Gregory A. Boyd (1) (1957–)

信仰是怎麼一回事？當一個人排斥基督信仰時，心裡的癥結是什麼？
本書的作者是一對父子。爸爸對信仰抱持的態度是死硬不信，兒子卻是個「護教學」的博士教授。兒子為了和老爸談及信仰真諦，面談溝通無效的情況下，採取了信件溝通的方式，本書就是父子在三年內往返的三十封信。 爸爸在每封信中都毫不留情的提出對基督信仰的犀利質疑，兒子也針對問題予以說明。問題有時尖銳，有時感性，兒子的回答都至情至性，婉轉有條理，令讀者讀來有一份過癮的感覺。 此外，讀者隨著他們父子一起探索信仰真意的當兒，也會禁不住沉浸在濃郁的父子之情中，是一本感性與理性交織而成的書。 對渴求了解人生信仰的朋友而言，這本書值得一讀。… (altro)

I was finally able to finish this 2 volume time! Boyd argues for a compelling hermeneutic that allows Scripture to be read without God being directly behind violent passages. In brief, since God is fully revealed in Jesus on the cross, any passage that presents God as other than having this self-giving character must be reinterpreted. He applies this interpretive lens to multiple stories in the OT (and even some in the NT).

Here are his 4 principles:

1) Since God is fully revealed in Jesus on the cross, any act attributed to God that doesn't match this character is an accomodation. God let's himself be misrepresented (as he does on the cross too).

2) Judgment in the Bible is God withdrawing his protection and letting sin reap its own consequences.

3) We are in the middle of a cosmic conflict, and there are spiritual beings and forces that oppose God and work to harm people.

4) God gives gifts/abilities that agents can use semiautonomously , meaning that humans can misuse supernatural gifts (akin to misusing our natural gifts/abilities).

Overall, while I'm still working some of this through, I find Boyd's case compelling. I also find that he is able to retain the authority of Scripture, while offering defensible interpretations of difficult passages.… (altro)

There were lines in this book that were impactful, but it was also repetitive. I loved the reference to Our Town and the idea of praying with open hands, palm up to stay present in the moment.

“I realized that my trivial, self-centered mental chatter about the past and future — like a dark cloud block in the sun — had kept me from seeing the glory of God that surrounded me every second of every day.”

“The important question, therefore, it’s not what you believe. The important question is what you believe to do, moment-by-moment, on the basis of what you believe.”

“You may be so accustomed to living in the past and future that you find it difficult to notice how much of your thought-life is spent there. You’ll probably find that most of your past and future oriented thoughts revolve around you and are centered on your attempts to feel worthwhile and significant. When we live perpetually hungry in the flesh, we spend a great deal of our thought-life savoring past experiences or possible future experiences that make us feel worthwhile and significant.”

“God’s love compels us to do the things Jesus did and live out the things Jesus taught. Instead of merely learning about the Kingdom, we begin to sacrifice our time, energy, and money to feed the hungry, house the homeless, welcome outcasts, and befriend prisoners.”… (altro)