Walking With God in a Fragile World [Hardcover]

James R. Langford (Editor), Leroy S. Rouner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2002

This is a book of genuine wisdom, one that invites readers not to go back to the way things were before September 11, but to see how they might try to walk with God in a world that now seems more shattered than before. In these essays written expressly for this book, renowned spiritual writers and theologians wrestle with the problems of the human condition in the world today and what a walk with God might reveal about them. Contributors include Elie Wiesel, Theodore Hesburgh, Frederick Buechner, Stanley Hauerwas, William Sloan Coffin, Wendy Doniger, Karen Armstrong, Jurgen Moltmann, Virgil Elizondo, and others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There is a value in which these experienced writers have assayed their views and walue in the multiplicity of religious perspectives. (Library Journal )

Clearly written, with impressive erudition, balance, and wit, this book will be agreeable reading for warrior or anyone interested in their welfare. (Publishers Weekly )

This provocative and diverse collection of very readable essays includes some of the thoughts of important theologians, philosophers, and spiritual writers on the events of September 11th and the awareness that we live in a fragile world. Highly recommended. (CHOICE )

Almost every reader will find something to carry away from this book and ponder. This is not a book of answers, but a testimony to the way in which persons with different agendas cope with the fragile world in which they live. Highly recommended. (J. H. Ware CHOICE )

If ever a book were needed to add light in a season of heat, and courage in an age of fear, this is it. The unintended consequence of tragedy is often deep pastoral insight. This book is one of those pastoral consequences that will see us through and to the other side. (Rev. Peter J. Gomes )

A wise, healing book that draws consoling and challenging words out of the stunned silence of their time. (James Carroll )

About the Author

James Langford is Director Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame Press, a member of the Core Course faculty at Notre Dame and President of There Are Children Here, a camp for inner city children. Among his eight books are Galileo, Science and the Church and Happy Are They: Living the Beatitudes in America. Leroy S. Rouner is professor of philosophy, religion and philosophical theology and Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Religion at Boston University. He is author of Within Human Experience: The Philosophy of William Ernest Hocking, The Long Way Home (a memoir), and To Be at Home: Christianity, Civil Religion, and Human Community.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; First Edition edition (November 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742514501
• ISBN-13: 978-0742514508
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,925,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassion and suffering over September 11, not war, April 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Walking With God in a Fragile World (Hardcover)

This slender, but by no means slight, volume comes on the heels of at least two dozen books of essays responding to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. What differentiates it is the view(s)of such prominent and diverse writers as Frederick Buechner, Karen Armstrong, Stanley Hauerwas, Jurgen Moltmann, and Elie Wiesel, who focus with compassionate reflection on the anguish and suffering from the horrible events of that day. So many of the responses to 9-11 (not the least of which is the current military engagement in Iraq, following the ousting of the Taliban in Afghanistan) are often steeped in either the outrageously misplaced seething hatred for our Muslim brothers and sisters of the world (thus effectively blaming the overwhelming innocent majority for the hideous acts of a few fanatics), or the warrior language of revenge, frequently arising from the agonizing consternation such terrorism provokes. This thoughtful and deeply heart-felt book is a remedy in such times of desperation and helplessness. Such compassion is not born of naivete or heedless pacifism. On the contrary, true compassion, as expressed in these writings, is the essence of prayerfully embracing our humanity with hope for our shared future. My thanks to all the contributing authors for their efforts.