Skip to main content

The Searchers





The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt by Joseph Loconte

Drawing on everything from Rembrandt to Thomas Becket, historian Joseph Loconte retells the Emmaus road story with wit, wisdom and insight.  As Loconte focuses in on the elements of the story in Luke 24 he writes, “What follows is a layman’s reflection on the meaning of that exchange, a story of hope, despondency, and faith.  It is a story latent with insight for the believer, as well as the honest skeptic” (xxiv).  Yet, what I thought was most insightful at the beginning of The Searchers is the way Loconte describes the unsettling nature of the story, the way in which the men walking down the road were shaken to the core by the events they had just been a part of. 

In the startling passage where Jesus comes up to the men and walks by them, we find a very interesting phrase that Luke records, saying “but they were kept from recognizing him.”  Loconte makes a unique point here by writing, “Perhaps we can learn something about the character of God from this encounter, something about his methods with ordinary people like us.  He will not coerce us. He does not normally overwhelm our senses” (20).  Luther’s famous phrase ‘deus absconditus,’ the hidden God is an appropriate application of this biblical setting on the road to Emmaus.  God is knowable, but  often he conceals himself for the purpose of disclosing his purposes later.  The people on the road to Emmaus were not ready for God to reveal himself but were concerned with other things (22).  What was remarkable about this chapter was the way Loconte combines cinematic representations, art and the visions in the Bible to show forth the mystery of God’s presence in specific scenes of life.

In the chapter on The Poison of Religion Loconte is careful to draw out the arguments from Hitchens and others about the poison that religion brings with it.  Yet, Loconte is quick to point out that “people of faith also have been great liberators from the forces of tyranny and oppression” (65).  Citing Bonhoeffer, Wilberforce and others, Loconte bears witness that the leaders of the day often persecute those who most virulently live out the Christian faith, and consequently, bringing great pain upon themselves.  At the end of the chapter Loconte comments on the passage that indicates Jesus as a prophet, one who sentenced to death by the rulers by writing, “How could their spiritual teachers believe they were doing the will of God?  It was like condemning goodness itself.  Only false religion, poisoned religion, could behave this way” (71).  The way of the cross for Jesus was the reverse stature of what many thought a great leader should exhibit. 

This book was a great look into the road to Emmaus, with many examples drawn from history, art and theology that bring a greater clarity to this powerful biblical passage in Luke 24.  I hope readers find great encouragement as they read through The Searchers.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and the Book Sneeze program for the review copy in exchange for review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends.   Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.   Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks.   The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).”  Love is a two-way street that inv

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover?   This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover.   However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover.   Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20).   This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today.   The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to