Author:Peter France
Peter France looks at the various stages of his own spiritual odyssey and talks intimately of his long search for knowledge and enlightenment. Warm, lucid, humorous, Journey is grounded in France's own life and experience. He takes us from the beginning of his journey in a small Methodist chapel in Yorkshire, and his first perception of Christianity, through Oxford where he rejected Christianity and became a humanist and a career as a colonial administrative officer in Fiji, to his later position as an investigative reporter for BBC religious television. Finally-and movingly-he writes about his conversion to the Greek Orthodox Church, and describes his baptism at the age of 57 on the Greek island of Patmos by total immersion in a 44 gallon oil drum of lukewarm water. Illuminated by personal anecdote and information by a broad knowledge of different religions and religious experiences, Journey is both immensely engaging, and studded with powerful spiritual insight.
If it were possible to add to a reputation already so considerable, these essays would do it. All the productions of Berlin's long and distinguished career are characterised by urbanity, insight, profound scholarship and witty elegance. These traits are satisfyingly and instructively here present again
—— A.C. Grayling , Financial TimesAs with all Berlin's essays in the history of ideas, they exude a generous, sympathetic and large-minded enthusiasm for all sorts of thinkers and all sorts of ideas that make them a continuous pleasure to read
—— Alan Ryan , Times Literary SupplementEngrossingly readable
—— John Gray , The TimesA superb example of philosophy for the interested layman
—— Shusha Guppy , IndependentThis volume is replete with wisdom and insight
—— Matthew D’Ancona , Sunday TelegraphEnormously stimulating...The spell of Berlin is very much present
—— John Dunn , T.H.E.SBerlin's style conveys an unrivalled depth of learning in prose of engaging informality. A humane light shines through every sentence
—— David Miller , Independent on Sunday