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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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Audiobook: provided for review from www.christianaudio.com

A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper

I was recently invited to join the Christianaudio.com reviewer’s program. I was delighted to join them as I have been listening to their audiobooks for over a year now. One of the first titles offered for review (to me) was A Sweet & Bitter Providence by John Piper.  This volume is narrated by Grover Gardner, who must narrate on a regular basis, I recognized him from the spiritual theology series by Eugene Peterson that I listened to last spring among other titles as well. Speaking of the narration, Gardner is rapidly becoming to me as Morgan Freeman is becoming the next James Earl Jones for the Madison Avenue crowd. Grover Gardner’s voice is very easy to listen to and he is very capable of reading the written story in an audible form that invites you into the story…very conversational and engaging.

The work itself, A Sweet & Bitter Providence, is a wonderful story from the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament Scriptures. I enjoyed the exegetical and expository style of writing from Dr. Piper as he shared his insight to this great teaching about the character and providence of God. As “providence” would have it, I happened to have just finished reading the Genesis story of Joseph and was three-quarters finished with the story of Job at the time of my listening to A Sweet & Bitter Providence. These three great Bible stories together complimented one another in a beautiful way and helped me to solidify what John Piper was trying to get across to his audience.

From a technical standpoint, I appreciate the context of the MP3 files (my preferred medium). They are clearly titled and tagged for my audio player (iPod). This is important to me for filing and categorizing on my player as well as being able to have logical starting and stopping points for the chapters.

Personally, I recommend audiobooks for people who have super busy lifestyles, spend a lot of time over the road in travel, or folks who might be looking for a change from the written word. I enjoy the break in my routine and find this to be an excellent way to continue on the path of my education and make the most use of my time; I also listen to the books while dong my workouts at the gym. Thank you to Christianaudio.com for very affordable titles and a rapidly growing selection.

Summary:

Sex. Race. Scripture. Sovereignty. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tea with Hezbolla: Sitting at the Enemies’ Table; Our Journey Through the Middle East was received by me a few weeks ago as a review project. Unfortunately, I have been unable to complete the assignment within the time constraints. I am greatly interested in the book and the subject matter that it considers (which is why I agreed to review it in the first place). I do plan to read and interact on this blog about it in the future, but I wanted to be faithful to my original commitment to provide the review as well. My solution came in the form of my youngest son, Joshua, who is an avid reader and a fan of Ted Dekker. Josh has reviewed several books on the icrucified blog and it was my pleasure to ask him to “help out his dear old dad” on this occasion. So, without further ado, here is Joshua’s review.

Tea With Hezbolla

I have read Ted Dekker before, my favorite being The Circle Trilogy.  When I started Tea with Hezbollah I went into it with the mindset that it was probably going to be like that… It was anything but.  To begin, Tea with Hezbollah is an actual recounting of Ted Dekker’s and Carl Medearis’ journey through the Middle East as they talked to the top ideologues and leaders of the various militant and Muslim factions.  Their main reason was to see if Jesus’ famous teaching about loving your enemy was really possible and to see what Middle Easterner’s thought about it.  They were also looking for a modern day “Good Samaritan.”

I admit that I started the book with the preconceived notions of a naïve 14 year old about the Middle East and the various military factions.  Throughout the book both I and Ted went through a very thorough change of mindset.  The authors gave the reader the actual transcripts from conversations of what people said to them, from the common taxi driver to the Bin Laden brothers.  They met with people that we as Americans believe are only out to kill us and our Israeli allies, while in reality the Middle Easterners only pick up arms when it is necessary.  Many of them are just common everyday people who want to make a difference and fight for their right to have their country back and Israel removed.  We, as Americans, don’t see all the pain and suffering that the Palestinians are forced to endure on a regular basis, never knowing whether or not they’ll be alive the next day.  Being a “Christian” in the Middle East is more of a political affiliation than anything, especially seeing how the “Christians” do just as much damage and killing as anyone else. The leaders of the Hezbollah, whom many would call terrorists out to kill and maim as many as possible, are quite possibly one of the most humane groups in the Middle East.  Their primary intent and purpose is to help and provide services to the people in Lebanon, and to provide security and as much peace of mind as is possible in the Middle East.  If you felt that some entity or country was trying to takeover and ignore your rights, wouldn’t you resist them in any way you could when they came?  Insights like this and many more into the truth of the Middle East really changed how I think about the whole situation.

This book was great and I hope it will change your preconceptions as much as it did mine.  It makes very hard ideas a little easier to swallow. My notions and ideas were changed by the time I finished this book and it happened without me even realizing it until I had finished and was writing this review. Tea with Hezbollah takes you on a journey that I hope will allow you to love your enemies in your own life.

Tea with Hezbolla is a book provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Read the rest of this entry »

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I received a copy of the Voice New Testament from Thomas Nelson for review. I’m not sure if I like it or not. My first impressions are a mixed bag; there are definitely some things that I like, but there are also things that I do not like. Let me explain my reasons…

It goes without saying this is a personal review and my opinion only; however, I’m a bit of a translation junkie when it comes to Bibles and the Greatest Story Ever Told. I love reading different translations and versions…always excited to read a “fresh” retelling of the Story. I’m always a little bit leery when the story seems “too fresh.” While I haven’t gone cover-to-cover in the Voice New Testament, it seems there are some portions that are, in my opinion, too fresh. By this I mean, there might be some biased interpretation, or so it seems by the way the reader is led through interpretive “call out” boxes and italicized statements placed in the text for inference. This isn’t necessarily wrong or bad, but I don’t particularly care for it (personally). I find that it can be misleading when trying to accurately understand the text; not always, but sometimes. In fairness to the Voice, I feel the same way about most study Bibles. Also, with respect to the translation team, they do qualify the nature of the italicized statements and the call-out boxes and instruct the reader these elements are not in the original texts.

I appreciate the “spirit” behind the translation. I also respect the teams that have put in work to make the translation. I enjoy the flow and screenplay format of the reading; I found it to be very fluid and easy to follow…definitely as though I were reading a story rather than a verse by verse recounting. There were no repetitious stumbling through the verses, chapters, and books; this made the reading easy and pleasant too. I do think a chronological approach to this work might be something I’d enjoy more than the present version.

I want to spend more time with the Voice, but my recommendations for now are as follows: I recommend it with a few caveats. I don’t think it should be a primary study Bible; I don’t care for the liberties taken that I observe when I place the Voice alongside versions like the ESV, NSRV, and even NIV, and NLT. I think it would serve very well as a devotional-supplemental reader (once again, the authors and publishers call this a “personal devotional Bible”) as it is titled in point-of-sale material. I’m up in the air as to whether I’d recommend it for curious seekers or not. I’d probably be more inclined to determine that on a case by case basis. I think if it did not have the call-outs and italicized inferences I might be more open to those recommendations…especially when I consider other dynamic translations and paraphrased Bibles that would serve this same purpose without leading interpretation.

All in all, I plan to spend more time with it, do additional side-by-side comparisons with other Bible translations and checking some of the “call-outs” and italicized inferences with my study Bibles and commentaries. I will update my review at a later date when I have had the opportunity to be more thorough. In the interim, try it, you may enjoy it. Mine is just one opinion, and even with my points of contention, there are many things that I still like.

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I received a copy of Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters by Joshua Harris from WaterBrook Multnomah who provided it for my review. My first impressions are solid; the book is good and I would (will) recommend it for reading. Pardon my pun, but I found the book “earthy,” meaning it was easy to read in a manner that is very conversational. The book addresses the building blocks of doctrinal theology and Harris follows a very systematic approach as he develops each of these foundational blocks. Below is my own chart comparison (First column is the name of the doctrine of study; second column describes the study; third column is Joshua Harris’ chapter title that teaches on that description and doctrine. This may or may not have been the author’s intent, but it is my gleaning) from my interpretation and reading.

The book is not about systematic theology as much as “why it matters” (as reflected in the title). Harris follows his own experience with stories, anecdotal experiences, metaphors that help to keep the reader involved. I don’t want to sound condescending with my next statement and I hate stereotypes, but I don’t know how else to articulate my impression. This book is a great resource for the “unstudied” Christian, the seeker-curious, new convert, and anyone else that might fall into any category outside of Bible scholar. I think it might be helpful for the egghead-academic-ivory-tower-sanctified-saint too. It might help us to get over our sanctimonious self-importance and think more toward the practical when talking to others about our faith.

Personally, I think the book might be a little too “western flavored” for my tastes; and by that I mean traditional evangelical in its temper, but that is my opinion. Regardless of my opinion, I think it is a great addition to my useful resource list of tools and books to help people understand why it is necessary to know what and why they believe what they believe. I firmly agree that we should “own our faith” rather than “parrot” someone else’s faith. To this end, I am encouraging my fourteen year old son to read Dug Down Deep now that I have finished it…and will be placing it on a recommended reading list in my local church.

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Book Review: The Tangible Kingdom

The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter & Matt Smay

Hmmm…what to say, what to say…

LOVED IT.

A book like this requires some degree of back-story, and it was provided, so it was a little long for me to get to the nitty gritty of what I was searching for in the story. It was around chapters nine and ten that I found myself getting “sucked in” to the heart of what Hugh Halter was driving at. I am incredibly excited about the community described in the tangible kingdom. It brings great joy to me to hear that people are living the life that Jesus taught…and not some cheaply interpreted facsimile of it.

Chapters ten through around fourteen were mostly about deconstruction from the “way we have always done things.” I appreciated that Halter was not overly critical toward the methods he was deconstructing; in fact, he seemed very sensitive to the people entrenched in those systems.

Chapters fifteen through eighteen were rebuilding chapters; teaching the foundational elements of this “incarnational community.” Everything that was shared in these chapters just seemed to make such beautiful sense… I found myself saying over and over; “yes, yes, yes, yes…!!!”

The final chapters, nineteen through twenty-one, were about the focus and outcome of the three primary components of the community once people decide to “join” the community. This focus hinges on togetherness, oneness, and otherness…and I’ll stop there. The teaching and the illustrations used by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay are very clear and easy to understand. It would be my great desire to see this community with my own eyes. I would love to get some one-on-one leadership development from an existing-healthy-functioning community.

In my opinion, this is another 5-star book and another must read for those people and leaders desiring to live missionally and incarnationally (buzzwordsy I know, but I don’t know how else to describe it). Personally, I don’t know that I’d follow everything from this book… I have some personal convictions that differ from the authors, but I understand the heart of his passion and with that I agree 100%. I recommend this book very highly. I’m glad to kickoff my 2010 reading year with this one; a great way to start it out.

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Book Review: Tales of a Mad Mystic – New Parables to Amuse and Confuse Seekers of Truth

A few weeks ago I received for review a copy of the book, Tales of a Mad Mystic: New Parables to Amuse and Confuse Seekers of Truth. The book is a self-published work and written by “John the Methodist,” a nom de plume or penname of the author who (presently) wishes to remain anonymous. The book is available for purchase through Amazon marketplace.

First impressions:

The book is arranged into eight groups of parables. The groups are cleverly titled to reflect the nature of the parable(s) they head. Most of the little narratives are less than ten pages in length making the book a relatively quick read. While a reader could easily read this collection in a single sitting or two, I wouldn’t recommend doing so. The parables invite consideration and reflection in order to fully appreciate what the author offers to the reader. Personally, I found reading one group of parables at a time to be the most beneficial practice allowing me time to consider several lessons within a theme before moving on to the next subject group. Overall, I liked the book and found it thought-provoking on many levels.

Highlights:

Before the reader begins the first group of parables, John the Methodist includes ten articles of religion (actually he calls them The Ten Great Laws of Organized Religion). While I found these “great laws” humorous, often chuckling out loud as I read them, I was also saddened by the truth of them. Interestingly, I do not think these articles of religion were random, but they served as a backdrop for the parables themselves…

The synopsis from the back cover of the book states that, “All the stories in this book are amusing and childlike in their simplicity, but, look a little deeper and you may find much more.” I think this claim is fair and accurate. I did not encounter any great and profound truth, but I was stirred to think and I agree that the stories included in Tales could be an excellent tool for discussion groups.

I think each person will find their favorites from this little collection of narratives; I landed on a few that I particularly liked. The parables that appealed especially to me were; The Bishop and the Begger, The Reluctant Ruler, Heirlooms, Jaws, Speak No Evil, and ALERT LA318… I can’t tell you why, you’ll have to read the book and come to your own conclusions and favorites.

Final Thoughts:

A parable is supposed to be brief and succinct…even simplistic in order to portray a simple, and often universal, truth. The parable is often devoid of back story and character development, but this does not mean they are not skillfully and intricately woven in their simplicity of meaning. If I have any criticism of the Tales (constructively intended), it would be the intended “aha” moment for some of the stories. In several of the parables, John the Methodist, drew me into a narrative; my curiosity piqued…anticipating the next turn of the page…when suddenly the story dropped very flatly and abruptly. In these instances I was left unfulfilled and slightly disappointed. I think, gauging from the delight I found in some of the other parables, and given a little more thought…these lackluster stories could have been much more invoking and insightful. All in all, I give the book a “thumbs up” approval. Tales of a Mad Mystic is a good read and most readers will find something in this collection of tales that bring them enjoyment.

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