| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
The scope and implicit aim of this book are formidable; even more remarkable, this extended meditation accomplishes everything it set out to do. Don't expect a soppy, mystical, pie-in-the-sky reflection on the death of Christ. Here is a keen examination of tough love in action, the love of a God who accepted trial at the hands of His creatures and took on Himself their impudent verdict: "Guilty."
Each chapter is devoted to one of the Seven Words from the Cross, and in each case, Fr. Neuhaus shows how these words, spoken nearly two millenia ago on a certain Friday afternoon in history, still pierce our lives today--if we will let them. One of the great strengths of the book is its application of the truth of the Cross to modern life. What practical effect does each of these words have on each of us? This question is amply answered in such a way that the reader comes to understand personally how he is obligated to be crucified with Christ if he professes himself a follower.
Another strength of this book is its stark presentation of the cost of being a Christian. Christianity is no feel-good religion; it's about following a God who was crucified and about bearing the burden of having encountered Truth. It is not, says Neuhaus, so much that Christians *have* the truth, but that they must faithfully insist that they have been encountered by the Truth, by What Is, by the great Reality of God and all His creation. This insistence, not only that there is such a thing as Truth, but also that man can be encountered by it, is yet another great strength of this book.
By no means is the material here limited to abstract theological discussion. It is simply and gently written, accessible to most people. I would think it would be especially valuable to those who might be curious as to why Christians believe that the Crucifixion is such a big deal. Neuhaus speaks of the suffering of specific people at specific times in history and shows how all suffering has been given meaning through the suffering of Christ.
This book is good for the mature Christian and the inquirer alike--something one can say about few books. Buy it for yourself and get a copy or two for your friends.
These are the seven biblically recorded utterances of Christ on the cross, and Neuhaus has written, in my opinion, the superlative meditation of the significance of these final words of Jesus. Each chapter expounds upon one of these "words". The writing is so clear-headed... it will appeal to those who need to approach the ineffable mystery with at least one foot on the ground. Or even two! It is not spiritual platitude, it is gut-level and sobering. Have you ever wondered what happened when Jesus died on the cross? Or WHY it happened? Or IF it happened? This book speaks to those questions, with a rational approach that can only be likened to the writings of C.S. Lewis.
I was transfixed, and overwhelmed (in a good way) with the wealth of information in Neuhaus's book. Beautifully written.
He says in the preface, "If what Christians say about Good Friday is true, then it is, quite simply, the truth about everything. I have written this for people who are convinced of that truth, for people who are open to thinking about whether it may be true and for people who are just curious about why so much of the world thinks Good Friday is the key to understanding what Dante called 'the love that moves the sun and all the other stars.'"
The Convinced. The Cautious. The Curious. If you are any of these three types, this book will not disappoint you.
"We must not turn away from what we have done to God, lest we be found to have turned away from what He has done for us." (p.257).
|