The ESV Study Bible - Info is available

The ESV Study Bible is due to arrive on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. You can pre-order a copy in the store today, or call 616.957.3110 with questions. The list prices are as follows:

Hardcover with jacket: $49.99

TruTone editions: $74.99

Bonded leather editions: $74.99

Genuine leather editions: $94.99

And a Premium Calfskin edition: $239.99

BBH also offers a 20% discount to Pastors, Churches and students in the store. (Prices on the website may vary.)

"The ESV is a dream come true for me. The rightful heir to a great line of historic translations, it provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for. Now the scope and theological faithfulness of the ESV Study Bible study notes is breathtaking. Oh how precious is the written Word of God." - John Piper, Bethlehem Baptist Church

Beverly Van Kampen joins "Shack" panel!

Author and speaker, Beverly Van Kampen will be participating in the BBH book discussion on The Shack. Mrs. Van Kampen will be joined by other panelists (check back for details) and William P. Young via phone.

Beverly Van Kampen is the author of The GodSense Devotional and The Bible Study Teacher's Guide. To learn more about Mrs. Van Kampen and her ministry visit http://www.beverlyvankampen.com/

The Shack book discussion will be:

Thursday August 21, 2008

7pm

Due to limited space, tickets are required.

Call 616.957.3110 for FREE tickets.

Brian McLaren comes to BBH!

Author and activist, Brian McLaren, will be speaking and signing books at BBH on Saturday, August 16, from 6pm to 8pm. Entry is free, but space is limited so arrive early!

Brian's most recent releases are Finding Our Way Again and Everything Must Change.

Author of "The Shack" shares his thoughts!

William P. Young, author of "The Shack," will be participating in the BBH book discussion via phone! At a recent Christian retail conference he offered to participate after hearing about the event. Thanks William!

The book discussion will take place on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 7pm in our Kentwood location. It is a free event, but seating is limited so we ask that you pick up tickets at our customer service desk.

email Andrew with questions: churchrelations@bakerbookretail.com
or call the store: 616-957-3110

The Shack - Discussing the Trinity Part 1: Papa

Everyone seems to be talking about William Young's, "The Shack" right now, so I thought it would be fun to join the conversation. There are a handful of topics presented in the book that Theologs are discussing. For the sake of time and space, I'll just stick to one issue: The Trinity. Specifically, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Young's portrayal of the Trinity throughout the book, and what are the positive and negative effects this may have on the church?

I'd love to hear feedback from every point of view, but please, let's keep it clean.

With this first post we'll examine "Papa." For the remainder of the discussion I will refer to "Papa" interchangibly with "God" meaning the figure of the Trinity traditionally called "God the Father."

How is he/she portrayed and what are the implications of this portrayal? I'll list a few observations, you can post your responses.

1) God is a woman named "Papa": See p.86 and 91. The average Christian thinks of God as a man, even the Lord's prayer refers to "Our Father," but a number of scholar's conclude that God is genderless. What are your thoughts?

2) God has scars from the cross: On p.95-96 Papa reveals her scarred wrists to Mack. "We were there (on the cross) together." (p.96) Mack asks about Matt.27:46 - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (NIV) Papa responds with "you didn't understand the mystery." So was God crucified with Christ, or was Christ forsaken, or both? One step further, was the Holy Spirit crucified too? ("We were there...")

3) God became human with Christ: See p. 99: "When we three spoke ourself into human existence as the Son of god, we became fully human. We also chose to embrace all the limitations that this entailed. Even though we have always been present in this created universe, we now became flesh and blood." Despite the pronoun and tense confusion in this paragraph, what does this say of the incarnation? Were all three human? Or was only Christ human with the other two present in him? Can this question really be answered definitvely?

"Jesus Mean and Wild" - Mark Galli

Mark Galli is one of those writers who couldn’t be boring if he tried. In Jesus Mean and Wild Galli presents those aspects of Jesus from the Gospels that tend to make the reader a bit uncomfortable. The book walks through selected passages from the Gospel of Mark and is illustrated with figures from Church History. This combination provides the reader with a depth not commonly found in popular treatments of Jesus.

Galli’s book is a helpful and balanced antidote to the all too common picture of Jesus as someone who was perennially nice and just walked about spouting gems of wisdom to passers by. The Jesus of the Gospels is far removed from this image. Galli observes how Jesus “sternly charged” people and was sometimes angry. He cursed the fig tree and destroyed a herd of swine. The reactions to Jesus’ actions are described as “amazed,” “utterly astounded,” “terrified,” “fear and trembling,” and “terror and amazement.”

A particular strength of the book is Galli’s pastoral experience and keen eye for avoiding extremes. Galli is a former pastor and a senior managing editor of Christianity Today. No where does this experience show better than when he carefully nuances his presentation. For example, chapter 16 begins with “Just when we need him most, God forsakes us.” (p.165) Galli acknowledges that “this is a disturbing thought . . . but it is a truth of human experience. We would do well to acknowledge it up front.” In a chapter that is brimming with the potential for pessimism Galli faces a truth of the Christian life and shows the silver lining.

This is a book that is forged in the realities of the Christian life. In the end we find Jesus—undomesticated, mean and wild but “pulsating with unnerving and irresistible love.”

By Louis

Christ, My Companion - Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

Christ, My Companion: Meditations on the Prayer of St. Patrick is a new book from Marilyn Chandler McEntyre (PhD Princeton University). McEntyre is a professor of English at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.

In this small book McEntyre moves through the Prayer of St. Patrick, line-by-line, ruminating on the meaning of each statement. She focuses heavily on how we experience Christ's omnipresence in our lives and intersperses appropriate scripture throughout, though it is not heavy with references.

Though the book looks like it may teach from a viewpoint based in Celtic spirituality, McEntyre's approach is that of an American evangelical.

Siting authors like Wendell Berry, Thomas Hardy, and Herman Mellville, I recommend this book for those who like poetic, devotional reading.

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

by Andrew

Discuss "The Shack" at BBH

Baker Book House will be hosting a book discussion on the best-selling book, "The Shack," by William P. Young on Thurs. August, 21, at 7pm. Pastors and professors from the Grand Rapids area will be leading the discussion - more details to come.

"The Shack" is somewhat of a publishing anomaly. It is a self-published book by a first-time author. It has sparked debate and created a buzz among readers because it is a fictional story, based loosely on a true story, that delves into numerous theological topics. (i.e. the Trinity, the problem of pain, divine justice, God's love, etc.) The author's results are often surprising leading some to say "This book changed my life," and others "This book is best forgotten."

Check back for more details about "The Shack" book discussion.

Andrew R.

Solomon Among the Postmoderns - Peter J. Leithart

Postmodernism is more than just a hot topic for undergraduate classrooms. Culture continuously evolves with the passage of time and modernism is on its way out. While some evangelicals embrace postmodern views whole-heartedly others have raised serious concerns. In either direction the postmodern view is an unavoidable part of the church and needs to be addressed in more realms than just academia.

In "Solomon Among the Postmoderns" Peter Leithart is a voice of reason and expertise. In this concise volume Leithart defines postmodernism and expresses both the strengths and the weaknesses of a postmodern worldview.

Beginning with the Renaissance, Leithart deftly covers the trends in philosophical thought leading up to today, then discusses the implications of adopting a postmodern worldview with or without a Scripture acting as a sieve. Drawing largely from the book of Ecclesiastes Leithart emphasizes that human life is fleeting like a vapor and that we are in effect, “sheparding the wind.”

Similar to the ending of Ecclesiastes, Leithart chooses not to leave his readers with a hopeless sentiment by reminding us, "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." (Ps. 73:28)

by Andrew Rogers

Welcome to our blog!

The Church Connection blog is designed for anyone in Christian Ministry.

Here you'll find helpful tips on Christian resources, news about Christian books and other releases, as well as book and resource reviews. We encourage you to post your thoughts and to check back frequently. We will be posting weekly.

This blog is a administrated by the Church Relations Team at Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our goal is to better equip those in ministry with valuable Christian resources.