November 2002
I am currently on a Brian McLaren kick. I started with A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey. I resonated completely with the struggle that the pastor has in the book concerning genuine authenticity, difficult questions, and frustrations with the Church. This book has turned my world upside down and given me a fresh perspective on the emerging postmodern culture (rather than the dusty old "anti-postmodernity" message I'm used to hearing--which is really just a "pro-modernity" message in disguise). I instantly jumped to McLaren's book on postmodern evangelism, More Ready Than Your Realize: Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix. In this book, McLaren gives concrete examples of helping others to hear the music of the Gospel and join in the dance. Spendidly wonderful! I am now beginning McLaren's first book Finding Faith and hope to begin The Church on the Other Side soon.
For more:
December 2002
McLaren lists this as an influential book. It is a compelling look at one man's frustrations with evangelicalism's narrowness and over-simplification of the Gospel message. Truly provocative and challenging. I would love to hang out at Holy Joe's (a church Tomlinson pastors that meets in a pub in England)!
Killinger assesses the evangelical church, pointing out many of her weaknesses. Although I don't share all of Killinger's conclusions, I do appreciate his sensitive and careful analysis--and share many of his frustrations. You do not want to read this book if you think that evangelical Christianity is completely problem-free. You should also stay away from this book if you don't enjoy being shaken up a bit. You've been warned!
Our understanding of "power" has more to do with the world's concepts than with the biblical revelation of God in Christ. Power is not the ability to manipulate, control, coerce, or violently overwhelm. Rather, Christ proves to us that the greatest power of all is love. It is the weakness of the cross that is the mightiest act of all! This exposes all other "powers" as temporary and limited. When we allow the life of Christ to truly be the fullest revelation of God, then we have to redefine many categories we apply to God!
Having been impressed by McLaren's books on postmodernity and evangelism, I am now reading his book on "doing church" in a postmodern matrix. One of the reasons that the church is so marginalized and irrelevant to most people is that we are using modern categories, concepts, and methodologies to reach postmodern people. I am now convinced that postmodernity is more a friend than an enemy.
The book opens with: "The central affirmation of Christian faith declares that God himself has entered into our human situation and in doing so has totally transformed it. In the early Christian centuries this affirmation was frequently expressed in the succinct form ‘God became man so that man might become God’. Such a statement necessarily implies that the Christian gospel cannot be simply fitted into the world as it now is. It involves a radical transformation. It means a revolution not only in our idea of God but also in our idea of humankind and of the world in which we live."
At the heart of mere Christianity are three doctrines: Trinity, Incarnation, and Theosis. Theosis--a transformative participation in the life of God--is often rejected or undermined by suspicious Protestants, even though it was at the heart of Eastern and Western understandings of salvation for the first millennium and has remained central in Eastern Orthodoxy. But "[a]ll three doctrines belong together, and it may be our neglect of the one which has made us uncertain about the others."
Fascinating and balanced book concerning the male identity. Mary argues that male and females should not think of themselves as "opposite" sexes but "neighboring" sexes, since we have much in common (as well as some obvious differences). A much needed balance to those who would overly-feminize or overly-masculinize the Christian faith. Males and females are not from Mars or Venus, but from earth!
My only critique of this book is that Colleen does not have a sophisticated view of postmodernity. She views postmodernity through a completely negative lens. She often equates postmodernity with secularism and relativism. In doing this she fails to deal with the subtle nuances of postmodernity. If the "new faithful" are not more careful than Colleen in their interactions with postmodernity, they may end up just another marginalized and irrelevant, separatistic fundamentalism in the end--and that's the last thing we need more of! Just like the previous book, this book presents many new challenging ways to approach and present the Gospel. Each aspect of the Gospel story is told in such a fresh and creative way, it is like hearing the story anew. Sadly, many may miss the great insights in this book by focusing on the main character's acceptance of evolutionary theory. This would be a shame! The book ends with a great teaser that already has me salivating for the next book in the trilogy! In this book, Kallenberg argues that we must be missiologists in our own culture and "contextualize" the Gospel for the postmodern mind. Failure to do this will lead to increasingly irrelevant and ineffective evangelistic strategies. Generic individualism, linguistic representationalism, and propositionalism all must go -- they are reductions of the complexities of the Gospel, oversimplifying selfhood, language, and faith. Evangelism must be more communal, embracing others before they make any faith commitment, so they can learn about faith in the context of a faithful community. This involves accepting others as they are, not rushing them in their faith journey, and not expecting conversion to be instant act, but rather, a slow and drawn-out process. Evangelism must involve introducing people to a new language -- a faith language -- to help them interpret things from a Christian perspective. Evangelism must also view faith as more than mere assent to a proposition. Helping others to become "followers of Jesus" because they "trust in Jesus" is the whole package -- integrating deeds with words, leading to a more well-rounded (and thus, authentic) Christianity. God is perfect in every way. If we, though flawed, can love unconditionally, should we expect any less of God? If we, though sinful, can see the good in others, even when they are at their worse, should we expect any less of God? God's love is so great that no human language can express it fully. Only the incarnation and cross of Christ say it best! It is time that this great truth color our theology and our lives in a radical way. This book is a good start. There is no Christian consensus on a doctrine of war. There are good Christians across a great spectrum of possible positions. This book presents four views of war. Each view is rooted in explaining the commands made to Israel concerning the genocide of whole people groups in the Bible. In other words, ethnic cleansing and racial genocide are not new. They are found in the pages of the Old Testament. How then does one reconcile these commands with Jesus' ethical commands in the New Testament? This problem is far more complex that it appears! In this book, four theologians present their own unique perspective and interact with one another. It is interesting and engaging reading and of monumental significance in light of the contemporary situation. If nothing else, this book should increase our hesitancy in regard to advancing one "right" Christian position on war! Positive reinforcement, refraining from hurtful language, giving children good doses of what they want most -- our loving attention, listening rather than rescuing, lecturing or distracting, helping children learn how to control and rightly use anger, fear, sadness in order to live a joyful life (the four basic emotions: anger, fear, sadness, and joy), being assertive rather than agressive or passive, the importance of dad-time with children, the ages and stages of children, and saving parental energy through time away from children for the sake of the children are some of the many helpful and simple insights in this book. In this delightful book, Marcia recounts her life from her early days to the present. Her story involves encountering and being influenced by a wide variety of religious traditions: She was converted by Methodists, taught the Bible by Baptists, introduced to charismatic renewal and contemplation by Roman Catholics, and taught to laugh by Pentecostals. Her spiritual pilgrimage has finally led her to the Episcopalians. She has come to resonate with the centrality of the liturgy where "Everything, everything, pointed to Him -- not to the rector, not to the sermon, not to the music, but to Jesus. This was clearly an evangelical church" (p. 181). Marcia's self-deprecating humor and candid opinions make her book a delightful read. Throughout the book, she willingly expresses doubts, disillusionment, and despair. In the end, however, she learned that "God [was never] more fully present in my life than He was in those times when He seemed farthest away" (p. 185). This book is worth reading in order to better analyze our influence in the world. It is not an anti-American book. Instead, it calls us to quit thinking that the world's hatred is not, at least in part, due to our own shortcomings. Can the greatest nation in the world admit that it is not so great after all? This call is best summarized in the following quote: "It is not love of home or allegiance to identity that is the problem, but the narrow orthodoxy of a particular vision of patriotism, intolerant of self-criticism, devoid of reflection, closed to alternative and diverse interpretation" (p. 140). Why is this important to a pastor? If all the church does is parrot the culture by refusing to self-critically challenge the state in certain areas, it loses all prophetic function and simply becomes a pawn to the state. Do not get me wrong: I love America and I'm proud to be an American. I simply love America so much that I am willing to critically analyze her faults as well as applaud her strengths! If we were all willing to do this, we may be able to break free from political polarizations that have all but extinguished any real discussion of anything substantial! This is good fun for those who don't take themselves or others too seriously. If you are willing to accept the fact that the church is composed of a bunch of freaks, losers, weirdos, and geeks -- all united together by a sincere desire to know and make God known -- then this book will be an enjoyable romp through the underbelly of the Christian community. If you have no sense of humor, pass this book by and read Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" instead! Being created in God's image, we are relational beings, created for personal loving relationship, both with God and with others. Although this is true, it is tragic how few Christians truly experience authentic intimacy with other people. This book goes a long way toward helping Christians rediscover the great value of intimacy in neighbor relationships, friendships, family relationships, and marriage. In the first half of the book, Elaine demonstrates our need for relationships and highlights numerous barriers to intimacy. In the last half of the book, she gets more specific, covering gender differences in intimacy, as well as the specific nuances to intimacy encountered in the context of friendship, marriage, sex, and family. This is a great book full of numerous insights that are desperately needed in the fragmented world in which we live. Pastors and parishioners would do well to learn from Elaine how we can better minister love, grace, and acceptance to others in the only thing that really matters most in this world -- loving, personal, relationships! Claiming to be neither a feminist nor an egalitarian, Sarah deals with all the usual texts, but always with her own special twist. Most of the time, her arguments are very persuasive. Her uncanny ability to see what others do not see -- whether complementarian or egalitarian -- stems from her refusal to reduce the argument to a simple matter of "roles." According to Sarah, this language is unhelpful. It would be better to view the central texts in light of "relationships" between men and women, husband and wives, parents and children, rather than through the reduced language of roles. For example, the Bible never commands us to "biblical manhood" or "biblical womanhood" primarily because the Bible simply assumes that we are either a man or a woman. We cannot make this happen. It simply is. Sarah effectively challenges many of the assumptions of both sides of the debate. She navigates a course through the problem texts that is worthy of careful consideration. If given a fair listen, Sarah may even provide the common ground we need in this evangelical war-zone. Sane, balanced, carefully and uniquely argued, Sarah has made a important contribution to male and female relationships in the Church. Because of this, my prayer life has changed from a laundry list to times of contemplation and meditation. I see a great need to spend time in prayer seeking to know God better, rather than already assuming I know God well enough already (as seems to be the case in prayer meetings that are exclusively devoted to "prayer requests"). It seems Joyce went down this road long before I did. She has experienced the same suspicions from parishioners and family I've experienced (pp. 75-76). Along the way, she experienced many of the same questions and struggles. And yet, just like her, my experience of God has been so enriched that I refuse to turn back to what I perceive as simplistic, reduced, and often gnostic Protestant practices. Obviously, Joyce's living, dynamic attempt to listen to God can be horribly abused. However, without it, we may end up full of Bible knowledge and yet with no sense of God's felt presence, pleasure, and desire to commune with us. And that would be a horrible abuse as well! My interest was immediately heightened the moment Ortberg thanked Dallas Willard and joked that a possible title for his book could have been Dallas for Dummies. I love Dallas' (and now Ortberg's) emphasis on the fact that salvation is not simply a future proposition having to do with either heaven or hell, but it is the proclamation of a present reality -- the kingdom of God -- that calls us to transformation now. If Christians could agree with Ortberg that "[t]he primary goal of spiritual life is human transformation" (p. 21) I believe there would be far less bickering and a lot more godly living. The power of the Spirit far surpasses all other fallen powers that often impress us. The story of Mabel (pp. 22-25) made this crystal clear. It is great to see that Ortberg advocates the "new perspective on Paul" (p. 31ff.). His contemporary application of this to centered-set rather than bounded-set living is very helpful (p. 34). The importance of spiritual training/discipline in all seasons of life, the serious business of joy, the need to slow-down the pace of life, the practice of simple prayer, the need for humility, the importance of confession, discerning God's guidance, secret obedience, purity of heart, developing a personal rule of life, and God's use of suffering in our lives, are all presented with freshness and creativity in a compelling manner. In short this is a book I will refer to again and again. Furthermore, it is now at the head of the list as a discipleship resource! As usual, Merton provides much food for thought. His call to an authentic relationship with God and others always leaves me challenged and refreshed. Some of the prayers in this book are worth the price of the book alone. I've had a great time reading about the wonderful diversity that makes up the human race. I truly think that tools like this are helpful in understanding ourselves and our relationships with others. It is good to know that some of my relationships with others may suffer from personality differences and not simply from my being "right" and the other "wrong" -- or vice versa. This kind of self-awareness and appreciation of the differences in others can make for a much stronger team. This also helps me to view others as truly "other" rather than trying to force everyone to simply be an extension of my own ego. The first half of the book is devoted to explaining the four major personality types. The second is a very interesting and enlightening section on how mating/marriage, parenting, and leadership is nuanced by one's temperament. I work primarily with singles, so the chapter on mating was particularly beneficial. Oftentimes "opposites attract" and "like attracts like" is bantered about with no thought about differing personalities. Now I have a better understanding of what a particular individual means when they say, "He/She is not my type." The concept of the "Pygmalion Project" really struck home. How easy it is to try to get someone to conform to our own personalities rather than to simply embrace, accept, and delight in the differences, finding wholeness and completeness in the unity of two dissimilar, but yet still very similar, persons. I certainly do appreciate Swenson's willingness to recognize that merely being a believer doesn't exempt one from stress, overwork, exhaustion, and overload (pp. 33-34). I find it interesting that while, on one hand, we evangelicals speak so much of free grace, yet on the other hand, we shout so loudly about working our fingers to the bone for Christ -- and those who do not do so are labelled "compromisers," "nominalists," or just plain lazy. In my opinion, silly phrases such as "sold out" and "on fire" should be abandoned completely. They have no bearing on real life. And even when they do, they do not apply for long -- for to consistently live this way is to surely invite burn out in the end. I've read better analyses of the frantic pace of life we all lead, the contemporary data smog that surrounds us, the media onslaught that attacks us, and the endless consumption and tireless workaholism that consumes us. Perhaps this is why Swenson's analyses seem simplistic. Perhaps I'm simply attuned to living in the kind of fast-paced, data-smogged, media-overloaded world that so troubles Swenson. I keep healthy boundaries (I think) and yet none of these things seems to overwhelm or detract me as much as they seem to overwhelm Swenson. What Jesus had to say is universally true -- for Jesus is the Lord of the universe, of heaven and earth. I'm fine with this. I'm fine with Jesus' declaring universal truths. I'm not happy with Zahl's interpretation of exactly what these universal truths should be. According to Zahl, the universal truths that Jesus taught accord well with Calvinism of the most pessimistic variety. A sampling of Zahl's statements demonstrate this: Jesus taught that all people are to "be sorry for [their] very existence" (p.82); "God is... against the whole 'normal' identity of human beings" (p.90); "The law... as homogenized by [Jesus] is total war on normal human existence and experience" (p.92). According to Zahl, Jesus sought to demonstrate how much God despises humanity! Zahl teaches that we are "not to generalize from our own experience" (p.113). Only great people, like Luther or Freud, are granted exceptions in this area because of their profound insights. Why Luther and Freud are given this privilege and not Plato, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Wesley -- or any other, for that matter -- simply reveals Zahl's preference for what "universal truths" should be attributed to Jesus. In short, Zahl has a great idea that falls very short in execution. Perhaps he should have been more cautious not to let his personal preferences substitute for the universal teachings of Christ!
Having read other books by Coniaris (my favorite so far being God And You: Person to Person). With theosis on the brain, I was delighted by this simple and easily-digestible introduction to such a profound topic. Even more, I was delighted to be able to read it online! Check it out by clicking the title above!
Many who desire a genuine spirituality often overlook the church--and who can blame them! When was the last time you thought something genuinely and authentically transcendant, mysterious, and meaningful was going on in your average church service. Thankfully, there is a vast deposit of spiritual teachings and resources in the church--if one knows where to look. This book is a great resource highlighting many different Christian spiritualities from every Great Tradition of the Christian faith. It is a gem!
A fantastic introduction to the Eastern Orthodox tradition from one who has a great respect for it. After describing the unique emphases of Orthodoxy, Fairbairn offers a critique in the last two chapters. Great stuff! The Western church suffers when it refuses to engage with the important contributions from the East!
This is my third attempt in the last couple of years to read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I reread all of The Two Towers and began The Return of the King. While reading, I realized that the movie does not cover all of the material in The Two Towers. As in the past, I trudged through the books and was not able to finish the final one. Tolkien is slow reading, to say the least, and it simply does not appeal to me. Don't get me wrong--I love the movies! And I realize that the movies are not nearly as good as the book. But still I find it difficult to trudge through the slow pace of the books with their endless details. Do I really need to know about King whats-his-name and all the other plethora of seemingly marginal data that is found in these books? I realize that to many, this makes Tolkien's books more well-rounded and complete. But to me, all the endless detail just confuses me more. I actually think that the Bible is easier to read (and that is saying a lot, for the Bible is full of obscure details as well--ever read the Old Testament?). Anyone who ever complains about the tediousness of the Bible ought to read Tolkien. Anyway, for those of you Tolkienites who think I'm committing the cardinal sin, please forgive me. I love the movies--I just find the books tedious, slow, and awkward.
I am a big fan of Chrysostom. I've read most of his sermons on Genesis. I appreciate his balance, passion, and commitment to the Gospel. Being a preacher myself, it is encouraging to see that his sermons still bear fruit!
People who hate America often compare America to an unrealizable ideal rather than to many of the other cultures and nations in our world. With all our flaws, we live in a good nation. Flynn exposes much of the hate-speak directed against America by those who are privileged enough to participate in all that makes America great. A much-needed balance for a bleeding-heart like mine.
This is billed as a primer to ministry in a postmodern world. It is an encyclopedic reference that is fascinating and helpful. I look forward to reading it completely.January 2003
Seeker Sensitive Churches primarily attempted to woo Baby Boomers into Church by removing any hint of tradition, ritual, symbol, or mystery.
This may have appealed to the Boomers, but it is proving to be ineffective--even empty--for Generation X and Millennials. This book if proof of this. In The New Faithful, Colleen Carroll documents the rising interest in traditional orthodoxy (with all its rituals, mystery, and symbols) and traditional morals among young Catholics and Evangelicals. The "new faithful" are ecumenical, traditional, and culturally-savvy. They seek to engage their culture while remaining critical of their culture. In short, this book is proof that tradition, liturgy, ritual, symbol, mystery, and historically-rooted and informed orthodoxy still exists and is growing stronger every day. Churches still seeking to remove any hint of these things should take note--they may be irrelevant in the years to come to the budding "new faithful".February
One of the most incredibly insightful books I've read in a long time. Having read Moltmann's book on the Trinity and on the Crucified God, I picked up this book on the Holy Spirit. Moltmann's profound insights pervade each page. His discussions on the centrality of human experience in the Spirit as the basis for theological formation and on using knowledge not as a means to control but as a means to participate in the life of God have stuck with me. The way Moltmann approaches each topic -- from spiritual gifts, to community, to considering holiness and spirituality as the dynamic experience of life in this world -- is always fresh and powerful. I can't wait to take some copous notes from this book!
I just started reading this, but I can hardly put it down. Solomon's discussions on the nature of love go far beyond many of the idealisms that pervade Christian literature on the same subject. I'm thoroughly enjoying integrating his thoughts with what I know about love in light of the trinitarian life of God.
Philokalia is Greek for "the love of the beautiful." The Philokalia is a collection of writings from the 3rd - 18th century on the Christian life from an Orthodox perspective. The Orthodox emphasize not only truth, but also the goodness and beauty of truth -- an element often missing from Protestant discussions of truth. The section on nepsis, "watchfulness" is incredibly helpful in regard to the thought life. All in all, this is a good introduction to an oft-neglected spiritual classic.
Written in 1947, this book was clearly ahead of its time! Watts insists that contemporary evangelism is lifeless, powerless, and dying because it focuses on morality rather than on life-giving mystical union with God. When the Christian life is simply about following rules, then it loses all attraction to those looking for transcendence. We need not only truth, but goodness and beauty. Sadly, most evangelicals simply write off beauty as an unnecessary -- or worse -- misleading and deceptive quality. But it is the beauty of God that allures, attracts, and invites us to participate in God. Until Christians learn to emphasize participation in God as the vital ground and source for all we are and do, we will continue to be unheard by those looking, not only for truth, but for goodness and beauty as well. It is a sad fact that we, as Christians, possess all that the new-agers and Buddhists (and any other group or person seeking a transcendent reality) are looking for, and yet we refuse to emphasize it, choosing the comfort of rules over the challenge and risk of real relationship with the beautiful, good God of the cosmos!
We in the church are often guilty of completely missing the forest for the trees. This book exposes 20 key areas where we fail to truly live the Christian life while thinking we are standing for the truth. So far, this is one of my favorite books of 2003. Get it. You won't regret it!
An intense, informative, challenging, and encouraging collection of individual accounts of Christian leaders coming to grips with the emerging postmodern culture and church. I resonated with many of the frustrations presented. I also found great comfort in seeing how each person worked through his or her difficulties. It is always encouraging to realize that you are not crazy, nor alone, in your own questions, frustrations, and concerns concerning the Church. March
In this helpful and practical book, Dan Kimball deconstructs modern worship and reconstructs worship in postmodern form, in a style he calls "Vintage Christianity." Simply put, the worship forms, styles, and practices that appealed to past generations are increasingly irrelevant, tired, and "unworshipful" to postmoderns. Worship must be more mystical, multisensory, participatory, artistic, meditative. In a word: more spiritual and less "slickly packaged." Dan gives helpful insight on planning a postmodern worship service. He also gives good cautions concerning the potential abuse of this new, emerging form of worship.
Many years into a successful ministry in a growing, multi-ethnic church, Peter's wife "quit." She refused to go back to church. She had had enough. Peter's ministry hit a crisis point. This book is a collection of insights he gained during this difficult time. His main point: "The overall health of any church or ministry depends primarily on the emotional and spiritual health of its leadership." He recounts numerous stories where pastors experienced "success" while at the same time their lives were spiralling out of control. Too often, people focus solely on the intellect (IQ) of the pastor and forget that the emotional intelligence (EQ) is just as important. Without it, the pastor merely passes on his own sickness to the congregation.
Though most do not want to admit it, theology is a second-tier exercise that involves understanding the Bible in light of one's philosophical bias. For too long, modernity and its accompanying foundationalism was the assumed philosophical context in which theology was done. Because of this inherent trust in foundationalism two major branches of theology arose: liberal and conservative. Both work off of a foundationalist structure -- either experience or Scripture. Murphy suggests that the philosophy of modernity is to blame for this polarization. She argues that we need a postmodern philosophy to undergird a holistic theology that does not lead to the radical distinctions of liberal and conservative. This is a very "heavy" read, but well worth the labor.
You can imagine my joy when the sequel to my favorite book of 2002, "A New Kind of Christian," finally arrived at the bookshop after a long delay due to problems with distribution. I dived into it, and just like the first book, I finished the book in a 24-hour period. In this book, McLaren uses fiction to highlight how the Gospel must be understood as a grand, overarching story that gives meaning to all the smaller stories of our lives. Kerry, a biologist/researcher dying of cancer, is introduced to the Christian faith she rejected as a child through a presentation of the story of the Gospel from "creation" to "consummation" and through the experience of grace, love, and patient acceptance by a family that took her in for the remaining few months before she died.
While doing campus ministry, Brad Kallenberg realized that the "four spiritual laws" were increasingly ineffective at producing Christian conversions. This caused him to reevaluate his whole way of doing evangelism. He came to realize modern Gospel strategies were having no impact in an increasingly postmodern world.
Campbell argues that truly accepting God's unconditional love is not an easy proposition. The centrality of God's love demands a radical shift in our understanding of self and others. Do you accept yourself as lovable -- as deeply, passionately, and unconditionally loved by God? If not, why not? Is obedience a condition of being loved by God or a consequence of being loved by God?
Loners get a bad rap! Loners are often considered aloof, irresponsible, crazy, selfish -- in a word, losers. Finally, a book has been written to vindicate the loner. Not all of us are serial killers. Not all of us are psychopaths. Some of the greatest contributors to society in art, science, and literature have been loners. I know that I would not be able to contribute what I do to my community if I were not a loner by nature. It is the times alone where I grow, learn, and produce material that helps others -- loners and nonloners -- grow and learn. In short, it is thrilling to read a book that finally considers being a loner as something positive and valuable. I, for one, am grateful. Now... leave me alone!
It is fascinating to hear different Christian representatives speak about war, especially in light of the fact that it is now a reality and not simply theory. Some uncritically accept war as God's will in some circumstances. Others passionately argue against any expression of violence in way under any circumstance. Finally, others -- those more apocalyptically-bent -- speak of war with great glee, seeing every war as a new sign of Jesus' immanent return.
Oftentimes, Christian "self-help" material suffers from its own extreme billing. In claiming to be God's way of dating / marriage / childrearing / (you fill in the blank) Christians feel compelled to bill their "way" as the "only" way -- all other ways are therefore wrong, ungodly, worldly, perverted, dirty, and of the devil. Because of this, I find most Christian material on topics such as marriage and parenting to be downright depressing. Usually the joy that is supposed to accompany the love of husband to wife and parent to child is lost amidst the desperate attempt to obey hundreds of so-called "biblical" principles, guaranteed to increase one's sense of inadequacy and mount "heapin' helpin's" of guilt upon the sensitive soul that seeks to please God (a nearly unpleasable God at that -- unless, of course, you perfectly obey all the hundreds of principles... all the time, without fail!).
Therefore, when I want insight on marriage or parenting, my first impulse is not to pick up the latest Christian book, but rather, find a proven helpful book from an expert on the subject that will not deluge me with continual boasts that what they say comes with all the authority of God! Biddulph's book does just this. He gives many helpful insights on childrearing. He encourages those of us who realize we've fallen short. Ultimately, he wants parents to enjoy and love their children and vice versa! Not a bad goal, if you ask me. Of course, to some, his lack of biblical grounding is downright devilish -- guaranteed to produce hundreds of little anti-christs!
In the preface to this book, Phyllis Tickle writes, "Misfits give texture to life. They also tend, on a routine basis, to challenge the preconceptions that masquerade among us every day as normative behaviors." I so readily identify with Marcia Ford, not simply because our stories are remotely the same, but because of her willingness to view herself as a perpetual misfit -- hoping to one day fit, but ultimately realizing that it probably is not to be. My favorite line in the book: "I started to believe that never in my life had I held what could be called a popular opinion" (p. 140). Ditto!
Despite our best intentions, many in the global community hate America. Why? The answer is impossible to digest unless we are willing to self-critically engage in honest reflection concerning our past actions and present course. America is a "hyperpower." We can ignore other nations (and indeed we do), but no nation can ignore our powerful and pervasive presence. We quickly label those who disagree with us as "evil" -- thus negating any sustained analysis on why they might disagree -- for evil can only be opposed, not understood. We champion "free trade" at the cost of struggling foreign economies. We consume over half of all goods and services in the world, spending $10 billion annually on pet food alone. Our military is 2 1/2 times larger than the militaries of the next nine largest potential adversaries and still growing. We stockpile nuclear weapons and forbid others from doing so. In fact, we are the only country to have ever actually used atomic bombs in war. We built our nation on the death of 20 - 50 million Native Americans, claiming a divine right to their land, and furthered the bloodshed and oppression through slavery. In short, those who hate us view our hypocrisies and wonder why we can't clearly see what is so obvious.
Hilarious fun! Spalding lovingly observes religious people in order to better understand himself. Spalding interacts with a host of sideshow spiritualists: the Christian Wrestling Federation who "beat each other up every night... to spread the good news of Jesus Christ!", the only full-time clergyman on a Vegas casino's payroll, the craziness of a Christian Booksellers Association Convention, Jerry Falwell's infomercials, and a doctor who does trepanation surgery for mental well-being are just a few of the sincerely religious people Spalding encounters. Each person and/or group is presented without criticism. My favorite chapter in the book is an imagined interview with God in regard to the recent increase of professional football players' on-field testimonies! (pp.159-162)April
In a world full of isolation, alienation, and loneliness, the promise of intimacy seems elusive, at best. Genuine intimacy -- to know and be known, to love and be loved -- is something we all long for and yet fear. We all want to be known, loved, and accepted, and yet at the same time, we are frightened by what ugly things may be uncovered if we draw too close to others. We also fear the possible pain that comes from betrayal and broken relationships.
Sarah Sumner, the first female graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and current associate professor of ministry and theology at Azusa Pacific University, has attempted to do the impossible in her first book. She hopes to bring together two disparate sides of a heated debate concerning male and female roles in the church by trying to establish some common ground from which both sides can truly dialogue. I wish I shared her enthusiasm. We all know that those who travel down the middle of the road usually get pelted from both sides. In spite of her best efforts, winsome arguments, and careful handling of the central texts, Sarah will probably not persuade many that the ground of "common consensus" is as wide as she claims it is.
I can easily relate to Joyce's pilgrimage. In the last 3-5 years I have found that Catholic and Orthodox spirituality often dwarfs Protestant spirituality (at least the popular variety). Because of this, I have drank deeply from the wells of the Catholic Mystics, Church Fathers, Desert Fathers and Mothers, along with Eastern Orthodox theology and its focus on the perichoretic dance of the Triune God and the resultant theosis of the saint that comes about through participation in the very life of God.
John Ortberg's book has far exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a simple (perhaps, even simplistic) treatment of spiritual disciplines and what I've found is a deep, rich, accessible, and usable book. I can't wait to use this in the context of small group book studies -- what a fantastic study guide in the back! The introduction to each chapter immediately draws me in and stirs my interest. This is followed by well-organized, user-friendly content filled with provocative illustrations and choice quotations.
In this book, divided in two sections, Merton addresses the spiritual life and solitude. I love Merton's emphasis that the spiritual life is experienced in a very earthy, material way. Furthermore, the spiritual life is not simply a mental life, but a matter of the whole person -- mind, feelings, desires, and body. All spiritual life is rooted in the love of Christ to us. We are called to experience this love as we are, and not as we desire to be. The second half focuses on some very deep (some got past me!) thoughts on solitude.
Jan Harris has really had a rough life, and she is not afraid to relate the struggles of her heart to us in this intimate book devoted to her pilgrimage into contemplative prayer. The strength of this book lies in Jan's openness and honesty about her personal relationships. She lost her first husband, a teenage romance, after eight years to a car accident. She married another man who was physically and mentally abusive. After fourteen or so years, he left her for another woman. Through it all, Jan learned of God's love and complete acceptance. She learned to rest in God's love in the practice of contemplative prayer -- a kind of prayer practically unknown to Protestants, where one simply and silently abides in the presence of the Lord. Although contemplative prayer was not always easy for Jan, it is the glue that has kept her life together. In short, this is a good first-person account regarding the importance of resting in God's love through contemplative prayer.
A seminary book for my New Testament Background class. VanderKam gives a brief history of Second Temple Judaism (516 BC - 70 AD) followed by a brief description of all relevant historical documents that shed light on this unique time in Jewish history. He concludes with a summary of the leaders, groups, and institutions of the time. A good introduction to an important time -- understanding this period of history sheds much light on messianic expectation in Jesus' time.
Another seminary book. They do not come much drier or dustier. Bo covers some important historical ground, but with hardly any dramatic flair whatsoever -- just a simple recounting of important events and people. Nothing like a 115-page chapter to make you wish for a little bit of a break! Anyway, important information presented with all the excitement of a fishing show and/or golf event (with no disrespect meant to those who are excited by this sort of thing).
This is another book for a seminary class on holistic discipleship. I've had a blast reading this book. One of the first things I did after taking "The Keirsey Temperament Sorter" (another online test is available here) was have three close (and very different) friends take it as well, so that I could put flesh on the different types I would be reading about. I came up as an INTP -- the Architect who enjoys creating plan, models, and theories. (Interestingly, my beloved worship pastor colleague is the opposite of me in every way -- an ESFJ.) The book describes me as "Knowledge-Seeking Personality" (p. 191). Now I understand better my obsession with precision and why my thought processes tend to take on a will of their own. I also completely resonate with this statement: "If left to their own devices, INTPs will retreat into the world of books and emerge only when physical needs become imperative" (p. 207).
Though I agree with the fundamental premise of this book, I find the author's analysis and prescriptions to be simplistic and unhelpful. Certainly we are all overstressed, exhausted, and overloaded. Certainly we all need more time, more space -- more margin. Certainly, many of us are pushing the limits and suffering because of it. Swenson's analysis of the historical and cultural factors that contribute to these things is helpful, but superficial. His prescriptions for creating margin suffer from being overly simplistic and relatively unhelpful. Rather than attempting to present an exhaustive (and exhaustive) list of simple solutions, I would have preferred he present a couple of solutions that are well-rounded, well-developed, and thus, convincing, persuasive, and compelling.May
Wright's first volume in a projected six volume series entitled Christian Origins and the Question of God. An incredible powerhouse of a book that continues to create waves throughout the entire church -- liberals and conservatives alike. Wright has almost single-handedly destroyed the "Jesus Seminar" with this mammoth tome. At the same time, he has upset many conservative Reformed theologians with his perspectives on justification and "works of Torah". For a detailed overview of the book, check out my article, "The Jesus Story in Jewish Context: A Summary of N. T. Wright's 'The New Testament and the People of God'".
I loved the first book so much, I instantly read this followup. In this book, Wright evaluates Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God. He also examines the aims and beliefs of Jesus, giving a fresh (and more human) perspective of Jesus' messianic consciousness. Highly recommended! One note: I would definitely read Volume 1 (above) first, since Wright refers to it repeatedly in this Volume.
We live in a crazy world that doesn't make sense. We can respond in two ways to this. We can either choose to add to the chaos. Or we can resist the craziness by living in a "paradoxical" way. As Keith puts it, "the world doesn't make sense, but you can make sense." If our lives are dependent on people's acceptance, approval, or applause, then we will not have the moral courage to live "the good life." Though at times, this book may seem to suggest that we can create meaning in a meaningless world, I thoroughly appreciate the insights of the "paradoxical commandments" and find them to resemble many of the "upside-down" teachings of Jesus ("first shall be last", "when I'm weak then I'm strong", "you must lose life to save it"). Because of this, I thoroughly enjoyed this short inspiring book. By the way, you can check out the "paradoxical commandments" here!
The perfect love of God demands our complete surrender. But we will fear surrendering God to the extent that we fail to see his perfect, unconditional, overflowing, love to us. Though Christians speak a lot about God's love, our experience of it is often rather shallow. We have a hard time believing "that when God thinks of us, love swells in his heart and a smile comes to his face." We constantly need a larger picture of God's love! This book is a good step in the right direction, rooting all our response in the unshakable foundation of God's unconditional love.
It is impossible to understand the Bible using the Bible alone. We rarely consider that when we read our Bible we are entering another world altogether. A different world in a different time and place full of different people who speak different languages and who find their home in a different culture full of different social customs and concerns. Because of this, it is vital that we do all we can to understand the "times" - the culture, history, language, political and social structures, perspectives, behavioral customs and ethnic concerns. To fail to do this is to misread the Scriptures. Jeffers states the danger well in the opening pages of his book: "If we try to make sense of the Bible with no knowledge of the people who wrote it, those who read it and the society in which they lived, we will be inclined to read into the Scriptures our own society's values and ideas. This would be a major mistake since our culture is very different from that of the ancient Romans." This book is one of many helpful tools available to keep us from reading the Bible as if it were written by middle class Americans in a capitalistic, democratic society. For an extended treatment, click HERE.
This book is full of insights to help a Christian grow in Christ. I love Dallas' graciousness toward others and his rejection of "worm theology" while retaining a strong sense of human sin. Though the book is full of helpful thoughts, I find Dallas' systematic approach to Christian growth to be a bit too, well, systematic. It comes dangerously close to a "one-size-fits-all" discipleship program at times (the kind of programs that do a little good for a lot of people, but hardly do much good for anybody! You know, the kind of programs that evangelicalism, for the most part, is still saturated and inebriated with!). Yet, Dallas is one of the bright lights in evangelical spirituality, and for that, I love him. However, in my opinion, his light pales next to many Catholic and Orthodox spiritual writers. But he sure is heading in the right direction!
Why was it, that within the space of only three years, the Corinthian community was unable to address internal and external concerns without Paul's aid? Had Paul not dealt with the issues raised by the Corinthian correspondence during his eighteen-month ministry? Were the problems new, created by the pressure of culturally accepted social ethics within the context of profound social changes in Corinth? By incorporating all available literary, nonliterary, and archaeological sources, Winter seeks to shed light on these questions. An outstanding and illuminating book -- must reading for those studying 1 Corinthians. For an extended overview of the book, click HERE.June
Donald Miller's honest expression of his Christian faith is refreshing to this weary pilgrim. Miller learns about Jesus from the most unlikely characters and situations -- many that the average conservative Christian would write off as odd, geeky, weird, or just plain evil. Miller's longing for a life freed from the self-enslavement sin produces is remarkably compelling -- making "original sin" sound relevant rather than religious. The most encouraging truth Miller teaches in this book is that Jesus not only loves us, but likes us. It is obvious Miller believes this simple truth, because he tries so hard to like others -- no matter how strange they appear to him. His biggest challenge is in loving conservative fundamentalist Christians (a challenge I share). They seem to him to be cliche-ridden caricatures of the full, zest-filled, life-loving humans Christ calls us to be. I have a feeling that if Donald and I met, we would connect immediately. Thanks, Don, for sharing your unique, candid, odd, and Christlike perspective with us!
There is nothing like reading a mammoth treatise that seeks to absolutely undermine every theological assumption you previously held. This was my experience in reading Azkoul's work. Again and again, he exposes how Western theology, following the lead of Augustine, has fallen into some fatal theological traps. The influence of Augustine's neo-platonism on his theology is vast. Even worse, the influence of Augustine's neo-platonic theology on the Western church is even more profoundly pervasive! This was a treat to read, even though Azkoul is very harsh on those outside the Orthodox Church (and even those within who consider any measure of ecumenism). Great food for thought!
What an incredible collection of concise reflections. Cormier says more in a few paragraphs than many other authors say in whole books. Some of the page-long reflections are absolutely wonderful. As is the case with a book like this, not all the reflections are of equal value, but all in all, this book was a treat to read -- and it certainly inspired some great personal reflections!
Having recently read the first two mammoth volumes by N. T. Wright, I felt like reading some of his critics. Strangely enough, they convinced me more than ever of the profound depth, breadth, and truth of Wright's proposals. In the last chapter Wright carefully and (in my opinion) adequately responds to the criticisms made in the book. I've recently asked my wife if we could have one more child so I could name him Nicholas Thomas (N. T.), but she doesn't think that there is sufficient warrant for this at the moment.
Tom Wright (the more informal way N. T. Wright addresses himself in his more popular and accessible material) has shown his brilliance once again. He says more in 2 - 3 pages about a major section of Paul's letters than many commentaries say by using dozens of pages. This series is meant to be simple and accessible to the average layman, and yet, because of the author, the insights are profoundly brilliant. I can't think of a better series to use for devotions. Buy any of these -- you will not be disappointed.
This short book examines the value of the popular saying, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity." It is specifically examined in light of the controversies within the United Methodist Church, although the insights found in this book would apply to any Christian. This book has given me a greater appreciation for this vital saying, while also expanding my understanding of how it is not as easily applied as one might think. What are essentials? What are non-essentials? How do we love those who do not hold to essentials? How do we decide? These are great questions to ponder in light of our Lord's call to unity. This book is a good start to the discussion.
Stassen and Gushee attempt to ground Christian ethics in the Sermon on the Mount. This is an excellent idea and worth the effort involved. Overall, a good start, but much more could be done in this area.
When I want to read a good book on Christian spirituality I usually read Catholics or Orthodox writers. They have a much greater appreciation of mystery, a firmer grounding in church history and practice, and a stronger sense of the importance of spiritual disciplines. However, there are a couple of Protestants I find who have something to offer (usually because they read the Catholics and Orthodox). Dallas Willard is one of these theologians. In this book, he calls us to follow Jesus, not simply as Savior, but also as Teacher, by paying greater attention to the charter document of the kingdom -- the Sermon on the Mount. This book is laden with great insights on the Sermon on the Mount. It also has some gracious, but incisive, comments concerning the lamentable state of evangelical spirituality. Read at your own risk! After reading, you may feel compelled to actually follow Christ!
Incredibly insightful, provocative, and challenging book concerning the crucial necessity of Israel and the Church. Sometimes you hear people spiritualize away the need for the Church. But this is not how God has ever worked in human history. God has always used a particular people in a particular culture in a particular time in order to accomplish his universal purpose. God did this with Israel. He is now doing this with the Church. We should never be so "spiritual" that we say "God doesn't need the Church." This is to ignore our calling and the crucial urgency of our mission as the community of the people of God.July
Oftentimes evangelicals shy away from studying perfection simply because of its associations with Wesley's "sinless perfection" or perfectionism. This is tragic. Blamelessness, uprightness, wholeness, and perfection are at the heart of the Biblical message. None of the biblical writers are afraid of using "perfection" language. This is the most thorough study I've come across on this significant theme. It is currently out-of-print, but worth buying if you can find it used.
Incredible insights from a young Catholic. His emphasis on experience and listening to God may unsettle some readers, but his insights are so profound -- especially in light of his youth -- that he is worth reading.
Just when you think you've finally got a handle on truth, wake up and realize that the other half of the world doesn't think in the same way we do, and thus our understanding of truth is partial at best. Despite our best attempts, it is impossible to escape how our culture impacts how we think, and even more important for evangelicals, how we think about religion, truth, and God. I find it absolutely liberating to realize that our best formulations are, at best, glimpses of reality. When the mind can see with the eyes of the West and East together, then we may be closer to true reality than we can ever imagine. An eye-opening book guaranteed to expose the hubris of Western thinking.
An introductory booklet discussing the basics of the Orthodox view of salvation. There are better resources, but this is helpful in demonstrating the ancient view of salvation according to the Church Fathers.
Many in the Christian West assume that theosis (the process of glorification that results from partaking of the divine nature of God through the humanity of Christ and indwelling of the Spirit) is simply an Eastern phenomenon. Azkoul demonstrates that many of the early Western Fathers also taught theosis. For the Orthodox, theosis and not the beatific vision is the goal of salvation. Azkoul presents the doctrine of theosis from a wide assortment of biblical texts before he begins to examine the Fathers. This is an incredibly good introduction to this key Orthodox doctrine.
Any Christian who has any compassion whatsoever should hope for the salvation of all people. Yet, at the same time, any Christian who seriously wrestles with the total message of the Holy Scriptures has to wrestle with the reality of eternal condemnation. Gulley and Mulholland present many common arguments for the salvation of all people in a popular, accessible format. In the end, they leave me unconvinced. They have to give away too much in order to come to their conclusions. Perhaps in the future I'll do a more extensive review of the book. However, in the process, they make some important points with which we must wrestle. Is God's grace only limited to this life? Does God stop being gracious to a person the moment they die? Obviously, no one can say what happens at death. And, to be completely honest, the Scriptures do not give much detail concerning the afterlife, especially the period between personal death and judgment. In the end, we must all conclude that God is more gracious than any of us probably will allow and that, ultimately, there will be more people included in God's saving work than we personally envision. In other words, God's perfect grace is bigger than our finite minds, and God's boundary markers of "who's in" are probably a lot wider than our own man-made circles.
This is a mammoth 780-page book containing 124 articles on world missions. It is exhaustive and exhausting. I had to read this for my missions class. Many of the articles overlap. Some get terribly bogged down in charts, statistics, and graphs. But, overall, this is a helpful introduction to world missions. Just don't read every article!
Something about Wagner makes me uncomfortable. Maybe he is right -- maybe the rest of the world is truly experiencing radically obvious manifestations of healings, resurrections, and miracles. But he seems to put such a premium on these "power encounters" that I end up with a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, this is another book I had to read for my missions class.August
James White has a wonderful way of communicating profound truths in an accessible manner. In his latest book, he wrestles with how we relate to an invisible, infinite, and incomprehensible God -- in other words, a God of mystery. White helps us to come to grips with the fact that "living with God is not easy" (p. 10). We will be plagued by guilt if we presume that "faith should somehow be free of complexity and challenge" (p. 10). White helps us work through the complexities and challenges of knowing the mysterious God whose presence, power, and love pervade our lives.
In a world full of cynicism and despair, hope is in short supply. "A gift of hope would be an enormous blessing. But it would have to be the real thing, not some cheap substitute like optimism, which is usually based on some naive view of human nature with an added dose of wishful thinking. It would have to be based on fact, nonfiction" (p. 2). As Christians, we believe that all history is leading to a joyful, righteous, good end. The challenge is to live in the present in light of the future -- to allow hope to shape our lives. For, in Frey's wonderful phrase, to hope is to "remember the future." This is a great book that seeks to shape the Christian through God's story of redemption rather than through simple morality. In other words, through "good news of great joy for all people."
The universe resounds with the glorious music of God that calls us to join the dance of life in the embrace of Christ. Not all can hear the symphony. Those of us who can are faced with a choice every day. Will we dance? Or sit this one out? Gire calls us to join in the dance of intimacy. Our partner -- Christ Jesus -- delights in us. "If we feel detachment in those eyes, we won't dance. If we feel disapproval, we won't dance. If we feel disgust, we won't dance. We want even take the first step. But if we feel detachment, disapproval, or disgust, it is really just a projection of our own self image -- not how Jesus feels about us. Because when Jesus looks at us, no matter how we feel about ourselves, he feels delight" (p. 61).
"The glory of God is man fully alive" (St. Irenaeus). Building on his previous books, Eldredge calls us to pay close attention to what really matters -- our heart. Jesus came not only to bring forgiveness, but also to bring life. By using popular stories/myths to illustrate "Three Eternal Truths" Eldredge hopes to help us see and experience the mystery of God in all things. The Three Truths: (1) Things are not what they seem. There is more going on than meets the eye; (2) We live in a world in spiritual warfare; (3) We have a crucial role to play in the grand story of God. By participating in the "Four Streams" of Discipleship, Counseling, Healing, and Warfare, we will discover our place in God's drama. Eldredge effectively uses familiar stories like Star Wars, the Matrix, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, and Amadeus to make his points. His discussion of the Four Streams deals with familiar topics but in a fresh way. The most important point he makes is that one aspect of participating in the New Covenant is the reception of a new heart. This new heart is good, and makes us a fit vessel for God to dwell in our bodies. Many evangelicals will have a problem with his emphasis on the goodness of the new heart, but this simply demonstrates their inability to affirm that salvation involves something more than merely imputation.
A beautifully-written book about one of the most beautiful prayers ever conceived. Each line of this prayer bleeds grace, love, and compassion. To pray this everyday is to turn from self-centered prayer to other-oriented prayer!
"Our senses are indeed gateways to Spirit and not obstacles to Spirit as some guilt-producing theologians have suggested they were over the centuries." Because of this, we need a "spirituality based on original blessing (as opposed to one fixated on original sin)." Steindl-Rast's book is a good first step at knowing God through our embodied humanity.
Manning challenges us to face our sin, weakness, and fears and embrace the fact that we are "Abba's Child." We find it very easy to present a false facade to ourselves and to the world. The challenge is to truly wrestle with our own heart, expose it to ourselves and to our God, that we might find healing and acceptance. To rest in God's love is to find the freedom to be authentic. It also fuels us to love others with the same kind of compassion and acceptance we've received.
I love John Fischer. He has a very gracious but powerful way of challenging Christians to escape the Christian ghetto and engage the world with the love of Christ. In this book he challenges our proneness to a gnostic denial of the goodness of the world. He calls us to look for truth in all things, practice God's presence at all times, and seek God in the ordinary aspects of life.
A few years ago, John Eldredge's Wild At Heart called men to view the Christian faith as a dangerous, wild, adventurous reality. In the same vein, Nicole Johnson highlights how the Gospel addresses the deepest heart desires of women. According to Nicole, there is a "princess heart" residing in every women. The desire to be known, loved, pursued ("someday my prince will come"), and know in the end that all will be well ("happily ever after"), is at the heart of a woman's desires. Nicole shows how all these desires can be distorted or suppressed. Ultimately, Jesus is the Prince that will come, who loves his princess deeply, who rescues her from harm, and takes her to be his own -- happily ever after! Though the subject matter may make it appear that the book will be trite and superficial, I found this book deep and profound. Nicole takes women seriously and doesn't opt for easy answers. Click HERE for my complete review.
"Availability is a simple but great gift. The freedom to be present when needed is something special. It is an opportunity to be spiritual -- to be open to relationship in the deepest, most elegant sense of the term" (1). In order to truly be available to others, we must know and accept ourselves. We must also free ourselves from needing the approval and acceptance of others. When we make ourselves available to others, we do not simply take time out for them, we make them part of our lives! This is an excellent and challenging book.
Leonard is always such a fun read. In this book, he calls us to leave the "normal" life, and follow the crazy upside-down wisdom of Jesus. A wisdom that teaches that: "The way up is down. The way in is out. The way first is last. The way of success is service. The way of attainment is relinquishment. The way of strength is weakness. The way of security is vulnerability. The way of protection is forgiveness (even seventy times seven). The way of life is the way of death -- death to self, society, family" (16). We need to go "NUTS" -- Never Underestimate The Spirit! Exhilarating reading!
A Jungian Christian argues that we must embrace and accept our dark side in order to find true healing and be truly whole. Johnson has some very provocative insights -- especially in regard to romantic love.September
Hall presents a theology of the cross informed by the Lutheran tradition which values a "theology of the cross" over a "theology of glory." He identifies a "theology of glory" with the "triumphalism" that pervades the Christian church. In order to know God rightly, God must be understood in light of Jesus and especially in light of his work on the cross. God's greatest demonstration of power is the weakness of the cross. This must inform all our theology or the cross is emptied of its revelatory value.
Truesdale has provided a helpful book meant to encourage a believer caught up in the trials of life. With pastoral tenderness, he demonstrates how a believer may come to the point where they find it hard to pray to God. The experience of tragedy or frustration with endless "unanswered" prayers may cause a believer to shrug their shoulders and say, "What's the use?" Through emphasizing God's suffering in our trials, Truesdale teaches us to rest in God even when we are short on words.
Is the fundamental problem with humanity pride or low self-esteem? Do we overvalue or undervalue ourselves? Cooper's conclusion is that pride and low self-esteem are two sides of the same coin. Low self-esteem usually stems from overvaluing an idealized image of oneself that creates unrealistic expectations that are unable to be attained. When one cannot attain to the idealized image, one begins to hate oneself. We must accept ourselves as we truly are, not with the purpose of staying where we are, but for the purpose of real self-development. "Put simply, low self-esteem is more complicated than [Carl] Rogers allows" (150). Concurrently, pride is more multi-faceted in its expression than is often thought.
A very helpful summary of United Methodist history and doctrine. I am amazed at how much of what I believe is paralleled by Methodist doctrine. My respect for the Wesley brothers only increases with time.
I've always enjoyed reading Willimon, and this book is no exception. Willimon presents a warm defense of why the United Methodist tradition is so liberating to him.
Fast becoming one of my favorite authors, Hall has written one of the finest treatments concerning the presence of suffering and evil in God's world. He includes a remarkably provocative section on how some suffering is good and part of being human if it leads to a greater integration of our being rather than disintegration. He concludes the book by interacting with five other popular authors -- including C. S. Lewis and Rabbi Kushner -- who have tackled the same issue.
What a thrilling panorama of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch! Diane presents each of the five senses in all their glory. The way our body works in the fascinating and wondrous world we inhabit is awe-provoking. What a great extended reflection on our "fearfully and wonderfully made" bodies in a cosmos full of "God's wonderful works"!(see Psalm 139:14)
We are used to hearing and seeing Scripture. Ferlo teaches us how to smell, taste, and touch Scripture. In order to truly engage the message of the Bible, we should incorporate all our senses. Major emphasis is given to the oft-forgotten senses -- smell, taste, and touch. A wonderful short read.
Too often God is blamed for the very evil God despises and opposes. The world we live in is an incomprehensibly complex creation that is also a warzone. Not all that occurs is directly caused by God. Evil angelic beings, wayward humans, and a fallen creation all contribute to the evil and suffering we experience. God has revealed his opposition to these fallen powers in Jesus Christ. If we allow God's revelation in Christ to be the controlling factor through which we understand God, we discover a God who demonstrates his power in weakness and his love in suffering. Boyd provides much to think about. His chapter on unanswered prayers is worth the price of the book alone.
This is a fantastic little book on suffering. Instead of focusing on the "why" questions in regard to suffering, we need to focus more on the "where" questions. Where is God in the midst of human suffering? Hauser concludes that the incarnation of Christ reveals that God is "with us" in our sufferings.
Hall writes a book addressed to unbelievers and seekers in regard to the veracity of the Christian faith. He interacts with Christianity's claims and gives thoughtful answers. His strength is in demonstrating that the cross gives meaning to life in the present and that suffering love is at the heart of God's revelation in Christ. He has a remarkable section on how the church should not seek "inclusivity" as much as it should seek to demonstrate "hospitality" to all. This is a great introduction to the Christian faith for thinking seekers.
A very helpful book guaranteed to impart a passion for reaching the lost. Richardson's emphasis on relational and team-oriented evangelism combined with his strong desire to see good "soul-awakening" events sponsored by the church is refreshing. His many practical pointers make this book a helpful addition to awaken a love for the lost.
May seeks to integrate the insights of psychology with the insights of religion, especially religious practices focused on achieving union with the divine and with others. May primarily incorporates wisdom from Christian mystics. May believes that the insights of psychology can be destructive without the depths and dimensions that religious insights provide. He emphasizes the need for mystery in counseling. The illusion of control must be met by surrendering to mystery. Deep, interesting, and provocative.October
Mittelberg provides a helpful tool in creating, shaping, and maintaining a church committed to evangelism. He effectively argues that evangelism should be at the heart of the church's mission and guide all that is done. He provides a very helpful chart that demonstrates all the barriers that stand in the way of people becoming Christians. He also demonstrates how churches can capitalize on the wide variety of evangelism styles found among their members. This is a very helpful book to generate ideas about greater effectiveness in reaching the lost.
Rainer surveyed a significant number of unchurched people who became Christians and came up with some suprising results. Preaching was not a turn-off, but rather, the number 1 deciding influence on the conversion of the unchurched. Strong convictions, challenging doctrine, and high expectations also figured high on the list of reasons the unchurched embraced Christianity. Rainer discovered that many of the things characteristically considered "turn-offs" were actually unimportant or "turn-ons" to the unchurched. Because the pastor plays such a strong role in drawing and keeping the unchurched, Rainer spends the second half of the book sharing data from a survey of 101 pastors who are reaching the unchurched. An eye-opening and important book!
People matter to God, and therefore, they ought to matter to Christians. With this foundational thought, Hybels presents a formula for maximum impact in Christian witness. The formula involves three aspects: (1) an attractive Christian life characterized by authenticity, compassion, and sacrifice; (2) intentionally seeking strategic opportunities to develop close relationships with seekers, and (3) clearly communicating the essentials of the gospel message. This is a very accessible and practical book loaded with insights on attractive Christian character and developing and maintaining relationships with seekers. The weakest component is the overly-simplistic gospel presentations. All in all, however, this is a very helpful book to create excitement about living and telling the message of Christ.
Small group ministry does not always guarantee the creation of true community. In order to experience true community, small groups must intentionally oppose the cultural values that detract from its creation: individualism (the individual is supreme over everything), isolationism (fueled by the private spaces created by modern suburbs), and consumerism (consuming things in an attempt to meet one's real and perceived needs and wants). A common purpose, a common place, and common possessions are offered as alternatives to the world. The church is not simply a collection of individuals but a Spirit-created community of people with a common purpose, place, and possessions. We must have shared beliefs and values to keep small groups from simply being an exercise of focusing on oneself in the presence of others. Frazee gives some great guidelines to creating the kind of small groups that foster true community. His model, however, is specific to his location. It would need to be tweaked in other locations. Building community will not be easy, but it is worth the effort, and this book is a good start. Additional notes: There is a great description of life in the suburbs on pages 114ff. Also, the value of multigenerational groups is celebrated on page 193.
An enjoyable, engaging, and challenging book that places the reader in the middle of a conversation between five Christian leaders about postmodernity, culture, and the church. Andy Crouch, Michael Horton, and Frederica Mathewes-Green all advocate that postmodernity is simply modern consumerism gone awry. For them, postmodernism is nothing but ultramodernism. Brian McLaren and Erwin McManus advocate that postmodernism is a valid critique of modernism, the way of the future, and (generally speaking) much more of a friend to the gospel then modernism. This is a good book for those familiar with the topics under discussion, but probably not the best primer on postmodernism.
As a fan of White's preaching and teaching style I picked up his book on "doing church." He invites leaders to rethink our assumptions of how things are done and be open to change. We must "rethink why we do what we do the way we do it." Rather than repair things, we need to rethink -- the essence of repentance. I found this a very helpful book that graciously challenges the status quo.
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious convictions" (Pascal). Trull and Carter argue that "most pastors do not fail in ministry because of faulty doctrine or poor preaching. Success in the minsitry... depends on how well you get along with people and how Christlike you are. Both of these traits are learned skills, not natural endowments" (14). The triple threat of the abuse of money, sex, and power demands that a minister regulate themselves according to a code of ethics. A code informs others as to what they can expect from a minister. This book is a good aid toward writing and implementing a ministerial code of ethics.
Finally, someone with the courage to publish an entire book on the unspeakable "m" word: not "menstruation," "marriage," or "menopause," but (get your web filters ready) "masturbation." Gerali traces different teachings concerning masturbation throughout the centuries. Some of what he uncovers is shockingly unnerving. And some of the treatments to "cure" masturbation even more terrifying! Gerali argues that masturbation must be treated with grace and liberty. Many of the old tired cliches concerning masturbation need to be rethought. This could be a liberating book if read prayerfully, thoughtfully, and openly. I know too many men who are stopped dead in their tracks by masturbation (something the Bible never directly addresses) and yet hardly consider their selfishness, greed, pride, envy, or discontentment.
I wanted to like this book, but found its shortcomings greater than its insights. Ward advocates that the church must let go of its institutional packaging in order to be more relevant in a postmodern culture. Obviously, the institution can get in the way of true spiritual life, but without any kind of organization whatsoever there is little hope for authentic community that centers around a common identity. Not only small groups, but also public worship and teaching shape and form us as believers in Christ. Ward's diagnosis may be helpful but his cure is far too radical.
This book will certainly rank as one of my top ten books of 2003. For an extended summary of the book, click HERE.
Reading Johnny Cash's autobiography is one of the most enjoyable things I've done lately. Cash is certainly a complex man who is bright, articulate, genuine, worldly-wise, and God-fearing. He is a "flawed" masterpiece in many ways, and is well aware of it. His recounting of his older brother Jack's death because of a saw mill accident is told in a sobering and respectful manner. Only fourteen years old at the time, Jack's influence never lost its hold in Cash's life. His stories of drug-addiction are frightening warnings to others: "all mood-altering drugs carry a demon called Deception. You think, If this is so bad, why does it feel so good? (p. 141) His story about his attempt to kill himself by crawling deep into a large cave was terrifying to read: "I crawled and crawled until, after two or three hours, the batteries in my flashlight wore out and I lay down to die in total darkness. The absolute lack of light was appropriate, for at that moment I was as far from God as I have ever been... I thought I'd left Him, but He hadn't left me" (p. 170). Miraculously, Johnny slowly crawled out of the cave by means of touch alone only to be met by his wife June who had come to find him. His telling of a near-deadly ostrich attack that led to a reoccurrence of his drug dependency is both tragic and funny. Johnny Cash wrote this book because of the promptings of evangelist Billy Graham. The "Man in Black" has seen much in his legendary life. I am grateful for this collection of memories told in the way only Cash could.
Willimon is full of countercultural, cross-centered, godly foolishness that opposes and upsets worldly wisdom. I love how he constantly warns pastors to refuse to perpetuate a consumer-driven ministry dispensing religious goods and services in order to meet the endless (and mostly selfish) needs of middle-class Christians. Ministering in the name of Christ, ministers must not only meet the most essential (and not merely "important") needs of people, but they must also challenge the needs of their parishioners at times.
According to Groff, it would be tragic to "do church" without "being church to one another." He is right. Until the church is viewed as a viable place where genuine spirituality can be experienced and practiced, it will remain largely irrelevant to our culture. The church holds the key to bringing together authentic spirituality and people-centered organization: "If the twentieth century's major church mistake was to focus on structures while ignoring spirituality, then much of what is happening now seems to be focusing on spirituality while ignoring structures. To split the two misses the miracle of Incarnation. While structures that ignore spirituality are lifeless, spirituality that disregards structures is disembodied" (p. 38). Groff's book is full of practical helps to allow the spiritual to intersect with human organization. This book is a good first step in making "organized religion" seem desirable again! My favorite quote in the book: "If the church doesn't reach out to the community, people won't come. But if people come into our churches and don't sense the presence of God, they're not going to return" (p. 13).November
What a powerful short novel that deals with the most profound questions concerning human existence -- questions concerning life, death, the afterlife, meaning, suffering, love, hate, and forgiveness. This book holds great promise for prompting further reflection upon God, God's character, and God's purposes. I've written an extensive review and reflection on the book. Click HERE to view it!
Jesus did not come to start a religion. Oftentimes the church woefully mispresents Jesus, his teaching, his heart, and his life. Many unbelievers reject the church's distorted Jesus and not the Jesus who truly exists. This book and its accompanying outstanding study guide are a great first step at introducing Jesus to people who are disinterested or disdainful of the church.
This is the best overall introduction to viewing pop culture in a positive light I have ever read. Detweiler and Taylor examine art, advertising, celebrity, film, music, fashion, and sports. If Christians are to communicate in our culture we must think missionally -- seeking to find every opportunity in our cultural setting as a bridge for the gospel. And there are plenty of bridges out there if one is willing to look! Of course, we'll have to get our feet dirty and be willing to be uncomfortable -- two things most Christians aren't willing to do!
In order to translate God's ancient purposes to today's postmodern world, we must unlearn much that has been done in the past. The cultural currency and cultural language is constantly changing, calling for the church to remain ready to constantly shift to address the needs in the world. This book provides a tremendous overall perspective to re-envision what church should and could be. This book provides a great summary of all the important issues and values an emerging church should be familiar with.
This book is full of helpful advice for the beginnings weeks and months of a new pastorate. From scheduling personal meetings with the entire congregation to shooting for a grassroots planning retreat to create a shared vision and mission, this book is a rich resource of practical ideas.
Modern evangelicalism is preoccupied with size. Bigger is better is the evangelical mantra. Callahan demonstrates that this is not always true: Bigger is bigger, but not always better. When small churches focus on size, they cut their own throat. Instead, small churches should focus on their strengths and seek to be a small, strong congregation. A small, strong congregation must be more concerned for people and community than size. A small strong congregation does not try to do everything, but instead, focuses on doing one thing well in mutual ministry. Other important issues related to strengthening the small church -- including the pros and cons of owning a building -- are discussed in this immensely helpful book.
The beginning of a new pastorate is a difficult time that sets the tone for years to come. Farris offers many great insights on making the transition smooth and effective. For example: Make only a few changes at first, but make changes that matter.
Many books on leadership focus on techniques and skills. McNeal's book focuses on a far more important issue -- the heart of a leader. According to McNeal, "God creates leaders in order to share his heart with his people... This means that the spiritual formation in the life of the leader is not just a private matter" (xiv). After demonstrating the heart of four biblical leaders (Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus), McNeal writes about the six areas that shape the leader's heart: culture, call, community, communion, conflict, and the commonplace. "God's greatest adventure for you involves far more than making you a great leader. He wants to make you a great person. You are, after all, a work of heart" (xv).
Not only must a pastor be a wordsmith, he or she must also be an imagesmith. The people of God are storytellers and storydwellers. Because of this, a good leader must be able to clearly communicate the story of his or her congregation in order to sustain and direct them. Weber's use of a picture to describe the need for Scripture (the sky), Tradition (the horizon), Reason (perspective), and Experience (entering the artwork) is a very helpful way to envision the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Outside of a few other helps, this book covers very little new ground.
American religion readily adapts to American culture. At times, this leaves religion spineless, toothless, without any distinctives. On the other hand, it causes religion to be relevant -- a part of daily life. There is much to celebrate and challenge in culture. If the church accepts cultural values without criticism, she is doomed to become indistinguishable from the world. However, if the church can't prove that what she has to offer is relevant to daily living, then she will never be heard. It is a difficult tightrope to navigate, but it must be navigated if we are to be "in the world, but not of it."
The table of contents for this book is outstanding and provides a good general overview of the heart of Christianity developed from a trinitarian foundation with an emphasis on the suffering love of God revealed by the cross. The execution of the chapters leaves much to be desired and is rigorous reading. In short, other than a few sparse gems strewn throughout the text, I benefitted more from the overall idea expressed in the table of contents than from the actual manuscript.
"The theme of this book is that spiritual and psychological growth go hand in hand. Neither a spirituality that ignores the dynamics of psychological growth nor a psychology that denies the spiritual nature of the human person can serve as an adequate guide today for people who seek to live with greater harmony and integration. The spirituality presented here is a holistic one in the sense that it recognizes the dynamic interrelation between our spiritual and psychological selves, between our quest for holiness and our desire for wholeness" (p. 2). This book has great chapters on perfectionism and envy.
Nivens compiles research from academic studies and distills the findings into short, easy-to-digest bites. This book features aspects that make for a happy life. Many are common sense, but it is enjoyable reading. I found many helpful affirmations and some needed correctives.
One of my favorite spiritual themes is childlike faith that stems from being adopted into God's household through Christ. Fong uses the example of his own adoption of a child to speak of God's adoption of us. The book is rather weak, offering little that is new. I'd recommend reading St. Therese (among others) for deeper reflections on such a rich theme.
We all know what Jesus taught, but did his life match his teaching? How did Jesus actually live? How does it shed light upon his teachings? This is an interesting book that examines Jesus' personal conduct in order to better understand what he taught.December
God willingly suffers the rejection of his people. God also willingly mourns the sins of the world. The Old Testament is full of passages that highlight God's suffering for his people and for the world. Jesus is culmination of God's loving (and thus suffering) relationship with the world that is demonstrated in anthromorphisms, theophanies, and the prophets. A very important book about on oft-neglected topic.
Until recently, evanglical spirituality was nearly non-existent. Sure, we did a great job of repeating doctrinal propositions, but we did a poor job of practicing our theology. Focusing on justification by faith alone to the exclusion of new life through union with Christ by the Spirit has led to a powerless gospel. We need "a discipline of devotional practices rather than a repetition of doctrinal propositions" (p. 97). This book is a great analysis of the unique contributions of evangelical authors in regard to spiritual practice. May their tribe increase!
What is Jesus saying to you at this point in your life? What indicators give you confidence that you are hearing Jesus rather than someone else? Jesus is alive and manifests his presence, power, and guidance through his Spirit who indwells us. In order to hear the voice of Jesus, we must be attentive to his voice and we must be discerning in order that we truly hear Jesus and not our own sinful desires. Smith highlights the importance of emotions in our decisions as well as how to corporately make decisions in light of the Spirit's leading. A great book with much helpful wisdom!
Whether we like it or not, conflict is a part of life. Refusing to learn how to address conflict only leads to more conflict. No matter how much one dislikes conflict, learning how to prepare for, deal with, and learn from conflict is vital to growing healthy people and relationships. Indeed, apart from conflict, one's relationship with others will remain superficial. This book provides excellent tools and techniques for handling conflict.
Atonement theories are conceptual tools to help us understand God's work in Christ. Throughout her 2000 year existence, the church has never made any one understanding of the atonement official, and for good reason: each theory falls short of explaining the fullness of God's work in Christ. Most theories emphasize either the objective or subjective component of the atonement and end up placing too much stress on either God's action or human response. Fiddes attempts to integrate both aspects. According to Fiddes, we must never forget that a relationship is being restored through the atonement. This goes beyond a simple ticket to heaven or legal transaction.
What a fantastic collection of fresh, creative, engaging sermons! Debbie has engaged many episodes from Jesus' life as well as a few parables and given them new life. She reminds us anew of how startling Jesus' life and ministry truly is. Occultists at the manger, the bloody mess of being born again, the gruesome sight of human beings being caught as fish, and the sexually charged and olfactory-overloaded foot-washing episode are some of the shocks that Debbie brings to our attention. The preface alone is worth the price of the book. Great book!
According to Zahl, "third quest" studies in relation to Jesus have focused entirely too much on Jesus' continuity with Second Temple Judaism. Thas has obscured Jesus' distinctiveness -- his "Christianness." Zahl contrasts Jesus with John the Baptist in order to demonstrate Jesus' break with Second Temple Judaism. Thus, Jesus is not simply a figure within Second Temple Judaism, but "the first Christian." Zahl is afraid that focusing on Jesus' continuity with Judaism may strip away any sense of "universality" from his teachings.
Comments
Posted by: Karl Thienes at March 4, 2003 11:09 AM
Posted by: Ben Shobert at March 17, 2003 9:22 AM