Book Reviews

A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel Bradley Jersak

Emotional Response-2

Scholarly Response-5

When I selected this book, I hoped to read how the life of Jesus revealed God to us. Instead, the focus was on the death of Jesus. I had hoped for more about how Jesus’ ministry was life-giving for those he encountered, how Jesus saw ones who others ignored, etc. This book presented the death of Jesus as how we can more accurately see/know God. For this reason, I struggled to read this book. Because of his focus on the cross and our very different experiences with the church, this book did not resonate with me. I wanted to love it. I did love the second telling of “The Beautiful Gospel” beginning on page 280. He uses Scripture and modern story to illustrate how no matter what we do, God always turns toward us. It was an inspiring end to the book.

One goal of this book was to present a systematic theology that was accessible for the average reader. I think that was achieved. When he uses words that are more technical or words have a variety of meanings, he includes the definition that he is using. I found this to be very helpful as I read the book and imagine other readers would as well.

I did not understand the choice of language used for God in this book. On page 3, the author discusses the problem with using pronouns for God. “Even using the simple pronoun ‘he’ for God is awkward and inaccurate. I will use it, but when I do, I tend to cringe. God is not a ‘him’ or ‘her.’” (3). This made me cringe throughout the book. I wonder why he acknowledged this difficulty if he wasn’t going to change his language. His answer seemed to be I don’t like to call God he, but I’m going to do it anyway. This disappointed me.

My excitement for this book was because I hoped he would share my understanding that the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are God incarnate. While I do not attempt to explain and understand God completely, a good portion of what I know to be true about God is because of the ministry of Jesus. I also see God revealed through prophets and apostles. One tension for me has always been how to believe in Jesus without becoming a supersessionist. (This is the idea that Christ as the new covenant has replaced or superseded God’s covenant with the Israelites. If taken far enough, it means that Christians are the chosen people and the Jews are not because they haven’t accepted Christ as the new covenant). I am not a supersessionist and try hard to make that clear in the language I use. Here is one section that concerned me, “We read in John 1:17 that Moses gave us the Law (a system of rewards and punishments), but Christ brought us grace and truth. We read in 2 Corinthians 3:9 that Moses’ covenant brought condemnation but Jesus’ covenant brings righteousness, true freedom and transformation. What’s happening here? Rather than replacing Yahweh of the Old Testament with the Christ of the New, these authors emphasize that Moses’ revelation of God as the just Judge (the law-bringer) is being eclipsed as Jesus’ greater revelation of God the loving Father (the gospel-giver)” (75).

I would recommend this book for anyone who doesn’t know that God is love. This might be a first step on your journey to seeing God in a new light.

 

I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.

#SpeakeasyAMoreChristlikeGod

Children of God Storybook Bible Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Emotional Response-4

Scholarly Response-5

There are so many things to love about this book. The amazing artwork by 20 talented artists from around the world brings the diversity of God’s creation to life in these pages. The words selected to tell the sacred stories are beautiful and perfect for children, youth, and adults. My only complaint is the lack of inclusive language for God. With all the other diversity and inclusivity, why not be creative in describing and naming God too? This can be remedied by using different pronouns or your preferred name for God while reading it aloud. If children are reading it silently, a conversation or two about names of and for God can be helpful.

I highly recommend everyone read this book. Most people can read it in a very short amount of time. Or you may decide to savor it and read only one story per day. Either way, you need to read this book.

I love the words used for the Beatitudes on page 76.

“Blessed are you who feed the poor, for you are the hands of God.

Blessed are you who comfort the sad, for you are the arms of God.

Blessed are you who work for peace, for you are the voice of God.

Blessed are you who are loving and kind, for you are the heart of God” (76).

365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life John Kralik

Lately, I’ve been pondering gratitude. How can I be more grateful? How can I better express my gratitude? I was delighted to find this book, 365 Thank Yous. Sadly, my disappointment with this book began almost immediately when on page 14 I read, “Then I heard a voice: ‘Until you learn to be grateful for the things you have,’ it said, ‘you will not receive the things you want.’ (14).”

Wait a minute! We are not called to have a spirit of gratitude so we can accumulate more things. We are called to be grateful because our very existence is a gift. We are loved more than we know-another gift! We have been gifted with talents to use and share with others.

I cannot recommend this book because I do not agree with his premise. In spite of this, I did finish reading this book. Instead of reading this book, I recommend that we all write a thank you note or two or 365 to people who we need to thank! Thank you, dear reader, for faithfully reading and encouraging me to keep reading and writing! I am grateful for each of you!

 

Benedict’s Way: An Ancient Monk’s Insights for a Balanced Life

Lonni Collins Pratt and Father Daniel Homan, OSB

Emotional Response-4

Scholarly Response-3

I didn’t want to hurry through this book that has lived unopened on my shelf for years. I decided to read one chapter a day and live with this book. And I’m glad I did. This is a book I’ll return to my “to read” pile. It deserves to be read again. I know I need to read it many more times before all the lessons sink in and become part of my life.

After introductions on retreat, St. Benedict, and the concept of a rule, this book has 30 chapters each highlighting a theme from the rule that is still very relevant today. Each chapter began with a quote from Benedict’s Rule. Next the authors selected quotes from other, often more modern voices that inspire further reflection. One of the authors does his or her reflection on the theme before asking us to go inward which is where all that has been said is applied to life today with suggestions for how we might live out the rule. Each chapter closes with a prayer.

This book is almost deceptively easy to read and understand. The challenge comes in living out what you are reading. I recommend this book as a great introduction to Benedict’s Rule. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an opportunity to strengthen one’s faith. I would recommend this book as a great Lenten book. (I know there are 40 days in Lent and only 30 chapters in this book. You could go back for the last 10 days and reread your favorite chapters or, if you are like me, having an extra 10 days to complete the book means you might get it done on time!). I highly recommend this book!

“A rule, in the sense used by St. Benedict, means a plan for living with others in a certain way…Despite personal differences, inclinations, and preferences, a rule determines how individuals will respond and behave and live together” (9).

“Regardless of what is happening, the monk shows up for prayer day after day, all the days of his life. There is nothing supernatural inside the monk that enables him to do so. He just puts his feet into his shoes and walks to the chapel. How he feels about it is not relevant. When it is time to pray, you pray. Period. You don’t have words? Don’t know how to address God? Not a problem. The psalms are full of words that we make ours when we pray them. This kind of prayer anchors us” (23).

“We do very ordinary things, and God breathes life into the act. God breathes life into us” (47).

I found the idea of Reasonable Balance (#13) inspiring. How can I live this? How can I help others live this way?
As one who is currently struggling to persevere, I took great comfort in #19 Perseverance. “Most often, perseverance simply means outlasting whatever is getting in the way” (157).

 

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar Cheryl Strayed

This book is not the typical book that I share with you. It is filled with strong language and lots of talk about sex and sexual abuse. And the author states that she doesn’t believe in God. None of these things make this a bad book, in fact, I enjoyed this book. And what surprised me while I was reading it was how much sacredness was present in this book.

This book is a collection of emails sent to Dear Sugar who “gave advice” on TheRumpus.net. This was not your typical advice column. Dear Sugar shared her own triumphs and failures in her answers. She rarely tells the questioner what to do. With wisdom and compassion and the occasional kick in the backside, Dear Sugar helps most of her readers realize they knew what they needed to do before they even asked. They needed affirmation that what they felt inside was the right thing for them to do. She answers letters about miscarriages, and marriages that didn’t work, love triangles, betrayals, grief, life not happening as planned, and money.

I would recommend this book for people who don’t mind watching R-rated movies. This book has too much “foul” language for some people I know.  I would recommend this book if you are ready to cry, laugh, and squirm in your reading chair as you read about people who are just like you and not exactly like you too.

And although she doesn’t believe in God, she has answers like this one where you can clearly see that she has grappled with the existence and nature of God. “Countless people have been devastated for reasons that cannot be explained or justified in spiritual terms. To do as you are doing in asking If there was a God, why would he let my little girl have to have the possibility of life-threatening surgery?–understandable as that question is–creates a false hierarchy of the blessed and the damned. To use our individual good or bad luck as a litmus test to determine whether or not God exists constructs an illogical dichotomy that reduces our capacity for true compassion. It implies a pious quid pro quo that defies history, reality, ethics, and reason. It fails to acknowledge that the other half of rising–the very half that makes rising necessary–is having first been nailed to the cross” (145).

“I supposed this is what I mean when I say we cannot possibly know what will manifest in our lives. We live and have experiences and leave people we love and get left by them. People we thought would be with us forever aren’t and people we didn’t know would come into our lives do. Our work here is to keep faith with that, to put it in a box and wait. To trust that someday we will know what it means, so that when the ordinary miraculous is revealed to us we will be there, standing before the baby girl in the pretty dress, grateful for the smallest things” (323).

 

The 6 Marks of Progressive Christian Worship Music Bryan Sirchio

Emotional Response-3

Scholarly Response-5

As a youth, I went to multiple Bryan Sirchio concerts in neighboring churches. So his name has been familiar to me for decades. A few years ago, a congregation member asked me about this book, and I wholeheartedly recommended it to her based only on knowing that Bryan Sirchio wrote the book. Finally, I have read it and now I can recommend based on the book.

Music is very important to many people in the church. In this book, Bryan Sirchio takes a reverent look at how to select music for worship. He looks at this thoughtfully, theologically, and faithfully. His book is easily readable and would be a great discussion starter in a church with music questions. It would also be a good book for anyone wondering how to be more intentional about music selection for worship. He doesn’t provide the answers. He provides the framework for each church to discern its own answers. And that truly is a gift!

This book is divided into 3 sections. Section 1 is the essential features of progressive worship music.

The 6 Marks-

1-An Emphasis on Praise, Justice, and the Fullness of Human Experience

2-Inclusive Language

3-Progressive Theology

4-An Emphasis on both the Individual and the Community

5-Emotional Authenticity

6-Fresh Images, Ideas, and Language

Section 2 is entitled “Worship, Songs, and Ego Work”. This section of the book tackles issues like what is worship, musical styles, and performance.

Section 3 is entitled “The Bible and More about Progressive Theology.” This is a great section for anyone that wants more information about the biblical basis for progressive theology and all the marks mentioned earlier.

Who should read this book? Anyone who cares about music in the church should read this book. I highly recommend this book to pastors, musicians, worship planning teams, and seminarians. This book would work well as a discussion starter for a small group in your church. If your council or session is brave enough to tackle the world of music in the church, this is a great starting point. Each chapter ends with discussion questions which make this an easy to discuss book! This book is accessible and easy to read and anyone can do it!

Worship “helps us to find ourselves once again inside of God’s greater Story, instead of trying to somehow make God fit within the confines of our smaller stories” (92).

“I’m convinced that congregations grow in healthy ways not because of the style with which they worship, but because the church is helping people to experience God’s transforming and healing Love” (110).

“But it’s precisely because we can be wrong, even when it comes to positions we hold passionately, that we need to do our own wrestling and questioning of Scripture together with other people who also love God, who doesn’t always agree with us, and who can challenge us and keep us honest and open” (145).