Kerron Cross is a persistent and well known blogger, who once wrote of me "I really like Harry".
Yet he has not yet answered this point which I posted in his comment box on Tuesday, although he has posted six items since.
This isn't really "Labour Humor". It is your chance as a Christian Socialist to save what you think is my soul. I am an Atheist and a Socialist - but would never describe myself as a "Atheist Socialist". Recommend one book for me to read which you feel will put a sound case for the Christian side of your belief and make me rethink my position - other than the Bible. To appreciate something of where I stand, here is a link to a strong criticism I made of Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" -
http://threescoreyearsandten.blogspot.com/2007/02/disservice-to-atheism.html
I nevertheless can't believe in God's existence, and if I could I would not see him/she/it as a kindly being. I will then read your recommended book (with a bit of luck I may even have done this already) and then I will review it, showing to what extent it grabbed me. Well anything for Humor.
I hope that his failure to respond means that he is giving my question great thought before replying. Any other kindly Christian looking at this might like to reply to my point. I will ask a similar question of other forms of religious bloggers at a later date.
If I receive numerous responses I can't, however, promise to read all the books they recommend. But if one keeps cropping up (or there is only one) I will give it a go.
8 comments:
I'm not sure if your Atheism, or the other person's Christianity matter. From a class perspective, who cares?
renegade eye; religion only matters in politics around those who take a fundamentalist position. I don't do this in relation to my atheism and, therefore, share many of the horizans of fellow democratic socialists who are, say, non-fundamentalist Christian Socialists.
I do, however, have an interest in religion/atheism from two aspects. First, in confronting fundamentalists from these positions who let their stance influence THEIR politics and (b) alternatively where it is a subject dealt with separately from politics. It is possible to be interested in, say, music and football as basically separate topics.
Great blog Harry.
have a laugh at this
I'm afraid I can be a bit fundamentalist with my atheism at times...I'll try to take a leaf out of your book in future.
Sorry, I haven't really had a chance to reply - been away at a friend's wedding in Northern Ireland. It's far easier to blog my frippery than actually reply to a serious question!
I don't read many "Christian" books (aside from the Bible) - but I will get my team of performing squirrels onto it and see if they can suggest to you a good book.
All the best,
Kerron
Ok, quick response (you'll realise that I'm not a great reader so these have been suggested by a friend!):
It depends if you are looking for a reasoned philosophical/logical exposition of Christianity, or something a bit more personal/existential/experiential - are you looking for a basic introduction to Christianity or something deeply theological?
Perhaps try something like "A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian D. McLaren or "Blue Like Jazz" by Don Miller, because they are NOT
overtly theological and they are also interesting to read. (Both these writers could be thought of as part of the so-called "Emerging Church" movement. Another book by Brian McLaren - "The Secret Message of Jesus" may
help to give the reader a way of understanding the New Testament.
A slightly more intellectual approach (but still short and readable) can be
found in "Who is God?" by D W D Shaw but I don't know if this book is still in print. (It was written in the late 60's so pretty dated in some respects but still worth a read.)
Hope that helps. Thanks.
Kerron; I will have a glance at the works you suggest and sort one out one for a serious read. But first of all I have a commitment to complete an article for a local history magazine on the areas' first Coal Mining MP who was first elected in 1907. God will have to wait for now. But I imagine he is used to that.
Blunt; I thought the funniest bit about the vidoe was the start, with two towers from the ruined Church which seemed to have large fingers making rude gestures towards the sky.
PS Something else you might like to consider is a book by Alister McGrath called "The Dawkins Delusion" - which deals directly with Dawkins.
Kerron, Thanks. I have, however, read Alister McGrath's "The Dawkin's Delusion", plus three other of his books - (1) "Dawkins' God", (2) "The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World" and (3) "Knowing Christ". You do have fun when you are retired!
I share a number of his criticisms of Dawkins (on God), but I don't believe that these (or other of his arguments) in any way advance the case for God's existence. I have always intended to produce something on McGrath as he seems to me to be a Christain version of Dawkins.
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