The Awakening of Hope: Why We Practice a Common Faith by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove – A Review

Ancient.

Tradition.

Monastic.

These are words most of us in our postmodern, post-Christian, post-everything society do not want to entertain. Frankly, we’d all rather focus on, well, that which entertains. Many of us do. And, unfortunately, many churches do as well.

This is why I am thankful for Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. His works remind us of our handed-down-ness. We haven’t made up Christianity and the church. It has been handed down to us as a gift for us to receive. The cultural winds that blow and swirl around us are always tempered by the rootedness of our faith.

The good news is that God has already given us all that we need to enjoy the life we were made for in Jesus Christ. For every new sign of hope, there is ancient wisdom to help us interpret how a new thing can be rooted in God’s old, old story. For every fresh wind, there is a rudder to lead us on toward the beloved community of God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

With this wisdom in mind, Wilson-Hartgrove takes us on a journey through his unconventional catechism. Rather than beginning with orthodoxy (beliefs), he aims at orthopraxy (practices) through asking a series of “Why?” questions. His hope is that through this trail of questions and embodied practices, we might reengage with the ancient story and “inspire hope in our time and ask what convictions undergird a way of life that makes such witness possible.” As he states, “This is a book about why. Why do people who follow Jesus do the things we do?”. The result is that the dividing wall between belief and practice will begin to crumble as we see orthodoxy and orthopraxy as one and the same: true belief is true practice.

The chapters flow from essential thought-provoking question to essential thought-provoking question. They are the following:

• Why We Eat Together
• Why We Fast
• Why We Make Promises
• Why it Matters Where We Live
• Why We Live Together
• Why We Would Rather Die Than Kill
• Why We Share Good News

Each of these questions gets examined in real life. This book is not an idealistic utopian vision. Rather, it is a picture of the hope emanating from actual communities living actual life together.

It is messy.

It is difficult.

And yet it is hopeful.

It is hopeful because the accounts given take us beyond merely showing up on a Sunday morning. Notice: none of the questions dealt with have anything to do with our behaviors on Sunday mornings. At least not directly. What Wilson-Hartgrove is doing is bringing our attention to our collective life as the people of God and what it is that the Church has been doing since the time of Jesus. Is there a purpose behind this? What is he trying to point out to us? I’ll leave that to you once you read it.

It is also an “awakening of hope” due the very fact that these practices are actually being practiced by real people. For those of us who have wandered and wondered if there is truly more out there, this book opens up the imagination in a way that says, “You too can do this.” And, further, “You can do this with others. You were made to do this with others.” This is not another example of an individualistic pietism. It is subtitled “Why We Practice a Common Faith” because our faith is a community-creating one in which we share things in common. We are disciples who live under common disciplines.

Overall, I recommend this book to those seeking an embodied spirituality and faith, both those who have been within the Church for some time and those who haven’t or aren’t. The story out of which these practices flow is found on every page illuminating us of what and who it is that push us into these communal realities. The chapter “Why We Would Rather Die Than Kill” was especially poignant, challenging, and yet encouraging for me as I’ve grown up in the conservative Christian realm where being pro-life is a prerequisite, but a consistent ethic of non-violence is often an afterthought. Filtering his position through the resurrection of Jesus, he wonders if Jesus didn’t inaugurate a new way of life that dethrones violence as the answer. Did not Jesus image “a God who would rather die in love than guarantee justice by the threat of violence”? Tough questions with implications worth wrestling with.

The book didn’t come by itself. It’s partner is a series of videos brilliantly done by The Work of the People. Their work always results in a broadening and deepening of the imagination through both content and visual beauty. It is no different with the people and stories presented in this DVD. You will hear from ordinary people being and doing extraordinary things alongside others in the messiness of regular life. If you are tempted to get the book alone, do not. The DVD and book intertwine and bring out subtle yet profound aspects that each by itself cannot.

Get this book and video. Gather with others and engage with their material. Experiment with the practices. Embody them. I pray you find your community awakening hope.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.

The Permanent Revolution by Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim: A Review

I recently finished The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century Church by Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim. It was both fascinating and challenging; eye-opening and head-scratching; theoretical and practical. As the title alludes to, they aren’t merely looking to write another informative, and perhaps, redundant piece of missional thoughts and practices. No, they are rather looking for a return to the five-fold movemental nature inherent to the Church brought about through the identification and manifestation of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher and their subsequent equipping of the saints.

At the outset and permeated throughout the bulk of the book, Hirsch and Catchim (along with a bit of Mike Breen thrown into the mix) warn of the nature of this writing. It isn’t for those who think they have it all together. It isn’t for those not willing to learn. Instead it is for those yearning for the missional nature inherent to the apostolic ministry found in Ephesians 4 (and elsewhere) to be brought (once again) to the fore. This is especially pertinent, in Hirsch and Catchim’s view, because of the current cultural context and state of the Western church. Steady decline has made many wonder what is the potential solution to this steady downturn. Enter The Permanent Revolution.

Central to the argument of returning the church to its apostolic DNA is the breaking away from the thinking that has gotten to us this point. As is pointed out throughout the book, the thinking and doing that got us to this point is producing that which cannot get us out of our ecclesiological rut. Again, central to their argument is the relegation of what is essential to the Church herself: the fully functioning APEST roles. As is shown in biology, if you mess with the DNA  of any organism you will get a distorted body. Hence, Hirsch and Catchim demonstrate, most Western churches practice a two-folded ministry focused on the Shepherd and Teacher to the extreme denial of the Apostle, Prophet, and Evangelist. This denial and relegation of these core ministries has left us wanting and wondering why the Western church has lost its movemental nature. The argument here is made that it is due to our anemic understanding and consequential practice of both the church’s being and doing in general and of the Apostle in particular. The essence of the Apostle – the key to missional movements – is at the core of this writing and will spark your imagination, even if you aren’t gifted as an apostle. For instance they say:

Exclude the apostolic, and it becomes hard to see how a fully formed, mature, and expansive ecclesia can possibly take place. Most likely the church would be limited to good preaching, groovy contemporary worship, and Bible studies. We suspect that Jesus intended much more for the movement that he started.

Does that form of church sound familiar? It should.

There is so much in this book that the reader is given a thorough overview of the current state and condition of the Western church. Taking their cues from sociology, biology, emergence theory, social movement dynamics, together with church history, theology, and Scripture, Hirsch and Catchim have developed a truly revolutionary book for both thought and practice. Their extremely well developed concepts of all of the APEST roles goes beyond anything I have seen. The relational nature of these gifts and how they are intimately related to each other is deeply examined, especially in light of the Apostle.

If you have been well-versed in the missional conversation this book will continue to expand your conception of the nature of the church and how to put feet to it. If you are just getting your feet wet in the missional conversation this book will blow your mind and then put it all back together again. Whether you are seeking to plant a church or transform your established church, this book is an essential piece of the puzzle that we need to grapple with. There is so much of value here a simple review like this won’t do it justice. Go get yourself a copy. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: The Next Christians: How a New Generation is Restoring the Faith

Restoration is the key word for understanding the next Christians according to Gabe Lyons. It is the idea of joining with God in the restoration of all things that permeates all of life. Rather than privatizing faith, nominally accepting faith, or simply attending a weekly service the next Christians embody their faith as it shines forth in the daily rhythms of their lives.

The entire premise for Lyons’ book is the shift in Christian America (if there ever was such a thing). As with most culturally and theologically clued in Christians, we are living in the midst of dynamic changes in western civilization. The common Christian foundation that most of the American population was familiar with in the past is now mostly gone. Culture has become much more pluralized, secularized, and yet concurrently, spiritual awareness and seeking has risen. Against the tendency of past Christians, Lyons states that the next Christians will not retreat or separate themselves into an insular entity in response to the shifting cultural situation. Instead he states six characteristics that will and do stand at the forefront of the next Christians. They are the following:

- Provoked, not offended

- Creators, not critics

- Called, not employed

- Grounded, not distracted

- In community, not alone

- Countercultural, not “relevant”

According to Lyons, the common thread found throughout the next Christians, is their dedication to holistic gospel restoration. The entire gospel addresses their entire beings and is embodied in their entire lives primarily in the above characteristics.

Overall, I’d recommend this book for someone who is contemplating what is next for Christianity or, like Lyons, has come out of a rather conservative Christian background. (This is typified by a stress on proclamation evangelism epitomized by the “Romans’ Road” or the “sinner’s prayer, living within the Christian bubble, abstaining from all alcohol, etc.) Lyons does a great job bringing together stories of people who are living out of this restoration mindset. He also does a good job bringing out the cultural and theological foundations found in the next Christians. However, if you are a next Christian or have read material from the Emergent or missional camps, this will be a nice review. For me ( a seminary grad, 28 years old, interim pastor, leading a smaller faith community, work in a public school) most of this was an encouraging reminder of what I am currently working on. Regardless, it is a good introduction to some of the newer thoughts of the next Christians.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Quotable Chesterton: The Wit and Wisdom of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte

Having read some of Chesterton’s works, this book is a great synthesis of some of his best quotes. It is an alphabetical ordering of his “wit and wisdom” covering everything from “Academia” to “Zola, Emile”. Since Belmonte accumulated a compilation of Chesterton quotes there isn’t much flow to this book as if it were a narrative. Rather you find yourself jumping from topic to topic delving into the mind, heart, and soul of a theological/philosophical/literary giant.

For anyone who hasn’t read any of Chesterton’s classics – Orthodoxy, Heretics, The Man Who Was Thursday – this book is a great introduction to his thought. Granted, he can be somewhat difficult to understand in this group of decontextualized texts, don’t let that stop you from going any further. Overall, I’d recommend this book for someone looking into getting to know Chesterton without reading all his works or for the person who has read Chesterton and wants an easily accessible resource.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister

 

If you’re like me you know Christmas and Easter as the two events where the church service attendance skyrocketed. Also, if you are anything like me, you’ve heard of things like Advent and Lent, but never feasts, times of penance, or any other particular day off the Christian calendar. For many those things are “much too Catholic”, somehow equated to a work done away with by Jesus, or some other excuse for flat-out ignorance. I know for me it was.

Chittister brings out the aspects of the liturgical year in such a way that a newbie like myself can stand in awe of. The book itself is an exploration in the liturgical year, essentially from her Roman Catholic perspective, yet in a generic way that any Christian tradition could agree with. She begins with an overview of the basics and then dives into every season and major day celebrated within the calendar.

Her main contention is to bring to light the spiritual ramifications and transformation brought about by living out the Christian year in step with Jesus’ life. The Christian calendar isn’t a mundane routine meant to keep us in the know regarding the dates of Christian events. Rather, it is the following of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection as it overlaps, intertwines, deepens, and transforms our lives. The annual ins and outs of the Christian calendar bring us into the mysteries of Christ’s life that have been reflected upon and embodied for hundreds and hundreds of years by thousands and thousands of people. By allowing the life of Jesus to determine the flow of our every day, we are gently molded into and by the community Jesus brings us into.

Overall, I’d recommend the book to anyone looking to connect to the historical stream found within the Church. In a world dominated by fiscal, athletic, school, and social calendars and timetables, the liturgical calendar stands strong as a reminder that we call Jesus not only Savior, but Lord, and that includes our time and seasonal rhythms. Chittister’s book would be a great introduction for anyone seeking to enter the realm of the ancient practices.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Gospel According to Jesus: A Faith that Restores All Things by Chris Seay

This book is written at the popular level by a pastor who is doing many good things for the kingdom of God. Thankfully, it is also written to challenge the current culture of popular Christian literature. Where the majority of Christian living type books fall short, Seay attempts to bolster our imagination to a deeper level. This is what he is trying to do with this book: take our familiar, individualized, private accounts of Christian theology, spirituality, etc. and take us into the deep end for awhile.

Overall, this book is thought provoking and challenging and would probably be best suited for the Christian looking to get out the typical box he/she may find his/herself in. Seay is a great speaker and pastor who is attempting to lead his people back to Jesus in order to move forward with Jesus.

The title alone gives a hint of the problem he sees in the western Church, and therefore the western world, that being the misunderstanding of the gospel itself. For my money, the chapter on righteousness would be enough to get the book. In it he demonstrates the misunderstanding of righteousness by a large percentage of Christians. The problem, as he sees it, focuses on the further misunderstanding that derive from this initial one. Rather than a mere morality or personal piety, he describes righteousness as restorative justice, not only for the individual, but for the whole of creation. Thus, the gospel of Jesus isn’t a simple piety or privatized salvation, but rather, a holistic renewing of the entire cosmos. It is this message (good news) that is to be proclaimed.

I would recommend this book for someone tired of pat answers and wanting to see beyond their own personal salvation. Yes, personal salvation is needed, but it is not the end of it all. Seay brings our attention to this by bringing us back to Jesus’ actual gospel and its ramifications. A good beginning to a holistic comprehension of Jesus’ message.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Science and Faith; Derek Webb lyrics at JesusCreed

Over at Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight blogs about the newest book on science and faith. Science vs Religion: What Scientists Really Think details the actual beliefs and faith of scientists. Give it a look and see what may surprise you.

While you’re there, check out his discussion on Derek Webb, one of my favorite artists. If you don’t know much about him, you should look into it. He’s a former member of Caedmon’s Call, whom has been venturing out on his own for the last 5+ years or so. Some Christians hate him because he’s a boundary-pusher (he even cusses in a few songs, oh no!), while others love him for his call to action and truth found throughout his lyrics. Either way, he’s a great musician and lyricist who is definitely worth the money. Check out Noise Trade to get some of his newest songs for free or you can leave a tip. Enjoy.

Book Review: Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul (Revised and Expanded) by John Eldredge

If you’ve never read any of John Eldredge’s books, you need to. I have read a bunch of his works and Wild at Heart is among his best. The book I received is the “Revised and Expanded” version, which means there’s a bit more info and some extra add-ons at the end of the book.

The thing that impresses me most about Eldredge and Wild at Heart is his method of writing. He doesn’t merely give you ideas and concepts concerning manhood. Rather, he wraps and intertwines the entirety of the text in story. Not just any story, but the story: God’s story. For me, which isn’t saying much, it makes sense to begin with the overarching story of God and his actions in order to see how our stories fit into His. Thus, when looking into “Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul” it is sensible to begin with the archetypal man: Adam.

The main thrust of the Wild at Heart is following the story of Adam and Eve and by seeing what happened in their story as normative for our own. Eldredge essentially follows the flow of Adam and Eve’s narrative from their nascent origins and destructive choice(s) to their ultimate restoration and healing of their scars. All the while, Adam, and as a result, us as well,  are engaged in a battle similar to those stories which move us men. Pulling from stories such as Braveheart and Gladiator, he demonstrates the inner strength and motivation all men have towards rescue and adventure. Is there something bigger than all of us, yet residing within all of us, that seeks to emulate the stories of love, beauty, and struggle? Are we seeking to win back our woman, land, and perhaps, ourselves?

Overall, Eldredge paints a picture that will resound with most men. Wild at Heart isn’t a step-by-step manual for men to discover their manliness by spending a weekend outdoors killing things. Instead it is a text concerning itself with the story of how our stories make sense because of the God who is involved in our lives. Definitely worth reading.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“I Believe in a God of Love” – excerpt from The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

“During my college years and my early twenties I, like so many other, questioned the Christian faith I was raised in. There were subjective reasons for my doubts. Christianity just didn’t seem real to me experientially. I had not developed a prayer life and had never experienced God personally. There were also intellectual problems I was having with Christianity, all of which I am addressing elsewhere in this book. There was one, however, I will talk about here.

I was troubled by those Christians who stressed hellfire and damnation. Like so many of my generation I believed that, if there was a core to all religions, it was a loving God. I wanted to believe in a God of love who accepted people regardless of their beliefs and practices. I began to take courses in the other major religions of the world – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Confucianism, and Judaism. I have profited to this day from those studies. However, my explorations in other faiths proved me wrong on this particular point about the centrality of a loving God.

I found no other religious text outside of the Bible that said God created the world out of love and delight. Most ancient pagan religions believed the world was created through struggles and violent battles between opposing gods and supernatural forces. I turned to look more closely at Buddhism, the religion I liked best at the time. However, despite its great emphasis on selflessness and detached service to others, Buddhism did not believe in a personal God at all, and love is the action of a person.

Later on, after I became a minister, I was a speaker and panelist for several years in a monthly discussion program in Philadelphia between a Christian church and a mosque. Each month a speaker from the church and a speaker from the mosque would give a Biblical and Qu’ranic perspective on a topic. When we covered the topic of God’s love, it was striking how different our conceptions were. I was told repeatedly by Muslim speakers that God was indeed loving in the sense of being merciful and kind to us. But when Christians spoke of the Lord as our spouse, of knowing God intimately and personally, and of having powerful effusions of his love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our Muslim friends balked. They told us that it was disrespectful, in their view, to speak of anyone knowing God personally.

Today many of the skeptics I talk to say, as I once did, they can’t believe in the God of the Bible, who punishes and judges people, because they ‘believe in a God of Love.’ I now ask, what makes them think God is Love? Can they look at life in the world today and say, ‘This proves that the God of the world is a God of love’? Can they look at history and say, ‘This all shows that the God of history is a God of love’? Can they look at the religious texts of the world and conclude that God is a God of love? By no means is that the dominant, ruling attribute of God as understood in any of the major faiths. I must conclude that the source of of the idea that God is Love is the Bible itself. And the Bible tells us that the God of love is also a God of judgment who will put all things in the world to rights in the end.

The belief in a God of pure love – who accepts everyone and judges no one – is a powerful act of faith. Not only is there no evidence for it in the natural order, but there is almost no historical, religious textual support for it outside of Christianity. The more one looks at it, the less justified it appears.” – Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York, NY: Penguin Group, Inc., 2008), 81-83.

Book Review: Popes & Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit & Debt from Aristotle to AIG

Jack Cashill is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in many noteworthy periodicals. In this book, he has written an accessible account of the infamous history of credit and debt. Not having any formal education in finance, I found this book interesting and challenging in trying to follow the unfamiliar language. Overall, however, I would recommend it as a great book looking into the trials and warnings that usury and prodigality bring about.

Since you’re asking it in your head, as I did, I’ll define usury and prodigality. Usury is the charging of interest. Prodigality is the overspending, typical of Americans, when one doesn’t have the means to do so. Think the prodigal son. He was prodigal in that he lavishly spent well beyond his means.

Cashill demonstrates the history of the Jews, beginning with Moses, and their regulations against usury.  As he traces through history, we see their denial of their denial against usury and the problems it brought about. Not only does he easily track the origins of the banking industry and their faulty practices, but he brings it right up to the present housing debacle here in the States.

I was very impressed with his sense of thoroughness and ease of prose. The terminology found throughout most of the book was for the already financial literate, but full of history and its stories, which were enlightening. For those looking for something out of their normal reading, especially those of us who need to get out of our normal genres, this book is a great read.