Additional information
by George Hobson (Author), William Edgar (Foreword by)
The question "What is human nature?" is in vogue today. Like everything else, this concept is being deconstructed in the context of the reigning ideology of individualistic materialism. Is there a fixed human nature, or is this simply a manipulatable social construct with no objective reference? This book says: "Yes, there is: the imago Dei: man/woman created in the image of God." Hobson argues that this text from Genesis 1:26-28 is a God-given anthropological revelation that establishes the relational bond of human beings with their Creator and also with his creation, for which the imago equips us to be responsible stewards. Many of Hobson's essays were delivered as talks in parishes. They explore from multiple angles the import of the imago Dei for theological and sacramental reflection, apologetics, aesthetics, art, and, at a hands-on practical level, for pastoral counseling and inner healing. His texts, one of which opens with a discussion of genocide, contain incisive critiques of the dark side of modernity alongside wide-ranging demonstrations of the pertinence of the imago Dei to the current debates about human dignity and rights. His book is a ringing call to the church to take the measure of the value of this anthropological revelation for its proclamation of the gospel.
Author Biography
George Hobson is a theologian, poet, and retired Episcopal priest, formerly Canon at the American Cathedral, Paris. He has worked in ecumenical circles in France for over half his life and taught in theological colleges in Rwanda, Burundi, Haiti, Armenia, and Pakistan. He is the author of The Episcopal Church, Homosexuality, and the Context of Technology (2013), and of five volumes of poetry, including Faces of Memory (2017), Love Poems for my Wife, Victoria (2019), and The Parthenon.
