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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Contemporary Creed: A mini-course in Christianity for today, February 8, 2006
This review is from: Contemporary Creed: A Mini-Course in Christianity for Today (Paperback)
Contemporary Creed: A mini-course in Christianity for today. John Morris, MA, MEd, PhD, PGCE
The Reverend Doctor Morris' first career as a teacher and lecturer spanned 35 yeas spending time in the UK, US, and South Africa. Nine of those years were in Uganda where he encountered a scrawny black kid who now remembers Mr. Morris purchasing a bicycle for him to assist his otherwise 12-mile, barefoot trek to school. That kid turned out to be a judge on the high court of Uganda but changed careers and is now Archbishop of York in the UK. Teachers who influence the lives of their pupils during their formative years like that can take justifiable pride in their accomplishments. Dr. Morris also changed the direction of his career in 1995 when he was ordained a priest at the age of 58. He now serves as chaplain at a prominent preparatory school affiliated with the Church of England (Twyford School in Twyford Downs, Winchester). Life experience, no doubt, contributes to the perspectives found in Contemporary Creed and its author describes nicely his current responsibility in a poem that concludes his book, "A Chaplain's Job".
The book ends with a poem but begins with a personal Creed that is similar to, but nonetheless noticeably different from, the ones said each Sunday in most Anglican, Catholic, and other Christian churches. It does not replace those Creeds but it does suggest ways in which Fr. Morris seeks to translate and apply ancient concepts to a modern context. We find 63 poems between the Creed and A Chaplain's Job - 64 poems in all addressing 60 problems. Each is associated with a formal Problem Statement that I believe is intended to reflect possible tensions between ancient beliefs and today's realities. In other words, the poems are not simply artistic meanderings. Each poem/problem is explained in Context citing Biblical Scripture that can be used for devotional studies, common sense reasoning with modern illustrations, and occasionally other artistic examples. Informal cross-referencing among the poems assists interpretation of the author's intention, reason and meaning.
The poem complexes (that is to say, the poem, problem, context triplet) are divided into sections that include God and Creation, the Incarnation, Ministry Death and Resurrection of Jesus (separate sections), the Trinity, Scriptures, and Christian Living. The problems addressed include, How can I define God?, What is the meaning of Adam and Eve today?, Is Christ's style of leadership relevant today?, What do the Sacraments of Bread and Wine mean?, Is Christ the only Savior?, and others. The poems include such titles as, Almost Drowned, Adultery, Unique Injustice, Compelled by Love, and The Resurrection Puzzle.
This book is suitable for committed Christians and inquiring skeptics wishing to reconcile head and heart, finding unity with mind and soul, in a modern world, as well as for persons of other faiths wanting exposure to Christian thinking. One may not accept the author's solutions completely and out of hand, but his ideas are well said in an artistic and unusual way and will certainly stimulate thought. Perhaps that is the task of a good teacher - to propose structured ideas as seeds for exploration rather than simply requiring dogma and doctrine as proxies for truth. If so, the Rev. Dr. Morris demonstrates mastery of both his faith and his craft.
Royalties from the sale of Contemporary Creed will be donated to a charity providing equipment for disabled children.
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