tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674727140214632052024-02-08T13:25:01.584-05:00The Christian Book RevueThe Christian Book Revue provides revues of various books from a broadly evangelical viewpoint.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04287004022696408369noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-71546721781057913282015-07-10T10:09:00.001-04:002015-07-10T10:11:05.065-04:00The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0849946077&asins=0849946077&linkId=7G2AGKY7Y4K6G3GG&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the
Spiritual Life<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Joan Chittister<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">217 pages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who might this book
interest?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> This book would interest those who want to
know more about the liturgical year and to better live it out. The book is a pretty simple read, although I
do have several criticisms of it from both a writing and theological
perspective. Admittedly, it would not be
the first book that I suggest on the topic. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My first suggestion would be </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Robert Webber’s</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801091756/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0801091756&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=GHESB3VSCFYI3W6X" style="font-size: 12pt;">Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0801091756" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Lord willing, my review of Webber's book will be forthcoming.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My Rating</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: 6 out of 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: Joan Chittister
is both a Benedictine nun, lecture, and author.
She holds a PhD in speech communication from Penn State University and
has written over 50 books and numerous articles. In addition, she has received many awards for
her publications and international social work on behalf of peace, human
rights, and women’s issues. As one who
has practiced the liturgical year for practically all of her life, Joan
Chittister is highly qualified to write this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Because
it contains thirty chapters, it is hard to summarize this book. So, instead of covering it chapter by
chapter, I am going to make broad statements about the content. As one would expect, Chittister covers the foundations of the liturgical
year, the Advent cycle, the Lenten cycle, and Ordinary time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Generally</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Chittister does three things
throughout this work. <b>First</b>, she explains
the various feasts, festivals and seasons of the liturgical year. She gives the historical development of them. This is interesting because they sometimes
developed different in the East and West.
Usually, she addresses why they developed differently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Second</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Chittister connects them to the
scriptural events that they flow from. At
its best, the liturgical year arises from the scriptural presentation of the
life of Jesus Christ, so it makes sense that there should be an intimate
connection with the text. There are some
Catholic feasts that do not rise from Scripture which she also discusses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Third</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Chittister highlights the
spirituality of the liturgical year.
What spiritual meaning and use does the liturgical year hold for
Christians? Throughout the book, she
points out how the liturgical year contributes to our maturing faith. The liturgical year is spiritually beneficial
to those who consistently practice it over a long period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Evangelical
Assessment</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: In terms of writing, there are a couple of criticisms. <b>First</b>, the book needed sections to
group the chapters. This would have
helped with cohesion and flow. There are
33 chapters, and it feels overwhelming when you look at the number of
chapters. You wonder, “Where do I start?” Sections would have provided a context for
understanding some of the chapters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Second</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, Chittister’s
writing style is creatively repetitive and laborious at the same time. Most of the paragraphs follow this pattern:
say it, say it again differently, say it again differently, say it one more
time. There are exceptions such as when
she is explaining why we celebrate certain feasts at a certain time. Generally, I find that she seeks to be
creative, but often uses too many words, and at times, unusual vocabulary to
say what she wants to say. I know that
she is thoughtful and creative, but I found myself getting rather impatient
reading her prose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Third</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, she is a
Catholic Christian, and I can appreciate that about her perspective. There were Catholic emphases and feasts that
she introduced me too, but as a Lutheran, we do not practice. At times, I learned about another traditions
practice of the liturgical year.
Unfortunately, the Protestant traditions that also practice the
liturgical year are neglected. She does
give voice to the Eastern Orthodox Church at times, but neglects several feasts
that Protestants do celebrate, such as Reformation Day for the Lutherans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<b>Sources:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.jeserie.org/about/lecturers/-joan-chittister-osb-phd">https://www.jeserie.org/about/lecturers/-joan-chittister-osb-phd</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://joanchittister.org/">http://joanchittister.org/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://joanchittister.org/about-joan-chittister">http://joanchittister.org/about-joan-chittister</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04287004022696408369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-85767373274987425662015-07-07T15:48:00.000-04:002015-07-07T15:48:01.307-04:00Clowning in Rome by Henri J. M. Nouwen<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=038549999X&asins=038549999X&linkId=DXMP2SZ7FK3NJYG3&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy,
Prayer, and Contemplation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Henri J. M. Nouwen<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">New York, NY: Image Books, 2000<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">109 pages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who might this book
interest? </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I think that most
Christians, who are serving Christ in some way, would benefit from reading
Nouwen’s book, Clowning in Rome. It will
especially appeal to those who are not serving in the spotlight, and help them
to bring greater depth and understanding to their service to God and people.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My Rating</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: 9 out of 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: Before his
passing in 1996, Nouwen was a Catholic priest, pastoral theologian and
psychologist as well as a spiritual writer.
In his teaching career, he taught at Norte Dame, Yale Divinity School,
and Harvard Divinity School. After
serving as a university professor for many years, Nouwen went on to serve the L’Arche
Daybreak community in Toronto, Canada until his death. He had an immense literary output of over 40
books! Thus, Nouwen’s influence has continued
well after his death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Initially,
I equated Nouwen’s title, “Clowning in Rome,” with something like “Goofing Off
in Rome.” So, I did not really feel that
it was a book that I wanted to read, but then, I read the Introduction, and I
quickly became captivated by it. The
idea is that clowns are in the peripheral and not a part of the main show, but
they serve in so many ways out of the spotlight. Nouwen originally gave these as lectures
to various religious communities in Rome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter 1: Solitude and
Community seems even more relevant today than when it was originally written in
1978.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> We live in an “emergency-oriented society”
where “fear and anger” are prominent features.
Fear and anger may produce togetherness but not love for your
neighbor. Solitude show us that community
grows us with others. It teaches us
dependence on God, which enables us to love others in spite of themselves. In solitude, we find our true identity and
calling as part of our community and common call. If we do not structure time for solitude, we
live in and of the emergency-oriented world, where we do not love our neighbors
as ourselves. Solitude allows us to
connect with our Creator and Redeemer.
It strips away all of our false self-identity, and exposes our true self
before the One who loves and guides us into community. In our day of false unity through fear and
anger, we need true solitude and community more than ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter 2: Celibacy and
the Holy originally made me wonder if this chapter really had anything to say
to me as a married person.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> We each have an inner sacred
space which witnesses to God. Celibacy
is a visible witness to that sacred space in all of us. Interpersonal relationships are important,
but may overrun our sacred space in our desperation for intimacy. The meaning of celibacy is important for all
states of life: marriage, friendship, etc.
Celibacy witnesses that God is the source of love for all of us. The two pillars of celibacy are contemplative
prayer and poverty. God comes to meet us
in this prayer, and voluntary poverty is an outer expression of one’s inner
poverty, which hopes and depends on God to fulfill. Sexual abstinence, contemplative prayer, and
voluntary poverty witness to the inner vacancy “where we encounter Love, listen
to the voice of Love, and celebrate the presence of Love in our midst.” Celibacy is a reminder not to attempt to fill
one’s need for love completely in others, but in the true Source, God. Then, our interpersonal relationships can be
energized with His love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Chapter 3: Prayer and
Thought challenges us in our prayer and thoughts.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Many time, people want to make prayer a “part”
of their life, but St. Paul makes prayer his whole life and encourages us to do
the same. Pray is like breathing or our
heart beating; ceaseless until physical death.
What does it mean “to pray without ceasing”? The Jesus Prayer is one example. Nouwen continues to explore, “How can
thinking become praying?” First, we need
to stop thinking. Second, unceasing
prayer is not unceasingly thinking about God, but thinking all of our thoughts
in God’s presence. This is not
introspection, but conversation and communion.
This is a slow process.
Surrendering all of our thoughts to God is difficult, especially when
our thoughts feel inappropriate or embarrassing. Discipline provides support for constant
communion. Attempt to be open to God in
all circumstances. Nouwen suggests
contemplative prayer as a means of waiting on God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, Chapter 4:
Contemplation and Caring shows us the connection between these.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Nouwen says, “To contemplate is to see, and
to minister is to make visible, the contemplative life is a life with a vision,
and the life of caring for others a life revealing the vision to others.” According to Nouwen, the contemplative life
is moving from opaqueness to transparency in three areas: nature, time, and
people. The contemplative life allows us
to see beneath the outward and makes the world a sacrament which reveals God’s
love. Nouwen comments, “The practice of
the contemplative prayer is the discipline by which we begin to ‘see’ the
living God dwelling in our own hearts.”
God within us reveals God in nature, time, and people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Evangelical
Assessment</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Nouwen seamlessly integrates psychology, theology and
spirituality. There is a depth in his
approach that is so often lacking in the evangelical perspective. His approach to solitude as a basis for true
community. The discussion of celibacy in
a context which highlights the centrality of God, while affirming marriage,
gives a unique and needed perspective.
The encouragement and challenge to make prayer your life, instead of a
part of your life. The interconnection
of contemplation to care in our relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nouwen was a Catholic priest and draws on the history of Christian spirituality,
but he is also broad in his thinking. While
there is occasional Catholic speak, it is not prominent, nor a distraction for
the evangelically-minded reader. Once
again, there is great depth in Nouwen’s writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">He interacts with some current religious-based psychology, quotes
philosophy, refers to Scripture as well as draws from the history of Christian
spirituality. It is obvious that he has
meditated and internalized much of what he teaches in this book. He is a thoughtful academic, who knows these
writings, but he is also a contemplative, who has meditated upon them. If there is any draw back, it is the implicit
use of Scripture when an explicit use could be helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Inevitably, I end up reading the chapters multiple times before I feel
like I understand what he is saying. On
a purely surface level, Nouwen is accessible, but it really takes multiple
readings to plunge the depth of his thought.
Generally, I find myself reading the chapters three times each before I
feel that I have a sufficient grasp on the content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I believe that this book would be good reading for any Christian who is
serving Him. It will especially be
helpful for those who are not in the limelight.
They serve in a way that is not noticed by others. They are the normal people that give us hope
in our service to Christ. This book will
nurture their inner life with God and outward service to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Sources:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Nouwen">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Nouwen</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.henrinouwen.org/">http://www.henrinouwen.org/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.henrinouwen.org/about_henri/about_henri.aspx">http://www.henrinouwen.org/about_henri/about_henri.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04287004022696408369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-43102272357680520672015-05-19T14:33:00.001-04:002015-07-07T16:56:13.043-04:00Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0830813861&asins=0830813861&linkId=QZXSRD4QOKW6G53B&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830813861/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0830813861&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=3ZJVDTPGPLO4BPH6">Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830813861" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">M. Robert Mulholland Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">173 pages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Who
might this book interest?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Mulholland’s
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830813861/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0830813861&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=3ZJVDTPGPLO4BPH6">Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830813861" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
is intended for a broad Christian audience, and apparently,
it has met that goal. While it has not
been revised, it is still in print and has been integrated into InterVarsity’s
“Formatio” series. My copy is from 1993,
and my daughter’s copy is a more recent printing with a different cover. We use it as one of our freshman spiritual
formation textbooks at the college level, but it is a very accessible book for
most audiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">My
Rating</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">:</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> 8 out of 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="text-transform: uppercase;">Summary</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">:</span> After teaching there for many years, Dr. M.
Robert Mulholland Jr. became professor emeritus of New Testament at Asbury
Theological Seminary. Asbury is usually
described as an interdenominational evangelical seminary in the
Wesleyan-Methodist tradition. He earned
his MDiv from Wesley Theological Seminary and his ThD from Harvard Divinity
School. In addition to having published
New Testament commentaries, Mulholland has produced several of the “must-read”
books on spiritual formation such as: Invitation, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0835809366/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0835809366&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=LNB2YITXWA37BZW7">Shaped by the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0835809366" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, and more recently, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830832777/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0830832777&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=DHIMBQAS542YTYLP">The Deeper Journey: The Spirituality of Discovering Your True Self</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830832777" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830813861/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0830813861&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=3ZJVDTPGPLO4BPH6">Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830813861" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
is developed in four parts: The Road Map, The Vehicle, The
Journey, and Companions on the Inner Way.
He develops spiritual formation in a relational way, instead of the
sometimes mechanistic way that some teachers use. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In Part I: The Road Map</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Mulholland compares
spiritual growth and physical growth, which is a useful way of looking at
it. I often used a similar analogy when
I taught spiritual formation. In
addition, I appreciate his emphasis on wholeness, which is the movement back
toward the image of God. Lastly, he stresses
the biblical and classical emphasis on relationships as the testing place and
context for spiritual growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In Part II: The Vehicle</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Mulholland draws heavily
on Jungian personality types and developmental psychology. He shows the need for overall development of
both our personality preferences and dislikes.
He makes us of the Jungian concept of the shadow side of our
personalities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In Part III: The Journey</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Mulholland focuses on
spiritual disciplines. Chapter 8 begins
with the four stages of Christian spiritual formation. These are drawn from the history of Christian
spiritual formation. Then, he proceeds
to the classical spiritual disciplines, the nature of the disciplines, and the
inner dynamics of them. His emphasis
remains on the relational as he discusses the spiritual disciplines. This guards against antinomianism and
legalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> In Part IV: Companions on the Inner Way</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, Mulholland discusses
corporate spirituality and social spirituality.
We do not journey alone, but community provides the context and support
for personal and corporate disciplines.
Also, he notes the connection between personal and social holiness. These are intricately connected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Evangelical Assessment</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I have a few
minor criticisms of Invitation. <b>First</b>,
I wish that Mulholland had developed an integrated model of spiritual formation
in his book. When I used this book in
teaching spiritual formation, I would go through Part I, the definitions, and
then skip to Part III for the Classical Christian Pilgrimage. Once I did this, I would then fill-in the
stages with the rest of his material and some of my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Second</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, I do not hold
to his definition and expansion of the term “liturgy.” He defines it as “the work of the people,”
and proceeds to broaden far beyond the general meaning to include several
spiritual disciplines. In my Lutheran
tradition, we call our worship the “Divine Liturgy.” It is not because we work for God, but
because God works on our behalf in Christ Jesus. Our liturgy celebrates His work for us, not
our work from Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Third</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, I believe that
Mulholland overuses the Jungian types.
Admittedly, he may have corrected and further developed his theological thought in this area in his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830832777/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0830832777&linkCode=as2&tag=thechrboore06-20&linkId=DHIMBQAS542YTYLP">The Deeper Journey: The Spirituality of Discovering Your True Self</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830832777" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, but in Invitation, I
think that this is a valid criticism. In
addition, I would like to see some solid, empirical research on relating the
personality preferences to spirituality because it seems that these are
deductions from them without adequate support.
This is a criticism of several books which relate the personality types
to Christian spirituality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yet, these are minor criticisms in the view of the overall usefulness of
this book. I think that because it is a well-written, accessible book, it has become
something of a modern classic on spiritual formation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<i>I purchased the copy of this book used in the review and was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own, and are based on my observations while reading it.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">© Christopher W. Gibson, The Christian Book Revue,
2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-1906820980193626442013-08-01T00:00:00.000-04:002015-07-07T16:56:02.774-04:00Spiritual Wholeness for Clergy by Donald R. Hands and Wayne L. Fehr<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1566991072&asins=1566991072&linkId=24A2LM74NWDCTQPN&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who might this book
interest?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> This book would definitely
interest clergy and those who counsel clergy.
Yet, I think that the application of this work may extend beyond its
intended audience. It may also interest
those who are involved in any type of Christian-based counseling or
Christian-based recovery work. Overall,
it would be a useful book for several audiences.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My Rating</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: 6 out of 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /><b>Summary</b>: The authors,
Donald Hands and Wayne Fehr, represent two disciplines: psychology/clinician
and theologian/spiritual director (xix).
This can readily be seen in reading this work, although it does seem
that psychological theory and clinical work dominate the monograph. Still, the book is an easy read with some
very helpful ideas for the integration of psychology and Christian
spirituality. I easily read it in a
single day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Section one</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, which includes <b>chapters
1 and 2</b>, covers the problems that they’ve encountered in working with
clergy as well as the process of healing.
<b>In chapter 1</b>, they discuss “family of origin” issues, and the
problems that arise from those issues. <b>As
in chapter 2</b> and throughout the book, the authors frequently make us of
“recovery” concepts and methods. Much of
what they present is an integration of these with the Christian spiritual
tradition. For example, when they speak
of the process of healing, they overlay the Christian spirituality concepts of
purgation, illumination, and unification with their own uncovery, discovery,
and recovery, which are drawn from a recovery perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Section two</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, which includes <b>chapters
3 through 5</b>, discusses intimacy with self, others, and God. Drawing on Erickson, Gerald May, and Rollo
May, with Jung subtly, but consistently looking over their shoulders, <b>chapter
3</b> discusses self-intimacy. In this
chapter, they begin to develop their model which will be used throughout these
chapters. It draws upon the concepts of
personal power and capacity for relationship.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Additionally,
<b>chapter 4</b> speaks of interpersonal intimacy and introduces the
interpersonal theory of Harry Stack Sullivan.
This important psychological theorist provides a progression for
developing close interpersonal relationships: self-worth followed by intimacy
followed by sex. This chapter builds on
the self-intimacy discussion and provides a good conversation on developing
integrated clergy sexuality. This is
meant to help clergy understand their sexuality as part of them and to develop
chastity within their given state of marriage, celibacy, or singleness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Incorporating
the spirituality of recovery’s twelve steps, <b>chapter 5</b> concerns them
with intimacy with God. More often than
not, this element is missing with clergy who come under their care. Unfortunately, this is the primary issue for
clergy! They maintain a public
spirituality, but neglect a personal spirituality. The authors discuss counterfeits to intimacy
with God and provide suggestions for recovering one’s personal walk with
God. Finally, <b>chapter 6</b>
summarizes and concludes the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Evangelical
Assessment</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: I have to offer two of criticisms and one compliment. <b>First</b>, the writing is sometimes
difficult to follow. I often found
myself trying to figure out if the authors were building on the previous
section, or providing several suggestions for applying the previous
section. While well-written, and an easy
read, I found it frustrating at times to distinguish what their objective was
within a given chapter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Second</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the book seems
to uncritically “Christian-ize” psychological insights. They often take psychological concepts,
whether from the recovery movement, Jung, Sullivan, etc., and artificially
overlay them with Christian spirituality.
I find this disturbing.
Considering one of the authors comes from a theological viewpoint, I
expected a more critical analysis than their approach provides. This kind of uncritical incorporation of
psychological concepts into Christian spirituality seems to baptize those
concepts with divine authority, which is a concern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lastly</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, I appreciate
their overall focus. <i>First</i>, they consistently argue for the
correlation between intimacy with self, others, and God. Typically, if we are struggling in one of
these areas, then we are struggling, to some degree, in all three. One relationship affects the other
relationships. <i>Second</i>, they constantly state that intimacy with God is the primary
need for spiritual wholeness. While I
may take issue with the authors at times, I appreciate this continual and
persistent focus on intimacy with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<b>Source:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Hands, Donald R. and Wayne L. Fehr. Spiritual
Wholeness for Clergy: A New Psychology of Intimacy with God, Self and Others
(The Alban Institute, 1993).</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-80505440116520974822011-11-12T07:33:00.004-05:002015-07-07T16:54:32.749-04:00Counseling and Confession by Walter J. Koehler<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0911770763&asins=0911770763&linkId=VQRTVQ4PI6HX6RIK&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;"><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Who might this book interest?</b> Since this book is from a conservative Lutheran perspective, I believe that this book would interest many Evangelicals, especially pastors and Christian counselors, of various denominations. It is a concise, well-written overview of pastoral counseling's relationship to individual confession and absolution.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">My Rating</b>: 8 out of 10</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Summary</b>: The late Walter J. Koehler was a Lutheran Church pastor as well as a professor of theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Canada (back cover). I generally like to give more biography of the author, but it was difficult to find substantial information on Koehler.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This new edition of the book contains several Forewords as well as Prefaces. Dr. Harold L. Senkbeil begins by discussing individual confession and absolution (ICA), and its resurgence in recent times (8-9). Dr. Rick W. Marrs continues with a new introduction to the work (10-13). He concisely identifies the loss and resurgence of ICA as well, but in addition, he addresses soul care from before the 1930s and after 1982. He mentions many of the recent psychological developments such as: physiological-pharmacological, CBT, attachment, and systems approaches.</span></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, we come to Koehler's Preface and Introduction to the Original Edition. He says, "This book is written with the hope that the field of pastoral counseling will be functionally and theologically strengthened as the resource of individual confession and absolution is considered" (16). For pastoral counseling (PC) to be distinctly pastoral, I believe that it must draw on the all-too-often forgotten resources of the Christian tradition like confession and absolution. He adds, "This volume seeks to dispel some of the fogginess surrounding pastoral counseling and to give insight into the possibilities and resources which individual confession and absolution hold for effective pastoral counseling" (18). I appreciate Koehler's addressing ICA as a resource of PC.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As Maars points out,</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.65em;">Chapter 1</b></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">is both historically incomplete and dated (12-13). It covers from the 1930s to 1982. Koehler begins by working toward a definition of PC. His defines it, "Pastoral counseling is a function of the shepherding office carried out by recognized pastors and clergy leaders of the church who utilize the resources of the mental health profession and the Christian faith in order to assist people in the communication of personal feelings" (23). He continues, "Resources are used to overcome obstacles which may hinder personal meaning and fulfillment in relationships to God, self, and others" (23). This rather lengthy definition attempts to cover the entire range of PC and contains both positive and negative aspects.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After seeking to define PC, Koehler continues by providing an overview, especially noting the liberal-conservative split in the 1920s which generally continues today. Broadly speaking, liberals utilize secular psychology, while conservatives use a directed, Biblically-based approach. He continues by interacting with various psychotherapies and noting the contributions of PC to psychology in terms of short-term methodology and relationship. He also identifies several tensions that exist outside of PC with secular psychology and within PC between liberals and conservatives. He ends by noting several aspects of the theological and practical uniqueness of PC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Chapter 2</b></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">discussed Individual Confession and Absolution (ICA) in Lutheran theology and practice. Koehler points out that ICA is not directed in Scripture, but is consistent with it (44). In addition, Luther considered ICA very important to the Christian life. In defining confession, Koehler points out six types: in the heart (secret), general or public in the liturgy, public confession of an individual to the congregation, reconciliation, mutual confession between believers, and private or individual. He identifies absolution as a special form of Gospel proclamation which may come in one of three forms: exhibitive or collative, declarative, or optative or supplicatory. Luther insisted on using the words of Scripture in the absolution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The essence of ICA is found in confession and absolution which contains both a subjective and objective side. It contains specific pastoral value for those who are: of weak faith, realize the reality of sin and God, need humility, seek to reestablish fellowship, and share burdens. Theologically, ICA relates broadly to Lutheran theology in many areas: means of grace, justification, sin, office of the keys, public ministry, Law and Gospel, faith, and baptism. In this chapter, he ends with some research on the contemporary practice of ICA in the Lutheran Church, but unfortunately, this 1962 study was horribly dated when he first published the book in 1982! At best, it can only describe the practice at that time with limited significance today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Chapter 3</b></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">addresses the Contributions of ICA to the Pastoral Counselor. There are often two mistakes that occur when relating ICA and PC. Practitioners tend to either confuse the goals of PC and ICA, or completely separate the two. But there are several similarities. Both are within pastoral care, deal with the same basic problems, are done by a pastor, move through the same stages, and experience the need for confession (62). PC may be good preparation for ICA. What is the significance of ICA? Confession focuses on sin, brings sin and guilt to the surface, articulates personal feelings, admits the seriousness of sin, recognizes the reality of God, exposes one's sin to another, fosters humility and repentance, accepts responsibility, expresses a desire for forgiveness, and a willingness to reorient life.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Absolution is a specific proclamation of the Gospel which effects the remission of sins through Christ when received by faith. Following his discussion of absolution, he discusses guilt. He distinguishes between legal-theological and subjective-psychological guilt. ICA deals with the theological, while PC deals with the psychological. Some struggle with it for various reasons: a distorted God concept, forgiving others, or forgiving oneself. These struggles need to be recognized as the pastor works toward the goal of ICA, the restoration of relationships. Pastoral care and counseling may be enriched by ICA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Evangelical Assessment</b>: Koehler has provided us with a psychologically and theologically informed book on pastoral counseling (PC) and individual confession and absolution (ICA). As an Evangelical, the first time that I read anything concerning private confession was by the Anglican priest, Kenneth Leech, in his books, True Prayer and Soul Friend. While I have no personal experience with it, I am learning more and developing an appreciation of private confession.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My assessment will address two things: psychology and theology. In terms of expertise, Koehler is generally psychologically competent, but a couple of things do stand out, which may reflect attitudes of that time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">First</b>, as Dr. Maars indicates (11), why would you not offer ICA to mentally disturbed individuals? In my seminary training, I had a very experienced pastoral counseling professor who was also a psychiatrist, which advocated confession as a component of treating mental issues. It may play an important role in their healing. Second, Koehler emphasizes catharsis, which is a major emphasis in certain schools of psychology, but it is generally accepted today that catharsis provides a necessary, but not sufficient component to resolving mental issues. I found myself desiring to qualify his comments on catharsis and the process of counseling (Benner, Healing Emotional Wounds). Yet, Koehler is usually insightful in terms of PC and the psychological side of ICA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Second</b>, how are Evangelicals to theologically understand pastoral counseling (PC) and individual confession and absolution (ICA)? There are several considerations. Koehler's work clearly upholds a high view of Scripture, Christ, the Holy Spirit, sin, and salvation. While individual confession is not explicitly taught in Scripture, it can be implied from Scripture. Also, it was a common practice in the church before the Reformation, and there are Evangelicals within some denominations that practice individual confession and absolution. An interesting parallel to me is found in Evangelicals of the Revivalistic Tradition. As a pastor in this tradition, who offered an invitation at the end of the worship service, the response at the invitation was often very similar to individual confession and absolution.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This discussion highlights one of the basic disagreements within Evangelicalism. Some Evangelicals hold that if a practice does not contradict Scripture, then it is permitted, while others hold that if it does not come directly from Scripture, then it is not permitted. According to the first view, it does not contradict Scripture, and theologically, may arise from it. Therefore, confession and absolution may be practiced. Martin Luther continued and refined this practice, according to the Scriptures, which was already in use in the church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In light of the previous discussion, I believe that there is freedom for Evangelicals. For those who believe that this violates Scripture, they should not violate their conscience, but for others, who are open to this practice, or see this practice as consistent with and rising from Scripture, they should follow their conscience in participating in private confession and absolution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="line-height: 1.25em;">Source:</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Walter J. Koehler.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="line-height: 1.25em;">Counseling and Confession: the Role of Confession and Absolution in Pastoral Counseling</i></span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">(St. Louis: Concordia Seminary Press, 2011).</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-5976666352223168212011-11-01T09:24:00.004-04:002015-07-07T16:53:19.476-04:00The Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0060611839&asins=0060611839&linkId=VCKRCTVCO3HX3MQ3&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who might this book interest? </b>This book would interest a reflective person, who desires to listen to their own life as they find themselves reflected in Buechner’s book. Buechner says, “My assumption is that the story of any one of us is in some measure the story of us all” (6). While the details of our personal stories diverge greatly, our existential questions are often very similar. In Buechner’s story, we find an, at times, embarrassingly honest account of ourselves.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /> <br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Rating: </b>8 out of 10</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Summary: </b>Frederick Buechner is a well-known author and preacher. One of his most well-known works, <i>Godric</i>, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. <i>The Sacred Journey</i> tells the story of Frederick Buechner’s younger years as he becomes slowly, subtly acquainted with God over more than two decades of his life. He says, “Something in me recoils from using such language, but here at the end I am left with no other way of saying it than that what I found finally was Christ. Or was found. It hardly seems to matter which” (110). I appreciate this expression because I’ve come to believe that the Christ of my own finding, actually found me first.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Sacred Journey</i> is a short, well-written account that highlights certain moments in Frederick Buechner’s life from birth till his later twenties. From his non-religious upbringing, it tells of his spiritual journey, and the people and circumstances, often not seeming important at the time, which rose to the surface in reflecting upon that journey. Using chapter titles inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem, <i>Fern Hill</i>, The Sacred Journey contains three chapters: Once Below a Time, Once Upon a Time, and Beyond Time (9). </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Once Below a Time” is childhood time when time itself seems endless. He brings to life his mother, father, and grandparents with vivid descriptions. They moved around many times in his childhood which leads him to say, “In any case…home was not a place to me when I was a child. It was people (21). But our “Once Upon a Time” ends often before it should have ended. Buechner’s father committed suicide when he was ten years old. Of that day, Buechner says, “The world came to an end that Saturday morning…” (41). </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Once Upon a Time” starts the clock running. After his father’s death, his mother took him and his brother to Bermuda for approximately two years, which provided a time for some healing to occur although Buechner indicates that it was not really until his thirties when he really grieved his father’s death (54). Unfortunately, Nazi Germany forced them back to the states to live with his mother’s parents in Tryon, North Carolina until he was sent to Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Throughout The Sacred Journey, Buechner reflects on many divine moments such as: Da Vinci’s drawing of Jesus’ face, or when he, his brother, and cousin, for no real reason, requested to be christened at the local Episcopal Church (62).</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lawrenceville School seems to be one of the most significant times in Buechner’s life. He not only discovered friends with whom he made much in common, but also found new fathers in his teachers, which significantly influenced him. He discovered his vocation as a writer there. He says, “But if a vocation is as much the work that chooses you as the work you choose, then I knew from that time on that my vocation was, for better or worse, to involve that searching for, and treasuring, and telling of secrets which is what the real business of words is all about” (75).</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, there is “Beyond Time”. This chapter covers Buechner’s time at Princeton, two years in the Army, finishing Princeton, and returning to teach at Lawrenceville. During this time, he reached out to the younger brother of his father, his uncle, when he was in need of financial support. His uncle gladly helped him, but committed suicide soon thereafter like his father had done. Additionally, he gained further direction for his vocation. He discovered “the great elegance and power” of several preachers “of the seventeenth century” (92). </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buechner continues, “It would be too much to say that I was converted by those men, but at the very least they made me prick up my ears…” (92). Even more, the Reality behind their words spoke to him. While Buechner published his first novel, <i>A Long Day’s Dying</i>, which met with both popular success and critical acclaim, his spiritual journey progressed significantly when he began regularly attending George Buttrick’s church in New York City (108). The Sacred Journey ends with Buechner’s conversion and decision to attend Union Theological Seminary. </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Evangelical Assessment: </b>Regardless of theological disagreements, one can appreciate Buechner’s great gift for words. With his literary and comedic as well as philosophical and skeptical approach to the Christian faith, he often reminds me of Kierkegaard. He portrays the struggle of faith and understanding of theology existentially, in the reality human experience. I appreciate this feature of <i>The Sacred Journey</i>, but of course, this would not be much of an Evangelical Assessment if we do not unearth some of his theological statements for examination. </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First</b>, he begins with a general observation, “… all theology, like all fiction, is at its heart autobiography, and that what a theologian is doing essentially is examining as honestly as he can the rough-and-tumble of his own experience…” (1). His definition of theology departs from the evangelical perspective of theology. Theology is the study of God, and while some Evangelicals value experience, more than others, as a source of theology, Scripture is the only authoritative revelation of God, and all other sources of theology must ultimately bow their knee to the Holy Scriptures. Thus, we primarily base our theology on the exegetical and systematic study of God’s Word. The context of theologians does matter, but the importance of it must be kept in balance with an objective understanding of Scripture. In Buechner’s view, personal experience seems to be the primary source of revealing God, not Scripture. His is a philosophical position that looks to “the beauty of Beauty itself,” and the “Being itself,” which seems influenced by Tillich (52). </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Second</b>, while Buechner does not talk directly about sin and atonement, his story does show an awareness of sin and the need for atonement through his experience (93). Once again, it is an existential sense, a feeling that drives his discussion of it. It is experiential, not objective. While I agree that the experiential recognition of sin is important, sin is more than a subjective feeling. It is an objective offense against God, whether an individual feels it or not. In other words, we do not have to feel that we have sinned to have actually sinned. I can appreciate his subjective understanding of sin and atonement, which may lead to repentance and faith, but it seems to be based on the shifting affective sands rather than on God’s Word.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Lastly</b>, Buechner disdains speaking of conversion and being born again although it appears that this is what occurred in his life (110-111). Evangelicals do affirm the need for evangelism and personal conversion. Some evangelicals have a particular perspective on evangelism and conversion, such as: dramatic experience versus growing awareness of trust in Jesus Christ, which sometimes creates difficulty for those who do not adhere to the same methodology, but all Evangelicals recognize the need for evangelism and personal conversion. If Buechner’s understanding of Evangelicalism were broader, his disdain for these may not be as distinct.</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is much more that could be said concerning Buechner’s philosophy, theology, and use of Scripture in this work. Kept in perspective, <i>The Sacred Journey</i> is a well-written, edifying book of one man’s spiritual journey from a non-religious background to faith, but I would not construct my theology from it. </span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Source</b>:</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buechner, Frederick. The Sacred Journey: A Memoir of Early Days (New York: HarperCollins, 1982).</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-37475036522407116572011-10-12T11:16:00.001-04:002015-07-07T16:52:12.519-04:00Freud and the Post-Freudians by J. A. C. Brown<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1853437689&asins=1853437689&linkId=O2WJW4VUNBSJJ2H4&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> Generally, this book would interest the educated layperson, Christian or not, who desires to know more about Freud and the psychological developments after Freud beginning with Adler, Jung, Ferenczi, and Rank, and working up to Horney, Fromm, and Sullivan. Specifically, Christians who are interested in the relationship of psychology and religion would benefit from this work. The author does discuss or mention the various theorists’ view of religion in addition to their views of humanity and psychological issues. </span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 7 out of 10</span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: While I normally like to include some information about the author, finding information on J. A. C. Brown has proven a difficult endeavor. From what I could find, Brown was born in Scotland in 1911 and earned a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. Also, he specialized in psychiatry and worked with the military, and later, with mental hospitals, and prisons. While initially holding that mental illness was a biological and individual issue, he came to view them as social problems. He died in 1964 (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A.C._Brown">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A.C._Brown</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Succinctly, J. A. C. Brown provides a solid, critical examination of Freud and the Post-Freudians up until the 1950s. While this book is older (it was last revised in 1964), it still continues to give valuable insight into Freud and those who followed after him. While it provides a very useful explanation and examination of its time period, this work does not address many of the important theorists since that time such as: Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck, etc. Yet, I would suggest that this book is a very good introductory work on modern psychology.</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chapters 1 and 2</b> begin by discussing the basic concepts of psychoanalysis and the theories of Freud. <b>Chapter 1</b> identifies the four primary Freudian concepts as: psychic determinism, unconscious, goal-directed behavior, and developmental. These four concepts are universally accepted by Freudian analysts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 2</b> tells the story of Freud’s life, times, and development of his psychological theories. Freud gradually began to use free association and develop theories of the unconscious, motivation, repression, resistance, transference, and causation of neurosis. In his continuing development, he discovers two theories: infantile sexuality and Oedipus complex, and two vital drives: self-preservation and procreation. Alfred Adler’s break with Freud influenced Freud to develop life/death instincts, repetition compulsion, division of personality, the role of anxiety, and method of analysis. Ultimately, many of Freud’s theories need to be viewed in light of his life and times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 3</span></b><span style="color: black;"> discusses the Early Schematics. Freud and orthodox Freudians do not take departure from their ideas very well. Alfred Adler developed his own psychological approach based on the feeling of inferiority and the goals of social significance, self-esteem, and superiority. Carl Jung developed a system based in myth and archetypes with an emphasis on the unconscious mind. Two others are also included in this chapter with which I was previously unfamiliar. Sandor Ferenczi did not theoretically depart from Freud, but he did depart practically in his cooperative approach to therapy. Lastly, Otto Rank emphasized birth trauma and the resolution through psychotherapy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 4</span></b><span style="color: black;"> examines the British Schools. World War I caused the spread of psychoanalysis to the United Kingdom and the United States. Among Freud’s early disciples, Ernest Jones was the only British, and he promoted Freud’s ideas in his country. In the U.K., two groups developed: the orthodox Freudians and the Eclectics. W. H. R. Rivers and I. D. Suttie were among the eclectics. Generally, they were active therapist who practiced brief therapy and respected patients’ religious beliefs. Anna Freud and Melanie Klein were among the orthodox Freudians and extended their theory by working with children. Interestingly, the author felt the need to spend several pages criticizing American psychology.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 5</span></b><span style="color: black;"> covers the Psychosomatic Approach. This is an interesting chapter because it is generally assumed today that mental disorders are caused by organic causes, while as the author observes that before the nineteenth century, emotional causes of physiological problems were thought to exist. The difficulty is that it is hard to scientifically prove psychosomatic illness. Several psychoanaylst are mentioned in this category: Georg Groddeck, Franz Alexander, J. L. Halliday, and Wilhelm Reich. Groddeck believed every illness had a meaning to the sufferer. Alexander developed his theory fight or flight, taking appropriate action, and potential physical neurotic responses. Halliday studied psychosomatic illness as a community phenomenon. Lastly, Reich focused on social factors of character formation and body tension which may result in various physical illnesses. In conclusion, psychosomatic illnesses appear to exist, but it remains difficult to prove.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 6</span></b><span style="color: black;"> addresses Psychoanalysis and Society. Freud and Jung both accepted the concept of the collective unconscious even though scientist typically rejected it as unfounded, but Freud never made use of it while Jung extensively utilized the concept. Freud draws on Darwin to explain society’s origin, sexual prohibitions, religion, law, etc, and uses psychoanalysis for social critique with highly questionable results. Most anthropologist reject Freud’s concepts based upon their studies of various cultures and societies, although after Freud and the initial group, psychology increasingly turned toward a sociological emphasis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapters 7, 8, and 9</span></b><span style="color: black;"> discusses three theorist, Horney, Fromm, and Sullivan who continued their work in America and moved psychology toward the social and cultural. Much of their work is in opposition to Freudian psychoanalysis. This chapter is of a primary interest to me because of its interpersonal focus. Horney theorized that neurosis is the basic anxiety that we experience which is dealt with by moving toward people, moving against people, or moving away from people. She has significant disagreements with Freudian theory in many areas. Drawing on then current historical and economic thought, Fromm criticizes Freud using Marxist social and economic theory. Lastly, Sullivan is an American psychiatrist who is very difficult to understand and summarize. He stresses our need for satisfaction and security which are met in an interpersonal way, but when they are not met, we experience anxiety. The relationship between the therapist and client is significant. These three theorist collaborated for a period of several years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">In <b>chapter 10</b>, Brown summarizes and concludes his evaluation of Freud and those who came after him. Mostly, he defends Freudian theory as the best explanatory psychological theory that exists at the time of his writing. Frankly, this chapter is not well written and seems like it is one long sentence from beginning to end. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Evangelical Assessment</span></b><span style="color: black;">: This book is a survey and critical evaluation of Freud and the Post-Freudians, not specifically a book about the relationship between psychology and religion, but with having said that, it often addresses theorists’ views of religion. With a few notable exceptions, psychoanalysis has had a tumultuous relationship with religion in general and Christianity in particular. Freud considered religion an illusion, “the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity” (117), whereas Jung and Suttie saw religion more positively (66-67). For Freud religion is a part of the societal mechanism that “commemorate[s] the crime and assuage[s] the guilt” (117). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Obviously, Freud’s view of religion as an illusion and a mental illness presents a major difficulty for psychoanalysis’ relationship to religion. Based on his own agnostic or atheistic views, and Darwin’s supposed disposal of God, Freud’s theory presupposes that God does not exist and is a neurotic projection of desperate people who need God for security in this world. Christians do believe and confess, “I believe in God,” but generally, not because of neurosis. Christians believe that God exists and desires a personal relationship with them. While this personal relationship may have psychological implications, those are not what makes it true. I am not going to attempt to argue for the existence of God, but to simply acknowledge that Freud and Christians are miles apart in their beliefs. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Having stated this, with discoveries in science in the last century to the present, I do not believe that Freud’s supposed scientific basis is sustainable, and that one can hold a scientific and Christian view at the same time. In my own view, God’s existence or non-existence is beyond the realm of scientific study although science may point to the metaphysical reality of God. In addition, psychoanalysis of Freud himself would seem to point to important personal experiences in his own life that caused him to deny the existence of God (Vitz 1988). In an interesting turn, Vitz and Gartner challenge that if one presupposes that God does exist then psychoanalysis may provide a viable explanation for atheism (Vitz and Gartner, 1984a, 1984b)!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Admittedly, there are many ways in which Evangelical Christianity is incompatible with psychoanalysis. I am listing further resources that deal with this in my sources.</span></span></div>
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<b>Source:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Brown, J. A. C. Freud and the Post-Freudians (Baltimore: Penguin, 1964).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Brown, J. A. C.: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A.C._Brown">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A.C._Brown</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jones, Stanton L. and Richard E. Butman. Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vitz, Paul. Sigmund Freud’s Christian Unconscious (New York: Guilford, 1988).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vitz, Paul and J. Gartner. Christianity and Psychoanalysis, Part 1: Jesus as the anti-Oedipus. <i>Journal of Psychology Theology, 12, </i>4-14, 1984a.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vitz, Paul and J. Gartner. Christianity and Psychoanalysis, Part 2: Jesus as the transformer of the superego. <i>Journal of Psychology Theology, 12, </i>82-90, 1984b.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-12069639169461488112011-09-30T08:43:00.011-04:002015-07-07T16:49:10.179-04:00Doing Time in the Pulpit by Eugene L. Lowry<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0687110343&asins=0687110343&linkId=ZKABJC2FZQARIMWB&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book would most likely interest the preacher who already has a basic knowledge of Narrative Preaching and desires to deepen their understanding of it. In addition, it may interest those who are skeptical of Narrative Preaching by providing the philosophical rationale to consider it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 8 out of 10</span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: Doing Time in the Pulpit is the fourth book by <a href="http://www.eugenelowry.com/">Eugene L. Lowry</a> that I have reviewed. My other reviews can be found here on the Christian Book Revue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In my previous reviews (<a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/homiletical-plot-by-eugene-lowry.html">The Homiletical Plot</a>, <a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-preach-parable-by-eugene-l-lowry.html">How to Preach a Parable</a>, and <a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/living-with-lectionary-by-eugene-l.html">Living with the Lectionary</a>), I mentioned that Dr. Eugene Lowry is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at <span style="color: black;">Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships</span><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">This work is about time in the pulpit: preaching. It is a verb, not a noun; an action. From the <b>Introduction</b>, Lowry says, “The phrase ‘Doing TIME in the Pulpit’ refers not to a jail sentence, although preachers may wonder from time to time! The phrase refers to the connection between time and the sermon” (7). What is a sermon? He states, “<i>A sermon is an ordered form of moving time</i>” (8). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">From <b>chapter 1</b>, what are we ordering? Lowry says that instead of ordering ideas, timeless truths, we are ordering experience (13). He then proceeds to differentiate between the ordering ideas and experience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 2</span></b><span style="color: black;"> extends Lowry’s discussion of time by distinguishing the various types of time: chronos time, inner time, kairos time, God’s time, story time, and narrative time. Narrative preaching incorporates all the various types of time as they interact in the ordering of experience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 3</span></b><span style="color: black;"> focuses on story time. Story time deals with setting, characters, action, plot, and tone. While he speaks of his interview with the novelist and preacher, Frederick Buechner, in previous chapters, he utilizes that interview more in this chapter than in the others. I found his discussion of suspense and ambiguity helpful in extending Lowry’s previous work (52-58). In contrast, his discussion of action results in a discussing plot, but never really explaining action (49-52).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 4</span></b><span style="color: black;"> discusses narrative time. Narrative time is the time that it takes to deliver the sermon. It brings together all of the various types of time into itself in that twenty or so minutes. He also expands his discussion of ambiguity. For him, ambiguity is the key to narrative preaching (66). As the sermon moves from disequilibrium to resolution, ambiguity provides the fuel that keeps it moving (69-74).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 5</span></b><span style="color: black;"> speaks of the Bible in relation to time. As Lowry comments, Scripture is more narrative, non-propositional than propositional. He says that it is more like looking at a painting than reading a book (or book review). Narrative, Scripture and hopefully preaching, engages and examines us at the depths of our being (83). From the universal human experience, it reaches deep into our own specific experience of life (90). It has great potential transformational moments.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chapter 6</span></b><span style="color: black;"> finishes by helping preachers to become creative and practice behaviors which will increase creativity in their sermon preparation. He first deals with those who would object that they could not do Narrative Preaching because they are not creative enough and suggest ways to turn on one’s creativity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Evangelical Assessment</span></b><span style="color: black;">: </span><span style="color: black;">While theologically I probably would not agree with Lowry, nor he with me on many issues, I have developed a real appreciation for his work. As I continue to experience a theological evolution of my own, Lowry has provided a homiletical method which compliments that development. His work has served to instruct and revitalize my own desire to preach in a manner consistent with my philosophy and theology. I find that he has tapped into the many areas that I have felt intuitively but had no words for those brief, fleeting notions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Lowry refers to various theological issues throughout this work. He says, “Even in our preaching, salvation by works is dominant – although camouflaged beautifully by most of us” (72). As Protestants, especially Evangelical Protestants, we claim that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), but how does our preaching reflect our theology? Are we really preaching do-it-better-ourselves theology? We are saved by grace, but then do we switch to works-righteousness? Grace makes the difference! The Gospel changes everything! I appreciate this about Lowry’s theology and preaching method.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Lowry challenges me with another idea that I cannot deny, but I am not sure how to incorporate. Scripture is primarily narrative, not propositional, yet in my circles, the narrative nature of Scripture has been largely ignored and is just now beginning to be recognized in any sort of tangible way. This is not to say that there are not propositional statements in Scripture. There are. Part of my hesitation is that I do believe that Scripture is inspired and inerrant and is an exclusive story or revelation. So, our study and preaching incorporates both objective and subjective aspects. Sometimes, Lowry’s focus on the intuitive, subjective downplays the proposition and objective.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">One thing, that we cannot honestly ignore, is the narrative nature of Scripture, nor can we ignore the fact that Jesus used narratives in his preaching. Drawing on these and the narrative arts, Lowry helps us to preach the Gospel of grace in a potentially powerful way, which brings it to life. While I am not arguing that Narrative Preaching is the only valid method of preaching, it is a valid method for preaching.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lowry, Eugene. Website: <a href="http://www.eugenelowry.com/">http://www.eugenelowry.com/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lowry, Eugene. The Homiletical Plot: the Sermon as Narrative Art Form (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lowry, Eugene. How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lowry, Eugene. Living with the Lectionary: Preaching through the Revised Common Lectionary (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992).</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-46940044276932659682011-08-01T14:22:00.007-04:002011-10-27T18:28:18.214-04:00Books that I've been reading, but not revueing...While I have not been taking reading, taking notes, and writing about it, I have been reading some interesting books in July.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thechrboore06-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0385181795&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>First, I have been reading two books on contemplative or centering prayer as well as attempting to practice it! Both of these books are by Trappist monks and provide interesting history, insight, and instruction in silent prayer (another name for it). I have been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Centering-Prayer-Renewing-Ancient-Christian/dp/0385181795?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer Form</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385181795" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Basil Pennington and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Contemplative-Prayer-Thomas-Merton/dp/0385092199?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Contemplative Prayer</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385092199" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Thomas Merton. I am purposely reading both of them slowly (sometimes a few pages; sometimes a chapter) before praying. Often, they provide a valuable insight that I need for that time as I approach God in prayer.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thechrboore06-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0664222641&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Second, I have been re-reading Eugene Lowry's books on narrative preaching, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homiletical-Plot-Expanded-Sermon-Narrative/dp/0664222641?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Homiletical Plot, Expanded Edition: The Sermon as Narrative Art Form</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0664222641" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Preach-Parable-Narrative-Preachers/dp/0687179246?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons (Abingdon Preacher's Library Series)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0687179246" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. Yes, I have already revued these books here, but now, using texts from my daily quite time, I am working on writing my own narrative sermons based upon my imperfect use of his method. It has been both fun and trying. Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to preach them in the near future!<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thechrboore06-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0061719617&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Third, I have been reading Irvin Yalom's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Therapy-Generation-Therapists-Patients/dp/0061719617?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients (P.S.)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061719617" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which has been very interesting so far. Yalom is an excellent writer and has written several classics in the field of psychology and counseling. In my own philosophy and theology, I hold to a relational perspective, and this book seems to take a relational view that compliments my own. The bottom line is that a healthy therapeutic relationship may facilitate emotional healing.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thechrboore06-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1853437689&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Lastly, I have been reading an older book, first published in 1961, called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Freud-Post-freudians-J-C-Brown/dp/1853437689?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Freud And The Post-freudians</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1853437689" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. This book has been an enjoyable read because it provides valuable explanations of the various concepts of Freudian psychology. Also, it gives the historical development of Freudian psychology during and after Freud, culminating in the last chapters on the interpersonal theorist such as: Horney, Fromm, Sullivan, and others. I really began reading it because of the interpersonal theorist chapters, but I found that the entire work is a goldmine of the development of modern psychology.<br />
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Those are some of the books that I've been reading in July. I hope to get back to reading, taking notes, and writing revues in August!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-5714133698117520002011-06-29T15:51:00.001-04:002015-07-07T16:47:52.182-04:00Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science by George Tsakiridis<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1608990664&asins=1608990664&linkId=UWHPTZO2WJPORJPK&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>George Tsakiridis</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>124 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> While the author desires to address a broad audience of devout believers with doubts about the Christian life, this work is most applicable to psychologists and spiritual directors as well as those interested in a specialized study of Evagrius Ponticus’, a fourth century Patristic Father, work in relation to current cognitive science.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 8 out of 10</span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: <a href="http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/">Dr. George Tsakiridis</a> wrote this work as his doctoral dissertation at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Religion at South Dakota State University and a faculty member of the Christ School of Theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology. His work is a creative assemblage of the Patristic spirituality of Evagrius Ponticus and cognitive science with a hint of Ricoeurian philosophy for additional seasoning. For the most part, it reads in a fairly simple, straightforward way, especially for having been a dissertation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The obvious question for most is, “Who is Evagrius Ponticus?” He was born in 345 A.D. in the Roman province of Pontus. He became an Eastern Patristic Father, who was trained by the Cappadocian Fathers. After joining Gregory of Nazianzus in Constantinople, he fell to temptation due to his own vanity and a developing attraction to a married woman. During this trial, <span style="color: black;">he had a vision which made him leave for Jerusalem and experienced a later sickness which sent him to the Egyptian desert. Evagrius was a highly intelligent and prolific author on the Christian spiritual life. Unfortunately, he endorsed doctrines of the Early Church Father, Origin, which resulted in his later being declared a heretic. Regardless, Evagrius' influence is widely seen in later Early Church Fathers, but he is often not mentioned because of his condemnation as a heretic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Tsakiridis describes his book, “</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Using the work of Pierre Hadot to recover Evagrius’ context, and the work of Paul Ricoeur to discuss how we construct descriptions and myths of evil, Evagrius is brought into dialogue with the cognitive sciences. Using current research, especially the work of Eugene d’Aquili and Andrew Newberg, this study reveals the contemporary relevance of Evagrius’ approach to combating evil” (</span></span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/books/"><span style="color: black;">http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/books/</span></a>). This is an accurate, succinct description of this work. In reading it, I felt that he provided a fair, well-balanced evaluation of the parallels between Evagrius’ spirituality and the various works consulted. The author conceives of this work as an apologetic for the Christian life, and I think that he generally provides a competent effort.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">With great insight, Evagrius provides a model of the Christian journey which moves from outward spiritual disciplines to inward contemplative prayer. All along this journey, believers are assaulted by demonic thoughts which must be fought against and defeated. Tsakiridis’ work shows the parallels of Evagrius’ model of the spiritual journey and warfare with evil with the current discoveries of cognitive science.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Evangelical Assessment</span></b><span style="color: black;">: A few of comments are in order here: a criticism, a compliment, and an observation. <b>First</b>, Tsakiridis seems completely unaware of Evangelicalism’s re-appropriation of the Early Church Fathers. This has been going on for over a decade and is especially found in the theological and spiritual works of Thomas Oden and Robert Webber. Oden has done extensive work in the psychological and pastoral appropriation of the Patristics. At times, I found it to be an amazingly annoying oversight and felt that it would have complimented his work. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Second</span></b><span style="color: black;">, it is obvious that Tsakiridis possesses a high regard for both prayer and Scripture while attempting to bridge the gap with cognitive science. At times, I wondered if he was going to “give away the house” to cognitive science when reading certain of his lines of thinking, but when it was all said and done, his dialogue opened up the possibilities of orthodox Christian belief for the current age. I applaud his restraint from making absolute pronouncements. Like the evidence, he points out the possibilities without stating unqualified pronouncements.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black;">Lastly</span></b><span style="color: black;">, Evagrius Ponticus was not a figure that I was familiar with before reading Tsakiridis’ book. Yet, I found myself repeatedly impressed by Evagrius’ depth of insight into the Christian spiritual journey and the foreshadowing of modern cognitive psychology. This is certainly a case where his heretical teachings must be taken into account, evaluated, and assessed in light of his teachings on the Christian spiritual life, and while rejecting that which is heresy, we need to further extract the knowledge and insights from his work that apply to Christian spirituality and psychology.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Evagrius Ponticus article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evagrius_Ponticus">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evagrius_Ponticus</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">George Tsakiridis’ Facebook Profile: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeTsakiridis">https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeTsakiridis</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">George Tsakiridis’ website: <a href="http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/">http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">George Tsakiridis’ description of the book: <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/books/">http://www.georgetsakiridis.com/books/</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Tsakiridis, George. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evagrius-Ponticus-Cognitive-Science-Thoughts/dp/1608990664?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1608990664" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010).</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-40659032309797133752011-06-25T13:02:00.006-04:002015-07-07T16:46:29.184-04:00An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0679763309&asins=0679763309&linkId=CI7ZJZ2623ERVI42&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness </b></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kay Redfield Jamison </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>New York: Vintage Books, 1996</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>224 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book provides an “insiders” experience of manic-depressive or bipolar illness. Anyone who struggles with this illness, or has a friend or family member that struggles with it, may benefit from reading this book. The added benefit to this book is that Dr. Jamison not only struggles with the illness but is a clinical psychologist and university professor which give it an added depth that is often lacking in these types of personal accounts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 7 out of 10</span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison earned her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from UCLA, served as a professor there, and is currently a Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In addition, she has struggled with manic-depressive or bipolar (although she does not like the term “bipolar”) illness for many years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">An Unquiet Mind tells the story of her personal journey with manic-depression from childhood through adulthood. Many people will be able to relate personally to this work because they either have this illness or know someone who does. Jamison’s story recounts the inner workings of the one suffering from it as well as the impact on those around them. In addition, she speaks simply, but astutely about the clinical side of the disease. Her personal struggle with manic-depressive illness provided the focus of her professional career. Thus, she gives an intelligent and informed account from a personal and professional perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">She rightly identifies the most common problem for those with this illness: the refusal of patients to consistently take their medicine. Why is this problem such an issue? As Jamison relates it, the one suffering from manic-depression often finds themselves addicted to the highs of the manic stage. In addition, many are taught that taking medicine means that you cannot handle the sickness on your own. It is viewed as a crutch. There is often a sense of guilt and embarrassment. Jamison addresses these and other objections to medication in her narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In addition to medication, Jamison also endorses psychotherapy. Psychotherapy helps the sufferer deal not only with the emotional issues of the sickness, but also, those related to taking medication such as: guilt. For her, the combination of medication and psychotherapy has helped to deal with her illness. This observation is one of hindsight and experience, not of having realized this early in her treatment. Like many who suffer from bipolar, she went off her medication several times before accepting it as part of her life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In reading An Unquiet Mind, I felt inspired by the concern, care, and unconditional love and support provided by many of her family and friends. While not everyone could or did provide that type of environment, she did have an important cadre of people around her that helped with her manic-depressive illness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: Earlier in my Christian and ministerial life, I was opposed to the use of pharmacological treatment for psychiatric issues. I no longer feel this way. Why? I was uninformed. As I gained further training and experience in counseling, I found that I had clients who did not respond to counseling alone, but when they began taking the appropriate medication, the medication and counseling together helped clients work through their issues. Without the medication, we would have continued standing still.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jamison is an Episcopalian and was raised attending church. In addition, she mentions attending church periodically as an adult, but I am not sure in what sense that she is a Christian. In the accounts of her younger years, she often alludes to her sexual promiscuity, going from one romantic relationship to another. I do not know if or how her morality contributed to her illness or vice versa, but she does not seem to have any problems with her sexual behavior of that time. As evangelicals, we believe that our sexuality is a gift from God and to be reserved for marriage for our own benefit. Obviously, Jamison did not hold to this belief, but she did value her marriages, attempted to make the first one work after much difficulty, and was faithful to her second husband until his death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think that there is great value in her perspective. Dr. Jamison has suffered with manic-depressive illness for many years and has insights into it. Also, she is a scientist and clinician, who has researched and written much about manic-depressive illness over the course of many years. Although science may study the phenomenological experience of God, I believe that religion is beyond the scope of science. On the experiential side, I would have hoped that a Christian would express more of faith, dependence, and trust upon God, instead of primarily blame toward Him.</span></div>
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<b>Source:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jamison, Kay Redfield. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For some of the biographical information, I consulted her faculty profile at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: <a href="http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/moods/expert_team/jamison.html">http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/moods/expert_team/jamison.html</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In addition, I consulted Wikipedia’s article on bipolar disorder: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder</a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-61762687202530825282011-06-14T07:59:00.002-04:002015-07-07T16:44:30.227-04:00Jesus of Nazareth - Part 2 by Pope Benedict XVI<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B004GUSIWC&asins=B004GUSIWC&linkId=2BM4QQDZGCQXUXWR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Jesus of Nazareth: Part 2. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>362 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> There are many different audiences that this work may interest. First, I believe that this book should be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about Jesus of Nazareth. Second, any Christian that desires to deepen their devotion to Jesus Christ. Lastly, this work will interest academics, specifically with a focus to Jesus scholarship and hermeneutical method. This work provides a seminal hermeneutic method that incorporates both scholarship and devotion. For all who read this work, Pope Benedict provides an account of Jesus Christ that goes far beyond his unquestionable scholarship to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 9 out of 10</span></div>
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<b>Quick Summary</b>: It seems to me that there is always a dilemma when a pope writes a book. In the circles from which I find myself, books written by popes simply cannot be considered scholarly, yet many popes were scholars before they ever became pope. I never would have known the scholarly and deeply Christian philosophy of Karol Wojtyla had he not become Pope John Paul II. In the same way, I do not know if I would have ever read Joseph Ratzinger had he not become Pope Benedict XVI. Both were academics and university professors long before they became pope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, served as a professor of theology for many years before coming to Rome to serve as the <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Prefect</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">of the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and eventually, as the Roman Pontiff.</span></span> He is theologically conservative and has written numerous academic articles and books over the course of his long academic career. This book, while not an academic work, shows both the depth of his scholarship as well as his deep devotion to Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In nine chapters, Pope Benedict covers Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to his Resurrection. From the foreword, he seeks to present the man and message of Jesus Christ with a view toward our personal relationship to Jesus. Also, he provides an example of a hermeneutical approach of faith and history. In his Scripture study of Jesus of Nazareth, he works out this scholarly, informed hermeneutic before us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In mentioning the duration of Jesus’ life that this book covers, I want to make several observations about this work. First, there is no doubt that a lifetime of study and scholarship has been incorporated into this work. While it is not an academic work, and Ratzinger will sometimes back away from those academic-type discussions, he clearly has interacted with them and provides his solution to critical issues raised by various scholars. Second, with my context being limited to a North American, I found that I was often unfamiliar with some of the continental scholars that he refers too. Yet, I felt that this broadened my perspective and invites me to further reading and study.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Several further remarks should be made. This work draws deeply from both Scripture and the early church fathers. Ratzinger is a world-class theologian, and this can be seen in his interpretation of Scripture as well as his theology of Jesus that develops throughout this work. He meticulously shows how in himself, Jesus, transformed the early church’s understanding of the Old Testament and ends the Temple worship. He develops before us a genuinely orthodox Christology. YET, it is a devotional work. His insights are not just “heady” intellectual observations, but he applies them to the life of faith. Obviously, his intent is to draw the believer closer in their personal relationship to Jesus Christ. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: There are several observations for evangelicals. For the most part, evangelicals will find this work interesting and supportive of much of their own perspective of Jesus Christ and Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Pope Benedict takes a positive, academic view toward the historical-critical method, but he does not endorse much of its trajectory nor does he accept many of its conclusions. I was impressed as to how he utilized insights from it as well as dealt with various textual issues that arose from it. At times, these did move outside of the scope of this book, and he did not deal with them, but by and large, his incorporation and intelligent use of the historical-critical method from the standpoint of a believing scholar was impressive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some evangelicals may feel squeamish when he speaks of baptism and the Eucharist. In a work by a Catholic scholar on Jesus Christ, especially one that discusses the Last Supper and feetwashing, what else would you expect? Obviously, these are acutely and theologically connected to Jesus Christ, and as he considers the person and work of Jesus Christ, these will be brought into the discussion. While most evangelicals do not construct their theology of these in the manner of Catholic theology, many evangelicals do consider them sacraments (and many of evangelicals who do not consider them sacraments have named themselves after one of them and practice it like a sacrament!!!) and can gain insights from this work. I believe that this is a work of great depth and devotion that all Christians may benefit from. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For some of the biographical information, I consulted Wikipedia’s article: Pope Benedict XVI: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ratzinger, Joseph. Pope Benedict XVI. Jesus of Nazareth: Part 2. Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-63277287680087523622011-06-09T16:51:00.003-04:002015-07-07T16:42:33.769-04:00Real Faith by D. Eric Williams<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1441436782&asins=1441436782&linkId=MZ67PNVSRQOQ43HX&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Real Faith: Studies in the Epistle of James</b></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>D. Eric Williams</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lewiston, ID: D. Eric Williams, 2009</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>166 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 7 out of 10</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> I think that Williams’ book would be of interest to pastors who are preaching in or through the Epistle of James. In addition, the length of the chapters would make it a useful daily devotional.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary</b>: Pastor and Bible teacher, <a href="http://dewms.com/">D. Eric Williams</a>, provides us with a theological exposition of the Epistle of James in his work, Real Faith. Williams completed his bachelor degree from University of the State of New York and master’s from the Southern California Graduate School of Theology and has pastored for over 20 years in the <a href="http://www.ccccusa.com/">Conservative Congregational Christian Conference</a> (4Cs). He states, “My ministry is focused on Christ centered expository Bible teaching that is covenantal in nature." This work on James is fruit of his approach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Williams’ exposition covers the entire Epistle of James. His theological approach can certainly be described as Reformed, Covenantal, Presuppositional, and Theonomistic (to some degree). From this theological approach, he provides an exposition of James that explains the past meaning of the text as well as applies the text to present-day living. His exposition is Christ-centered with an emphasis on the Gospel for personal and corporate living. I appreciate this aspect of his approach to the Epistle of James.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: Unquestionably, D. Eric Williams’ work fits broadly within the evangelical tradition and specifically within the Reformed tradition. His exegesis and exposition is generally competent. Obviously, his theological commitments do shine through in his exposition. At times, his use of Paul to interpret James may create problems for James, but understandably, as he seeks to explain James, he does so within the wider context of a biblical theology, which takes into account its’ relationship to the canon of Scripture as a whole. Thus, it is a theological exposition of the text.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In terms of writing, Williams generally does a good job of connecting chapters together, which aids the flow and continuity of the work. But at times, I found myself lost within the chapters in trying to find out which phrase or verse he was discussing. A remedy may be to add sections headings within the chapters. Overall, he provides a clear exposition of James’ epistle.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-79896560755485895032011-05-06T11:42:00.001-04:002015-07-07T16:39:37.713-04:00Radical by David Platt<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1601422210&asins=1601422210&linkId=3L67LUZQEBVM3AVQ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>David Platt </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2011</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 10 out of 10 – this may never happen again!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary</b>: I read a lot of books! I enjoy reading and reviewing them. Some books are quickly read and forgotten. I find myself asking why they were published and why I wasted my time. Others provide useful information. I learn “how to” do something. Some books are intellectually stimulating. But then a book comes along that truly challenges my faith. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Taking-Faith-American-Dream/dp/1596449381?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Radical</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1596449381" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> is just such a book. It is life transforming!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dr. David Platt has earned multiple graduate degrees including his Ph.D from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and pastors <a href="http://www.brookhills.org/">The Church at Brook Hills</a> in Birmingham, Alabama. This book records his journey, along with his wife and faith family, into biblical Christianity. In our day, so many are toning down the implications of the Gospel, but in the midst of it, Platt is calling for a radical commitment to Jesus Christ and living biblical Christianity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Platt introduces us to the Jesus of the Gospels, whose methods were radically different than modern church growth methods. He says, “I am convinced that we as Christ followers in American churches have embraced values and ideas that are not only unbiblical but that actually contradict the gospel we claim to believe” (3). In Luke 9, Jesus challenged would be followers to consider the cost of following him, and did not make it easy for them. Platt contends that we have often, unknowingly turned away from truly following Jesus (Ch. 1). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Platt continues by asking how much of American Christianity is biblical. He says that the Gospel reveals the Glory of God and questions our presentation and response to the Gospel. He says, “…the gospel demands and enables us to turn from our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves, and to follow Jesus” (38-39). Is this our invitation today? (Ch. 2). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The American way depends upon our power and resources to accomplish the task, but instead of depending on our resources, will we allow ourselves to be desperate for God and His working (45). The problem is that when we do accomplish tasks the American way, then who gets the glory? We do! Who should receive the glory? God should. He guides us to asking God for his working (Luke 11; Matthew 7). Prayer is key (Ch. 3). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jesus commands us to go. God formed us to enjoy His grace and extend His glory, and He blesses people for this cause. In clarifying the Gospel, Platt says, “The message of biblical Christianity is ‘God loves me so that I might make him…known among all nations’” (70-71). He continues by answering objections to Jesus’ command to go (Ch. 4). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Platt builds upon the previous chapter by asking, “<i>How </i>do we make God’s glory known in all nations?” (87). Jesus’ strategy for accomplishing this purpose was to call and train twelve men. We “make disciples” to accomplish God’s purpose for God’s glory. He comments, “…people are God’s method for winning the world to himself” (90). It is about empowering believers for the task of making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching (Ch. 5). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Platt begins chapter 6 by saying, “We all have blind spots” (107). For American Christianity, we often overlook poverty and embrace materialism. We need to possess our possessions rather than being possessed by them. Using the stories of the Rich man and Lazarus, and the Rich Young Rule, he challenges us to soberly consider how we handle our money and possessions. What if we shifted our question from how much can we spare to how much will it take to accomplish God’s purpose (Ch. 6)? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We tend toward intellectual or practical universalism (see my review of Rob Bell’s book, <a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/love-wins-by-rob-bell.html">Love Wins</a>). Using the Book of Romans, Platt carefully walks us through the case against this position. There are several important, clear biblical truths: 1) All people have knowledge of God; 2) All people reject God; 3) All people are guilty before God; 4) All people are condemned for rejecting God; 5) God has made a way of salvation for the lost; 6) People cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ; and 7) Christ commands the church to make the Gospel known to all peoples (Ch. 7).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We are God’s tools for accomplishing His purpose. So, how do we respond? Platt suggests several things. First, we go to the need (162ff.). We go into danger (164ff.). We face betrayal (166ff.). YET, Jesus repeatedly says, “Don’t be afraid!” After giving several reasons not to fear, he comments that “your life is free to be radical when you see death as reward” (179). Knowing God is what the Gospel is all about, and at death, we know God more fully (Ch. 8). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lastly, Platt finishes by challenging us to commit to doing five things for one year: 1) Pray for the entire world; 2) Read the entire Word; 3) Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose; 4) Spend time in another context; and 5) Commit your life to a multiplying community (Ch. 9).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: <b>First</b>, I want to make some general, non-theological comments about Radical. The book is very well-written and interesting. While Platt incorporates Scripture and often builds a biblical case, he uses stories from his life and the lives of others to illustrate and demonstrate what he teaches. Thus, while incredibly challenging, the book is very interesting and enjoyable to read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Second</b>, the book is thoroughly evangelical and biblical. There is no question in my mind concerning this, but there are several times when I think that he narrows things too much. But several times, when I found myself thinking that he narrowed things too much, he would come back to it in the next chapter and clarify what he said or say that each believer needed to work it out for themselves before God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Early in the book, it seemed like Platt was saying that all Christians should be foreign missionaries. He is right that each Christian must accept responsibility for the Great Commission, but how do we accept this responsibility? He does a good job of fleshing this out for us as well as allowing believers’ responsibility before God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Third</b>, this example leads me to another point. Platt’s approach empowers believers to obey the Great Commission. It goes beyond programmatic approaches. As a matter of fact, he acknowledged that early on they were trying to control this at their church, and finally, they realized the need to turn people loose and encourage them to serve!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fourth</b>, he offers a badly needed challenge to American Christianity in terms of materialism, money, possessions, and caring for the poor. While other evangelicals have sounded this alarm (Randy Alcorn and Ron Sider), and many evangelicals have become more socially aware, we have still have a long way to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Lastly</b>, this book reminds me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cost-Discipleship-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/dp/1596446684?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Cost of Discipleship</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1596446684" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which Platt mentions, as well as John MacArthur’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Jesus-Authentic-Faith/dp/0310287294?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Gospel According to Jesus</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310287294" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, and Michael Slaughter’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Followers-Radical-Expose-Pretender/dp/0687033411?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Real Followers</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0687033411" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. They provide a needed to correction to the American understanding of the Gospel. They challenge us to compare Scripture with our culture. Often, we find that we have bought into our culture’s version of Christianity more than Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book might interest any American Christian, especially American Evangelicals. This book provides a needed corrective and challenge.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-78079447353580335122011-04-27T16:18:00.002-04:002015-07-07T16:37:48.279-04:00How to Preach a Parable by Eugene L. Lowry<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0687179246&asins=0687179246&linkId=PRXE62PHOLTZPHU5&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Eugene L. Lowry</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>173 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 8 out of 10</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary</b>: This short, helpful book provides many insights from a seasoned scholar and preacher into Narrative Preaching. In my previous reviews (<a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/homiletical-plot-by-eugene-lowry.html">The Homiletical Plot</a>; <a href="http://christianbookrevue.blogspot.com/2011/04/living-with-lectionary-by-eugene-l.html">Living with the Lectionary</a>), I mentioned that <a href="http://www.eugenelowry.com/">Dr. Eugene Lowry</a> is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at <span style="color: black;">Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In introducing his work, Lowry acknowledges two concerns: preachers tend to “shy away from” parables and believe that normal preachers cannot preach narrative sermons. The exact opposite of these is actually true (13). Section one covers the steps to narrative sermon formation such as: listening to the text, determining the focus of the text, finding the sermons “turn,” and deciding the sermon’s basic aim. He summarizes by saying, “Three major moments, then, or three major preparation tasks are fundamental to a sermon: focus, turn, and aim” (35). I guess that “fire” could be the final one? He also introduces the four basic sermon forms: running the story, delaying the story, suspending the story, and alternating the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In section two, Lowry uses actual sermons by Dennis M. Willis, Leander Keck, himself, and Fred Craddock to illustrate the four types of sermon forms. After each sermon, he gives a running commentary, and an analysis of the narrative capabilities, techniques, and norms. I found it enlightening to read aloud, as Lowry suggests, the sermons. This helps the reader to experience the sermons. His commentary and analysis provide a different, more experienced pair of ears with which to hear and understand the sermon. He explains the movement of the sermon and helps the reader to see with greater depth into them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: Lowry’s theology is not evangelical. This is the third book of Lowry’s that I have read, and it is doubtful that he affirms the supreme authority of Scripture, human sinfulness, or the need for evangelism in the evangelical sense. So, I do not recommend his theology, but I find it difficult not to recommend his preaching form. There are many useful suggestions here that, without much imagination, may be utilized in evangelical preaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Most evangelical preaching is rhetorical whether it is expositional or topical. It argues a case. While I think that this is still an effective form of preaching, it need not be the only form of preaching that is faithful to the Scriptures. Narrative preaching is a story based form, and since much of Scripture is written in story form, narrative preaching makes better use of Scripture in preaching. It utilizes what is already there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I appreciate Lowry’s desire to listen to the text. He warns against quickly going to commentaries and other helps (31-32). Allow God to speak to you through the Scriptures. While Lowry may not mean all that an evangelical might mean with this statement, he still recognizes the value of the preacher coming humbly to the text first. Also, he points out that narrative preaching can be an effective form to preach about controversial issues without raising the defenses of those who disagree (134).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book provides a needed compliment to the Homiletical Plot. While the Homiletical Plot provides a methodology for Narrative Sermons, this work adds sermonic examples and various forms. I think that this book would interest pastors, who desire to further their communication skills and experiment with a different form of preaching. Narrative preaching could provide pastoral refreshment and congregational renewal for those pastors who have served for several years in their current context.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-44391485617866178502011-04-21T11:23:00.007-04:002015-07-07T16:36:31.602-04:00Love Wins by Rob Bell<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0062049658&asins=0062049658&linkId=UG2PYTPNMA4JS6Y6&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Rob Bell</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Ne</b></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">w York: HarperOne, 2011</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>202 pages</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Review</b>: Usually, I do not succumb to the pressure of reviewing new, flash-in-the-pan books. I figure that in a year I’ll be able to buy the book for a buck in a bargain bookstore somewhere. Also, a year seems to allow enough time for the smoke to clear and a better perspective gained. Well, I caved! Probably, in a year from now, I will be looking in a bargain bookstore, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Wins-About-Heaven-Person/dp/006204964X?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Love Wins</a><img border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=006204964X" /> for a dollar, curse at myself for paying full price, pick it up, flip to the contents and controversy, and think, “Oh, yeah, I remember this book… it’s by that guy, Rob Bell, who used to be an evangelical but became a universalist…although he denies it... I can’t believe I paid full price for this book a year ago.” That’s usually how it goes… </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>BIO</b>: I normally separate my summary from my evangelical evaluation, but I decided not to follow that pattern for this review. <i>Who is Rob Bell</i>? Well, I can’t really tell you that, but here is some biographical information that I can tell you. Rob Bell is the founding pastor of <a href="http://marshill.org/">Mars Hill Bible Church</a> in Grand Rapids, MI and has authored several books such as: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Elvis-Repainting-Christian-Faith/dp/0310273080?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Velvet Elvis</a><img border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310273080" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sex-God-Exploring-Connections-Spirituality/dp/0310280672?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Sex God</a><img border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310280672" />. He completed his education at <a href="http://www.wheaton.edu/">Wheaton College</a> and <a href="http://www.fuller.edu/">Fuller Theological Seminary</a>. Since its publication, this work, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Wins-About-Heaven-Person/dp/006204964X?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Love Wins</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=006204964X" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, has been the center of a storm of controversy and accusations – some true; some false. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Preface/Chapter 1</b>: The laborious exercise of reading the Preface and Chapter One caused me to take a break before reading further. After being hit by his machine gun spray of, sometimes ridiculous, questions and implied answers, I just needed to dress my wounds and recover for a time. Admittedly, he raises some real questions, but for me, the immediate problem of the preface and chapter one does not involve the questions as much as how he will arrive at his answers? In the preface, Rob Bell says, “And then, last of all, please understand that nothing in this book hasn’t been taught suggested, or celebrated by many before me” (X). So, his comments are meant to say that nothing taught in this book is outside the scope of historic, orthodox Christianity. When I read statements like this, my immediate thought is “I hope so!” My follow-up thought, “Great, I probably need to brace myself for what’s coming!” Usually, those who use that line are going to present a minority opinion at best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 2</b>: It speaks of heaven. There is much to commend in this chapter. He challenges the notion that heaven is somewhere else. Also, he identifies the conservative preoccupation with who’s in or who’s out at the expense of how we live in relation to God now. According to Bell, we should begin to live now as we will live in the age to come. He says, “What you believe about the future shapes, informs, and determines how you live now” (46). Agreed! So, we should seek to constantly grow in our relationship to God and others now. Where Bell hints at something “hinky” going on is when talking about our being a part of the age to come based upon what we do now (51-54). In speaking of the thief on the cross who responds positively to Jesus, Bell’s illustration in this section unintentionally highlights that it is who you know that makes the difference (54-55), but that tends to counter his point about life lived now making the determination of eternal life. Much of what Bell says in this chapter is basic to Kingdom Theology concerning the “already, but not yet” concept. Much of the current teaching on Kingdom Theology originated with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=George%20Eldon%20Ladd" target="_blank">George Eldon Ladd</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, longtime professor at Fuller Seminary, which is where Bell went to seminary. Obviously, Ladd died in 1982, and this is pure conjecture, but I wonder how much of his theology remains? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 3</b>: What the “Hell”? Yes, I just had to say it. Chapter Three covers Rob Bell’s view of hell, “Bell’s Hell”? While I thought that there were some vague hints of this earlier, Bell makes more of his position explicit. Hell is restorative punishment, retributive justice (85). From what he has said already, it seems that our actions in this life do have eternal consequences, but ultimately only good consequences? In this chapter, he begins by tracing the scriptural history of hell. The Old Testament does not have much to say about it, but the New Testament is another story. Bell says that he believes in a literal hell, but then proceeds to make it “hell on earth” instead of eternal punishment (71). He redefines and personalizes it. Frankly, I find much implied and hinted at, but not much explicitly said in this chapter until toward the end of it (83ff.). So, he argues for the redemption of Sodom, which rests on Ezekiel’s and Jesus’ comments, but his interpretations are debatable. Again, his interpretation of Paul’s handing various ones over to Satan (1 Timothy; 1 Corinthians) is also highly dubious. Even more doubtful is his translation of Matthew 25. Concerning his interpretation of “‘aion’ of ‘kolazo’” (91), New Testament scholar, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Matthew-13-28-Expositors-Bible-Commentaries/dp/0340678739?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">D. A. Carson</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0340678739" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, says, “But in apocalyptic and eschatological contexts, the word not only connotes ‘pertaining to the [messianic] age’ but, because that age is always lived in God’s presence, also ‘everlasting’” (522). In my brief survey of commentaries, these words simply do not mean what Bell claims. His case is repeatedly constructed on highly suspect interpretations of Scripture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 4</b>: In Chapter Four, two things become very obvious, very quickly. <b>First</b>, Bell continues to build upon his previously distorted interpretations of Scripture (chapter 3), and <b>second</b>, he initially ignores his own principle of human free will (72) only to return to and say that all people will ultimately, freely choose God (116ff.) after multiple chances. His basic claim in this chapter is that unbelievers’ choosing to reject God and going to hell is incompatible with the character of God. Because of God’s love, he accomplishes his purposes by giving people multiple chances to be saved, <i>even after death</i>. I believe that this emphasizes God’s love to the neglect of God’s holiness. Bell’s “Multiple Chance Theology” <i>after death</i> (which is what makes it a form of universalism) sounds good and is very appealing. What Christian doesn’t want their unbelieving family and friends to ultimately be with them in heaven? Yet, the problem is that it contradicts Scripture. Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). I wish this was not true, but truth is not dependent on what sounds acceptable to me or our culture. We die and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 5</b>: After reading four chapters, I am finding that I do not trust Rob Bell, so to read chapter five and to find general agreement with it makes me feel like he’s somehow setting me up. Of course, he emphasizes verses that speak of God reconciling “all,” which in light of his previous chapters, does not require much imagination to figure out what that means. Also, he continues to rip Scripture out of context at will. We’ll see! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 6</b>: This chapter speaks of Jesus’ presence in this world. From my own experience and others’, I agree that Jesus can and does make himself known in a great variety of ways. We can agree with much of what is said in this chapter. How does Jesus Christ relate to culture? That’s a question that the church constantly struggles with. The classic work on this is H. Richard Niebuhr’s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Torchbooks-Richard-Niebuhr/dp/0061300039?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Christ and Culture</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061300039" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The most alarming statement in this chapter is Bell’s statement, “He [Jesus] doesn’t even state that those coming to the Father through him will even know that they are coming exclusively through him” (154). Bell does not present a scholarly case for much of what he says. He is a popular writer writing popular books. If one is to hold this position, then they should at least be familiar with Clark Pinnock’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wideness-Gods-Mercy-Finality-Religions/dp/0310535913?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Wideness in God’s Mercy</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310535913" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. While there are many areas of agreement, I continue to find areas that deserve serious, scholarly discussion instead of his “pop” talk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 7</b>: Once again, there is much to commend this chapter. Using the multifaceted story of the Prodigal Son, Bell tells of God’s love for us from multiple perspectives. I like the idea that God retells our story according to the Gospel. His continuing discussion over hell still highlights some deficient views of God’s character. Bell presents it as a change in God’s character from love to hate if we die without a relationship to him, but this misses two things. <b>First</b>, while God is love, God is also holy. Grace and mercy, and righteousness and justice go hand-in-hand. <b>Second</b>, those, who reject God’s love, experience judgment after death. This does not indicate a change in God’s character, but a change in the type of relationship possible between God and that person. Rob Bell seems to refuse to accept that there is a point where our relationship to God is settled once-and-for-all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Chapter 8</b>: Saved by the Bell? I appreciate Rob Bell ending by offering an invitation to accept God’s love for us. In light of much of the previous discussion, I find the “infinitely urgent” (196) to be a contradiction since I will have multiple chances even after death to accept God’s invitation, but still, he provides an excellent presentation of the Gospel in this chapter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Conclusion</b>: Admittedly, I hate this style of writing. I find its stylistic nature (the actual words on the page of the book) irritating, but that’s simply a personal preference. More problematic, quoting a quantity of verses out of context does not make a book more credible, although it may seem that way to some. Another issue for me is the lack of scholarly depth. So, while there are many things with which we can agree with Rob Bell, there are many things over which we must disagree. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Sources</b>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bell, Robert H. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Wins-About-Heaven-Person/dp/006204964X?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=006204964X" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />(New York: HarperOne, 2011). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Carson, D. A. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Matthew-13-28-Expositors-Bible-Commentaries/dp/0340678739?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Matthew: Chapters 13 through 28 of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary with the New International Version</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0340678739" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from <i>the Holy Bible: New International Version</i>. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-39297892251193087372011-04-15T11:13:00.003-04:002015-07-07T16:35:04.705-04:00Living with the Lectionary by Eugene L. Lowry<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0687179211&asins=0687179211&linkId=26WXQ435SQKCUC4I&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Living with the Lectionary: Preaching through the Revised Common Lectionary </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Eugene L. Lowry</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>92 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating</b>: 7 out of 10</span></div>
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Quick Summary</b>: This short book provides many helpful suggestions from a seasoned scholar and preacher in utilizing the <a href="http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/">Revised Common Lectionary</a>. In my previous review (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homiletical-Plot-Sermon-Narrative-Form/dp/0664222641?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Homiletical Plot</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0664222641" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />), I mentioned that <a href="http://www.eugenelowry.com/">Dr. Eugene Lowry</a> is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.spst.edu/">Saint Paul School of Theology</a> in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships</span><span style="color: black;">. This book was published in 1992; the same year as the Revised Common Lectionary debuted.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>Once again, Lowry produces a work relevant to those pastors who preach from the Revised Common Lectionary or who are interested in preaching from it. He describes his own relationship with the lectionary as a “love-hate relationship” (11). Yet, he admits, “The greatest single variable I am able to detect in this ‘substantially better’ preaching is the increased use of the lectionary as the basis for the sermon” (11). In this relatively short book (less than 100 pages), he addresses several practical issues of “living with the lectionary”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Chapter one</b> discusses the liabilities and assets of preaching the lectionary. I question the historical accuracy of this statement, “But the emergence of lectionary use in preaching now signals a new direction in the life of the church” (35). Many Christian traditions already used their own lectionary, so I am not sure that the current turn toward lectionary is quite this dramatic. Yet, Lowry says that “lectionary use bespeaks a new centering, a new mentality in the life of the church - and the Bible is at the core, not as <i>resource</i> but as <i>source</i>” (35). Within the certain traditions, this may well be the case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Chapter two </b>considers the obstacles of lectionary preaching. Admittedly, issues arise with lectionary preaching, which any preacher who has used the lectionary will understand. Lowry gives voice to these issues and provides some possible solutions for them. The bottom line is that the lectionary sometimes omits important verses (in a single passage) or passages (in successive Sundays) which greatly affect the understanding and interpretation of the text.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Chapter three </b>addresses three temptations and four claims upon preachers. While two of the temptations seem of critical importance, I would somewhat disagree with Lowry’s concern that the preacher may “preach whatever theology” appears in the text (67). The claims form the central concern of the chapter. He reflects upon four claims of the text, the pastoral situation, the sermon form, and the Gospel. Generally, I find some helpful comments, but these also serve to highlight differences between Lowry’s theology and evangelical theology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: From an evangelical perspective, the Word of God does form the central emphasis of the church. So, it may be that the lectionary has helped non-evangelical churches to return to the Scriptures for which we can be thankful, but it raises concerns as to what has been central in these churches (35). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> In contrast to Lowry’s concern that the sermon may arise from the text (66), an evangelical assumption is that the sermon should arise from the text! The text is considered within the overall canon of Scripture, but not to change the theology of a given text. The goal is to understand the text in its ever broadening context (passage, chapter, book, other writing by the same author, place in redemptive history, etc.). This does not necessarily lead to conflict and contradiction, but when it does, the preacher, as the chief theologian of the congregation, should work to resolve it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Another concern with Lowry’s theology is his view of revelation. It seems to lack an objective basis. He does recognize that it is historical and relational, but if questioned directly about the historical accuracy of revelation, I wonder what his answer would be. He seems to embrace revelation as a subjective experience which may lack historical accuracy. This is more consistent with a Neo-Orthodox or Post-Liberal approach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Lastly, I appreciate his emphasis on the Gospel, but I am not sure what he means by it. The Gospel is the saving work of God through Jesus Christ’s virgin birth, perfect life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and ascension, which provides forgives for our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. While the implications of the Gospel in texts may vary, the central Gospel message remains the same. Evangelicals believe that the Gospel is an objective, historical reality, but I am not sure that Lowry could agree with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <i>In reading and considering both the Homiletical Plot and Living with the Lectionary, I think that narrative preaching of the lectionary could be a valuable tool for evangelicals, who desire to emphasize Christian Year Spirituality centered on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who might this book interest? </b>Specifically, I think that this book may interest pastors who use the Revised Common Lectionary or who are interested in using it. In my experience, the more that I have grown to appreciate the Christian Year; the more that I have grown to appreciate the lectionary, with all of its faults.</span></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-68606978122992148382011-04-07T07:12:00.006-04:002015-07-07T16:33:04.455-04:00The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0664222641&asins=0664222641&linkId=YUSBYF5DAXKA5AHE&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">The Homiletical Plot: the Sermon as Narrative Art Form (Expanded Edition)</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Eugene Lowry</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>138 Pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: 8 out of 10</b></span></div>
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Quick Summary</b>: <a href="http://www.eugenelowry.com/">Dr. Eugene Lowry</a> is an ordained United Methodist minister and retired professor of preaching. Having taught at <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.spst.edu/">Saint Paul School of Theology</a> in Kansas City for over thirty years, his vita includes many scholarly books and articles on preaching, as well as various honors and lectureships</span><span style="color: black;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> When I was first forced to read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homiletical-Plot-Sermon-Narrative-Form/dp/0664222641?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Homiletical Plot</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0664222641" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> for a narrative preaching course in seminary, I strenuously resisted it. I hated it. Already having pastored for several years, I believed that the only valid type of preaching was expository preaching, book by book. Now, some years after that time, my own view of preaching has broadened, and while I still believe in expository preaching, I no longer believe expository preaching to be the <i>ONLY</i> valid evangelical method of preaching (my apologies to Dr. Killian). I finally developed an “itch” for expanding my preaching in new directions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Reading Lowry’s book again, I discovered a helpful process for preaching that my earlier view kept me from seeing. His work contains three sections: The Sermon as Narrative, The Stages of the Homiletical Plot, and Other Considerations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> In section one</b>, the Sermon as Narrative, he says that sermons are not a reasoned, rhetorical argument, but an event-in-time. The sermon consists of a plot with a problem, process, and solution. It is at the intersection of the problem and solution that ambiguity or the homiletical bind occurs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> In section two</b>, Lowry teaches the stages of the sermon. In the Afterward, he renames these stages: conflict, complication, sudden shift, good news, and unfolding. This sequence forms the phases of the sermon’s progression and the storytelling. Each of these stages is discussed in detail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> In section three</b>, Lowry discusses other considerations in narrative preaching. He acknowledges what most seasoned preachers already know that sermons vary according to the text and occasion. Thankfully, he discusses in greater detail the discovery of the sermon idea. I did not really “get that” in section one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> In part three, he provides twelve pointers in storytelling. These are helpful suggestions for studying the text, preparing and preaching the sermon. Lastly, instead of updating and revising his work, originally published in 1980, he adds an Afterword that further discusses lessons that he has learned since its initial publication. This was a helpful addition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Using literature, philosophy, and psychology in addition to Scripture, Lowry produces a helpful book on narrative preaching. Simply written, yet with depth of understanding, he provides a basic guide to developing narrative sermons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment</b>: There are many positive observations that an evangelical may make concerning The Homiletical Plot. <b>First</b>, whether expositional, lectionary, or topical, his method could be utilized by evangelical preachers to communicate Scripture. While narrative preaching may work best with narrative texts of Scripture, it could be used for any style of evangelical preaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> Second</b>, while we probably would not agree with his exact theological definitions, we can appreciate his emphasis on the Gospel as the solution in his sermon methodology. It concerns me that he does not “spell out” what he means by the Gospel, although he may hold to a neo-orthodox view, which in many ways is close to the evangelical view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> Third</b>, the work is theologically sensitive. Lowry says that the most fundamental issue that preachers must decide is their view of the human condition in regards to the fall, sin, and salvation. In addition, he interacts with both Liberal Protestant and Neo-Orthodox theology before providing a third alternative that incorporates aspects of both into his sermon methodology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> While not evangelical, his sermon methodology may produce fruit for evangelical preaching. In relation to postmodernism, it may provide a new vehicle of communication to reach the current generation. In using narrative preaching methodology, one does not need to compromise an evangelical understanding of Scripture or the Gospel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> Specifically, I think that this book may interest pastors who desire a renewal and refreshing of their preaching. Whether a narrative preacher or not, this work contains useful guidance for any pastor on communicating a sermon to a congregation.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-23558535534547398462011-03-25T10:04:00.005-04:002015-07-07T16:30:19.524-04:00The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0758613032&asins=0758613032&linkId=IDSPDEENZ6SFEVTT&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals (Revised Edition) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Gene Edward Veith, Jr.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2010</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>172 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: 9 out of 10</b></span></div>
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Quick Summary:</b><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://www.geneveith.com/">Gene Edward Veith Jr.</a> holds a PhD in English literature and serves in higher education as a professor and administrator. He has written numerous books on Christianity and culture such as: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Times-Christian-Contemporary-Worldview/dp/0891077685?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0891077685" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. In addition, he is an orthodox Lutheran author, which brings us to the work under review, The Spirituality of the Cross. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This interesting, well-written introduction to Lutheran spirituality kept my attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you are an evangelical of any stripe, I would suggest starting with his article in the appendix, “The First Evangelicals and Other Churches”. It is an excellent beginning to this work, even if it is at the end. He begins the Preface by saying, “This book explains a Christian tradition that is rich, historic, and particularly relevant today. Yet hardly anyone outside of ‘Lutheran’ circles – and sometimes even within them – is aware of it” (9). This comment rings true. I have been in evangelical academic circles for most of my life, but even with multiple courses in church history at the undergraduate and graduate level, my knowledge of the Lutheran tradition was often found wanting in reading this book. Lutheran theology is rich, full, and deep, but unfortunately, it is one of the best kept secrets among evangelical theologies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Veith introduces this work by noting that Lutherans were the first evangelicals, but of course, the term is now used with a much broader meaning (see my statement of faith). His introduction sets the stage for the rest of the work by connecting spirituality to theology. He then proceeds to discuss the major spiritual and theological distinctives of Lutheran theology. Such emphases include: justification, and the Law and Gospel (ch. 1); the means of grace: Word and Sacraments (ch. 2); Theology of Glory and Theology of the Cross (ch. 3); vocation and the Two Kingdoms (ch. 4); continuing the Two Kingdom discussion with Christ and culture (ch. 5); and lastly the “heaven on earth” nature of worship (ch. 6). Theology and daily life are deeply intertwined. Each theological emphasis exhibits daily, practical Christian living and draws the believer more deeply into the person and work of Jesus Christ through God’s grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment: </b>Gene Edward Veith, Jr., and the Lutheran tradition that he presents, is thoroughly evangelical. My fascination with Lutheran theology grows because of the balance that they maintain between evangelical and catholic. They worship liturgically, not given to revivalism or contemporary models, and yet, are thoroughgoing evangelicals. They combine the best of both worlds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In terms of criticism, as Veith points out, orthodox Lutherans are often separatists. On multiple levels, this causes some difficulties. In terms of evangelical emphases, personal conversion and evangelism become fuzzy and uncertain. It is not a matter of lacking beliefs in these areas (well, maybe not in personal conversion), but how to do it in a way that is consistent with their theology produces a gray area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I affirm the paradoxes that Lutherans embrace, but must still ponder the working out of them. In summary, I greatly appreciate the fact that Lutherans do allow the biblical tension to exist and do not give easy answers to complex problems, but in practice, I sometimes find it difficult to sort out.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Who might this book interest? </b>Generally, I think that this book would interest any Christian, especially evangelicals, who wish to deepen their own understanding of spirituality and theology. Specifically, it would interest anyone who desires an introduction to Lutheran spirituality and theology.</span></span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-37078648357488382222011-03-22T10:51:00.003-04:002015-07-07T16:28:50.523-04:00The Post-Evangelical by Dave Tomlinson<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0281048142&asins=0281048142&linkId=OMLYXSNA4WPCNUNF&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />The Post-Evangelical </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dave Tomlinson</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>El Cajon, CA: EmergentYS, 2003</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>146 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary:</b><span style="color: black;"> </span>Former fundamentalist, house church leader, charismatic, and now, Anglican priest, Dave Tomlinson (<a href="http://www.davetomlinson.co.uk/">www.davetomlinson.co.uk</a>) pens this work on Postmodern Christianity. He currently pastor’s St. Luke’s Church in north London and is a self-proclaimed Postmodern Christian, and author of several books. From this book, he grew up in the Brethren Church, which tended toward fundamentalism. I believe that this is important to understanding his perspective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Tomlinson writes a concise introduction to Post-Evangelical Christianity. His reasonable chapters and good sections make for effortless reading! Because they are so numerous, the input of the other contributors in the little gray boxes gets somewhat annoying. His greatest contribution in this book is as a Practical Theologian and practitioner. Many of his engagements with academic theology leave something to be desired. Based on his experience, he speaks to a specific, smaller expression of evangelicalism, fundamentalism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As he describes it, this work is apologetic, pastoral, and alternative. Tomlinson reaches out to unbelievers and disenchanted evangelicals who share his struggle between culture and Christianity. He says, “My thesis is that post-evangelicals differ from evangelicals especially in that they are influenced by a different culture than the one that shaped present-day evangelicalism” (28). Admittedly, there is a cultural shift happening that is still taking form. Tomlinson provides one possible approach to that cultural shift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In summary, Tomlinson introduces his topic (ch 1), reviews recent history (ch 2), identifies the issue (ch 3), and uses psychological models to explain it (ch 4). According to his “psych eval,” of evangelicalism, we fail at maturity. He continues with an epistemological overview (ch 5), description of postmodernism (ch 6), redefining truth (ch 7), reconsidering God’s Word (ch 8), becoming culturally relevant (ch 9), and concluding issues (ch 10).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment: </b>There are several criticisms that I have to make. On multiple issues, I felt that the author’s discussion repeatedly lacked philosophical depth and historical understanding. In reading this work, I felt that evangelicals were misrepresented! Very often, he seemed to be addressing fundamentalists, not evangelicals. He seems reactionary toward his past rather than informed of evangelical theology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This can be seen in the author’s view of Scripture. Tomlinson delineates between evangelical’s literalism and recognition of various literary forms. WHAT? The various hermeneutics books that I used at multiple evangelical institutions taught us to identify and interpret according to the type of literature. Even more disturbing, his discussion of inerrancy and revelation lacks a critical evaluation of Barth and Polanyi as well as historical perspective on the issue. He seems totally unaware of the historical discussion on these issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another concern is his reinterpretation of the atonement and marriage. While these may be studied and our scriptural view of them expanded and refined, we do not ignore and replace what Scripture does clearly express on these topics. Yet, this seems to be the case with Tomlinson. In mentioning my criticism, Tomlinson repeatedly gives some valuable suggestions for Bible studies that are very consistent with historic Christian teaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lastly, he needs further critical evaluation and scholarly depth in the historical overview of modernism and discussion of culture. Since both of these areas are keys to his discussion, it would have been helpful to have interacted with scholarly sources in addressing them. He oversimplifies to the point of desecrating medieval culture and the Enlightenment. Since his entire work revolves around Christianity and culture, it may have been helpful to consider H. Richard Niebuhr’s book, Christ and Culture, as well as more recent works. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> I think that this book would interest evangelicals who desire an introduction to the current movements within evangelicalism, but this work should only be a beginning point. He does provide practitioners with some valuable suggestions for ministry, but other books from within this movement and outside of it provide a much more informed discussion.</span></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-58127664440865529622011-03-16T07:49:00.003-04:002015-07-07T16:27:13.781-04:00True Prayer by Kenneth Leech<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0819216461&asins=0819216461&linkId=X4P3CTKPTRZDX7VK&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />True Prayer: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kenneth Leech</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>202 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary:</b><span style="color: black;"> </span>Kenneth Leech is a retired Anglican priest and spiritual writer. True Prayer is the second book in what became his trilogy on the Christian spiritual life. Previously, I reviewed the first book of the trilogy, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Friend-Revised-Kenneth-Leech/dp/081921888X?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Soul Friend: New Revised Edition</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=081921888X" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (click on "Leech" on the LABELS list). While Soul Friend is a textbook on spiritual direction, this work is a textbook on prayer.<br />
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Inevitably, when I read Kenneth Leech, I encounter a chapter or section that is an absolute treasure chest filled with gold, silver, and precious jewels. It is priceless beyond imagination! This book is no exception!</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"> The one difference is that there are many places in this book where this is true. From his instruction on distractions in prayer to growth in contemplative prayer, he offers deep, insightful instruction. Yet, the depth of the work should not deter the reader. It is also a practical work on many aspects of prayer and growth in prayer. This book should not, and probably cannot, be read quickly. It should be sipped and savored like fine wine, not guzzled like cheap beer.<br />
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Leech says, "This book is addressed to people who are trying to follow the Christian way of prayer and to discern their awareness of life in the Spirit" (10). He structures True Prayer around the Lord's Prayer and plunges into the depths of the Lord's Prayer scripturally and spiritually. It seeks to teach us to pray individually and corporately. As always, Leech's well-known social concern is evident. I generally find it a proper balance to Western individualism.<br />
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Leech states, "So the aim and goal of Christian life and prayer is to see God" (9). More than simply making our requests known to God and getting what we want, prayer is relational. It is about knowing God personally. He guides us into deepening our personal relationship with God. Here's the publication information about the book.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment: </b>Admittedly, I find myself biased. For me, this book ranks in the top 3 books on prayer that I have read. Still, it requires some evaluative comments. Let me begin with a concern over the format, I found myself wishing for section headings within chapters. I think that this would be helpful to the reader.<br />
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Regardless, True Prayer is both academic and practical. It is deeply scriptural and theological, historical and spiritual. It is theologically informed. This work is theologically grounded in the creation and incarnation, which is common for Anglican theology. In addition, the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit form its understanding and practice of prayer.<br />
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In the context of this work, Leech is orthodox in his presentation. I do continue to wonder about some of his positions that are not addressed in this work, but they are not a concern in this work. Some evangelicals from non-liturgical backgrounds may raise their eyebrows over his sacramental understanding of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Those in traditions that do not practice confession, even corporate confession, will experience a little anxiety as he discusses private confession.<br />
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The humorous thing for me is this: in many of the non-liturgical denominations, they practice of baptism and confession in ways that parallel their fellow evangelicals in liturgical traditions. When I pastored a church in the revivalistic tradition, at the invitation believers would come to the front and basically do a confession. I think that there is something inherently human about this need for confession and forgiveness from God that causes us to develop some type of practices that incorporate it in our tradition.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who might this book interest? </b>I think that this book would interest any evangelical who desires to grow into and deepen their prayer life, especially pastors who wish to deepen their own prayer life and to better understand and aid those believers who are seeking to do the same.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-68799637845048552552011-02-27T12:29:00.011-05:002015-07-07T16:26:09.135-04:00Welcome to the Episcopal Church by Christopher L. Webber<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0819218200&asins=0819218200&linkId=CXYMEBYLVAXSRFXB&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br />Welcome to the Episcopal: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Christopher L. Webber</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>133 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary:</b><span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.clwebber.com/">Christopher L. Webber</a> is a prolific author and Episcopal priest. He has earned two advanced degrees from General Theological Seminary. This work is an introduction to the Episcopal Church. Admittedly, after having read Urban Holmes book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anglicanism-Anglican-Studies-Urban-Holmes/dp/0819212954?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">What Is Anglicanism (The Anglican Studies Series)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0819212954" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, this book was quite disappointing. While I found myself disagreeing at times with Holmes, I still found myself saying, “he still makes a theologically informed, lucid point.” I cannot say this with Webber’s book. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> Regardless, I did find some interesting elements to his work. Chapter 1 begins by tracing the history of the Episcopal Church. Webber concedes that if not for the disagreement between Henry VIII, then the Anglican Church may not even exist. After the American Revolution, the first American bishop was consecrated by the Scottish Church because the English Church was prohibited from doing it. He mentions that Anglican unity is based on the Bible, two sacraments, creeds, and apostolic ministry, and then, he proceeds to address the controversy over women’s ordination (1976) and the new Prayer Book (1979). How was the controversy over women’s ordination solved? He says, “…the bishops who dissented were gradually replaced.” At the time of his writing, he comments that the decline in the Episcopal Church has ceased in the mid-80s. In the present time, my guess is that this is no longer accurate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> Chapter 2 continues by discussing worship. Episcopalians have traditionally found their unity in worship, not theology. He continues by making several comparisons between Anglican and Lutheran understandings worship and communion, which according to Orthodox Lutheran sources are incorrect (see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lutheranism-101-Scot-Kinnaman/dp/0758625057?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lutheranism 101</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0758625057" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />). Chapter 3 speaks about the Bible and claims that Anglicans required no beliefs except what is in it. Yet for Webber, the Bible is a record of others' experiences of God, rather than an inspired revelation given to us by God. Chapter 4 talks about the Anglican’s both/and instead of either/or understanding of theology based in Scripture, tradition, and reason, and the difficulty of maintaining it. Chapter 5 addresses the intuitive nature and various spiritual practices of Anglican spirituality. He concludes with the church’s ministry and organization (6) and mission (7).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment: </b>Where do I begin? I will only focus on Scripture. While Webber gives a nod to Scripture, he ultimately makes it subjective to the point of irrelevance. Actually, in his view, the only relevance that it has is to me personally, subjectively, and symbolically. Anglicans may only require beliefs that are founded in Scripture, but he does an adequate job dismissing what Scripture objectively teaches on the basis of culture. And that is the issue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In his view, the Scriptures are a record of the authors' subjective experience of God, not an inspired revelation given to us by God. Evangelicals would generally affirm that God speaks subjectively to us through Scripture. But Webber believes that Scripture is subjective without an objective basis. While he does not come out and say this, and many other things, my guess is that he holds a Neo-Orthodox view of Scripture. While evangelicals seek to recognize those teachings that are culture bound, there are many universal teachings that apply to all time, all places, and all people. It is not a matter of what I can make Scripture say, but what does it really say. Inasmuch as this book represents the Episcopal Church, and I would assume that it does, it is not difficult to understand what's currently going on in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book may be of interest to evangelicals, who have an interest in the broader American religious experience.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-25883596656779549702011-02-24T09:40:00.002-05:002015-07-07T16:24:38.167-04:00Sacred Companions by David G. Benner<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=083083270X&asins=083083270X&linkId=B7PU5RQNJEULFUCJ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>David G. Benner</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2002</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>240 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary: </b>This is my fourth revue of a book by Dr. David G. Benner. Personally, I have followed his work from psychology and pastoral care to Christian spirituality. Interestingly enough, Larry Crabb, who wrote the Foreward, and Benner, share a similar journey from clinical psychology to Christian spirituality. Benner is a Christian clinical psychologist and academic, who has written on many topics relating to the Christian faith, psychology, and Christian spirituality. His book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Care-Souls-Revisioning-Christian-Nurture/dp/0801090636?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0801090636" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and this work lay the foundation for his brief, popular Christian spirituality books which follow this work. I hope to revue some of these later…</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In this work, Benner addresses two topics: spiritual friendship and spiritual direction. In Part 1 on spiritual friendship, he discusses the transformational journey of believers (ch. 1), hospitality, presence, and dialogue (ch. 2), and ideals of spiritual friendship (ch. 3). In Part 2 on spiritual direction, he speaks to demystifying spiritual direction (ch. 4), soul attunement (ch. 5), a portrait of the process (ch. 6), and becoming a spiritual director (ch. 7). Lastly, in Part 3 on combining these two, he approaches small groups (ch. 8) and marriage (ch. 9). At the end, he makes suggestions and comments for further reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment:</b> Sacred Companions is broadly evangelical and experiential, which is somewhat expected in such a practical book. While it is not an academic textbook on spiritual direction, such as Kenneth Leech’s Soul Friend, it is well-researched, although this is clearly in the background. He uses many real-life illustrations to explain spiritual friendship and direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The evangelical distinctives are emphasized in an experiential way. Thus, the transformational journey is about the experience of following Jesus Christ and surrender to God’s will. The goals are generally Biblical goals, although I have a question about the “becoming our true self-in-Christ.” Although Benner seeks to use this concept theologically, I inwardly debate this True Self/False Self idea and wonder if it is more psychological than Biblical? Scripture does speak of Christians being "in Christ," but I am not sure that this is what he means. Regardless, the focus is subjective, not objective, which highlights an area that evangelicals often feel uneasy about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Most evangelicals are outwardly propositional, but secretly subjective. In my Revivalistic heritage, preaching and worship are very affective experiences, yet we say that you cannot trust emotions and experience. I find it humorous that many Christians in my tradition base the quality of a service on the emotion it stirs within them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While I agree that Scripture is the supreme source of knowledge for Christians and cannot be compromised, I also think that we need to develop an appreciation of the emotional, experiential side. Often, it is the subjective side that causes trouble for us, and this may be because we have not developed and understood our theology holistically, applying it to every area of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Benner’s work exposes the experiential side of the Christian life. This will make some evangelicals uncomfortable. He shows that community is imperative to spiritual growth. His work takes us beyond the normal, structured discipleship models to the next stage of spiritual growth. I appreciate the work that Benner has produced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> I think that this book would be of interest to those Christian who have mastered the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life and desire to know God more deeply. Spiritual friendship and direction may be the next step on one’s journey.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-7734880265749088782011-02-22T17:38:00.001-05:002015-07-07T16:23:12.678-04:00Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0802490921&asins=0802490921&linkId=ML55NVTZA6NI6P6Y&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Understanding and Applying the Bible,</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Revised and Expanded</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Robertson McQuilkin</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chicago: Moody Press, 2009</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>334 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rating: 9 out of 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary: </b>Dr. Robertson McQuilkin is the President Emeritus and was the President of Columbia International University from 1968-1990. In a heartfelt and touching move, he resigned in 1990 to care for his wife, Muriel, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and has since passed away in 2003. Their story is told in a short book called, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Kept-Robertson-McQuilkin/dp/0842350993?ie=UTF8&tag=thechrboore06-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Promise Kept</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrboore06-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0842350993" height="1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (Amazon link).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Returning to this revue of Understanding and Applying the Bible, McQuilkin has provided a standard, evangelical textbook on Biblical interpretation. I used his 1992 text in Bible college as well as in seminary! Thankfully, it was revised and expanded in 2009 to address more recent hermeneutical issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">According to its author, this book was 35 years in the making and fueled by his frustration over the lack of an adequate hermeneutics textbook for lay, Bible college, and seminary students. It is a practical and thorough textbook. He clearly and thoughtfully addresses most of the major issues in hermeneutics such as: presuppositions, communication, and culture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Also, he addresses the primary concerns of biblical interpretation such as: background to the text, word studies, thought structure, contexts, various genres of literature, interpretation, and application. The depth of his work has given it broad and lasting use among those who desire to study and apply Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment:</b> McQuilkin is thoroughly evangelical in his text. I hesitate to criticize his text in any way, but I do have two concerns about it. Neither of my concerns deals with his evangelical perspective. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>First</b>, I wish that he had provided more of a coherent, overall process. While he deals logically with the principles and guidelines, he does not provide an overall method for interpreting Scripture. His study of the various aspects is often unparalleled, but as far as a holistic method, I think that it is lacking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Second</b>, with the principles and guidelines that he does make, it seems that he is starting with the words and sentences of the passage, and then, working outward to the context and book. While this is one possible way of studying the passage, I had rather study it beginning broadly with the book of the Bible and working my way inward toward the passage. I would suggest studying the passage beginning with background, context, thought structure, passage, sentences, and word study.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Both of these are a matter of preference on my part. McQuilkin’s book provides a solid, workmanlike hermeneutics textbook, which has proven itself beyond my opinions by its longevity and usage at many different levels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> This book would be of interest to lay, Bible college, and seminary students who are serious about studying God’s Word. While this text would be best used in a classroom setting, it may also be read individually.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2167472714021463205.post-57459934602576143522011-02-16T10:06:00.004-05:002015-07-07T16:21:41.492-04:00Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thechrboore06-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0830837027&asins=0830837027&linkId=5AGTNXS5MANT7MLG&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Adam S. McHugh</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2009</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>222 pages</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rating: 9 out of 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quick Summary:</b> My wife actually started reading this book because she thought that she was an introvert, but after a few chapters, she said to me, “He’s describing you perfectly.” Once she finished reading it, I had to read this book, especially since it was talking about me! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The author, Adam McHugh, is an ordained Presbyterian minister and introverted personality. He has an M.Div and Th.M from Princeton and has served in various pastoral and chaplaincy ministries. He says, “My hope is that, through this book, God will begin or continue a process of healing introverts – helping them find freedom in their identities and confidence to their faith in ways that feel natural and life-giving, the way that God intended…Further, I hope that God will unlock in introverts the tremendous gifts that they have to bring to the church” (13). As an introvert, I have to say, “AMEN!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> McHugh makes his case that the outgoing, extroverted personality type is valued more in our culture and the church, and imposed upon those who are introverts. This has created the need for healing for introverts. From my own experience, I agree with him. One of his best chapters is on introverted spirituality. It provides many helpful hints for introverts to develop in their relationship to God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Also, he considers several difficult issues for introverts such as: community, leadership, and evangelism and gives suggestions for finding healthy expressions of these in introverted ways. In the revivalistic tradition in which I was raised, these are all geared toward extroversion as he has described them. It was good to read about these from an introverted perspective. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Evangelical Assessment:</b> McHugh has presented a biblically informed, practical, and personal work on introverts in the church. He is a mainline evangelical and accurately describes three evangelical distinctives (personal relationship to God, centrality of the Bible, and personal evangelism) that are most often expressed in extroverted ways, but he does not excuse introverts from these. He gives more relevant expressions of these for introverts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">McHugh freely admits that personality types are not of biblical origin and that his biblical examples are based on the information that we have from Scripture, but with the understanding that Scripture was not written with these in mind. I appreciated his very thoughtful and careful handling of Scripture in relation to this topic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Admittedly, I greatly identified with this book. I was an introverted pastor, who burned-out in his first full-time church due to being forced into many extroverted expectations. I knew that there was a deep problem for me at the core of my being, but at the time, I simply could not fully identify it. I left that church, and full-time ministry, feeling wounded and continuing to be very self-protective in multiple part-time pastorates after that experience, which was unhealthy and limiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This work has given definition to my woundedness and has helped me to begin the process of healing as well as understanding my personality, gifts, and church involvement. Many of the things that McHugh describes, I found myself doing, but did not understand why? This book can help introverts to understand this and function as you are created too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Who might this book interest?</b> Christians, who suspect that they have an introverted personality, should definitely read this book! It may save you from a lot of hurt and frustration, or help you to heal from it. Also, this book should be read by church leaders, whether extrovert or introvert. They need to understand the introverted personality and how to minister to them, especially since they are probably half of their congregations!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0