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Carolyn Weber arrives at Oxford a feminist from a loving but broken family, suspicious of men and intellectually hostile to all things religious. As she grapples with her God-shaped void alongside the friends, classmates, and professors she meets, she tackles big questions in search of Truth, love, and a life that matters.
From issues of fatherhood, feminism, doubt, doctrine, and love, Weber explores the intricacies of coming to faith with an aching honesty and insight echoing that of the poets and writers she studied. Rich with literary references, Surprised by Oxford is at once gritty and lyrical; both humorous and spiritually perceptive. This savvy, credible account of Christian conversion and its after-effects follows the Oxford liturgical calendar as it entertains, informs, and promises to engage even the most skeptical and unlikely listener.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 19, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781977359308
- File size: 349915 KB
- Duration: 12:08:59
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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July 11, 2011
Following in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, another Oxonian famously surprised by joy, Weber chronicles her encounters with God and Jesus while studying at Oxford University, in an honest and earnest tale structured around the university's trimester school year. Her narrative bares not only her internal conflicts during her time in England, but also her family life and how it shaped her distrust of religion as she grew up. The tale of her coming to Christianity from an intellectual agnosticism is woven with poetry and song lyrics that punctuate and, at times, encapsulate key moments of her study and discovery. The metaphors and allusions don't make the text inaccessibly erudite, but instead illustrate the beauty and struggle of her conversion. Some readers might question the length and apparent happenstance of some of the events included, while others will allow the professor of Romantic literature her poetic license, and enjoy the prose ride in the city of dreaming spires.
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