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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Inspiring!!,
By
This review is from: Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism: Channing-Emerson-Parker (Paperback)
This book presents three very famous sermons/essays in the history of religious liberalism or liberal Christianity if you prefer; a very good, detailed introduction sets the stage. I found the book to be very inspiring.
The introduction by Conrad Wright is over 40 pages long, but well worth reading before diving into the sermons/essays that follow. Mr. Wright provides much useful context and some explanation of the sermons/essays themselves here. I may be no expert, but I am not a neophyte in the area either, and I found the introduction very beneficial. Please don't skip past it. The first essay/sermon was written and presented by William Ellery Channing for an ordination ceremony for a new minister in Baltimore in 1819. Dr. Channing was a major figure in the Unitarian movement around this time. This sermon/essay is sometimes named "Unitarian Christianity" and sometimes called simply the "Baltimore Sermon". In it, Dr. Channing describes many of the doctrinal areas where Unitarians and "Orthodox" (here meaning most Protestants of the day) Christians differ, while presenting his view on why the Unitarian viewpoint makes the most sense. The One God versus the Triune God being one of those areas (from which the Unitarians get there name originally), but by no means the only one. He was VERY convincing. The writing style is a bit "old fashioned" in a few spots making it a challenge, but overall it is pretty clear. I must say that Dr. Channing was very good at laying out a logical argument to make his point which I really appreciate, and something I have not seen often enough in religious writing; most seem to appeal to/focus on emotion or feeling, and there is nothing wrong with that, but I prefer a logical, step by step approach. Following Dr. Channing is the (Harvard) Divinity School Address of 1838 by Ralph Waldo Emerson. To be honest, I have never been a fan of Emerson's writing, and this did not change my mind. HOWEVER, I did find many points made here to be enlightening to me personally, so I am glad that I read it. My problem is his writing style. It is just hard to get through. Sorry, but that is how I feel. It is sometimes poetic, but often too cryptic, at least for me. The last in "the Transient and the Permanent in Christianity" by Theodore Parker written and delivered in 1841 for another ordination. My reaction to it is simply, WOW!! This is a great piece of writing. I wish it would be published widely today for all people to consider and ponder. It is meant for a Christian audience or at least one from a Christian based culture, but it might have appeal to others as well. The writing style is very easy to follow and very logically laid out, but there is still plenty here for people who prefer an approach that appeals to the emotions as well. It is nearly 40 pages long, but I was able to sail right through it. This sermon/essay by Parker got him into a lot of trouble when he gave it and then published it. This is explained in the introduction, and if one considers what he said and when he said it, this should not be a big surprise. Parker's thesis is that in every age, Christians have doctrines and forms of worship that are unique to them and change over time to things very different. BUT, the core beliefs stay the same. And, he thinks this is not a bad thing necessarily, at least if there is proper focus on the core beliefs. Along the way in elaborating on this, he makes many points, including saying NO to the doctrine of Biblical infallibility (a big "no-no" at the time) and giving reasons for this; yet still, he showed respect for its basic teachings (which was not good enough for many in his time). I must say that when I read Parker here, I felt that I saw the REAL message and approach of Jesus in it. I don't think that I can explain this. Take a look and I hope you can see it too. I respect the religious tradition I was brought up in, but I do wish I had found out about these old Unitarians earlier in life. They had much to say that has helped me a lot. I hope that others find this for themselves too - here or elsewhere. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
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