"What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage" (Wayne Grudem)

TITLE: What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage
AUTHOR: Wayne Grudem
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021, (112 pages).

One of the most crippling events in any human relationship is divorce. It breaks up the marital union. It tears families apart. It damages children's perception of the future of their own marriages. Worst of all, it dishonours the marriage institution as well as ridiculing the marriage vow: "For better or for worse." Of course, sympathetically speaking, there are legitimate reasons to break the marital bond. Rather than to throw a blanket no, Jesus's approach is to adopt a reserved exception to the norm. For Christians, the issue of divorce can become complicated especially when it comes to understanding what is the right thing to do ethically and theologically. With modern culture becoming more sophisticated, is the Bible's teaching on divorce still relevant for our times? A related matter after divorce involves the topic of remarriage. What are the circumstances where remarriage is allowed or disallowed? Other questions covered include:

• Are there any legitimate grounds for divorce? If so, what are they?
• How about spousal abuse as morally acceptable ground for divorce? 
• Are there other grounds for divorce that are not explicitly stated in the Bible?
• Is remarriage allowed?
• Can a divorced person serve in the capacity of a Church officer?
• What are the reasons for "no remarriage?"

"The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness" (Marina Berzins McCoy)

TITLE: The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness: Ten Steps to Healing
AUTHOR: Marina Berzins McCoy
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Loyola Press, 2020, (144 pages).
 

Forgiveness is more like a dance. Our first dance partner is God, followed by everyone else at a party. Then, regardless of wealth or social status, all come together to interact as people. The party is by invitation. The mood is celebratory. Call it a ten-step dance or as the author calls it, a "road map." Each step helps to till and loose any hardened soil of bitterness. Not only that, it helps one be more aware of the changes happening inside, to let God draw one closer to Him and His heart. Due to sin, forgiveness is never a default human inclination. That is why we all need God's help, and this book guides us in that direction. Based on the spiritual teachings of St Ignatius of Loyola, this book is a companion to guide readers through the fundamentals of prayer and especially the prayer of examen. After laying down some basic themes of Ignation spirituality, McCoy takes time to commit the book to prayer, praying the concluding prayer of pilgrims traveling along the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James). This is a reminder that prayer is a pilgrimage with God. Like a spiritual expedition, we prepare our hearts to encounter milestones, twists and turns, highs and lows, and all manner of terrain. She then launches into the steps proper, starting with three challenging questions:

"Posting Peace" (Douglas S. Bursch)

TITLE: Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It
AUTHOR: Douglas S. Bursch
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021, (204 pages).

We are increasingly angry online. Anything could become an anger trigger, a point of contention, or an explosive rant. With more people stuck at home during the pandemic, this situation seems to be getting worse. With such high temperatures on social media, what if this is just the early stages of an even bigger problem? Can we do something about such divisions? How can we bring about greater unity and calm in the digital world? Could the online wars contribute to the growing polarization among different sides and opinions? Lamenting on the inability of people (including Christians) to speak the truth in love, author Douglas Bursch probes the ongoing social media heat and helps us find a way to cool down and to be peacemakers. Otherwise, things might very well become more polarized. The key thesis in this book is that Christians need to lead the way in online communications to be peacemakers. It is hoped that such efforts would lead to greater restraint, reconciliation, and restoration of goodness in our relationships. The author knows this the hard way. Having been a talkshow host who tries to bring conservatives, moderates, progressives, and liberals to the same table to remove contentious debates, he has experienced bitter feedback and disappointment as people use the platform to hurl their views down the rest. The verbal mudslinging spoke louder than his voice of moderation. Many of the comments he received were mean and harsh. Political infighting and social media seem to feed off each other, deepening the existing divisions and widening the cracks. He also learns that for talk show hosts to be successful, they have to hold a strong opinionated side. Staying in the middle ground hardly cuts it. 

"Keeping Christmas" (Allison Pittman)

TITLE: Keeping Christmas: 25 Advent Reflections on A Christmas Carol
AUTHOR: Allison Pittman
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2020, (128 pages).

Come each Christmas, modern people would associate the event with shopping and year-end festivities. Many would also go back to watching classic movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," "A Charlie Brown Christmas," or "A Christmas Carol." Why do we enjoy old classics? Is there any reason for celebrating Christmas the old traditional way? Perhaps, the answer ought to be another question: "Why not?" CS Lewis has warned us about "chronological snobbery" to remind us not to let the everything-new jettison the everything-old. Not all new stuff is great. Not all old stuff is outdated. There are many things that are timeless and helps us appreciate life. Great stories are always worth telling and retelling from generation to generation. The lessons of old are essential for guiding learners, both old and new. More importantly, the lessons are reminders of how we are the old made new. Based on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, the 25 devotionals remind us of how Scrooge was a life that was transformed, one day at a time, until that eventful Christmas Eve. This book is an Advent devotional to highlight such timeless principles daily for 25 days prior to Christmas. 

"This Hallelujah Banquet" (Eugene H. Peterson)

TITLE: This Hallelujah Banquet: How the End of What We Were Reveals Who We Can Be
AUTHOR: Eugene H. Peterson
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Waterbrook Press, 2021, (208 pages).
 

Eugene Peterson passed away on October 22nd, 2018. It seemed all so surreal that one of the most creative and eloquent evangelical voices had left us. Most famous for his work on giving us the paraphrase of the Bible, the MESSAGE, he has also written a number of bestsellers for Christians in general. His writings continue to be a powerful but gentle influence, giving us a fresh perspective on understanding the Bible. Taken from his series of sermons preached during Lent 1984 at Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air Maryland, this book is based on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. Each chapter follows a similar outline: 1) Part of Christ's character; 2) Strengths and weaknesses of the Church; 3) A promise to remember. The title of the book tells us that in spite of the warning messages that spell out judgment and doom, there are reasons for hope leading to the great hallelujah chorus in heaven. A keynote is that while Revelation often excites us about future happenings, we need to take a step back to reflect on the essence of Jesus' words to us. For all the cares and concerns we have about the future, very often the questions we ask are not the ones that truly matter.

"Covid-19 Helpers" (Beth Bacon and Kary Lee)

TITLE: COVID-19 HELPERS: A story for kids about the coronavirus and the people helping during the 2020 pandemic
AUTHOR: Beth Bacon and Kary Lee
PUBLISHER: Durham, NC: Blair Publishing, 2020, (36 pages).

This is a delightful children's book to describe the Covid-19 situation. The year 2020 has been devastated by the pandemic. Globally, every family has been affected one way or another. Travel has been strictly curtailed while lockdowns are happening in many major cities. From shopping malls to supermarkets, schools to workplaces, all of our social interactions are potential opportunities to spread the disease. We need to practice social distancing. Governments around the world have been scrambling for vaccines as a way to protect the medical infrastructure. Wear masks and avoid social gatherings. Why are governments going to such extremes to deal with this disease? Such things can be strange for a child. For the little ones, they might be wondering: 

• What is Covid-19?
• Why must I wear masks?
• Why can't I visit and play with my friends?
• What about a sleepover?
• Why are schools closed?
• What happens if I catch Covid-19?
• How do I protect myself or my friends?
• Why do I need to wash my hands with soap and water?
• Why do I need to sneeze into a tissue or my elbow?
• What is the right way to wash my hands?
• What are vaccines and why are they important?
• How does staying at home help with the battle against the coronavirus?

"J.I. Packer" (Alister McGrath)

TITLE: J. I. Packer: His Life and Thought
AUTHOR: Alister McGrath
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, (192 pages).

To many Christians around the world, he is known as the author of the bestselling book, "Knowing God." To North American evangelicals, he is known as the Puritan evangelical from England. To students at Tyndale, he was remembered as the theologian who impacted their ministry and preaching. For those in Regent College, he was their beloved professor, a friend of Regent's co-founder, James Houston, a scholar who is passionate about equipping the layperson for ministry. For budding authors, he was always willing to contribute a preface, a foreword, or a brief commendation about a book waiting to be published. In a richly informative and inspirational biography of Dr James Innell Packer, Oxford scholar Alister McGrath has written a beautiful tribute. It is a story of the life of a man that simply needs to be told, for the benefit of anyone considering ministry or theological education. In it, McGrath gives us wonderful snippets of Packer's life and most interestingly, some of Packer's most famous quips. His reminder about the value of old books as well as the three ways to engage tradition with theological reflection is worth the price of the book.

"After Evangelicalism" (David P. Gushee)

TITLE: After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity
AUTHOR: David P. Gushee
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2020, (243 pages).

Ever since the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, the terms "evangelical" or "evangelicalism" has been treated with disdain. Sometimes, it has also become a derogatory term. Such negativity could be traced even further back a few decades. The moment evangelicals dabbled themselves with politics, it marks the beginning of the end of the marks of evangelicalism. In this book, author David Gushee writes for those who "used to be evangelicals," including himself. Quoting a 2014 Religious Landscape Study by PEW Research Center, about 8% of Americans who used to be associated with evangelicalism had switched to another faith persuasion. Young people are among the largest groups leaving evangelicalism. The reasons are varied. It ranges from something as wide as accusations of bigotry to factors as narrow as personal offenses. Gushee even gives out a sample test of 25 references to do an evangelical test. He then begins with his personal story why he left evangelicalism. More details can be found in his book "Still Christian." Calling himself starting as a "center-left," he rebelled against various traditional practices of the Southern Baptist conservative colleges, the biggest being his stand regarding LGBTQ. In fact, he sees a growing number who reflected his stance as a post-evangelical. What comes after this cultural definition of modern white American evangelicalism? Gushee gives us a vision of a "New Christianity." He covers three broad topics: 1) Authorities; 2) Theology; 3) Ethics; and tries to answer questions like: