Religion – Page 70 – Cannonball Read 17

A Quick Read with Transformative Power

Love Wins by Rob Bell

April 22, 2020 by randirock Leave a Comment

“A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’s message of love, […]

For all y’all hippie monks

New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton

April 16, 2020 by Halbs 1 Comment

This book has been on my shelf for years. Since we’ve been home more than a month and I have the spiritual space to sit down with this kind of dense nourishment, I finally took the plunge and fully engaged with Thomas Merton. He’s something of a legend to Christian contemplatives, sort of like the Keith Richards of monks. Wise, somewhat cantankerous, expansive and global in his conception of God, God’s purpose, and destiny of people. A hippie monk. In New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton […]

If you think things are bad now… try living 2000 years ago

Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas

April 15, 2020 by kniki Leave a Comment

I’ve heard great things about Tsiolkas’ writing and even though two of his earlier books (The Slap and Barracuda) were very popular and both made into tv series, I still hadn’t gotten around to reading any of his writing. So, after hearing his interview on Conversations with Richard Fidler (best interviewer around!) about the process for writing his latest book, I decided then and there to read it. I’m happy to report it was a very good decision and I need to go back and […]

Some More Ontology, Just for Fun

The Courage To Be by Paul Tillich

March 11, 2020 by Halbs Leave a Comment

I’m by no means a philosophy expert! That being said, my hope is to become more conversant in the “love of wisdom” in order to live a better life. As mentioned in a previous post, I started reading theologian-philosopher Tillich because MLK read Tillich. MLK even critiqued him as a major part of his doctoral work. I grabbed The Courage to Be, my second Tillich book, from the library just because it was what they happened to have on the shelf while I was browsing. […]

“The estranged is striving for reunion.”

Love, Power, and Justice: Ontological Analyses and Ethical Applications by Paul Tillich

January 28, 2020 by Halbs 4 Comments

I think all of us are pretty interested in the relationship between power and justice these days. We also want to understand how to transcend our divisions. Being the nerd that I am, I thought this seventy-year-old work from philosopher-theologian Paul Tillich could provide me with some insight on power, justice, and love. This book from the 1950s is more of a collection of lectures than a piece of prose. That’s a pro more than a con, as it encourages the writing to be relatively […]

The incredible ending to one of the greatest modern speculative fiction stories

Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

January 25, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

Sticking the landing is difficult in stories. Hyperion built up so many mysteries and threw so much at the reader, it would take a monumental achievement to have a satisfying conclusion. Dan Simmons accomplished that ending so beautifully that even an East German judge would score it a 10 (kids, ask your parents to explain that, if necessary). There are so many disparate stories in this book that are woven together: the pilgrims on their way to the Shrike to either have their one wish […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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