Rating: 
Summary: Read This During Lent
Review: Death on a Friday Afternoon explores Christ's final words form the cross, as they are recorded varyingly in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It reveals, also, our need for a savior and expresses the beauty of the redemption of man.
Having read a great many of Neuhaus's penetrating, satirical blurbs in the "While We're At It" section of First Things, I had anticipated that Death on a Friday Afternoon would contain a considerable amount of depth. At first, I was disappointed in this expectation. As I began to read, I felt the book was only somewhat less repetitive and simplistic than the great mass of devotional literature. As I pressed on, however, the insights grew more penetrating, and what had appeared as repetition soon seemed almost poetic. (At times, however, I still felt there was bit too much circumlocution.) Some of the passages in this book are downright moving. The author explores many serious questions, delivering, among other things, new insight into the true nature of the missionary imperative.
Neuhaus has a wealth of information at his mind's edge, and he draws on literature, history, and theology regularly, but these allusions are never presented in a "see how smart I am" manner; they are always natural. His prose is not complicated, but nor is it dumbed-down; he does not speak to us as though we were mentally children. Those who believe Christ died only for the elect will have much to object to in the theology of this book, but I think even they will find the writing affecting and at times convincing.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Father Neuhaus has titled his book "Death on a Friday Afternoon" because that is when Jesus died. But his meditations on the seven last "words" of Jesus (actually, the seven last utterances) provide an understanding and explanation that will lead thoughtful readers into the meaning of the resurrection as well. Neuhaus, however, does not want readers to get to the resurrection without pondering carefully what is meant by the seven words on the cross, a compilation from the Gospel accounts.
I found Neuhaus'es book refreshing, in that it helped me to contemplate in a careful manner the circumstances in which Jesus uttered his words and the reason that he gave them.
Along the way Neuhaus introduces aspects of Catholic theology that are a part of his faith and world-view, but a Protestant reading the book (like myself) may find somewhat beside the point. Far more illuminating are the asides to social issues that are relevant to what Jesus said and taught.
In summary, a profoundly insightful book, caputuring the mystery of God in human form, dying painfully but purposefully on the cross for the sins of humankind.
Rating: 
Summary: A focus on death?
Review: Father Neuhaus has titled his book "Death on a Friday Afternoon" because that is when Jesus died. But his meditations on the seven last "words" of Jesus (actually, the seven last utterances) provide an understanding and explanation that will lead thoughtful readers into the meaning of the resurrection as well. Neuhaus, however, does not want readers to get to the resurrection without pondering carefully what is meant by the seven words on the cross, a compilation from the Gospel accounts.
I found Neuhaus'es book refreshing, in that it helped me to contemplate in a careful manner the circumstances in which Jesus uttered his words and the reason that he gave them.
Along the way Neuhaus introduces aspects of Catholic theology that are a part of his faith and world-view, but a Protestant reading the book (like myself) may find somewhat beside the point. Far more illuminating are the asides to social issues that are relevant to what Jesus said and taught.
In summary, a profoundly insightful book, caputuring the mystery of God in human form, dying painfully but purposefully on the cross for the sins of humankind.
Rating:
Summary: Faith Seeking Understanding
Review: For me, Neuhaus' book put the reality of the death of Christ into real terms with real significance. For many the life, death and resurrection of Christ have been distorted by centuries of rhetoric and sentimental drivel. Neuhaus reinforces the historical and painful truth of human crucifixion in Christ's death, as well as the monumental significance that this act and Christ's subsequent resurrection has for all men. Neuhaus also uses the opportunity to critique some of our modern society's greater flaws, such as the complete lack of understanding of the value of pain, suffering and death. In a society where the pleasure principle is an unrelenting task master, Neuhaus' insights into a life and death unburdened by such a master dazzle the reader with the brightness of their truth.
Rating:
Summary: The Death of God
Review: I can think of no better way to finish Lent and prepare for Easter than to spend a few hours with Father Neuhaus's most recent book, Death on a Friday Afternoon. Nor does it matter if you don't have time to get it all read before Easter because, as Neuhaus writes at the beginning, "Good Friday is not just one day of the year. It is a day relived in every day of the world, and of our lives in the world....Every day of the year is a good day to think more deeply about Good Friday, for Good Friday is the drama of love by which our every day is sustained."The scope and implicit aim of this book are formidable; even more remarkable, this extended meditation accomplishes everything it set out to do. Don't expect a soppy, mystical, pie-in-the-sky reflection on the death of Christ. Here is a keen examination of tough love in action, the love of a God who accepted trial at the hands of His creatures and took on Himself their impudent verdict: "Guilty." Each chapter is devoted to one of the Seven Words from the Cross, and in each case, Fr. Neuhaus shows how these words, spoken nearly two millenia ago on a certain Friday afternoon in history, still pierce our lives today--if we will let them. One of the great strengths of the book is its application of the truth of the Cross to modern life. What practical effect does each of these words have on each of us? This question is amply answered in such a way that the reader comes to understand personally how he is obligated to be crucified with Christ if he professes himself a follower. Another strength of this book is its stark presentation of the cost of being a Christian. Christianity is no feel-good religion; it's about following a God who was crucified and about bearing the burden of having encountered Truth. It is not, says Neuhaus, so much that Christians *have* the truth, but that they must faithfully insist that they have been encountered by the Truth, by What Is, by the great Reality of God and all His creation. This insistence, not only that there is such a thing as Truth, but also that man can be encountered by it, is yet another great strength of this book. By no means is the material here limited to abstract theological discussion. It is simply and gently written, accessible to most people. I would think it would be especially valuable to those who might be curious as to why Christians believe that the Crucifixion is such a big deal. Neuhaus speaks of the suffering of specific people at specific times in history and shows how all suffering has been given meaning through the suffering of Christ. This book is good for the mature Christian and the inquirer alike--something one can say about few books. Buy it for yourself and get a copy or two for your friends.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I read this book during Holy Week and Fr. Neuhaus' insights really deepened my experiences leading up to Good Friday. This book lays out many different facets of Jesus' teaching and meaning in a very accessible way. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A book to make one thoughtful
Review: I usually read books quickly. This book, however, is one to be read slowly and thoughtfully. If one is looking for a quick and easy guide to Christian belief, then don't buy it. If one is a thoughtful seeker into the question of pain and suffering and how suffering and death is seen in the life of a mature Christian, then one will find this book meaningful. Not for those comfortable with easy answers or a life of self satisfaction.
Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Look at His Passion
Review: It's so easy to listen to the Passion read on Palm Sunday and hear the same story that has been told each year, and fail to find the life in the Living Word. This book, for me, opened the Passion, asked the questions I've always asked, put forth thoughts I've never considered, brought me into the reality of that Friday afternoon and made me love Jesus and God the Father all the more. I've never been a Marian Catholic, but this book made me see her in a way that I'd never seen her. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a well-written (it really is in the style of C.S.Lewis), poignant and thought-provoking meditation. It's not leaden-philosophical, and yet it's an intelligent, learned view of a Mystery that is well beyond the intelligent and the learned.
Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Look at His Passion
Review: Pastor Neuhaus has written a profound exposition of the seven sets of words spoken by Christ on the Cross. He is thorough in his scriptural study, systematic in dealing with alternative arguments, yet reassuring while troubling in his conclusion. If, as he argues, Christ's redemptive sacrifice sufficed to redeem all of us sinners, and therefore no one will wind up condemned to hell, why should we live as if our own conduct makes a difference?
Rating:
Summary: Redemption in Spite of Ourselves
Review: Pastor Neuhaus has written a profound exposition of the seven sets of words spoken by Christ on the Cross. He is thorough in his scriptural study, systematic in dealing with alternative arguments, yet reassuring while troubling in his conclusion. If, as he argues, Christ's redemptive sacrifice sufficed to redeem all of us sinners, and therefore no one will wind up condemned to hell, why should we live as if our own conduct makes a difference?
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