taratuulikki's review
5.0
Charity emanates through Handley’s writing. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered writing that is so sincere, earnest, compassionate, patient, and profound. What a gorgeous gift this collection is. Worth buying and ruminating over again and again (almost like scripture).
theconorhilton's review
5.0
George B. Handley’s If Truth Were a Child: Essays is a deliberate and measured expression of lived Mormonism. The book resonated with me quite a bit, which is not that surprising given the shared, broad humanistic elements that color both Handley’s and my faith. The essays’ measured quality is rarely shaken, though there are a few moments peppered throughout the book, where Handley’s frustration with or distaste for a particular idea or practice or disposition comes through a bit more forcefully.
I found the whole collection worth reading, framing ideas in ways that were often similar to my own conception, but using language that I’d lacked, as well as occasionally providing some provocation for the certainty and zeal that I bring to some of the hottest topics in Mormondom. I may still believe that that zeal is justified, but Handley’s work calls for some introspection and epistemic humility that I appreciate and think we’d all do well to follow a bit more closely.
I was particularly struck by these three essays:
“On Criticism, Compassion, and Charity”
“A Poetics of Restoration”
“On the Moral Risks of Reading Scripture”
My "broken readings" feel a little more whole, as I’ve encountered and wandered the halls of Handley’s mind and soul in these pages. I hope to better embody the spirit of generosity, the epistemic humility, and the unquenching thirst for truth that I see here in my own discipleship.
For those in search of a pragmatic, grounded, deeply measured faith, Handley offers ideas worth engaging.
Full review, from which these comments were adapted here:
http://conorhilton.com/faith/if-truth-were-a-child-reviewed/
I found the whole collection worth reading, framing ideas in ways that were often similar to my own conception, but using language that I’d lacked, as well as occasionally providing some provocation for the certainty and zeal that I bring to some of the hottest topics in Mormondom. I may still believe that that zeal is justified, but Handley’s work calls for some introspection and epistemic humility that I appreciate and think we’d all do well to follow a bit more closely.
I was particularly struck by these three essays:
“On Criticism, Compassion, and Charity”
“A Poetics of Restoration”
“On the Moral Risks of Reading Scripture”
My "broken readings" feel a little more whole, as I’ve encountered and wandered the halls of Handley’s mind and soul in these pages. I hope to better embody the spirit of generosity, the epistemic humility, and the unquenching thirst for truth that I see here in my own discipleship.
For those in search of a pragmatic, grounded, deeply measured faith, Handley offers ideas worth engaging.
Full review, from which these comments were adapted here:
http://conorhilton.com/faith/if-truth-were-a-child-reviewed/
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