Author's intent

While reading the Preface to Farrar's The Life of Christ I ran across this gem:

I have never wholly lost sight of the fact that I had to work with no higher object than that thousands, who have even fewer opportunities than myself, might be the better enabled to read that one Book, beside which even the best and profoundest treatises are nothing better than poor and stammering fragments of imperfect commentary.

If only every author took such a view.

allegory vs. parable

One of the most common mistakes in understanding the Bible is to confuse teaching through parable and teaching through allegory as being the same. Jesus actually used both though he more commonly taught using parables.

The key difference:

• allegory - the similitude is intended to be drawn at many points
• parable - an everyday story told to illustrate one main lesson

examples of each:

• allegory - the Good Shepherd in John 10, the Vine and the Branches in John 15, even the Sower in Mark 4 (Jesus interprets the many points of allegory)
  
• parable - the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 (chiefly intended to illustrate the definition of loving your neighbor, not what the innkeeper represents, who the Samaritan represents)

-thanks to John Stott for good definitions found in Understanding the Bible

the power of diverse communities of faith

Sometime ago I read a book called "Divided By Faith". It is a very good book that helped define so many things for me. The gist of the book is that though Evangelicals have really responded in the last 15 years to the racial crisis in the U.S. it has not been effective because our tendency is to see everything through the lens of "individual" and rarely "systems". So we as Evangelicals have sought to be personally reconciled across races but it has done very little to change the landscape because the systemic issues are still there undermining all of our best efforts.

Toward the end of the book the authors are making the argument that we need diverse communities of faith. One reason they give is that in a society like ours where the wealth (power) is largely controlled by one race, having separate communities of faith hinders the movement toward equality. The reason is that (generalizing here) the majority of jobs are controlled by people of one race and if two people with the same qualifications apply for the job but one applicant knows the person doing the hiring and the other doesn't, the one who knows the employer will almost always get the job. This isn't racism per se, it's just the normal way of things. Well, because communities of faith are so likely to be where many of our social relationships are, if we are in homogeneous communities of faith then the jobs we control or have access to will continue to go to the people like us. Again, this is not malicious or intentional but just because their is a connection there.

Well, tonight I got to participate in something like this, but better. I have a friend (who happens to be Black) who is looking for a job in Gainesville for a year while she takes a break from school before going to Law School at Northwestern in Chicago. She is one of the smartest people I know. But there are not many jobs in Gainesville (maybe anywhere these days) and it has been hard to find one. While talking to a different friend (who happens to be White) I asked a random question and he replied that his department was looking to hire someone for a certain job. Because I am in community with both of them I was able to bridge the gap and possibly help my other friend get a job. She does not have the job yet but now when she turns in her resume she will have an insider to put in a good word for her. I thought this was such a beautiful application of "Divided By Faith" that I wanted to share it with you all. Let's go out and develop diverse (in every way) communities of faith that will be used in big ways and small to make this a more beautiful and equitable nation then it already is.

Consuming Jesus - Part 3

This was a pretty good book. I think Metzger is at his best when he is analyzing history and culture as the beginning of the book does. He does a great job of looking back and showing how the church got to this moment of being consumed by consumerism. It's effects are so wide-ranging, it's almost the water we're swimming in, without even knowing.

From there, the author goes into how the church should live out its calling in this consumer culture, that is separated, by and in large, by race and class. In my opinion, this is where Metzger's writing is weaker. He is synthesizing the work of others such as John Perkins, William Cavanaugh, and Marva Dawn. Not that any of it was bad but I thought the first half of the book was more compelling.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an inkling of the effects of consumerism on the church in America but wants to explore its implications further and begin to live counter-culturally, resisting the commodification of the church . I was especially challenged in regard to the mono-cultural tendencies of the small group movement.

Escape From Reason

...a quick review of a book I read this week.

Escape From Reason - Francis Schaeffer, IVP

Schaeffer offers a concise yet penetrating overlook of philosophic thought from the time of Thomas Aquinas through the 20^th Century. Written in 1968, Schaeffer had such an insight into the thinking of his day that 40 years later, the things he saw are finally making their way into mainstream ways of thinking. He was writing brilliantly about postmodern thought 30 years before I ever even heard of it.

I won’t lie, this book, though short and sweet, put my intellect to the test. He moves through 750 years of philosophy at breakneck speed. He does not adequately encapsulate any of the thinkers he writes about but more shows the movement of thought through different eras. I found it to be quite helpful in understanding how the current science vs. faith debate came into being. Essentially, Schaeffer argues that for the Christian to fall into the modern (and postmodern) way of thinking about a dichotomy between reason and faith leaves us without legs to stand on in either category. It’s a very compelling yet challenging read.

Consuming Jesus - success & the homogenous unit principle

Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one so that the world might know that he was sent by the Father. What is this to look like? If a bunch of people who look alike and like the same things are "one" is that really anything that is worth noticing? Now I know that we are all selfish enough that anytime anyone sacrifices for others in way that allows us to be "one" it is worth something. But I think Jesus was talking about bringing together people from different social classes and cultures.

Being enamored with "success", by and in large the church in America has sold out to the homogeneous unit principle. This principle states that we will be more effective (successful) in ministry if we target those who are like us in order to make them comfortable enough to hear the Gospel. Is that what we're doing or do we just not really like people that aren't like us that much? Maybe it's an answer to Jesus' prayer that Gator and Seminole fans who are alike in every other way would be "one". That will make people sit up and notice that there's something about this Jesus guy.

Consuming Jesus - Fundamentalism & "trickle down social ethics"

In chapter 1 of Consuming Jesus, Metzger traces some of the history of the evangelical church in the U.S., it's racial divisions, and it's consumer culture mentality. It takes us back to the turn of the century with D.L. Moody and his evangelistic revivalism. Moody, described as the "forefather" of fundamentalism, shifted during his season of ministry to a singular emphasis on evangelism. Though early in his ministry he had walked in the Evangelical tradition of social concern he began to see social reform as a distraction of the primary concern, evangelism.

According to Metzger, Moody and his followers did not necessarily lack compassion, they just believed that evangelism was the most effective way to address social concerns. Metzger calls this "trickle down social ethics", that as people enter into a right relationship with God that there life will improve and they will be able to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps". Metzger rightly points out that this belief overlooks the reality of systematic injustice that takes away the bootstraps of those who are to pull themselves up by them.

In my next installment of this book review I will try to summarize Metzger's argument of how the premillenialist eschatology of Fundamentalism furthered this disengagement with the social concerns and injustices of the day.

Consuming Jesus - Part 2

I plan to begin reading Consuming Jesus tonight. The subtitle reads, "Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church". Promises to be good stuff. Come back for thoughts along the way.

Consuming Jesus

awhile back I went in on an offer to receive this book for free provided I write a review of it on my blog. I have yet to read it but plan to, and am excited about it. I guess this post is really an attempt at catharsis. I feel somewhat guilty, hopefully it is also a reminder at some point this summer to read and review it.

Excellence In Leadership

This is a great little book on leadership, drawing principles from the life and work of Nehemiah. Maybe the best thing about it is that it has drawn me into the story of Nehemiah and I think that I will continue to go back to the biblical account as a leadership resource for years to come. I believe that is White’s main goal even beyond his own words and thoughts on the subject.

There are many memorable lessons: the importance of prayer in leadership, Spirit led planning, dealing with opposition, and finishing strong, to name a few. In addition to my own use of the book in the future, I will encourage other leaders to read it, but I think it may be more valuable to the leader with some experience than for the young leader looking for a training manual. My appreciation of the book is much greater now than it probably would have been at the beginning of my leadership journey. I think this is because it is not meant as a comprehensive overview of leadership but more as a reflection on the example of one particular leader and the situation he found himself called to lead in. It is a great book, I highly recommend it. Though short, it’s not a fast read, more like something you drink slowly and enjoy.

John White on leadership

There has always been a true elite of God's leaders. They are the meek who inherit the earth (Mt 5:5). They weep and pray in secret, and defy earth and hell in public. They tremble when faced with danger, but die in their tracks sooner than turn back. They are like a shepherd defending his sheep or a mother protecting her young. They sacrifice without grumbling, give without calculating, suffer without groaning. To those in their charge they say, "We live if you do well." Their price is above rubies. They are the salt of the earth. And Nehemiah was one of them.

book summary: Daring To Draw Near

Though it would fall into the "books on prayer" category, this book is about a lot more than prayer. (though I learned a lot about prayer as well) What I loved about the book was the reflections at the beginning of each chapter on biblical passages. White does a masterful job of letting us peer into these encounters between men and God. I really appreciate John White's perspective on scripture. Essentially, he takes a different biblical character for each chapter to reflect on and learn about prayer. Along the way you look at Abraham conversing with God over the fate of Sodom and Hannah asking the Lord for a child, and Job covering his mouth as God reveals himself to him. We look at how David had both reverence and joy in his dancing before the Lord and Paul's measured theological intercession for the Ephesians. The book ends by looking at the recorded prayers of Jesus during his last 24 hours.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It's not a manual on how to pray but is more intended to look at the prayers of very real people and their response to God's initiative. Along the way, we learn to see God more clearly. It is kind of like a book that blends prayer with discipleship. I think it is one that I will reread in the future.

partnership with God?

I'm reading Daring To Draw Near by John White (who is steadily rising to the top of my favorite authors list). The other books of his that I've read (all or part of) are The Fight, Eros Defiled, and The Cost of Commitment. Each one has had a profound impact on me. On my bookshelf for the future are Excellence in Leadership and The Pathway of Holiness. Anyway, now that I'm finished gushing over John White I'll get on with my post.

In the first chapter of this book he explores the interaction that Abraham has with God in Genesis 18 as the three visitors are leaving. You're probably familiar with the story, God reveals he's about to destroy Sodom, and Abraham begins to plead with God to save the city if there are some righteous people there. One of White's assertions is that God not only chooses to call us friends (John 15:15) but that he also wants us to be his partners, to have a role in his plans. White says that this is part of why God lets Abraham in on what he is about to do. He's inviting Abraham to take counsel with himself on matters of importance to him. In White's words, "God has called you to attend a celestial board meeting to deliberate with him on matters of destiny."

This argument certainly seems to be treading on thin ice to me. Would God actually involve us on that level in his purposes in the world. The part of me that is convinced of God's utter sovereignty certainly hesitates. If this is true it would drastically change my prayer life though. White points out that there is no longer room for "if it be your will" kinds of prayers because that is essentially lazy pseudoreverence. It's a cop out from struggling to find out what God's will is, or it's a "lack of faith in the character of the Invisible One who works miraculously in the face of impossible odds".

What if God really does want this kind of partnership with us? Would I feel like someone with a brand new MBA walking into a board meeting with Donald Trump? Excited to be there and contribute but scared to be fired at any minute for saying something stupid. It would definitely add a new dimension to Jesus saying that if we ask anything in his name that he will do it. I'm imagining a business owner and a young apprentice. They usually reason everything out together, and the owner always has the last call, but it's a true discussion with give and take on both sides. And when the young apprentice makes a special request that isn't clearly bad for the company the owner will grant it because of their relationship. Could this be true?

Getting Your Feet Dirty

hey, I finished another book. I like having accountability for this in my life as I read alongside some of my staff friends. If anyone would like to see our reading list and join us just let me know. Here are my thoughts on the latest book I read...

Before reading Getting Your Feet Dirty I had read Jesus With Dirty Feet and The Smell of Sin written by Don Everts. I loved both of those books; they were insightful, creative, and beautifully written. This book was not what I expected. Part of that is that it was written to people who are not familiar with the story of the early church as recorded in Acts. I am and it was not as compelling to me. But that may be my fault. I think it would be more compelling for people who are not as familiar with the story and maybe I read it from too prideful a perspective.

The strength of the book lies in that it does a good job of unpacking what happened at Pentecost and in the days and months that followed. It shows how the first followers of Jesus began to live out their new lives. If we all followed their examples in our own contexts there is much that is wrong that would be right. It is simple and I appreciate that. I think it would be a good book to put in the hands of a new believer, but I can think of other books that I would read alongside a new believer to discuss with them, and that is what I was looking for.

I finished a book...

I just finished Growing Your Faith by Giving It Away by York Moore. Below is a summary of it I wrote as part of group of friends who are reading together.

This book was very compelling. I almost always enjoy reading evangelism books because it is a subject I don’t feel like an expert in. Some evangelism books spur me on to actively sharing the Gospel more than others though. This is one of them. York Moore has a very straight forward manor and language in his evangelism. He doesn’t shy away from words like repentance, hell, sin, and death. Although I think my approach with people is much different it is also clear that sometimes I miss opportunities to convey what’s vitally important. It is a good challenge for me to move some in that direction.

The strength of the book in my estimation is that he explores the realm of listening and responding to the Holy Spirit in evangelism that we all experience. He is direct about this as well but doesn’t shy away from telling his failures as well as his successes in responding to God’s promptings. Really, it’s the candid nature of his personal experiences that is so helpful. He writes about what we’ve all felt and gives examples of how God meets us more than half way in these situations and uses our meager efforts. Not all of his stories end in someone’s conversion. That is refreshing because it is so true of my experience. And in the end, the title of the book captures really well the theme he explores throughout. He sees evangelism as an adventure together with Jesus that stretches us and grows our faith. He sees it as the call of every Christian and reminds us that Jesus has promised to be with us, day after day, to the very end.