HEADED for the university library yesterday - my first time, to see what it was like. Signed in and went directly to online catalogue. After I'd made a few jottings I noted the shelves which had the most related books on my topic (memory, what else? Had you forgotten?). When I finally found the part I wanted among the rows and rows of stacks I stood there for some time, gawping. Shelves and shelves of books on memory, forgetfulness, memory and emotion, memory and attention...jiggled about trying to contain urge to go and grab a person and drag them to the shelves and squeak: Look! Look at all these books!
Thankfully no one was in grabbing range. I rationed myself to three books at a time and went and found a lovely desk by the window. Entered realm of library bliss. Definitely going back - this time with high energy food and covered drink (allowed in certain sections), a ruler - because I felt a strong desire to underline my headings (!), and some ear plugs - for when students' boyfriends/girlfriends come in and start whispering and giggling. I'm used to general noise in the city library but constant whispering in an otherwise silent place is rather grating. Cannot make notes and have fingers in both ears at the same time.
Unfortunately the tiredness hit rather hard after 2 hours, and I couldn't help feeling acute frustration on the way home, wishing I had the energy to stay longer. As it is, I had to go and lie down and feel fairly useless in the afternoon. That aside, it is a tremendous resource and I know I've barely skimmed the surface.
I’m currently reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. Andy ordered it and I promptly nicked it, although to be fair he did inform me of its presence in the house, which is possibly asking for trouble.
Because it’s hugely relevant to my research – although my book focuses on memory (and the lack of it) it encompasses ways of thinking and learning. Although Carr’s book is focused on how the Internet and related technologies change how we think, much of it is relevant and the rest of it is just plain interesting.
“I missed my old brain,” comments Carr near the beginning of the book, when he’d started to perceive how he was thinking differently – how he was skimming rather than deep reading, how it got harder to read longer pieces and still maintain concentration. We are used the world of snippets, of hyperlinks, of immediacy. Carr is not saying that modern technologies are bad things – he sees the advantages and the potential of them – but he feels a disquiet about what we might be losing. His is a plea for balance – although it’s true that he seems to see the loss as being inevitable, as we are more and more shaped by the medium of the message, not merely the message itself.
I want to re-read it again after I’ve finished, this time with a pencil in hand – after Andy has read it obviously, I’m not that nasty – and will possibly post a few quotes here and there. Enough to say for now that this is a deeply fascinating book and worth a look if you are interested in the Internet, how we think, or how they relate to each other, which is what this book examines.
IN THIS BOOK, Alister McGrath offers an overview and critique of the movement known as the New Atheism. He begins by looking at what the New Atheism is, with particular references to four names associated with the movement – Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens. He also explains the differences between the “New” Atheism and other, more moderate forms of Atheism. McGrath then addresses three themes often identified by the movement as arguments against religious belief – those of violence, reason and science. He then assesses the current state of the New Atheism before asking what the future may hold.
This is an engaging and accessible book. It’s succinct but thorough and as such is a very useful tool in understanding the New Atheism, its strengths and its weaknesses. By looking at this worldview in such a way it’s a brilliant introduction for those wanting to understand the New Atheism better without focusing on only one issue or one associated ‘name’ or book.
McGrath is not a sloganeer and offers a perceptive analysis, asking difficult questions of the New Atheist worldview while attempting to give them a fair hearing. It is interesting that although New Atheists accuse religious people of being irrational and ‘vile’, they frequently resort to insult to try and make their often incoherent point. This appears to frustrate McGrath more than anything – rather than having a constructive conversation it becomes a shouting contest whereby reason and rationality appear to have very little say – highly ironic since New Atheists like to accuse anyone with a belief in God as ‘irrational’. Religion, to them, is evil, and God the cause of all the world’s woes. But ‘evil’ is a moral statement, and if God is a delusion how can he cause anything?
The New Atheist tendency to proclaim itself as right and everyone else as wrong smacks of the very fanaticism it criticises. It fails to back up its statements from history and ignores the criticism from other atheists, seeing them somehow as traitors to the cause.
I could go on far longer – but this is a review rather than an opinion post! I will simply say this – if this is a topic that interests you, or indeed you are fascinated by either religion, philosophy, reason or science, this is an excellent book.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
WHILE WE WERE away recently, I was interested to read an article by Johann Hari in the i newspaper. He was talking about the value of reading, in particular reading a physical paper book, and how it 'gives you the capacity for deep, linear concentration'. It wasn't a tirade against the Internet but rather a plea for balance, and the value of reading without distraction.
Because most of the time, we are distracted.
'If you read a book with your laptop thrumming at the other side of the room, it can feel like trying to read in the middle of a busy party, where everyone is shouting to each other. To read, you need to slow down. You need mental silence except for the words. That's getting harder to find.'
He quoted a fair amount from David Ulin's book The Lost Art of Reading - Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time. I've not read this book, but I want to, and have wanted to since I read about it previously, in another article.
I thrive on variety and communication in many ways. But sometimes it can become so much the norm that I forget how to withdraw into a quiet place and feel contented doing so. It's so easy, in a free five minutes or a quick coffee break to check emails, Twitter or Facebook. The article was well-timed for me - my deliberate withdrawal during our break from all these things helped me regain the ability for quiet focus, curled up reading a book without buzz - whether actual physical buzz or simply the buzzing in my head.
I've tried to continue it on returning home - taking care to use my break periods as times where I don't switch on the computer but instead sit down with a book or indeed another task or hobby which requires quiet depth of concentration, instead of constant multitasking and busy-ness. Of course, often in these 'breaks' previously I have blogged - which may mean my number of entries may decrease or be less in depth - so be it. Also I feel more able to write in a focused way and I want to prioritise that as my activity.
(Had an idea for a novel while away - am unusually besotted with it and have already written two chapters. Usually I cringe at my own fiction writing but I appear, finally, to have found my voice. It feels extraordinarily releasing.)
So I appreciate the art of reading and the depth of concentration it offers - also other things that require me to be alone with myself. We're not as good at being alone with ourselves as we used to be, it seems - it's not just about reading, is it? But it is a good example.
'Reading is an act of resistance in a landscape of distraction.'
Bruggemann has built a reputation as the Old Testament scholar of choice among progressive evangelicals, and having used his commentaries they are thought provoking as well as full of relevant insight. He also has a reputation of refreshing thinking regarding preaching, and so I looked forward to reading his book The Word Militant: Preaching a Decentering Word.
The book is a collection of essays and articles that Brueggemann has written for a variety of publications and so is best read not by sequential reading but by reading and then reflecting on each individual chapter, letting the wisdom of how to wrestle with preaching God’s word with integrity in a world removed in culture and time from its original context. It is not a book of unconnected essays and the different chapters are linked by Brueggemann’s consistent force of conviction that impassions the reader.
It is not, I would say, a book for those who starting out on a ministry of preaching, as it does not reflect very much on the technical details of sermon preparation, but is more a book for reinvigoration for those already preaching regularly.
I would thoroughly recommend this book as something to savour and inspire afresh with the challenge to proclaim scripture to God’s people.
Andy Mills
***
The Word Militant by Walter Brueggemann (Fortress Press/Alban Books)
This book was received free from Alban Books for the purpose of reviewing. A positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are the reviewer's own.
On Tuesday, after my usual dithering over energy levels (I always have to try and work out how much activity I can doeach week) I took myself off to the city's central library. It had been a long time since I'd managed to get there, but it was clear as soon as I was on the bus that it was a good thing to do. I find working from home very difficult, in spite of the fact I've chosen to do so. I often feel daunted each morning about sitting down and starting something, or I get distracted by other chores. "Going out to work" is helpful for me, as long as I can come home when I get tired.
Initially I took myself down to the lower level and found myself a little booth to work in. I love that feeling of privacy while still being aware of others around me. I tentatively brought out my netbook and began to type up some notes I'd scribbled on the manuscript of my book. It was the first time I'd taken the netbook "out to work" with me since I got it for my birthday last year.
The library is part of a larger building, which includes an art gallery (with small shop) and cafe, as well as being attached to the guildhall and civic centre. Basically, everything I need is in one place - more energy saving, which is important. I took myself for a coffee break in the cafe, bagging a sofa and reading an interesting article about a certain tribe in one of the many copies of National Geographic. Alas, it became apparent I would need to visit the ladies before I'd finished the article (National Geographic articles tend to be long!). The ladies, of course, was just across the corridor and then I slipped back into the library, this time heading upwards, to check out the Religion section.
I immediately discovered some helpful tomes among the various dictionaries of theology and Christian thought and, finding myself a little table under a window, I proceeded to spend the rest of my time taking notes on an interesting and highly pertinent (to my research) article on memory. The view was not terribly inspiring (although I believe they are doing some work on the building in front), but if I leaned slightly to the left I could see the saplings in the new Square, and watch pedestrians wander to and fro. It felt nice to sit in the window, anyway.
The next window along contained a man perched with a book in front of him; he wasn't reading it. He was asleep for the whole time I sat there, occasionally uttering little peaceful snores. He stirred at one point, but then settled himself back down. I'm not convinced he ever intended to read the book.
Reluctantly realising I needed to leave in order to have energy for the rest of the day, I caught a different bus home.
I don't drive - time, health and money have never had the right convergence. Health is the most problematic of all when it comes to learning to drive, although I have had some lessons. Alas, I would come home shaking with exhaustion which lasted for a week - until the next lesson.
Buses are important for my sense of independence. It's only 15p more for a day ticket now than it is for a return to the city, and it frees me up to hop on whatever bus I want. It took me an unfamiliar and therefore interesting route before dropping me off less than 10 minutes from home.
A very satisfactory morning (although I was very tired in the afternoon) - but possibly a boring blog post!
I was pleased when Zondervan contacted me about participating in a 'blog tour' for a book they were 'very excited about'. I was even more pleased once I looked it up and saw that it might be something I'd be interested in.
So, what do I think now that I have read the book?
The first thing that struck me about this book was the inclusivity of its style. Despite being written by an American author from within her own church context, James makes very clear from the beginning that the subtitle of this book is indeed a true reflection of its purpose: recapturing God's global vision for women. At no point did I feel on the outside looking in.
She emphasises that within our context of freedom and plenty, some questions and discussions we tend to have about women and their roles here in the West are simply not applicable for women in different cultures and environments, lacking our resources and our choices. But instead of shuffling past them and focusing on 'us' she chooses to take a fuller, more compassionate view, recognising women's importance throughout the world and what we can do to help those who have so much less than we do. Indeed, the extremes throughout the world put our church debates in sobering perspective.
Part of this book springs out of her own reading of Half the Sky*, a book chronicling some of the horrors experienced by women and girls in today's world. James constantly refers to some appalling stories of women and girls facing terrible choices - or more accurately, no choice at all.
I warmed to her as it became clear that she was passionate about the plight of women throughout the world, those without any opportunities, those closed in by poverty and those subjected to abuse. Her concern was not preoccupied by the insulated West. One statistic she quoted I could not really get my head round:
"It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century. More girls are killed in this routine 'gendercide' in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century."
Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky, as quoted in Half the Church (emphasis mine).
But James' vision is wider than sharing with her readers the awful treatment of some of the world's daughters. In effect, she contrasts this treatment with what she sees as the biblical picture of women: God's image bearers, equipped to lead by the mandate of Genesis 1.
James makes a lot of reference to the ezer of Genesis 2 - ezer-kenegdo being the phrase often translated a 'suitable helper' when referring to God's purpose in creating woman. James ties this in with other uses of 'ezer' as a kind of warrior - sometimes used to refer to God himself as shield and helper. Without a grasp of Hebrew I feel unable to critique this - but it is certainly an interesting suggestion, and a recurring theme throughout the book.
I loved the way James' focuses on women's primary calling - to love the Lord our God with all our soul, mind, heart and strength. I also deeply appreciated, that while identifying marriage and motherhood as very important callings, she emphasises that they are not what makes up our identity. She talked about many women feeling they cannot start living their calling until they are married / have children - and I strongly agree that this is a negative thing we need to shake off (for men too, I feel). Our worth is not found in marriage and motherhood, as beautiful as these things are. There are so many who do not fit that 'template', and I for one have always felt irritated by the common cultural assumption that we are 'incomplete' until we find the 'one' or experience parenthood. It isolates and excludes a huge amount of people, and makes us feel somehow 'lesser' if we never reach these supposed ideals.
She underlines this further when talking about the 'Blessed Alliance' - which is how she refers to the relationship between man and woman. And - wonderfully - she is not confining this to marriage but to male-female relationships in general - Christian women working with their brothers, their friends, to show God's image to the world and share the power of the gospel - together. Is it me, or is so little talked about platonic or familial male-female relationships?
These are the two 'load bearing' pillars of the image bearers - our relationship with God, and the relationships between us. Within the story of Genesis 3, both of these pillars are broken down - but in Christ they are restored. This book contains no rants or diatribes, but shows a genuine longing for renewed and loving relationships between the genders. It talks about the value men and women have as part of the body of Christ - and if half the body is not encouraged to use its gifts, then we are all weakened. We bless each other by our gifts. Men and women are not two 'halves' of an image bearer but each is one, and in Trinitarian likeness, one plus one = one. We are called to that kind of oneness.
James does take a chapter to address what she calls the 'Big Debate' over the role of women in the church, and has some helpful things to say. She reiterates what I've heard elsewhere - you cannot build an entire theology on disputable texts. You have to examine what is indisputable and go from there. And in this way she looks at some examples of women in the bible and what she feels they tell us about our role as image bearers. I love the way she avoids getting embroiled in specific issues and instead keeps her focus.
In today's world, we have so much more awareness of what is happening around the globe to those created in God's image. And, James enthuses, it's our calling to make a difference.
May we be remembered as a generation who caught God's vision, faced our fears, and rose up to serve his cause. - Carolyn Custis James, Half the Church
Much of this book I am still digesting. Naturally there will be elements people will disagree with - but I think it a very worthwhile read, whatever your viewpoint. I suspect there will be those who come from different contexts and don't recognise some of the issues she talks about, or have trouble with her frame of reference. I, however, found it helpful and interesting.
On a personal level, on finishing this book I feel incredibly encouraged - about being a woman. I've never actually confessed to feeling discouraged, but it is true. Something about this book drove right through that discouragement, knocked it all to pieces and made me feel differently about myself. It's given me the courage to step over something I had been deliberately ignoring and find a sudden sense of freedom and purpose.
I hesitate to use the word, because it feels a bit heavy with association and liable to be misconstrued but I feel, in this case, it is worth saying.
I feel empowered by this book.
And the fact I feel able to use that word says something in itself.
*The title 'Half the Sky' is based on the proverb 'Women hold up half the sky'.
***
Giveaway Yes, Zondervan sent me an extra copy of this book - if you want to be entered for the giveaway please leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to have this book. If it's too hard to choose, I will use a random number generator, but I think it would be great if we shared our thoughts anyway. Comments must be posted by Wednesday 13th April. Giveaway is now closed - congratulations Red!
I received this book free from Zondervan for the purpose of reviewing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. You can find a list of other reviews here.
This week my hands feel full of things - both concrete and abstract. Events, appointments, chores, writing tasks are all crowding in. Not much time for blogging! I have, however, been trying to keep up with my daily posts over at Thirsty Ground. For those of you interested in what I'm doing there, the BigBible Project asked me to share it with them - for my post on their site see here.
A head's up for those who may be interested: Zondervan have asked me to review Half the Church: recapturing God's global vision for women by Carolyn Custis James on Looking Deeper.
I'll be posting the review here next week - and, since they've sent me two copies, I'll also be hosting a giveaway. If this is something you fancy reading, remember to stop by next week and leave a comment!
Max Lucado is a story teller. It comes naturally to him - using language to evoke feeling and emphasise his point. Here, in Outlive Your Life: you were made to make a difference, he uses this story telling once more.
The book is loosely based around the book of Acts. I say loosely, because although intially it promises to immerse the reader in the story of the life of the new church, in reality each chapter takes a text as its theme. The idea behind the book is that we can outlive our lives by making a difference to others.
I very much appreciate this premise, because I myself have a passion for making a difference - in whatever way we can. So I was keen to read this, although these days I tend to find Lucado books not as challenging as I would like.
I have to confess to being a little disappointed. Although I appreciate what he is trying to do, the chapters seem almost like a collection stand alone sermons (complete with illustrations) than they do as part of a whole. A book, in my opinion, needs to lead you on and draw you deeper. For me, this was simply too bitesized. And although I too like playing with language to make a point, Lucado can be a bit repetitive and in the case of retelling biblical stories, rather too keen on embellishment of detail. I like to be drawn into a story and to use my imagination, but occasionally I felt he took this a bit too far in his descriptions. Once you start mentally disagreeing with descriptions or finding them too detailed, your attention to the main point is lost.
And that, I think is the problem. The book is too cluttered and does not hone itself, does not weave itself around a central point. The introduction promises but does not deliver.
There are genuinely moving and interesting points that are made, but they were too disparate for me in my overall appreciation of the book. This is a shame, because there are good things to be found here. It just doesn't hold together and keep my attention.
In some ways, it felt like I should literally be listening to it - as if indeed it was a sermon series. Perhaps there are those who will respond well to this, but for me, wanting to go deeper and to be drawn in, it felt rather frustrating. I would put it down and keep forgetting to pick it up again, which didn't help with the cohesive (or non cohesive) element. Of course, it may have just been me being inattentive!
I know that there will be those who disagree with me and for this I am glad: the idea of making a difference in our world because by loving others we are loving Jesus - which was a beautiful way to end the book - is a wonderful one. I hope that there are those who read in a different way from me and therefore get more out of it.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Firstly I should say that this is an academic book. If you don't have an interest in language or linguistics, and have no inclination to learn New Testament Greek, you probably will not want to read it. If you are interested in both these things and want to study some of the nitty-gritty elements, I would highly recommend it.
Steven Runge's Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament is a linguistic tool and, within the category of an academic book, is accessible and well presented. Although applying the principles to the handling of the Greek text of the New Testament, I would suggest that you do not need an enormous grasp of Greek to get a sense of what is being said here (although you do need to want to learn!). What would be helpful is a basic grasp, or at least an interest in, linguistics. By nature the book employs heavy usage of linguistic and grammatical language.
Runge looks at various discourse devices throughout the book. As he says in his preface, his approach is cross-linguistic and function-based - i.e. it looks at the way languages operate in general, not just Greek, and it looks at how the linguistic features of a language or particular passage function. Different languages use different methods to create emphasis and draw attention to certain elements, which is where translation becomes more challenging.
After introducing some key concepts and applying them to English examples, Runge then tackles a series of sections looking at various 'discourse devices'. He explains the nature and purpose of such a device - whether it be the use of certain connective words, framing devices or metacomments, to name but a few. (Metacomments, if you're wondering, are comments on what is going to be said - for example 'truly I say to you', or 'I exhort you'.) He uses Greek examples side by side with English translations, marking clearly each device. Most of these devices do not add to the literal meaning of the text but they often give certain elements more emphasis or 'prominence', being used in a rhetorical way.
I feel it will be a very helpful resource in my own studies - in both Greek and language in general (showing its versatility). I have been going through it with pencil in hand, studying it rather than merely reading it.
My only criticism is that it does not have a scripture reference index at the back. I appreciate the passages are being used as examples rather than studied for themselves, but it is always useful to be able to look up any related information on a passage and I feel there is a noticeable gap in this regard. Neither does it have an index of, for example, particular Greek words that it tackles in the main book.
However, it does have a helpful summary at the back which outlines the topics covered.
If you are studying Greek and have an interest in how language is used, I would recommend this book.
Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament: A Practical Introduction for Teaching and Exegesis by Steven E Runge (Hendrickson Publishers/Alban Books) RRP: £32.99
I received this book free from Alban Books for the purpose of reviewing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
My initial reaction when I opened the package containing this book was one of surprise. It was much smaller than I had anticipated, smaller than many other paperbacks. This I found rather appealing as reference books are usually somewhat more hefty!
My husband picked it up and said 'what is it?' which is a valid question, so I'll tell you what it's not. It's not a concordance. Neither is it exhaustive. The introduction could be seen as a little misleading on this front.
It is a topical index of subjects and words in the bible, arranged alphabetically, with sub-sections and occasional word studies. The word studies are interesting (from Strong's) although it seems a shame that it doesn't tell you whether it is a Greek or Hebrew word it's explaining. The context usually makes this clear but for beginners this may be a bit muddling. I like things to be both clear and thorough in these kinds of books, and adding abbreviations for 'Greek' or 'Hebrew' would not take up much space.
As I said, it's not exhaustive. Looking up a topic I have been studying, I only found some of the references I knew were there. Nevertheless, as a basic guide to a topic it's quite a nice starting point. Also within the sub-headings there is a degree of interpretation from the writer(s) as to what certain passages are referring to, which may irritate some.
My general opinion is that I'm quite pleased to have this and it will make a handy little guide for me, as long as I remember what it's not. Therefore I come to it not expecting that it will tell me everything. Thus the tagline 'the best bible subject index ever' I find rather misleading and dare I say, incorrect (although no doubt it depends on what you categorize as a 'bible subject index'). Reviewing a reference book is not always easy, of course, as you get to know as you use it - and that takes time.
I want to like this little book, and in some ways I do. It is an extremely handy size, and I mean that sincerely. I love looking things up, and I will certainly use it when thinking or teaching about a certain topic.
I suppose my frustrations are mainly that it implies something about itself that feels a little exaggerated, and lacks some of the thoroughness I normally appreciate. But then, can you have thoroughness without heftiness?! I wonder.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
In the Butterfly Effect, Andy Andrews aims to show his readers how their individual lives matter, and the effect they can have on the world. Each action can ripple out and have incredible consequences. He uses examples to show how one person's actions can cause an entire chain reaction of events. This is written in gift book style and is a very quick read.
Firstly I should note that this is an American book and is obviously written for an American audience, in a very American style, with American examples. Naturally this means I cannot as easily identify with it, as I am not American. This is an observation rather than a criticism, although it does give the book an exclusive feel - I was outside, looking in.
The idea behind the book is a positive one: an affirming message about how one life matters. However, I felt the book lacked something. Although showing how one action can effect so many other events, there was no sense of what kind of action - good or bad. There was no sense that we needed to make an effort to change the world, or impact the lives of others. 'Your life...and what you do with it today....MATTERS FOREVER' says Andrews. I was caught between 'Yikes! Really?!' and 'What, even hanging out the washing?' which I confess was very irreverent of me (and possibly very British, what with the 'hanging out the washing' thing).
The book is beautifully presented with high quality images. However, the way the book uses capitals and large fonts to make its point feels overdone, rather a lot of hyperbole, when sometimes a 'gentle whisper' can be more effective. When there are lots of capital letters, you get the impression the book is shouting at you. It also uses frequent ellipses (dot dot dot)...which I prefer to use sparingly...otherwise you lose the impact.
Not all our actions are good, and sometimes to change the world we need to make pro-active decisions in how we live our lives, how we work on things like forming our character. The danger is that we assume that we can just sit back and have an impact - without doing much. It seems it's trying to be motivational,but doesn't do much motivating.
I understand the point of the book, but I'm afraid it didn't do much for me. This may simply be a matter of taste, and I appreciate that others may find it very valuable. (This was my first impression from my first read-through, and perhaps I'll try it reading it again at a later date.) It felt like it was trying to boost my self-image but didn't really give me any kind of challenge. It just didn't inspire me enough.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Richard Stearns is the President of World Vision US. In ‘The Hole in Our Gospel’ he tells his own story of faith and of the journey from being a corporate CEO of a luxury tableware company to President of World Vision. Together with this, and out of it, the book looks at the terrible needs in the world today, the disparity of rich and poor, and what the church is (or not) doing about it.
An excellent balance of personal testimony, world statistics and examining what it means to live a gospel without a hole in it makes for a potentially life changing book. Much of what Stearns says resonates with my own thoughts and growing determination that world-changing is necessary – and indeed expected of those of us who have been given much. Because we have been given much. The difference between a wealthy Western church and a struggling congregation in the developing world is vast – too vast.
Stearns looks at passages which have been dwelling on my heart lately – the parable of the sheep and the goats, the trees bearing good fruit – passages which show us that to be followers of Jesus means to act differently in our world – to actively engage in issues of poverty and injustice. And on the whole, the Western church is failing. (Stearns is particularly addressing American churches in his book, but the principles carry to the rest of us too.)
What kind of world would we have if we acted on the words of Jesus? What kind of life could be given to those in extreme poverty if the Christians of the world decided to give it their all (which is what they’ve always been called to do.) My post yesterday talked about the problems of safe drinking water. Do you realise that we can eliminate this problem if we worked together to do so – if we all lived the whole gospel, in our actions and words and giving? This book provokes a sense of shame – a healthy one. Stearns outlines what is needed for change, and shows that it is within easy reach. And yet we choose not to act. It doesn’t even occur to us we are not doing enough.
We’ve made the Christian gospel about a ‘one ticket to salvation’ faith. And that is a gospel with a gaping hole in it. It is so much bigger, brighter, better, more compassionate, fuller, more intensely-world-changing than we have made it.
We are indeed saved by faith – but we are saved for works. ‘Show me your faith without works!’ said James in his letter (it’s in the New Testament). The two were never meant to be separated. True faith works – works to change the world. Stearns talks about becoming ‘radioactive’ – absorbing gospel ‘radiation’ until that day it all clicks. We can no longer ignore the call to a whole gospel. We go radioactive.
It’s impossible to encapsulate all the information in this book. These are just some of the thoughts that have come out of my reading it.
Read it.
Go radioactive.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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.
Wednesday is one of my writing days. If I don't get much proper writing done I get irritated. I tighten up, get agitated, resent housework (a lot) and get the 'writers' blues'. Like today. I'm tired, which doesn't help. I want desperately to write, need to even, but my mind is in a frazzled, weary state. Days like these I have to do what I can - and try and be 'gentle with myself'.
I've read, done some research, drawn up a couple of outlines...not quite enough to beat the writers' blues, but it'll have to do...oh, and I also made flapjack, after dithering about the best before date on the Golden Syrup.
Well, I am going to retreat into the bedroom, listen to some music, and read until Andy comes home from what he's doing at church tonight. I'm reading 'The Hole in Our Gospel' by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision (US), my most recent review book from Thomas Nelson. Don't think I will emerged unscathed, which is a good thing, if not an easy thing.
This book is part of the Ancient Practices Series and is the first I have read of it. Overall it focuses on the benefits of the liturgical year, of having a rhythm in our lives and living the Jesus’ life. By using the aid of the liturgical year, we can enter into Jesus’ story and realise it within our own lives. It focuses on particular elements of the year, including the main ‘feasts’ of Christmas and Easter and the preparation times surrounding them, as well as other factors such as the role and meaning of Sunday.
The first thing that struck me about the book was how quickly I was drawn into it, and how peaceful I felt in reading it. Immediately I felt an ally within the words encouraging my own spiritual desire to go deeper and search for new and old ways to mature my faith. Chittister uses language beautifully; frequently I would re-read a paragraph in delight. It’s not just the language, however, but the depth that it signifies.
It is difficult for me to encapsulate all the things I like about this book. It talks sympathetically and powerfully about the struggles we face in our ordinary lives, and portrays life’s potential in a way that excites and inspires.
‘Life is an intoxicant no amount of mundane inebriants – faster, deeper, more alluring, more captivating – can possibly equal. The problem is that for life to become its own exhilarant, we must learn to live it consciously, to live it deeply, to live it to the brim, beyond the visible to the meaningful.’ – The Liturgical Year, p170
This book encouraged me to slow down and examine the things of faith while also firing up the embers of my heart. The spiritual life is seen as an adventure, which I love. I also found it genuinely interesting and informative. Written by someone in the Roman Catholic tradition, some of the references and vocabulary were not known to me, which could be a stumbling block for some. Likewise the chapter on Marian feasts. For some of these things I needed more explanation, but that is outside the remit of the book and would detract from the main emphasis. Overall, I found in the book warmth and welcome and plenty of common ground.
I would recommend this book to any who feel weary of the shallowness of life and want to explore new ways of celebrating and learning about their faith. By focussing on the meaning of the liturgical year rather than merely the intricacies of the structure, there is much that can be taken and applied to our individual lives. Personally, it has sparked an interest in an entire new area of thought for me, informing my own learning, future writing and, hopefully, my own spiritual life.
To see earlier thoughts on this book, read this post.
Shortly after I wrote my last post, the book I had chosen as my next to review from Thomas Nelson arrived. I am just over a third of the way through, and will probably not get to post my proper review until the new year, but I wanted to share some personal thoughts. It takes a month for these books to get to me, but this one arrived at exactly the right time. It is The Liturgical Year: the spiraling adventure of spiritual life, by Joan Chittister.
Curling up with this book gives me a strange sense of peace. So many of the sentences and paragraphs trigger a whole host of related thoughts in my head, turning them over and pondering the import of them, enjoying reflecting on a deeper level. of course, the Liturgical Year as it is called, the Christian year, begins with Advent. So for me to start reading it now is very apt. I needed some deeper reflection on the things of faith, related to the times of pause and celebration.
'Life is not meant to be escaped, we learn, as the liturgical year moves from season to season,' she says at one point. 'It is meant to be penetrated, to be plumbed to its depths, to be tasted and savored and bring us to realise that the God who created us is with us yet' (p60).
This idea of immersing oneself in the rhythm of the Jesus life finds a reverberation in my heart I did not know was there. I am desperate to embrace a more reflective way of living, of finding the pause, of not mistaking distraction for fulfilment, or as Joan Chittister puts it, not racing 'over the top of [life],satiating ourselves with the obvious, unmindful of its depths. We become stale of soul.'
In this Advent season, this book has helped me begin to think and reflect deeply once more - always something I have had a tendency towards, but easily crushed and squeezed out by life's inanities, distractions and quick-fixes. I look forward to reading the rest of the book.
“Fear, it seems, has taken a hundred year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversize and rude, fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies and leaves.”
These words are from the first chapter of Max Lucado’s new release, Fearless.
In this book, Lucado tackles the topic of fear – by covering 13 different kinds of fears we may have, sandwiched between the first and last chapters. These include fear of not mattering, fear of global calamity, fear that God is not real. He uses these chapters to engage with reader and to outline a scriptural response, using analogy, contemporary thought and situations as well as retelling biblical stories.
Initially I found it hard to focus on this book. I think this is partly because a lot of the language and analogies used are very Americanised, and as I am British it is harder to sink into the natural flow. This is not a criticism, more an observation. The book addresses the culture it inhabits, and although I too live in Western society, there are subtle differences in mindset and cultural emphases.
Nevertheless, once I had overcome this obstacle, it was a very accessible read. Lucado is a natural story teller, skilfully using evocative language and metaphors to get his point across. This can make you consider something in a different light, or even make you smile, as I did at various points.
In a culture obsessed with worry, this book is very relevant. Lucado addresses each kind of fear with sympathy, even solidarity, ensuring there is no great divide between writer and reader – we are all in the same boat.
I found this book very easy to read - for me perhaps a little too easy, as I prefer something a little more ‘meaty’ these days – looking for something deeper, you might say! Nevertheless in order to cover what he does it would be difficult for Lucado to do so in a more thorough way without making this a huge tome. In a sense, there is a book’s worth in each topic he covers.
Fearless is accessible and should appeal to a wide audience within its cultural (developed Western world) background, although it may have some difficulty crossing into other cultures. It is a good overview of our preoccupation with fear, making some sensitive yet pointed observations of our 21st Century mindset, and offsetting this with the values and attitudes of the bible.
Went to book club last night, where we discussed The Testament of Gideon Mackby James Robertson, which provoked some lively discussion. It is an absorbing book - circling round the issues of belief and believability, the nature of mental illness, truth and perception. Lots of material for discussion!
After coming home, I started thinking some more about how we read, and what we like to read. Some books we might not say we 'like' but will still admit they are good books. We are affected by our perceptions, our experience of life, our likes and dislikes, the things that particularly interest us, the things that influence us. In reading a book, we are not merely listening to the writer's voice. There are whole nuances of our own that we bring to each sentence.
As I pondered aloud to the group yesterday, I may well read something quite differently from how the author would read it aloud if I heard him/her. We give each sentence our own emphases and inflections - or do not detect that which the author would assume to be there. Penny noted that she had once heard a book she had written read aloud by an American (after my noting that we even read in our own accent) and that he had brought out the tone of sheer irony throughout the book, which differed from her own reading of it. It opened her eyes to a whole new meaning.
The reader is an essential part of the book - all that we bring, all that we add, all that we don't see (and discussing books is a good way to see things we missed). Our imaginations take the words and form the pictures, in a way that may be entirely different from another reader - especially when there are marked differences in things like cultural background. We see through the lenses of our culture; often we do not even realise we do so. Because books fuel and provoke imagination, they morph into a different shape each time they are read by different people.
I could continue to waffle, but I will stop there. I may add more thoughts in a later entry. I am fascinated by words and how we use them - how we perceive them. It intrigues me how tone of voice and body language influence meaning (see also #17 in my 25 things!). And how one book can mean so many different things to different people - travelling further in thought and layers of imagining than the author ever envisaged.
I recently finished reading The Shack(by WM Paul Young), which had been very kindly given to us. I'd only become aware of its existence, and the ripples it was causing, at the alumni day we went to in the autumn (see here).
The Shack is written in a warm, evocative style. Not wanting to give away the plot, I will simply say that it involves an encounter with God (three-in-one) against the backdrop of horrible tragedy.
Not everyone will agree with everything in the book (and all human interpretations are flawed!), and the picture it paints is of a specific encounter in a specific situation. Therefore it doesn't say (and can't possibly) everything there is to say about the nature of God. But it does get you thinking. There were times as I was reading when I felt like I, too, was part of the conversation - noting certain aspects, making additional comments in my head, sometimes wanting clarification on something.
It's not just about talking, however. The author uses vivid imagery to describe moments as they take place, using the senses to capture elements which would be hard to put down in words. There is a strong emphasis on relationship - relationships with each other, with God, and relationship withing God himself.
On a personal level, I felt a great warmth as I read this book, and a real craving for the presence of God in my life. I became aware of his love on a deeper level. It made me want to talk to God more, in a conversational way, as part of the rhythm of my life - to ask him questions and feel safe to do so. I felt a tremendous sense of assurance of his love for us. For me, this was a very special book to read.
Not everyone will have the same reaction, but this is a book that encourages us to explore and deepen our relationship with God, to ask questions, and to reflect on the nature of God. Surely that is a good thing.
Today: 4/10, medium-high Yesterday: 4/10, very high
