Today was a day of preparation. I had the office all to myself and I used the time to clean up my office, purge old files, and get my head clear of any unclosed loops and fuzzy to-do’s and vague projects. If you’ve read Getting Things Done then you know what I’m talking about. If […]
Favorites of 2005
My favorite movies of 2005: –Crash –Batman Begins –Revenge of the Sith –King Kong –Syriana –Munich (I saw it on Jan. 1st, but that’s close enough) My favorite books of 2005 (fiction): —Gilead —The Traveler —Glittering Images —The Dark Tower (Book 7) My favorite books of 2005 (non-fiction): —The Emotionally Healthy Church —Alexander Hamilton —The […]
December 31, 2005 by 9 Comments
The Secret Message of Jesus: Part 2
The second section of McLaren’sThe Secret Message of Jesus is called “Engagement: Grappling with the Meaning of Jesus’s Message.” In chapter six, McLaren gives a brief introduction to the parables, which he calls the medium of Jesus’s message. He writes, “Human kingdoms advance by force and violence with falling bombs and flying bullets, but God’s […]
December 12, 2005 by 6 Comments
When Religion Becomes Evil
I was standing in Barnes and Noble the other day with my head cocked to the right and randomly scanning book titles in the religion section. That’s when I saw Charles Kimball’s When Religion Becomes Evil : Five Warning Signs. Intrigued by the title I gave it a quick scan, but didn’t buy it as […]
December 7, 2005 by 7 Comments
The Secret Message of Jesus: Part One
In part one of The Secret Message of Jesus McLaren attempts to excavate Jesus’s Kingdom message that he claims has long been buried. In chapter one, he makes a case for why recovering the essence of Jesus’s message is essential for those who do and don’t follow Jesus. He writes, “In one of my previous […]
December 6, 2005 by 1 Comment
The Secret Message of Jesus
In The Secret Message of Jesus : Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything Brian McLaren does what McLaren does best. He synthesizes and popularizes the work of theologians and scholars so that their work is made more accessible to a broader audience. I don’t mean by this that McLaren is simply parroting what others […]
December 5, 2005 by 3 Comments
McLaren’s New Book
One of the perks of working with Greg Taylor, who is also the editor of New Wineskins Magazine, is that I now have access to a number of “advance copy” books that are sent to him for review. The other day I broke into his office and absconded with a copy of Brian McLaren’s forthcoming […]
December 2, 2005 by Leave a Comment
Exclusion and Embrace
Lohfink reminded me of Miroslav Volf’s Exclusion and Embrace. I’ve posted these quotes before, but I think they’re pertinent to the discussion, so please pardon the repetition. My thesis that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many Christians, especially theologians in the West. To the person inclined […]
September 20, 2005 by 4 Comments
Lohfink on Jesus and His Disciples
More from Lohfink, this time on Jesus’ teaching on renunciation of violence: The radical ethic of renouncing violence is thus addressed neither to isolated individuals nor to the entire world, but precisely to the people of God which has been marked by the preaching of God’s reign. The thesis that renunciation of violence is possible […]
September 15, 2005 by 6 Comments
Rob Bell on Missions
Here’s a great definition of missions from Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis. Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means […]
September 14, 2005 by 8 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons