God and Self in the Confessional Novel explores the question: what happened to the theological practice of confession when it entered the modern novel? Beginning with the premise that guilt remains a universal human concern, this book considers confession via the classic confessional texts of Augustine and Rousseau. Employing this framework, John D. Sykes, Jr. examines Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, Percy’s Lancelot, and McEwan’s Atonement to investigate the evolution of confession and guilt in literature from the eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century.
Eddie Trask was a normal guy. A nice, normal guy. A remarkable façade. Many would say a Christian. Then God confronted him. This encounter began an excruciating journey that plunged Trask to the depths of his psyche. The goal was often cloudy and contested, but one thing was for sure: God wanted to purge every cavity, recess, and chamber imaginable. Trask's old self needed to die. Teetering on the ecumenical line of Protestantism and Catholicism, conversion and reversion, and law vs. grace, Trask wandered in a maze of spiritual warfare, often questioning his sanity, motives, and ability to persevere. Along the way, he consulted the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, C.S. Lewis, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and many others. Then God confronted him again. Confession All microscopically highlights two agonizing, seemingly irrational years. From scrupulosity and mortification of the flesh to thought captivity and chastity, Trask exposes himself and his marriage, pushing every chip to the center of the table, hoping to inspire unconditional surrender to God's will. PREFACE Next to the journey itself, compiling Confession All was the most difficult project I've ever tackled-a sentiment which my wife, Ashley, shares. Somehow, however, in spite of all the pain and heartache, she became my best friend, helper, and editor. The fact that she was willing to go back in time and revisit every last confession, enemy attack, trigger, and thorn is extraordinary. We agree there is only one reason to persevere through such torment: the pursuit of God and His Kingdom. After passing through such an unconventional trial of scrupulosity, spiritual warfare, and discerning God's will, it is only fitting that I confess to you, too. You might as well know all of me. The old me. The confused me. The dysfunctional me. The façade me. The exposed me. And the new me. Despite the apparent unhealthiness of it all, I was constantly convicted of which routes I was supposed to follow or avoid, regardless of how careless or idiotic it seemed. I simply know, to the best of my ability, that God permitted the following story to play out. I believe He allowed me to plumb such depths in order to comprehend the intricacies of men, women, marriage, and the Protestant Reformation. However, only He knows the true purpose. I do not desire to have husbands follow my lead and vomit on their spouses every sin they've ever committed. I only desire to share my story and hopefully have bits and pieces resonate with others. What anyone chooses to do with it is between them and the Holy Spirit. No doubt, writing this book was at times cathartic, but it often served as an additional challenge, forcing me to constantly stare at and critique my weaknesses. As a result of my introspection, journaled thoughts, and attempts at writing a candid narrative without embellishment, the book itself is probably too meticulous for some readers. It is raw. It is as real as I can tell it. And in all its disordered and self-absorbed glory, it was my life. The amount of detail is reflective of the mental torture Ashley and I endured during my scrupulous metamorphosis. Consequently, I will not run from it or conceal it. Instead, I feel called to cast light on it, while inviting others to inspect me and my motives with a magnifying glass. The often hazy and ludicrous journey is nauseating, and may be emotionally overwhelming for some, but if you stick with me, I assure you there is hope, clarity, and redemption on the other side. The narrative is quite non-linear and episodic, appropriately mirroring my brain during such a journey. If you get lost along the way, I've included a chronology. As you dig into this book, here's a simple reminder: do not try this at home.
God, Sexuality and the Self is a new venture in systematic theology. Sarah Coakley invites the reader to re-conceive the relation of sexual desire and the desire for God and - through the lens of prayer practice - to chart the intrinsic connection of this relation to a theology of the Trinity. The goal is to integrate the demanding ascetical undertaking of prayer with the recovery of lost and neglected materials from the tradition and thus to reanimate doctrinal reflection both imaginatively and spiritually. What emerges is a vision of human longing for the triune God which is both edgy and compelling: Coakley's théologie totale questions standard shibboleths on 'sexuality' and 'gender' and thereby suggests a way beyond current destructive impasses in the churches. The book is clearly and accessibly written and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of theology.
An illuminating, reassuring explanation of the Catholic Church’s teachings on confession and forgiveness by the bestselling author of The Lamb’s Supper and Hail, Holy Queen. Jesus told his first clergy, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” In Lord, Have Mercy, Scott Hahn explores the sacrament of reconciliation and shows why it is the key to spiritual growth, particularly in these times of intense anxiety and uncertainty. Drawing on the history of ancient Israel, the Gospels, the writings of the early Church, and the lives of the saints, Hahn reveals the living, scriptural heart of the Church’s teachings on penance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is a story that begins with the sin of Adam and Eve, continues in the biographies of Moses, King David, and the Apostle Peter, and reverberates in the lives of believers today. Hahn presents the Catholic and biblical perspective on sin and mercy, elucidating in clear, easily understood language the true import of Jesus’ simple, yet profound promise–“I am the door; if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved (John 10:9). Like Hahn’s earlier books, Lord, Have Mercy offers thoughtful, authoritative insights into controversial issues and disputed doctrines in a manner that will enlighten lay readers yet is thorough enough for scholars to appreciate. More than just a Bible study, it is a guide for the perplexed, providing practical advice and inspiration that will help readers come to a deeper knowledge of themselves and of Jesus through the sacrament of penance.
"This is a practical manual of everything our church did," says author Molly Phinney Baskette, "to reverse our death spiral and become the healthy, stable, spirited and robust community it is today—evident in the large percentage of children and young adults in our church, and a sixfold increase in pledged giving in the last decade." "Real Good Church" is a testament to Baskette's and First Church Somerville UCC's success, and a gift of hope for all churches that find themselves struggling to keep their doors open. What makes "Real Good Church" unique in the field of church growth books? It's practical. It actually tells churches what they can do—and how to do it. It offers beginning and intermediary steps for growth and renewal. Churches, no matter what situation they're in, will be able to jump in and get to work. It has a sense of humor. Baskette's easygoing, often self-deprecating writing style and approachable strategies will empower the reader and their church to revitalize itself. (If her church could do it, we can, too!)
"As the psalms are a microcosm of the Old Testament, so the Expositions of the Psalms can be seen as a microcosm of Augustinian thought. In the Book of Psalms are to be found the history of the people of Israel, the theology and spirituality of the Old Covenant, and a treasury of human experience expressed in prayer and poetry. So too does the work of expounding the psalms recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo."--Publisher's website.
In this book St. Patrick testifies to us of his conversion, trials, and tribulations in seeking, surrendering, and suffering for Christ. Even though most of us do not dare attempt to aspire to reach the heights of St. Patrick, it is important to realize that God made each and every person an individual - not to be like another - but rather to be like Christ. He made each person unique and endows each of us with different gifts and graces. This is why we study and admire other followers of Christ but we are not to try to be exactly like another. In growing in virtue - yes. But God has a very specific wills and assignments for each of us. Nevertheless it is helpful to study and reflect on the virtues of others like St. Patrick.
A heritage of conflict in author-character relations emerges through works by Dostoevsky, Mauriac, O'Connor, and DeLillo, where the issue of a character's freedom from the author's perspective proves essential to understanding narrative form.
Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America revolutionizes how we think about confession and its ubiquitous place in American culture. It argues that the sheer act of labeling a text a confession has become one of the most powerful, and most overlooked, forms of intervening in American cultural politics. In the twentieth century alone, the genre of confession has profoundly shaped (and been shaped by) six of America’s most intractable cultural issues: sexuality, class, race, violence, religion, and democracy.
