Overview

Christianity is a global phenomenon that has affected the lives of millions of people and expressed itself in many ways over the centuries. Often these expressions have been at odds with the core values of the gospel and teachings of Jesus. Imperialism, colonization, anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny--to name but some issues--have all been associated with this religion almost from the outset. They are part of a legacy that we can no longer evade in the face of the many questioning voices of the modern world. But how has this curious and conflicted situation come about? And did Jesus even intend to found a new religion? Drawing on modern scriptural studies, current academic thinking, and several decades of personal religious and monastic life the writer seeks to find answers, examining the historical record of the past two millennia. In a world that is increasingly secular and skeptical of religious claims the answer to how the Christian legacy is to be presented in a post-Christian world is crucial for the future and the challenge this book seeks to address.

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9781666714784

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Reviews

With courage and honesty, Kirkham confronts some of the most perplexing and troubling problems of our time. A former monk and a meticulous scholar, Kirkham eloquently engages these issues with unflinching analyses of how Christianity has enabled and abetted profound evils as well as how it can offer hope for their healing. --Robert J. Miller, Juniata College In this impressive collection of scholarly essays, Dominic Kirkham sets out to identify and assess 'the ambiguities and complex divinity that constitute Christianity.' He has done much more, for the result is a catalogue of the collapse of many sacred certitudes that have too long been the touchstones of Western civilization. --Tom Hall, former editor, Polebridge Press This examination of Christianity is for grown-ups. It invites the reader to reexamine life in its conflicts and challenges--in the lively and informed company of Kirkham. As Coleridge says of Shakespeare, 'You feel him to be a poet, inasmuch as for a time he has made you one--an active creative being.' --David M. Lambourn, Sea of Faith Network, United Kingdom

With courage and honesty, Kirkham confronts some of the most perplexing and troubling problems of our time. A former monk and a meticulous scholar, Kirkham eloquently engages these issues with unflinching analyses of how Christianity has enabled and abetted profound evils as well as how it can offer hope for their healing. --Robert J. Miller, Juniata College In this impressive collection of scholarly essays, Dominic Kirkham sets out to identify and assess 'the ambiguities and complex divinity that constitute Christianity.' He has done much more, for the result is a catalogue of the collapse of many sacred certitudes that have too long been the touchstones of Western civilization. --Tom Hall, former editor, Polebridge Press This examination of Christianity is for grown-ups. It invites the reader to reexamine life in its conflicts and challenges--in the lively and informed company of Kirkham. As Coleridge says of Shakespeare, 'You feel him to be a poet, inasmuch as for a time he has made you one--an active creative being.' --David M. Lambourn, Sea of Faith Network, United Kingdom

Author Information

Dominic Kirkham has been a teacher, a member of a religious order, a chaplain, a priest, and community activist. After over twenty-five years of religious life he moved beyond the order and church but continued his involvement in community businesses and award-winning social projects in a variety of roles. He has authored two books, From Monk to Modernity (2015) and Our Shadowed World (2019).

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