Solly
May 13th 2003, 03:41 AM
These are a few comments before i post a review of a book I am reading.
As one looks at the various Christian traditions, and seeks to understand them, there can be much that stands in the way of gaining a proper understanding. The way they look, act, and worship for instance. Like many people I have difficulty relating to the Mass, and vested priests. One of the ways I have found for gaining an understanding of what lies at the heart of these traditions is through their literature. By this term I do not mean theology books, but those works that can sometimes defy categorisation.
For instance, to get to know old fashioned English Protestant Calvinism, you can't go far wrong by reading:
16th century - The Book of Common Prayer, edited by Thomas Cranmer.
17th century - Pilgrim's progress, by John Bunyan
18th century - Kingdom of Heaven taken by prayer, by William Huntington
19th century - the various accounts, diaries and letters that were edited to make the book More Than Notion, by J H Alexander.
20th century - Memories of a Wayfaring Man, by Murdoch McLeod.
When investigating another tradition, I have usually looked for those "special" items that open up the heart.
For Roman Catholicism I turn to:
Story of a Soul - Therese of Lisieux
Apologia Pro Vita Sua/Dream of Gerontius - John Henry Newman
Divina Commedia - Alighieri Dante
For the Plymouth Brethren, I have found the works of J B Stoney to be like honey on the tongue, especially his Discipline in the School of God.
One can't forget C S Lewis: Screwtape Letters, Narnia, Cosmic Trilogy.
I also have an interest in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, but have not come across as much so far, due to the inavailability of books in my area. Recently my local Christian bookshop has started stocking them, but most are treatises of commentaries. In the past I have read The Way of the Pilgrim/The Pilgrim Continues his Way.
Now I have found something new, here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=25)
As one looks at the various Christian traditions, and seeks to understand them, there can be much that stands in the way of gaining a proper understanding. The way they look, act, and worship for instance. Like many people I have difficulty relating to the Mass, and vested priests. One of the ways I have found for gaining an understanding of what lies at the heart of these traditions is through their literature. By this term I do not mean theology books, but those works that can sometimes defy categorisation.
For instance, to get to know old fashioned English Protestant Calvinism, you can't go far wrong by reading:
16th century - The Book of Common Prayer, edited by Thomas Cranmer.
17th century - Pilgrim's progress, by John Bunyan
18th century - Kingdom of Heaven taken by prayer, by William Huntington
19th century - the various accounts, diaries and letters that were edited to make the book More Than Notion, by J H Alexander.
20th century - Memories of a Wayfaring Man, by Murdoch McLeod.
When investigating another tradition, I have usually looked for those "special" items that open up the heart.
For Roman Catholicism I turn to:
Story of a Soul - Therese of Lisieux
Apologia Pro Vita Sua/Dream of Gerontius - John Henry Newman
Divina Commedia - Alighieri Dante
For the Plymouth Brethren, I have found the works of J B Stoney to be like honey on the tongue, especially his Discipline in the School of God.
One can't forget C S Lewis: Screwtape Letters, Narnia, Cosmic Trilogy.
I also have an interest in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, but have not come across as much so far, due to the inavailability of books in my area. Recently my local Christian bookshop has started stocking them, but most are treatises of commentaries. In the past I have read The Way of the Pilgrim/The Pilgrim Continues his Way.
Now I have found something new, here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=25)