The Return of Gabriel

About the Book

This collection of letters is a continuation of my earlier collection, The Gabriel Letters. I stumbled on the idea of writing imagined letters from an archangel advising a young guardian, while reading an introduction to C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. It has been a marvelous way – perhaps delusional – of standing back and imagining that I can see the world through angel eyes. The amazing result for me has been a sense of objectivity and good will. The intended purpose of the letters is to apply to all things the idea of God’s complete love (self-sacrificing, eternal, parent-like love). This idea is the center of Christianity. It is Jesus’ message, and it is St. Paul’s “good news.” If we desire to be Christian, we should begin, it seems to me, by attempting to apply Jesus’ teachings to all things: to our behavior; to our human relationships, especially family; to our work and our business dealings; to the way we run our churches; and to the way we study the scriptures. If we take Jesus seriously, we must reevaluate much of the Bible – the parts which are not specifically the teachings of Jesus. Jesus, Himself, questioned much of the scriptures. These letters cover a variety of subjects, many of them Biblical. Some Biblical passages need correction in light of Jesus’ ideas. Some Biblical passages are so marvelous that we need to lift them to the sky and shout, “Look at this!” Some Biblical passages are confusing, and we need to wrestle with them. But in all, we should be trying to see them through Jesus’ eyes. To see through Jesus’ eyes is, I suspect, what the true Gabriel wants, and it is the intent of this book. - Richard V. Shriver

About the Author

Richard Shriver was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the second of three sons of Thomas A. and Attie Gene Shriver. His father was a highly honored judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. His education was in the public schools through the twelfth grade. His bachelor’s degree is in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, and his Master of Divinity degree also is from Vanderbilt. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, having served churches in Tennessee, Wisconsin, and England for thirty-two years. Dr. Shriver continued his education in History, Music, and Christian Education in the graduate schools of Vanderbilt University, Peabody College, Scarritt College, Wisconsin State University, and Middle Tennessee State University, and earned his doctorate in Education and Theology at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He has been active in radio and television as a regular guest on Nashville’s Channel 5, Lebanon, Tennessee’s Channel 66, and WLAC Radio. He shares the hosting of Nashville’s CATV’s “We Believe,” and is a regular guest on WNQM Radio’s “We Believe,” a Roman Catholic sponsored show. Dr. Shriver’s first book, The Gabriel Letters, was published in 1990. He presently is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at Volunteer State College in Gallatin, Tennessee where he lives with his wife, Joy. They have two grown children…son, Colin and daughter, Kendal.