Facing The Unbeliever - Hardback book with Dust Jacket by Maurice Bellet
- Translated by Eva Fleischner
- Preface by Bernard Cooke, S.J.
- Original edition: Ceux qui perdent la foi,
Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 1965. - © 1967 by Herder and Herder, Inc.
" " What this book suggests is that contemporary Christian faith, if it is to be thoroughly genuine, must in open candor allow itself to be both challenged and threatened by the questions and the living experience of the unbeliever. " Bernard Cooke, S.J. " " " Loss of faith" is in an over-simplifying ascription for a complex phenomenon embracing a whole gamut of spiritual attitudes from militant apostasy to agnostic indifference. However the common element shared by all these various attitudes is not rooted in the disposition of the non-believer, but, curiously enough, in that of the believer. In the majority of cases of "loss of faith" is not the result of a defect in the religious make-up of a given individual who may reject Christianity; rather it is the result of a defect among believers themselves. For not infrequently it is the latter who through lack of tact, arrogance, smugness, or sheer ignorance drive the insecure away from acceptance of the Gospel. " " This book, therefore, is aimed primarily at those who have "kept the faith." It pleads with them to show greater respect for the sincere doubter, to seek to understand him "from the inside," to engage him not in polemic but in genuine dialogue, and so to show him the true face of Christ. " " Father Bellet has written a phenomenology of unbelief and of re-conversion which is both theologically and psychologically penetrating as well as eminently practical. This is a book that will help the reader cleanse his thinking of dead formulas and religious cant and create a language that is faithful to the word of Christ. " Contents includes: " Preface by Bernard Cooke, S.J. Introduction I. Trying to Understand 1. Explaining 2. Situating 3. Understanding 4. Compassion 5. Listening 6. The Ultimate Difficulty II. An Attempt at Interpretation 1. The Basic Assumption 2. The Masked Heresy 3. The System of Expression 4. Shattering the Language III. Toward a New Language 1. Intention of the Word 2. The System of Protection 3. Acceptance 4. Communication 5. The Word Conclusion " This book is in very good condition with only very minor wear. The dust jacket has some edgewear. No torn or ripped pages. There is a church name and address stamp on the first blank page. No other markings or writing. |