The World's Best Book Summaries
Can you free yourself from suffering? How can embracing suffering help you free yourself from it? According to Buddhism, suffering is inherent to human existence. That’s why the first step toward eliminating suffering is, paradoxically enough, to accept it. There are four strategies to embrace suffering: 1) don’t take things personally, 2) stop feeling guilty, 3) contemplate your mortality, and 4) stop resisting change. Let’s explore each in more detail.
What does Buddhism say about suffering? Can you really be free from suffering? According to Buddhism, suffering is an inescapable fact of life. That’s why—paradoxically enough—freeing yourself from suffering requires that you first accept it as inherent to your existence. Let’s explore the Buddhist take on suffering as a part of life and why you shouldn’t fight it.
What is the cost of discipleship? What does it mean to follow Christ? In the classic The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer emphasizes that discipleship is a matter of personal, dynamic obedience to Christ, not to a program of rituals. However, he does draw a blueprint for the general lifestyle of a disciple, based on what Christ taught his original 12 disciples. Four key aspects of a disciple’s life that he discusses are humility, self-denial, suffering, and pacifism. Read more to learn about Bonhoeffer’s view of discipleship.
How is the virtue of humility part of the Christian life? What does it mean to keep your good deeds secret from yourself? Dietrich Bonhoeffer believes that humility is an indispensable part of being a disciple. That means that you do good for God’s sake, not yours. You realize that the credit for anything good belongs to God alone. Keep reading to learn about Bonhoeffer’s view on the virtue of humility.
Should Christians serve in government? What is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s view? According to Bonhoeffer, Christians should not hold a position with the government. He gives three reasons for this in his book The Cost of Discipleship. Some Christians (and perhaps even the Bible) do not support his position, and it seems that Bonhoeffer himself might have changed some of his views over time. Keep reading to learn more about Bonhoeffer’s perspective on Christians in government.
Why is The Cost of Discipleship so widely read? What is the book’s main argument? What does Bonhoeffer mean by the “cost of discipleship”? The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a classic of Christian thought. Bonhoeffer wrote the book as a challenge to Christians to take their faith more seriously and realize its true requirements. Here’s a brief overview of the key themes discussed in the book.
How do you practice Stoic acceptance? How does cultivating total acceptance of the things that are beyond your control help you move forward in life? Acceptance is one of the key tenets of Stoic philosophy. Once you’ve learned to face life with stoic acceptance and peacefully accept whatever is beyond your control, you can channel all your energy into achieving your goals—instead of ruminating about your powerlessness. Keep reading to learn about the art of Stoic acceptance and how to put it into practice.
What is cheap grace? How does it put you at risk? According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, cheap grace isn’t true grace (or salvation) at all. It’s dangerous because the illusion of cheap grace can lull you into a false sense of security, causing you to be sure of your salvation when it isn’t sure at all. Read more to learn about cheap grace.
What is the relationship between faith and obedience? Can you have one without the other? Dietrich Bonhoeffer argues that faith and obedience are completely bound together. Each one feeds the other, and they can’t be separated. However, this theological view isn’t shared by all Christian belief systems. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between faith and obedience.
What is the thinking self? Do you agree with Descartes’ philosophical notion that “I think, therefore I am?” We have two minds or “selves” that affect our response to events: the thinking self and the observing self. The thinking self provides a running (judgmental) commentary on events, while the observing self neutrally observes this running commentary. In this article, we’ll define the thinking self and the observing self and explore the relationship between the two minds.