Tag: religion

America, Citizenship, Culture, Immigration

Strangers and Orphans

Gary Furr

The American religious experience has been shaped as much from behind as from before. What do I mean? I mean that we are a product of a powerful force born of people leaving some other place to come here. While they all left something looking for something else, their reasons for leaving and the circumstances they left were as diverse as their languages, religious backgrounds, and ethnic origins. According to Sydney Ahlstrohm, who was the pre-eminent American church historian of a generation ago, this was spurred by several factors. Some of this mass exodus was forced by untenable conditions elsewhere–like … Continue reading Strangers and Orphans

Story

A Reading List

Gary Furr

A friend asked me for some suggestions for a book club of friends who want to gather regularly and study some substantial issues together. Without disclosing that conversation, I simply share this list for anyone who wants it. I like reading lists of books others have read. I included some descriptions for most. See if anything invites you for a closer look. I have read these and they gave me important things to think about. Not all are recent. We are too accustomed to racing out to the latest latest thing. There is vastly more I could write about much … Continue reading A Reading List

Aging, Brain, Christianity, Culture, Economics, Ethics, Faith, Family, Family, Gospel music, Memory, Modern Life, Music, Oliver Sacks, Physiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Theology, Theology and Life4 Comments

The Songs Remember When Part II by Gary Furr

Gary Furr

…there are aspects of humanity that are not reducible to particles, chemicals and rational analysis. In my last post, I reflected on the interesting work of Oliver Sacks on memory.  A few further thoughts about the whole notion of science, faith, and humanity. Sacks has been criticized roundly for his “anecdotes” that don’t meet all the rigor of some scientific requirement, especially by the radical reductionists.  Some believe that  “there is no self or soul.  We are merely the product of our acculturated experiences and brain physiology and when it’s gone, so are we.” But there is something instinctive that … Continue reading The Songs Remember When Part II by Gary Furr