★★★★★

Is it about time for another Great Awakening?

This is the fourth book by Cornwall that I’ve reviewed and his writing never disappoints. Although this isn’t the type of book I usually enjoy, it’s one I can say I’m glad I read. I needed this.

Cornwall wonders if the Church isn’t on the verge of a new transition, guided by the Spirit. Though now a Disciples of Christ pastor, his roots are Pentecostal, and he recognizes that charismatic Christianity has a deep appreciation for the Spirit that many of us shrug off. Maybe the Spirit is making a comeback? Is it breaking in a new age of spiritual experience, discipleship, and hope? I found Cornwall’s portrayal of the Spirit inspiring: “Offering a variety of gifts, activities, and services, the Spirit moves through the community of faith like a refreshing breeze, enlivening and empowering the community’s worship, fellowship, and service.” Today’s Spirit-empowered communities are committed to bringing into play the world-healing presence of God’s Spirit. The goal is not to rescue us from hell to heaven but to fulfill God’s promise of making Abraham’s offspring a blessing to the world.

Yes, that’s you and me, and anyone else who carries the banner of “Christian.” Are you familiar with the Briggs-Myers personality test? Cornwall, like me, fits the mold of INTJ, so perhaps that explains the kinship I’ve felt with his writings in the past. Let me put it this way: I have an Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging personality (INTJ), as contrasted with the other extreme, an Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving personality (ESFP). This tangential discussion isn’t really a core part of Cornwall’s book, and there are no “right” or “wrong” personalities; I bring it up just to emphasize what rare, leave-me-alone oddballs he and I are. How can people like us possibly feel the flow of the Spirit, and then contribute productively to the community? What spiritual gifts might even we be given that we can use?

Cornwall approaches this topic with practicality and pastoral care. He suggests assessing our spiritual resources with a “gift inventory.” This will help sort through our ministry opportunities and our feelings about various ways of contributing. Yes, each of us in the Church has a ministerial role, not just pastors. Cornwall calls this “embracing a theology of giftedness,” while pointing to the teaching of Paul that all members of the Body play a worthwhile and necessary part. In gift-based ministry, it’s assumed that every member of the body contributes to the welfare of that body. We INTJ’s will leave a hole as deep as any other if we neglect to make use of our own God-given gifts.

Having convinced us of our unique importance, then, the second half of the book tells us how to get our hands dirty. It provides practical advice for various types of Christians, emphasizing how each gift is needed for a healthy community.

Every Christian should read this one.

★★★★★

This is really two books in one, and both are excellent. Hershel Shanks (editor of my favorite mag, Biblical Archaeology Review) tells the story of the discovery of the James ossuary, and Ben Witherington describes the person both scholars believe this limestone burial box belonged to: James, the brother of Jesus. I’ve been following Shanks’ arguments in BAR over the years, so I already know he’s a proponent of the ossuary’s authenticity.

The box itself is inscribed “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” The Bible agrees: Jesus’ father was Joseph and one brother was James. The box was discovered in the collection of a private collector, who had no recollection of its origin … and no idea of its potentially incredible value. It’s dated pretty accurately to the first century, so while we cannot say with any certainty that it’s authentic to THE Jesus, both authors are convinced it’s an authentic first-century bone box.

This practice of removing the bones from the tomb and burying them again in a small box was practiced only for a short time, from about 20 BC to 70 AD. This, too, points to the period of Jesus. But what are the odds that this box once held the bones of the brother of Jesus? All three of these names—Jesus (Yeshua), James (Ya’akov), and Joseph (Yosef)—were quite common back then, but it’s still possible to estimate the odds. One estimate is that about 20 such James’s (with the indicated brother and father) would have lived in that period; another estimate is between 2 and 4. But how many would have a brother so famous that his brother’s name would be indicated on his ossuary? That would be a rarity. If this is the brother of the “real” Jesus, then, as Shanks posits, this little box may be “the most astonishing find in the history of archaeology.”

Then Witherington takes over halfway through the book to tell us about James, the brother of Jesus. Who he was, what he taught, how he died. While Peter and Paul may have become the most famous apostles, James was in reality probably the most important after the death of Jesus. He was appointed as the head of the Jerusalem church, the mother church.

Among other things, Witherington goes head to head with the Catholic doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity. While the Bible lists several brothers of Jesus, Catholics maintain that Mary remained a virgin after Jesus was born, and many believe the listed “brothers” are really just cousins. This idea was promoted by St. Jerome. Witherington quotes John P. Meier, a leading Catholic New Testament scholar, as saying that if the James ossuary is authentic, it is probably the last nail in the coffin of Jerome’s view of the brothers of Jesus being cousins.

I’ve always enjoyed the writings of both these authors, and this book doesn’t disappoint.

★★★★★

I’ve often said that every person should undergo two major overhauls in their belief system during their life, for their own spiritual growth. I look forward with great anticipation to my next spiritual revelation, but I know I’m not ready yet.

Poplin was ready. She embraced Jesus hook, line and sinker, to the point where she sometimes sounds naïve. Yet she has clearly located the worldview that works for her. Poplin is surely aware of this odd contrast, with naiveté and intellectual writing side by side, and makes no apology, as she titles her final chapter “What if Christianity were true?”

This book is her spiritual journey and studies, comparing four worldviews (material naturalism, secular humanism, pantheism, and monotheism) and concluding that the latter, Christianity in particular, is the higher truth. The fundamental concern here is whether one of these worldviews is actually true. While each worldview contains a partial truth, Christianity supersedes each and carries believers further, opening up deeper revelations. These revelations did not come all at once for Poplin; she reflects on twenty years of following Christ, including a stint in Calcutta with Mother Teresa.

Her approach to “proving” Christianity is not normative apologetics. It is measuring the benefits of each worldview in various ways, which is why the book so appealed to me. Which worldview leads to the healthiest morals? Which best fits scientific discovery? Which psychology is most beneficial? In examining such things, Poplin journeys from truth to Truth, a higher level, and concludes that Christianity carries a person far beyond the limited truths of its competitors. Christianity, and the Trinity, encompasses the true and reasonable principles of all three other worldviews and offers even more. We get science without naturalism, humanism without relativity, and the spiritual beyond the impersonal and individual. But the problem in “proving” such claims is that Christianity can only be comprehended in a shallow, textbook way, until it is lived.

Here is an example. When Poplin converted to Christianity, she became deeply remorseful over two abortions she had had. Until her conversion, the healthiest option she could come up with to live with herself was to deny her sin, pretending that sin didn’t really exist, moralizing that by aborting she had made the logical, secular decision. After her conversion, she writes “Now I see that the solution to sin—the simple acknowledgement of sin for what it is and seeking God’s forgiveness and cleansing—is one of the most brilliant, hopeful and freeing principles of Judeo-Christianity.” The higher truth: Life is better as a Christian, and our eyes are opened.

★★★

In what appears at first to be an anonymous book, “Femigod” first questions mainstream and organized religion and then presents various spiritual and philosophical alternatives as superior. The author, it turns out, is named Femi (whether male or female I was unable to detect) and concludes that we are all gods in our own right, more powerful than we are led to believe. “Femigod” describes his/her own spiritual enlightenment by lightly skimming a plethora of belief options.

The traditional Eastern, Western, and African religions are covered first, highlighting their inconsistencies, contradictions, and absurdities. None of these objections are covered in detail, and none are original or deep; all are reflections of the author’s own disillusionment with no counterarguments, presented more as questions than answers in order to encourage you to critically examine your own faith upbringing. (Why is God male? Why does he want to be worshipped? What is God’s hangup about sex? etc.)

After delving into various myths and introducing a number of philosophers, Femigod then presents metaphysical alternatives: The astral world, paganism, astrology, and more. Along the way, you’ll learn a little about Tarot, angels, and mind-altering drugs.

My disappointment in the book was not in the topic, nor the obvious metaphysical slant, but in its shallow presentation. This topic is simply too much to cover in 168 pages. Read this one if you’re already questioning traditional religion and looking for something else to dive into. Then find other books to learn more about those alternatives.

It’s a great book, but I have to point out a couple negatives. The print is small, and the same artwork is repeated throughout. I’m guessing there are maybe a dozen unique frames throughout the book, which differ only in the words printed underneath the character drawings.  Whenever Joe, the Pastor, turns to look to the right, the part in his hair magically shifts to his left side … the wonders of mirror imaging. Obviously, you’re not buying the book for physical humor or captivating artwork. This format works well for a daily publication; not so much for a book, where the repetitiveness may begin to wear on you.

Artwork aside, though, you’ll fall in love with the personalities and their many character flaws. How like you and me they are, and how patient Jesus is with each of them! Definitely a feel-good book, whether or not Wilkie meant it to be!

★★★★

What really happened during Jesus’ “lost years” between his appearance at the Temple at age 12 and his ministry at about age 30? Did he grow up in Egypt? India? Or working with his father as a carpenter in Tiberias?

Bear’s story builds upon a medieval legend of Jesus visiting Britain, perhaps under the care of Joseph of Arimathea, who was in some versions of the legend Jesus’ great uncle and a tin merchant. Maybe you’ve read Gordon Strachan’s Jesus the Master Builder: Druid Mysteries and the Dawn of Christianity. Strachan takes these legends seriously, painting Jesus as a Druid.

Bear’s rendition doesn’t go that far. It is presented as fiction based on legend, but Bear’s research is exhaustive. Bear spins a tale of Jesus’ coming-of-age years based on the legend that encourages the reader to come to his or her own conclusions on how the cornerstone ideas of the Christian faith originated in the One we’ve accepted as Lord. The book is lightly tinged with pluralism, yet in all ways respectful of Christian beliefs; I’ve no reason to believe Bear isn’t a practicing Christian. His book brings myth and legend alive with meaning, speculating about how Jesus slowly began to piece together his mission in life. It’s also a well-researched glimpse into Roman oppression throughout the land, setting the scene for Jesus’ pacifistic opposition to the Empire.

In the story, Jesus develops a special relationship with the Father from a young age, but the Father’s ways are mysterious. Jesus contemplates his role as savior of the world and how the Father’s vision of the Messiah differs from the warrior figure Jesus envisioned; he learns what it means to be born again of the Spirit; he learns how to forgive and how to respect our differences. In short, readers of Bear’s novel witness the Making of the Lamb…the one who gave up his sword to die on the cross.

It’s a fascinating journey worth taking with the young Jesus. A book you won’t soon forget.

★★★★

This is an introductory philosophy text, complete with worksheets, focusing primarily on the subject of the nature of truth and how we know something to be true. What makes this text unique is that it chooses Christianity for its playground.

Do not assume an argument will be presented justifying Christian belief. Apologetics is not the focus at all. The exercises and examples often relate to Christian thinking, but you’ll find little resolution. In fact, the discussion seems to meander around several philosophy topics without ever zeroing in on any solid answers. The point is to introduce the philosophy of examining truth.

Along the way, you’ll discuss what is means to believe, the nature of religious belief, how God is experienced, providence, cause and effect, dualism, even miracles and the afterlife. Finally, Vick touches on the friction between science and faith, and the role of both. It’s an appropriate finish, and the book closes with an enigmatic discovery: “One cannot reasonably claim that knowledge results only from one kind of experience, or only from one method of understanding the world.” In other words, science and faith should cooperate in the search for truth.

My favorite section was a discussion of self-deception. Is such a thing even possible? This topic borders on the psychological. Does anyone ever really hold contradictory beliefs, or does one simply refuse to acknowledge the contradiction?

I can’t say this book is what I expected, but I did enjoy the study!

★★★★★

If ever there was a testament to the comfort of believing in God, this book is it. I cannot share all of Pamela’s beliefs (which are too conservative for my taste), but I rejoice in the comfort her God brings into her life, through good times and bad. I can’t help but award it five stars: warm, honest and heart-felt, this book is certain inspiration to believers.

Pamela tells of outgrowing the solemn way that was a burden to her in her childhood, into a full trust in the boundary-crossing grace of God. She grew up in the same Christian sect as I did, which she calls the One True Way to highlight its exclusiveness. No single belief system is right for everyone, and this one simply could not satisfy Pam’s spiritual needs. She found the church meetings suppressive and joyless. While she was still a child, a close friend died in an accident, who was outside the exclusive boundaries of the sect. Was this friend going to heaven or not? Pamela was distraught, until one day, God gently pointed out Proverbs 20:11 (“Even a child is known by his acts”) and Genesis 18:25 (“Should not the judge of all the earth do right?”) God’s love was greater than she had ever been taught. Still, the emotional turmoil of leaving behind the religious tradition she had been born into was very strong. Telling her parents of her change in beliefs was the hardest thing she ever did.

Choose this day whom you will serve. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord—Joshua 24:14-15

Also hard was the first time Pamela attended another church. All such churches had been condemned by her former belief system. But had she never made the transition away from exclusivism, she would never have been able to draw strength from the God of grace for the greater test around the corner. Her husband contracted cancer, and began slowly wasting away.

Romans 8:28 became Pamela’s “rainbow” in a world of pain. The end result of the long, cancerous journey with her Godly husband is this book, about the goodness of God.

Definitely recommended.

★★★★

I’m a fan of Robert Cornwall’s writing. It’s hard to overrate brevity, common sense, and simple honesty. Last year, one of his books made my Top Ten for 2012: See Faith in the Public Square.

In this book, Cornwall tackles the sticky subject of evolution. He writes as a theologian, not a scientist, but as one who recognizes his limited expertise and therefore respects and appreciates the contribution of scientists. Cornwall believes evolution is true not only because our greatest minds have offered convincing explanations, but because they have made great strides in medicine by building atop this biological knowledge. Cornwall believes the war between science and religion harms both sides, and that truth can best be approached by leaving the experts on each side to do their jobs without interference.

Cornwall is not alone in this opinion. A few years back, Dr. Michael Zimmerman penned a letter encouraging the compatibility of religion and science, and this letter has now garnered over 10,000 clergy signatures. “Evolution Sunday” was born, marking the closest Sunday to the birthday of Charles Darwin (February 12th), and at last count nearly 600 churches celebrated this day by using their worship service to address the issue, declaring that evolutionary science and faith are compatible.

Worshiping with Charles Darwin is a series of non-technical sermons and essays to that end. Many of the points and themes repeat in multiple sermons/essays, so there’s a bit of redundancy, yet I believe this book fills an important niche, with the theologian side of the war respectfully reaching out to make peace.

★★★★★

Are you into graphic novels? I’ve never considered them my thing, always picturing such texts as little more than a comic book. So I was surprised to enjoy this one as much as I did.

A graphic novel attempts to communicate on a different level, with penetrating images. The artistic lines and colors, at least in this book, are vibrant, stark, evocative, powerful … this is a visual journey with a serious tone.

Messiah: Origin is the beginning of the gospel story, from the birth of Jesus through the ministry of John the Baptist. I presume it’s the first publication of a series. What sets this “novel” apart is that it contains no words except as translated directly from the Greek of the New Testament. It is a narrative harmony of the four Gospels, translated by Mark Arey, a Greek Orthodox clergyman, arranged in story form by Matt Dorff, and illustrated by Kai Carpenter … an effective partnership.

Definitely recommended as an enjoyable and moving story, though anticlimactic … I do wish I had more of the story of Jesus to read.

★★★★★

As a teenager, I was enthralled with wargaming. Though I outgrew the tendency of boys to glorify battle, I never did outgrow my interest in military strategy. Well, here is a book for battle aficionados, with a Biblical setting.

I picked this book up from the bargain shelf at a Barnes and Noble, and really, it’s a fun read. It covers battles in Palestine from 1400 BC to 73 AD. Some are in the Christian Bible and some are not. For example, the Seleucid wars will be found only in the Catholic Bible, which includes the deuterocanonical books about the Maccabees, and the fall of Jerusalem is predicted by Jesus but happens after the time frame of the Bible.

The authors researched the battles from multiple sources, and do not give the Biblical accounts more credence than are warranted. Biblical exaggerations are toned down in many places. However, it was still a challenge for the authors, as it’s very difficult to know how much to trust each historical source. The battle description of Masada, for example, includes Josephus’s story of mass suicide, and the battles in the time of Joshua presume a very large invading army from the exodus of Egypt.

Twenty different battles are narrated, and each battle highlights the who, what, when, where and why, before presenting the full story, accompanied by an easy-to-read battle diagram.

Whether you use this book as a coffee table conversation piece (it’s very beautiful, with full-color pictures), as a reference book, or read it all the way through as a military history of Palestine, the way I did, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.

★★★

As we transitioned from a premodern to modern world, as the Enlightenment opened our eyes, and as more and more atheists came out of the closet, Christian apologetics thrived. In this new world, we Christians feel it is our inherent responsibility to prove the truth of our Christian worldview. We feel the need to justify our beliefs. But, when it comes to spreading the Gospel, has apologetics become more hostile than helpful? Does it edify, or does it tear down?

Penner wonders if apologetics is not the single biggest threat to genuine Christian faith. Who do we think we are, trying to bring the Truth (capital T) of God down to our human reasoning level, and strip it down to bite-size truths (little T) that we can nail into our opponents? There’s a difference between knowing something is true and showing it to be true.

Penner feels it’s time to take the next step to postmodernity in our approach to apologetics. The modern Enlightenment worldview is just one way of viewing the world, and may not be the most appropriate way for Christian witness. An apologetic approach that doesn’t respect the identity of our listeners, or that doesn’t highlight the role of Love (for, at it’s most basic level, the Truth of God is about Love), does an injustice to the Gospel. If the Gospel we present isn’t good news, it isn’t true. And truth, says Penner, is something you live, not something you own.

He compares experts to prophets in his discussion of proper, postmodern apologetics. The prophets are preferable; we cling to our experts and trust them to present the facts, but it’s the prophets who deliver a higher truth. Bible prophets cared little about proving the truth of their message. What utter silliness would that be, to question a message from God? Instead, they lived the message.

All of this sounds intuitive and wonderful, yet somehow, the book didn’t inspire a change in me. Too dry, perhaps, or too few real-world examples. I found it intellectual and mildly stimulating, yet ultimately unsatisfying. The philosophical presentation stayed on an intellectual level through the whole book, and never broke through to the heart where it could make a difference.