of date because it is based on solid theological and spiritual principles... Radcliffe speaks with authority, reflecting his deep faith, long experience and profound understanding of human nature.

RENEW
...an exploration of what it means to hope...[a] courageous and hopeful book. He points us beyond the words, beyond the comfort zone - can we risk taking up the challenge?

The Furrow