God A Guide for the Perplexed

WARD Keith

ISBN 10: 1851683232 / ISBN 13: 9781851683239

Published by Oneworld, Oxford, 2003

About this Item

vii + 264pp, illustrated, fine softback; Large Octavo.

Seller Inventory # 63313

Bibliographic Details

• Title: God A Guide for the Perplexed
• Publisher: Oneworld, Oxford
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1851683232
• ISBN 13: 9781851683239
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • History and Theology

About this title

Synopsis

Inspired and impassioned, this new book charts the path of humanity's great spiritual odyssey: the search for God. Along this ancient and winding road, the reader will encounter philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein and religions from Judaism to the Hindu tradition, interspersed with divine influences from Classical Greece, Romantic poetry, and the occasional scene from 'Alien'. Leading the way through this minefield is acclaimed philosopher-theologian Kith Ward, blending the sublime and the eclectic in a narrative which offers wit, erudition and moments of genuine pathos. As a survey of the different manifestations of God through the centuries, and an examination of humanity's search for the divine, this is an engaging and informative book. As a deeply moving testament to our endless capacity for spiritual hope, it is compulsive reading for anyone interested in, or embarking on, the great quest for meaning.

Review

Keith Ward is an eminent Oxford theologian, and a title such as God: a Guide for the Perplexed might make many people run for cover. Don't run. This is a wonderful book. Ward is a philosopher as well as a theologian and he succeeds in presenting the sweep of mankind's religious and philosophical thought with style, reverence and a wry humour. He is to be congratulated in producing a book that avoids churchy claptrap, academic jargon, religious cliché and mushy spirituality. He writes in a crisp, entertaining way that is never flippant and he wears his immense learning lightly, sharing a genuine enthusiasm for his subject with a clear desire to communicate with ordinary people.

In seven chapters Ward takes us through the history of mankind's religious thought. He shows how philosophical questions have always been linked with religious questions, and how religion has never been merely a set of rules or doctrines, but a quest for meaning and a search for the blazing darkness that is God. In other words, this book is a feast for the mind and the heart. While the academic ground is covered lightly, the mystical, poetic and mysterious side of religion is also given due weight. If you can only buy one book that explains the heart and mind of mankind's spiritual quest, buy this book. --Dwight Longenecker