Description
What is the Point of Being a Christian? has been awarded the prestigious Michael Ramsey prize for the best in theological writing. For more information please visit: www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk
What is the Point of being a Christian? One is pointed to God, who is the point of everything. If one thinks of religion as just 'useful' then one has reduced it to another consumer product. But if we are pointed to God, then this should make a difference to how we live. This is not a moral superiority. Christians are usually no better than anyone else. But the lives of Christians should be marked by some form of hope, freedom, happiness and courage. If they are not then why should anyone believe a word they say? In this new book, Timothy Radcliffe is at his best, writing with a prophetic edge. His argument for Christian belief is profoundly Catholic and profoundly human. But what is just as remarkable, Radcliffe's argument for and interpretation of Christian Gospel is couched in a deep understanding of human nature and the problems and anxieties of modern men and women. Radcliffe is far distant from the theologian's ivory tower and yet his understanding of the Gospel is profoundly theological. The frame of reference for this book is wide, and it is based amongst other things on Fr Radcliffe's pastoral experience of dealing with people with problematic marriages, those struggling with celibacy, those trying to understand the nature of religious authority and those trying to remain loyal to the Church which finds their sexual orientation 'irregular'.
Author(s)
Timothy Radcliffe, Timothy Radcliffe was Master of The Dominican Order. He is the winner of the 2007 Michael Ramsey prize for theological writing for his book What is the Point of Being a Christian? He was the author of The Archbishop of Canterbury`s 2009 Lent Book Why Go to Church? He lives in Oxford but spends much of his year giving retreats, lectures and conference key-note addresses in the UK and overseas.
Reviews
Title mention in review on religious books market in Publishing News
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'Timothy Radcliffe has written a wholly admirable statement of what it means to be a thoughtful, receptive, faithful, and generous Christian in the West today....Radcliffe displays the Christian life and tradition as being deeply enriching, and does so in language the world can understand.'
Revd Dr Sam Wells, Church Times, 17/03/2006
Revd Dr Sam Wells,
'He is deeply spiritual, extremely cultured, and a clear, compelling writer. He possesses a certain fearlessness and optimism about the world without being insensitive to the terrible burdens of our times....Radcliffe’s book reflects the omnivorous reading; his long meditation on Scripture, liturgy, and the Catholic theological tradition; and his wide knowledge of the world' ~ Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal- Religion Booknotes, November 3, 2006
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Article on Timothy Radcliffe in The Catholic World Report, Oct 2006
James Hitchcock,
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"We are offered something altogether more stimulating... This book opens new horizons... Major subjects are handled with insight"
Edmund Newey,
mention - Congregational Libraries Today, March/April 2008,
"This book deserves to be, and indeed must be read ... Radcliffe writes with the essential humility of a man who has lived the Christian life in many different cultures."
Reviewed by James Kelly in Catholic Times, 2007
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