Against Nothingness

Ed Cyzewski, Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life.  NavPress, 2008. 233 pgs.  Disclosure: This book was provided by  TheOoze  for the purpose of review.  @viralbloggers Coffeehouse Theology  may best be described as an introduction to, and argument for, doing theology. More specifically, for doing 'contextual theology.' In it Ed argues that we need to understand our culture in order to understand, teach, or practice theology.  We are ourselves culturally conditioned and, consequently, need to understand our culture in order to understand our own biases.  The same goes for living it or spreading it.   In order to take this position Ed spends five chapters exploring our culture; how it has changed, how it affects us, and so on.  He then goes on to place the center of theology in God, and the central practices of theology as prayer and reflection.  Next come three chapters examining theology in light of the bibl...

Randall Mark Peters, Dave Phillips, Quentin Steen. Colors of God: Conversations about Being the Church . Biblica Publishing, 2010. 232 pgs.  Disclosure: This book was provided by TheOoze for the purpose of review.  @viralbloggers Colors of God is a book by three self-described 'emergent church' pastors which explains a new way of doing church.  It might have been better titled Colors of Church.   The book is written in the style of a conversation, with paragraphs and sections divided by the first names of the authors, making a kind of combination of book with script.  In Part 1 the authors tell their own stories of how they came to be in this place with neXus, which is the church they have founded based on the principals espoused in this book. In Part 2 they go through their four colors: Blue - Gospel Faith. Green - Healthy Living. Red - Inclusive Community. Yellow - Cultural engagement.   Theologically, they argue for several distinct positions....

Stephen R. Lawhead, The Skin Map: A Bright Empires Novel . Thomas Nelson, 2010. 403pgs. Disclosure: This book was provided by Thomas Nelson for review purposes. The Skin Map begins the story of Kit Livingstone's odd travels.  His great-grandfather appears to him and tells him that all throughout Britian are 'ley-lines' which allow individuals to travel through both time and space.  Kit is then invited to join in the quest to find the skin map, a parchment made from the skin of a man who learned much about these ley-lines, mapped them, and tatooed that information onto his body.  Naturally, Kit and his great-grandfather are not the only ones looking for this map, so the race is on. I have read Lawhead before and enjoyed his work.  This book was no different.  It was suspenseful and engaging, and with Lawhead's typical ability to write characters that are human and easy to relate to.  The idea behind this story is interesting, and I found Lawhead...

So, my last post on getting help with questions for the upcoming theme week has 30 page views, and 1 response... Bad topic? Or unresponsive readers?  First, I think I will change it to just interesting questions, such as the one  D Piekklowski generously offered. So, the questions you suggest can be goofy, personal, abstract, whatever.   Secondly, I am now asking again for question ideas :) 

I've been thinking about what to do for another theme week(s) and I came up with this idea.  I will do a theme on important questions . I realize that seems broad and vague. Partly this is purposeful; what I am thinking of are questions which are large and nearly impossible to answer but which reward thought and discussion.  Partly this is because I haven't come up with a better name yet, and that is because I don't have the list of questions yet.  That is where you come in. Please HELP! Two questions that I definitely want to include, to give you an idea, are "What if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?" and "What if you knew you were going to live tomorrow?" What I need from you are more ideas.  What questions would you ask? What questions would you want to discuss?  Please comment and let me know your ideas about important questions of this sort.  The more the better.  I am not promising to do every question that gets put forward, bu...

I don't know where I heard it first, but this quote still often bounces around in my head: "Your system is perfectly tuned to produce exactly the results you are getting." Inevitably, when this quote comes up, another quickly follows:  Matthew 7:17-18 "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." In other words, as you look around with ever ready critique on the tip of your tongue, remember that the thing you lament is a result of a system in which you are a part.   What got me thinking about this? A third quote: "If a factory is torn down but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory.  If a revolution destroys a government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves... There's so much talk about the ...

I am, as usual, reading. Just now, I happen to be reading a hilariously insightful book entitled Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book  by Walker Percy.  Heard of it/him? Neither had I.  The book is witty, well written, and, though 27 years old, highly relevant. I am not done yet, so this is not a review, but I wanted to share his introduction, just to give you a taste: "Lost in the Cosmos: The last self help book or How you can survive in the Cosmos about which you know more and more while knowing less and lessa bout yourself, this despite 10,000 self help books, 100,000 psychotherapists, and 100 million fundamentalist Christians or Why it is that of all the billions and billions of strange objects in the Cosmos - novas, quasars, pulsars, black holes - you are beyond doubt the strangest or Why it is possible to learn more in ten minutes about the Crab Nebula in Taurus, which is 6,000 light-years away, than you presently know about yourself, even though you've bee...

I just finished reading this amazing post over at " Faith and Theology " blog (which I didn't know about until today). Now, I feel the need to share my lament.  Lamenting is an art that seems to be lost, so let me say this before I begin: Take this in the spirit it is meant. Lord, you know that I am a theologian and a pastor for some of the reasons described by Ben Myers. I wish I spent so much time learning about the C hristian faith because I understood the worth of your gifts and way, or because I loved you that much, or because I was obediently answering your call.  These things have, and do, play their roles. But the deeper and initial reason, if I am honest, is that I have done this because the faith you call us to often makes very little sense to me.  Lord, why? Why do you not make the path clearer?  I wish I could say that my questing through apologetics was for the purpose of bringing others to you.  Indeed, you have been gracious and used my time i...

John Stott, The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling . IVP Books, 2010. 142 pgs.  Introduction There is nothing like thought provoking, insightful, clear, and concise writing to cleanse the mental palate after having been exposed to such unmentionable rubbish as was the subject of my last book review .  I have already mentioned that this book probably felt better merely because I read it immediately after reading Twilight .  I have no doubt that this is true, but I don't think this review is much affected by that.   That said, I picked up this book a few months ago because I had heard it was to be John Stott's last book (this is confirmed by Stott in the Postscript, which was both sad and interesting).  I recently noticed it on my "To Be Read" shelf and decided it looked like just what I needed right now.  I was not disappointed.  Summary In The Radical Disciple  John Stott lays out, and explores, eight core aspects of ...

I don't know if it really will be his last book or not (I would be very happy to find out it will not be!) but I recently purchased, and am now reading, The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling  by John Stott.   After reading Twilight, this book tastes and feels ridiculously good.  I think it would have anyway.  So, my review is forthcoming (not done the book yet).  In the meantime, some quotes: "Here then are perhaps five main ways in which we are to be Christlike: we are to be like Christ in his incarnation, in his service, in his love, in his endurance and in his mission." "Suffering is a huge subject in itself, and there are many ways to understand it.  But one stands out, and that is that suffering is part of God's process of making us like Christ." From William Temple (quoted by Stott) "It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or  King Lear , and telling me to write a play like that.  Shakespeare could do it; I can'...

Stephenie Meyer, Twilight . Little, Brown and Company: 2005. 498 pages. Introduction What follows is an extended review.  I read this book as an exercise and as research.  It was an exercise in understanding popular culture and in discernment.  It was research in that this book/movie is a feature of teen culture right now.    As Christians seeking to be discerning in the face of today's various media, I think it is important for us to explore art, and interact with it, on multiple levels: Aesthetic (the content of my normal fiction book reviews), Moral, Ideological, and Theological.  Not all of these apply to all works of art, but we should bring them up when applicable.  Book Summary I think everyone probably knows what this book is about but, just in case, I will summarize. Twilight is the story of Edward, a vampire who is part of a unique family that resist the urge to feed on human blood, and Bella, an apparently normal teenage gir...

Shakespeare divided great men into three classes: those born great, those who achieved greatness, those who had greatness thrust upon them. It never occurred to him to mention those who hired public relations experts and press secretaries to make themselves look great...The celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness. - Daniel Boorstin The coke sign does not simply mean a refreshing drink; it means America got there first. - Humphrey McQueen  We are no longer eating food or drinking drinks; we practice ‘body management’ and are buying convenience, escape, energy. - Marc Gobe, Emotional Branding Commercial television is ruthlessly secular.  Its emphasis on the immediate, the here-and-now, the accumulation of goods, and the denial that there is any higher experience than consuming and watching TV… ultimately, conventional religion is heretical to television’s very notion of itself. - Stephen Stark

Yes, I am reading Twilight.   Yes, I did watch this clip by Mark Driscoll.  I am not sure which one of those two facts is more embarrassing, but I will be talking about both of them. I should start out by telling you that I am generally not a fan of Mark Driscoll (in case you hadn't picked up on that yet).  The above clip did nothing to change my opinion. To summarize, in this clip Driscoll rants for 10 minutes or so about how Twilight , among other books, is evil.   He does, however, start out well.  For a moment I had hope.  He begins by saying "I do want you to be discerning when it comes to culture because I believe one of the ways that Satan works in our day, is he will take things out of the category of religion and spirituality, put them into the category of entertainment, and we completely fail to be discerning. We just think, "Oh, that's not demonic. That's a movie." A movie is a sermon with pictures." So far so good.  We absolu...

Not that I think anyone will have noticed, but I deleted the last post I put up about laughing at poor English on international signs.  First of all, my own language abilities, particularly grammar, are not my strong point. You may or may not notice, but my posts tend to be riddled with errors.  The truth is I do not spend nearly enough time editing but, even if I did, I doubt I would catch all my mistakes. Thus, that post was a bit like a man with a plank in his own eye trying to take the speck out of someone else's eye .   Secondly, and more importantly, it's not exactly uplifting to put a post on here which is entirely based on mockery.  I know, it's all in good fun, or so we may think, but what good is accomplished by it?    That said, I did not come to these realizations through my own reflections but through the gentle, and private, rebuke of a friend.  For that I am thankful. I both deserved it and needed it.  So, let me say publicly, ...

What do you think is the most popular religion in the North America? Have a choice?  If you guessed Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or any other recognized world religion, then your wrong.  That is, your wrong according to Christopher Smith, as he claims in this article (which is the source of all quotations in this post). He argues that the de facto dominant religion is one with no structure or organization, no official name, and with no official adherents: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.   Its tenets are as follows:  "1. A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life.  2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the bible and most world religions.  3. The central goal of life is to be happy and feel good about yourself.  4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when he is needed to resolve a problem.  5. Good people go to he...

Larry Osborne, Sticky Teams . Zondervan, 2010. 221 pgs.  Another blog tour is here, thanks to the good people over at  http://engagingchurchblog.com/  for allowing me to be a part of this.  Sticky Teams is a book on pastoral leadership which covers the three key relationship areas all pastors must deal with: staff, elders, and congregation.  Osborne begins by making a strong case for the importance of unity, and then moves through three sections: Removing roadblocks, getting everyone on the same page, and keeping everyone on the same page.  His focus is not on passing on his particular model for doing church, instead he puts his energy into laying out the principles behind his models.  This book was excellent.  Osborne's insights are practical, focused, clear, and important.  He offers good, usable, advice for pastors in any position, however the book is clearly focused on the senior pastor's position.  I found his sections on gu...

Christopher A. Cunningham, Jungle Warfare: A Basic Field Manual for Christians in Sales . Thomas Nelson, 2010. 207 pgs.  Jungle Warfare is a 22 day devotional specifically designed for Christians in sales.  Each day Cunningham quotes his Grandfather's "Manual on Jungle Warfare ", some bible verses, and a reflection that connects these things together with being a Christian in sales.  He also adds a prayer and some questions with space for brief journal reflections.  Frequently throughout the 22 days, Cunningham challenges the reader to make commitments and decisions both practical and spiritual.  Finally, at the end of the book, there is a "Jungle Warfare Field Support" section which is Cunningham's answers to several common questions.   I was greatly impressed by this book.  I have to admit that the title and description made me wary.  A book designed specifically for Christians in sales? With jungle warfare? However, Cunningham skil...

Patheos  is holding a symposium over the next two weeks on the future of evangelicalism . They have some good authors lined up to share articles, including Mark Noll, Rodney Stark, Richard Foster, and many others.  I am excited.  So, don't be surprised if I blog about some of this stuff; which I am doing right now.  One of the articles is entitled " Future Trends in Evangelicalism " and is by Ed Stetzer. In it, he argues that there are 4 main issues that need to be discussed/addressed (which I am summarizing in brackets in a way that I think draws them together): 1. Learning to navigate a "post-seeker" context. (know our world) 2. Regain confidence in the gospel (know what we believe) 3. Address the definition of evangelicalism (know who we are) 4. Address our shallow definitions of discipleship (know how to live) In other words, we have to figure out or firm up the very basics of this movement we call 'evangelicalism.'  Sadly, I don't think he is ...

Dan Brennan, Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions: Engaging the Mystery of Friendship Between Men and Women. Faith Dance Publishing, 2010. 183 pgs.  Dan Brennan's book, supposedly, makes one main argument: Men and Women can share in deep, passionate, intimate friendships without sex.  Or, contra Harry ("When Harry met Sally"), men and women can be 'just friends'. Along the way, Brennan makes some excellent points about friendship and intimacy, in general as well as in how they have been warped and distorted by our culture.  Thus, he rightly points out that (especially among conservative Christians, but also in the culture at large) focused all of our intimacy and friendship into romantic cross-gender relationships (whether in marriage or out) and that this focus is damaging both our ability to make non-romantic friendships as well as our ability to flourish in romantic relationships.  Here's the thing: I would much rather discuss Brennan's side points than hi...