Archives For 40 Books in 2010

You Will Love Big Brother

Chris —  April 23, 2010

I’m not sure how I graduated High School without having to read 1984.  Part of my goal of intentionally picking out 40 books for 2010 was to read a few of those books I always knew I should read.

It doesn’t take long to understand what makes 1984 a dystopian masterpiece.  It’s influence of science fiction is obvious, and the pop culture legacy of terms like “Big Brother” doesn’t seem to be going away.

Although we made it through 1984 without falling into socialism, many of its warnings are more timely now than ever.  The power of The Party was in their complete control of information, even the ability to control perceptions of the past.

The explosion of information in our culture promised to eradicate such threats, but it may actually be creating them.  With too many voices to listen to, we create echo chambers of those who already agree with us.  It’s easier to follow someone’s twitter links than to actually do the research.  It wouldn’t be too hard for a few voices to control such a conversation.

How can Big Brother be stopped?

In Culture
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Will Mancini’s Clarity

Chris —  March 29, 2010

Much of Will Mancini’s Church Unique reads like an intervention.  His goal is to show cookie cutter Churches the kingdom potential they can have with a vision unique to their own church.

Unique politely deconstructs the popular business models that churches picked up at conferences in the 90s, and proposes a method for articulating a church’s individual call.  Much of the book is dedicated to the idea of vision, what it is, and why it is important.  Mancini doesn’t try to present anything new, borrowing from Jim Collins and others, but he does make a case for the destructive power that a lack of vision can have on a church.

There are no silver bullets in this book.  Just a process for nailing down some necessary elements — mission, strategy, values and measures — which allow one to articulate a vision proper.  The beauty of method is that it applies to any church or organization, no matter the size, denomination or theological bent.  Whether old fashion or emergent, calvinist or arminian, house or mega, your church would be better off having defined these elements.

What I found most exciting, and disappointing, was the last section of the book, which touches on how this might be implemented in the Church.  Exciting to imagine the broad affect it could have, and disappointed there wasn’t more.  It seems to me that Mancini has material for a second book, chronicling the transition to a Church Unique.

I hope he writes it soon, because we need it.

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A.J. Jacobs’s and Sacred Agnosticism

Chris —  March 23, 2010

On my journey through 40 books in 2010, I have to say that A.J. Jacob’s Year of Living Biblically has been the most fun I’ve had so far.

The Esquire Magazine writer and “Immersion Journalist” shares a diary of experiences as an agnostic Jew attempting to live the Bible out as literally as possible.  This causes him to grow a tremendous beard, wear white, carry a walking stick and avoid his wife a few days out of the month.  It also causes him to consider the reality of sacredness, and his need for something beyond himself.

Christians expecting a Disney ending with tears and baptisms will be disappointed.  However, the life change recorded in this book is an experience I wish more believers were open to.

Jacobs takes the Bible very, very seriously.  He reads it daily, makes a list of the laws, and tries to take them literally.  This leads to some funny situations, occasionally points out the ridiculousness of religious literalism.  However, it mostly leads to a change in Jacob’s view of God, himself, community, and how he should live in the world.

I wish that more Christians would approach the word of God with the seriousness that Jacobs did.

Thanks to Trevor for turning me on to this book.

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Why God Hates You

Chris —  March 9, 2010

What is the What is an engrossing tale that straddles wars, decades and hemispheres.  It follows Achak Deng, a real life Sudanese refugee from his days as a child in southern Sudan to his struggles adjusting to American Life.

The book really has it all:  tragedy, war, love stories and hope.  Dave Eggars narrator captures the voice of African refugees, with their zest for the small things in life and their deep understanding of tragedy.

The book makes it clear that refugee camps don’t go away.  Achak grows up in a refugee camp: a tent city built on a barren desert plain.  With no agriculture and little schooling, and the only economy at the mercy of the foreign aid workers,  there is little to do but wait.

Although Achak seems indomitable, he can’t help but struggle with theodicy.  Having lived through wars only to arrive in the U.S. and experience continued tragedy, he asks the question “does God have a problem with me?”  Neither Achak or Eggars ever answer the question directly, yet the hero never gives up, neither on his faith or his desire to build a better life.

This question is one that we have all asked in our lives, and What is the What is a reminder that there are many who have persevered through much more difficulty than we can imagine.

It is also an invitation for Christ followers to respond from the very core of their faith.  From the time of Abraham, God’s people have been refugees in a world not their own.  God loves them, and has given us the privilege of demonstrating that love.

Have you read What is the What?  How should we respond to stories of orphans and refugees?

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Sex, Lies and Preaching to Birds

Chris —  February 2, 2010

On the quest to read 40 books in 2010, I’ve just knocked out #s three and four.

I picked up Dark Nights of the Soul, because of the St. John of the Cross reference, and because of my life long wrestling match with depression.
It’s mainly pagan dribble by some New Age dude trying to work out his childhood catholic guilt.  It had a few nuggets that jumped out:

1- Reframe “depression” as a Dark Night of the Soul: not a problem to be fixed, but a chance for spiritual growth.  You are like a ship adrift at sea, just because you’re not moving forward, doesn’t mean your not moving.

2-Dangerous lust and sexual desire are often just undirected desire.  When you’re overwhelmed with an unhealthy sexual desire, you should search for what it is that you really want.

Now The Life of St. Francis of Assisi is the kind of book that will change your life.  As a protestant, it’s hard to know what to do with stories of the medieval Saints.  But we have to remember we are a 2,000 year old family, with an immense amount of wisdom to learn from. Francis, like Paul before him, is one who could honestly say, “follow me as I follow Christ.”

Of the many beautiful things about this man, let me highlight a few:

1- He had a deep love for poverty.  He called it “his lady,” and strove to be faithful to it as a man would his wife. He owned nothing more than his robe and belt.  When he begged for alms he would then give them away to someone “worse off.”

2- He was known for his gentleness, to the point that even animals noticed.  My favorite story was of how he agonized through prayer and fasting over whether to dedicate his life to prayer or preaching.  When wise counsel urged him to preach, he ran as fast as he could to find an audience.  The first he found was a flock of birds that he exhorted to remember their gifts from God.

3- He pain was a blessing.  His passion for the lost led him to believe he must become a martyr.  He went to the middle east to preach to a powerful sultan.  The Muslim king was impressed, but would not convert.  Francis was not given the chance to die like Christ, yet “instead” was given the stigmata, a painful sign of Christ, that would give him pain for the rest of his life. This painful miracle gave many people faith in Christ.

It’s hard to explain the effect Francis has had on me.  It makes me want to be more like Jesus than ever, and gives me an idea of what that might look like.

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