What is the Future of Publishing?

I found this video at Michael Hyatt's blog (he's the CEO of Thomas Nelson).  You need to watch it all the way through to get the full impact. 

In Store Now - Revelation

Another commentary on Revelation?  Do we really need it?  Of course we could ask this of any commentary but on Revelation it is particularly important.  I did a couple of studies of Revelation years ago but was quickly discouraged by them when I saw they were nothing more than wildly subjective interpretations based on no evidence at all.  Even when I went to Moody and Trinity I avoided discussions of Revelation because I didn't want to get involved in useless discussions of the meaning of 666 or the 144,000.  I didn't realize there was a much saner approach available.  When I saw this new commentary by Joseph L. Mangina I wasn't sure what to expect.  First of all it is a "theological" commentary on the Bible.  My impression of the Brazos Theological Commentaries has been mixed.  Some of them I love while others have been a disappointment.  Such is the case with any series (although to date I've been very happy with the BECNT and Pillar series).  Anyway, I have been skimming this commentary and the more I skim the more I'm impressed with what I see.  This is one of those commentaries that I've put on my "read all the way through" list.  Here's a sample of why I'm so happy with this commentary. 

“Yet when all has been said, it must be admitted that these middle chapters [6-18] remain rough going. Revelation is disconcertingly unsentimental in its portrayal of both God and evil. Indeed, much of the therapeutic force of the Apocalypse may well be to purge us of some of our fantasies concerning God. Rowan Williams writes that if one such fantasy is that of God as the classic Freudian father, ‘an authority figure who could sort out all our problems, who is always there on hand to help us out of situations where we would otherwise have to take responsibility,’ the opposite danger might be that of ‘projecting on to God the characteristics of an idealized mother, always accepting and soothing.’ On the other hand, God the ultimate daddy, endowed with the magical power to make everything right; on the other hand, God the great mommy, accepting us ‘just the way we are.’ It should be evident that both fantasies are grounded in a mixture of fear, self-love and the seemingly infinite human capacity for self-deception."

"The genius of Revelation, we might say, is that it helps to purge us of these and other such fantasies concerning God. God is not whatever we would like him to be. God is God. He is the Creator and Pantokratōr glimpsed in the heavenly worship—power indeed, but not power at human disposal and control—and he is also the Lamb, slaughtered victim-as-victor. If the image of the all-powerful God should free us from our sentimentalism concerning God, the image of the Lamb of God should free us from our fear. If there is a hermeneutic for interpreting the violent passages in Revelation it can be only the cross. ‘How could it be said more clearly,’ writes Jacques Ellul with penetrating insight, ‘that all that is read afterward [i.e., in the judgments of the seals, trumpets, and bowls], all these abominable things, are under the cover, under the signification, under the embrace of the love of the Lamb. And nowhere else. That all is situated in the cross of Jesus Christ, that these texts must not be read in themselves but only by relation to that love which sacrifices for those who hate it.’” (97)

And this,

“The wrath of the Lamb! This is indeed an unexpected twist. That the Father should be wrathful is not a totally unfamiliar idea, especially in the kind of theology where ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ stands between sinful humanity and the Father’s judgment. On this reading, Jesus is the purely passive and human victim who absorbs or deflects the Father’s anger. The problem with this view is the sharp tension it seems to posit between the divine anger and the divine love, as also between the persons of the Trinity. It is much better to say that the divine wrath is the form that God’s love assumes when it encounters resistance on the part of the creature; it is the divine ‘no’ to the plight of humanity in this ‘present evil age’; and so Christ appears on the same side as the Father, as equally the agent of God’s love and his judgment. Jesus Christ is the judge—what conviction could be more fundamental to the whole New Testament witness?—and therefore, inevitably and necessarily, the executor of the wrath and judgment of God.” (106)

This is "theological" commentary at its best.  Do we need another commentary on Revelation?  When they're this well written and with such depth I have to say yes.  Revelation is from Brazos Press with 288 pages and sells for $29.99. 

Joseph Mangina, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, has taught at Wycliffe since 1998. Born and raised in New Jersey, he began his theological studies at Yale Divinity School. Two years of church work in the divided city of Berlin were followed by a return to Yale, where he completed a Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1994. His theological interests run the gamut from ecclesiology, biblical interpretation, Christianity and culture, to ecumenical theology. He serves on the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue commission for Canada.

Get a Free Copy of the Common English Bible New Testament

Jeff from the Scripture Zealot is keeping me busy with some very helpful links.  The Common English Bible New Testament is due out this fall and the entire Bible will be out in 2011.  You can request a free copy of the New Testament by going here.  You can see a PDF of Matthew here.  Here's just a bit of info from their website:

About the Common English Bible

The Common English Bible is not simply a revision or update of an existing translation. It is a bold new translation designed to meet the needs of today’s Christians as they work to build a strong and meaningful relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

A key goal of the CEB translation team is to make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people; it’s written at a comfortable level for over half of all English readers. As the translators do their work, reading specialists from more than a dozen denominations review the texts to ensure a smooth and natural reading experience. Easy readability can enhance church worship and participation, and personal Bible study. It also encourages children and youth to discover the Bible for themselves, perhaps for the very first time.

Who Is It For?

The Common English Bible is committed to the whole church of Jesus Christ. To achieve this, the CEB represents the work of a diverse team with broad scholarship, including the work of over one hundred and fifteen scholars—men and women from twenty-two faith traditions in American, African, Asian, European and Latino communities. As a result, the English translation of ancient words has an uncommon relevance for a broad audience of Bible readers—from children to scholars.

The CEB will be at a 7th grade reading level with most books scoring at a 6th grade reading level.  "The CEB is sponsored and endorsed by the Common English Bible Committee, which is an alliance of mainstream Protestant denominational publishers, including Presbyterian (USA), Episcopalian, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ representatives."

Great Article by Mark Galli and a Forthcoming Book by J. I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett

Readers of this blog know how much I appreciate Mark Galli.  His latest article in Christianity Today is superb.  Here's the opening paragraphs:

"In a therapeutic culture in which psychology is the lingua franca, it's easy to inadvertently subvert the gospel, to imagine we're talking about the gospel when we're really talking about the anti-gospel.

A few months ago when I was traveling, I attended a local church that was 'the' evangelical church in that suburb. The text for the day was the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The preacher began by reminding us of the context—the search of a shepherd for a valuable sheep; the search of a woman for a valuable coin. We were then told that the father in the parable, when he saw his wayward son far off, did not see someone who was selfish or a loser. Instead, through all the junk, he saw something valuable: a son. The sermon concluded with a reminder that God gives us the ability to see the treasure, the value in everyone we meet.

I am one with this preacher's motives and aims. But in his desire to proclaim the magnificent love of God, he inadvertently fell into language that actually proclaims bad news—all this talk of the intrinsic value in the object of love. This preacher did not go so far as to say it, but I've heard the following in sermons and read it in books by respectable evangelicals: 'You are unique and valuable. You were worth so much to God that he was willing to die to redeem you, so you could be in his family.' And this: 'We are worth the price God paid for us, the death of his Son.'

But of course this gets it exactly backwards. Unfortunately, in an attempt to convey the radical love of God, such well meaning Christians actually sabotage it.

For if we have some measure of intrinsic value to God, a number of things follow: First, it is our value, and not God's love, that forces God's hand. He looks at us and sees something of value, and being a reasonable fellow—one who knows and appreciates things of value—he pretty much has to redeem us. The love of God is not given freely in mercy to the undeserving, but instead to the deserving—because, after all, we are of infinite worth! God would be a poor judge of character if he did not choose to die for us."

The article is well worth reading:  Love Needs No Reason. 

In the current issue of Christianity Today we have an excerpt from a forthcoming book by J. I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett, Grounded in the Gospel.  In this important book Packer and Parrett argue for recovering the time-tested practice of catechesis. 

Here's what they say is the problem with Sunday School:

"Today, however, things are quite different, and that for a host of reasons. The church in the West has largely abandoned serious catechesis as a normative practice. Among the more surprising of the factors that have contributed to this decline are the unintended consequences of the great Sunday school movement. This lay-driven phenomenon swept across North America in the 1800s and came to dominate educational efforts in most evangelical churches through the 20th century. It effectively replaced pastor-catechists with relatively untrained lay workers, and substituted an instilling of familiarity (or shall we say, perhaps, over-familiarity) with Bible stories for any form of grounding in the basic beliefs, practices, and ethics of the faith.

Thus, for most contemporary evangelicals the entire idea of catechesis is largely an alien concept. The very word itself—catechesis, or any of its associated terms, including catechism—is greeted with suspicion by most evangelicals today. ('Wait, isn't that a Roman Catholic thing?')

We are persuaded that Calvin had it right and that we are already seeing the sad, even tragic, consequences of allowing the church to continue uncatechized in any significant sense. We are persuaded, further, that something can and must be done to help the Protestant churches steer a wiser course. What we are after, to put it otherwise, is to encourage our fellow evangelicals to seriously consider the wisdom of building believers the old-fashioned way." (emphasis theirs)

The book should be out next month.  It is from Baker Books with 240 pages and will sell for $16.99.

My First Father Daughter Banquet

I attended my first father daughter banquet last night.  I was a bit apprehensive at first but I'm not sure why.  Maybe it was the prospect of getting dressed up.  I had a wonderful time spending the evening with my two beautiful daughters, Sarah 17 and Bethany 10 1/2.  I have to add the "half" because that's important at this time.  The evening was hosted by one of our local Christian radio stations (WCSG 91.3) and Baker Book House was one of the sponsors of the event.  We enjoyed a concert from artist Meredith Andrews.  Bethany was excited about seeing her and was doubly excited about getting her autograph on a CD.  Sarah decided on a cool T-shirt.  I'm already planning on going next year.  The tickets go fast and both nights this year sold out early.  If you're a dad and have an opportunity to go I would highly encourage it.  You won't be disappointed.

Sarah, me, Bethany

We enjoyed a front row table.

Your Church is Too Small - A Blog Tour Review

It's an honor to be a part of this blog tour hosted by Zondervan on John Armstrong's new book Your Church is Too Small.  Thanks to Zondervan for the advanced reading copy. 

When I was at Trinity I had the pleasure of having Carl Henry for a class. One day he told us that we need to think in terms which will “move Christendom.” I thought “I’ll put that on my calendar. ‘Take final exam in Henry’s class. Move Christendom.’” Well, I passed the final exam but have not done anything that I would consider worthy enough of moving Christendom.

As I was reading John Armstrong’s book, Your Church is Too Small, it occurred to me “This guy is thinking in terms which could move Christendom!” But let’s clarify one important point: this book is not about growing church membership. John has a bigger vision than simply transforming a small church into a mega church. No. Your church is not simply the little white church with a steeple on Little Church Ave. It is part of the church which Christ prayed for in John 17 and spans the globe. This church includes Catholics, Evangelicals, Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostals, Reformed, Wesleyans and more. We begin with Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-23.

John notes that some have focused on what the prayer does not mean rather than on what it does mean. (42) When pressed they usually adopt an interpretation which appeals to something along the lines of the invisible church. But this can’t work since Jesus would be praying for something we already possess. The invisible church is united! Rather, Jesus is speaking of a “relational unity” or a “unity between persons that is rooted in their relationships with one another.” (43) I think John is supported here by Paul in Romans 15:5 where he prays that God will give to them “the same attitude of mind toward each other that Jesus had.” Doug Moo observes in his commentary “Paul’s concern is not, at least primarily, that the believers in Rome all hold the same opinion of these ‘matters indifferent’; but that they remain united in their devotion to the Lord Jesus and to his service in the world.” (The Epistle to the Romans, p. 871) It is this very unity which John says has been undermined by divisions and fractions in the church. “We must” he says “cultivate a holy discontent about our unholy divisions.” (63) At the root of these divisions is sectarianism. He defines sectarianism as “mutual exclusivity, an exclusivity that thrives when people and groups believe they have a superior claim to truth. Sectarians believe their church/denomination/tradition can best ‘represent the body of Christ, to the exclusion or minimization of other genuinely Christian groups.” (92) It is here I think John shows some careful thinking because he reminds us often that we should not give up what makes us distinctive. “I agree that everyone should believe that the church they embrace is the ‘right’ one. Problems often arise, though, when Christians and churches believe that their brand of Christianity is entirely right—a way of thinking rooted in the notion that I am one who believes the truth and you believe a lie.” (93) There is a tightrope which John walks and he keeps his readers aware of the dangers of going to either extreme. One example of the extremes to be avoided are between uniformity and deviance. “When uniformity goes too far, we oppress and suppress those who disagree with us; when deviance goes too far, we allow almost anything that our age deems appropriate. Unity in Christ and the truth must be our pattern.” (138) This is a big dream and John knows it will take work. He says, “I am sure on one thing: idealistic dreams of unity will not bring about unity itself.” (89)

The pattern for our unity is also seen in the Trinity. In the Trinity we see three persons in perfect union and harmony. But we are fragmented and divided. The solution John says “is for Christians to first cultivate a love for catholicity and then prayerfully reach across our divisions, challenging each other to embrace the mission of Christ together.” (104) We have to stop thinking of ourselves as simply Methodists or Baptists or Lutherans. Together we are the people of God. We could say the Methodists, Baptists and Lutherans (and others but you get the point) of Grand Rapids are the Church at Grand Rapids. (See the chart on page 109.) There is much more that ties us together than divides us. John cites the Apostle’s creed as a prime example of something which unifies us. “We find no other document in early church history, apart from the Bible, that served a greater purpose in uniting Christians in their common faith. The creed was confessed in one’s baptism, affirmed regularly by the whole gathered church, and openly used to express the kind of essential Christianity that united believers.” (78)

John’s term of preference is missional-ecumenism. The back of the book contains a helpful glossary and there we find this definition of missional-ecumenism: “I wish to stress these two truths: (1) God is both a unity in himself and as such a sending God, and (2) God’s revealed desire is that we would be (relationally) one with him in this sending and sent (mission) process—thus the term missional-ecumenism.” (203)

I resonate with a lot of what John says. His early start on this path was triggered by meeting Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Slowly his defenses came down and he realized his fears were “negatively impacting his spiritual life and bringing with it deep anxiety.” (31) Eventually he “discovered a wonderful liberty in letting go of the need to always be right!” (39) In my job here at Baker on the Church Relations Team I’ve been to dozens of wonderful churches. I’ve met Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, and plenty of Reformed folk who I’ve learned so much from and value all their friendships. John says that he still has some “misgivings about parts of the ecumenical movement.” (170) He does not elaborate much on this point. (I suppose too much of that would be counter to his intent.) I have some concerns of my own as I read the book. I’ll simply enumerate them here.

1) How is the gospel defined in an ecumenically acceptable way? John mentions the problem of the “gospel wars” which are “accompanied by huge debates, conferences, and books.” (161) But, he says, “When we reduce the gospel to manageable ideas, we demonize other Christians who do not preach the gospel as we do. A favorite text can be Galatians 1:6-9, where Paul warns about false gospels. (Rarely do those who use this text pay careful attention to the context or its social setting; instead it becomes another proof text for attacking Christians!)” (162) John says he used to engage in these kinds of debates and that it was “not totally wrong.” He says we need truth and “without truth there is no real Christianity.” (162) “But,” he says “I am now firmly convinced that without a serious commitment to missional-ecumenism, we will never get the proper balance needed for modern reformation.” (162) What does it mean to have a gospel that is not a “manageable idea?” To me a manageable idea is something that I can adequately understand enough to clearly communicate it to someone else. Clearly, this is not what John is talking about. Perhaps he has in mind that the gospel is not something which I can wield at whim or use for my own purposes (for fame or fortune?). I would certainly agree with that. But he ends this discussion with no clear definition of what the gospel is. The huge debates, conferences and books exist because people disagree about what that message is and I’m not ready to say it is all just pointless debate.

2) Questions on defining a Christian. By asking this question I open myself to being charged with being sectarian. I say this because John says when he “held tenaciously to sectarianism” he would wrestle with this question. (146) Can someone wrestle with this question and not be sectarian? I hope so because I’m wrestling with some of what John said and I don’t mean to be narrow-minded or parochial. I agree that a Christian has the Spirit of Christ. On that we agree. But why do we stop with Romans 8:9? He says he gave up asking the question because he doesn’t know who has the Spirit and who doesn’t. From here he was free to be more concerned with his own faith and attitudes. (149) He says the role of judging who is a real Christian or not is a church matter and not a private one. (150) It is a “type of ministry . . . done well by wise leaders who earnestly labor in such demanding work (see Matthew 7:1-6).” (150) But the appeal to Matthew 7 seems to indicate that there is a certain observable behavior which these wise leaders may use in their judgment. Is it only the ever-judging Christian who sits in judgment of a professing believer who shows not fruit in their life or can’t it be a sign of love, care and compassion which moves a brother or sister who is deeply troubled by what may be a self-deluded person and therefore confronts (with the appropriate grace and humility which is so often missing) the contradiction in that person's life?

3) I appreciate the appeal to the early creeds as a way of emphasizing our unity. But creeds arose not only as a formulation of what we believe but also in response to heresy. How far back and which creeds do we accept as “ecumenical?” The Reformed church does not accept all of the seven ecumenical councils in part due to some of the rulings on icons.

I don’t mean for my questions to take away from the good I see in what John is arguing for. Perhaps it is the latent sectarian in me. I would like to think it’s just some honest questions.  The book is full of sound wisdom and I often found my questions were answered as I kept reading.  There are numerous charts which help clarify parts of John's argument.  Some I found extemely helpful such as "The Dangers of Losing the Catholicity of Denominationalism" on page 142  Others I found less helpful and problematic such as "Comparison of Attractional and Incarnational Approaches" on p. 176.  John is well aware of the mine fields that surround a position like his but he shows courage in his move forward.  Indeed, he's not afraid to caution his readers with words as if from a returning troop from the front lines: "Those who recognize God's desire for unity and begin to obey his commands will also need to learn how to forgive others, since every effort at unity involves misunderstandings among sinful people.  You are guaranteed to get hurt!  We simply cannot undertake this kind of praying and teaching without the Holy Spirit's grace and power."  (83) 

We created an ecumenical calendar that we sell in the store which features the church calendar with significant dates of importance to Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and Messianic Jews. We did this to foster within our church relations team an appreciation for the larger church of which we are part. I can say that those of us who worked on this learned a lot and we developed valuable relationships with members of each of those communities as we put it together. I pray that John’s work and vision will grow. We may be witnesses to a move in Christendom. 

Sneak Peak at the HCSB Study Bible

You can get a sneak preview of sixteen pages of the forthcoming HCSB Study Bible which is due out this October.  My thanks to Jeff from the Scripture Zealot for providing the link who, in turn, found it at Anwoth who offers some of his initial observations.  Ah, the internet.  Here are some of my observations:

1) It’s full color. Zondervan’s Archeological Study Bible is the father of the full color study Bibles (The old Rainbow Bible is no comparison). The real test will be in the transparency. As much as I love the Archeological Study Bible often times the color pictures show through and become very distracting. Color maps also appear on the same page as the text. The same is done in the ESV Study Bible. Very helpful and extremely attractive.

2) It’s not red letter. I’ll have customers jump for joy and others who will complain. My guess is they will have a selection of both. But while the text is black the verse numbers are blue and the chapter and paragraph headings are brown/tan (?). This includes the cross references and the numbers at the bottom of the page beside the notes. I suspect this will be across the board in all editions which is unfortunate because there will be some who don’t like the extra color in the text since having a little blue number in the middle of a sentence will be a distraction for reading.

3) Word Studies. There are blocked off segments which offer a closer look at a particular word. They provide the Greek pronunciation, the HCSB translation, the number of uses in that particular book and the number of uses in the NT. It then gives a paragraph or so on the meaning of the word.

4) Essays. I’m not sure how many there will be but the sample shows one by Robert Stein on the “Differences in the Gospels.” If this is an indicator of the quality of the other essays we will not be disappointed.

5) Notes. Here’s where the real test comes with any study Bible. Sixteen pages is not much to judge by but I liked what I saw. I won’t be surprised by a theological bias since every study Bible has some bias to it. For the record I don’t know of a study Bible that has “just the facts” with no “man’s opinion.” I have had customers ask me for it. One test for me is how much the notes overlap with other study Bibles. After a while they start to repeat each other but with varying expressions. To some extent this should be expected.

Here’s one note I found interesting on Matthew 3:1 which reads “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea.” To understand the note better you should know “Archelaus” is mentioned in 2:22 (“But when he [Joseph] heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea . . .”

"In those days means “during the time of Jesus’ residence in Nazareth” rather than “during the reign of Archelaus.” After all, Archelaus reigned from 4 b.c. to a.d. 6, too early for John the Baptist to have begun his ministry since he would have been under age 12. In OT usage, “in those days” often referred to a time of prophetic fulfillment (Zph 1:15; Am 9:11; Zch 12:3-4; Is 10:20). Matthew probably used the phrase in conjunction with his references to fulfilled prophecy to emphasize that God’s promises were being fulfilled through Jesus and John the Baptist, herald and predecessor of Messiah. The location of John’s ministry (Wilderness of Judea) is reminiscent of the ministry of the prophet Elijah (1 Kg 17:3; 19:3-18; 2 Kg 2:1-12), whom many Jews believed would appear again to prepare the way for Messiah (Mt 17:10-13). Josephus described John’s ministry in a way that closely matches the gospel accounts (Ant. 18.114-119)."

The Bible is due out this October. As I get more information on it I’ll pass it along.

In Store Now - Introducing the New Testament

How do you get 781 pages of material into 176 pages?  Ask Andy Naselli.  Introducing the New Testament: A Short Guide to its History and Message is new from Zondervan and is a condensation of the larger work by D. A. Carson and Douglas Moo An Introduction to the New Testament. 

This is an impressive work.  If I were doing this I wouldn't know where to begin.  It's important to know this is not just a cut and paste of the larger work.  Andy did considerable rewriting of much of the material.  But he still managed to retain a lot of the meat of the book.  There are even a couple of extra features which make this even more appealing.  Each chapter ends with the question "What Does _____ Contribute to Our Understanding of the Faith?"  There are questions for review and discussion which make it handy for small group studies.  And each chapter also includes a section of "Recommended Resources" which is broken down into three parts: Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced.  The discussion of the "New Perspective" is a model of clarity and involves a mere four pages.  The danger in any kind of condensation is that critical details are omitted or brushed over in a facile manner.  But that's why this is a simple introduction.  It's meant to get your feet wet not to bathe in.  (There's always more to be said on almost everything.  Even the preface to the larger edition says the following of itself: "Although the brevity of this volume precludes detailed discussion of many topics we would have like to pursue, we hope the constraints we have chosen will enhance its value. emphasis mine)  But Andy shows he knows where a little more discussion is required.  The authorship of 1 & 2 Corinthians is treated with one sentence: "Paul is identified as the author in the opening verses of both letters, and few have contested the claim."  (90)  But when it comes to the authorship of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus we have an acknowledgment that "most modern critical scholars hold that the Pastoral Epistles are pseudonymous, that is, the author is not Paul but someone addressing the people of his own day with what he thought Paul would have said to them."  (123)  Then he surveys five arguments offered against Pauline authorship and provides a brief response to each one.  Each book is laid out with a similar outline.  I'll use Luke as an example:

A.  What is Luke about?
B.  Who wrote Luke?
C.  Where was Luke written?
D.  When was Luke written?
E.  To whom was Luke written?
F.  Why was Luke written?
G.  How does Luke Compare with Matthew and Mark?
H.  What is the relationship between Luke and Acts?
I.  What does Luke contribute to our understanding of the faith?

All of the books have questions A - F and I.  Other books have questions unique to them.  In Mark we have "Is Mark 16:9-20 Authentic?" In Acts we have "What Style of Literature is Acts?"  In 1 & 2 Corinthians we have "How Do the Historical Puzzle Pieces Fit Together?" which addresses the Corinthian correspondence. 

This is a fine book which would do well for church libraries or small group leaders.  New believers or high school students just starting a study of the New Testament could also benefit from this volume.  This was no small task to accomplish but kudos to Andy on a job well done.  Oh, and it's only $12.99. 

Just for Laughs!

I was delighted to see John Walton this past Friday even if we only had 10 minutes to talk.  I'm very excited about a couple of projects he's working on one of which is the Job commentary for the NIV Application Commentary series.  This video has been out for a while but if you haven't seen it I think you'll enjoy it.  It shows his marvelous sense of humor. 

Unlearning Protestantism - First Impressions

Why is a good Protestant boy like me reading a book called Unlearning Protestantism: Sustaining Christian Community in an Unstable Age?  When I first heard about it at sales conference I was assured that the author, Gerald W. Schlabach, was not attempting to convert Protestants to Catholicism.  Sure enough here's how the book starts:

"This book is not about encouraging people to abandon Protestant churches.  It is not a pamphlet to persuade Protestants to become Roman Catholic.  Rather it is about virtues that all Christian communities need to sustain their communal lives, whatever their ecclesial location."  (9)

As I read through the first chapter statements like this kept my attention and made me want to read on:

"What all of us need are the practices and virtues that make it possible to reform, protest, and even dissent out of love for one's Christian community--even while sustaining a doggedly loyal commitment to 'hang in there' with those among whom we disagree." (32, emphasis his) 

And, coming off the heels of McLaren it was refreshing to read these words:

"It is one thing to say that every human institution and tradition must be continually vulnerable to prophetic critique and correction.  It is another thing to hold all tradition suspect as a matter of principle.  A church then must either face the unstable prospect of perpetually starting over or pass along its convictions through traditions that go covertly by some other name."  (35) 

I like what I've read so far and look forward to what's ahead.  See also the recent starred review in Publishers Weekly.  Unlearning Protestantism is from Brazos Press.  It has 288 pages and sells for $28.99.

Gerald W. Schlabach (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of theology and director of the Justice and Peace Studies program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the founder and director of Bridgefolk, a movement of Mennonites and Roman Catholics who come together to celebrate each other's traditions, explore each other's practices, and honor each other's contribution to the mission of Christ's church.

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Lent

This is the opening prayer for today from the devotional I'm following.  It comes from Jerome. 

"Show me, O Lord, your mercy, and delight my heart with it.  Let me find you whom I longingly seek.  See, here is the man whom the robbers seized, mishandled and left half dead on the road to Jericho.  O kind-hearted Samaritan, come to my aid!  I am the sheep who wandered into the wilderness--seek after me, and bring me home again to your fold.  Do with me what you will, that I may stay by you all the days of my life and praise you with all those who are with you in heaven for all eternity."

Jerome in his study.