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Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC (Paperback)

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4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
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Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC + Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized + Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who
Price For All Three: $34.21

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A kind of "mongrel litter" by way of Pascal, Voltaire, and Ambrose Bierce, this theological run through the alphabet goes from Abraham and Agnostic straight through to YWHW and Zaccheus--the tax collector who shimmied up the tree on Palm Sunday to get a good look at Jesus. In between we get a heady brew of humor and wisdom. On Anger, for example, Buechner writes: "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun.... In many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you." Or this, on wine: "Unfermented grape juice is a bland and pleasant drink ... [but] it is a ghastly symbol of the life blood of Jesus Christ, especially when served in individual antiseptic, thimble-sized glasses. Wine is booze, which means it is dangerous and drunk-making. It makes the timid brave and the reserved amorous. It loosens the tongue and breaks the ice especially when served in a loving cup. It kills germs. As symbols go, it is a rather splendid one."

And the book's title? Find it under "W": "Christianity is mainly wishful thinking.... Sometimes wishing is the wings the truth comes on. Sometimes the truth is what sets us wishing for it." --Doug Thorpe



Review

"Original, pungent and joyful." -- The Christian Century

"The same stylistic power, subtlety and originality that have distinguished Frederick Buechner's novels lift Wishful Thinking far above commonplace religion books nearly to the level of C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. An artist is at work here in the vineyard of theology, a wit with wisdom." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Thoughtful, spirited, entertaining...a dictionary for doubters and restless believers." -- Chicago Tribune

A beguiling book...Buechner handles difficult subjects (eternity, immortality, prayer) with a casual aplomb and easy analogy." -- Time
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: HarperOne; Rev Exp edition (September 24, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060611391
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060611392
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wise and wonderful and other "w" words., August 15, 2000
This book is ostensibly a dictionary of terms related to religion and faith. In reality, it's a collection of Buechner's thoughts on these issues. Some of his "definitions" are a page long, some a paragraph, some just a sentence. They all manage to capture the essence of an idea and make you look at it in sometimes startling new ways. Take, for example, his definition for Lust: "Lust is the desire for salt from someone who is dying of thirst." Or Gluttony: "A glutton is someone who raids the icebox to try to cure spiritual malnutrition."

And that's just the short form. When Buechner lets his thoughts wander, the book goes from amusing to engaging and engrossing. It's like having an amusing conversation with a delightful person, who just happens to have a lot more insight into religion than you do.

I won't say this book changed my life, though I'm tempted. It did expand my perceptions, showed me alternate ways of looking at familiar things, and restored my sense of wonder in my (Christian) faith and in the world around me.

I heartily recommend it to any "Seeker" of any faith.

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great discussion starter, June 11, 2000
By Matthew T. Phillips (Winston-Salem, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Buechner's Wishful Thinking provides thought-provoking ideas for well-read scholars, but is certainly accessible to anyone who is not afraid to think critically about matters of faith. It is a great resource for teachers and group leaders who want to get people talking, and it provides a useful challenge to typical opinions when discussion has reached a stalemate.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Quotable Christian, November 29, 2003
These warm but decidedly non-treacly theological mini-essays are just wonderful. I've never made any headway with Buechner's fiction, but this book reveals him as a superb aphorist. These essays were written to blow the dust off of shopworn religious words, to enable the reader to get at the great Christian themes afresh. They succeed--each essay is a pearl of homey wisdom and quiet wonder, soaked in tenderness and sensitivity and gentle humor. What's more amazing was that they were written at the close of the Sixties, during the Jesus Freak thing, yet very little residue of that era clings to them. They are darn near timeless.

This first of three volumes of theological essays is the best, but the other two, _Whistling in the Dark_, and _Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who_, are also well worth dipping into. Readers who have enjoyed these collections of aphorisms better than Buechner's fiction and other long form writing would probably enjoy _Listening to Your Life : Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner_, which is a sampler of all his work.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wishing more were like this.
Ironic, thoughtful, encompassing and inclusive. Great short snips of insightful comment that can open any eyes and clear any mind.
Published 6 months ago by Michael Mackie

5.0 out of 5 stars coloradopastor
Nobody can turn a phrase or dust off an old word or concept the way Buechner does. Time and again, the reader will find themselves smiling and saying, "I never thought of it that... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Russ A. Kane

3.0 out of 5 stars Antidote for atheism
In the bestseller world, 2007 was the "year of the athiest" (Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins). That makes it a good time to re-read this upbeat, venerable apologetic for the Christian... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful book
a very good book for "seekers" and those who think they have already "found."
Published on January 9, 2007 by J. Suhr

1.0 out of 5 stars A Christian's view of philosophy.
This is a book for those who require their Christian beliefs to be confirmed and supported.
Not in my opinion a work that will provide any balanced explanation of... Read more
Published on January 4, 2007 by Tacitus

5.0 out of 5 stars Upbeat and profound
This little book by Fred Buechner is a gem. It's crisp, hopeful Christian theology. It's an upbeat page-turner, but it is not dumb-downed for the masses. Read more
Published on March 20, 2006 by William W. Adams

5.0 out of 5 stars continually thought provoking
This book is so much fun. Buechner writes so well and thinks so clearly. It's a kind of iconoclastic dictionary. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure of a book
This was the first book by Frederick Buechner I have read, and I have already ordered more.
It's a quick read, yet full of little treasures. Read more
Published on October 28, 2005 by Texarrific

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowing and eye-opening
"Wishful Thinking" is Fredrick Buechner's lexicon of some "churchy" words that need some life breathed into them. Read more
Published on July 25, 2002 by kwill10

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a treasure!
This book is definitely one of my favorites. It isn't the kind you sit down and read cover to cover, although you could of course. Read more
Published on July 8, 1999

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