Bonham, Texas – Gene Wesley Marshall invites readers on a transformative journey in his latest book, “Approximate Knowing: The End of our Dogmatic View of Religion” (published by iUniverse). This thought-provoking work explores the intersection of religion and intelligence, offering insights into understanding and practicing faith in the 21st century.
What is religion? What is intelligence? How do people view Christianity in that context? Marshall addresses these questions by examining how one’s intelligence shapes his/her religious choices and practices. In Part One, readers embark on a voyage through the enigmatic “Land of Mystery,” where humans learn to thrive amid uncertainty, nourishing curiosity with approximate yet meaningful insights. Here, Marshall delves into philosophizing about truth and human approaches to understanding it. Part Two discusses the philosophy of religion as a social practice. Here, the author explores how humankind’s long-standing religious practices have and can continue to assist them to discover and take in their Profound Reality experiences. Finally, Part Three offers an in-depth look at Christian faith in the modern era. It examines how ancient scriptures resonate with newfound relevance, presenting a 21st-century theologizing of Christian thoughtfulness based on the Christ Jesus revelation. The stories of the Christian Bible are explored as religious practices that evoke enlightenment through human-made proclamations paradoxically known as “The Word of God.”
“Everything we know is approximate knowing,” Marshall explains. “To know that what we know is approximate leaves us curious to know more about everything we do know.
It is the author’s hope for this book to inspire readers to think more deeply about religious and spiritual matters, and find balance in a world filled with uncertainty. To learn more about his works, visit his website at www.realisticliving.org.
“Approximate Knowing: The End of our Dogmatic View of Religion”
By Gene Wesley Marshall
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 264 pages | ISBN 9781663262806
E-Book | 264 pages | ISBN 9781663262813
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Gene Wesley Marshall is now a 92-year-old religious teacher who began his education at Oklahoma State University as a mathematician and physicist. In 1953, he decided to leave a mathematics career and attend seminary at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas. He has served as a local church pastor, a chaplain in the army, and in 1962 joined a religious order of families (the Order: Ecumenical). For six years, he served as dean of the Ecumenical Institute’s eight-week residential “Academy” that trained leadership for religious and social engagements with participants from many parts of the world. He also traveled the United States, Latin America, Europe, India, Hong Kong, and Australia as a teacher and lecturer on religious and social ethics topics. In the early 1960s, he was an active participant in the civil rights revolution, serving for two years as the Protestant executive of the National Conference on Religion and Race. In the mid-1980s, he was one of the organizers of the bioregional movement. Beginning in 1983, he and his wife Joyce Marshall organized a non-for-profit educational organization, “Realistic Living,” and began co-teaching innovative programs and workshops plus publishing journals, books and essays. This book is his 11th book-length project, including “The Thinking Christian,” “So Be Free: Pastoral Discourses on Freedom” and “From Empire to Eco-Democracy.” The Marshalls live in Bonham, Texas, in a straw-bale house.
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