Walter Wink: Naming the Powers: Language of Power in the New Testament (The Powers : Volume One)
i like wink a lot. anyone who can write an essay entitled "how i got snagged by the seat of my pants while reading the bible" is an instant hit in my book. couple this with an astute academic mind and a sincere desire to discover what it means to follow god in this generation and the man rises to virtual sainthood!
this is the first in wink's series on the principalities and "powers" mentioned throughout the bible. it is necessarily the most academic of the three as it sets the groundwork for the subsequent conclusions he pulls out on the other two books. but he writes well and covers the technical ground well.
this is an important book (particularly for the evangelical church i feel). wink's central thesis is that both the evangelical tradition (in believing the 'powers' to be wholly other-worldly, AND the liberation theology tradition (in locating the powers solely in this present world) are mistaken. both are challenged here - though his writing will raise the heckles of conservative evangelicals moreso than the liberationists i think.
this is a welcome surefire antidote to the inane and socially irresponsible teaching that spiritual warfare is conducted solely (or even mostly) on one's knees, rather than on the picket line, in the workplace, in the voting booth, in the day-to-day of normal living.
read it and buy an extra copy for your pastor! (***)
David Bodanis: E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
an immensely readable account of the equation most people are likely to be able to quote but few can explain. bodanis takes each element in the equation and tells the tale of the people responsible for the major discoveries in that area to show upon whose shoulders einstein stood and what the consequences for the 20th and 21st centuries and beyond have been and are.
don't be put off by the scientific nature of the subject matter, it really is written with the non-expert in mind. neat appendices tucked away at the back of the book and a web-site are where those wanting more detail are directed so as not to intimidate or overwhelm the masses. it really does read more like a social commentary/biography than a science book.
enlightening and light. a rare combination. nice. (****)
Peter Rollins: How (Not) to Speak of God
How_not_to_speak_of_god_cover how (not) to speak of god is an important and beautiful book. we are living in a fractured time. we do not yet know what we are let alone where we are going other than (in rollins’ words) “away-from-here.” we are defined by what we are not (postmodern) and by the fact that we are moving, or emerging, but not yet by what we are or by any final destination. it’s easy to lose hope in this generation. all the enlightenment promises of certainty, provability and universal Truth now look jaded in the cold and often terrifying light of postmodern philosophical thought.
into this arena steps my good friend, peter rollins and he is like a breath of fresh air. rollins is uniquely positioned to write this book of popular philosophical a/theology. he hails from the evangelical/charismatic tradition, so he is perfectly placed to offer a sensitive critique to that community; he has a doctorate in philosophy, so he is well-versed in nietzsche, jaques derrida, meister eckhart, jean-luc marion, hans-georg gadamer and so on and is able to appropritate their insights and criticisms into his and our theology; he has been a youth-worker and a conference speaker, so he has well-honed gifts in communication and is adept at making the profound intelligible to ordinary plebs like you and me; and he is actively involved in leadership of a christian community, so these issues are not theoretical to him, but deeply personal and practical.
if you’ve heard pete speak you’ll know how passionate he is about these issues. if you have heard him on more than one occasion, then to be honest there will be little new here for you. but that is a long way from saying that the book is not worth buying and reading. i read my copy in one sitting and will no doubt return to it again and again. as i do with every book i read this with a pen and a yellow highlighter in hand so as to be able to remember the important bits and note where i disagreed or was provoked to think about something. it’s now with some sense of dismay that i flick through a book where practically every page has a radioactive glow to it!
one of pete's chief gifts is in analogy and parable. how sad it is that jesus’ parables no longer take our breath away. truly great parables always have the audience nodding their heads as the story starts, thinking they know the ending right from the get-go only to be slapped in the face and completely offended by the shocking twist-in-the-tale. rollins stories are clever, poignant, offensive and often very moving. this is not a book of dull theology. this is a book of poetry.
rollins’ concern is that people often ask him what he believes but never how he believes. in his view belief should always be transformative
“the reversal from ‘right belief’ to ‘believing in the right way’ is in no way a move to some binary opposite of the first (for the opposite of right belief is simply wrong belief); rather, it is a way of transcending the binary altogether. thus orthodoxy is no longer (mis)understood as the opposite of heresy but rather is understood as a term that signals a way of being in the world rather than a means of believing things about the world… it is an approach which emphasises the priority of love: not as something which stands opposed to the knowledge of god, but, more radically still, as knowledge of god… orthodoxy, as believing in the right way, as bringing love to the world around us and within us … that will cost us everything. for to live by that sword, as we all know, is to die by it.” (pg 3.)
if you find yourself agreeing with everything rollins says here, he’d probably say himself that you’re not reading carefully enough. this is a book to rock our comfortable boat, to provoke thought, to engage and begin a conversation with the reader. don’t read this if your theology is rock-solid and water-tight, this book will either shatter that faith completely or make you want to crucify the author as a heretic!
i guess my only criticism of this book is that it’s left me hungry for more. i wish it had been two books rather than one. the first half of the book is the argument/discussion/theory; the second a series of ten liturgies, used by the ikon community in belfast to attempt to outwork the implications of living for christ today. liturgy needs to be experienced/said/shared to be truly effective. i want more of the thought-provoking insight contained in the first half. roll on book number two.
i’m concerned that this review doesn’t do justice to the book. rollins is a much better communicator than i am. his words are much more poetic than mine. if i’ve made it sound dull, philosophical and high-brow i’ve misled you. if you think this is another book of wishy-washy new-age theology again that’s probably my fault, for nothing could be further from the truth. read this book and if you ever get the opportunity, go and listen to this humble pilgrim. it sounds like i’m on his payroll. to be honest i struggle with much of rollin’s insight and thought. as paul tillich points out,
“most human beings of course are not able to stand the message of the shaking of the foundations. they reject and attack the prophetic minds, not because they really disagree with them, but because they sense the truth of their words and cannot receive it.”
i may disagree with his thinking at times (though I fear he is right more than i like to admit) but his commitment to and love for god are never in question. this book is a call to love god and love people.
sit up church. the voice of one calling “in the desert prepare the way of the lord.” there is a transformative message here for those who have ears to hear. (*****)
Bruce Ellis Benson: Graven Ideologies: Nietzche, Derrida & Marion on Modern Idolatry
ah what a welcome book! at last an evangelical who actually understands and takes seriously what nietzsche, derrida and marion (as well as many others such as husserl, heidegger, leotard, gadamer...) say. i'm so tired of reading christians, who really ought to know better, wailing a lament for a non-existent time past when everyone 'knew' the Truth, God could be proved and placed in a little rational box, and everyone knew right from wrong. these writers herald deconstructionism and phenomenology as simple relativism leading to inevitable nihilism; they set postmodern philosophy up as a straw man, astonishing (and sedating) us with their intellectual prowess, as they proceed to scare the big, bad, postmodern bogeyman away. benson points out that not only is this bogeyman not going anywhere fast, but he should be welcomed as a friend.
foundationalism is dead and gone - everyone (with the possible exception of the christian writers referred to above) knows this. the enlightenment deceived us. rather than nietzsche being the nihilist, benson points out that he simply pointed out the inevitable nihilism which results from modernism, and the christian morality which ties itself too closely with it.
now that we know that there is no foundation for knowledge (and never has been) which cannot be undermined somehow, benson forces the evangelical church to sit up and ask, 'what now?' here we find help in surprising places (at least for some). benson shows how the three thinkers in his title offer us some possible paths through this crisis.
his writing is clear and engaging and one quickly realises that this is somone who has read beyond the flycover of these authors - he has grappled with their thought at length. this would be a great first introduction to these philosophical greats, and really ought to be read by every thinking christian to see how we in the church ought to 'be' in our time.
brilliant. go. read.
now.
that is all. (*****)
Stanley J. Grenz: Renewing the Center: Evangelical Theology in a Post-Theological Era
stan grenz died in march 2005. his voice will be much missed in the contemporary debate within evangelicalism. although holding on to (too?) much traditional evangelical orthodoxy, grenz argues that evangelicals harken back to enlightenment principles (such as decartes' foundational view of epistemology) rather than facing up to the realities of the current thinking and new philosophical discoveries. this book is useful again as it addresses evangelicals in their own terms. no evangelical will be alienated by this book, but will find themselves gently nudged leftwards. therein lies my only criticism: the evangelical church needs dragged kicking and screaming and i wonder if this nudge is too subtle to really do the job. (***)
carl raschke: the next reformation: why evangelicals must embrace postmodernity
raschke writes from within the evangelical community. he writes with academic acumen and passion - a rare combination. this book is a really great introduction to the genuine postmodern debate, rather than the characature or straw man often presented in evangelical circles. raschke neither demonises nor lionises postmodernity, but simply shows the opportunities now facing church as a result of this new zeitgeist. rather than ignoring or rejecting culture outright, the church must realise that culture is amoral - available for appropriation and shaping - NOT immoral. that being the case, raschke is unrelenting in revealing just how completely the church has bought in to (or sold out to) modernity. the new challanges postmodernity presents us with as christians cannot be disregarded any longer. fore-warned is fore-armed. this book is apposite counsel. agree or disagree with raschke, he will not be easily dismissed. he is too briefly dismissive of the radical orthodoxy movement and his last couple of chapters are less rigorous and academic than the rest - he seems to come close to suggesting that the charismatic movement is the ideal representation of postmodern church. this could have been remedied by more rigorous editing as it is obvious they would be better suited to a more testimonial-type book. the rest, however, is excellent. (****)
E.P. Sanders: Paul: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introduction S.)
this is a lovely series of books - beautifully simple presentation. this one is a reprint of sanders earlier "paul" (1971). he single-handedly changed the way the apostle paul is studied in theology - reponsible for the so-called "new perspective on paul". this is a very readable and enjoyable introduction to the most important christian theologian of all time. whether you've studied theology or not this tiny little book will whet your appetite for more! while you're at it buy a copy for your pastor/minister/priest. easy to fit in your pocket and read in a couple of hours on the train. (****)
John Caputo: On Religion (Thinking in Action S.)
ok so jack caputo's a total heretic. tell him something he doesn't know! this book is beautiful. caputo is an inspirational writer. his most mundane prose still rings with a poetry that puts most authors (never mind theologians!) to shame. his thoughts are always challenging (especially to those of an evangelical persuasion) but this is postmodern theology at its best. you don't have to believe everything he says to appreciate the beauty of his thinking. highly recommended. (****)
James D. G. Dunn: A New Perspective on Jesus: What the Quest for the Historical Jesus Missed (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology)
a genuinely fresh insight. james dunn's book attempts to do for jesus what he has previously attempted to do for paul - get back to the original. traditionally trying to get back to the 'real' jesus results in 'the jesus seminar' type approach - religating anything which smacks of the supernatural to get back to 'the historical jesus.' dunn argues tis approach is doomed to fail; that the ONLY record we have of jesus is that written through the eyes of faith. jesus' disciples talked about him, wrote about him, followed him BECAUSE they believed he was the messiah. the 'historical' jesus is therefore synonymous with the christ of faith.
wonderful insight. easy to read and thoroughly engaging. a great counter to post-liberal scholarship. a valuable voice in the continuing debate over the nature and identity of jesus. (****)
Alain Badiou: Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism (Cultural Memory in the Present)
an interesting find this one: an atheist writing on paul! now before you turn away in disdain, he's got some really interesting and profound insight. it's only 128 pages so it's not going to suck up your entire life to take some time looking it over. he argues that paul sees the world in terms of jews and greeks who look to prophets and philosophers respectively as sources of authority. badiou argues that paul is able to appeal for universal acceptance of the truths he proclaims by appealing to apostolic authority in opposition to jewish and greek authority figures. interesting, challenging and insightful. (****)
- ed. Merold Westphal: Postmodern Philosophy and Christian Thought
i liike westphal. this book is clear and challenging and includes many diverse responses to postmodernist thought. there is no doubt at all that we are moving beyond modernism yet (as with most things) the church has been slow to respond. this reader, although academic, is very approachable and clearly written. Contributors include: Steven Bouma-Prediger, John D. Caputo, George Connell, Andrew J. Dell'Olio, Garrett Green, Lee Hardy, Brian D. Ingraffia, Walter Lowe, Jean-Luc Marion, Gary Percesepe, Merold Westphal, W. Jay Wood, Norman Wirzba, and Edith Wyschogrod.
if there's not someone in that group who gets under your skin and makes you itchy for more, you're just not trying! (****)
Brian D. McLaren: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN
What a breath of fresh air Brian McLaren is. He's another one like Jimmy Dunn who encourages me to stay within the evangelical church. he's DELIBERATELY provocative and abstruse to encourage and open up discussion rather than close it down (a point many of his detractors seem to forget!) He tries to take the best from the many traditions within Christendom while generously overlooking their weaknesses. of course i don't agree with all he says. but of course i've never found an author with whom i totally agree. How dull if i did! that's what makes them thought-provoking and challenging to me!
fresh and inspiring. (*****)
D. A. Carson: Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church : Understanding a Movement and Its Implications
ok so it's carson so you prety much know from the outset where he's coming from. I'm fascinated by the emerging church movement (no doubt you'll read more and more about it on this site.) The biggest criticism i have of the it is that often it's a movement in search of a theology.
although carson critiques the movement from the right he gives a more sympathetic hearing to emerging church than you might think. it's certainly a good book to introduce mainstream to conservative evangelicals to the opportunities (as well as what carson sees as some pitfalls) presented by living in our times. (***)
G.K. Chesterton: Orthodoxy
what do you mean you haven't read this???!!! Stop wasting your time on the internet and GET THIS BOOK!!! I first read this book 15 years ago but i think it's only now that i'm appreciating the sheer genius of the man! If anyone can read chapter 4 'The Ethics of Elfland' without a huge smile on their face i'll eat ... well at least a donut on your behalf!!
Truly postmodern apologetics at it's best. Chesterton argues persuasivley that the MOST real and factual things we know do not come through science or mathematics but fairy tales.
GENIUS!!! (*****)
Leonard Sweet: Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives
Another book that gives me hope. The Church in general and the evangelical church in particular seems hell-bent on ignoring culture at best or, in the scant attention it does pay, seems to be focused soley on denouncing rather than on understanding and assimilating where appropriate. This book is a good popular attempt to support a dialogue within the evangelical church on various options for progress.
The foramat of this book is also novel and interesting. Each of the authors writes their owb chapters (coming from very disparate theological stances within evangelicalism) which are interspersed in grayscale with supportive or argumentative responses from the other authors. [Not really sure i'm communicating that well. Take a wee look at the book and you'll instantly understand what i'm talking about.] The overall impression becomes one of an emerging conversation and discussion rather than a univocular polemic.
This isn't an academic book (i mean that in a good way!) so definitely pick it up and give it a go. (****)
Anthony C. Thiselton: The First Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Greek Testament Commentary Series)
Well it's not exactly a quick read weighing in at an astounding 1480 pages but this commentary is EXCELLENT. What can i say. I've had the privilege of being taught by Anthony. He's a legend. Reading Anthony is like reading EVERYONE who's ever said ANYTHING theological about 1st Corinthians. It's easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer enormity of the research this volume represents, but Anthony's style is always fresh and engaging. He gives his own translation from the Greek and then gives lucid and (IMHO) balanced comment on the various positions that have been taken on this letter while not hesitating to nail his own colours to the mast.
This is highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in hermeneutics or Pauline theology in general or 1st Corinthians in particular. (*****)
James Dunn: The Theology of Paul the Apostle
jimmy dunn's a bit of a star. he's one of the authors that keeps me calling myself an evangelical. if there's room for the likes of him there's room for me. his writing is easy to read, scholarly and engaging - an unusual mix! add to this dunn's ability to take on board the latest theological discoveries on Paul without losing the wonder of the salvation Paul himself seeks to describe and proclaim and you've got a great theology text. (****)
Bible & Culture Collective: The Postmodern Bible
an interesting collection of essays on various approaches adopted by postmodern theologians to biblical criticism - including reader-response, deconstructionalist and a host of others. (***)
Shane....I'm totally with you 100%
Posted by: Sharon | Wednesday, 18 June 2008 at 11:25 AM
I to find christianville irritating and frustrating. I have heard many times that our beliefs and faith have been boiled down to tasteless mush to make it easier for "seekers" to understand. I think it is a cop out and that it remains because christianville as you put it is to lazy to get their hands dirty so to speak. We "the church" have side stepped our responsibility to spend time in relationship with those who are longing for some direction about God and what the Bible has to offer. We want to hand them a pretty little box with a bow that has all the answers neat and tidy and then stand in front of the crowd for a round of applause and a pat on the back. I often wonder how demoralizing our pretty little boxes are to the souls that are hurting and want to understand... we say "here see, it is so simple. How can you not understand that?" Truth be told we don't understand it much of the time but that is the exciting part, why oh why would we live for a God who can be so easily explained and contained?
Posted by: Sarah D. | Wednesday, 18 June 2008 at 01:47 PM
well i know that in agreeing with you both i am, in effect, agreeing with myself - which seems a little redundant - but I AGREE!!!
it's as simple and as complex as love itself. why would we ever settle for a hallmark-style faith?
Posted by: shane magee | Wednesday, 18 June 2008 at 02:19 PM
Alli, you're beautifigorgeoustunning!!1!1
Posted by: matate | Wednesday, 18 June 2008 at 02:47 PM
Sup! Jaci from SA again
I have to say that I have been thinking about this allot the past month... I agree with you all [surprise surprise ;)] but there is something which I think is far more dangerous which lurks under this issue and that is following a strict moral code – let me explain: if you were to look at most other religions or ways of life there is a certain set of moral standards (rules) that are followed and used, they are set out, agreed upon, followed, and if there is a disagreement on a certain point it is either side steped or a new set of principles are made. I can assure you that if you looked hard enough you could find a certain karma that would suit your life style and which would be comfortable and manageable. I just often feel that some groups of christians form a karma that suits them and which is easily presentable – look I have no problem with maybe explaining or expressing Christianity to some one who has no idea about it in a certain way; HOWEVER were is God in a man made moral code? Are we not told to listen to God and live lives that are close to Him? (to have a “living relationship ™” with him?) The way I see it, it boils down to one thing and that is: as believers in Christ we have a direct link to Heaven….our greatest gift is a living God who speaks listens, provides etc (could call it spirituality if you like) why go and belittle that by making “easy steps” and “my way to Him”. Just imagine if you related to your family by following certain rules of only saying “key words” to them. Then again maybe I should be more open! Well that is a long comment! (sorry)
Posted by: Jaci | Thursday, 19 June 2008 at 10:05 AM
Ah, so _that's_ what Christianville is like. I saw the signs, but I didn't want to leave the main road. Thanks for saving me a stop!
Posted by: Joey Reid | Thursday, 19 June 2008 at 05:54 PM
I'm finding more and more that the Bible is difficult to understand. Churches teach things in such a pre-digested form. People are happy (used to be me) with saying "I believe" and following rules like "going to church". That life left me wanting so much more.
Posted by: Richard | Tuesday, 24 June 2008 at 01:04 AM
Awesome post. The past year or so I have given up on "Bible studies" and "quiet times" and "witnessing"... bad I know, but I feel like I am just playing some stupid Christian game that is impossible to win. You know where you have to read your Bible a certain amount of times per week and pray a certain number of minutes per day and tell someone about Jesus every so often... and once you manage to do all 3 things in tandem, then you just keep trying to do it more and more and more often! You are never allowed to be satisfied with your spiritual life (TM).
I look at kids in my youth group who during "prayer request" time have nothing to express but this horrible feeling of guilt over not reading the Bible enough, or not witnessing enough, or whatever. Jesus promised us freedom. It seems to me we are not free. When I hear people talk like that it leaves me with a question nobody should ever have to ask, "There has to be more to Christianity than this...?"
Posted by: Aubrey | Friday, 04 July 2008 at 03:49 PM
Christianville today is no more than a regime to satisfy the needs of the flawed human mind and to fill the true emptiness of people's spiritual life. Its one of the many products of today's fast-food religion, designed to cost-effectively attract more new customers and keep the current ones hooked.
Most components of this regime is to create a false sense of completeness (thus reducing the need to face uncertainty and other negativities), false sense of righteousness, improve adherence to "Christianville" and to reject external influences.
I personally never got to understand how people feel guilty not reading the bible x amount of times a day. I believe that if there is a single verse which truly touches your heart, it can potentially take a life time to learn from, to act out and to communicate.
Unfortunately, there are limited people who step into Christianville and sense "something is not right here" who also have the courage to point this out/ leave or in extreme cases, try to change things. No one likes to wear the heretic hat, but I do believe it is exactly what we need.
Posted by: Chiu | Monday, 28 July 2008 at 10:43 AM
YHVH though with characteristic omnipotence is able, even in the barren land of Christianville, to break in through the religious smog so that we may hope for the population of this sorry town.
Look closer though at the people who live here and you will see that there are those who have a genuine relationship with the founder of their settlement. To criticise these inhabitants for using the language of a town in which they were born is self-righteous at best and destructive at worst.
I'm not sure I see the 'insidious lie' that you refer to Shane, these own-brand Christian phrases grew up to assist people who find them useful, they are built on the same foundational truth you claim they distort; I'm not sure where they have been offered as an alternative to faith, but it is my understanding that they are merely aids on the journey.
Posted by: David | Saturday, 02 August 2008 at 08:36 AM
thanks again for the comments all.
david, i appreciate your warning. of course in making any criticism at all of christianity and/or the church there is a danger that one slip into self-righteousness and pride, thinking that one has discovered the hidden path, the true way to god, and that all others are damned. but i don't believe that this is inevitably so.
of course there are 'real' christians who use these words; of course not everyone who uses them intends them in the way i am implying. but my goal here is to show the danger inherent in the language that has been adopted. it is a language of exclusivity. it is a language of law. and, i do believe passionately, it is ultimately a language of death which separates us from god, rather than promoting intimacy.
of course people find it "useful" - law is almost ALWAYS preferable to grace - it is neater, less ephemeral, more certain, easier to preach, package, describe. likewise, of course, the romans road, the sinners' prayer etc. all began in an earnest attempt to introduce people to god, or to further a relationship with him. my concern is that these have now become phrases of EXCLUSION rather than inclusion.
these have become the ONLY ways we can relate to god. they are entirely PREscriptive and they kill the wonder of grace which includes many, many more people from the highways and byways than the inhabitants of christianville would like to admit. perhaps there is even room in god's arms for someone like me.
i thank YHWH that he IS able to move and work sovereignly, even in such a grim place as christianville, but he works in spite of, rather than because of, these decidedly UNhelpful, UNscriptural, UNspiritual constructs.
Posted by: shane magee | Saturday, 02 August 2008 at 09:53 AM