Embrace the God Life

Review of The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster

Many moons ago, the good folks at Thomas Nelson sent me a copy of The Sacred Journey to review. This is the final installment in The Ancient Practices Series. I have read and reviewed most of the series already and was eager to receive this volume to engage the ancient practice of pilgrimage.

There are two kinds of books that are quite easy to review: books you love and books you hate. Both of these categories create an emotional response that leads to an easily written review. However, I find books that I neither love nor hate to be harder to review. The Sacred Journey falls into this category for me.

This text is Foster’s attempt to “articulate a theology of pilgrimage.” Christianity is about journeying with God, following Jesus on the way, and the practice of pilgrimage captures this essential component of the faith. For Foster, pilgrimage is not a metaphor, but setting out on an actual journey—packing the barest essentials, leaving behind normal commitments, heading out on an unplanned journey, wandering into the unknown, and discovering more of God in the process. The pilgrimage journeys recounted in this book remind me of a mix between an Australian Walkabout (recounted in the old Crocodile Dundee movies) and the journeys of Frodo and Sam in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. “It’s a dangerous business,” says Bilbo,”going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Of course there are lessons to be learned on pilgrimage. Foster writes that “Pilgrimage, done properly, is one of the best-known antidotes to gnosticism.” Gnosticism mistakenly separates the spiritual from the physical: spiritual good; physical bad. Christianity, the religion of the good creation, incarnation, and bodily resurrection calls for a spiritual-physical wholeness. The spiritual is embodied in the physical. The extreme physicality of the pilgrimage journey offers a constant reminder of the importance of the physical that strips away the lure of gnosticism. This is good stuff that Foster offers.

Yet two concerns lingered for me throughout this book. The first is the extreme nature of the pilgrimage journeys that Foster recounts. Must one leave behind commitments to jobs and relationships in order to practice pilgrimage? Is there a way to enter the lessons of pilgrimage while remaining at home? Can we approach our daily routine through the eyes of one on a life-long pilgrimage with Christ? Unfortunately Foster does not adequately address the pilgrimage life as lived among daily commitments.

A second concern: Foster frequently explains pilgrimage as understood among other religious traditions. This in itself is not a concern; Christian practice can be enriched through examining practices of other traditions. My concern is that, at times, I lost the connection between an Islamic or Buddhist understanding of pilgrimage and a thoroughly Christian understanding of pilgrimage.

The invitation to embark on a journey is an essential component of the story of Israel in the Old Testament and the life of Jesus in the Gospels. Followers of Christ would be wise to considered what it means to journey with God, even in the daily routines of life.

Book Review: I Quit! by Geri Scazzero

I count Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero to be among the most transforming books I have read. When the good folks at Zondervan offered to send a free review copy of I Quit! by Geri Scazzero, I jumped at the chance to review this new book by Peter’s wife. However, my wife grabbed the book before I had the chance to read it. She found it so revealing and transforming that I asked her to write a review. So, here are her thoughts on the book.

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Review of Jesus Manifesto by Sweet and Viola

Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola have teamed up to write Jesus Manifesto. Thanks to the good folks at Thomas Nelson for sending me a free copy to review.

Sweet and Viola have connected over their common concern to see people gain a fresh vision of the glory and majesty of Jesus. They desire to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ, beginning with the body of Christ. From the introduction:

In the following pages, we hope to bring your vision and understanding of Jesus Christ into sharper focus. We hope to present our Lord to you in such a way that you cannot help but love Him, that you cannot help but fall at His feet and give Him your undying devotion—not out of guilt, duty, obligation, or fear, but because your heart has been captured by a glimpse of the greatest person this world has ever known, Jesus the Christ. Out of such love flows everything else.

I resonate with the authors’ objective. O that all who follow Christ would be captivated with a fresh vision of Jesus!

I am several days late in posting my review of this book because I have struggled with exactly what to say about it. There is much that I find beautiful, helpful, and necessary in this book. Yet I am also concerned by a recurring motif that keeps me from fully recommending this book. Sweet and Viola are greatly concerned about people who are focused on the blessings of Christ, cause of Christ, or being like Christ apart from living in the reality of Christ himself. And they should be concerned about this! None of these concerns amount to anything apart from the empowering presence of the risen Christ. Yet rather than healing this divide and allowing these concerns to flow out of our present experience with Christ, Sweet and Viola often use language that maintains this divide. They just emphasize the other side.

A passage representative of this occurs in the introduction. After presenting “Who do you say that I am?” as a (the?) crucial question posed by Jesus, the authors continue:

Unfortunately, “Who do you say that I am?” is no longer the only question. “What are you doing to bring in the kingdom of God?” is now an equally asked question, as is “What are you doing for justice?” and “In which cause are you engaged?” Or “What are you doing to evangelize the world?” and “To whom are you accountable?” and “What’s your gift?” And especially, “What kind of leader are you?”

Do Sweet and Viola really think that these are all unfortunate questions? Yes, apart from the presence of the person of Christ these questions fall short. They may even be destructive. But connected to the reality of the empowering presence of Jesus these questions become important, even essential. Jesus both invites us into radical intimacy with the triune God and sends us into His mission in the world (see John 17). We must live out both the relationship and the mission. To miss either one is to miss the whole thing.

After You Believe, by NT Wright

New Testament scholar and prolific author N. T. Wright’s latest book is After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. I was happy to receive a review copy through The Ooze Viral Bloggers program. I am trying to be more selective in the books I take on to review (although some days I just can’t say no to a free book). This book is definitely worth the time investment. So much so that I’m anticipating several posts that develop out of this book instead of my normal 200-word review.

Wright sees After You Believe as third in a line with Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope. Simply Christian serves as Wright’s primer to the Christian faith, laying out the basics of Christian belief. In Surprised by Hope, Wright asks: what happens when we die? With After You Believe Wright tackles the time between. What happens after you believe? You’ve professed faith in Christ, now what? What is the goal of life between baptism and heaven?

Wright starts by giving two common answers to this question. One option is that Christians follow the rules. You’ve committed your life to Christ, now follow the rules as best as you can. The second option is to claim freedom in Christ and live “true to yourself”. Wright suggests there is another option that transcends mere rule keeping or following your heart.  Instead, Wright says the Christian life is a journey of the transformation of character.

Yes, we will keep the rules of Christian living, but out of our character, not as an external obligation. And we will live authentically, but only when our character has been transformed such that choosing the good becomes second nature for us.

If transformation of character doesn’t occur through the following rules or through following our heart, how does this happen? I’ll enter into Wright’s answer with my next post.

Book Review: Tithing by Douglas Leblanc

I recently read the most challenging and inspiring book I’ve read in a long time. Unbelievably, it’s a book on tithing! Douglas Leblanc’s Tithing: Test Me in This is the latest title in the Ancient Practices Series. In this book Leblanc challenges us to practice the discipline of tithing. He does this not by undertaking an exegesis of relevant bible passages or preaching a sermon, but by interviewing people whose lives have been decidedly marked by tithing and generosity. These interviews include members of a 1970s intentional community, an author who has given away millions of dollars in book royalties, and a pastor helping a New Orleans’ neighborhood rebuild after Katrina. An interview with a Jewish rabbi gives useful background to the Old Testament commandments on tithing and generosity.

Leblanc looks at tithing not as an act of legalism but as an act of grace that is the doorway to a life of generosity. Tithing is discussed as a Christian practice through which God invites us to participate in His purposes in the world. Tithing is a means of grace through which one learns to live in the fullness of the Kingdom of God that is present now.

When I received a review copy of Tithing from Thomas Nelson, I anticipated reading it a few pages at a time, but was so inspired that I read the entire book in one day. I pray that my life would be marked by the radical dependence on God and joyful partnering in His work in the world that is seen in this book.

Book Review: The Sacred Meal, by Nora Gallagher

I didn’t grow up in a church tradition that valued Communion as a regular practice. Instead, communion was an event, saved for a few special times a year. Like the family’s fancy china dishes, Communion was ensured to be special by its infrequent use. In The Sacred Meal, Nora Gallagher calls us to a different way to see Communion—as a spiritual practice that transforms us, forming us into the people of God and sending us out into the world to serve.

Gracefully reflecting on the practice of Communion in her life, Gallagher walks the reader through a threefold path of practicing Communion: waiting, receiving, afterward. In waiting, we prepare ourselves to enter into the practice of Communion, examining how we have lived-or not lived-in the reality of the present kingdom of heaven. In receiving, we open ourselves up to the presence of God, not through our effort, but by simply accepting the gift of God.  In afterward, we allow the experience of Communion to seep into every aspect of our lives.

The Sacred Meal is a fine addition to Ancient Practices Series. It does not address every element of the history or theology of Communion. There is, of course, much more to be said. But Gallagher’s reflections have enlarged my practice of this most sacred of meals. Thanks, Thomas Nelson, for the review copy.

Book Review: Primal by Mark Batterson

The good folks at Multnomah sent me an early Christmas present: Mark Batterson’s newest book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.

Primal is a “reimagining” of the Great Commandment, discussing what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

As with Mark’s first two books, Primal inspired me to live fully for God and to attempt big things for God’s Kingdom.

I was especially moved by Mark’s suggestion in chapter 3 that Christians establish an income ceiling. “What would happen,” Mark asks, “if every Christ follower gave away everything above and beyond their predetermined income ceiling?”

Book Review: The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister

Thomas Nelson recently sent me a copy of The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Sr. Joan Chittister. I was excited to receive the next volume in the very helpful Ancient Practices Series. In The Liturgical Year , Chittister opens the reader to the beauty of the liturgical year as a spiritual formation practice. She begins with several chapters that explain how the cycles of the liturgical year form both individuals and faith communities in the fullness of the life of Christ. Through the remainder of the book Chittister walks the reader through the seasons of the liturgical year, mining the depth of meaning and spiritual formation present in each season.

I didn’t grow up in a church that followed the rhythm of the liturgical calendar, but have slowly been learning the beauty of the liturgical life. Sr. Joan Chittister, though, has lived a lifetime being formed by the rhythms of the liturgical year. Reading The Liturgical Year is like having a conversation with a friend who is sharing her love for following the intentional rhythms of the Christian calendar. I am glad to have this resource on my journey into allowing the rhythms of the liturgical year to shape me in the life of the Spirit.

Booktober Fest: The Big Giveaway

Here’s a number of books publishers have sent me to give away. Let me know if you’re interested in any of them. Any titles not claimed by 11:59 pm on October 31, 2009, will be released into the wild for the finding at IWU.

Here’s the available titles:

Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires

Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind all That Mom

Holy Roller: Finding Redemption and the Holy Ghost in a Forgotten Texas Church

Christ in Y’all: Following Jesus into Community