Not always riveting reading, but Keller provides a contextually rich guide and companion to prayer.
A popular pastor puts the Bible back in prayer and sets the stage for an informed conversation with God.
Keller (Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions, 2013, etc.) brings his considerable biblical, historical and literary knowledge to bear on the concept of prayer. The best-selling author of titles like The Reason for God and The Prodigal God shines an intellectual light on a topic that is more often discussed in mystical terms. For Keller, prayer is not only an inner experience of God, but also a true conversation requiring significant preparation and practice. Founder of Manhattan’s fast-growing Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Keller knows that his audience contains sophisticated Christians looking for more than simple daily devotions to guide their spiritual practices. They want context, and Keller enthusiastically obliges. Citing Scripture first and foremost—references to New Testament passages could keep a Bible study group busy for years—Keller also draws ideas from philosophers, theologians, scholars and other authors throughout the meticulously documented text. C.S. Lewis makes frequent appearances, as do St. Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin. This reliance on other sources of authority lends weight to Keller’s arguments but comes at some cost to storytelling. Keller offers occasional anecdotes to illustrate his points, but on paper, his words lack the engaging cadence of the sermons that draw thousands to his church each week. Instead of offering a ready-made answer to the question of how we should pray, he calls on students to do their own work, giving them tons of material on the meaning of prayer before he offers any how-to advice. When instruction does come, it’s not simple but careful, as in Keller’s word-by-word examination of the familiar Lord’s Prayer. For the author, building a solid foundation of understanding is an essential step in the journey toward an enlightened experience of God.
Not always riveting reading, but Keller provides a contextually rich guide and companion to prayer.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0525954149
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
