A thought-provoking, but imperfect call to a revolution in Christian thinking.
A debut book offers a reinterpretation of Christian theology.
In an appraisal of virtually the entirety of Christian thinking, Brathwaite argues that the church has spent centuries misleading the faithful into a belief in false and distorted teachings. Chief among these is the existence of hell. The author argues that Scripture clearly teaches that God’s love and mercy cancel out any possibility that souls might be cast into an eternity of suffering in payment for their sins. He builds upon this assertion by also arguing that souls are not formed at conception or birth, but that all souls have existed since the start of creation. This fact, then, would lead to a reevaluation of the soul’s fate after it has lived in a human body. Eventually, Brathwaite comes to his ultimate thesis, that the soul lives more than one life. Rather than label this as reincarnation, he calls it regeneration. Brathwaite declares throughout this work that the established Christian church has knowingly ignored obvious Scriptures on regeneration to control believers with the promise of heaven or hell, earned through a single life. Various discussions stem from the regeneration argument. For instance, the author theorizes that the priest Melchizedek was an early manifestation of Jesus, and that John the Baptist was indeed Elijah the Prophet. Brathwaite also asks how the spirit of sin is supposed to have spread through every generation of the human race, whereas individual spirits are supposedly confined to single lives. Brathwaite’s arguments have the potential to be revolutionary in nature; but his rhetoric toward the established faith is so caustic that it detracts from the strength of his arguments. Speaking throughout of an “impostor God” and theology taught by “bearers of false witness” who act as “pallbearers” for the faith, Braithwaite is strangely harsh toward the basic thinking of the global church, even if he feels it has always been in error. A lack of academic rigor (for instance, little if any use of original Greek and Hebrew) also handicaps this otherwise promising work.
A thought-provoking, but imperfect call to a revolution in Christian thinking.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5355-4995-0
Page Count: 216
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2016
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
