Beginning ~ with the apocalypse, which has already arrived

The Idolatry of God : Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction ~ by Peter Rollins, 2012

The Apocalypse Isn't Coming, It Has Already Arrived

This is the title of the introduction, which is better than the first line of the introduction:  "In popular religious literature, we find a deep fascination with the apocalypse."  Or the first line of the first chapter:  "Whether we look at our own personal history of reflect upon the history of civilization, it is difficult to avoid the sense that we feel a lack in the very depths of our being, a lack that we try to cover over with any number of religious, political, and cultural remedies."  This is on the back cover:

In contrast to the usual understanding of the “Good News” as a message offering satisfaction and certainty, Rollins argues for a radical and shattering alternative. He explores how the Good News actually involves embracing the idea that we can’t be whole, that life is difficult, and that we are in the dark. Showing how God has traditionally been approached as a product that will render us complete, remove our suffering, and reveal the answers, he introduces an incendiary approach to faith that invites us to joyfully embrace our brokenness, resolutely face our unknowing, and courageously accept the difficulties of existence. Only then, he argues, can we truly rob death of its sting and enter into the fullness of life.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.