Jul
2
Written by:
host
7/2/2009 7:00 AM
Suppose you were to sit down and write a lengthy summary of all that you have learned about the Bible, church history, the historical Jesus, and other topics of faith that interest you, but without using any footnotes or citations. Perhaps you would organize your material chronologically, creating chapters for the beliefs you held or developed at times in your life. Or, perhaps you would take a more systematic approach, starting with your understanding of scripture or your theology of God and using that as the jumping off point for all other topics. Whatever approach you would take, it's an interesting intellectual exercise to consider, and an even better one to carry out some day.
Dr. Carl Krieg is one individual who took the time to do this exercise, and the result is the book The Void and the Vision: A Thought-provoking Interpretation of the Gospel of Jesus that Challenges Traditional Belief. Dr. Krieg has taught religious studies at Thiel College, served as a pastor in both the Lutheran Church in America and in the United Church of Christ, and has another book published by Fortress Press. He approached this exercise by putting together a list of commonly asked questions, such as, "Why didn’t everyone who met Jesus believe in him?" and "Do we need one another, or can we go it alone?" Then, he set about answering these questions in a way that is clear and concise yet honest, gentle, personal, and borne out of the fruit of years of scholarly study and reflection.
The end result is a terrific summary of what it means to be a progressive Christian and what the life and teachings of Jesus mean for us today. What sets Krieg's book apart from the many other summaries of the Christian faith is that it feels rather like sitting down with an old friend and mentor for a long chat. Krieg doesn't waste time detailing all of the reasons he believes what he does or describing the scholarship behind the answers to the questions he addresses. For some readers, this may be disconcerting, and someone new to progressive understandings of the Christian faith could be taken aback by some of the ideas in the book. But the book is intended to be a collection of honest answers about what one scholar and pastor believes and understands to be true, and many other books do go into greater detail for those who become interested in further study.
It is difficult to sum up any book in a few words or to give you the sense of the whole from a few passages (though I have chosen 3 favorites, which are below.) I'll say this: I loved this book so much that I immediately contacted Dr. Krieg (who self-published this book and sells it from his home) to see if we could offer it through our website and create an ebook version of it as well. (More details on this are below.) It's a wonderful book for personal or class use, and I think you'll love it too!
~ Tim Gossett
Quotes from The Void and the Vision
"...The meaning of the resurrection of Jesus is not that the tomb is empty, nor that a dead body came back to life. The meaning of the resurrection is that the triumph of evil on Good Friday was only an apparent victory and that the void is in fact overcome."
"...Jesus did not rest content with creating a series of one-on-one relationships with his disciples. He also helped them create bonds of love with one another. As a result, when he died the community did not disintegrate. Perhaps the central tenet of Jesus’ teaching is that the Kingdom of God is in our midst. The koinonia family of friends created by Jesus was a microcosm of that very kingdom, a “little place” wherein mutual caring and sharing made manifest the love that ultimately guides the universe."
"...The new ethic recognizes that we think and act in the context of God’s loving presence, that there is an intrinsic link between human fulfillment and God’s role in history. In consequence of this link, the new life is no longer confined to thinking and behaving within categories supplied by a sick socio-religio-moral system. One consequence of this new perspective is that we must no longer think and behave as though life were full of dilemma. Because God is working with us to bring about human fulfillment, we are God’s partner. As God’s partner, whatever we do in faith and love and hope can be used by God to further goodness in the world."
Purchase or Preview The Void and the Vision
Different Voice sells both the print and ebook versions of Dr. Carl Krieg's book from the Different Voice store. Click to download and read a free preview chapter or click here to go to the store.
Printed copies (paperback) are $10 (including shipping). The ebook (PDF format), which has enhanced formatting, is fully searchable, and can be downloaded immediately will be just $5. Quantity discounts are available (you can get it for as low as $2 each!)
Bonus! Purchase either version of the book before the end of 2009, and we'll give you a free group study guide for the book (a $7 value!) when it is finished (early 2010)!
1 comment(s) so far...
Re: Review of <i>The Void and the Vision</i> by Dr. Carl Krieg
I appreciated this review of Dr. Krieg's book. It sounds interesting. I can remember going through a similar exercise while in college, trying to construct my own "systematic theology." It was only a few pages, but it was both challenging and affirming of what I believed at the time, so I second your recommendation to try it for oneself at some point (or, better still, several!).
I did stumble over this quote: "...The meaning of the resurrection of Jesus is not that the tomb is empty, nor that a dead body came back to life. The meaning of the resurrection is that the triumph of evil on Good Friday was only an apparent victory and that the void is in fact overcome."
My impression of progressive Christianity is that the Resurrection is a major stumbling block. I wish this weren't so. I *agree* that the Resurrection means much more than an empty tomb -- but I do insist that, if the tomb weren't empty, then all that "much more" is gone. I would also take issue with the phrase "apparent victory." It strikes me as docetic. My understanding is that evil's victory on Good Friday was real -- but only temporary. Or "provisional." Or whatever term one wants to use, the point being that Satan/evil/sin won that battle, but God, in the Resurrection of Jesus, won the war. I am struck by the verse in 2 Corinthians that "God made him who knew no sin to be sin for our sake" -- not "appear to be sin."
Perhaps it doesn't burnish whatever "progressive cred" I may or may not have , but the regular diminishment (as I see it) or outright denial of an actual, physical Resurrection (*not* recussitation -- I do understand the distinction) really, really bothers me. The Resurrection, it seems to me, must be the one "non-negotiable" miracle in Christianity if our faith is to be anything but wishful thinking.
By Mike Poteet on
3/18/2010 7:40 AM
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