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Rating: 
Summary: A disgrace.
Review: "Sense and Sensuality" is a good introduction to the Christian viewpoint on two fundamental aspects of life: pleasure and pain. Dr. Zacharias deals with these seemingly contradictory sensations in a fictional conversation between Jesus (with an assist by Blaise Pascal) and Oscar Wilde, a man known for his Bacchian way of approaching life. For me, "Sense and Sensuality" served as a reminder of the transitory nature of human existence, and thus the futility of finding hope in pleasure or living in fear of pain. After all, to have a shot at the best pleasures possible you have to be young, healthy, good-looking, and rich (or so sayeth the Media). But how many people actually have all of those qualities in abundance, and how long do they really last? Even Hugh Hefner will pass away someday, and then what? Suffering in this world is the other side of the coin, and as bad as it is, death will deliver us from it someday. Therefore, if this life is all there is, then we might as well throw our lot in with Wilde and live it up. Even the Bible agrees with that mindset (1 Cor. 15:32). But, what if there is more to existence than this life? Do suffering and happiness serve a greater purpose? As Dr. Zacharias' Jesus states, "pain and pleasure are pointers to what ultimately matters (pg. 80)" - and that is a loving relationship with God through the gospel of Christ. It is in this context that an eternal perspective based on a passion for God is cultivated, a "fire...in the soul" as Pascal states. Only then can pleasure and pain be put into perspective, and understood for what they are. It appears that other reviewers are a bit upset at Dr. Zacharias' portrayal of Oscar Wilde, but perhaps they can take comfort in the idea that Wilde may be exposed to a wider audience as a result. At any rate, "Sense and Sensuality" is a quick read that will generate long-term contemplation.
Rating: 
Summary: Jesus And The Wilde Life
Review: I have been a fan of Dr. Zacharias' books and lectures for many years now. Having recently read biographies of both Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas I thought there would be some interesting insight here. The book is not as strong as it could be. As for the life of Wilde there is really nothing new here. That said, the conversation between Jesus, Oscar Wilde, and Blaise Pascal creates an interesting juxtaposition. Dr. Zacharias has done a great service in his conversation with Jesus series of books. My only negative comment is the back handed comments by Dr. Zacharias in this book toward Roman Catholic liturgy and sacramental belief. As a Catholic, that is one conversation I would like to have with Dr. Ravi Zacharias.
Rating: 
Summary: It speaks to a struggle we all share...
Review: I have never sat down to submit a review after reading a book in one sitting. This book compells me to do so for several reasons. First, however, I have to take issue with the two reviewers preceding me; the Rutherford, New Jersey person clearly and unfortunately missed the point of the book, because Zacharias's entire book addresses the types of yearnings the reviewer accuses Zacharias of disregarding! A careful reading of the book clearly demonstrates this. The book addresses from the very first page to the last the desire for pleasure that God himself gave us, and the right (Godly) and wrong (immoral) means to pursue that end. ... This whole book focuses on Jesus seeking out and comforting Wilde -- and offering Himself as a sacrifice for Wilde's sins, just as He did for mine. Jesus did not judge Wilde in this dialogue -- he sought out his company and many times told him He understood him. This book is an illustration of the very character of Christ -- love, compassion, intimacy, grace, and forgiveness. As Jesus says on page 79, "It was at [the cross] that your ultimate worth was upheld. It's because My heart was broken that I'm able to heal yours. Blaise [Pascal] was right -- all truths are governed by laws. This one is the way of life and death. I reach out to you through the price I paid for you." In the next paragraph, Christ reminds Wilde that "love cannot be coerced." (p. 79) He loves each of us enough to let us choose Him, because He desires our genuine love, not love that is forced. ...throughout the book, Zacharias touches on, and Jesus repeatedly acknowledges, how often throughout his life Oscar Wilde sought Christ; in addition, the end of the book features a poem by Wilde that beautifully illustrates this. As for my take on the book, it's a phenomenal testament to why Christ came, died, and what He wants for us. It addresses an issue that permeates our society today -- the wild(e) pursuit (pun intended) of sensual pleasure. Rather than condemn the desire within us for sensual pleasure, Zacharias reminds us that Christ teaches that sensual pleasure is a desire planted within us by our loving Father, and that properly pursued, we can be fully satisfied. Jesus Christ, Zacharias reminds us, is the only true road to joy, pleasure, passion, and intimacy. An excerpt from the dialogue on page 72 between Wilde, Jesus, and Blaise Pascal that kind of sums it all up: "Jesus: The perfect expression for passion is in the soul -- when you love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. That communion of your person with the person of God enables you to see every other person as precious in His sight. The body becomes His temple. That takes you beyond the sun (the earthly and temporary) -- Pascal: And comes only through His Son. Every other passion will exhaust itself. Pleasures are meant to point you to the greatest pleasure of all, the presence of our heavenly Father."
Rating:
Summary: A masterful representation of the depravity of humanity
Review: I have read this book a few times now, and I can wholeheartedly say that I have never read a book that more clearly portrays the pathetic nature of the human heart, nor provided greater insights than this book does.
Some say this is not an acurate protrayal of Oscar Wilde, but I think they are wrong. The book shows the corruption of the heart that is evident in all people, including: Oscar Wilde, Mother Theresa, myself, the reader of my review, and all other people. This is not a book about one man's struggle, it is about the struggle that every person faces in life, and it is an invaluable resource for all people.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!!
Review: I thought that this was a great fictitious conversation between Jesus and Oscar Wilde. It delved deep into the nature of man and our ability to enjoy our indulgences. The dialogue was well written, the conclusions made perfect sense and the book will really make you think. I'd recommend it to anyone. It works as Christian fiction, but it also works as a philosophical treatise.
DKS
Rating:
Summary: A disgrace.
Review: It pains me to see Oscar Wilde used as a vessel through which ultra-Christian values are forced. I believe another reviewer mentioned "De Profundis," and I agree entirely. Wilde was most definitely not a superficial, pleasure-seeking Victorian dandy; if you read nearly anything written after his imprisonment, it becomes quite apparent that he was anything but shallow. It's a terrible iniquity to characterize a man by the mask he wore instead of the person he really was.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and thought provoking
Review: On November 29, 1900, as Oscar Wilde lay on his death bed, he suddenly asked for his priest, that he might receive the last rites. In this book, author and Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, imagines a last discussion between Wilde and Jesus Christ on the nature of freedom and responsibility and love. I very much enjoyed this book, which reminded me a great deal of the Socratic dialogues, written by Plato. As with those books, this one was written to prove the superiority of the philosophy of one of the characters. Also, Dr. Zacharias is not an expert on Oscar Wilde, and does not say that he consulted any, but instead relied on Wilde's own writings. But, that said, I thought that this was a very interesting and well-written book, one which gave me a great deal of food for thought. If you are looking for an erudite and sympathetic analysis of Oscar Wilde's philosophy, you *will* be disappointed with this book. But, if you are interested in a fascinating, thought provoking book, then I highly recommend this book to you!
Rating:
Summary: Has Ravi read all of Oscar?
Review: This book might be of interest to Christian apologists---and
to ultra-conservatives who want to see their prejudices given divine approval---but Wildeans will want to grind their teeth.
Oscar Wilde searched for Christ in the eyes of every lover he
ever had, but there is no place in Zacharias's theology for this
particular kind of spiritual yearning. Nor does he seem to recall that Jesus preferred the company of sinners and prostitutes to that of the people who "knew" they were right.
I suppose I should be grateful that Zacharias doesn't just toss Wilde into hell at the end, but I still resent seeing this gallant gadfly and seeker after truth reduced to a straw man for the author to knock down. A loud Bronx cheer to this smug little
sermon!
Rating:
Summary: Pseudo-Christian fundamentalism
Review: You can tell by reading some recent 5-star reviews what kind of book this is. Zacharias has Jesus pontificate with typical fundamentalist Bible church cliches and calls on the trite Blaise Pascal to help Jesus argue with Oscar Wilde, when in fact anyone who has read all of Wilde knows that he eventually rejected, as one vocabulary-challenged reviewer calls it, a "Bacchian" way of life and that DE PROFUNDIS is one of the most profound affirmations of Christ ever written. Zacharias also engages in a distortion of the Christian concept of love, a distortion commented on in the mid-1800s by the great novelist George Eliot. The distortion says that love for another person is only right if it's your way of loving God. The problem with this is that love becomes part of a religious duty, and the person being "loved" feels condescended to: "Oh, he just loves me because that's his way of loving God." Trust me: I've been around these kinds of Christians long enough to know how little is their capacity for love.
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