Author A.J.CONYERS
Publisher SPENCE PUBLISHING
ISBN 1-890626-68-6
The late A.J. Conyers hailed from South Carolina and was a theologian and professor at Baylor University in Texas. This was the last book he wrote and was published in 2006 two years after his death in his early sixties. Some will find it to be a rather difficult read because its author does not hold back in intellectually critiquing the culture of the Western world employing various arguments in which he enlists the help of various other authors and philosophers as well as the Bible. It will not appeal to those readers seeking a more popular approach, but for the thoughtful person who is ready to be introduced to thinking more seriously as to the reasons why the world of today has lost its substance and direction, there will be a wealth to ponder in these pages. Conyers believes that the absence of a sense of a higher calling, the Christian heavenly calling that leads to true living in proper community is the prime cause for the prevailing superficiality today. As far as this author is concerned vocation implies a larger obligation that presses itself upon persons and draws them into a community of sacrificial living in which they love one another and others too. There are some wonderful subjects tackled in these chapters, rest, attention, true tolerance, the sense of place and power amongst others. Abuse of power is commonplace and reduces people to a kind of slavery. The true development of humanity is being prevented and even resisted by the power structures prevailing in our times. The absence of a quiet heart that gives attention to the sense of vocation that is actually intrinsic to being properly human is apparent on every side. A corrupted view of toleration weakens resolve and blurs the judgment and the diminishing of a sense of belonging to a place and a time contributes to the isolation felt by many. It is likely that this author knew that he was coming to the end of his time on this earth as he wrote this book and it does have a certain quality that suggests that. It is not neat and tidy in its argumentation; it is suggestive, encouraging the reader to think for himself. Conyers draws from varied sources, he does not hurry in his writing and some may feel that he does not force the issues home but allows them to hang in the air for the serious consideration of those who read. I think that this is a great book but it’s slow and deliberate unfolding of thought and the authors use of sometimes more obscure sources to make his point will not please the reader seeking for a quick answers. I found it to be confirmatory and helpfully thought provoking.
