This Present World
Aphorisms for Knowing God
- Philosophy
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
One can know something without being able to prove it to others. For what does one acquire by proving to others what one already knew aside from the fact that one already indeed knew what one did? And so it is with knowledge of God. Proving to others that God exists has nothing to do with knowing him. One could spend a whole lifetime attempting to prove God to others and yet never know him for oneself. Knowing God, which is a personal knowledge, a knowledge by acquaintance, means pressing deeper into the life he has ordained. This unusual book, Kierkegaardian in tone, is a continuation of previous works and an essential addition to DeLay's ongoing effort to revive Christian existentialism into a living philosophy through the "theological turn" of phenomenology.
Endorsements (3)
“What you know best—because you learned it by an unquestionable experience—looks the most difficult to express. Every serious thinker has to face this paradox. One of the best, but most challenging tactics leads to denying the armor (I mean the lengthy and heavy discursive demonstration) and to preferring the arrow: to shoot it as far and precisely as its light and swift flight allows it to go and to hit the heart of the reader. So you must try writing an aphorism. The tactic fits all the more when it is all about God—not an object, but a target, a self-revealing target. To succeed writing this way, you need style, vision, and courage. Steven DeLay displays all of them. He should be read as he has written: with care.”
“In Greek the word ‘aphorism’ means ‘from the horizon’; it bespeaks a speech that limits and defines. If God is the horizon of all possible horizons, our speech about him will be aphoristic at times: pithy, sharp, pointed. Steven DeLay is drawn to this very speech, which directs us, as he says, ‘back to the reality of life.’ This Present World is a book about tasting evil, hearing God, and longing for the Kingdom.”
“There is not a single unworthy thought in this book of profound aphorisms. With finesse and artistry, Steven DeLay invites us into the wondrous heart of a God-bathed life. He shows us how to be wise, discerning, attentive to the truth, prayerful, courageous, and innocent. This book is truly inspired. In addition to revealing so many brilliant philosophical insights, it is often deeply moving and encouraging. It is a beautiful, rare, and precious gem.”
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