The Development of the Human Civilization - Book Report/Review Example

Book Critique Department Book Critique It would not be a mistake to suggest that religion has always played an important role in the development of the human civilization. Indeed, different forms of religion can be traced almost up to the very dawn of society. However, it must be noted that the concept of religion also developed with time. Thus, if primitive ones practically represented the mythological interpretation of the world, those which emerged later in history dealt with far more complex as well as abstract concepts and finally were able to spread around the world. What is more important is that it may be particularly useful to conduct a detail examination of religious concepts since they provide a valuable insight into human nature. This paper will carry out an analysis and critique of A. W. Tozers And He Dwelt Among Us, highlighting its main ideas as well as critically examining them. To begin with, it may be important to dwell on some important ideas that were articulated in the book in question. First of all, Tozer puts a considerable amount of attention on one particular verse from the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The author sees it as one of the most important words that have even been written. In other words, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that he sees the essence of Christianity in it1. Indeed, the above mentioned piece of text contains all the crucial elements of this spiritual tradition: the notion of Trinity (God, Son, the Holy Spirit is implied); love as the major driving force in the relationship between people and God; the significance of sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the promise of salvation. This means that if one wanted to produce a concise overview of Christianity, one would probably quote this particular verse. So, the author puts a great emphasis on it. The next significant idea that is analyzed by Tozer is the duality of role of Christ. Indeed, some people suggest that He is simply the Savior, presenting is the Path one can walk and achieve salvation. However, it is clear that Jesus will also be the judge2. In other words, people of the world should never forget that at a particular point they are likely to see Him not only as their Savior, but the One Who will ask them about every wrong deed. That is why the morality of the people should not be grounded on responsibility before the society, but also responsibility before God. A considerable part of the book is devoted to showing the connection between the Old and the New Testament3. The figure of Jesus in this case is seen as the key one. Indeed, Tozer suggests that He is not an ordinary person Who all of a sudden proclaimed Himself the Son of God, but the true Messiah. As a result, the prophesy which the Old Testament contains was fulfilled. In other words, the two parts of the Bible should not be see as separate sets of texts, but regarded as interconnected stories, each of which proves the other one. The author also explores a rather interesting aspect of the figure of Jesus Christ, namely His individualism. Indeed, the traces of it can be seen in multiple dimensions. On the one hand, Christ acts as the major driving force of the new age, setting an example of how one is able to break the conventional rules of morality, but achieve an even greater morality. On the other hand, the theme of individual value is essential in the Gospels. For example, Christ summons the disciples for their personal traits, including Judah knowing that he will betray Him in the future4. The latter theme is the one that is also examined rather closely in the book. The author points out that over several thousand years, nothing really changed in the world: the majority of the people are not able to fully embrace Christ in their hearts and walk the path of salvation5. He points out that when Jesus lived, people faced similar challenges and those are blessed who were able to get rid of any doubts and see the light of Truth. In other words, despite the strong position of Christianity in the modern world, the latter is still cautious about the former and is not willing to fully incorporate it. As a result, not all the people nowadays, just like the ancient Jews, do not call Christ their Savior. There is another interesting point that is brought up by the author. While discussing various peculiarities of Christianity as well as the implications that it has for the social environment, Tozer concludes that the society can hardly develop beyond the moral ideal that is created by the religion6. There is no doubt that in his view, Christianity is the religion that has the highest moral standards. That is why if a society wants to structure its life in a way that would be beneficial to all its citizens, the former should adopt Christian religion. This shows the exceptional role of Jesus Christ as well as the mission that he had in ancient Jewish community, making it the first one to experience the arrival of the new era. However, one should also note that there is a fair amount of criticism that is expressed when it comes to analyzing the legacy of Tozer and this book in particular. Thus, according to the author, when Jesus walked on this Earth He lost the accoutrements of deity7. This is a rather controversial point of view as there were many miracles that He made which are mentioned in the Bible. One might suggest that the position that is taken by the author in question may not fully reflect the teaching of the Church or he should make some reservations that would make it clear what he means by the loss of accoutrements. Indeed, the majority of the book and the Gospel of John is focused on the role of divine element in Jesus. Another point of criticism which should be taken into account is the excessive use of the Old Testament by the author. In spite of the fact that some references that he makes may be suitable as well as quite helpful. It is clear that there are situations when the parts of the Old Testament are misinterpreted to offer an additional connection to the New Testament. In the course of the book, the author is able to show the succession, but sometimes, the examples that he uses can not fully reflect the reality. For example, one passage from Song of Songs is presented as the prototype of a prayer that is directed to the Holy Spirit8. Nevertheless, if one takes into the account the entire chapter, one will be see that such connection is fallacious. Having examined all the points which were brought up in the paragraphs above, one might make the following conclusion: the book that is titled And He Dwelt Among Us: Teachings from the Gospel of John by A. W. Tozers is a wonderful piece of literature that highlights some of the most important issues in Christianity. It suggests that Jesus Christ should not be seen as the Savior only, but also the judge, urging people to prepare to be responsible for their actions before the society as well as Him. However, the book also contains certain controversial points. References Tozer, A. W. And He Dwelt Among Us: Teachings from the Gospel of John. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2009. Read More