Henri J. M. Nouwen's "Reaching Out"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Henri J. M. Nouwen's book "Reaching Out", noting that the title of the book, "Reaching Out", may be an inexact metaphor for what Nouwen describes in the first, and longest, part of the book, where Nouwen describes the transformation from loneliness to solitude. The paper goes on to describe the first part and second part of the book as well as what the writer believes are the strengths of Nouwen's book. The paper concludes with a poem by Richard Brautigan (1968) that the writer thinks Nouwen would have enjoyed.

From the Paper:

"That Nouwen is profoundly religious, specifically profoundly Christian, cannot be disputed. He shows by the breadth and depth of his scholarship that it is entirely possible to draw on the wealth of knowledge and information that has come from God to bless humanity. Some fundamentalists would frown on his use of sources precisely because these come from traditions outside the explicit canon of Christianity. I find in this breadth of scholarship a calm security that cannot be shaken by trivialities."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brautigan, Richard. (1968). "Karma Repair Kit, Items 1-4." The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster. San Francisco, California: Four Seasons Foundation.
• Clausen, Ben A Believing Scientist Approaches the Sciences. Undated; accessed July 4, 2007; available at <http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_28/ 28cc_513-529.htm>. Internet.
• Murrell, Stanford. A Foundation for Faith. P. 25. Undated; accessed July 4, 2007; available at <http://www.sounddoctrine.net/stanford/Systematic%20Theology.doc.pdf>. Internet.
• Nouwen, Henri J. M. (1986). Reaching Out: The Three Movement of the Spiritual Life. Garden City, New York: Image Books.

More papers on Henri J. M. Nouwen's "Reaching Out":

• Book Review # 105545 : "An Analysis of "Reaching Out" by Henri Nouwen"
• Analytical Essay # 134841 : "Reaching Out" by Henri Nouwen"
• Research Paper # 31916 : "Life in The Art of J.M.W. Turner."

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