I was at a bookstore sale and had accumulated an armload when one of the clerks pointed at Looking for God and said, "If you buy anything, you need to get that book. It's the best book I've read in a long time." I had glanced at it in passing already but I decided to buy it based on the clerk's recommendation. I'm glad I did.
Do you ever read those books where the author tells you how wonderful his/her life is and how yours can be just as great if you only follow these __ easy steps? Those are annoying books. You know that real people who are fully aware of their surroundings don't have lives like the ones in those books. Only plastic people have all of their problems solved by the end of the last chapter and I, for one, am not plastic so their solutions don't apply to me.
Nancy Ortberg isn't plastic either. She hasn't solved her problems and she's not about to tell you how to fix your life. She is, however, willing to tell stories about how she jumped over, plowed through, or crawled under some personal hurdles, with the hope that her readers might be encouraged, and maybe even possibly learn from her successes and failures. We don't have a perfect-on-the-outside-but-completely-hollow figurehead pointing at herself here. Instead we have a disarmingly open, honest, wise, and passionate woman eagerly pointing her life towards God.
Each chapter in this book is its own freestanding essay. Although they work well together, they don't necessarily have to be read in order. It's a bit like scrolling through a blog - more formal than a journal, but still very personal. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and plan to re-read it in a few months' time. If you're looking for discussion group starters, you might find this material useful.
Looking for God : an unexpected journey through tattoos, tofu & pronouns by Nancy Ortberg. Published in 2008 by Tyndale. ISBN: 978-141431332-0.
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
When necessary use words
The greater the object in motion, the more difficult it is to change its direction. This description of momentum also applies to non-physical bodies. For years, now, critics have been urging the Christian church to shift its focus from fighting over who's right on doctrinal details, to focusing instead on caring for hurting people in this world. There is a lot of hurt in our world and it's not confined to any particular demographic or location.
We are seeing a change in direction in North American christendom, especially in the last five years or so. One of the more vocal proponents for change has been Mike Pilavachi who has been working with disenfranchised people (ie those who hope to someday reach the poverty line) in the US.
Pilavachi's book, When necessary use words, looks at the establishment church and contrasts it with offbeat congregations, grassroots outreaches, and personal stories of people struggling to make sense of their difficult lives. It's not so much a condemnation of where the church is now, as it is a call to step up and move forward, treating people as people rather than conversion targets.
If you're looking for heart-warming stories, there are a few woven in. If you're looking for a how-to manual on setting up a project, you won't find it here. What you will find is a firm but mostly gentle push towards a more obviously caring church.
"...it's vitally important that we stand up for righteousness and don't water down biblical truths to fit in with society, but we seem to have so poorly represented Jesus that most people couldn't tell you what He is for.
"...Jesus is loving, compassionate, full of grace and mercy, kind, humble, forgiving, and passionate. Would people outside of the Church say the same about us?" (pg 64)
When necessary use words : changing lives through worship, justice, and evangelism. Written by Mike Pilavachi. Published by Regal in 2007. ISBN: 978-0830738144.
We are seeing a change in direction in North American christendom, especially in the last five years or so. One of the more vocal proponents for change has been Mike Pilavachi who has been working with disenfranchised people (ie those who hope to someday reach the poverty line) in the US.
Pilavachi's book, When necessary use words, looks at the establishment church and contrasts it with offbeat congregations, grassroots outreaches, and personal stories of people struggling to make sense of their difficult lives. It's not so much a condemnation of where the church is now, as it is a call to step up and move forward, treating people as people rather than conversion targets.
If you're looking for heart-warming stories, there are a few woven in. If you're looking for a how-to manual on setting up a project, you won't find it here. What you will find is a firm but mostly gentle push towards a more obviously caring church.
"...it's vitally important that we stand up for righteousness and don't water down biblical truths to fit in with society, but we seem to have so poorly represented Jesus that most people couldn't tell you what He is for.
"...Jesus is loving, compassionate, full of grace and mercy, kind, humble, forgiving, and passionate. Would people outside of the Church say the same about us?" (pg 64)
When necessary use words : changing lives through worship, justice, and evangelism. Written by Mike Pilavachi. Published by Regal in 2007. ISBN: 978-0830738144.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Out of the question...into the mystery
Leonard Sweet is recognized as a theologian/philosopher. Theologians are noted for dealing in rules and details, and philosophers for playing with theories and ideas, but Sweet doesn't live in that box. In Out of the question, Sweet very quickly makes it very clear that he is disenchanted with rules-based- or theoretical religion:
"...we need something more biblical than higher standards. We need higher relationships. We need less to be 'true to our principles' and much more to be true to our relationships...Our problem...is that we've made rules more important than relationships." (pg 2-3)
This theme continues as he looks at how religion has so often been used to excuse or justify horrible behaviours:
"There is a world of difference between superficial obedience and substantive relationship, between obeying orders and doing the rught thing. You can do the right thing in a strictly ethical or juridicial sense and still be wrong...Sometimes obedience is an abdication of moral responsibility, as the German church discovered through the lessons of World War II." (pg 53)
This is not a new theme. We're hearing it all over the place these days. What makes this book stand out is where Sweet goes once he's made his case for change. Most of this book is spent in deep examination of how we relate to each other in contrast to how we could be relating to each other. There's no denial that relating to people is difficult. Sweet at times describes relationships as chaos, porcupine-like, full of conflict, misunderstandings, and tension, and just plain hard work but the bottom line is, it's all worthwhile.
This is not a "Seven easy steps to..." workbook. We're not talking about patching up a few cracks on the surface. Being a philosopher, Sweet digs, exposing the roots of why we do what we do and shows us what changes in our foundational beliefs are needed to truly bring about change in our day-to-day interactions with others around us. Digging down deep is not easy but the change that results is genuine.
Out of the question...into the mystery : getting lost in the Godlife relationship. Written by Leonard Sweet. Published in 2004 by Waterbrook Press. ISBN: 978-1578566471.
"...we need something more biblical than higher standards. We need higher relationships. We need less to be 'true to our principles' and much more to be true to our relationships...Our problem...is that we've made rules more important than relationships." (pg 2-3)
This theme continues as he looks at how religion has so often been used to excuse or justify horrible behaviours:
"There is a world of difference between superficial obedience and substantive relationship, between obeying orders and doing the rught thing. You can do the right thing in a strictly ethical or juridicial sense and still be wrong...Sometimes obedience is an abdication of moral responsibility, as the German church discovered through the lessons of World War II." (pg 53)
This is not a new theme. We're hearing it all over the place these days. What makes this book stand out is where Sweet goes once he's made his case for change. Most of this book is spent in deep examination of how we relate to each other in contrast to how we could be relating to each other. There's no denial that relating to people is difficult. Sweet at times describes relationships as chaos, porcupine-like, full of conflict, misunderstandings, and tension, and just plain hard work but the bottom line is, it's all worthwhile.
This is not a "Seven easy steps to..." workbook. We're not talking about patching up a few cracks on the surface. Being a philosopher, Sweet digs, exposing the roots of why we do what we do and shows us what changes in our foundational beliefs are needed to truly bring about change in our day-to-day interactions with others around us. Digging down deep is not easy but the change that results is genuine.
Out of the question...into the mystery : getting lost in the Godlife relationship. Written by Leonard Sweet. Published in 2004 by Waterbrook Press. ISBN: 978-1578566471.
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