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If Yes is the Answer, What is the Question? Eight Existential Issues of Faith
"Beach draws us into a deeper level of understanding liberal religious commitment by organizing eight chapters around stories and questions. . . . He does not require the reader to respond in the same way that he does. But his point of view is always there, helping sharpen your own."
-John Buehrens, former President, The Unitarian Universalist Association
"A great achievement. There is a vast need for just this kind of material."
-John B. Cob, Jr., Claremont Graduate School
"Beach demonstrates how religion illuminates the real issues of our age. He shows how important critical faith can be in a confused and disoriented time."
-Harvey Cox, Harvard Divinity School, author of Fire from Heaven
The mind-bending question, If yes is the answer, what is the question? asks What are the central questions of our lives-the issues that challenge and move us to our deepest affirmations of heart and mind? It points the way, then, to the discovery-or perhaps the recovery-of a contemporary, liberating faith. It does so not by providing pre-packaged answers but by asking us to discern and decide what we are committed to and will live for-the issues of human existence that call forth our affirmation. Eight existential issues form the backbone of the · Are we incurably religious? · Does the question of God presuppose God? · Can we acknowledge evil and tragedy and not lose heart? · Do we have a human vocation? · Are ethical values rooted in reality? · Is help available when I need it? · Is religious community a religious necessity? · Does faith make sense?
-John Buehrens, former President, The Unitarian Universalist Association
"A great achievement. There is a vast need for just this kind of material."
-John B. Cob, Jr., Claremont Graduate School
"Beach demonstrates how religion illuminates the real issues of our age. He shows how important critical faith can be in a confused and disoriented time."
-Harvey Cox, Harvard Divinity School, author of Fire from Heaven
The mind-bending question, If yes is the answer, what is the question? asks What are the central questions of our lives-the issues that challenge and move us to our deepest affirmations of heart and mind? It points the way, then, to the discovery-or perhaps the recovery-of a contemporary, liberating faith. It does so not by providing pre-packaged answers but by asking us to discern and decide what we are committed to and will live for-the issues of human existence that call forth our affirmation. Eight existential issues form the backbone of the · Are we incurably religious? · Does the question of God presuppose God? · Can we acknowledge evil and tragedy and not lose heart? · Do we have a human vocation? · Are ethical values rooted in reality? · Is help available when I need it? · Is religious community a religious necessity? · Does faith make sense?
133 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2020
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February 24, 2023
‘Signals of transcendence - be attentive to them’ - Read this book and breathe!
Virginia author George Kimmich Beach gained his degrees from Oberlin College, Harvard Divinity School and Wesley Theological Seminary, and has served as a Unitarian Universalist minister across the US. The pleasure of reading and absorbing this challenging and enlightening book is due to the simple beauty of Beach’s writing: serious thoughts related with a gentle smile. As he offers in the Preface - ‘Bad theology is simplistic; good theology is inherently perplexing, but yields insights, large and small.’ With that lilting manner of writing, he divides his book into eight chapters, a chapter for each of the existential issues - Are we incurably religious? Does the question of God presuppose God? Can we acknowledge evil and tragedy and not lose heart? Do we have a human vocation? Are ethical values rooted in reality? Is help available when I need it? Is religious community a religious necessity? and Does faith make sense? The explanation of each question opens windows of thought and understanding, following the four transcendental imperatives: be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, and be responsible. Spending time inhaling the messages of this book lifts us up to a higher plane. Very highly recommended
Virginia author George Kimmich Beach gained his degrees from Oberlin College, Harvard Divinity School and Wesley Theological Seminary, and has served as a Unitarian Universalist minister across the US. The pleasure of reading and absorbing this challenging and enlightening book is due to the simple beauty of Beach’s writing: serious thoughts related with a gentle smile. As he offers in the Preface - ‘Bad theology is simplistic; good theology is inherently perplexing, but yields insights, large and small.’ With that lilting manner of writing, he divides his book into eight chapters, a chapter for each of the existential issues - Are we incurably religious? Does the question of God presuppose God? Can we acknowledge evil and tragedy and not lose heart? Do we have a human vocation? Are ethical values rooted in reality? Is help available when I need it? Is religious community a religious necessity? and Does faith make sense? The explanation of each question opens windows of thought and understanding, following the four transcendental imperatives: be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, and be responsible. Spending time inhaling the messages of this book lifts us up to a higher plane. Very highly recommended
Displaying 1 of 1 review