Joyce Inhwa itibaren Tokçam/Gümüşhane, Turkey

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11/15/2024

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Joyce Inhwa Kitabın yeniden yazılması (10)

2019-06-10 07:41

Siyah Beyaz Hikaye - M.Tunç Atalay TrendKitaplar Kütüphanesi

Tarafından yazılmış kitap Tarafından: Mandolin Yayınları

A short but scholarly account of the personal life of John Wesley, this book is well-written, witty, and objective. Neither a hagiography nor an iconoclastic attack, it is, in fact, surprisingly secular. Tomkins seems to have little interest in his subject's spiritual development, theological thought, or religious legacy. His main emphasis is on Wesley as a human being, on the man that is revealed by the details of his life, by his relationships with others. And that man is not particularly attractive - is quite deeply flawed. He almost embodies the unflattering popular stereotype of a preacher - pious, judgmental, self-centered, a self-righteous "saint" who demands perfection, saintliness, in others. His relationships with others were troubled, were not noted for human warmth. He neither gave loyalty or inspired it in others - was continuously feuding with other Methodist leaders - was ultimately estranged from Wilberforce, even from his brother Charles. His relationships with women, especially that with his wife, were disastrous. Paradigmatic proof of this seemingly harsh assessment is the brief note he wrote to his sister condoling her on the sudden death of her young children in which he tells her that God, perhaps jealous of the time she was spending caring for them, took them away in order to give her more time for religious work. Good grief! And this coldness was not offset by a brilliant mind. He was not a noticeably profound theologian. Whatever was new in his religious thinking, the emphasis on "warmth", on the emotions, on sanctification, seems to have been the result of his early contact with the Moravian Pietists. His theological thinking seems more "ad hoc", more "feels right", than the result of logical reflection or spiritual insight. And it was quite tentative - as exemplified by his continuing indecision about whether or not to leave the established church. He was not a very appealing theologian or man. And yet despite all this, Wesley was a spiritual leader, highly influential, revered then and now, responsible for the revival of Christianity in English speaking countries worldwide. He raised the moral tone of Western Civilization, increased the dignity of the working classes, was a midwife to a denomination that continues to be a force for good in the world. This legacy is slighted by Tomkins - not maliciously, but by his limiting his book to the actual, physical life of Wesley - by his reluctance to analyze, to judge him, to assess his worth spiritually. This is disappointing. Not only is the influence of Wesley left unexplained but the essence of the man does not come into focus. He is left a mystery, his motives never explained. For example, Tomkins provides no explanation for his obsessive missionary zeal - even though this constant travelling, this compulsion to preach, to convert the world, lies at the core of Wesley's being. The reader is left to his own speculations - to wonder whether it was it the result of the humiliating failure of his early ambition to convert the Native-American heathen in Georgia that inspired this obsessive urge to convert the home heathen, the poor, degraded, unchurched masses in the newly industrializing cities of the British Isles? Or whether it was his failure at close relationships, with people who knew him well, that kept him continuously on the road, away from home, finding approval and acceptance among strangers, among people with whom it was much easier to adopt and maintain a persona of holiness? Tomkins provides no answers. Does not consider the questions. And perhaps the questions are unanswerable, the inner man unknowable. Or perhaps, Wesley, like other highly gifted individuals (one thinks of Bach or Mozart) is best understood, his mind revealed, in his work, not his life. He had great oratorical gifts - could win over the most antagonistic audience, the most hardened listeners. His fame was achieved as a preacher. Thousands came to hear he speak. His life was consumed in preaching - the best estimate is that he gave over 40,000 sermons. Perhaps to assess him properly, to know him, one needs to read, not a biography of him, but a book of his sermons.

Okuyucu Joyce Inhwa itibaren Tokçam/Gümüşhane, Turkey

Kullanıcı, bu kitapları portalın yayın kurulu olan 2017-2018'de en ilginç olarak değerlendirdi "TrendKitaplar Kütüphanesi" Tüm okuyucuların bu literatürü tanımalarını tavsiye eder.