Book Review: “Light from Light” (Nicene Creed)

I have blogged elsewhere about two books I have previously read about the Christian – Catholic – creeds (check out that previous blog post here).

Now, my Master’s in Theology program has us reading Bishop Robert Barron’s Light from Light book that does a deep into the Nicene Creed.

For anyone not familiar with the Nicene Creed, it was formulated by a body of bishops in the year 325 at the Council of Nicea in what is now Turkey (“I believe in one God, the Father almighty….light from light, true God from true God…..”).

While I have already read other books on the Nicene Creed and the Apostle’s Creed (the two creeds are quite similar in content), I still find it insight to periodically read another book on the subject when the book is well written. Knowledgeable and capable writers can each bring their own collection of insights to the topic – offering useful reading at varying stages in our lives.

I am currently mid-way through chapter one of Robert Barron’s Light from Light. I have already found items to highlight – points that I find insightful at my current stage in life. For example, Robert Barron states on page 22 “authentic faith or belief has not a thing to do with naive credulity or accepting claims on the basis of no evidence. Faith, in a word, is never below reason, never infra-rational. The Church has absolutely no interest in encouraging superstition or intellectual irresponsibility.”….”Newman insisted on the intellectual integrity of faith.”

I encourage anyone who wants to practically understand Christianity’s core beliefs to read any of these books on Christianity’s creeds. It’s easy enough to think we are familiar with Christianity (in varying degrees, most people have some-to-more-than-some knowledge about Christianity). Barron’s Light from Light and the other “deep dive into the creed” books I reviewed (above) get into the nitty-gritty in ways that increase one’s understanding in useful ways.

Bibliophile and would-be-antiquarian Kim Burkhardt reviews books at The Books of the Ages and at The Hermitage Within. If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them (thank you!). FYI, you can $$ support this blog by clicking here here to do your Amazon shopping (if you click here before you start your Amazon shopping, Amazon pays us a commission when you shop via the link provided – thank you).

You are the Beloved: book review and reflections

Somehow, it took me until 2019 to discover the writer and priest Henri Nouwen. In 2019, our pastor at my church had us read one of Henri Nouwen’s books (With Burning Hearts). I was immediately drawn into Nouwen’s way of making a reader feel presently closer to the reality of Christ. I have since read several of Nouwen’s books and brought With Burning Hearts to my prayer group; the book was well received and led to fruitful discussions.

This book, You are the Beloved, is written as 365 daily meditations to walk a reader through a year. Gulp – I read all the meditations in several weeks. The reflections bring us closer toward “Love God, love your neighbor.” God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. Rather than a one-way phone call in which either God or us is phoning the other (and us feeling like it is a dropped call), God wants a two way relationship in which that relationship is felt, experienced and deepened by both us and God – leading us to also love our neighbor. This reflections in this book cultivate our ability to pick up the phone and engage in such a two-way loving communication with God – and then also with our neighbor.

Kim Burkhardt blogs at The Books of the Ages and A Parish Catechist.