The days of summer have not been slower for me, and I guess not for you.  Still, we hope that you can squeeze some extra time in some shaded spot to enjoy books you’ve bought from us.  And, perhaps, to think about resources you might need to help deepen your desire to study the Scriptures; maybe you even intend to lead a Bible study or book group this fall.  I presume that most readers agree that the Bible is the book above all books, and we can’t ignore either serious study, prolonged reading, or devotional reflection on God’s Word.

And so, we made another long list, describing books on the large Biblical narrative, on understanding difficult texts, on hermeneutics.  Here are just a few of the book covers of titles we described.  Please visit the “reviews” column tab–or click here–which is were I generally post longer bibliographies or more thorough reviews that what I can post here at the BookNotes blog.  You can see Part 1 listed under “June” and Part 2 listed under “July.” It isn’t a comprehensive list, mind you, but we think it is diverse and interesting and fun.

Thanks for caring, about books, about reading, about words, and about the Word.  Enjoy.

I just did the first part of a “monthly review column” that I sometimes do, longer lists that we compile over at the “review” section of the website.  Thanks for keeping up with BookNotes (at the blog, or on facebook or twitter) but–if your a real fan, or in need of fabulous, longer lists—please click on over to the review column from time to time.  We have so many archieved, longer reviews or bigger lists to be found by clicking on the “review” tab.  Or just click here.

For a little teaser: I name what I think is the best book I’ve yet found as an introduction to the Bible.  Ever hear of Mike Erre?  He has a few other books that are fine, but his new book on the Bible?  Wow!  I am just stunned by how great this is, an excellent overview for
perspective, clarity, vision, and—yeah–fun writing.  For those who like the fabulously-done, brief, The True Story of the Whole World by Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen (which is an adapted and abridged version of their essential—essential!—The Drama of Scripture) or who appreciate N.T. Wright’s vision of how the Bible stories are inter-connected.  This captures that storied nature of the unfolding drama as a worldview-shaping narrative, walking us through the epic adventure of God’s rescue of the planet.  Sound good?  Check it out.  I tell about a handful of others, too, including a few you really will be glad to hear about, I’d guess.  Please feel free to pass it on to anybody you know who teaches, studies, or is interested in learning about the Scriptures.  I tell you a bit about each one, and I think they are reliable, fun, feisty, and helpful.  

Just for instance, here is one of the books I list, Ruth: The Story of God’s Unending Redemption written by my friend, Dr. Robert A. Wauzzinski (Dordt College Press) $14.00.  It is the only one that I listed, I think, that isn’t a full Biblical overview, but it is so very helpful, such a good example of how to read the Scriptures, that I had to list it.  This book is more thorough than a typical small-group Bible study guide, but isn’t as big or tedious as a full commentary.  I think this is truly a helpful sort of book—meaty enough for nearly anybody to learn something (smart guys and pastors, too—trust me) but not a scholarly tome.  Perfect for busy folks, for Sunday school teachers, for adult classes or book clubs or anyone wanting to dig into a particular book of the Bible. 

More important than the size and format—brief and usable—is the insightful, inspiring, and at times, nearly provocative, content.  As I explain below, this is a case study in a wise and faithful use of the Bible.  It doesn’t reduce the text to a “moral lesson” nor does it make it merely about doctrine or dogma.  It draws from more evangelical/conservative readings as well as more liberal/critical scholars, while being something considerably more than a balanced approach between the extremes.  No, this is a full-throated and redemptively wise telling of a full-orbed tale, a story placed in the broader Story of God’s Kingdom a-coming, on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Do you believe it—the gospel according to Ruth.  Of course he is not the first to have this Christ-centered reading, but I think he unpacks it better than any of the other recent ones that we also commend, such as the good work of Iain Duguid, Dean Ulrich, and Carolyn Custis James, all who have recent books on Ruth.  

Ruth: The Story of God’s Unending Redemption Robert A.
Wauzzinski (Dordt College Press) $14.00  You know of our desire to
promote books about the big picture of Scripture, how to best understand
the major chapters of the grand Story, our effort to help folks be
faithful and fruitful with a wise and appropriate study of the whole
counsel of God.  Most of the books I’ve mentioned in the list share the
conviction that the authoritative Word is one major story, with a
coherent, redemptive plot that shows God’s promise and fulfillment.  To
reject any significant tension between Old and New Testaments and to
reject any reductionism or sentimentalism that fails to see the way in
which God’s faithfulness to creation is need of the hour.  I don’t know
who tends to drop these balls more often, mainline liberals or
conservative independent folks, Catholics or Orthodox.  Nearly everyone
needs a refresher, I’d say, on how best to read the Bible in coherent
and realistic ways that point to God’s reign coming and our role in the
Story the Scripture tell.  This book is exactly the kind of refresher we need.

One way to do this is to study a certain book of the Bible with a view
not only of teaching that book of the Bible, but of modeling faithful
and wise and fruitful engagement with the text. This book does exactly that making it very interesting and informative.  I want to review this is greater detail soon so won’t say much more here, except that
we commend it for anyone that wants to study Ruth, and who wants
to see how best to study any given book of the Bible in its place
within the bigger story of God’s shalom project.  Wauzzinski knows this
Bible book well—he’s taught it in synagogues and prisons, in college
Bible studies and congregations large and small. He’s got a particular
focus on the history of intellectual ideas, a degree in philosophical
economics, and he is an ordained Presbyterian (USA) minister.  This book
isn’t a serious, dry commentary, and it isn’t a fill-in-the-blank inductive
study.  It is short enough to be used as an adult elective or book
group, and challenging enough that nearly anyone will learn new
insights—about Ruth, about the Bible, and about how to read the
Bible in a way to hear God’s Word to us anew.  We are not the only ones who highly recommend it.

Here is what Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann graciously wrote about it:

Two important things are going on in Ruth. First, one gets the wonder of the Book of Ruth with its’ ‘central character,’ the God of ‘cascading grace’ who is extravagantly displayed in this plot.  Second, one gets a patient, self-aware pastoral pedagogy that keeps connecting the contemporary reader to the ancient narrative.  The outcome is a narrative articulation of a vision of generous offers of unending goodness, offers that contradict the pervasive violence all around us.  Readers are invited to a deep, welcome alternative, as welcome as healed humanness, as deep as the unswerving purposes of God.

Here is what Calvin Seerveld, professor of aesthetics and Bible teacher, said,

Bob Wauzzinski has served us well by reading the biblical book of Ruth in its full relevance for our current lives in society fraught with greed for self and lovelessness for the stranger….(he) has given us a compelling way to understand how hearing God speak in this Older Testament book may help American’s today to cope not only with our evils of war and recession, but positively to reform our ways, if painfully, towards God’s blessing of shalom.

…the unmistakable, powerful truth of the good news of Ruth is told with conviction.

Lastly, I have to tell you–among friends, here at BookNotes—that we particularly like supporting projects like this.  Bob has taught in prisons, done research an been an advocate for a Pittsburgh, African-American-owned urban bank,  and is quite a fellow—few things would make us happier than to have him get some credit for this gift of good work, even though that isn’t his desire.  And, we dig supporting faithful, little alt houses, like this small Dutch Reformed Iowa college press.  Some of the bigger publishers gave Ruth very good thumbs up, but couldn’t imagine a book selling that was more than a “fill in the blank” study for small groups that had some academic cred, or an evangelically-minded author citing social justice stuff, or a serious scholar being so accessible for ordinary folks.  I don’t know the publishing world, really, but this is a no-brainer in my book– the very sort of book we ought to be about.  We hope agree.  Let us know how many you want for your next small group or class.

And don’t forget to check out the bigger list at the “review column” for June.  Buy something over there and get an extra discount on Ruth.  Almost like gleaning, eh?

Sometimes I like to share with readers some of the lists I generate for customers who inquire.  Just today I did a serious list of commentaries about 1 & 2 Timothy, a brief list about war & peace, a good list of some favorite novels for a church-based reading group, and a bunch of books for a friend who has a seeker at work who may read about a book about Christian faith. Want to see ’em, such as they are, just give a holla.

Please keep in mind it isn’t exhaustive, and was created for a customer I know well.  There could be some others, but this pretty much is just the real list I sent out today.  Thanks for allowing me to send it to you, here, as well.

Also, I apologize for the lack of book covers and clever visuals.  I’m just too tired.  Here ya go.

Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults Christian Smith (Oxford University Press) $24.95  Required reading, the best scholarly  research on college age young adults…

The Outsider Interviews: A New Generation Speaks Out… Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, Craig Spinks (Baker) $24.99 w/DVD Did you see my review on the blog earlier this week?  Not just college students, exactly, but un-churched young adults…brand new, very good.  Came out of the inspiration of unChristian which I know you have.  Getting churches watching their DVDs or reading that would be a good start, no?

Dear Church…Letters from a Disillusioned Generation Sarah Cunningham (Zondervan) $12.99  These are open letters to the evangelical church by a gal in her 20s.  She does talk a bit about her college years… older folks have to hear these voices, I’d say…

My Generation: A Real Story of Change and Hope Josh James Riebock (Baker) $14.99 Raw and edgy, this guy tells it like he sees it about today’s 20s. I reviewed this at the blog and raved as I was very touched and felt very authentic to me.

The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy Collen Carroll (Loyola Press)  This claims that many young adults, including those on campuses, are turning to Catholicism and Orthodoxy and are more culturally conservative than ever, due to strong renewal of faith.  Pretty well researched and very interesting. I actually know a few young adults in their later 20s where this seems to be right on.  Not too many 18 year olds, though…

God on the Quad  Naomi Schaeffer Riley (Ivan Dee) $14.95  I suppose you’ve heard of this, a non-Christian reporter doing first hand research on religious faith on campuses.  She calls this the “missionary generation.” Fascinating!

The Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation Carol Howard Merritt  (Alban Institute) $17.00  I don’t think this is quite as good as some think it is, but it is quite popular in mainline denominational churches, wondering what they can do to meaningful attract younger post-college serious adults.  There just isn’t that much for mainline folks… I’ve met the author and really enjoyed chatting with her, so I’m glad for her work.  She’s got another book coming this year, and is being widely read in some congregations.

Hungry Souls, Holy Companions: Mentoring a new Generation of Christians Patricia Hendricks (Morehouse) $16.00  Again, this is from a more mainline, Episcopalian perspective, asking how to do “youth ministry” with younger adults…invites adults to the role of spiritual director and guide, and less programs, etc.

The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twenty-somethings Reggie Joiner, Chuck Bomar, Abbie Smith (Cook) $14.99  You may recall that Chuck did a workshop on campus ministry, based on his book, at Jubilee this year.  The previous two or three years, Abbie was at Jubilee, on her “keeping your faith in college” book.  She’s great!  Here they offer evangelical churches a vision of extending their ministry from youth to include collegiates. Brand new, so check it out!  Here is a link to a nifty youtube video for the book.  Here is an interview with co-author Abbie Smith that Derek Melleby at CPYU did.

College Ministry 101 Chuck Bomar (Zondervan) $15.99  It is my sense that Chuck’s model is more or less having “youth group” at the church for college members.  It may work if there is a lively church right near campus…still, there isn’t much about college ministry and even if this “guide” isn’t fully  adequate for campus ministry, it is a good start for congregations who can hire a full time college worker to create programs just for that outreach.

They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations Dan Kimball (Zondervan) $18.99  There is also a DVD and participants guide. Very helpful.  I suppose you know this…very cool.  I’m not always sure he is right, but it is necessary resource for anyone seriously interested in this topic.

The Multi-generational Congregation: Meeting the Leadership Challenge Gil Rendle (Alban Institute) $15.00  I’m not sure that this is focused enough for your purposes, but it is about how regular mainline churches can manage the variety of ages and stages within the various generations in the congregation.  I like Rendle, whose got insight and passion for ordinary congregational life.

The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together Howard Vanderwell (editor) (Alban Institute) $17.00  This fairly recent book is a good collection of serious essays about mainline churches and their desire to be multi-generational.  Very important stuff.

Young Adult Ministry in the 21st Century: The Encyclopedia of Practical Ideas Brad Lewis and others, editors (Group Publishing) $24.95  Jam packed full of ideas; this is part of a good series, they have ’em for women’s ministry, men’s ministry, children’s, etc.  A practical, programatic handbook.

SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World  Douglas Estes (Zondervan) $16.9
9  I am not so sure that the church can possibly be “on the internet” but this makes a good case.  Seriously?  Check it out if you care about the current realities and what they might mean for enfolding youth into (local?) parish life.  This isn’t as sophisticated as the brilliant Thy Kingdom Connected by Dwight Friesen (which I’ve raved about here before) but it is a very helpful read about new dimensions of ministry.  For those wondering if this is a cheapo job, the author has a PhD in Johannian studies from the University of Nottingham and an academic monograph on Brill.  Not too shabby.

Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion Kevin DeYoung &Ted Kluck (Moody Press) $14.99 These are two guys who also wrote a book about being edgy twenty-somethings who are not emergent.  Here they make a case for mostly younger adults, house church folks, para-church kids and others who are giving up on the institutional church and insisting that that isn’t faithful.  Love it!

***
I didn’t mention this one to my friend in the above list, but just to be interesting, here’s one more that doesn’t fit the topic.  Or does it?

Baby Boomers and Beyond: Tapping the Ministry Talents and Passions of Adults Over 50  Amy Hanson (Jossey-Bass) $24.95  Listen to what Marc Feedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life and CEO of Civic Ventures writes:

“In this powerful and impassioned book, Amy Hanson urges the church to better serve boomers so boomers can better serve others.  It’s simple and ingenious, revolutionary and reasonable, lofty and practical.”

 I’m all for that!

Brand new.  Give us a call if you want to order anything.

Order on line, here.  It will take you to our secure order form page at the website.

Or inquire, here, if you have any questions at all.

Hearts & Minds 234 East Main Street  Dallastown, PA  17313            717.246.3333

We loved the in-store party with Ned Bustard and his family, celebrating the Church History ABCs book.  Ned told us a bit about making some of the pages, and why he put little quirky things in. (Ahh, the button down Oxford shirt on John Owen, from Oxford.  I hadn’t noticed that!) There are some fun photos at facebook; it was fun seeing kids and parents, eager to learn something about this clever, new ABC book. 

It dawned on me, as it does from time to time, how foreign this stuff must sound to many.  Being excited about Tertuillian? Ignatius? Queens and artists and missionaries of years ago?

Well, indeed we do care.  We are rooted in this tradition called church and while each age lives out the burning issues of their time hopefully in fresh and fruitful ways, we do so rooted in the knowledge of God’s faithfulness to His people over time.  Disciples of Jesus don’t go it alone, so we care about the past, and others who have walked this journey before. 

For a simple but compelling book on church history for adults, why not try ABC author Steve Nichols one for grown ups called Pages From Church History: A Guided Tour of Christian Classics?  (Aside: you will recall how we raved a week or so ago about Diana Butler Bass’ People’s History of Church History, which is more about how ordinary folks lived out faith in various eras of the past.  Steve’s emphasis on important books and ideas that shaped the theology of the practices Diana writes about is very helpful and is a good supplement to her approach.) Steve is a good, clear writer and we are happy to suggest books that are relatively easy to read and yet solid and mature.  Kudos to Dr. Nichols for this good ability and gift to us all. 

And yet, I come back to this question of how the Christian books we sell, the ideas and convictions we talk about, the rhetoric, the practices, the lingo, are often off-putting to those outside of the church or Christian community.  This, naturally, cannot finally change—that is what conversion is, after all, being transformed and transported into a new community—but we should attend to it, thinking about how our ways of doing church may or may not be hospitable and helpful to those wanting to check us out.

You most likely recall me promoting the important book UnChristian: What a New
Generation Really Thinks About Christianity…and Why it Matters by Dave Kinnamon and Gabe Lyon (Baker; $18.99) which is research done on what young adults think about religion and Christianity, particularly. The book, and the DVD curriculum that was done later around it is very, very much worth reading.  If anyone cares about what that generation thinks or how evangelical faith is perceived, it is a must.  Happily, it also has tons of great stories that show that the perceptions aren’t fully fair: there are plenty of devout Christian folks that are doing remarkable work in the world—the stereotypes just aren’t accurate!  This book can help us work on how we present the faith to younger outsiders.

After the huge buzz on that vital book, a group of folks who tend to specialize in thinking about outreach, evangelism, reaching out to seekers and forming friendship with those outside of traditional faith communities got to thinking.  What would happen if they set up shop in a given city and invited young non-churched folks to come and share, filming the events? The three who pioneered this project are Jim Henderson, who has written some very good books on evangelism (including the clever Jim and Casper Go To Church where he takes the agnostic Casper to a bunch of churches to get his feedback), Todd Hunter, whose recent Christianity Beyond Belief tells of new ways to live out a Kingdom vision in a postmodern culture, and Craig Spinks, a production geek with a heart for meaty conversations and using new media to spark discussion about the faith journey.

The narrative of this effort, the road trips to several cities, the report on what happened, is told in lively and helpful chapters in The Outsider Interviews (Baker; $24.99.)  I really, really liked it.  Yet, as the story unfolds, it becomes evident that the enclosed DVD of the actual interviews is equally central to the experience (perhaps more so.)  In fact, they call this a DVB—a blend between a book and DVD—to try to show the integrated nature of this whole project.
Reading and viewing can be done in any order and they invite you to go back and forth.  Both, though, are vital.

 According to statistics, it says on the back cover, young adults are more disenchanted with the church than ever.  But “beyond the statistics are the stories—real people with real opinions, and real experiences.  These people are more than just numbers…what if we took time to listen to the voices behind the statistics?”

As these three leaders traveled and took the time to listen to the candid stories of these young adults, the film and book increasingly became intertwined.  You can read the book.  You can watch the interviews.  Hopefully you’ll do both.  The DVD is slipped into the book, although you can buy it separately for $19.99, skipping the book.  If you care about these folks that are missing from your congregational life, if you want the new generation to embrace Christ and His church, if you wonder how to help those young adults or college age students that are in your church, this could be an excellent resource.  Of, if your congregation isn’t interested, maybe you might start your own study group.

The whole notion of “insiders” and “outsiders” is an important bit of the dialogue.  Kinnaman tells us in a good forward just what he used those words in UnChristian.   That is bit of the first chapter, too, the “backstory” that Jim Henderson tells. His organization, Off the Map, is designed to help Christians see themselves through the eyes of outsiders.   Interesting, eh?

Here is a “trailer” for the book.  Take a look. 

I suspect that some readers of this review are themselves in the age group–the demographic, as they say—found in UnChristian and The Outsider Interviews.  Why not invite your local barista or college room-mates or co-workers to watch this together, or just read the book.  I think unchurched folks will appreciate it a lot (just to see that somebody wants not first to tell them what to believe but to hear them out) and w
ould stimulate remarkable conversations.

Or, if you are somewhat older, traditionally committed to a real church, I am sure you wonder about those you love who haven’t embraced your own faith.  As this book puts it, see the “hearts behind the charts” and learn to truly hear the probing questions offered by those who aren’t convinced that the church is important in their lives. I envision folks of various denominations and church traditions caring
enough to use this. I envision folks of various denominations and church traditions caring
enough to use this.

Teaching strong doctrine and church history and experiencing rich liturgy and deep community will continue to be important; caring about what outsiders think doesn’t mean we are at liberty to change the truths of the gospel.  However, it is unforgivable to not care about our neighbors, including what they think.  We are called to give witness, to serve others, to be God’s ambassadors.  This book is an indespensible guide to doing that in our time.

I enjoyed sharing the last post I did, talking about serving student leaders at OCBP and curating the book display at the Civitas gathering, sponsored in DC by our friends at CPJ.  I was just trying to be clever when I mentioned the alphabet soup.

But at 7:00 Wednesday night here in Dallastown we really are diving into Godly alphabet soup.  As we’ve said before, our friend Ned Bustard (Square Halo Books) designed and illustrated a fantastic new children’s book on church history, called The Church History ABCs: Augustine and 25 Other Heroes of the Faith (Crossway; $15.99.)  Most of the text was written by uber-smart PhD guy Steve Nichols from nearby Lancaster Bible College, and the spiffy artwork was done by the aforementioned Mr. Bustard, almost shown, to your right.  We will be hosting a book release party, reception, and reading here at the shop.  There will be some alphabet-themed refreshments, too. 

How does one do a reading from an alphabet book, you ask?  Hey, have you never read Dr. Seuss right out loud?  Of course you have!  This is going to be great!  It will be fun to read this out loud–maybe even get some crazy unison thing going on. (Will the Lutherans out-shout the Calvinists on their respective pages?  Will we all groan at the Knox-Knox joke?)  We’ll hear about Ned’s artistic vision, maybe his collaboration process with author and editors, learn just how a classy kid’s book comes to be.  With the interesting blend of bright color, stylized illustration, computer graphics and real photography, The Church History ABCs really is tremendous-looking.  I think it is one of the more artfully designed kid’s picture books on any Christian publishing house, and certainly stands up with the greats so far this year in the design category.  I suppose I’d want to say this even if it weren’t true since Ned is such a nice fellow, and really deserves acclaim (even from our small corner of the universe) but—yes—it really is true.  This is a very, very wonderfully designed book.

So. Having raved about the creative design and the important, informative content, allow me to note how well form and function unite in this happy book.  That is, there is cool artwork for each character, nifty stuff that teaches well, even in small ways that will reveal themselves upon repeated reads.  Playfully studying the text together a second or third time, looking carefully, you’ll learn even more about cool details—why does Jonathan Edwards have a bar of chocolate in his hand, and why the Indian feather?  And what is that in Spurgeon’s vest coat pocket?  What’s with the picture of Venice in the Vivaldi page?  And the baby Jesus by Ignatius?   Who–with a B name—was “America’s first bard”?  Granted, the word Pirates starts with P so it fits on the P-page with Patrick, but is there another reason for that skull & crossbones? And why the Philadelphia Liberty Bell on the J page with Absalom Jones?

The last few pages are for older readers (or mom and dad or Sunday School teachers) as it gives more detail about each of the characters shown.  Very helpful, and so important.
And, after they do the alphabetical order descriptions of the characters, they offer another listing, this time in chronological order, as in an historical timeline.  Did I mention that Ned helps design homeschooling curriculum?  This small touch is very, very helpful, and further shows the thoughtfulness they put into this.

Another great little touch. In the lovely introduction, they write, as they explain what we mean by church history,  “In fact, this story
hasn’t ended yet. Someday you will be adding your own story to it.”  At the very, very end, they note again in passing that God’s unfolding of church history isn’t quite over yet.  “The story of church history is your story” they say.  So right.  Insofar as we are in Christ, a part of His Kingdom, then this is, indeed, our story.  Or, should I say, it is God’s story, being written in the characters of our lives.
 
Even the back cover is a hoot, and only those who know a bit about this stuff will get the jokes.  “An excellent resource for young and old,” they have C.S. Lewis saying in mock endorsement, “but where is Athanasius?”  Ha! Lewis wrote the forward to the modern edition of his third century classic (so would naturally want him in there. Sorry, Clive.)  “I really enjoyed this church history book for young people, until I got to the letter W” blurbs colonial- era evangelist George Whitefield. Of course, W is, uh, somebody else.  (In fact, they cheated puttimh two brothers on page W.  Guess who?)

One big beef of my own.  Saint Francis of Assisi.   Yeah, yeah, I know they felt they had to put somebody else on the coveted F page, but really? Skipping Saint Frank?  Or, maybe he will be in the next volume, perhaps already in the scheming?  If only they can think of another saint with an X and a Z name.

Here is a picture of Stephen Nichols and Ned Bustard.  I only wish they’d have been in Ned’s drawn caricature, to show that they, too, are great characters in God’s unfolding history.

 

We watched together one night the wonderful movie Patch Adams and wondered about Patch’s remarkable passion and how he navigated an inhumane med school education and how he integrated a less mechanistic model of healing into his education and eventual medical practice.  We wondered what it takes to be social innovators, starting up projects, ministries, making cultural contributions big and small.  Oh, to grasp the good news of Christ’s Jubilee reign that calls us to be in, but not of, the world around us!  Oh, the find mentors and guides (and books!) to guide us into this life-long discipleship.

Drawing just a bit on Neibuhr’s classic Christ and Culture we explored varying ways in which church folk have tended to engage the society and cultures of which they are a part.  Liberal churches, by and large, have traditionally watered down Christian distinctives to accommodate to culture, while fundamentalists have typically employed an over-heated and often self-righteous holiness allowing them to keep their distance from the institutions which govern culture. If one sells out, the other cops out.  In Jeremiah 29, we are called to “seek the shalom” of the city in which we find ourselves.  To truly bring blessing, though, we need to be more than merely “relevant” but true.  Maybe Patch Adams can help us think through a faithful way to be innovative and effective in our care for place, for neighbors and our callings, seeing how God can use us to accomplish His purposes in the world.

You might guess that I invited them to read more deeply in this aspect of discipleship.  I recommended the meaty and provocative Transforming Vision: Developing a Christian Worldview by Brian Walsh and Richard Middleton (IVP; $17.00) which will take them deeper into a radical cultural analysis rooted in a Christian worldview.  I routinely talk about the wisdom and eloquence of Os Guinness’ masterpiece The Call (Nelson; $17.99) and naturally pushed Andy Crouch’s Culture-Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling (IVP; $20.00) which is really helpful as we think about these very things.  OCBP students are already reading some excellent books for their summer project such as the concise and powerful old book by Tom Sine, Taking Discipleship Seriously which invites us to arrange our lives around “God’s intentions for the future.” Of course they are reading  The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness by Don Opitz & Derek Melleby—a must for every college student; Henri Nouwen’s profound little book on spiritual leadership, In The Name of Jesus, and Michael Goheen & Craig Barthlemew’s overview of the Bible, The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama.  Each day they are reflecting on a great story from The Unexpected Adventure: Taking Everyday Risks to Talk With People About Jesus (Lee Strobel & Mark Middleburg) which reminds us to be praying and seeking opportunities to share the gospel, to be willing to tell others about the need for saving faith in Christ Jesus.  What a fun and inspiring collection—it is very highly recommended.  Maybe you will pray that these 30 students will not only think deeply about “living Jubilee” and cultural transformation, leadership, calling and such, but that they will each do verbal evangelism when appropriate, taking inspiration from the Strobel/Middelburg stories, to play their part in sowing seeds of Christ’s message.

After this whirlwind week of passionate conversations with these campus leaders, we drove to Washington DC to set up a nice little book display about political theory and healthy citizenship for the  truly remarkable Civitas week sponsored by the Center for Public Justice. (Read Lauren Winner’s interesting report about it from a few years back, here.)  I assume readers know CPJ (we’ve linked to them before) and will perhaps spend some of this holiday weekend ruminating on just what our citizenship duties may be.  Of course we dare not sin by engaging in idolatrous nationalism—don’t get me started on the civil religion in some of our patriotic hymns—but that surely doesn’t mean that we should be disengaged from civic responsibilities.  We think CPJ gets it pretty much right.

CPJ is neither conservative nor liberal but takes their cue from (among other influences) Abraham Kuyper, the famous preacher, journalist, devotional writer and Prime Minister of early 20th century Holland.  Kuyper, while a Parliament m
ember,  gave the renowned “Stone Lectures” at Princeton Seminary (prior to visiting President McKinley at the White House) in 1898 and those lectures are still in print. It is considered one of the seminal texts for the contemporary popularity of the world “worldview.”  In those lectures he invites us to stand in the grand tradition of the 16th century reformers, like Calvin, who strongly emphasized the cosmic sovereignty of Christ over all things. Jump-starting an emphasis on culture renewal sometimes now called “neo-Calvinism” Mr. Kuyper encouraged a graceful reflection on the claims of Christ the King over science, education, commerce, the arts, and, of course, politics.  Interestingly, I started my lecture series at OCBP with a quote from Kuyper that helped form the early days of the Jubilee conference three decades ago.  Kuyper famously insisted that the ascended Christ, upon looking down from heaven, does not see “one square inch” over which He does not point and declare “mine!” This “wide-as-life” view of redemption has inspired many to faithful cultural involvement and activism in our generation.

Importantly Kuyper’s beloved “every square inch” quote starts with this line, a reminder to think Christianly:  No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest…  As a bookseller committed to helping folks think about all of life from a Biblical perspective, this call thrills me.  We must relate faith to the life of the mind and our ideas must direct us to faithful thinking and living in the world.   Kuyper was quite a man, known for mystical spirituality and public theology, for journalism and education, for interest in church renewal, science, and politics. There is only one biography in print that I know of of Kuyper, one that we import from England, Abraham Kuyper: God’s Renaissance Man by James E. McGoldrick (Evangelical Press; $18.99)  Check out this gateway to all things Kuyperian at “Friends of Kuyper” website.

 CPJ (for good and complex reasons rooted in thoughtful evangelical reflection) tends to think that the Christian right has failed in doing politics in a truly Christian fashion.  Similiarly, CPJ advocates a perspective that is something other than the so-called Christian left.  To seek a third way, rooted in Biblical assumptions about history, human nature, social architecture and the task of the state, and to be principled, passionate and civil about it all, is a project (it seems to us) many should support.

At Civitas, they will hear experts and public policy leaders reflecting on this “third way” thinking about uniquely Christian politics.  Much of the CPJ vision includes encouraging thoughtful dialogue to create on-going deepening of our views, rooted in the love of God and the conviction that the Bible teaches us norms about how the world is to work, including ways that government and civic life might be.  Along with our friends at Civitas this week, we invite you to consider some books about what truly “Christian politics” might be.

Church, State, and Public Justice: Five Views edited by P.C. Kemeny (IVP; $19.00)  A month ago, Sojourners editor Jim Wallis wrote a piece asking if the view of government and the civic philosophy of the Tea Party movement was consistent with Biblical views.  This set off a firestorm of critique, some of which (I believe) was understandable as Jim unwisely conflated the various views of Tea Party folk and libertarianism.  Still, as I posted at the Sojo blog, this is a good, good, question, and it is one worth asking of any of us.  Is our view of the task of the State, our political philosophy, how we construe our view of citizenship, in line with a Biblical life view?  This book, I think, can help us with this question.  I can’t say enough about it as it allows some of the primary, current perspectives to be in on conversation and allows us to consider each approach. Each chapter includes not only the primary author giving his view, but also the other four replying with a critique, allowing readers to see not only the perspective, but the critics best response.   In just one  volume you get the basic view of a Roman Catholic showing the consistency of Catholic social teaching, a neo-Calvinist Kuyperian teaching about principled pluralism, a “peace & justice” Anabaptist who holds up an “evangelical for social action” view, a Baptist author teaching as a “strict separationist” and a liberal mainline Protestant.  I’ve reviewed this in greater detail previously, and think it is a fabulous resource.  Kudos to the publisher and editor for advancing the conversation among Christian about a Biblical view of the State and the nature of a Christian perspective.

Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies  David T. Koyzis (IVP; $22.00) Again, I’ve discussed this before and it may be the most important book of its kind.  This seriously exposes the deepest assumptions and ideas of the basic contours of the West’s approach to politics.  Certainly in the United States, “conservatives” and “liberals” are considered the two major political options and understanding how this is so, so important if we are going to be insightful citizens and make up our minds on where we stand on contemporary issues.  Koyzis is a brilliant thinker and this book (which won a number of prestigious awards) is highly recommended.  Read here a few endorsements by folks we respect.

If you have about 25 minutes, I encourage you to watch and
listen to one of our best friends, the new Director of CPJ, Dr. Gideon Strauss, as he does a chapel talk at Gordon College earlier this school year.  This talk, “Justice Is Not Optional” can be seen on YouTube.  Gideon is from South Africa, and tells about his truly remarkable journey to faith and while he isn’t talking about statecraft and political philosophy, he does give a great overview of the Biblical call to justice, somewhat inspired by his conversion story, his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there, and his discovery of Isaiah 58.

BLOG SPECIAL
any book mentioned
THIS WEEK ONLY
17.76% OFF
Fun, eh?

Order Here
this will take you to our secure order form page
or
Inquire Here
this will take you to our inquiry page where you can ask anything you’d like

Hearts & Minds 234 East Main Street  Dallastown, PA  17313     717.246.3333