Detailed
Description with links to developed themes
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In
this dark-comic novel, Morrie Schiller is a new student at an
evangelical college in Milwaukee with philosophy as his major. Try
though he may, he just doesn't fit into the Christian campus scene. The
girl he loves sees him only as a ‘brother’, (themes about sexuality here.) and he’s in the crossfire
as radical fundamentalists rage against the school with extremist
views. Add to mix, he's haunted by an obsession to become a Roman
Catholic (more). |
Enter
(antagonist) Jack Joplin, a mysterious, larger-than-life
stranger, who lures Morrie to embrace a spurious brand of philosophy,
which promises to "transcend beyond religious conventions". Morrie
takes the bait and his lack-luster love-life is catapulted into
Faust-like adventures that go beyond his wildest dreams. He goes from a
nobody to one who can allure the hearts of the most beautiful (and
posh) girls on campus, even threatening the power of the school's
authority and the entire religious establishment on campus.
This is not your ordinary "Christian novel" and you probably won't find
it in most church libraries. Aimed at the reflective reader, it
challenges the bedrock of conventional, evangelical
religiosity.
However, as a coming-of-age novel, Morrie also comes to a higher place
of faith after passing through the fire of testing. Here you will find
a backdrop of liturgical spirituality(more here) that
should also appeal to Catholic readers. Morrie passes from a grossly
underdeveloped sexuality
(ladened with religious shame), through Jack's misogyny, to a place of
authentic maturity. |
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