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Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

A little NUDGE…

A little over a year ago I posted a multi-part review of Leonard Sweet’s book “So Beautiful.” This week I started his latest work, “NUDGE.” I will be providing a full (probably another multi-part) review of this book in the coming days/weeks. Anyway, the point of my mentioning So Beautiful in relationship with NUDGE is my first impression following the preface and opening comments of the first chapter. While I thought So Beautiful was the culmination of much of the thinking and study from Len Sweet, it appears at first glance that NUDGE is an extension of the MRI (missional, relational, incarnational) model in practice. I am excited with what I’m reading; very excited. I feel the welling up in my soul exclaiming; “yes, yes, YES!” Let me share a teaser quote from NUDGE and show you what I mean… Sweet writes:

I believe the lifeblood of evangelism is not propositions, but prepositions. For God to do something through us, God must be doing something in us. If we are not always evangelizing ourselves, we have no business evangelizing others. In fact, it is usually as God’s grace courses through us to someone else that we become aware of God’s love in and for us. Evangelism is an invitation for broken people together to meet the Christ who loves broken people. We all are damaged but loved, crushed but cherished, with a divine embrace. When love is the motivation for evangelism, nudging is love in action. And the cracks in our broken vases are where Jesus leaks out first.  ~~Leonard Sweet; NUDGE p.28

I love this. I want to live in this constant and continual state of awareness of God’s Presence working in me and working through me…working in others and through others… to perfect and transform the brokenness of a creation He desperately desires to reconcile and restore. It is a divine mystery that is unfolding right in front of us and I don’t want to miss a nanosecond of it. Apparently, it takes a “nudge” every now and then to move us to action.

More to come…

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Books and more books…

It has been awhile since I’ve posted any book reviews. I’ve got some catching up to do as it pertains to my actual reviewing, but my reading has been in full swing. In fact, I’ve got several reading projects going on at the moment. One of my present study interests is Benedictine Spirituality. For the past couple-three months I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and meditating on this subject. I’ve savored over several awesome books and have about another half dozen lined up to continue my studies. All of the titles I’ve read up to this point have been very, very good and I have good cause to believe the next few I have lined up will be just as good.

First up, The Rule of St. Benedict by St. Benedict – edited by Timothy Fry, this edition is the actual Rule translated in English with an excellent preface by Thomas Moore. While the rule is written with a specific purpose and audience in mind, there is ample wisdom that can be applied equally to our lives outside the monastic community. Life is, in fact, about relationships and community… St. Benedict has much to teach us on this subject. I found having an actual translation of the Rule handy for reference a very helpful resource as I was reading “about the rule” and its application to those of us living outside the monastery very, very helpful.

Two more books, both by Robert Benson, A Good Neighbor: Benedict’s Guide to Community and A Good Life: Benedict’s Guide to Everyday Joy were also exceptional reads on practical application for the “everyday Joe” Christian. Both of these books focus on living and practicing the presence of God right where you are in whatever circumstance of life you are found. The Rule is utilized as it can be paralleled with life outside of the monastery… submission, obedience, humility, subservience, meekness, and more all are applications that exist in whatever form of community we are found; whether that community is family, neighborhood, occupation, local church, etc… the rule applies in some form and some fashion. I found the books by Robert Benson delightful in their insight and pragmatic approach to this deeper walk.

Next was a very small and very short, but very down-to-earth approach to the Rule of St. Benedict. This work titled, Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living by John McQuiston II. McQuiston took a very different approach to his translation and application to Benedict’s Rule making the attempt to be universal in its reach and stretching across any and all religious chasms and/or barriers. While seemingly unorthodox, I appreciated his efforts and thought much of his application and illustration very profound. I appreciated very much the quotes and sources cited in this work. I was spurred on to seek out additional titles from McQuiston’s references for my future studies. I really enjoyed this little book.

The final volume mentioned in this post is from Esther de Waal; Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict. This is a most excellent work. Once more I have to mention the excellent resource list and bibliography provided in this work. This is another small book consisting of only ten chapters. At the conclusion of each chapter are prayers and devotional thoughts to help in additional reflection upon the material presented. I have really appreciated the thoughtful presentation of the greater aspects and over-arching theme of the Rule from Esther de Waal. I have spent the most time reflecting and meditating on this particular book and to a slightly lesser degree, McQuiston’s Always We Begin Again.

I don’t want to make a single recommendation… I think the books present their greatest benefit as a sum of the whole. On their individual rights, I’m sure they are great; however, read together they are exponentially greater. I look forward to adding to this list in the coming days. You can find the next reviews by searching Benedictine Spirituality or Books.

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Seasons of the Soul: Stages of Spiritual Development

©2009 by Bruce Demarest

IVP Books – Formatio

I have spent much of the last three months reading, re-reading, and reading + highlighting (and making margin notes) in Seasons of the Soul: Stages of Spiritual Development by Bruce Demarest. I’m positive this book will make my 2010 “Top-Ten” list at the end of the year.

It was around five years ago that I started a more purposeful approach toward my own spiritual formation. Wrapped up in this approach was my self-education and exploration into the ancient paths of discipleship and the spiritual disciplines. One of my first forays into these “ancient paths” was a book compiled and edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith (Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups); this was also my introduction to the Renovare’ Group and classic Christian literature. Suffice it to say, this change in direction five years ago has been life-changing…for the good.

“Distressing afflictions loosen sin’s grip on our lives. Heart-wrenching trials break our stubborn wills, purge our sinful passions and amend our shameful behaviors… Spiritual disciplines performed in love facilitate Christlike maturity, but they neither remove sin nor bring favor with God. Since God alone knows what trials and afflictions will benefit us, we gladly allow him to choose our afflictions.”   ~~Bruce Demarest pp.53-57

The reason I offer this little side-bar of information (my background mentioned above) is the form and content of Seasons of the Soul necessitates the qualification. In this wonderful and delightfully insightful work of Bruce Demarest, he follows an arc of spiritual development that encompasses much of the recurring ebb and flow (mountain tops and valleys) during the course of our “Jesus Journey.” Using copious, and contextually accurate, references from Scripture along with cited quotations from ancient Christian authors (he includes contemporary authors too), Demarest gently guides the reader to an understanding of the process God has in place to bring His children to complete transformation in His likeness. The process is not easy, nor is the process without painful seasons of disorientation. Even more difficult, sometimes these seasons of spiritual disorientation are precipitated by events that are tragically and horrifically difficult in their own (physical, emotional, intellectual) rights to begin with. The arc Demarest has used to process these Seasons of the Soul follow:

• Initial Orientation: Seeds of New Life
• Painful Disorientation: Seasons of Distress
• Painful Disorientation: Understanding Why We Suffer
• Painful Disorientation: Dark Night of the Soul
• Painful Disorientation: Redemptive Responses
• Joyful Reorientation: Savor of Resurrection
• Conclusion…

I cannot applaud the efforts and outcome of this book enough. It is superb. Part of its appeal to me is how accessible it is to a diverse audience (this, of course, in my opinion). I believe that Bruce Demarest is writing in such a way that he invites believer-disciples from all streams of Christianity as well as some curious readers from outside the streams of Christendom. Additionally, his writing is not so deep and saturated with theological academia that it is difficult to comprehend without a dictionary or library of references. Acknowledging this last point, he has not neglected those who might have a background in this field of study and includes a very well notated appendix and index that will assist the driven student in further study.

“I have learned that the Father relentlessly works to reshape his blood-brought children into the likeness of his son… Our task, however, is not merely to endure suffering, but to embrace it, find God in it and draw closer to him through it. Simply put, ‘There is no remedy for this darkness but to sink into it’“ ~~B. Demarest

Conclusion:

I have already read this book 2-3 times in the past three months and continue to quote from it almost daily. I feel that my introduction several years ago to the classic Christian writings was a great primer to this “incarnational portrait” of transformation that is the Christian journey. Seasons of the Soul is a “must read” addition to your permanent library.

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I recently finished a “30-Day Experience,” with the book Apprenticeship with Jesus: Learning to Live Like the Master by Gary W. Moon. I shared the experience and journey along with five other people as a joint exercise during the season of Lent.

Let me start by saying that I will probably revisit and “re”-journey through this 30-Day experience over and over and over. It’s that good. Not only is Dr. Moon’s writing style friendly, welcoming, and down-to-earth, his ability to engage the reader-apprentice in the deep workings of spiritual formation is an absolute gift. The Christian journey, at its most primal level, is about reentering real and intimate relationship with God…following Jesus is the path of that relationship and life of that journey. Gary Moon invites the apprentice to join this experiment in a very friendly and un-intimidating manner. The beautiful thing about this approach, and it is given credence through the testimony and witness of at least a couple of the people I “apprenticed” with, is that the initiate apprentice has no barriers or preconceptions about the 30-Day experience. It is truly a “nothing to lose and everything to gain” proposition.

“The whole purpose for which we exist is to be thus taken into the life of God. Wrong ideas about what that life is will make it harder.”  ~~C.S. Lewis

The exercises are not cumbersome or demanding and the folksy stories and humorous anecdotes Gary weaves into each day make the book a joy to read as day-by-day new habits develop that help us draw nearer to Jesus.

“God has created us for intimate friendship with himself—both now and forever.”  ~~Dallas Willard

The book is in introduction to methods, purpose, and practice of the spiritual disciplines…in manageable portions; anyone can do it. Anyone. If you are hungry for a deeper and more intimate fellowship with Jesus and don’t know where to start, this is a most excellent place to begin. Also, it can be done alone, but I think a person would get much more out of it they were doing it with one or two other people, then meeting together at least weekly to share experiences and pray together.

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I received Crave: Wanting so much more of God (written by Chris Tomlinson and published by Harvest House Publishers) after Chris asked me to review it for him. I am desperately late with my review, but wanted to stay true to my agreement and promise that I would…

There are quite a few reviews for Crave (check out the Crave website here) out by now, so I don’t want to rehash details that have already been shared about the specifics of the book like chapter titles and what not. I’ll get right to my thoughts and impressions about the substance of Chris’ book.

First of all, I think it was written with a great deal of sensitivity to the audience he is targeting (even if this is a bit presumptuous for me to assume I know his audience). I read a few reviews that criticized the book for not being “deep” enough theologically. I think that is absurd. Many of the targeted (assumed) audience wouldn’t give a theologically “deep” book five seconds. Chris has written this book in a fashion that it can be engaged, put down, and engaged again…repeatedly, and without having to go back and read the back story over and over again. The book is comprised of “storylettes” which combine in a logical progression to share an overarching story of the Christian journey, and specifically, a Christian’s journey (Chris Tomlinson). I found the stories engaging; sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes humorous, sometimes inciting debate, and sometimes various mixtures of all of these. It is with this consideration that I believe the book was written well for a contemporary audience and people that have short attention spans (that is not meant in a pejorative sense). There are insightful points and truth seeded in most of these stories that can provide thought fodder without engaging the book for long periods of time. Personally, I think this is a good thing; especially if the intended reader is someone who might not be sure of their faith and seeking to understand it in a more intimate and tangible way.

Secondly, regardless of the form factor and flow of the book, I think I discovered very deep truth. There is nothing deeper about theology and an individual’s response to God’s call to relationship than for a person to make it personal, intimate, real, and contagious. I think Chris has done an admirable job of expressing that and inviting the reader to the same with a non-threatening and grace-filled message.

Finally, I appreciated the candor and “rawness” that Chris wrote with as he shared his story. It reminded me a little of Donald Miller’s work…and considering the success of Don’s books that might not be a bad thing.

Thanks Chris for the invitation to read and review Crave. I did enjoy it and will most certainly invite others to read it as well.

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9   Zondervan Publishing

FUTURE (Part 3) “The Missional-Ecumenical Movement”

John Armstrong begins this concluding section of Your Church is Too Small by discussing the nature and definition of the “True Church.” He also poses the question whether the “True Church” exists at all. The answer, he says, is “yes;” the True Church does exist… it is God’s community of people on earth. Quoting Paul, he writes: “This ideal church is made up of all people everywhere ‘who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.’”

Personally, I agree with Armstrong that we need an objective starting point if we are to work toward a believable, Biblical, and sustainable unity in the Church. He says the great problem with the famous dictum: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; and in all things charity” there still remains that one Christian’s non-essential is another’s essential. How true, but we must still find a grounding point or points to proceed on the path toward Biblical (Love) unity. He cites Lesslie Newbigin’s convicting remarks below:

“The world will always, consciously or unconsciously, judge what the church says by what it is. They will interpret the printed epistle by the living epistle.” (p.139)

I continue to wrestle with and process the thinking in this final section, especially chapter fifteen. I’m not sure I fully understand the subtle nuances and intricacies of what Dr. Armstrong purports with regard to “fruit inspection” and determining “who is a real Christian.” As I said, I’m still processing this chapter (and likely, will be doing so for some time), so I don’t have a lot to speak on it at this juncture. I will say that some of the questions I am sorting through regard church discipline, “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” “wheat and tares,” and whether or not (and how) “judgment and/or fruit inspection” precludes discipline…there are more questions, but these are dominating my thoughts rather prominently at the moment. Suffice it to say, this is a very thought-provoking chapter; at least it is for me.

Chapters sixteen through eighteen discuss the missional-ecumenical paradigm that Armstrong hints at throughout the book. It is here that he really spends some time and focus developing the heart of his passion; additionally, he shares his mentors and some of the more significant influences that have helped him formulate this missional-ecumenical paradigm.

I mentioned that I first became aware of Your Church is Too Small from a review by Michael Bird on the euangelion blog site. He brings to light a repeated point and call by Armstrong to return to paleo-orthodoxy as a springboard toward unity. I think Michael Bird captured this call very well, so rather than repeat it myself I will share his thoughts here. Michael writes the following:

A recurring theme is that unity is important for our mission and also the necessity of returning to our ancient roots. Armstrong’s recipe for trying to achieve that is sevenfold: (1) Cultivating a commitment to restore the sacraments; (2) increasing our appetite to know more about the ancient church; (3) express love for the whole church and desire to see the church become one; (4) blend practices of worship, devotion, and prayer from all three streams of the Church (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant); (5) increase interest in integrating more liturgical depth and structure with spontaneity and freedom in the Holy Spirit; (6) provide greater involvement in signs and symbols of worship such as crosses, banners, and clerical vestments; and (7) continue a commitment to personal salvation, solid biblical teaching, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

I was greatly inspired by the examples and resultant fruit that was shared by communities that are practicing this spirit of missional-ecumenism. Personally, I long for this type of community. I stand in the camp with those who agree that One Church is what the Lord has intended for His people.

The final chapter is Armstrong’s concluding thoughts and prayer for the Church. I not only agree with his thesis, but have been refreshed and inspired to press on in pursuit of the vision. As I said in my opening statement, I believe this is a very important book. It raises many questions (some of which I am still working through myself), and prompts us to do some serious examination of our own hearts and ambition. I am reminded of something I read from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together where he proposes that many of us (Christians) are in love with our own version of God’s Church…we fight tooth and nail for it, but our version is not the Vision of God for His Church (my paraphrase). We build idols from our beliefs and destroy each other in the process of worshiping those beliefs over the God whom we claim to be serving. I am thankful for this book. I am sure I will be referring to it and the well-documented resources and bibliography. I think it should be read by pastors and lay leaders alike. Armstrong includes a few discussion questions at the end of each chapter that are helpful to kick-off  conversations if a group or leadership team wanted to read the book together.

Disturb us, Lord… disturb us from our idols and disturb us from being idle. Disturb us, O Lord, indeed.

A Link to many more reviews of Your Church is Too Small

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9 Zondervan Publishing

PRESENT (Part 2)

Restoring unity in the church today is the premise and discussion of part two in Your Church is Too Small and Armstrong almost immediately asserts that the Apostle’s Creed is a tool to help us reestablish unity. He goes on to cite Augustine, Luther, and Calvin as strong supporters of the Creed being a unifying bond and teaching tool for all Christians. Dr. Armstrong claims; “We find no other document in early church history, apart from the Bible, that served a greater purpose in uniting Christians in their common faith.”

In this age of questioning everything and the penchant for deconstruction of most orthodox beliefs, I found John’s points addressing the need for a confessional basis very appropriate and timely. He proposes that we need a way of grasping the basic intent and message of the Holy Scriptures. I think the questions he poses make excellent starting points to answer that bigger question. He asks; “What did the first Christians believe and why did they believe it?” And, another very good question; “Before there was a completed Bible, how did the church understand and confess the living message of Christ?” Great questions I think, and I agree with Armstrong’s assessment and confession as he concludes these thoughts; he writes:

“We never stand alone when we read and interpret the Bible. With a grasp of history and tradition, we are able to read the sacred Scriptures in communion with the ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church.’”

“Studying how the historical church understood the Scriptures greatly helped me, but it wasn’t easy. I had to learn to humble myself and truly listen to other voices outside of my cultural and generational context. My teachers included Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians.”

Beginning with the final paragraphs of chapter eight, the first chapter of section two, Armstrong begins to point the finger at the destroyer of unity, sectarianism. He asserts that sectarianism is a work of pride and creates an attitude of exclusivity. Personally, and from my observation, I think his assertion is right on the mark. Chapter nine is used to flesh out the argument for sectarian attitudes being the chief cause for disunity in the Church with chapter ten being a wonderfully detailed presentation of data, observation, history, and thesis to support his case. I loved the humility and earnestness that Dr. Armstrong displays as he shared his thoughts regarding the text from Hebrews 12:14; he confesses, “Another text helped me discover fresh grace: ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.’ I had to ask, ‘Was my effort to live in peace truly serious?’” This is a question we should all be sincere enough to ask ourselves and bold enough to answer honestly…that is, if we really believe that it was Jesus’ prayer and intent that we be “one” body.

Following the discourse on sectarianism, the flavor of section two in Your Church turns much more palatable and positive with chapter eleven and “thinking rightly about the church.” It is here that Dr. Armstrong begins to answer the question: “What is the church?” After carefully walking the reader through a number of negatives (what the church is not), we arrive at the following conclusion:

“The congregation is the church. One local congregation is as much the church as any other church. But the church is also the whole of all such congregations throughout the whole earth. So the church is both the local congregation and whole people of God.” (p.107)

Now, that will make some of us squirm. But, as Armstrong points out, what else are we supposed to do with Paul’s commentary to the Ephesians (Eph. 4:4-6)? I appreciated the diagrams and illustrations from Rex Koivisto’s work in One Lord, One Faith which helped me to see a visual representation of what it looks like to be the church working in unison with The Church. I think Dr. Armstrong puts words to Koivisto’s illustrations when he aptly states: “We are to be the church for them, not for us. We do this best when we begin to recognize the one church in our city. This concept would radically alter the ministry of almost every congregation I know if it were put into practice by the leaders.” I believe this. I really do. I cannot help but wonder what would happen in our society (and the global community) if we really started to live as the people of God, followers of Jesus Christ, choosing to deny ourselves and respond to our world as ministers of the reconciliation working with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength to restore the kingdom of God…what if… (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).

Chapters twelve and thirteen round out part two, The Present, with thought-provoking dialogue concerning the church and the kingdom of God and what role our history and tradition have in the convergence of the two. Although God’s kingdom and providential decree that “it will come” (His Kingdom) is sovereignly ordained, we (the church) are often quick to dismiss and/or neglect our partnership and role (which is also sovereignly ordained) in its work. This is a shame and I was deeply saddened as I was reminded how far we (the modern church) miss the mark of displaying the glory of our God before the world. Sadly, we spend way too much time, energy, and resources “straining at gnats and swallowing camels” when we have the ability and the mandate to be salt and light to the world. Sigh…I am reminded of Jesus’ remarks to his disciples (Matthew 17:17). I cannot help but think that we are missing an enormous opportunity to partner in blessing the whole world through the Body that is Christ’s, His glorious Church.

Tradition is the tie that binds the body; it is the objectivity of tradition that keeps us rooted and grounded in the story of God. Our pride and individualism show their bright colors (and ignorance) when we denounce tradition and refuse to acknowledge it as the gift that it truly is. Armstrong presents a wonderful case as he examines four components of Christian tradition: Biblical tradition, tradition in classical Christianity, the role of Scripture in tradition, and the wisdom of the church fathers. The sum of the evidence and examination of tradition’s role is best captured in these closing comments by Armstrong:

“The result of this schism is a small view of the church and a big view of our own importance. We have exalted our interpretations of the Scripture by boldly proclaiming: ‘My authority comes only from the Bible.’ Thankfully, many are waking up to the tragedy of this false individualism and are wisely looking for help from the three great classical Christian traditions and the scores of ancient writers who feed their hunger. This is paleo-orthodoxy, and it drives a growing number of us to embrace a much bigger view of the Church.” (p.130)

Part 3 - Future concludes our review tomorrow…

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9   Zondervan Publishing

PAST (Part 1)

Armstrong begins the presentation of his proposal in support of classical Christianity and starts the first chapter with quotations from Robert Webber; “You can best think about the future of the faith after you have gone back to the classical tradition” and Karl Barth; “No one dare do contemporary theology until they have mastered classical Christian thought.” The essence of these quotes is captured in Armstrong’s own thesis statement:

“New patterns of Christian faith and life are emerging in the church. I welcome these patterns, but I believe they desperately need to be rooted in the past – the creeds, the Word of God understood as the story of grace, life as a sacramental mystery, and deeply rooted spiritual formation. My thesis is simple: The road to the future must run through the past…”

I refer to the above quote as the thesis statement, but I believe the thesis is more appropriately defined as “presenting a case for the Christian Church; one holy catholic Church: unified in the person and expression of Jesus Christ.” Armstrong sets out to prove this united expression of Christ’s church is the desire and will of God using the Prayer of Jesus (John 17) as the primary text and basis for his argument.

The first seven chapters of Your Church is Too Small comprise part one of the book. In this section, Dr. Armstrong connects quite a few dots to lay a complete foundation for why he believes “unity in Christ’s mission is vital to the future of the church.” Considering the fragmentation of the present example of Christ’s church, this explanation and establishment of a complete foundation for his argument is no small task.

I am not an academic, nor do I have extensive seminary training in ecclesiology, but the example and effort given to “The Biblical and Historical Basis for Christian Unity” (Part 1) was thorough, understandable, and readable in the sense that it flowed with a logical progression and the building of ideas to form a very cohesive proposal (at least in my limited understanding and opinion).

As I have already stated, the prayer of Jesus (John 17) is the basis for Armstrong’s call for Christian unity. This study in Scripture is one of the main pillars of his presentation. The second pillar is the record and history of the ancient church. The evidence and practice of the historical church provides us with the examples necessary to benchmark our (the modern American church) own progress regarding the mission of God. The result of this “benchmarking” of the modern church serves as the third pillar and provides the critical assessment of our failure to act as the unified and universal Church as it was prayed for by Jesus in the Gospel of John (chapter 17).

I think the analysis and diagnosis, as well as the prognosis and prescription, by John Armstrong are accurate and worth listening to. My opinion might be subjective, but my experience (supported by data from surveys and polls from organizations like the Barna Group) agrees with Armstrong’s statement:

“Christians in America have lost a deep sense of their past, of their collective spiritual roots. As a result, we now suffer from a kind of spiritual amnesia that hinders our ability to faithfully move into the future with hope.”

Coincidentally, at the time of this writing, there is a very lively discussion on the Jesus Creed Blog of Scot McKnight that lends support to Armstrong’s assertion of the (universal) Church’s inability to find agreement on some of the most core and longstanding beliefs in Christendom.

John’s Journey

I appreciated hearing the author’s personal testimony and the detailed progression of his belief system being challenged and changed through his study, meditation, and willingness to be open to “universal” truth. Dr. Armstrong identifies a couple of these pivotal moments coming through his reading of John 17 (the prayer of Jesus) and his recitation of the Apostle’s Creed. Continuing his journey and conversion (emphasis mine) he found a common footing in the study of classical Christianity and the traditions of the church. Although my own path has been different, I was able to identify closely to John’s testimony as there were several commonalities we shared.

The Mark of a Christian

Chapters five through seven mark the most important points of part one in Your Church is Too Small. They might arguably be some of the most important chapters in the book in my opinion. It is here that Dr. Armstrong puts forth the evidence that supports the greatest common denominator for all Christians; the mark of true Christian love. Scripture references are long and deep to support the premise of “relational-unity” that Armstrong purports as the functional oneness that should characterize the body of Christ and all true believers. Other citations include writings from Francis Schaeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hans Kung, Jurgen Moltmann, and Timothy Luke Johnson who help to build a case for relational unity within the sphere of Christian diversity. I continue to process the points addressed in these last three chapters of section one, especially chapter five, “Our Greatest Apologetic.” In this particular chapter, Armstrong discusses the detail and differences of unanimity, uniformity, and union; his final assessment is to declare (and rightly I believe) that “the aim of the early church was the evangelization of the world. The purpose of their oneness was to be a visible representation of God’s love.”

Finally, closing out part one “Past,” the following thoughts are shared concerning tension and conflict:

“Over time, I have noticed that people tend to stay in relationships and work through their differences when they love each other deeply and are committed to finding solutions… I’ve noticed that most divisions in the church are not because of a major doctrinal disagreement; they are the result of a breakdown in our love for one another…” (pp.72-73)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~Jesus (John 13:34-45)

Lord, help us.

Part 2 – Present continues tomorrow…

Check out this review and commentary from Crosswalk.com

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9   Zondervan Publishing

I became aware of Your Church Is Too Small by way of a recent post on the euangelion blog site. I was intrigued in the highest degree with what I was reading about the premise of the book and immediately began my search for a copy. Amazon informed me the book was not slated to release until April 2010, so I reached out to publisher (Zondervan) and author, John H. Armstrong to request a review copy. John was gracious in providing me a pre-release version for an early look.

While I am sure there will be different and strong opinions from a number of doctrinal positions, my experience with Your Church Is Too Small has been nothing short of exhilarating. In my most humble opinion, this is a very important book. If early reviews were not enough to capture my attention, this following statement from the introduction solidly “hooked” me:

“I will show how your biblical faith is rooted in the living Christian tradition, a tradition found in all the classical historical expressions of the one faith. This one faith is developing in ways we would have never thought possible while we were still indulging in the cultural luxury of seeing other Christians as our enemies…” ~~John Armstrong; Your Church Is Too Small

The challenge was issued; “I will show you…” and I was open to accept it. Let the journey begin.

The review will continue in three parts over the next few days…

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Just Do Something: How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc. (AudioBook) By Kevin DeYoung

From the Publisher:

Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God’s will don’t work. It’s time to try something new: Give up.

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. Too often, he writes, God’s people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven’t found God’s perfect will for their lives. Or—even worse—they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting . . . waiting…waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction.

But God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed his plan for our lives: to love him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like.

No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something.

I had to really pay attention to this book. I’m not sure that I come down on the same side of the fence entirely as Kevin DeYoung does. I understand where he is trying to drive his point, but I think he pushes too hard. This book is about the search for finding God’s will for a person’s life and I got the impression that (at first glance) DeYoung thinks that can be a bit over-the-top. He states there is only one will of God and that is to love Him and people…everything else is up to us; “Just do something, because God doesn’t really care.” That is what he says. I don’t think that is what he means; like I said, I had to really “listen” (this was a complimentary copy of the audiobook through christianaudio’s reviewer program).

Coming from a somewhat charismatic background myself, I can understand the position that DeYoung desires to balance, but as stated, his corrective measures overshadow that God does have a plan and will for people. Consider the prophet Jeremiah, consider the life of King David, consider Joseph’s words to his brothers when he revealed himself to them in Egypt, consider the life of John the Baptist, consider the plan and path of the Cross of Christ. All of these indicate that God does have a “perfect will.” These examples do not mean that we can work outside of God’s plan and he still not affect His will. We can see examples of this in the life of Abraham with the births of Ishmael and Isaac, or the words of Mordecai to Esther…and then in the life of Hezekiah…and on and on.

I think that Kevin DeYoung would recognize all of these examples, and might even state with a little more sensitivity and generosity, his position on God’s will. I think, listening between the lines, he as much as  stated his agreement with those examples…but the book itself did not seem very generous. In my opinion the position stated in the book was rather narrow and condescending at times. I will recommend it because he made some very good points and the abrasiveness of his position might be what some people need to hear in order to push beyond their fears; however, I do think that it could  have been better written and better presented.

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