<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: As a perpetually confused Christian, this book spoke to me.I was searching for a way to come to terms with certain Biblical stories and teachings that didn't make sense to me. Dr. Weatherhead put everything I was feeling into words. And hearing my thoughts stated so matter-of-factly from such an astute and well-respected theologian really helped me to know I was not crazy after all. He was also able to blend modern Spiritualist theory into Christianity (I just knew they didn't have to be mutually exclusive). I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: It's blasphemous and illogical
Review: Leslie Weatherhead rejects the authority of scriptures (except the parts he likes), embraces many heresies of our day (like euthanasia and mediums), rejects the divinity of Christ, denies Hell is a place, rejects the Trinity, embraces communicating with the dead, rejects the significance of the virgin birth and doubts it too, and thinks reincarnation a real possibility after this life.Now, you can call this Christianity if you want but it sure isn't biblical. Why is that important? Well, it's a subjective thing for me to say this, but I know of nobody on earth that has written the way the writers of the Bible did. That's my opinion of course, but I suggest people honestly consider whether they have the understanding those writers had and whether the sum of the work over centures amounts to something out of this world. Wetherhead's viewpoint is Christ-centered, but it completely fails to see the importance of what Christ did for us on the cross. There is significance to the moral law of the Bible, and that law is absolute. It is the death of any society when it embraces moral relativity (thinks laws change in each particular situation). What would be the point of Christ fulfilling the law if that law has no significance to us? This book is moral relativism to the extreme and it embraces situation ethics. It's too easy to come to the conclusions he did; obviously you can take out parts of the bible to agree with any system of thought you like but that proves nothing. I think it is good to doubt things as he does and he made me rethink quite a number of things like authority of scripture and the correctness of the Trinitarian doctrine. But I found he was just plain wrong after consulting other sources. I recommend Augustus Strong's Systematic Theology for a more scientific way of looking at Christianity. If you do read it, make sure you also read up on situation ethics to see how absurd and illogical it really is.
Rating:
Summary: Weatherhead helps us look where Jesus pointed
Review: The Christian Agnostic is one of the most important books of my life. It showed me a way back from my confusing Missouri-Synod Lutheran religious upbringing to be able to look at Jesus' life and what he taught anew, and feel that Jesus would welcome me. Leslie Weatherhead was probably the second best known British Christian writer of the mid 20th century (after his friend, C.S. Lewis). At the end of his tenure as minister of the Methodist Temple in London he wrote this book because he was upset that so many people were turned off to looking at Jesus and what he taught because they were told they had to sign on the dotted line and believe all of this doctrine and dogma about him. Weatherhead writes that Jesus simply asked us to "follow me" and learn to love God and our neighbors -- and points out reasons that some thinking people question elements of Christian doctrine. As an example, while Weatherhead himself believes in Christ's literal resurrection, he spells out why others may reasonably take a more metaphysical approach to the subject. If we would only look where Jesus pointed -- and practice loving God and our neighbors instead of fighting over what we do or don't believe about him, we would be so better off. This book is a treasure and I thank Leslie Weatherhead for writing it.
<< 1 >>
| 
