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Book Review: The Jesus Manifesto

May 31, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 2 Comments

This book's intention is to make you uncomfortable. In that sense, the authors - Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola - succeed admirably, but probably not in the way they'd hoped, at least not for me.


Of the two Leonard Sweet books I've read so far (this one and The Gospel According to Starbucks), Manifesto is much more in-your-face. Of the two Viola books I've read so far (this one and Pagan Christianity), Manifesto is probably equally cruel. This leads me to believe that Frank Viola is a very angry man who dragged Dr. Sweet along for the ride. I don't know either of the authors though. so to the book!

What's in the Book


Jesus Manifesto is a relatively quick (under 200 pages) attack on what - according to the authors - is the most serious problem in contemporary American Christianity: a lack of focus on Jesus. Viola and Sweet load both barrels and blast away at pretty much anyone that's not them: Christianity has become about self-improvement. Or maybe it's about social justice. No, it's about doing the right things! Whatever the nature of the established institution, they will deconstruct it. And I don't necessarily disagree with many of their critiques of the modern Church.

But.


Sweet and Viola never bother to construct anything. They don't offer answers to the critiques they levy so handily. "The question is not 'What would Jesus do?' but 'What does Jesus want to do now through us?'" Okay. so how do we teach people the difference? "The essence of Jesus' being is not His; he is continually receiving it from the Father. Could it be that those who are remade in Christ's image live in a similar fashion?"
What? So we just ask "WWGD" instead? How is that significantly different?


Elsewhere, the authors claim that Jesus is not a social agenda. Okay, so does the Kingdom of God have political implications? Yes, apparently. er. maybe not. um. Jesus! Look at what Jesus did, but don't imitate it! Or maybe you do.


The book does make great points. Lots of them, in fact. But just when you're about to underline something helpful, the authors backpedal. The only word you're really safe underlining in the book, in fact, is "Jesus". And while this may have been Sweet & Viola's point, it's not done in a clever enough way to be helpful. It ends up being more maddening and confusing.


And in the end, while I have my issues with the contemporary Church, maybe I'm just not ready to throw the Baby out with the manger hay.

The verdict? The book stands on Jesus, but the explanation of that stand is too confusing to be very helpful.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Given Day

May 26, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 2 Comments

You can probably still see the bits of my brain on the cover from where this book BLEW MY MIND. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m quite the Dennis Lehane fan.  The Given Day is his most recent book (2008), his longest book (just over 700 pages) and easily his most unique. It’s a beautiful, tragic and quintessentially American novel. Say goodbye to Lehane the noir crime novelist (or at least, see you later) and say hello to Lehane, the Chronicler of All Things American.  The Given Day is a gritty, tough and uncompromising look at America in all her… well, not glory.  And that’s precisely the charm.  Day is honest about our shortcomings.  Lehane clearly exposes our prejudice and ignorance for what they are while reminding us that those are hardly unique to America.  This book is cruel, but not unnecessarily so.  At the end of the Day, Lehane’s America is the cauldron of post-modernity. Everyone’s worried about immigration and whether or not America the Great is becoming America the Red.  Some are seeing socialists around every corner, and they all complain that the immigrants are coming here unable to speak the language and taking all our jobs.  There are wars and rumors of wars.  Families rise and fall, and all the great institutions (government, big business, the religious institutions) are seen for the corrupt, self-serving machines they are.

You’d think The Given Day is a story of our own times.  But you’d be wrong.

The Given Day follows Aiden “Danny” Coughlin, a second-generation Irish cop in Boston at the close of the Great War, and Luther Lawrence, a black man from Columbus, OH who ends up in Boston by way of Tulsa (and yeah, that’s a good story in-and-of itself.).  These two men become the lens through which we explore all the racism, suspicion, class warfare and violence the American Empire has to offer. The immigrants are Italian, not Hispanic, and the socialists are union organizers, not health-care supporters, but the rhetoric and the fears behind the rhetoric are the same.  Lehane refuses to take sides, and instead uses the humanity and complexity of his characters to raise the level of debate on these and other issues.  In the end, he argues that to be America is to exist in the tension between progress and power.  Between change and entrenchment.  Between the big business and the worker, the government and the immigrant. And for those of us in the midst of all of it, what really makes us American is our freedom, our ability to choose.  To rail against the institutions in all their evil (be it the active evil of the big businesses or the passive evil of the Church’s irrelevance).  Even with all the forces of our world aligned against us – the (corrupt) government, organized religion, the class (or is it caste?) systems and sometimes even our own families, we can still stand up and choose to fight for what we want.  Life doesn’t always (or even usually) give us a happy ending.  It’s better, then, to find happiness in the endings we have.

The Given Day pictures America as a perfect post-modern Empire.

Lehane effectively mythologizes an overlooked but important period of American history, demonstrating that the more things change here, the more they stay the same.  If it’s not The Great American Novel, it’s at least a great picture of what it means to be American.  And if you’re still not convinced, Babe Ruth frames and organizes the whole story.  All that’s missing is the Apple Pie.

Bottom Line: This book is a wild adventure that probes the heart of what it means to be free.

I was only left wondering what a Christian reading of The Given Day might look like.  We could rage with Danny against the injustice of the Empire or weep with Luther at the violence that consumes us, even pitting us against each other.  But we can do more than settle into an existential despair that finds joy despite the evil of the systems that stand against us.  We can work toward their redemption, get back up even after they crush us down.  We can work toward an ending that’s not happy despite our circumstances, but hopefully even because of them.

Book Review: Eve's Revenge

May 19, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 19 Comments

Lilian Calles Barger has written a profound, powerful meditation on what it means to be a woman in the (post) modern world.  Eve’s Revenge argues that our culture teaches women to hate their bodies, to view them as enemies on the path to self-fulfillment.  She explores the roots of this worldview, the disembodied reality it creates, and the insufficient response (thus far) of the various aspects of the Feminist movement.  True to her thesis, Barger doesn’t settle for abstract, theoretical answers  to the disintegrated and dissatisfied world we experience.  Ultimately, Barger believes that the solution is an embodied faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus of Nazareth, and she closes her meditation with practical, concrete advice for moving forward.

Barger writes as a women, to and for women, so as a male reader, I felt a bit as though I was listening in on someone else’s conversation, but never excluded.  Rather, I was challenged to reflect on what part I played (as a male) in creating the world Barger illuminates.  Even more, Barger’s passion drew me into her writing.  I was shocked at the reality most women today live; I mourned when I asked my wife, Amanda, about Barger’s commentary and she confirmed its accuracy.  As an academic, Barger demonstrates that she is as well-versed and clever as anyone, and the emotion of her rhetoric was a breath of fresh air.  I didn’t feel as though I was just listening to Barger’s mind; I felt as though she was baring her soul.

Barger’s book is a welcome, refreshing voice in the ongoing conversation about sex and sexuality.  With honesty, clarity and transparency, Barger invites us to find wholeness by resisting what our culture teaches us about ourselves – body and soul.

Bottom line: It’s a difficult book on a lot of levels, and if you read it, you won’t look at yourself or the world the same again. So what are you waiting for?

Book Review: Plan B

May 12, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 2 Comments

Perhaps the most difficult questions facing Christians are those that deal with evil and suffering. And we rarely ask these questions in a vacuum - usually it's because we or someone we know and love is suffering. Pete Wilson's Plan B is an honest, biblical exploration of how we should respond when our Plan A falls apart and we're left wondering what happens next.

What's in the Book

Wilson is the pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and he draws on his experience as a pastor (and as a human) to shape the book. He connects the worst stories our world has to offer - broken marriages, betrayal, death and more, all pulled from his life and the lives of his friends - to the Biblical narrative. His approach to the Scriptures is more midrash than exegesis, but I found this refreshing. By placing himself in the stories, by imagining what the characters faced and thought, he breathed a life into them that made his contemporary connections stronger.

What I appreciated most about Wilson's approach to our pain is that he doesn't settle for easy answers. He thoroughly and fully grounds our pain and suffering in the world of the Scriptures and teaches us to look to the Cross as our comfort (though I would have preferred that he spend a bit more time on the hope of the Resurrection). But he refuses to offer us an easy fix, even when this means he has to throw up his hands and declare that he doesn't have all the answers.

My only complaint (and it is small indeed) is that Wilson could have spent more time pointing us to the hope of the End, when we find fulfillment in the resurrection and final judgment, when God makes all things new. This is where our hope comes from - not the cross alone, but from the empty tomb.

And most importantly, this book is helpful. Whether you've been through a "Plan B moment", you're in one now or know you'll face one in the future, this book will help you to trust in God's work in the midst of your crisis.

The verdict? Plan B addresses questions all of us ask without resorting to cheap, unsatisfying answers. It's worth your time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane

April 21, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews, Fiction with 0 Comments

If you haven't read Lehane yet, don't start here. But start right away! And get here ASAP!Gone Baby Gone is Dennis Lehane’s fourth novel to feature crack private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.  It follows on the heels of Sacred, in which Kenzie and Gennaro finally consummate their long-anticipated romance.  They are called to augment the police investigation into the kidnapping of five-year-old Amanda McCready.  The book quickly descends into Lehane’s trademark twists and turns, with the detectives enmeshed in an ever-more-maddening series of betrayals and reversals.

As with all of Lehane’s work, Gone Baby Gone has more going on beneath the surface than you might be expecting.  Sacred was a meditation on the nature of beauty, while Shutter Island explored how we construct meaning and purpose in our lives.  Gone Baby Gone asks us how free our wills really are.  Kenzie affirms that it’s where we come from, how we were raised that forms our decisions.  The thrust of the narrative disagrees, however.  Characters repeatedly make choices based less on where they’re from than the events and stories into which they’ve been thrust.  And as the narrative winds and flows towards its shocking but (in retrospect) inevitable conclusion Kenzie is forced to make a choice.

And choose Patrick Kenzie does.  With devastating results.

But the real catch is that there’s no right answer.  Gone Baby Gone is Lehane’s Gordian Knot and he’s seen fit to deprive his readers of a sword.  You’ll be left broken and frustrated.

And in case you’re curious, the film (directed by Ben Affleck – yeah, that Ben Affleck) is just as good.  But is saying something just so slightly (but significantly) different from the book.  It’s worth the watch.  But don’t watch it alone.  Because you will need to discuss it as soon as it’s over.

Book Review: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

April 14, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 4 Comments

If you want a great way to kill a few hours (and Vampires!) grab this book. You might even learn a little history – accidentally of course.

Continue Reading...

Book Review: The Year of Living Like Jesus

March 31, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 5 Comments

I have a confession before we get started: one of the most powerfully annoying forces in the world is – in my opinion – the Christian sub-culture’s Imitation Machine.  Consider this train-wreck of a T-shirt I featured in my last PETA post.  I don’t even know where to begin.  Does it say, “Her O Jesus”?  Or maybe “Her t Jesus”?  Neither of those makes any sense, so maybe it’s “HEROES Jesus”.  But then why is it plural?

Clearly, someone just wanted to cash in on the success of the HEROES television show, so they figured out a way to shoehorn “Jesus” into HEROES.  But “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” is about a thousand times catchier than “He came to save the world!”.  It seems that no matter how hard we have to try, Christians will copy ANYTHING that is even a little bit popular, baptize it and cram a little soul-saving gospel in it.

So I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that someone decided to imitate one of my favorite non-fiction authors, A. J. Jacobs, in his quest to live the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year.  Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically is hilarious, moving and insightful.  I had scooped it up in hardcover when it first came out and have been recommending it avidly ever since (and have given it as a gift several times as well).

Fast-forward a couple of years to last month.  I received Ed Dobson’s The Year of Living Like Jesus in one of the Leadership Resource kits to which I subscribe.  As soon as I saw it, I got angry.  Here, in my mind, was another example of the Christian industry’s insistence on wholesale rip-off.  I knew that Ed Dobson was a figure in the conservative Christian world (turns out he is good friends with the late Jerry Falwell and was a member of the Moral Majority).  But the book also sports endorsements from the likes of Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, plus an introduction by none other than A.J. Jacobs himself.  So I decided to give the book a chance.

Let the Great Experiment Begin!

To his credit, Dobson begins the book by admitting that Jacob’s own endeavors had inspired his.  But this is where the similarities end.  Jacobs put weeks of preparation into deciding what ‘living biblically’ would entail; he met with rabbis, pastors, priests and friends.  He created a schedule and grew an awesome beard.  Dobson, on the other hand, seems to have gotten Living Biblically for Christmas 2007, read it that week and decided to spend 2008 ‘living like Jesus’ on New Year’s Eve.  He had no discernable method and – other than eating kosher and growing a beard – didn’t do much that was especially Jesus-like on a regular basis.  He spent a lot of time exploring the rosary and Orthodox prayer rope.  Cool, but not what Jesus would have done.  He did make a regular habit of drinking with sinners – he became a regular at a few bars.  But especially after reading Jacob’s masterful work, Dobson’s just feels… underwhelming.  His voice initially sounds like a bad Jacobs parody, and its several chapters/months before he finds his own voice (plus he takes the month of July off).

What’s to Love

That said, it’s not all bad.  Considering who Dobson is, the circles in which he’s run and grown up, much of what he does is pretty amazing.  Additionally, he spends a good deal of time discussing how he’s dealing with his ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

He details why he chose to vote for Obama in the 2008 elections, and towards the end of his year spends a good deal of time in synagogue (which Jesus DID do!).

In short: If you have no hope in your heart for the more ::ahem:: conservative elements of American Christianity, this book is worth a read for you.  It will show you what can happen when an old dog listens seriously to Jesus and learns some new tricks.

But if you’re just looking for a good read, pick up Jacobs first.

Author Spotlight: Dennis Lehane

March 3, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews with 0 Comments

lehane2[1] Dennis Lehane is probably the best author you’ve never heard of.  He’s written eight novels and lots of short stories, and several of his novels have been adapted into award-winning films, including Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and the new Scorsese thriller Shutter Island.

Lehane’s novels are nearly all noir-who-dunnits, and his first five novels feature Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro as private investigators for hire.  Despite the fact that they’re sequels, they can be read as stand-alone (though why you wouldn’t want to start with A Drink Before the War and move forward is beyond me.  What I love about Lehane is that none of his books is just about the mystery.  His characters grapple with serious, deep issues that grip the reader as well.  And – probably because everyone in Boston is Catholic – Lehane has some very interesting musings on God as well.

A Drink Before the War is the first and shortest of the novels, at just under 300 pages.  Kenzie wrestles with race, power and generational sin.  It’s a fast-paced exploration of the power parents have over their children, that neighborhoods have over their residents and that races have over their cultures.  In the end, Lehane argues for free will, but just barely.

Possibly my favorite (though it would be exceedingly cruel of you to make me choose) is Darkness, Take My Hand.  This novel is a chilling exploration of the nature of Evil, especially as it relates to Light and Goodness.  The identity of the villain(s) is shocking, but even more disturbing is their self-identification as an unholy trinity responsible for gruesome murders.  Patrick and Angela are permanently scarred by what happens in the pages of Darkness… if you’re paying attention, Father will leave his mark on you, too.

If absolute power corrupts absolutely, what about absolute beauty?  Sacred is a powerful reflection on the nature beauty and its inherent power.  The pay-off in this book is way too good to ruin.  Just go read it and pay attention.  In this book, beauty damns and beauty saves.  And just because he can, Lehane writes a beautiful mystery into which he teach us that – just like religion, beauty is a gift that can become a weapon in the wrong hands.

Lehane’s other books are just as good, just as worth your read, but I’ll be posting individual reviews of each of them (you can find links to them below).  Besides… it should take you a while to get through these first three.  Long story short: Lehane is worth your time.  He’ll make you think about the stuff you should be thinking about in ways you’ve never had to before.  He’ll have you asking the questions we should’ve been asking all along but never had the foresight – or maybe the courage – to ask before.

 

Book Review: The Voice of Psalms

February 15, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews, The Bible with 0 Comments

The short version: this book is well worth your time and money.

The long version: Since I first became aware of the Voice Bible translation, I have been excited to see what they can do with the Biblical texts.  And since I’ve been recently drawn more and more to the Psalms, I jumped at the opportunity to review this book.  And it’s fantastic.  In addition to the Voice translation of all 150 psalms, the introduction includes reading guides to take us through Advent, Lent and other seasons of the Church calendar.  It’s a great way to begin or end your day; my wife and I are currently using the Lenten reading guide and are finding it a great way to spend time in the scriptures together.

If you’re not familiar with the Voice Project, it’s a gathering of scholars and artists to create a translation of the Bible that embodies the diversity and art of the original texts.  So dialogues look like dialogues, letters look like letters and poems…

…well they look and read like poems.  One of the more controversial aspects of the Voice translation is their inclusion of italicized notes directly in the text.  These extra words and phrases are meant to embody the original intentions of the authors in contemporary language.  Allow me to illustrate with texts from the NRSV and the Voice of the 23rd psalm:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

 1 The Eternal One is my shepherd, He cares for me always. 2 He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; 3 He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name. 4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness, I am not overcome by fear.  Because You  are with me in those dark moments,  near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted. 5 You spread out a table before me, provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies; You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil, filling my cup again and again with Your grace. 6 Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me where I go, always, everywhere. I will always be with the Eternal One, in Your house forever.

 

The Voice is as good a translation of the Psalms as any I’ve seen, and I enjoy the fresh take on several of the Psalms.  I checked through several of my personal favorites (Psalm 1, 8, 77 and 88 if you’re curious) and was pleased with how they handled some of the more challenging interpretive issues (Leviathan is still in there, as is much of the non-Genesis creation language.  They didn’t do a great job with chesed (‘covenantal faithfulness’, translated above as ‘loving provision’), but I’ve yet to meet the English translation that does).

If you’re looking for a fresh take on a great book in our Scriptures, check out The Voice of Psalms.  You could do much worse for yourself.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Leader’s Toolbox: Great Books You Need to Read

February 10, 2010 in Blog, Book Reviews, Influence with 1 Comment

As I mentioned in my last post, leaders are readers.  And while there are tons of great blogs out there, books can offer a much deeper look into the topics they address.  So leaders should read them both!

In light of that, I’m going to offer reflections on some of my favorite leadership books as I read them.  I’ll usually post them under my Reviews Section, but since we’re just starting out, I’m going to give you three great leadership books I’ve read recently and why they’re worth your time.

Freakonomics

by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

51552107[1]This book is already a near-classic.  I’ll be the first to admit that I picked up this book after I’d heard the substantial buzz around it, and the book does not disappoint.  Levitt is  an economist who doesn’t like to work with money, but instead investigates all kinds of interesting questions like “Why did crime rates really drop in the 1990s?” and “How do you catch a teacher at cheating?” (the most interesting question is “Why do crack dealers still live with their moms?, but it’s such an interesting chapter that every review talks about it).  Levitt is an economist to the core, and I don’t agree 100% with his methodology (I have slightly higher opinion of human nature than he does), but the book is a fantastic exercise in making you think about… well, almost everything from an entirely different perspective.  Once you’re finished with it, you’re going to walk around asking about the hidden connections behind every part of your day.  You’re going to be looking for stories in everything.  And when you read Made to Stick, you’ll see why that’s important!

 

 Six Pixels of Separation

by Mitch Joel

38269550[1]The premise of this book is that the internet has changed everything.  Sound common sense?  Joel reveals exactly how it’s not.  Thanks to Social Media/Web 2.0, an organic farmer in the middle of the Midwest has the exact same access to consumers as does Wal-Mart or any other giant ad agency.  And, according to Joel, that ought to change the way we do business.

In fact, what I really loved about this book is that, in this brave new world, business has to be about relationships first and profits second.  Everything – from Facebook and Twitter to your blogs – must be re-centered around creating a culture around what you do.  Joel says we have to quit looking at the world as a pool of potential customers and start looking at them as potential friends, potential business partners.  Blogs become conversations.  Twitter becomes a way to add value to your followers.  And your Facebook friends become a pool from which you can create a passionate and motivated conversation around whatever you’re doing that will market itself.

And if your conversation is something as important as… oh, say the redemption of the world and its reconciliation to is Creator, then this book is simply a must have.

 

What the Dog Saw

by Malcolm Gladwell

45407592[1]If you don’t already know, Gladwell is one of the most important thinkers to emerge at the turn of the millennium.  What the Dog Saw is his fourth book, and is a collection of his favorite articles from his time so far at the New Yorker.  And Dog is Gladwell at his best.  Along the same lines as Freakonomics (in fact, Gladwell’s endorsement appears on the cover), Gladwell finds stories everywhere.  Wonder what hair dye has to do with women’s rights?  Wonder no more.  And do you want to meet the best salesman ever?  He sells, of all things, kitchen appliances, and believe me, you can learn a lot from him.  And do you know what Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have in common (but George W. Bush lacks)?  The semi-famous Dog Whisperer has the answer.

Gladwell’s storytelling is unparalleled, and he’ll show you the hidden connections that exist all around us all the time.  You’ll find yourself questioning what makes the world tick, and if you’re like me, you’ll see God’s handiwork in places you never expected it.

And, if you’re a Mizzou Tigers fan, there’s an extra-special bonus in the book for you.

 

Made to Stick

By Chip and Dan Heath

33418389[1]

Last but by no means least, one of my absolute favorite books ever (even though I just read it!).  They start out with a simple comparison – a common urban legend and a quarterly report from a non-profit.  One idea is interesting and compelling; one is heinously boring.  And then the Heath brothers present their compelling thesis: ‘sticky’ ideas are made not born.    The rest of the book is an exploration of what it takes to make your ideas stick, complete with workshops to illustrate for you exactly how to apply their ideas.  This book is simple, enjoyable and useable.  The guide they provide makes it easy for you to make anything you want to communicate much stickier.  Immediately after I finished this book, I got a call to preach a sermon on only 36 hours notice.  I ran my talk through Made to Stick’s rubric, revised my ideas and gave a talk that has proven over the past couple of weeks to have more staying power than most of the talks I’ve given.  If you’re a communicator of any kind, get this book right away.  Read it.  Love it.  Use it.

What are some of the great leadership books you’ve read recently?

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