“With eighty men I could ride through the entire Sioux nation.†The story of the Fetterman Fight; near Fort Phil Kearney in present-day Wyoming in 1866; is based entirely on this infamous declaration attributed to Capt. William J. Fetterman. Historical accounts cite this statement in support of the premise that bravado and contempt for the fort’s commander; Col. Henry B. Carrington; compelled Fetterman to disobey direct orders from Carrington and lead his men into an ambush by an alliance of Plains Indians.
#434808 in Books Stanley Hauerwas 2013-11-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .68 x 6.00l; .81 #File Name: 0802869599272 pagesApproaching the End
Review
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Classic Hauerwas; with a twistBy Clint SchneklothMany aspects of this book will be familiar to readers of Hauerwas. The ordering of the chapters is arbitrary; because Hauerwas first wrote them as essays; and then assembled them into book form. But arbitrary ordering does not signify a lack of systematic purpose. The essays are inter-related. Hauerwas makes interesting assertions in one that may be fleshed out in another.This is an example of why Hauerwas is so interesting and rich. Hauerwas is often fully comprehensible and elusive at the same time.Second; this book is developing an ecclesiology that Hauerwas has been at work on for some time; and it in some ways is a companion volume to an earlier book; The State of the University; except here he is working out the state (end) of the church.The basic thesis of the book: Hauerwas is working out the significance of eschatology for understanding how Christians are to negotiate the world. The eschatological ecclesiology of Hauerwas is that the church doesn't have a social ethic; but IS a social ethic.The strength of this approach is that Hauerwas can work out all kinds of novel and interesting ways of thinking about and presenting the church that might not occur to more traditional thinkers or ecclesiologists. Because he stands outside of the tradition that thinks intentionally about ecclesiology; he offers unique perspective (this is also true; for example; of his commentary in the Brazos commentary series on Matthew; where is work as an ethicist helps him interpret Matthew differently).On the other hand; in practice it means Hauerwas always stands outside of (and to a certain degree never lands) with any concrete proposal for an eschatological ecclesiology. This has been witnessed in his own life; where (if I have read his memoir correctly) he has traveled over time from one communion to another; not always fully seeing himself situated in any particular tradition.Hauerwas engages a range of contemporary authors in this book that are worth our attention. His "The End of Sacrifice" is a response to Peter Leithart's book on Constantine. His "Bearing Reality" considers J.M. Coetzee's important novel; Elizabeth Costello. As always; other formative theological influences play as well; especially Yoder; and Barth; and Wendell Berry.Interestingly; to a certain degree; although the book is about the "end" of the church; it is just so more about our own end. Hauerwas is retiring; and increasingly he has been reflecting on death and how Christians learn to die. He believes that Christianity is training in being human (makes me wonder to what degree he reads Grundtvig); and so life in the church is the place for engaging those practices and that training.If you have never read Hauerwas; this would be a wonderful place to start. If you are a long-time reader of Hauerwas; you will find things in here to surprise you; clarify your understanding of Hauerwas; and thrill your soul. You will also find plenty to argue with. And that's a good thing.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. It's great; but it is not what I expectedBy TrevI really liked this book simply because Hauerwas' work resonates with me in so many profound ways. That being said; while this book has some awesome insights in it; it was not what I was looking for. The topics that Hauerwas covers in this book have a basis in eschatology; but there was not a section in it that discussed Hauerwas' thoughts on the general content of the theological discipline. If you love Hauerwas then this is a great book to own; however; keep in mind that it does not have an adequate presentation; narrative or otherwise; that establishes a groundwork for eschatology. It seemed like he took for granted that the reader would know what the Christian eschatological hope is.In one part of this book Hauerwas discusses the Christian conception of beginning and end. That was in the vein of what I was looking for. I simply would have liked to see him dive into that subject further. A lot of the book seems to be composed of the ethical ramifications of that thought. Again; the ethical reflections were fantastic; furthermore; to approach eschatology from a theological ethical perspective is the right way (definitely agree with Hauerwas' theological insight there); but he needed to talk more about what ways eschatology impacts the Church and the Eucharist. What is a narrative portrait of eschatology? How does eschatology define the way that a community should live unapologetically? What are Christian convictions on this subject? How should we deal with eschatology that sponsors war and violence? Can eschatology create sentimentality?0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Steven S. SpearsClassic Hauerwas with beautiful insights (at so many levels) about end of life issues.
