What is the Point of Being a Christian?

Cardinal-Elect Timothy Radcliffe

ISBN 10: 0860123693 / ISBN 13: 9780860123699

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2005

About this Item

A response of Timothy Radcliffe, a spiritual leader whose talks and broadcasts surprise. Shot through with humour, friendship and wisdom, the pages of this book outline a manner of living which is at once faithful to the teachings of Jesus and rooted in the tradition of the church simultaneously responsive to the turbulence of the modern world.

Seller Inventory # CIN0860123693G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: What is the Point of Being a Christian?
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0860123693
• ISBN 13: 9780860123699
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

WINNER OF THE MICHAEL RAMSEY PRIZE FOR THE BEST IN THEOLOGICAL WRITING

Winner of the Michael Ramsey prize for the best in theological writing. Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is in demand the world over with Bishops, priests, lay people and above all young people. This book is his response.

What is the Point of being a Christian? One is pointed to God, who is the point of everything. If one thinks of religion as just 'useful' then one has reduced it to another consumer product. But if we are pointed to God, then this should make a difference to how we live. This is not a moral superiority. Christians are usually no better than anyone else. But the lives of Christians should be marked by some form of hope, freedom, happiness and courage. If they are not then why should anyone believe a word they say?

In this book, Cardinal Radcliffe is at his best, writing with a prophetic edge. His argument for Christian belief is profoundly Catholic and profoundly human. But what is just as remarkable, Radcliffe's argument for and interpretation of Christian Gospel is couched in a deep understanding of human nature and the problems and anxieties of modern men and women.

Radcliffe is far distant from the theologian's ivory tower and yet his understanding of the Gospel is profoundly theological. The frame of reference for this book is wide, and it is based amongst other things on Fr Radcliffe's pastoral experience of dealing with people with problematic marriages, those struggling with celibacy, those trying to understand the nature of religious authority and those trying to remain loyal to the Church which finds their sexual orientation 'irregular'.

About the Author

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is a former Master of the Dominican Order. Educated at Oxford and Paris, he joined the Dominicans in 1965, and taught scripture at Blackfriars, Oxford, for many years. His bestselling books published by Bloomsbury include What is the Point of Being a Christian?, Why Go to Church? and I Call You Friends. He was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024.