Oh my gosh! The historical-critical method presented in such a delightful way! Who knew it could happen? I have my mainline church people reading thisOh my gosh! The historical-critical method presented in such a delightful way! Who knew it could happen? I have my mainline church people reading this and they're loving it because this guy is super FUNNY!! And he is dead-on accurate in his scholarship (Harvard graduate degrees, so . . . ) Thank you, Peter Enns, for making our Lenten Bible Study far, far from the dour, gray, lifeless hour and a half of sacrifice these people have been accustomed to. This book is truly a gift. You rock....more
I want to love everything Jack Spong says, but I struggle with his insistence on stripping wonder from the Christian faith. His approach to the develoI want to love everything Jack Spong says, but I struggle with his insistence on stripping wonder from the Christian faith. His approach to the development of theistic faith is a bit too Freudian. Yes, people developed God in response to the fear of the unknown. Yes, many faiths thought of God as a punishing parent. However, I don't see a lot of space in Spong's book for the positive side of faith--the side that is full of wonder at all that exists. Perhaps we can postulate a being bigger than ourselves, beyond ourselves, a being so grand that we cannot possibly contain our understanding of it--and perhaps we create metaphors for that being. Perhaps we recognize, humbly, that all we know is not all there is, and that amazing things and events break into day to day existence once in awhile--things that are to be wondered at and appreciated. Spong's approach is not poetic enough. It is too reductionistic. It does not take into account the reality of the numinous in other cultures and faith systems. So, yes, a new faith is being born, but I don't think it's the scientific materialism that Spong seems to promote. ...more
I love this book. Admittedly, he's an outlier on the timing of Luke/Acts, but aside from that, this is such a useful reference on the New Testament doI love this book. Admittedly, he's an outlier on the timing of Luke/Acts, but aside from that, this is such a useful reference on the New Testament documents. I use it with my congregations all the time. He is great for giving context for various letters and gospels in the New Testament. Loved, loved, loved Marcus Borg and his obvious love for the local church. He is sorely missed, and I hope we get another scholar who is even half as invested in helping lay people get an intelligent grasp on the Christian Faith....more
This is a great reference for blessings, useful in all sorts of situations, for marriage, for dying, for the artist at the start of the day, for the eThis is a great reference for blessings, useful in all sorts of situations, for marriage, for dying, for the artist at the start of the day, for the exhausted, for dozens of different situations. At the end of the book O'Donohue includes several brief essays on the art of blessing. So sad that we lost him so young. He gave us a great deal in his brief life. ...more
Mixed feelings about this one. I almost gave it a three, but I did appreciate a lot of what she's trying to do--re-imagine Christianity in light of thMixed feelings about this one. I almost gave it a three, but I did appreciate a lot of what she's trying to do--re-imagine Christianity in light of the Nag Hammadi scriptures. Christianity, as traditionally imagined in the Western mind, is in trouble. Bourgeault is attempting to bring us back to these early texts that were only recently discovered and even more recently researched by scholars. They indicate a much more mystical understanding of the faith--one that appeals to me greatly. But she sorta gums it up with references to Ken Wilbur and his nine levels of spiritual transformation and other new age pseudo-evolutionary concepts. That's where it goes off the rails for me. After working so hard to release ourselves from dualities and such, she dives right back into a schema which suggests that some people are more realized than others, and, not only that, but we have nine levels of spiritual evolution by which to evaluate ourselves--and each other. I think, sometimes, she misses her own point. Another thing that rather bothers me about this book is the idea that we are all one. While in one sense I agree, I also think there is a place for boundaries and a sense of individuality. As a feminist, I think that's valuable, and something that is often missing in the gospel when it comes to women, who often need a bit of egoism--not less egoism. Aside from these complaints, I did appreciate much of her work. ...more
Anybody who has ever struggled through fundie teenager faith angst, will TOTALLy relate to the hilariously over-devout, egoistic struggles of young MoAnybody who has ever struggled through fundie teenager faith angst, will TOTALLy relate to the hilariously over-devout, egoistic struggles of young Mormon missionary Craig as he wends his way through his two-year mission adventure to evilly Catholic Belgium, where the locals are, um, somewhat less than enthusiastic about the LDS message.
I'm not a Morman, but I remember the days of ridiculous do-or-die teen evangelicalism when I was a kid. This book is SoOOoooOOo Funny for anyone who's been there. The sweet thing about "Way Below the Angels" is that the author grows up in his faith--he puts away truly childish things, and becomes an honest practitioner of his faith, rather than an earnest, though misguided, teen parrot.
I was laughing out loud through many pages of this book. He is an excellent comedic writer, especially as he gently mocks "deep" theological conversations of 19-to-25 year olds, and the missionaries' desperate attempts at relevance as they attempt to "proselyte." And he is probably at his best when he writes out Flemish syntax in English. Just hilarious. I really enjoyed it....more
This is a travelogue through the ancient holy sites of Ireland, written by a witch. At least, I think that's what it is. I know it's amazing. PatriciaThis is a travelogue through the ancient holy sites of Ireland, written by a witch. At least, I think that's what it is. I know it's amazing. Patricia writes beautifully. She weaves together modern Ireland, myth, personal story, politics, feminism and modern witchcraft into a seamless whole. I was completely taken in. ...more
I read this book shortly after it came out. Randy went to the same college I went to, and came from the same part of the country that I hail from, so I read this book shortly after it came out. Randy went to the same college I went to, and came from the same part of the country that I hail from, so I found the pathos of growing up in an evangelical family particularly poignant. His father really wanted Randy to follow in his footsteps and become a pastor, but a different kind of teaching appealed to Randy. He became a highly respected professor of American religion. This book is a more personal treatment of his path away from the faith of his father, and how he found his way to compassion and respect for his dad, and a new understanding of what it means to be Christian. ...more
I ran into Randy recently, which reminded me that I'd read a few of his books that I never recorded here. This is my absolute favorite book on evangelI ran into Randy recently, which reminded me that I'd read a few of his books that I never recorded here. This is my absolute favorite book on evangelical subculture, in all of it's weird, bold, intolerant, white glory. It was written awhile ago, but, you get a sense of where the movement was back in the 70s and 80s. The PBS documentary is just . . . awesome....more
I deeply appreciate Marcus Borg's efforts to put progressive Christianity into a theological context that is accessible to the lay reader. He really cI deeply appreciate Marcus Borg's efforts to put progressive Christianity into a theological context that is accessible to the lay reader. He really cares about the average mainline church goer and giving them language and rationale for their beliefs. There is a lot that lay people cannot articulate about what they believe and why they believe the way they do. Marcus Borg lays it all out so it's understandable and organized. At least he lays HIS perspective out in such a way. In this book, you'll get solid grounding for why we need to take the Bible seriously, but not literally, among other things. You'll learn new ways to think about resurrection. You'll think differently, perhaps, about the focus on the afterlife. All in all, a wonderful guide to those who are perplexed about mainline Christianity. Fills in the gaps that sunday school left open....more
This is a pretty useful study guide to the DVD course for small groups. We did this for a Lenten study this year, and it was very successful. ObviouslThis is a pretty useful study guide to the DVD course for small groups. We did this for a Lenten study this year, and it was very successful. Obviously, the DVD is an important part of the study. You don't want to go with just the guide. We just showed the ten minutes of Borg talking about topics and cut off the small group that he was leading in the series. All in all, it was worth doing....more
Wow. Parker Palmer is a genius. Best book on vocation/finding life's work EVER. I adore Parker Palmer anyway for being so freaking wise, and this bookWow. Parker Palmer is a genius. Best book on vocation/finding life's work EVER. I adore Parker Palmer anyway for being so freaking wise, and this book is a superb example of his wisdom. Highly recommend it....more