A New Book Focused on a Re-thinking about Humanity, God and Christ for Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century
A Challenge to the traditional and more modern views of humanity, our purpose, capacities and accountabilities.
Maplewood, NJ (PRWEB) November 5, 2009 -- A new non-fictional book entitled "The Will to Love" by Mark Ambrose is released as a Spiritual, Philosophical and Theological reflection on the view of humanity in this the twenty-first century. It is, Ambrose states,"A re-thinking of what many moderns have comes to accept as what they are, what they are capable of and their role in the evolution of our species and the world as a whole. It is as much a book written for our children as it is for those of us capable of reading and reflecting on its message in the hope that as a result of reading this we may set up a better tomorrow for our posterity."
Many of the notions concerning humans and as Christians have resulted from a very powerful theory proposed by Augustine of Hippo. Augustine theologized about creation and used the story of Adam and Eve as the point of departure for his understanding of the world, of humanity and ultimately of the Incarnation and salvation history. This view placed an unbridgeable gulf between humanity and divinity. It gave birth to the notion of Original Sin and the view that mankind enters this life already broken and crippled.
This view has been the foundation of a Christianity that truly misses the grandeur of man's creation. It promotes a concept of redemption that positions God as once again having to fix His penultimate creature through the death of His Son. Certainly, Augustine had the right to theologize, but it is the contention of this book that his conclusions were misguided. This book offers another view of the Adam and Eve Creation Myth that does not denigrate humanity and in no way diminishes the wonder and awe of the Creator.
In addition, this book views the Incarnation as something more than the last ditch effort to remove some original stain on humanity's' souls. It postulates the Incarnation as a radically different and new call from God to humanity to redeem a world gone astray through choices and actions which have increased alienation from self and God. This book postulates a humanity created to be the images of God, not as a given, but as a choice of the unique gift of the will, which God bestowed on humanity in the Garden of Paradise. For this concept of humanity, in relation to God, sees the myth of Adam and Eve as the final process in the complete act of creation of humanity itself. The knowledge of good and evil that humans acquire through the eating of the forbidden fruit is what gives them their wills and their freedom and thus their vocation to love God with all their hearts and souls.
Unfortunately, not only St. Augustine, but also many other great thinkers since then, such as Nietzsche have reinforced a notion of humanity that is equally distorted. For the proper object of the human will is not to gain power over, but to love through self offering. Even more, the modern view of science that pervades western culture presupposes that all questions can be answered in time. It postulates a mechanical view of humanity that laughs at freedom as a quaint idea and postulates genes as the programs that drive the most intimate realities of human nature. Many children grow up not really ever grasping their real nature and their real power. They are often happy to blame their parents, their genes, their whatever. The radical natures of humanity as free and as responsible and accountable for each of the unique selves that make up this world are being watered down to the ultimate demise of all creation.
This is a book that proposes that men and women re-acquire themselves and their role in salvation.
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