The Soul of Christianity
Restoring the Great Tradition
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5.0 • 5 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Huston Smith, author of the bestselling classic The World’s Religions, examines Christianity in his most personal book yet. Smith presents the essential teachings of Christianity as clearly and concisely as he has addressed other faiths in his many books. But in The Soul of Christianity, Smith speaks on a more personal level; as a life-long Christian, he writes about what his religion means to him and how it has shaped his life and beliefs. Smith writes about why religion still matters today in a mostly secular world.
In contrast to the misguided course of culturally rigid and intolerant evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity on the one hand, and the non-transcendent liberal Christianity of Marcus Borg, John Shelby Spong, et al. on the other, Smith presents a passionate and convincing argument for a vital alternative that is a deeper, authentic Christian faith that is tolerant, respectful of people’s religious differences, and still substantial.
The Soul of Christianity is a valuable resource both for those who are learning about Christianity for the first time, as well as Christians who would like to take a new look at their faith in this modern age.
“True to the noble calling which has distinguished his work for decades, Huston Smith points the way toward a profoundly metaphysical grasp of the classic Christian tradition, showing us as always what it means to live the life of faith in light of the highest and most universal principles.”-- James S. Cutsinger, Professor of Theology and Religious Thought, University of South Carolina
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An intriguing combination of apologia, early church history and cultural critique, this deeply personal book attempts to convey the foundations of Christian thought in a way that appeals to modern readers seeking authentic faith in a secular culture. The devotional tone is a distinct departure for Smith, a philosopher and prominent scholar of world religions. This may account for the erudite and occasionally rambling quality of the book's first section, where Smith delineates the "fixed points" of a Christian worldview; he uses science, psychology, the arts, Platonic philosophy and medieval theology to meditate on the nature of reality and the order of the universe. As Smith takes on the "shaky foundation" of modern culture, one of his central tenets is that modern culture has not been able to "distinguish absence-of-evidence from evidence-of-absence." The book's longest section is Smith's summary of the life and significance of Jesus, the history of the early church and various theological matters such as the Trinity and the nature of heaven and hell. While parts are relatively straightforward, Smith's use of anecdotes and willingness to make his own idiosyncratic interpretations of major doctrines of the Christian faith mean that this section cannot be read as a simple digest of previous scholarship.
