I like to read and read a lot of different books. Today I was given a book to read titled, "The Gospel According to Relativity", by James W. Geiger and I haven't been able to put it down. From the desciption:"Many people have traded the wisdom of the ages for the uncertainty of postmodernism. The Gospel According to Relativity ventures into uncharted territory with a revolutionary “model of understanding” that bridges the gap between the traditional view and modern/postmodern skepticism. The model has three components: A moving frame of reference acknowledges the chaos of the present age; a nondiscriminatory duality that is both neutral and inclusive (male/female, black/white, etc.) provides linguistic order for public discourse; and constant value is superimposed on all creation much the way the constant speed of light in E=mc2 is superimposed on the theory of relativity. Part I applies the model to Christianity, and Part II replicates the same model for secularism and other world religions.
The result is an innovative approach that discredits the inflexible absolutism of the past and the uncommitted relativism of the present, and reaffirms the existence of a general theory of value."
While I'm a self confessed "Right Wing" evangelical, I've often wondered about how the current political landscape and indeed humanity could come a little "closer", yet not sacrifice the absolutes of God, morality, etc.
Frankly, I do have brothers and sisters in Christ who are from the other side politically. While I have my views and they have theirs we get along just fine. Yet while I have my views and I hope I am consistant in them, I do try to see the other side when it is coherant and logical, and presented without venon. I hope this book will help to increase the dialog.
This book is fitting that bill nicely. It's "heady" and it will make you think, but that never hurt anyone. By the way of disclosure, James is the father of my pastor, Steven, a fine a man as you will ever meet. But again, a good book deserves a good plug.
You can get a copy off Amazon. Here's what a reviewer had to say:
"The Gospel According to Relativity introduces a promising new method for philosophy and theology to handle the pressures of diverse cultural contexts. Rather than relying on one overarching system or ideology, Geiger opts for a "moving frame of reference," arguing that attempts to contextualize the world in one fixed metanarrative should be discarded for a more flexible and open worldview. Given the fact of disparate worldviews, Geiger then introduces a model called "uniformity/nonuniformity" where people and peoples can learn to understand each others' culture and beliefs with complete neutrality, prior to judging each other for better or worse. But this neutrality does not end in completely relative values. Relying on the physical constancy of light as his prime metaphor, Geiger demonstrates how philosophy and theology much be anchored by a transcendent constant, thus preserving objective truth. For theology, that constant is Christ; for society it is love in individual relationships and justice for social ethics. The book is far from an exhaustive presentation of its implications and applications, but it offers a refreshing start to a philosophy that may succeed in negotiating the terrain of pluralism better than the rigid metaphysical systems of the past."
Again, good stuff.
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