Contents:
Review "Without hesitation I recommend Desperately Wicked. Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers.
Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Patrick Downey begins with Jeremiah's claim to lead his readers on a journey that lays bare the thoughts and intents of the heart. Various readings, political philosophy, Greek tragedy and the Bible serve to show what the heart wants, what it fears and why it lies. The author believes that "the desire to possess and the desire to be seen are what led us astray in the first place. To find our way back, we must pursue the desire to know, both ourselves and our true good. I realized this in just reading the book.
It's so far from that New Testament example of a young group of believers, who were "together and had all things in common.
Desperately Wicked: Philosophy, Christianity and the Human Heart [Patrick Downey] on bahana-line.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. What is the human. Philosophy, Christianity and the Human Heart of the prophet's words: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?'.
Though many of us want to be good, Downey writes, "Most of us mean that we want to have the feelings that go along with being good. Along with a Bible, it will make a fine companion for spiritual inventory. It is not, however, an easy read. Some passages, especially the more philosophical ones, I had to read several times to try and understand what was being said. Readings from various sources are set apart in block format and are designed to supplement the text. Downey could have done better in tying this material to the topic under discussion.
Most of the time it's up to the reader to discern the correlation. Academics and those schooled in philosophy will have an easier time digesting the material, but anyone willing to make the effort will at least find parts of this rewarding. One of those moments for me was when the author compares the "Romantic" Fall with the biblical Fall. The former is made to sound like the latter but is designed to replace it. The Fall of Romanticism looks back to a time when "we lived in a garden of delights as free, innocent and solitary animals, one with nature, and no self-consciousness.
As much as I value the arts and self-expression, I can see the subtle error of embracing these things as a universal panacea. They have their place, but the human heart needs much more than something that can only produce superficial change. The loftiest sentiments, the most honorable philosophies and the greatest refinements are no substitute for the bloody sacrifice required to truly change our hearts.
Can we be good? It's not possible on our own. Downey points to what we need for that to happen. Christ's resurrection is the answer to our need for change.
Our only hope in becoming good is being able to share in Christ's new life. The practical applications of this our covered in the last chapter, which examines how we can be good in relation to others. This includes an interesting look at politics and war. Though this book deals with the subtle nature of our depravity, it is not morbid or overly introspective.
Instead of leaving a feeling of heaviness, it can serve as a hopeful guide to exploring the meaning of Jeremiah's words.
A fantastic book that will challenge the way that you view philosophical and religious thought in the West. Thank Patrick Downey for writing such a well thought out book. Cannot recommend this book enough. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Philosophy, Christianity and the Human Heart. Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations.
Read more Read less. I'll show you how Beginning with Plato's ring of Gyges and incorporating threads as diverse as Plato and Aristotle's political philosophy, the Greek tragedies of Sophocles and Aeschylus, and the entire biblical narrative, Downey weaves an intricate tapestry exposing the intractable conflict between our desires to have, to be seen and to know, causing us to cry out with the apostle Paul, 'Wretched man that I am! After six chapters of exploring philosophical writings on sin, he concludes in chapters seven to nine by demonstrating the necessity of the coming of the Christ King. Preview — Desperately Wicked by Patrick Downey. He addresses the foundations of our existence as individuals in community; and offers practical implications for following Christ in a fallen world.
View or edit your browsing history. Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping.
Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally.
Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. What is the human heart like? Theologians and philosophers have attempted to address this question, not just in the abstract, but concretely in personal, as well as social and political, dimensions. Patrick Downey explores the biblical writings of Genesis and the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, the Greek tragedies, Plato, Aristotle, and political philosophers--such as Rousseau, H What is the human heart like?
Patrick Downey explores the biblical writings of Genesis and the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, the Greek tragedies, Plato, Aristotle, and political philosophers--such as Rousseau, Hobbes, Nietzsche and Rene Girard--to seek answers to this profound question. Recognizing our resistance to know the truth about our own hearts, Downey calls his readers to join with these thinkers in the search for truth and serious self-reflection.
Not for the faint of heart, this book courageously addresses the most foundational question of our existence as individuals in community. What is the nature of the human heart and can we, will we, know it? Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Desperately Wicked , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Feb 08, Paul Duggan rated it it was amazing. Need to digest this more.
Someone else read it with me and talk about it: Clay Jones rated it it was ok Apr 17, Sanjay Gupta rated it it was amazing Jan 22, Mar 16, Jeffrey Backlin rated it liked it Shelves: Pretty abstract but some good insights: Michael Peterson rated it really liked it Aug 25, Chriss rated it it was amazing May 11, Jonathan Biascan rated it it was amazing Aug 31, Tim rated it really liked it Jun 17, Becky rated it it was ok Aug 28, Adam Ross marked it as to-read Apr 02, Lisa is currently reading it Aug 03, William marked it as to-read Mar 20, David added it May 10, Christopher marked it as to-read Jul 23, Dave Sammath marked it as to-read Jan 09, Ian Packer added it Mar 12,