Christmas Eve Service

Here is the Christmas Eve service in which I took part at the Baptist Church on December 24, 2014.

Petersburg Winter 2014 Community Concert

December 22, 2014 at the Lutheran Church.

Advent: Joy Amidst Lament

Advent 2014 – Week 3 – Joy

• Text: Zephaniah 3
• No audio recording

Zephaniah claims to have been written during the time of Judah’s King Josiah (1:1), nearing the end of Judah’s sovereignty before exile into Babylon. This short (three chapters), prophetic book contains oracles of doom against basically the entire known world, culminating with prophecies of destruction against Judah/Jerusalem. But at the very end of the oracles, a message of restoration is given (3:9-20). This is our Advent reading for this third week.

⁹ Then I will change the speech of the peoples into pure speech,
that all of them will call on the name of the Lord
and will serve him as one.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush,
my daughter, my dispersed ones, will bring me offerings.
¹¹ On that day, you won’t be ashamed of all your deeds
with which you sinned against me;
then I will remove from your midst those boasting with pride.
No longer will you be haughty on my holy mountain,
¹² but I will cause a humble and powerless people to remain in your midst;
they will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
¹³ The few remaining from Israel won’t commit injustice;
they won’t tell lies;
a deceitful tongue won’t be found on their lips.
They will graze and lie down;
no one will make them afraid.
¹⁴ Rejoice, Daughter Zion! Shout, Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem.
¹⁵ The Lord has removed your judgment;
he has turned away your enemy.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you will no longer fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day, it will be said to Jerusalem:
Don’t fear, Zion.
Don’t let your hands fall.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory.
He will create calm with his love;
he will rejoice over you with singing.

¹⁸ I will remove from you those worried about the appointed feasts.
They have been a burden for her, a reproach.
¹⁹ Watch what I am about to do to all your oppressors at that time.
I will deliver the lame;
I will gather the outcast.
I will change their shame into praise and fame throughout the earth.
²⁰ At that time, I will bring all of you back,
at the time when I gather you.
I will give you fame and praise among all the neighboring peoples
when I restore your possessions and you can see them—says the Lord. (CEB)

In present day America, the Christmas season seems to begin earlier and earlier. Holiday decorations go up in retailers almost as soon as the Back-to-School sales end. Halloween and Christmas compete for attention. Thanksgiving is nearly forgotten. Part of this undoubtedly has to do with profit-motive – both Halloween and Christmas are great money-makers with Christmas being the greater of the two. But is there something underneath all that? Perhaps I’m reading more into it than there actually is, but is there perhaps a underlying, subconscious desire to extend for as long as possible the hope and joy that Christmas promises?

We listen to Christmas and winter jingles over the speakers. We take in the bright lights and the shiny tinsels and ornaments. We try to feel joy. We pretend to feel joy. Because in common vernacular, joy has come to mean cheerfulness and happiness. We are supposed to be happy, cheerful, and optimistic. To be otherwise is… unChristmas.

I am obviously generalizing, but I think we’ve all see this. America is supposed to be land of opportunity. American and her residents are supposed to be happy and optimistic. America knows her place in the world. America does not like questions; she is the answer. Americans do not like to dwell on the darker side of things. Americans do not like lament.

In my observations, American Christians are no different. In the more popular and mainstream churches, Christmas is celebrated all December. It is a time of putting on cheeriness and happiness. Even in those places where Advent is observed, it is quite often an way to merely lead into the joy of Christmas. There is very little time, if at all, dwelling on the darker side of Advent.

Advent and Christmas is not a happy, cheery, joyful time for all people. Some have lost loved ones recently or are watching loves ones on the inevitable road to death, others are experiencing life difficulties, others are going through terminal diseases. In the rest of the world people daily fear for and some lose their lives. We do these and everyone else a disservice when we skip the lament of Advent.

The Old Testament oracles revealed to their audiences that things were going to get a lot worse. According to the prophets much of what was to happen was due to the consequences of the nation’s own actions. Both the guilty and innocent were going to be caught up in the foretold judgment. Whether an individual was personally culpable or not, it was a time to lament for the nation.

But as our text reveals, all is not lost. In the midst of judgment and lament there is hope. God himself promises a restoration and a rebuilding. However hopeless present circumstances may be, however hopeless the future may appear, God says that there is an alternative future that is not dependent on human actions, but will come about because God will intervene.

It is because of God’s promises of intervention that throughout history, his people have been able to find joy and rejoice that an alternative future will come.

Advent is not Christmas. Advent is that period in the darkness where we don’t yet see the light. We don’t see the light, but we know that it will come. We long for it to come. That is Advent. It is a time in which we find joy amidst lament.

Advent is a time in which it would be well for us to join our global brothers and sisters, believers and unbelievers, in lamenting the evils and injustice of this world. We ought to spend some time in the darkness of economic, racial, and gender inequalities; the darkness of war and violence; the darkness that justifies mistreatment (aka, torture) of other human beings in the cause of expediency and security; the darkness of human trafficking…

While human happiness is dependent on present circumstances, Christian joy looks ahead to a promise of a future in which all oppression and injustice is wiped away. In the present time, as Christians participate in activities that work toward the elimination of oppression and injustices, we become the agents of joy in the world.

We lament presently. We hold on to the promise of future joy. We rejoice presently. We are bringers of joy into the world.

Let’s not skip too quickly ahead of Advent. Let’s spend some time in lament. When we learn to find joy amidst lament, our witness can become that much greater in this world.

Advent: Longing for True Justice

Advent 2014 – Week 2 – Justice

• Text: Malachi 2:17-3:5
• Discussion audio (27 minutes)

It doesn’t take much effort to realize that the world isn’t just. There are inequities and oppression everywhere, from war-torn nations to the (supposedly) most civilized.

There are two definitions for justice. The first perhaps is the most commonly recognized: it is the fair application of laws to all. But instinctively most of us recognize that laws themselves can be unjust. Thus today’s passage, especially 3:5 defines what God sees as true justice.

I will draw near to you for judgment.
I will be quick to testify against the sorcerers,
the adulterers, those swearing falsely,
against those who cheat the day laborers out of their wages
as well as oppress the widow and the orphan,
and against those who brush aside the foreigner and do not revere me,
says the Lord of heavenly forces. (CEB)

At the risk of being anachronistic, here are ways in which I reinterpret some of the above injustices:

• Sorcerers – those who manipulate people and things for their own benefit
• Adulterers – anyone who takes advantage of another
• Swearing falsely – anyone failing to keep their word to another
• Those who cheat the day laborers – anyone who fails to pay a living wage, or indirectly by failure to support policies that will provide one
• Oppress the widow and the orphan – anyone who fails to assist families in need, stigmatizes them, abuses women and children, fails to support policies that will provide for the needs of families who are unable to adequately provide for themselves, or fail to support policies that protect women and children
• Against those who brush aside the foreigner – anyone who fails to assist and protect immigrants, legal or not; anyone who sees only the letter of the law and who fail to see the injustices that have caused someone to leave their native homes

In regards to the final point, I think it is vital to note that God identifies himself with the foreigner/immigrant (“and do not revere me”). Anyone who calls themselves a Christian must identify first with the oppressed and the marginalized. To do any less is equivalent to blaspheming God.

Advent: Hope for Israel in Jeremiah 33

Advent 2014 – Week 1 – Hope

• Text: Jeremiah 33
• Discussion audio (47 minutes)

The Christian year begins, not with a popular holiday such as Christmas or Easter, but with Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent is a bit like Lent. Just as Lent is a period for reflection and introspection to prepare for Easter, Advent is a time to reflect in preparation for Christmas.

On this first week of Advent, we look at a passage in Jeremiah. We reflect upon the struggles, the trials, and sufferings of the world around us. We do our best to place ourselves amidst the hopelessness that is the experience of so many in the world. We do this because the Christian hope that doesn’t relate to the actual experiences of despair, is not really much of a hope.

The hope is God’s chesed – his steadfast love, his grace. While we seem to be helpless when it comes to breaking our covenant with God, he remains faithful. Our hope is in God’s faithfulness. When he promises that he will restore all things in justice and righteousness, we know that it will come to pass.

Book Review: A Short History of the Headship Doctrine in the Seventh-day Adventist Church

A Short History of the Headship Doctrine in the Seventh-day Adventist Church by Gerry Chudleigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Male Headship / Complementarianism is incompatible with Seventh-day Adventist theology and history.

This is a very short, concise book summarizing how the Adventist church got from being co-founded by a woman, preaching from the pulpit, to today where a huge controversy exists on whether or not women ought to be given full inclusion in ministry.

This book confirms what I have come to suspect: the introduction of Calvinist/neo-Reformed theology into the Adventist church and a slippery-slope fear of radical feminism.

Chudleigh provides a succinct, but excellent summary of those points of Calvinism that are most problematic to Adventist's historical Arminian/Wesleyan theology in regards to gender roles and relations. He shows that historically the church is silent on the issue until the 1970-80's with the rise of certain proponents of headship and complementarian theology in the Reformed Evangelical world: Gotham, Piper, Grudem, etc. and the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Chudleigh shows how these forces made strong impressions on certain Adventist leaders, who then in turn propagated these to the rest of the church.

Chudleigh shows how the argument for headship is flawed and circular. He shows that by accepting one premise, all arguments against are automatically invalidated with no room for dissent or even discussion.

He writes, "So the headship principle is a closed system. Once Eve's original, pre-sin role has been defined as submission to Adam, no other argument or text can disprove it." (Kindle ed., location 503)

In conclusion he writes, "Were it not for the new headship doctrine, the church might have easily adopted a policy of unity in diversity, allowing each division, union and conference to decide how to incorporate women into ministry. Instead, the church is faced with the difficult task of learning how to relate to a new theology that is rooted in a Calvinistic view of God and that permits no compromise or diversity." (location 543)

He makes a very insightful observation and asks a very important question, "No one is advocating that Seventh-day Adventists adopt the entire package of Calvinist predestination theology. But is it possible to pick just one apple [headship] from the Calvinist tree without changing Adventists' traditional understandings of such things as the gracious character for God, the spiritual relationship between Christ and his followers, the commitment to religious liberty for all, and the urgency to take the gospel to every person on earth?" (location 547)

Although this book is directed specifically to Seventh-day Adventists, it may be of interest to others involved in the issue of women in the church. It is a very short read and can be completed easily in one or two sittings. There are extensive endnotes supporting the research.

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Book Review: A God I’d Like to Meet

A God I'd Like to Meet: Separating the Love of God from Harmful Traditional Beliefs by Bob Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this short book, Bob Edwards argues for the case that Calvinism and its modern manifestations are really ancient Platonism couched in Christian language. He presents the case that many of Augustine's key theological points were derived not from the Bible, but from Platonic philosophy. In turn, Calvin saw himself as a faithful inheritor of Augustine, and some of today's prominent theologians and preachers see themselves as faithful to Calvin.

Bob utilizes extensive quotes from Platonic philosophers, St. Augustine, John Calvin, John Piper, and a few others to build his case. The similarities in words and ideas from Plato to Piper are uncanny. Bob uses numerous Bible texts in his arguments against Calvinistic interpretations.

The first chapter is a high-level overview of what the remainder of the book discusses in more detail.

The second chapter deals with the overall theological framework, motivation, and history that drives Calvinism. Bob discusses how modern psychology sheds light on the formation and perpetuation of the framework. He concludes the chapter writing, "Calvinism, then, is a systematic method of interpreting the Bible through the interpretive lenses, or schemas, of a philosophy that predates Christianity by approximately 400 years."

The third chapter discusses the problems of assigning absolute sovereignty to God. Also is discussed the issues with the concept of predestination, sin, and evil as is understood through Calvinism.

The fourth chapter deals with reason vs. emotion. Bob shows how this is a direct descendant of Platonic dualism. He shows how this leads to the teaching that "anything coming from 'the self' was declared by Calvin to be unholy... Calvin's solution to his understanding of the problem of sin was very straightforward: the self must be annihilated... there must be a destruction of our ordinary nature... All of our natural inclinations, therefore, must be put to death." Bob discusses how this leads to the preoccupation of some Calvinist adherents to the concept of working to achieve holiness above all else.

The fifth chapter is a logical progression from the fourth: how Augustine's desire to eliminate human passion and emotion led to his doctrine of control of women, and how this doctrine persists in hierarchicalism, patriarchy, and complementarianism in some Christian groups today. Bob shows how this philosophy, again, is derived directly from Platonism and its followers. He also discusses how errant translations and faulty interpretations of key passages in the Bible have contributed to these erroneous and problematic doctrines.

The final chapter discusses a different picture of God: a God who is first of all, love, rather than all-controlling and whose primary attribute is depicted as holiness.

Bob writes in this final chapter,

Many people today turn away from a God who is depicted as controlling, abusive and sexist. I believe this is understandable. They reject God as he has been made known to them by church leaders following in the interpretive footsteps of Augustine and John Calvin. Fortunately, there is good news. The distorting lens of Platonic philosophy can be removed from our perception of God. When we remove this lens, I believe that we have an opportunity to see God in the way the biblical authors intended. We are able to perceive that God is love.

He concludes,

In fact, as one looks closely at some of the doctrines of St. Augustine, they can begin to look as if they are anything but Christian... Dualism, a hierarchy of spirit over body, denial of the free will of humanity and the doctrine of self-mortification; these are some of the philosophical principles that eventually led to the formation of the Gnostic heresy. Shockingly, they are also some of alleged “principal matters of Christian philosophy” through which John Calvin encouraged all believers to make sense of the Bible. He derived them from Augustine, and Augustine derived them from the “books of the Platonists.” Rather than being a benchmark for Christian orthodoxy, St. Augustine’s theology appears more like a “union of Christian and pagan doctrines.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in some of the historical and philosophical origins of Calvinism, to anyone who has problems with some of its doctrines, and to anyone who wants to explore a different Christian theological framework.

A devoted Calvinist ought to take a look and see if they are able to provide reasonable responses that don't depend on Augustine or Calvin's interpretive framework to explain the problems.

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Book Review: From the Maccabees to the Mishnah

From the Maccabees to the Mishnah by Shaye Cohen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book describes itself as an introduction to the 350 or so years of Jewish history between the Maccabees to the Mishnah. For most people what is found in this book should be more than sufficient to inform and revise many commonly held assumptions about Jews, Judaism: their history, culture, society, religion, and politics during that time.

Chapter Eight is new in this Third Edition. This chapter discusses the "separation" that took place between Judaism and Christianity. What the chapter reveals is that this was a lengthy process and not nearly as clear-cut as it has been so frequently presented. In fact in some cases it is difficult to see that a "separation" actually took place since because there was no common communion between the two groups. In other cases a separation occurred, not because there was an explicit forcing out of Christianity from Judaism, but because it simply became difficult to maintain social connections when social practices became so different. These and other possibilities are discussed.

The end of the book includes extensive bibliography and suggestions for further study for those who desire to go beyond this "introduction."

Writing as a life-long Christian and as a pastor, this book opened my eyes to ways of thinking about the period of the gospels and the apostles in new ways. The relationships between Jesus, the apostles, the various Jewish sects, the controversies, the intent of the New Testament writings, etc. are far more complicated than is typically heard in Christian settings. The way Christians interpret and discuss Jews and Judaism of the period needs to become more nuanced and charitable. For example, the picture of Pharisees in the gospels are more stereotypes and caricatures than what history reveals as reality of the period. What seems to have happened is that later Christian attitudes crept into the preserved writings and their interpretations, which have been handed down as "true traditions" ever since. This book provides a needed corrective to the "jaundiced" tradition that Christians have received over the centuries and millennia.

I recommend this book to all pastors. As pastors we need to stop perpetuating inaccurate histories and traditions when accurate ones are available. Yes, doing so will challenge us in how to incorporate and present new understandings, and it will challenge our congregations.

(Based on ARC via NetGalley.)

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Sermon: Through the Lens of Love

Lectionary: Year A, Proper 25
Gospel Text: Matthew 22:34-46 (NRSV)
Sermon Audio (23 minutes)

If the picture of God we’re projecting to the world isn’t first of all love,
then our theology is likely wrong.

Thesis: All of us build theological and cultural “boxes” which help explain God, the world, and our place in it. But we must never allow these to turn into gods – idols – that prevents us from hearing and seeing God more perfectly.

Questions: What kind of God does our proclamation of God say about him? What kind of power and authority do we picture him wielding?

This sermon was given at the Presbyterian Church on October 26, 2014.

This passage consists of two conflict stories, which upon first glance seem somewhat disjointed and unrelated. Upon closer examination, however, it can be seen that the first is the explanation for the second.

The Greatest Commandment

The first part of the passage is the “test” presented to Jesus by a lawyer from the Pharisees in which he asks which is the greatest commandment. This is a story that is familiar to nearly all Christians, young and old, in which Jesus responds with “love God” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Where we 21st century Westerners get hung-up is with the ordinals, “first” and “second”. First and second usually mean “first” has priority over “second” so when Jesus says the “second is like unto the first” we subconsciously think that “love God” is slightly more important than “love your neighbor” even when we intellectually know that both are supposed to be equal.

When “love God” is taken by itself as the most important commandment, Christians often end up with some kind of performance-based, individualistic set of codes that are meant to improve devotion to God.

The proper way of understanding and applying Jesus’ statement is to take to heart what he said: that both are truly equal, that there is no “first” or “second.” In fact I believe it is quite proper to see “love your neighbor as yourself” as the application of “love God.”^[1] The “love your neighbor” comes from Leviticus 19:9-18, in which the text quite clearly provides concrete examples of what that looks like. Jesus tells his audience that loving God cannot happen apart from community.

So, after all his preaching and teaching, after all his travels and miracles, here, just days before his crucifixion, our Lord names his center—the center of his ministry, the center of his mission, the center of the kingdom he has been sent to proclaim and build—and it is love. Love of neighbor, care and concern for each other.^[2]

What Is the Messiah?

The second conflict is one which Jesus initiates against the group of Pharisees still in the vicinity. He asks them what they think about the Messiah and whose son they think he is.

The Pharisees respond by saying that the Messiah is David’s son.

Jesus uses a quote from Psalm 110:1 and asks, then how could David call the Messiah “my Lord” if the Messiah is David’s son as they just claimed?

Separated by time and culture, this is a particularly puzzling and enigmatic question for us. It doesn’t make much sense and we have difficulty comprehending how this is connected to the rest of Matthew Chapter 22. What we need is a little cultural exegesis.

It is almost unheard of in an ancient Near Eastern context for a sovereign like David to call one who comes after him “Lord,” thereby granting the descendant even greater authority than the patriarch. By conventional logic, this threatens the stability of the whole patriarchal system, which depends on the head to retain permanent authority, which then gives security, identity, and stability to those who follow in the line. This is why the Pharisees are stunned and unable to give an answer to Jesus, who is arguing that David, in his enigmatic statement in Psalm 110:1, is daring to expect that someone even greater than he will emerge in his wake, to whom he will gladly submit. The Pharisees, recognizing that this could undermine the whole basis of their authority, grow silent and cease from asking Jesus any more questions.^[3]

The Jewish religious interpretations were not expecting a divine Messiah. They were expecting a warrior-king Messiah in the pattern of David, coming to wield military and physical might and re-establish the Jewish kingdom on earth. They were expecting a Messiah to affirm and abide by their longstanding traditions of their ancestors.

They were not expecting a Messiah whose power and authority were based on self-sacrificing love. They had a theological and cultural box with certain expectations about the Messiah, and Jesus did not fit into that box. This is how the two stories in this passage come together. In the first, Jesus proclaimed the foundation of his kingdom. In the second is the explanation of why the Jewish powers rejected Jesus.

Core to the tension, perhaps, is the central teaching of Jesus itself. Both to his followers (7:12) and to his opponents (22:34–40), love is the commandment on which hang all of the law and the prophets. Love, not power; love, not heritage; love, not law.^[4]

Love is the Lens

The Jewish authorities saw everything through the lens of law, tradition, ancestry, and patriarchy.

Jesus tells them, “you are wrong” (c.f., 22:29). “You don’t understand the scriptures nor the power of God” because you have failed to see the real power of God—love.

Could we become so attached to our religious and cultural boxes that we become blind to God’s power of love? What does our theology-in-practice show about God and his power? If it isn’t love, our theology is wrong.

---

[1] C.f., Romans 13:8-10 where Paul distills all of the Law into “love your neighbor.”

[2] Feasting on the Gospels--Matthew, Volume 2: A Feasting on the Word Commentary. Location 7232.

[3] Feasting: Matthew, location 7334.

[4] Feasting: Matthew, location 7416.

Sermon: Complicity // Matthew 22:15-22

Lectionary: Year A, Proper 24, Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Gospel Text: Matthew 22:15-22 (NRSV)
Sermon Audio (23 minutes)

Question: We cannot escape complicity in the unjust systems of this world. So how should we live as citizens of the kingdom of God in this world?

Thesis: We cannot avoid all complicity with the world's systems, but we can still seek to honor God in our participation.

Additional texts used in the sermon: Psalm 50:10-12; Romans 13:1-7; James 1:5; Romans 8:26-28; Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 9:13; (Hosea 6:6)

This sermon was given at the Petersburg Lutheran Church on October 19, 2014.

Application (from the notes)

Three things to recognize

• Recognize that we cannot avoid a certain degree of complicity with this world's systems
• Recognize that navigating this world with the values of the kingdom of God is a complicated affair and that oftentimes the right course of action may be ambiguous and difficult to discern
• Recognize that ultimately, God is the owner of everything, including the kingdoms of this world

Our Part

• Three suggestions for our daily walk with Christ in his kingdom
  • James 1:5 - seek wisdom
  • Romans 8:26-28 - seek the Holy Spirit and stop worrying
  • Matthew 7:7-8 - ask, seek, knock; and trust that God will guide your steps
• When faced with a decision ask these three questions - Matthew 9:13 (Hosea 6:6) - mercy, rather than sacrifice
  • What is the compassionate thing to do or say?
  • What is the merciful thing to do or say?
  • What will relieve oppression and bring true justice?

Closing Statements (from the notes)

"Our problem is that most of us would like to be disciples all our lives and never have to risk ourselves and our dignity by becoming apostles. We like the comforts of the cocoon rather than the uncertainties of the wider world." George R. Knight, Exploring Mark, p. 131

We bear the image of God. We belong to him. We are called to do his work, to give ourselves to his purposes.

We'd often rather wait to engage the world until we have all the answers in black and white, until we can perfectly address the issues this life presents. But that's not how the Christian life works. Just as Jesus sent his disciples out into the world for real-world training, we are being sent out into the world with less than perfect knowledge. I believe that it is in our taking the risk to engage the world and in our struggling with real issues, that the gospel displays its power. When we are honest with our imperfections, when we respond with integrity to difficult issues, that those around us will see the light of Jesus Christ shining through us.

Book Challenge Response

Over on Facebook I was nominated a couple of times to list a number of books that have stayed with me. The count ranged from ten to fifteen. I thought about it for a few seconds and promptly ignored them.

One of the main reasons is that I read a lot, but most of it isn’t books; they are blogs, newspaper articles, and magazines. Another reason is kind of related to the first: The “challenges” say don’t think too long about them. If I followed that rule, I’d only come up with three or four at most. A third reason is that simply thinking about books is so outside of any meaningful context that I find it difficult to come up with any titles.

So yes, I definitely broke the rule about not spending too much time thinking about books I’ve read in the past. And I’m redefining “stayed with me” to “had some kind of lasting impact on me, or changed the way I look at things.”

Goodreads is where I’ve been logging books I’ve read over the last couple of years, so that was one of the main places I decided to look for what I’ve read to determine what stands out in my mind (generally those that have earned at least four stars in my opinion).

The Books

So here they are in no particular order. (All links go to Goodreads.)

1. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Richards, E. Randolph
2. Healing the Gospel: A Radical Vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross by Flood, Derek
3. Faitheist: How An Atheist Found Common Ground With The Religious by Stedman, Chris
4. Poet and Peasant: Literary-cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke by Bailey, Kenneth E.
5. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians by Bailey, Kenneth E.
6. Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Bolz-Weber, Nadia
7. The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out by Manning, Brennan
8. Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Campbell, Joseph
9. Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween by Wardy, Melissa Atkins
10. When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over by Zierman, Addie
11. The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Kaku, Michio
12. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Kristof, Nicholas D.
13. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Cain, Susan
14. Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women by Bessey, Sarah
15. A New Evangelical Manifesto: A Kingdom Vision for the Common Good by Gushee, David P.
16. We Are Our Brains: A Neurobiography of the Brain, from the Womb to Alzheimer's by Swaab, D.F.
17. Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth by Ehrman, Bart D.

Five Years Ago…

My mother passed away after battling and succumbing to ALS. Here she is, just three months before her passing. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years already.

The last couple of weeks there has been a lot of social media attention on ALS, primarily due to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Frankly, I’m somewhat ambivalent about it. I think it’s great that this disease is getting widespread attention, and if the “stunt” helps raise funds (which it appears to be doing), the I’m all for it. I don’t know that I’d do it. I think just sending money is perfectly fine.

I’ve seen comments, too, from detractors, and that’s fine. If you think it’s a dumb stunt, or self-aggrandizement, or whatever – fine. You’re entitled to your opinion but it seems that so far, the results have been mostly positive. You can watch the blooper reels and go pout in the corner.

My ire is reserved for those who criticize and attack the ALS Association for their support for embryonic stem cell research. Really?! Go sit on some nails or something! Pour cement into a bucket and set your feet in it and wait until its sets! Go stick a plastic bag over your head and find out what it feels like to not be able to breathe! Gah!

Your most valuable testimony (for others) isn’t your conversion story

I’ve been through a number of witnessing and evangelism courses/classes that taught the importance of having a “personal testimony.” Some of them taught a formula—e.g., B.C. (before Christ) + Conversion + A.C. (After Christ)—that I should follow. It was to be written out and practiced so I could give it on a moment’s notice without any hesitation or doubt.

I don’t think this is necessarily bad. But I also think it isn’t enough. It’s a good starting point but it shouldn’t stay there.

I’ve also heard many testimonies over the years. Many of them are of the dramatic kind—I was a terrible person, my life sank to the lowest circle of hell, then I encountered Jesus and he rescued me. Now my life is completely different.

(If you are a new Christian, the rest doesn’t yet apply. But read on to keep your eyes open for developing stories in your life.)

Again, not necessarily a bad thing. But when this is the only story that gets told over and over, and when this experience happened decades ago, the audience begins to wonder, so what has God been up to in your life since then? It also adds to the idea that public testimonies are supposed to be of the dramatic kind. It stigmatizes Christians who never have had such a dramatic experience. And finally the way these testimonies are told, it often glamorizes (whether the speaker intends to or not) the life B.C. It subconsciously creates the desire to have a dramatic life B.C. just to have a grand testimony.

Christians were saved. We are being saved. And we will be saved in the future. This is the paradox of salvation. We are made right and holy when we first come to Christ. Yet we are still being made right and holy. And the fullness of righteousness and holiness await in the future.

I believe the most important testimony that others want to hear is: what has God been doing since your conversion? What has God been doing in the last couple of years? What is God going right now? What struggles, trials, doubts, and failures have you experienced recently that God has brought you through and out of?

You can begin your story with your B.C. + Conversion + A.C. – especially if you’re speaking with someone who has never heard that part of your story. But don’t stay there. Make the main part of your testimony about your recent and current life. Yes, it means you have to be more vulnerable. You have to risk giving a part of your heart and emotions to someone, someone who could betray you. But I believe doing this will speak more strongly than merely a story from the distant past.

It’s valuable to know that God can save people from the deepest pits of despair. But I believe it is more important for people to know that God is walking among us in our common, everyday lives.

We tailor our stories

I’ve noticed lately that I can tell a story involving the same set of events in many different ways. And if the same person listens, they might conclude that 1) I’m telling stories of different but similar events, or 2) I’m not very good with recollection, or 3) I’m lying.

In telling stories, I tailor what to spend more words detailing, what to omit altogether, I might change the order of things to fit the theme, I might change the setting (for sensitive stories), etc. Time also changes the stories. I might have one perspective and interpretation just a few weeks or months from the event and a very different one years later.

The gospels aren’t historical accounts. They are stories. They have an audience with specific needs and contexts. The authors put them down in ink many years after the events. They are interpretations and theologies. They may contain facts, but they aren’t facts.

Global Leadership Summit 2014 #GLS14

Willow Creek Association (WCA) celebrated 20 years of the Global Leadership Summit this year. The Lutheran Church was able to be qualified as a “mission” and receive a special $25/person rate for the two days. The Summit was done via webcasting. We had a bit of an initial problem with synchronizing the schedule and time zones (for some reason, most of the world forgets that Alaska is on its own TZ). Once we had that figured out we were actually able to speed through the day by shortening the breaks and going on to the next session at our own pace.

There were only a handful of us who attended. This I think was a genuine tragedy because of the quality of the speakers, the provided materials, and the content of the Summit. [Getting on my soapbox.] If anyone thinks their day jobs don’t allow them to spend two focused days on personal development, they shouldn’t be in leadership. [Off soapbox.] This leadership certainly includes businesses and churches and their identified and visible leaders, but it also includes anyone who “leads” a team, whether that be a workgroup, a small group in church, a ministry, a volunteer group, or yes, even a family.

One of the concerns about a conference like this is that by looking at the speakers and topics, it might appear that the message is targeted toward large organizations and their executive leadership. Nonsense! The Summit is not about organizational development, it is not about managing. It is about learning how to improve personal relationships with others so that a person can learn to be more effective in leading their teams, whether it be just one other person or a global corporation of thousands. It is about developing the art of communication when it seems particularly difficult.

Another concern is whether it is “too secular” or “too religious.” Some churches might have the idea that there is little to be gained from listening to secular business leaders. You might be surprised how many of the top effective leaders profess Christianity and do their best to live up to Christian ethics in their whole lives. Yes, there were non-Christian speakers. But to say that only Christians can speak truth to other Christians is the exact kind of arrogance that makes Christians ineffective in speaking to the world.

Was the conference religious. Certainly. WCA and Bill Hybels makes no excuse for it or tries to downplay it. Worship music plays between sessions. There is prayer. Some speakers are very much Christian pastors and preachers and they speak as they would in their churches. Is there a call for people to salvation? Very much.

The request is for mutual respect. It is a Christian and church environment, and it is organized with a Christian focus. At the same time the organizers know that the rest of the world has much to offer the Christian community. Likewise, I’d hope the Christian community has something of value for the non-Christian world that can be applied apart from specific religious trappings. My perception was that the first day had more in the way of non-sectarian presenters. The second day seemed to be more evangelical and where a gospel call was more prominent.

I took notes for each presenter, but rather than recapping my notes here is the link to the GLS14 blog that contains a synopsis for most of the presentations (plus other entries).

A Digital Storytelling Workshop

This Monday through Wednesday, I had the rather unexpected opportunity to participate in a digital storytelling workshop led by Dr. Jason Ohler. It was unexpected because I had been anticipating a fairly uneventful and quiet week. But on Monday morning as I was sipping coffee I got a text message informing me that there was a spot available in this workshop and was I interested. I had no idea what it was about. I asked and got a very short response. It sounded interesting enough to find out, so I went and discovered that each participant would be putting together a 3-5 minute multimedia story of some aspect of their lives. I looked at my calendar and saw that I had the period available, so why not?

The workshop was hosted by Petersburg Mental Health Services and the participants were mostly their clients. I’ve been their client for a short period, volunteer with some of their grant programs, worked as a contractor for them – so I fill a number of roles for the agency. Telling one’s own story can have significant and valuable therapeutic effects.

The question for me was what could I tell about myself? As we went around with our initial introductions, I mentioned how over the course of the last couple of years I had become more outspoken on the issue of women’s rights and feminism, especially within the church setting. That seemed to resonate with a number of individuals in the room.

I worked on brainstorming and listing topics and pivotal moments in my life. Nearly all items seemed related to one another in some way. I showed Jason the list and after a few minutes suggested that my experiences with isolation, bullying, and rejection had made me more sensitive to seeing other types of marginalization and rejection around me, and that my interest in feminism could be traced to my various life experiences. With that as the broad thesis, I went to work.

The workshop was held each morning (i.e., half-days for three days). The first morning was introductions, coming up with a storyline, and writing the story. The homework was to collect photos and images that could illustrate the storyline. The second day consisted of recording the story and putting together the video timeline. The third day was finishing up the video, rendering it, and viewing the final results.

The results were touching and poignant. They described the struggles, victories, and hopes of each participant. It was a way to bring coherence to events from the past and place meaning into them as seen from the present.

For me I didn’t know what to expect when I entered the room that first morning. By the end I saw that my experience with religion resonates with others, especially with women who may have been a part of it themselves. This workshop was a way for me to show to a handful of people that there are other ways of expressing religion that don’t require a population group to be silenced and controlled. I hope that I was able to demonstrate that people can grow away from patriarchy and misogyny, however great or small.

Most of all, I hope that without any evangelizing, I was able to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the group.

I was given the encouragement to continue my work as a Jesus Feminist in advocating for the equality of women and men in church and society.

I did all my work on an iPad and an iPhone. It is amazing how much technology has advanced, even in the last handful of years, that allows full video production to be done with just a couple of mobile devices. You no longer need a full production environment. Anyone can do something like this. The door is wide open for others to come forward to tell their stories.

Sermon: Walking Together In the Storm

Thesis: Christ’s authority guarantees that he will provide the strength to bring to completion all that he commands his disciples.

Lectionary: Year A, Proper 14
Gospel Text: Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)
Sermon Audio: 30 minutes

The original plan was for Pastor Bob to be away on his annual summer solo kayak trip today. I had agreed some time ago to preach for him at the Presbyterian Church today.

But due to rain and winds, the better part of prudence cut his trip short and brought him back into town last night. However, a kayak trip and a few hours afterwards aren’t necessarily best preparation for a sermon so he was grateful to be able to sit with his wife in the pew this morning during the sermon while I spoke.

The overall worship preceding the sermon contained much thematic material about boats, sea, and storms and it was a perfect introduction to what I had selected for today.

As far as the sermon, it focused on how this passage can be seen as a metaphor of the Kingdom of Heaven – it is here already, but not yet in its fullness.

A brief synopsis

The gospel tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, at least in part. But when we take a look at the world, the news headlines, our personal lives, our churches, the state of Christianity, we wonder where that kingdom is. Religion seems so often to be a divider. Is there any value to religion? It is sometimes tempting to abandon it and find something else. What does today’s story have to offer as we struggle with the “already” but “not yet”?

While in the present, partial kingdom disciples receive commands from Christ. In this story they receive the command to take the boat to the other shore. They are physically separated from him, and “demons” may try to take advantage of that to hinder and prevent the disciples from carrying out Christ’s commands. But Christ does not leave his people alone to fight the battles by themselves. He comes, sometimes in rather unexpected ways, to renew courage and strength. Some may ask for and receive commands to “walk on the water” in ways that others don’t, and the sight of “demons” may raise fear. But the cry for salvation is always answered. Together, hand in hand with Jesus, disciples are able to walk in the storm. When Christ and his people are finally united, the kingdom arrives in its fullness, the demonic winds are ceased forevermore and “the other shore” is reached. What Christ has commanded, he has provided all that is needed to fulfill. Not only that but he has demonstrated his complete authority over forces that arise to oppose the fulfillment of his commands.

Christians today need to remember that Jesus walked with Peter in the storm. The storm didn’t calm immediately. But the presence of Jesus was enough to renew courage and faith in Peter. Part of the Christian commission, a command, from Jesus to his disciples is in turn to make more disciples (c.f., Matthew 28:18-20) in the same way Jesus did. A way for Christians to do that is to use the example given by Jesus in today’s story: go to where the storms of lives are and offer helping hands, strength, courage, and faith; and walk with those who are struggling in their trials.

Sermon Prep: Walking on Water

I’ll be speaking at the Presbyterian Church this Sunday. On one-off sermons like these I tend to go to the Lectionary unless there is another topic dear and pressing to my heart. The Gospel Text for this week is Storm on the Sea and Walking on Water.

The first thing I noticed as I read and re-read the passage was how “wind” seems to be personified. It reminds me of the Creation and Flood accounts where “wind” and “sea” (representing chaos) play a prominent part. They are also the raw materials from which the world is created and re-created. So perhaps there is a sermon along those lines.

Fear is another strong presence in this passage. Fear vs. faith is certainly a tried-and-true approach that a sermon can take.

I looked at a number of commentaries, study notes, and notes from preachers, and topics and approaches are all over the map. This diversity makes focusing on what and how to approach this text that much more difficult.

When I am working with a text where a thesis doesn’t immediately scream out to me, or where there seems to be many approaches to take, I often diagram the passage and color code significant motifs that I think I see to try to organize what I think the author may have been trying to communicate. What I give below is what I see in this week’s passage. It doesn’t make it any easier to settle on a sermon approach, but I think it is a start.

Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)

 

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

 

23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

 

24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

 

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

 

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

 

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

 

29 He said, "Come."  So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

 

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

 

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

 

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

 

33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying,

 

"Truly you are the Son of God."

 

Motifs

• Authority of Jesus
• Spiritual responses
• Alone/together
• Wind
• Personification of wind - demons?
• Jesus' actions toward his people
• Disciples' actions
• Fear

 

 

Created with Microsoft OneNote 2013.

Oregon Trip Photos

Fifty images from our July 2014 trip to Oregon and back. These fifty are the ones that most appealed to me.

I used onOne Software’s Perfect Photo Suite 8 to edit the photos. What I discovered during the process is that the Photogene app on the iPad does nearly a good a job for far less effort and time (and cost!).

Oregon July 2014 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Memorial Service Video (PDX)

Memorial service for Eloise (Elly) Sauls, held at Sunset Christian Fellowship in Hillsboro, Oregon on July 27, 2014.

Sermon: “You Give Them Something to Eat”

Lectionary: Year A, Proper 13
Gospel Text: Matthew 14:13-21 (NRSV)

Thesis: Jesus did not simply do compassionate deeds; he was compassion in his whole being. As his disciples, our walk with Christ should include growing from merely doing compassion to embodying compassion in this world.

Sermon Audio: 27 minutes

I was asked to fill in at the Lutheran Church while Pastor Mike is away on vacation. The text for today was the story of Feeding the Five-Thousand, aka the Loaves and Fishes.

This is such a well known story and because it is found in all four gospels, it comes around to preachers rather frequently. Should I just settle for preaching what has been preached over and over, or could I find something new in this story?

As I read the account in Matthew, I became more and more unsettled, uncomfortable, and troubled. This is not merely a miracle story or a story with a feel-good premise about God providing for all our needs. This is a story about discipleship training in the area of compassion. The disciples seemed to have a lack of it and Jesus is trying to teach them how genuine compassion acts. It is also a story of Jesus instructing the disciples about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and on the part they are to play in it.

When this story is read from the perspective of the disciples, it is not a quaint little story but a difficult one that demands much from all who call themselves Christian and followers of Jesus Christ.

My Relationship Status With The Bible: “It’s Complicated”

The Patheos Progressive Christianity Channel is currently featuring a number of panelists discussing how Progressive Christians relate to the Bible. From the page, the catalyst for discussion is the following paragraph:

Progressive Christianity is moving into the 21st century with a freedom to challenge and question tradition and scripture in ways that simultaneously respect the past and look for fresh ways to live into the future. Traditional Christian interpretations of scriptures on a wide variety of issues—hell, gender, sexuality, marriage, community, atonement, social justice, and leadership—are giving way to more nuanced understandings of authorial intent, deeper explorations of the linguistic and cultural realities of the biblical world, and broader definitions of Christian identity. What is the role of Scripture for progressives? How do we define its authority? To what extent is it prescriptive for 21st-century Christians?

You can follow the discussion on their page.

For me, if the Bible and I were friends on Facebook and we were to describe our relationship status, it would most definitely be “It’s complicated.”

I love the Bible and I respect it.

I believe it contains authoritative words.

But it is not an unqualified authority.

I believe it contains the Word of God.

But I don’t accept it as The Word of God.

I believe it contains Truth.

But I don’t accept that all it contains is factual or historical.

I believe it is a product of inspiration.

But I don’t accept that it is inherently inspired.

I believe all of it can be useful in appropriate contexts.

But I don’t accept that all parts have equal value or use.

I believe it is the ancient people’s record of their attempts to understand the Divine. And as such it is very much limited by the cultural and historical contexts in which the words were written and redacted.

I accept the weight of scholarly evidence that suggests strongly that the Bible is very much a human product, that it contains ancient myths and legends appropriated by the Hebrews and altered to fit their theology, that there were political and religious agendas in the compiling and editing of the text, that contradictions and errors exist and cannot be reconciled.

But these problems, and others, don’t bother me because I don’t believe a single mind wrote the words and guided the compiling.
I believe it is not a flawless product, but it is a product of good intentions.

And I have confidence that God is able to use even our flaws.

I believe it is a guide to help us grow in our understanding of God and relationship with him.

And I have confidence that the Living Word of God speaking through the Holy Spirit can and will transcend the static, written text of the Bible.

I believe the Bible contains the best description of God, in the accounts of Jesus Christ.

And I have confidence that however differently Christians look upon, read, interpret, and apply the Bible, God’s purposes will not be thwarted.

Blind River Rapids and Wildflowers

We have a nephew visiting from Oregon. I took him out to Blind River Rapids for a few hours of photography. The weather was mixed from rather heavy rain to clouds to brilliant sunshine. It made for some interesting time outdoors. The highlight for me was when I was able to capture a bald eagle taking off with some nesting material back to its nest.

Here are a few of my images taken with Canon EOS T4i and either EF-S 18-55 or the EF-S 55-250. I used onOne Software’s Perfect Photo Suite 8 for post-processing and image manipulation.

Rapids and Wildflowers - June 2014 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Next study will be through Mark’s gospel

We finished up 1 Corinthians a couple of weeks ago. What next? I’ve selected Mark’s gospel. We started this a few years back but was interrupted before finishing even a chapter.

You can follow the study here.

“Noah” Movie

So the Noah movie came to town this weekend and a few of us decided to go see what the fuss is/was all about.

After seeing it, I can perfectly understand the terrible comments directed toward it. Using the Genesis text as the standard of judgment, it could be said there really isn’t much in the movie that keeps to the text. Criticism is way to easy and far too obvious.

I was more interested to see if I could identify with the perspectives of the positive reviews that I read about the time when the movie first came out (March 28, 2014). I did have to look past the mediocre elements of the portrayal. And I had to consciously set aside the idea that I was seeing a Bible Story. But then I could identify with many, though not necessarily all, positive reflections on the movie.

Here I provide a list of some of the ones to which I refer. (No point in listing negative ones since, ahem, it doesn’t take much thought to come up with them.) I suppose, not surprisingly, the positive reflections are from progressive Christianity and Jewish sources.

• 'Noah:' Deeply, Passionately Biblical (Sojourners.net, Cathleen Falsani)
• A Biblical Review Of Noah (HuffPo, Rev. Otis Moss III)
• “Noah” in a nutshell: Watchers lose, love wins (Unfundamentalist Christians, Patheos, Dan Wilkinson)
• Movie Review | Noah: A Very Jewish Retelling (FinkOrSwim, Eliyahu Fink)
• Noah: Christian Film Review (Dr. Shawn Anderson)
• The Faithfulness of the Noah Film: Writer Ari Handel on God Learning From Humankind, Vitriolic Christians, & Midrash (Progressive Christian, Patheos, David R. Henson)

The Noah movie is at its strongest when it is working through the psychology of Noah carrying out what he absolutely believes to be a divine command, no matter what that means, even if it means murder in the name of God. It is at its weakest when it is trying to advance the narrative.

Sermon: The Power of Christ’s Resurrection

Link to my sermon today at the Presbyterian Church.

Father, Forgive Them…

You are John

You are John, the disciple. You were there when Judas left the Supper early. You didn’t think much of it until hours later when he came with a mob to seize Jesus. You saw Judas plant a kiss on Jesus, and then the rush of the mob upon him.

Everything turned into a blur after that. Afraid for your life, you fled the scene. But soon afterwards you turned back and followed at a distance.

You watched as the religious leaders and council members made mockery of the very laws they were sworn to uphold. You saw them beat and spit upon Jesus. You watched him in shackles being led from one place to another. You could see and hear their hate.

You spoke up for Peter and got him inside the courtyard. But then you heard Peter deny any knowledge of Jesus, as he warmed himself by the fire.

You are Mary

You are Mary, Jesus’ mother. You were awakened by frightened disciples screaming that Jesus had been betrayed by Judas and seized by the religious leaders. You wrap yourself with a cloak and rush out as quickly as you can toward Temple.

By the time you get there Jesus is in chains at the Praetorium. You hear the angry mob. The religious leaders egg them on. You hear Pilate proclaim Jesus’ innocence. Your hopes rise. But they are dashed just as quickly when he says Jesus will be scourged. You watch as the Roman soldiers strip Jesus of his clothing, tie him to a stake, and beat him with a scourge.

You would do anything to save your son. But you cannot. You are helpless.

Your hopes rise again as Pilate tries to release Jesus. But the cries of the mob grow louder. “Crucify him!” they shout and scream.

You sob. You cry. You shake.

You follow the procession out of Jerusalem. You watch Jesus stumble and fall, and fall again. He has no strength left. How can they do this to your son? Your baby? Your firstborn? The one who nursed at your breast? The one you comforted when he stumbled as a child? The one whose scrapes and bumps you bandaged?

You are at the Cross

You are Mary. You are John. You stand at a distance as the Romans pound spikes into Jesus, just another day’s work. The religious leaders and the mob cheer them on. You cannot bear to watch. You cover your ears, but the sounds of the spikes piercing into flesh and the screams from Jesus still penetrate. You hear the “thud” as the cross is dropped into its place, and the accompanying screams and cries of agony as Jesus experiences the shock of the fall.

You finally have the courage to turn around and look at Jesus. You are filled with both sorrow and rage.

Your eyes meet Jesus’. You see him take in an excruciating breath. What is so important that he endures such suffering in order to speak?

Every word struggling, strained, and pained, you hear, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34a CEB)

---

This story was presented as part of the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross Community Good Friday Service at the Petersburg Lutheran Church on April 18, 2014 in Petersburg, Alaska. It is a creative interpretation of what may have been going on in the minds of John and Mary during the time period depicted.

Book Review: The Answer to Bad Religion Is Not No Religion

The Answer to Bad Religion Is Not No Religion: A Guide to Good Religion for Seekers, Skeptics, and Believers by Martin Thielen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are tired of a rigid, black-and-white religious environment, this book might be for you.

Martin Thielen draws upon his own experiences in his book The Answer to Bad Religion Is Not No Religion: A Guide to Good Religion for Seekers, Skeptics, and Believers. His is a journey that begins when his denomination makes a shift toward fundamentalism. He feels he does not belong, but stays for some time because the costs of leaving seem too high. It is hard to leave a family that has nurtured you and helped you along in your spiritual growth. But eventually he is forced to face that the costs of staying are too high. And thus he leaves to a more progressive denomination - in his case, the United Methodists.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part describes what Martin sees as characterizing bad religion. These include judgmentalism and condemnation, a spirit of negativity, arrogance, absolutism, and intolerance. At the end of this first part he lists other characteristics but does not discuss them in detail.

The second part discusses why the decision of some who have exited toxic religion into "no religion" is not the right answer. He discusses how religion, in spite of its many imperfections, has been and continues to be a force for and a motivation for good in society. He discusses how human beings seemed to be wired to need religion.

The third part discusses characteristics that Martin believes are exhibited in good religion. These include prioritization of love, engagement in service, community building, forgiveness, and integrity. At the end of this part, in similarity to the first part, a list of additional good characteristic are given.

In the Conclusion chapter Martin recommends that those who want a good religion to try some of the mainline and moderate Christian churches. He specifically recommends trying out United Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, Disciples of Christ, UCC, American Baptist, Cooperative Baptist, and Alliance of Baptists churches.

There two appendices. The first lists additional reading and study materials. The second is a discussion of non-literal biblical hermeneutics.

I see a fairly narrow audience for this book. Those who are happy in conservative and fundamentalist churches and accept this way of biblical interpretations will be rather unhappy with this book. Those who are happy with their abandonment of or antipathy to any religion will likely not be swayed by this book. To those who are already in moderate, mainline churches will feel like this book is preaching to the choir.

That leaves those who have been disillusioned by their conservative and fundamentalist churches, and those who are currently on their way to abandoning religion but haven't quite got there yet. To these groups, this book is a call to take a pause and take a little more time exploring religion that, hopefully, is different from their pasts.

This review is based on an ARC supplied by the publisher through NetGalley.

View all my reviews