Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harper & Row (1977), Edition: 1, 112 pages
Description
A fresh, creative look at the underlying meaning of the Gospels that stresses the many dimensions of God's relationship to humanity.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Laurenbdavis
Buechner, a Christian pastor as well as a novelist presents this book as being for the preacher who "must pull the little cord that turns on the lectern light, must look out over the people and the silence, must begin to speak of a truth beyond telling."
He presents the possibilities of telling this
Although all three parts -- discussing such varied works as King Lear, the Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chapin's films, Mutt and Jeff, The Tempest, the Brothers Grimm and many more - are interesting, the one which interested me most was the final, on fairy tale. Hardly surprising since the best theological arguments I've yet to hear come from the final scenes in C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. In this work the fairy tale section is certainly the one which best captures Buechner's idea that, "There is no less danger and darkness in the Gospel than there is in the Brother Grimm, buy beyond and above all there is the joy of it, this tale of light breaking into the world that not even the darkness can overcome." He says, "It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name."
Sounds good to me. A thought-provoking read.
He presents the possibilities of telling this
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truth (and note he does not say The Truth, but rather A truth, indicating a reality and/or authenticity rather than a narrow fundamentalist view) framed as tragedy, comedy and fairytale. Although all three parts -- discussing such varied works as King Lear, the Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chapin's films, Mutt and Jeff, The Tempest, the Brothers Grimm and many more - are interesting, the one which interested me most was the final, on fairy tale. Hardly surprising since the best theological arguments I've yet to hear come from the final scenes in C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. In this work the fairy tale section is certainly the one which best captures Buechner's idea that, "There is no less danger and darkness in the Gospel than there is in the Brother Grimm, buy beyond and above all there is the joy of it, this tale of light breaking into the world that not even the darkness can overcome." He says, "It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name."
Sounds good to me. A thought-provoking read.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1977
Physical description
8.55 x 0.55 inches
ISBN
0060611561 / 9780060611569