pensees

A Little New Year Reading

2010-12-09T09:19:00.009-05:00

Judges is coming to an exciting end and we must look to our next book selection! Click on the title below and it will take you to a link for each book. You may review each one and then cast your vote right here: ----->

The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey
The Old Testament is God's biography, the story of his passionate encounters with people and also a prequel to the story of Jesus. This book explores the sometimes shocking and cryptic writings in an effort to know God better. Philip Yancey has a way of confronting our most cherished but misguided notions about faith. In The Bible Jesus Read, he challenges the perception that the New Testament is all that matters and the Old Testament isn’t worth taking the time to read and understand. ~ Zondervan

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, C.S. Lewis provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.

Radical Disciple by John Stott
In the book Stott gives eight recommendations to Christians to act in such a manner that is nonconformist to the world in which we find ourselves; but rather to be different, to be a witness to those around us in a way that is unique, a way that turns heads and makes one wonder “why?”, in the words of Stanley Hauerwas to be “peculiar people”. Although Stott only flushed out the “why” we are to act in a peculiar fashion very minimally in this small book, he still makes clear that Christians ought to act in a certain manner that is different from the depraved world around us, yet still to be able to “live, serve and witness to the world” (pg. 17). ~ Review by Daniel Seatvet

Christ's Object Lessons by Ellen White
A collection of parables grouped according to their subjects which include: From the Natural to the Spiritual; Seed-Sowing; In Common Paths; Prayer; God's Seeking Love; Warning; and Service.

The Book Nominees Are...

2010-08-09T17:07:00.004-04:00

We have come to the end of Hebrews and it is now time to vote for our next reading! Click on the title below and it will take you to a link for each book. You may review each one and then cast your vote right here: ----->

Happy Voting!!

Eternity In Their Hearts by Don Richardson

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Breakthrough Prayer by Jim Cymbala

The Old Testament Book of Judges

Next Reading

2010-03-24T15:40:00.025-04:00

We have wrapped up Tim Keller's, Counterfeit Gods and now it's time for us to select our next book! Click on the title below and it will take you to a link for each book. Take a few moments to learn about them, and vote right here: ----->
It's going to be tough choice; these all look very interesting!

Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

Book of Hebrews

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey

UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman

Healed Without Scars by David G. Evans

Summer Reading

2009-05-24T17:44:00.003-04:00

June is around the corner and it's time for us to select our next book! Here's a bit more information about the books that have been suggested or chosen. Take a few moments to learn about them, and vote right here: ----->

It's going to be tough choice; these all look very interesting!

Girl Meets God: A Memior by Lauren F. Winner

This is a fascinating looking book written by a young woman raised by a lapsed Baptist mother and secular Jewish father. She attempts to read her way into Orthodox Judaism her freshman year at Columbia, and then four years later at Cambridge to Anglican Christianity. As we read her story, we'll explore the interplay between Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices.

Romans by Paul

Paul's letter to the church in Rome has been hailed as the Magna Carta of Christianity, laying out the basics of the "gospel." We'll take it chapter by chapter and try to come to a clearer understanding of basic doctrines at the heart of the Christian faith.

God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It by Jim Wallis

Does being a Christian mean being politically liberal or a conservative? Should Christians be invovled with politics at all? This book explores these questions, and addresses issues like war, terrorism, poverty, abortion, etc.

The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Become the Dominant Religoius Force by Rodney Stark

The title of this book explains itself. Check out the link and the glowing reviews this book has recieved. We can read this book and also reference the book of Acts (which was suggested to us by Sandy) as we do so. With chapter titles like "Urban Chaos and Crisis" and "The Role of Women in Christian Growth" this book promises to be an enlightening read.

A New Year, A New Book

2008-12-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

Actually, the book we've selected is not that new. =) A few weeks ago, we voted to start the new year with reading/studying/discussing a book of the Bible. Two weeks ago, we narrowed it down to four selections:

1. The book of Job (The problem of evil and suffering)

2. A gospel - Matthew (The life and teachings of Jesus)

3. The letter to the Galatians (Legalism and the gospel)

4. The book of James (Faith and works)

(Choices three and four might actually compliment each other nicely!)

Anyway, the poll is up. In the interest of getting a decision made quickly, please indicate your choice soon. (The poll will close on Wednesday, the 31st at noon.)

You can vote, right over there. --->

We'll our explorations of our new book on January 10.

The canidates are...

2008-10-30T13:25:00.003-04:00

There have been some revisions to our selections, since last week, and it looks are 4 choices for the next time around are as follows:

1. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne

Yes, the elections are over, but whether you'll be celebrating or disappointed, we'll continue to face living in a charged political climate. This book asks the following question: What if Jesus ran for President? What would be his platform? Would you and I be excited about it?

2. A book of the Bible

This option gets us directly to the source of Christian thought. We'll spend time focusing on one book of the Bible and see where this takes us! (We'll specify which book, if this option is chosen.)

3. Various selections

This option allows to to be very flexible as we will take various chapters, essays, or articles chosen by different members of the group for reading/discussion. This will require us to plan ahead, and for everyone to pitch in coming up with ideas and leading out.

4. Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory, Policy and Life Choices by Victro V. Claar and Robin J. Klay

Obviously, the state of our economy is on everyone's minds. This book will explore/explain the basics of the economy from a Christian perspective.

Cast your vote right here. -->

The poll will close at 11:59, on November 4. =)

Our next read

2008-10-20T19:59:00.005-04:00

It's that time again; you know, nomination and election time (for our next book). Here are some of the suggestions we have so far:

Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church by Philip Yancey

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne

Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch

Art & Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts by Hilary Brand and Adrienne Chaplin

To add your own suggestion, post a comment with information or a link. You're also welcome to "campaign" for anyone of the titles already listed over the others.

We'll, hopefully, get a poll up by the end of the week.

Beauty, ancient and new

2008-09-21T18:49:00.004-04:00

This week, we discussed the numerous clues (note, not "proofs") Keller offers for the existence of God. We had to wrap up our conversation a bit pre-maturely, so I thought we could continue it here.

The last arguement Keller offers is one from the human longing for beauty. He writes:

"Doesn't the unfullillable longing evoked by beauty qualify as an innate desire? We have a longing for joy, love, and beauty that no amount or quality of food, sex, friendship, or success can satisfy. We want something that nothing in this world can fill. Isn't that at least a clue that this 'something' that we want exists? This unfulfillable longing, then, qualifies as a deep, innate human desire, and that makes it a major clue that God is there" (135).

Many of us have heard the "God-shaped hole" argument. In Augustine's words to God, "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee."

What's interesting/different here was Keller's connection of this longing with the experience of beauty. In Keller's mind, the experience of beauty causes one to long for the divine; beautiful things, one might say, are pathways to God. (This reminds me of another Augustinian prayer, "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you...")

If Keller is right (I think he is), art is religious. Why is it that Christians are so often suspicious of beauty (the arts) and makers of beauty (artists)? What are ways that the arts can be better incoporated into the life of the church?

Science and Religion--Conflict or Concord?

2008-08-24T20:32:00.003-04:00

This past week our group discussed the often-used argument against God that “Science has disproved Christianity.” …that science has shown through evolution how we have come about through purely mechanistic means …that we have gone past the “dark ages” of religious mythology and miracles and have entered an “enlightened” age of science.

Are miracles possible? Keller argues in his book that miracles can exist, if one believes that God exists, which is an article of faith either way – believing or not believing. That’s about all for that subject, as he simply appeals to his general theme of “faith either way.” Which is a good point.

So what about the “enlightenment”? Are science and religion compatible? Keller doesn’t really answer this, but rather spends most of his time presenting a description of the wide spectrum of thought on the matter of creation/evolution. What do you think? Are they compatible?

I have spent much time thinking about this subject. My thoughts have evolved over time and are bound to change in the future. However, I come at it with this viewpoint: I have many reasons to believe in the existence of God and in Christianity and the good news it presents. I also admire the scientific method and believe evolution to be an extremely solid and believable explanation, at least if you don’t believe in the supernatural. To some extent I have lived in two worlds. However, I have always desired to bring them together somehow. In order to do this, I need to resolve areas in which both systems do not mesh. Here are two of my questions (and some possible answers) regarding both creation and evolution:

Creation – while one can always appeal to the “we will never understand everything, God could have done it that way, just have faith in a literal reading” argument, a rational mind must ask questions. 1) the order of Creation in Genesis 1 has never made sense to me. How does light come before the sun/stars/moon? How were the stars created 6000 years ago if they are hundreds of thousands of light years away based on current science? I have found an explanation for this that satifies me. It can be found here: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1332 . Basically, this states that Genesis 1 is mythology with one goal – to present a monotheistic creator God. The order of creation is presented as such, because it is arranged in two sets of three days, with the second set populating the first (e.g. stars (day4) populating light and dark (day1). I find this a fascinating explanation.

Evolution – my big beef with theistic evolution is this: If Jesus came to redeem and restore, etc, etc, things back to its original condition, how is that original condition different than now if death through natural selection was the norm of the day in God’s “perfect” creation. I just did an internet search and found some retorts to this problem of mine… (e.g. http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/death.html) the major one being that God created only humans to live forever, through eating of the tree of life, and that they were familiar with the concept of death all around them… that Jesus came to redeem and restore mankind only, not plants and animals. Interesting ideas.

These are thoughts that I will ponder, while my science friends consider me a fool for even wasting my time, and my church friends consider me a heretic for even wasting my time :). What do you think?

The Wrath of God?

2008-08-21T14:36:00.004-04:00

As Keller points out, many people have an adverse reaction to the idea that God judges people. Such an understanding of God seems to contradict the idea that God loves everyone and leads inevitably to human violence in the name of God.

Keller responds to these objections with two quotes:

"Think how we feel when we someone we love ravaged by unwise actions or relationships. Do we respond with benign tolerance as we might toward strangers? Far from it...Anger isn't the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference...God's wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer...which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being."

~ B. Pippert

"If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did not make a final end to violence--that God would not be worthy of worship...The only means of prohibiting all recourse to violence by ourselves is to insist that violence is legitimate only when it comes from God...My thesis that the practice of non-violence requires a believe in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many...in the West...[But] it takes the quiet of a suburban home for the birth of the thesis that human non-violence [results from the belief in] God's refusal to judge. In a sun-scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, it will invariably die...[with] other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind."

~ M. Volf

Do you agree? Especially with Volf's claim in the sentence (in bold) above?

So...Are you fanatical enough?

2008-08-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we talked about Keller's distinction between nominal and fanatical Christians. One of the criticisms of Christianity is that, like all religions, it leads to fanatical behavior and attempts to impose our views on others, restricting their freedoms and individuality.

And, we talked about 'cheap gracers' who think, "I want to be "free" and "Christ will forgive anything, so I can do what I want."

And, at the other end of the spectrum, there are the legalists who are busy following rules and trying to be perfect. Is this fanaticism? We Adventists have been accused of this, and sometimes the shoe fits (painfully). What about that person -- you know who I'm talking about -- who drinks iced coffee and brings it to CHURCH!? And they eat an occasional ham sandwich (They're smart enough not to bring this to church, but you know the type).

Some people have a huge problem and get focused on this. Others look at the people who have the problem and call them the "F" word--fanatic!

Adventists have been called fanatics about all sorts of things. According to Keller, however, Christians in general (including Adventists) aren't fanatical enough! Religious people, in general, are not passionate about the issues that Jesus was passionate about and, therefore, aren't really free.

"The tendency of religious people...is to use spiritual and ethical observance as a lever to gain power over others and over God, appeasing him through ritual and good works. This leads to both an emphasis on external forms as well as greed, materialism, and oppression in social arrangements. Those who believe they have pleased God by the quality of their devotion and moral goodness naturally feel that they and their group deserve deference and power over others...In Jesus' and the prophets' critique, self-righteous religion is always marked by insensitivity to issues of social justice, while true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized" (59-60).

What do you think about Keller's assessment? Are we fanatical enough or fanatical about the right things? What would Saturdays look like if we were?

The Reason for God

2008-06-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

The people have spoken, and Tim Keller's "The Reason for God: Belief in and Age of Skepticism" has emerged as the front-runner/winner of our poll!

Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church here in Manhattan, with loose historical ties to Church of the Advent Hope. (His congregation began meeting in our church building when they first got started.)

I hope you are looking forward to hearing a New Yorker, and a great Christian thinker tackle some of the toughest questions people raise about the Christian faith.

Spread the word. This is a great book to share/discuss with friends that might have questions about life and faith.

To find out more about the book (and to order it), browse this website.

We'll begin discussing/reading it on June 28.

Book suggestions

2008-06-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

With about two weeks remaining with Yancey, here are some of the titles that have been suggested for our next book:

"The Great Awakening" by Jim Wallis

"The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical" by Shane Clairborne

"unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity...and Why it Matters" by David Kinnaman

"The Lucifer Diary" by Lewis Walton

"The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller

(Click on the title for the link to Amazon that will give you more information about the book. You can cast your vote at the poll --->. The poll will close this Sunday at 12pm.)

Life After Yancey

2008-05-30T07:56:00.000-04:00

This week we're moving to read/discuss Chapter 12 on Jesus' ascension. (I don't have the book with me and haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you much more about it!)

We do need to start talking about our next book, though, as there are only 2 more chapters after this week. We'll talk about it more at our next meeting. In the meantime, please be thinking about any books that you might be interested in reading next. (You can e-mail it to me or post it here.)

As we did last time, we'll create a poll and take a vote...nice and democratic. =)

See you tomorrow, bright and early!

The people have spoken

2008-01-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

A big thanks to those that participated in the selection of our next book.

It was a tight race, but it looks like the next book we'll be reading/discussing/studying together is "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey.

Here's a brief description of the book:

"In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey reveals the real Jesus beyond the stereotypes, offering a new and different perspective on the life of Christ and his work---his teaching, his miracles, his death and resurrection---and ultimately, who he was and why he came. Relating the gospel events to the world we live in today, The Jesus I Never Knew gives a moving and refreshing portrait of the central figure of history.

With a willingness to tackle difficult questions, Yancey looks at the radical words of this itinerant Jewish carpenter and asks whether we are taking him seriously enough in our own day and age. From the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem, Yancey presents a complex character who generates questions as well as answers; a disturbing and exhilarating Jesus who wants to radically transform your life and stretch your faith; and a Jesus who is brilliant, creative, challenging, fearless, compassionate, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying." (www.christianbook.com)

Here are some links to get your own copy of the book on-line (the first sells a new paper back version for $10.99; the second will get you a used hardcover for just a little over a dollar (plus S+H)!

http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

Stay tuned for more updates... =)

Our Next Book

2008-01-26T21:55:00.001-05:00

What do you want to read next? Vote right here! (Actually use the poll over here---->.)

The four options are:

The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg
Searching for a God to Love by Chris Blake
The Great Awakening by Jim Wallis

You can click on the title for more information.

The final results will be "announced" on Tuesday morning. =)

If you have another book you'd like added to the poll, post it right here.

What should we read next?

2008-01-17T22:57:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it.

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc33.htm

(Ladies, please excuse Lewis' gender exclusive language one more time.)

Join us this week as we wrap up "Mere Christianity" together.

We've had several suggestions for what to read/study next.

"The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey (Michael B.)
"The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Tim Keller (Zane)
"They Like Jesus but Not the Church" by Dan Kimball (Zane)
"Think Like Jesus" by George Barna (O.D. Garcia)

If you have any ideas/suggestions, post it here. We'll try to make a decision this weekend.

Thanks to all for being part of our journey. Hope you're looking forward to the next "chapter."

The Trinity

2007-11-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

Our foray into things theological continues this week as Lewis shares his thoughts with us about the Christian concept of the Trinity. This is a unique, central doctrine to Christian theology. What does it mean for God to be "one essence, but three persons" and why does it matter?

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc24.htm

Come share your thoughts and bring your questions.

You know when and where!

*Oh, and those of you who expressed interest in the Screwtape Letters, watch for an e-mail shortly!

Lewis on theology

2007-10-25T10:58:00.000-04:00

Our adventures through "Mere Christianity" continues this week as we commence discussing the last section (not chapter) of the book.

This section deals with a variety of themes--theological doctrines (like the Trinity), personal transformation, etc. and should give us plenty to discuss and think about for a couple more months. =)

Stefan will be leading out his week's chapter on "Making and Begetting."

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc23.htm

The final stretch begins this weekend.

Hope

2007-10-05T10:21:00.001-04:00

This week we continue our discussion on the "theological virtues"--faith, hope and love, focusing on the middle one. (We're working our way backwards!)

Join us for a discussion on hope--What is it? Why is it so important? How do you get it?--led by Michael Davis.

Here's a link to the chapter: http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc20.htm

See you tomorrow at 10am. (You know where!)

Faith, Hope, and Love

2007-09-28T13:24:00.001-04:00

The past two weeks we've been talking about the "great" sin of pride. This week, we switch gears to talk about the three greatest virtues; we will be begin our reading/discussion of the three "theological" virtues of Christianity--faith, hope, and love.

Now, evidently we can't cover all three at once, so we'll focus on Lewis' views on "charity" or the Christian concept of love.

Here's the link:

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc19.htm

See you on Saturday! (Same time and place.)

Pride, part II

2007-09-21T13:22:00.000-04:00

Wow. Where has the week gone? Sorry for the late e-mail about the reading/discussion topic this week.

We're still on the topic of pride. (http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc18.htm)

Stefan will continue our humbling discussion on the greatest sin of them all.

10am, Church of the Advent Hope.

See you then!

The Great Sin

2007-09-13T15:32:00.000-04:00

Last week we talked about a topic very relevant the headlines we see today--Christians and war. Thanks to all who contributed to a spirited discussion on loving your enemy, pacifism, just war, etc.

This week, it gets even better. Stefan R., our resident expert on the subject, will lead our discussion on "The Great Sin." =)

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc18.htm

To whet your appetites, here is the last line from a chapter we read a few weeks ago:

"That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither."

See you on Saturday morning, 10am.

Oh, and a warm welcome to our Columbia students--Jose, Israel, and Michelle along with Patrick, Nancy, Fito, Dwight, and Andrea. We look forward to you joining us again!

Loving your enemies

2007-09-06T22:49:00.000-04:00

It was good to have so many new friends join us last week...and also to see Stefan and Aneta again after their summer travels. A warm welcome to our blog.

Last week, we had a honest discussion about the difficulty of forgiving others. This week we continue that discussing the chapter on forgiveness, but will focus in on a related issue to this Christian practice...loving one's enemies. (Lewis also has some interesting things to say about Christian pacifism that I think will generate some heat.)

Read it here (if you don't have a hard copy of the book): www.philosophyforlife.com/mc17.htm

See you Saturday morning!

Oh, and if you can't wait to get the discussion started or have something to get off your chest from last week, post your comment(s) here.

Forgiveness

2007-08-31T12:07:00.000-04:00

We'll keep this week's post short and sweet.

This week, we discuss something that may be harder (for many of us) than chastity...both dispensing it and receiving it.

The chapter: Forgiveness.

http://www.philosophyforlife.com/mc17.htm

Saturday, 10am.

See you!