2 out of 4 stars
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What does Christianity really mean? Who is Jesus Christ? What was His mission on earth? What is the New Civilization and why do we need it? How should a believer live then in the wake of the New Civilization? You have to read Dimensions of a New Civilization to find answers to these questions and many more.
‘Christianity requires more than mere social grouping.’ This is one of the remarkable statements in the book that struck me, and I had to pose for a while as the impact of the statement was profound. In Dimensions of a New Civilization, Andrew Masuku elaborates on the concept of New Civilization. The book presents two philosophical ideas- self-centeredness and altruism. This is a nonfiction book that can be placed in the religious category. It is made up of approximately 203 pages and contains eighteen chapters.
Genuine love is the key thing needed in our world today. This calls for altruism that will help to improve human relations across the globe. One thing that the author does in the book is to explain why altruism and not self-centeredness is needed. He does this while pointing to other major factors that lead to confusion and error. His desire is for all people everywhere to focus on adding value to others regardless of their backgrounds. He uses Jesus as the perfect example of a selfless person. Other issues like poverty and wealth are handled from an altruistic perspective as well.
Some things that I liked most in the book included the use of scriptures as well as real-life facts. The author did not just explain what he had in mind but also backed them up with adequate scripture quotations from the Bible. In an era where information can be twisted to fit one’s idea, I believe this was very important. The use of real-life facts also helped to reinforce the author’s opinion. An example was given where a government decided to print excess money. What resulted was not economic growth as anticipated but hyperinflation. The author also handled issues facing almost every facet of life.
The author appreciates that no one holds monopoly over wisdom and knowledge. This is absolutely true. I would not have wanted to give away any spoilers, but there are some statements in the book that I disagree with. One is the question of whether Adam was the first human to be created or not. The author also states the poor widow in Luke chapter 21 gave to appreciate Jesus’ professionalism. These statements do not occupy a major portion of the book, but their effect cannot be underestimated.
The language employed in the book is simple. There were a few grammatical errors though that included the wrong use of question marks. Based on the questionable statements above and the grammatical errors, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I conscientiously recommend it to fans of spiritual books. It will appeal most to Christians although anyone willing to read with an open mind will enjoy it as well.
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Dimensions of a New Civilization
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