Comments on: Giving: the Beauty of Christian Hospitality

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:35:34 +0000

@Alan - I've been reading a book that might interest you, Alan. You've probably heard of it. It's Leithart's Deep Comedy. It's much shorter than Hart's book and, while it's certainly not light reading, it's notably more accessible. It's not precisely about the same thing as The Beauty..., but it draws heavily from it, and discusses many similar themes. Plus, with your literary education it might touch on some topics that would intrigue you.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:47:49 +0000

Well, Yes. I did read the whole book. I actually read it in preparation for attending a theological conference on the analogy of being. Even though I found the book to be a fascinating and excellent read, even with a theological and philosophical background, I found it as well to be a very challenging read. I don't even feel qualified to comment critically on it since I feel I was only grasping at comprehending the main point of the book. It's on my "to re-read" list. This is not to say that I didn't understand any of it, but it was the first time I had ever read seriously about the question of being and God. I described my impression of Hart to someone who understands him much deeper than I do, and he seemed to like the description: a philosophically erudite version of James Jordan and John Piper. I'm not sure what you know of Jordan, but there is a since in which, if you've read Piper's Desiring God, then you've gotten a sliver of what Hart's after. As for Reformed treatments of the book, I'm not aware of any. If you'd like some criticism, though, you might find the following comments from Halden, of Inhabitatio Dei, helpful: link, link. Scotts last blog post..34.2 Miles

By: Sam Van Eman

Sam Van Eman — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:35:47 +0000

Thanks for the reflections, Alan. Amazing how right hospitality is. I'm a big fan of Henri Nouwen and have enjoyed his material on the movement from Hostility to Hospitality in the book, Reaching Out. Possibly of note, I'm hosting a conversation on The Gift by Lewis Hyde at HighCallingBlogs.com. The book is sort of a treatise on gifts - what they are, how they move, how they increase, etc. Here's a post related to your content here: Don't be a keeper.

By: Alan Noble

Alan Noble — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:53:27 +0000

@Scott,
Yep, that’s the one. I was thinking of a later passage where Hart talks about the Gift. Did you read the whole book? If so, what did you think of it? I’m most of the way through, and thus far I’m not able to follow a lot of his argument, I don’t seem to have the theological/philosophical background.

I’ve heard that some Reformed theologians have critiqued the book, but haven’t been able to find anything. What are your thoughts?

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:25:39 +0000
Er. I mean: this. Scotts last blog post..MJ/WH Intertextuality

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:24:58 +0000
@Alan - You mean this? Scotts last blog post..MJ/WH Intertextuality

By: Dianna

Dianna — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:39:41 +0000

Thanks for this, Alan. I think sometimes it’s hard to remember to have this sort of Christian love and service around those you know the best – especially if you’re family. It’s relatively easy to be kind to a stranger, but harder, I think, to be kind and serving to someone you know well. This is something that’s been a problem for me for years – it’s much easier to say “do it yourself” to family than it is to a stranger. I know that’s not entirely what you were getting at here, but I think it’s part of the point.

And I think you and I, as teachers, have a unique role in serving others that I can’t wait to explore. We’re the leaders of the classroom, but we’re also there to serve, which means, in this circumstance, taking the time to listen and understand what the students are getting at.

Thanks for posting this. It made me think.

Diannas last blog post..Okay, so now what?

By: Brittany

Brittany — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:18:14 +0000

Amen!

By: Alan Noble

Alan Noble — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:08:07 +0000

If anyone is interested, I owe part of the inspiration for this post (especially the idea that disinterested love is not Christian) to David Bentley Hart’s book, The Beauty Of The Infinite: The Aesthetics Of Christian Truth, which is a monster of a book.