Christian de Cherge: A Theology of Hope (Volume 247)

by Christian Salenson, Nada Conic (Translator)

Christian de Chergé, prior of the Cistercian community at Tibhirine, Algeria, was assassinated with six of his fellow monks in 1996. De Chergé saw his monastic vocation as a call to be a person of prayer among persons who pray, that is, among the Muslim friends and neighbors with whom he and his brothers shared daily life. De Chergé's writings bear witness to an original thinker who insists on the value of interreligious dialogue for a more intelligent grasp of one's own faith. Christian Salenson shows us the personal, ecclesial, and theological foundations of de Chergé's vocation and the originality of his life and thought. He shows how the experience of a small monastery lost in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria contributes importantly to today's theological debates.

Genres: Theology

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[John Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It provides a way of living with the mystery of God as the means of loving one another. It does not erase confessional differences but it invites the reader to understand the desire for God that underlies all religious hope. Remarkable
book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an age of cruel divisions and aggression into the lives of prayer that are not one's own, this book points to a commonality of hope that is only hope when rooted in profound reverence for the other. It is worth reading, considering, bringing to prayer, but above all living and sharing.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Christian de Charge did not write a book about his theology of hope. Instead, he wrote it in his life, with his brother monks and his brother Muslims."

As with all of us, his experiences--- time place, people, the things that happen to elicit our personal responses---shaped his choices, and led him to the final choice that required his death.

De Cherge's spiritual path is hope-ful because it reflects a way forward only now emerging among religions that will lead into the future. His is an eye-opening 21st century theology that speaks to today.

[Virginia Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has really opened my eyes to what it means to be Christian. I struggled with the seeming polarity of my faith; why would a God of love exclude anyone with the mandate, “be ‘Christian’ or die?” This book answers that question exquisitely.