August 19, 2009 by iMonk
My wife Denise is on her way to sainthood and is eminently qualified to review Jason Boyett’s new book.
Before I could begin this essay, I had to pull up my thesaurus and check for alternatives to the word “delightful,” because I could very easily overwork that adjective in a book review of Jason Boyett’s Pocket Guide to Sainthood.
The Pocket Guide to Sainthood is just that. At 219 pages and dimensions of 5″ x 7″ x 5/8″, this little book just might fit into a large pocket. Definitely a purse or backpack. But wait–I’m beginning to sound just a bit like Boyett.
Subtitled “A Field Manual for the Super-Virtuous Life,” the Pocket Guide is a fast-paced, easy-to-read volume chock full of general information, biographical summaries, interesting tidbits and Boyett’s quirky sense of humor on every page.
Continue Reading At Denise’s blog…
August 15, 2009 by iMonk
If you only read one book on worship, it should be Dr. Michael Horton’s “A Better Way.” I can’t find an audio presentation of that material, but Dr. Horton has a lot of good material on reforming worship in the local church.
Reforming Worship
Preaching Christ
Reforming Church Music
Reforming the Church Service
Rethinking Baptism
Rethinking the Lord’s Supper
Dr. Horton has a 15-part Worship Class about two thirds of the way down this archive page: “Our Worship Class” from Christ Reformed Church.
I would also recommend those evangelicals who have appreciated the series and discussion so far consider purchasing “Beyond Smells and Bells” by Mark Galli and “Ancient-Future Worship” by Robert Webber. The Calvin Center for Christian Worship is a rich source of resources of every kind. A real feast for evangelicals.
(I am working all day tomorrow and Monday morning, so I may not be back to the series till late Monday.)
July 29, 2009 by iMonk
UPDATE: Baptists might want to read this post on semi-Pelagianism, and enjoy the Tom Petty video 
If you’ve been paying attention, you should have noticed that the most interesting blog out in the Christian/Reformation blogosphere is Mockingbird, the front page to the world of Mockingbird Ministries. Dead on, provocative stuff with the strong scent of Luther’s Law/Gospel cookbook in every post.
In addition to being Lutheranized Anglicans, Mockingbird has a major connection to my current theological hero, Paul Zahl. I’ve been enjoying the blog and all the resources available at Mockingbird, and I believe we’re looking at the ground floor of something very important and significant: the beginnings of a significant voice that balances engagement of the culture at many levels- not just as fans, but as thoughtful communicators and observers- with Lutheran flavored Reformation Christianity.
I asked Mockingbird posse member David Zahl- yeah, that Zahl- to answer five questions and get all of the IM audience up to speed. (David will point out some resources at the web site. You MUST download and enjoy the 2009 Conference audio. Priceless talks and not the same old same old.)
I’m very honored to have David Zahl from Mockingbird Ministries here at the IM Interview today. [Continue reading]
July 22, 2009 by iMonk
UPDATE: This is the mother load of Zahl sermons and forums. Great stuff here. I’ve been listening all day.
I’ve discovered Paul F. M. Zahl, and I’m beside myself with enthusiasim for his writing on grace and the church. The only problem is that there’s not much of it, and that is truly a loss. Zahl is an Episcopal minister who has served as dean of a theological school as well as pastor. He’s a marvel of humor, grace, hope and balance. A delight to read and listen to. Here’s Zahl speaking recently about his knock-out book Grace In Practice.
I found this talk by Zahl given at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a talk given in the light of the ordination of Gene Robinson as bishop, and it is a talk given by a traditionalist seeking to plead with a Robinson-approving majority to find a way to accommodate traditionalists. It’s quite interesting given what has now unfolded with the formation of GAFCON, ACNA and the radicalization of TEC at their recent gathering.
Be sure and add to this talk the excellent interview Ryan Cordle just posted with AMiA missionary bishop Doc Loomis. Zahl and other traditionalists who stayed with the ECUSA are the subject of several of his comments.
The majority of this talk is a reasoned traditionalist analysis of the issue of homosexuality. Zahl, who is the most gracious of Christians, makes it plain where many of us are on this issue: the reasoning used by the other side passes the bounds of integrity and conscience. No matter how much we must repent of our homophobia and exclusion- and I am all for that- we cannot give up our convictions about the Gospel. Zahl makes that very plain. [Continue reading]
July 20, 2009 by iMonk
Presbyterian minister and Biblical language scholar Conrad Hyers has been the primary help for me on issues of the Bible and Science. I’m sorry so little of Hyers is on the web. His book, The Meaning of Creation, is a mandatory read for those interested in this subject. Hyers’ simplicity and amazing respect for the Bible stands in real contrast to what is done to and with the Bible by those who require science to validate their faith.
The Rise and Fall of Creationism
AIG thought Hyers worth a mention in this column.
And yes, your Google search will reveal that most of Hyers’ work was done in the area of the Bible and humor.
What science and religion books have been helpful to you?
July 18, 2009 by iMonk
I’ve never met Jared Wilson. We spoke on the phone once because, frankly, I’m desperate for friends. He doesn’t owe me money. We don’t have a book review treaty signed. He’s not going to like my book nearly as much as I’ve enjoyed his, and that’s OK.
Jared isn’t a well-known author or megachurch pastor. His blog, Gospeldrivenchurch.com, is an indicator that he has gifts to write, preach and teach, but blogging or preaching isn’t writing a book. (Take it from me. I know what I’m talking about on that one.) Jared doesn’t head up a ministry that will buy 10,000 copies of his book sight unseen or have reserved spots on all the conference schedules next year. I have no idea if he’s going to be successful as an author or will simply be another solid pastor who happened to write a book.
What I know is that Jared has written a book about Jesus that, for many of the readers of this bog and for vast numbers of evangelicals, should be THE book about Jesus they read in the next few months, because it may be the best popular level book written this year to re-introduce the Christ of scripture to the people who say they know him. [Continue reading]
July 10, 2009 by iMonk
Our friend Alan Creech has three items of interest.
First, Alan Creech Rosaries Aids to Prayer, like Ropes and Little Beads, has a new web site. Easier to navigate, RSS feed, all the whistles and bells.
Second, Alan is doing a podcast on spiritual formation. It’s called Oremus and many of you who pray the hours, etc will enjoy it. You can subscribe via iTunes.
Finally, if you like what you see on Alan’s pages, remember that he’s doing freelance web design for a living. He’s got a very distinctive style that’s clean and elegant. He’s a real artist in this medium. Consider employing him for your site. He does personal and commercial work. You can see his work and business here.
For those of you who wonder, the Liturgical Gangstas and the Evangelical Untouchables will return as summer ends.
July 10, 2009 by iMonk
There is and should be much discussion of Derek Webb’s new album, Stockholm Syndrome. For example, read Denny Burk’s take here, or if you are intrepid, the BHT discussion that occurred yesterday, primarily between Jared Wilson and myself.
If you haven’t heard the edgy and controversial “What Matters More,” you can hear it at Youtube. I heard that Campolo riff on comparative shock over profanity or starvation years ago, but in today’s atmosphere of prissy piety, it’s needed more than ever. Applause from me. [Continue reading]
June 26, 2009 by iMonk
Someone significant died yesterday. At least for writers, poets and artists in Kentucky.
James Baker Hall. Poet. Artist. Writer. Teacher. Mentor. Former Poet Laureate of Kentucky, 2001-2003.
Hall has been an inspiration to generations of Kentucky writers and poets. He’s had a deep influence on my son, Clay.
I know that the passing of mentors can be some of life’s most important crossroads. We ask ourselves what we learned from them and how we can keep them alive in our memories and work.
Hall will live on in his wonderful photographs, vivid prose and emotionally adventurous poetry. Take a few moments and discover a little about him. And perhaps share some thoughts about your own mentors and how they have affected you.
Enjoy two of his poems. [Continue reading]
June 23, 2009 by iMonk
My daughter, Noel Spencer Cordle, is starting a series of posts on what can be learned from various women in the Bible
Visit her blog and subscribe. She’s a wonderful writer and these studies will be worthwhile, especially for young women/wives.
May 23, 2009 by iMonk
The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
Justification by grace through faith is the theologian’s learned phrase for what Chesterton once called “the furious love of God.” He is not moody or capricious; he knows no seasons of change. He has a single relentless stance toward us: he loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners. False gods — the gods of human manufacturing — despise sinners, but the Father of Jesus loves all, no matter what they do. But of course this is almost too incredible for us to accept. Nevertheless, the central affirmation of the Reformation stands: through no merit of ours, but by his mercy, we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of his beloved Son. This is the Good News, the gospel of grace.-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel.
I have owned every book that Brennan Manning has ever written.
As Christian books go, they are among the most divisive and provocative you’ll ever read or discuss. A reviewer of the current book at the discernment blog The Discerning Reader is typical of the kind of assessment Manning elicits from the Knights of Reformed Orthodoxy. I could use up blog space, but there’s no real point. You can read it for yourself. If you’ve spent much time around Manning, you’ll soon be able to write this kind of criticism in your sleep. It’s been going on for years.
I remember when one of my co-workers asked me for something good to read. I’d just finished Abba’s Child, a book quite similar to The Furious Longing of God, and I passed it on to her. In a couple of weeks, the book was returned with a note in between the pages. The note was angry, and like the review cited above, pronounced the book a waste of time.
Brennan isn’t for everyone. I learned that long ago. But he sure is for me, I can tell you that. [Continue reading]
May 23, 2009 by iMonk
The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah
Soong-Chan Rah is assistant professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. He has been a church planter and a consistent voice for recognizing the cultural captivity of the evangelical movement and recognizing the contributions of an ethnically and culturally diverse present-future evangelicalism.
I was interested in this book for two reasons. First, it intersects with some of what I have written in “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.” Secondly, it was cited by Leith Anderson in his criticisms of that article. [Continue reading]
May 3, 2009 by iMonk
Here’s a previous IM essay on this topic: “What Do Gays and Lesbians Hear? (When They Are With Evangelicals.)”
UPDATE: I appreciate Andrew’s kind words in the comments. I have to confess that I’m a little disappointed that the emphasis of Andrew’s book- relationships and conversations- seems to be lost, and the discussion is drawn immediately toward “what should churches do to those people?” As I said, this book will not be the normal reading experience. Andrew is trying to do something- in his own experience first- that is incredibly difficult: pay the price to love those who are very angry with us.
This book has been as profoundly unsettling as Sara Miles’ Take This Bread. It’s Jesus shaped Christianity, and it does not leave you alone. It is not what you’re prepared for. It will hit you like Jesus’ love for the unacceptable hit his world..
Love is An Orientation. Andrew Marin. “Elevating the conversation with the gay community.” Inter-Varsity Press.
I’m hoping to write a book in the next few months. I have something I want to say and I think it’s important. I hope all of you buy it, and I wouldn’t mind if a few million people bought it and I could change my life accordingly.
But I want you to hear what I am about to say: If you had two books to choose from, whatever I will write and what Andrew Marin has written in Love Is An Orientation, I would want you to buy Andrew’s book.
What Andrew Marin has written in this book isn’t just interesting. It is absolutely vital that evangelicals hear what Marin is saying about the state of things between Gays and Evangelicals. This is a message that may be more important than any issue evangelicals are currently discussing short of the content of the Gospel itself. [Continue reading]
April 13, 2009 by iMonk
Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message. Well-known New Testament scholar and theological writer Michael Bird has written a basic introduction to the life, mission and message of the apostle Paul. It is a book whose intention reminds me of Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, the classic Pauline introduction by F. F. Bruce. In less than 200 pages, Bird not only covers the basics, but he acquaints the uninitiated with the basics of the various discussions and controversies going on in Pauline studies. Often, discussions here at IM will go just beyond the knowledge level of the informed layperson and requests for brief scholarly summaries are forthcoming. As far as Pauline studies are concerned, this is exactly the book needed to answer those queries. I recommend this book for college students and new Bible students. As far as basic books go, this is certainly an excellent basic text for any study of Paul. Bird makes the point that Paul is often remade into the image of contemporary Christians who love to teach his epistles. This book helps us keep a touchstone on the read Paul.
Longing for God: Seven Paths of Christian Devotion. Richard Foster and Gayle Beebe have produced a survey of Christian spirituality and spiritual formation that covers seven major “paths” and a large number of significant Christians whose lives and writings expound the paths selected. This is a large book, but the individual chapters are in the 10-15 page range. For a survey text on Christian spirituality, this would be an excellent book. Foster has always excelled at helping Christians appreciate the large variety of spiritualities and paths of spiritual formation that grow out of various Christian traditions. By using 3-4 persons as examples of each path, and drawing those persons from a broad historical and denominational background, the reader will certainly encounter everything from Quakers to Catholics, classical spiritual writers to contemporary guides. This is another book that will acquaint the reader with the foundational aspects of much larger and more complex issues. I recommend it for college students, anyone teaching spirituality and the IM reader who gets tired of hearing names mentioned that he/she knows nothing about. (This really is a good book, and those of you who have been told to avoid Richard Foster will see in this book what good work he has done for the church.)
April 13, 2009 by iMonk
While I haven’t mentioned him often on this blog, I’m very impressed with the work of theologian and Bible teacher Christopher J.H. Wright. Wright, like his obvious hero, John Stott, is undertaking serious Biblical theology in the cause of the church’s missional self-understanding. His recent book, The Mission of God, may be the best survey of the Bible as a text for being and doing church that is available for evangelicals.
Wright’s current book, The God I Don’t Understand, is, in his own words, a “meandering” exploration of three themes: the Biblical problem of evil/violence (particularly in reference to violence in the Bible itself), a theology of the cross and an overview of Biblical eschatology. But underneath this seemingly casual approach are first class examinations of some of the most troubling issues and questions that Christians face and ask. [Continue reading]
