Prophetic Fragments

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This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The crisis of religion in America, says Cornel West, is profound and pervasive: profound in that it deepens as Americans turn more desperately toward religion; pervasive in that it affects every form of religion in America, from Christianity to Buddhism, from reform Judaism to Islam. The rise of the religious right, the decline of liberal Christianity, and the challenge of liberation theology are all symptoms of this crisis.
In this book Cornel West explores the landscape of this crisis in essays, articles, reviews, and even fiction. The selections outline the contours of a "principled prophetism" — a prophetic religion that incorporates the best of modernity and secularity (tolerance, fallibilism, criticism), yet brings prophetic critique to bear upon the idols of modernity and secularity (science, technology, and wealth).
Touching on various aspects of Christian thought and action in our post-modern times, the essays in this book are informed by a revolutionary Christian vision that is so often absent from American religious life. They display the intellectual rigor that has made Cornel West a highly respected author and thinker — one who is not only a perceptive surveyor of contemporary Christian thought, but also a gifted shaper of that thought. Stanley Hauerwas "Only Cornel West could write a book that contains essays on Marvin Gaye and Hans Frei that serve equally to illumine our current theological and cultural contexts. This book is not only a constant challenge to received intellectual conventions, but, more importantly, it is fun to read"
James H. Cone "Cornel West is a brilliant social critic with a wide range of interests. Prophetic Fragments is an excellent illustration of his penetrating insight into the many social problems that we face today."
Harvey Cox "Cornel West is a man of stunning intellectual breadth who leads the reader with uncanny sure-footedness through nearly all the most pressing religious, philosophic, and political hotpoints of our time. Prophetic Fragments is the work of a restless, luminous intellect informed by a heartfelt compassion for society's losers, and inspired by the God whose spirit binds the Afro-American Christian Church into a source of compassionate protest in an icy technocratic era. Unlike most assemblages of occasional writings, this book has a consistency and coherence no one can miss." Cornel West is professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, and professor emeritus at Princeton University. A self-styled "intellectual freedom fighter," he has written several noted books, including Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.

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