One of the great things about buying a “Greatest Hits Compilation” of your favourite music artist (at least for me) is the “re-mix version” or “unreleased track” or “free b-side songs” that are usually added on as a bonus.  Unfortunately, this book is an “Emergent Greatest Hits” book with no bonus tracks.  I actually had to look at the publishing date half way through the book to see if this was an old release.  That is the greatest flaw of this book.  The emergents claims that they are a conversant type of group – well it’s time for them to change the topic.

Does this seem harsh?  Yes maybe, but for a book published in 2008, I did not expect to read the same stuff I did 8 years ago.

But there was some stuff  I did like about the book.  And of course some more things I didn’t.  So, let’s change momentum here and bring out the positives.

My thinking in buying this book was this:  I am a pastor who deals with people who feel let down or have given up on Christianity.  And this book does reach out of those type of people… and I will definitely pass this book on to them.

Here are a few pastoral highlights.

Highlight #1 – faith is not a system of beliefs but a relationship

Highlight #2 – meeting physical needs is directly connected to spiritual needs (holistic)

Highlight #3 – sin management vs. story involvement (read the book for definitions)

As a pastor, I  can use this stuff, and I really think people who are struggling could use it too.

Here are a few pastoral lowlights.

Lowlight #1 – Pagitt spends a chapter on deconstructing “systematic theology”, and yet uses that same system to make his case for holistic living.

Lowlight #2 – He tends to say that the bibles narrative is “holistic”.  He uses the word “integrated” to describe the main theme of the bible.  Wright would strongly disagree (and so would I)

Lowlight #3 - Pagitt goes nowhere with this book.  Great, it’s okay to practice yoga and write books in coffee shops, but what was the point?  Maybe he did this so he can write another book about the same stuff.  (sorry for my sarcasm)

My thinking is that this book was written for the person searching.  Well, if there is someone searching the used book shelf, they can buy my copy.  Again, sorry for the sarcasm.  Read it and judge for yourself.  I have to admit though, I was reading Wright’s “Justification” at the same time – night and day, night and day.

There are two things I need to admit when reviewing this book. 

First, I had written Brian McLaren off.  If you have read any of his books you would quickly realize that he was being extremely repetitive.  I understand that the general public may not read all of his books, but it  just seemed that since the “New Kind of Christian” series to “The Secret Message of Jesus” to “Everything Must Change” Brian went on and on about the same themes.  Those themes being:  the Kingdom of God, Jesus in his historical setting and how the current systems (economic, spiritual….) are not working.  I am greatly indebted to his insight but honestly, I was getting a little bored.  BUT, when I realized that this book was part of a series edited by Phyllis Tickle and that Scot McKnight was doing one of the themes, I decided to pick it up and give it a try.  In short, I bought the book not because of McLaren, but because of all of the added features that came along with it.

Second, like all books, there is nothing new said.  This book is a “Readers Digest” version of other great books about the “comeback” of sacred practices.  (Just a side note:  I am co-reading Jacques Ellul’s “The Subversion of Christianity” at the same time.  The premise of his book is that the only things that should be considered ‘sacred’ are God and redeemed humanity.)    Back to my point.  In the introduction McLaren mentions a few authors that influenced this book.  I highly recommend just reading those books.  Those books include Eugene Peterson’s “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places”, Dallas Willard’s “The Divine Conspiracy” and Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline”.  If you do not have the energy to read those books, McLaren is the way to go.

more…

As I was browsing the theology and christian section at Chapters, I came across this charming book called “The Unlikely Disciple”.  The author, Kevin Roose, was A.J. Jacobs (“A Year of Living Biblically) intern who went to Jerry Falwells church to do reserach for his book.  There, they both met students of Jerry Falwell’s university called Liberty.  Roose was intrigued by the stories.  So with some interviews and his parents permission, Roose quit Brown University and spent a semester at Liberty.  His intentions were to write a book about life, religion and relationships at Liberty and to tell an “undercover” story of Jerry Falwell.  What really happens is surprising.

What I liked about the book:

Roose struggles with the idea of hiding his true intentions of being there.  When he came up with the idea of being a “undercover journalist”, he did not realize that he would fall in love, create friendships and actually connect with the staff.   There is a real humaness struggle going on.

Roose also is surprised how normal most of the students are.  They struggle with faith, sexuality and living in a world that is hurting just like everyone else.  As his story unfolds, you can see him getting more and more comfortable with the people around him and his surroundings.

What I did not like about the book:

What I don’t like about the book is the same as what I like about it.  Roose is an undercover writer trying to get a story.  So there is this sense of dishonesty and fakeness to it.  He get’s deeply involved in peoples lives superficiously and it makes the reader a bit uncomfortable.

He also digs up dirt on some of the main characters of the book that is not relevant to his story.  He cloaks this in a shroud of context, but really it can be taken as defamation of character. 

All in all, I really have enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone interested in an “outsiders” look into the world of religious education and community.  This book can create some amazing dialogue with those who are uncomfortable talking religion and it also gives hope for the future of faith.

Pick it up and read it in your summer holidays!

One of the great battles of Christianity are the two ideas of grace (Paul) vs. works (James).  We continually wrestle with the notions of just believing or just doing.  Jacques Ellul in his book “The Subversion of Christianity” wrote back in 1984 an amazing response to weld together this dichotomy.  He writes:  Practice (works) is the visible criterion that we have seriously received grace and also that we have entered effectively into God’s plan.  For Paul, as  for Jesus, practice is the touchstone of authenticity.

But that is not the clincher.  He then adds to his argument why Christian faith is not affecting the world. 

“Those who attack Christianity usually do it, then, by pointing first to our disastrous practice”.

Now, this is how us “postmoderns” interpret this.  What we do is a response to what Christ did.  The problem though is that we have not had great success in practice.  Ellul would say  “Maybe there is something wrong with your faith then.”  Which really is the point of his book.

The basis of “The Subversion of Christianity” is that:  what the church has become is not at all what Christianity is portaryed as in Scripture.  There is not just contradiction on one point but on all points.

This is a great read for those who want to be challenged about the modern church and how we live out our faith in grace and practice.  And this book comes to me at a great time as we look at the Ten Commandments and christian consumerism.  Let’s hope that the church can be brave enough to have a good look at ourselves and ask the questions Ellul asks, “How has it come about that the development of Christianity and the church has given birth to a society, a civilization, a culture that are completely opposite to what we read in the Bible, to what is indisputably the text of the law, the prophets, Jesus, and Paul?”

As we leave 2008 behind and enter the new year it seems that a study on leaving the old and entering the new is very appropriate. So, starting this month we are going to have a journey through the book of Exodus. This book is amazing for a few reasons. First of all, the whole idea of exile and exodus theology is very popular right now. Thanks to theologians like Walter Brueggemann and N.T. Wright, we have learned to approach all of scripture with these two themes in mind. Secondly, Rob Bell’s “Jesus Wants to save Christians” has put “exile and exodus” theology into the hands of the public. Third, there has been a very obvious shift in North American christianity, and Exodus is the type of book that can help guide a culture who has been ripped of identity, specifically spiritual and religious identity. So, with all of that in mind we will hopefully walk away from this study with an understanding that those that have come before us have something to teach us. I hope we come out of this journey with hope for the now and the future. Here are some of my resources with a brief description. Let’s journey together!!

Currid makes connections that I never imagined. This book is a great starting point for those interested in the Egyptian Cult.

Brueggemann invites preachers to walk their congregations through the exile we are now experiencing.

This is a very simple and short commentary that has a lot of bite. Friedman brings out the Judaic history of the Exodus narrative.

Sarna's Exodus volume is very detailed and a basic knowledge of Hebrew is needed

This was a pleasant surprise. I bought this commentary when we went preached through Genesis. When I flipped through the pages, I found that Brueggemann did the Exodus section. This commentary is priceless for it's great scholarship and "reflection" sections of each chapter. The perfect preaching tool.

Tickle brings the reader on a brief 2000 year journey. A great starter for those who feel they are in "exile".

This a general public "manifesto" of exile and exodus theology. The presention is very clear and they get really political near the end!!

This month we are looking at how our church can participate in making this world a “greener” place.  The basis of this series is that God created everything and claimed that it was good.  In Genesis 2:15, God commissions Adam to “take care” of creation – use it but not abuse it.  As a church we will be taking that commission to heart as we serve God and save the planet.  In the message part of our site you will find the first two messages of this series:  “The Ripple Effect” and “Love God, Love Others” with Pastor Jaye.  We hope you get challenged as we have been challenged!

For reference, here are the main sources of our information.  If you go to the links part of our page click on “Urban Garden” and “Let’s Tend the Garden” for more ideas of what you can do in your own church!

DeWitt weaves scripture with the practical application of environmental stewardship beautifully. The author of this gem is a pastor who really wants to make a difference int he world

Written by a Pastor who really wants to make this world a better place

Redeeming Creation brings Scripture into fruitful dialogue with current scientific findings

A very conservative look at what the Christian can do at home to honour God and enjoy God's Creation

We are excited that you decided to check us out.  As time goes on, this page will have videos, more audio sermons, discussion boards and book reviews.  So, come back any time and join us!

I am reading a book right now called “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes”, by Kenneth Bailey.  Bailey himself received his theological training in the east so his perspectives are very culture and context focused.  His understanding of Ancient Jewish and Palestinian culture brings to light nuances of scripture that are usually avoided or glanced upon and then easily forgotten.  This is a very readable book for lay person and scholar alike.  If you are interested in the world that Jesus was born into and lived, this book is highly recommended.