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Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith
This is the story of one man's faith, told with unrivaled reflection and candor. William F. Buckley, Jr., was raised a Catholic. As the world plunged into war, and as social mores changed dramatically around him, Buckley's faith -- a most essential part of his make-up -- sustained him. In Nearer, My God, Buckley examines in searching detail the meaning of his faith, and ho
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Paperback
,
336 pages
Published
October 15th 1998
by Mariner Books
(first published 1997)
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Community Reviews
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353)
Unlike Buckley, I am a Protestant, and not an intellectual, but I savored this book.
I have never read someone with whom I disagreed so much that I was so drawn to and learned so much from. He speaks with profound insight, and always in a gentle manner.
Despite my major differences of belief; esp. the acceptance of the authority of the church in matters of doctrine and morals, I felt a true kinship with his searching, his questioning, and even his acceptance of the limitations of human percepti ...more
I have never read someone with whom I disagreed so much that I was so drawn to and learned so much from. He speaks with profound insight, and always in a gentle manner.
Despite my major differences of belief; esp. the acceptance of the authority of the church in matters of doctrine and morals, I felt a true kinship with his searching, his questioning, and even his acceptance of the limitations of human percepti ...more
Dec 01, 2007
Frederick
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those interested in a serious defense of faith.
Goodreads has a description of this book which is better than any I could write, so I'll just give one very biased reason for reading this book:
William F. Buckley is a genuinely religious man.
Even a great religious writer such as C. S. Lewis sometimes sounds like he's trying to sell us something. William F. Buckley, on the other hand, knows that faith requires determination, resolve and contancy. He is not so much trying to persuade us of the truth of what he's saying as demonstrating what one m ...more
William F. Buckley is a genuinely religious man.
Even a great religious writer such as C. S. Lewis sometimes sounds like he's trying to sell us something. William F. Buckley, on the other hand, knows that faith requires determination, resolve and contancy. He is not so much trying to persuade us of the truth of what he's saying as demonstrating what one m ...more
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The late Mr. Buckley, famously erudite and charming (and as famously caustic and condescending: the spotlight also caught his shadow), confesses at the start: "I am not remotely qualified as a theologian or historian of Christianity [and:] my mode tends to be argumentative. ... This argumentative habit makes for poor exposition... [and this book's:] tone is not what I'd have hoped for. ... I am not trained in the devotional mode, nor disposed to it. ... I leave it at this, that if I could juggle
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During his life, William F. Buckley Jr was a luminary of conservative thought, but he also possessed a faith in Christianity (specifically Catholicism) that helped buoy his social and political convictions in dark times. This book is a declaration and explanation of his personal faith, his own experiences augmented by the words and lives of people he's known, as well as historical figures. Buckley is at his best in this book when detailing his own experiences in the spiritual realm, especially i
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When I started to read this book, I had a look at at Goodreads One reviewer, who gave the book two stars wrote: "This religious testament by a wealthy Catholic who never entertained doubts about his beliefs will doubtless offer comfort and reassurance to those who share his background and mindset. Somewhat less spiritual nourishment is offered to the great majority of us who don't."
Well, I am neither wealthy nor Roman Catholic - but I know what an honest and disingenuous person WFB jr was. He to ...more
Mar 18, 2008
Susan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
General readers
William F. Buckley, Jr., the founder of modern American conservatism who just died recently, was a man of enormous intellect, wit, erudition and culture. This autobiography, organized around his grounding and formation in the Catholic faith and tradition, gives the reader a great deal of fascinating information about Buckley's upbringing, family, friends and associates, as well as some insight into his religious beliefs. Most interesting, witty, and compelling reading.
A serious thoughtful work about Christian Faith and the role and impact it had on Mr. Buckley's life and his spiritual development. It is, nonetheless, a slow read but sincere and well done.
This was an interesting book; a sort of autobiography of faith written by one of the architects of the modern American conservative movement. Buckley had a tremendous command of the English language (he wrote the introduction to the American Heritage Dictionary), but I generally find his writing a bit stilted, and have not read many of his longer works.
With that said, I enjoyed this book. Buckley's faith in God, his love of Catholicism, and his willingness to question the hard parts of our fait ...more
With that said, I enjoyed this book. Buckley's faith in God, his love of Catholicism, and his willingness to question the hard parts of our fait ...more
In his "autobiography of faith", William F. Buckley Jr. gives us an overview of some of the major influences that played a role in his development as a Catholic.
Portions of this book are strictly biographical in the sense that he describes particular encounters with people (teachers, priests, fellow-believers) that shaped his way of thinking; the rest of the book is biographical mostly in the sense that he shares with us major historical, theological, philosophical, and cultural questions and id ...more
Portions of this book are strictly biographical in the sense that he describes particular encounters with people (teachers, priests, fellow-believers) that shaped his way of thinking; the rest of the book is biographical mostly in the sense that he shares with us major historical, theological, philosophical, and cultural questions and id ...more
The book was strangely enjoyable to read. This was very surprising following the first chapter, which I did not appreciate. The first chapter talked about Buckley's privileged childhood, globe-trotting with nannies and servants. This certainly did not endear him to me. From this point, I became swept away in his story telling, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
In some respects the book was a disappointment, as no answers were made to any of the questions posed. Buckley's form of an "answer" seems to be ...more
In some respects the book was a disappointment, as no answers were made to any of the questions posed. Buckley's form of an "answer" seems to be ...more
This religious testament by a wealthy Catholic who never entertained doubts about his beliefs will doubtless offer comfort and reassurance to those who share his background and mindset. Somewhat less spiritual nourishment is offered to the great majority of us who don't. (I suspect Buckley's original title for this book was "Nearer, My God, Than You Are," but his publisher talked him out of it.)
A sophisticated, highly educated and witty look at a Mr. Buckleys search for truth- chock full of interesting ideas, quotes, anecdotes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and became less jaded towards Catholocism, to boot.
Oct 06, 2011
Gordon Francisco
is currently reading it
Started it then got intercepted by David Dallak's "Unfinished Life - John F. Kennedy" then Adam Clayman's biography on Ted Kennedy...
Will resume my Buckley read post haste.
Will resume my Buckley read post haste.
A fairly annoying book: far too self-absorbed, even for an autobiography. Some apologetical content, but Chesterton is in every way vastly superior.
As a non-catholic, I appreciated reading Buckley's perspective on his faith. It was very autobiographical, which was also interesting.
Never 'actually' finished it. It was an interesting book - just not (apparently) interesting enough to finish it.
Lackluster, tedious, rambling. Oddly passive book. Reminiscences that peter out without coming to a point. Dull.
Interesting. I appreciated the perspective of his upbringing which was so different from my own!
There were good moments in this book, but at times I found it difficult to read and follow along.
Jul 08, 2010
Lynda
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-non-fiction
,
christian-catholic
William Buckley's defense of his Catholic christian faith.
Feb 13, 2010
Peter
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
essays-commentary
,
religion-faith
It is always interesting reading Buckley.
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William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American author and conservative commentator. He founded the political magazine
National Review
in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show
Firing Line
from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing style was famed for its erudition, wit, and use of uncommon words.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public int ...more
More about William F. Buckley Jr....
Buckley was "arguably the most important public int ...more
