A Talent for Living
Reflecting on Faith and its Fruits
by Martin Kitchen
Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher:SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge)
Published:21 November 2003
ISBN:0-281-05622-6
GoodBookStall Review:
The questions at the ends of chapters in A Talent for Living are for self-examination rather than group discussion, so it would be best used for individual reading.. It is based on the parable of the talents, and the author invites us to ask ourselves the fundamental question, ‘What shall we do with what we have been given?’ Lent, he suggests, is a good time to ask that question. Six talents are discussed in the book; each gets to the heart of what it is to be a Christian disciple. They must be used in the service not only of the Church but of the human race, and the issues involved go to the heart of what it is to be human. This is a challenging book, appropriate to the season.
Reviewer: Cleodie Mckinnon (28/12/03)
The questions at the ends of chapters in A Talent for Living are for self-examination rather than group discussion, so it would be best used for individual reading.. It is based on the parable of the talents, and the author invites us to ask ourselves the fundamental question, ‘What shall we do with what we have been given?’ Lent, he suggests, is a good time to ask that question. Six talents are discussed in the book; each gets to the heart of what it is to be a Christian disciple. They must be used in the service not only of the Church but of the human race, and the issues involved go to the heart of what it is to be human. This is a challenging book, appropriate to the season.
Reviewer: Cleodie Mckinnon (28/12/03)
| Reader review: - RC Comprising seven short chapters (not including the introduction), A Talent for Living is ideal for reading on the way into work or during the lunch hour and for groups wanting a change to their usual study material. Unfortunately, that's where the benefits of this book end! As the title suggests, the book offers a reflection on the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). This is a parable that I, for one, have always struggled with: What are my God-given talents? Do I use them for Christian service? Can I use them for Christian service? What is this parable teaching about engaging in Christian mission? Martin Kitchen's approach however to unravelling the parable is very much on the theological, even philosophical, angle with the recurring theme of 'dust' theology and what it means to be human today being discussed alongside the validity of the creation story and interpreting the Bible in our own way. Kitchen's narrative is often erractic, straying off subject and this, coupled with the rather ambiguous questions at the end of each chapter, make A Talent for Living overall a disappointing publication. |
