AUTHOR: Derek Penwell
PUBLISHER: St Loius, MO: Chalice Press, 2014, (192 pages).
Showing posts with label Chalice Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chalice Press. Show all posts
Friday, September 5, 2014
"Mainliner’s survival guide to the post-denominational world" (Derek Penwell)
TITLE: The Mainliner's Survival Guide to the Post-Denominational World
AUTHOR: Derek Penwell
PUBLISHER: St Loius, MO: Chalice Press, 2014, (192 pages).
Many people have talked about dying Churches. Even friends I know have mentioned the decline in their Church ministries or overall numbers each Sunday. The truth is, the Church generally is on a decline. Quoting various statistics to support this claim, Derek Penwell has painted a grim picture of a decline across all mainline denominations. So much so that many churches are asking how much longer their congregation is going to last. While acknowledging the negativity about the future of the mainline Church, Penwell prefers to adopt a hopeful posture. If someone is suffering from Stage IV cancer, what would we do? Would we drown ourselves in discouraging that person, or would we stand up to fight to the very end? Using this metaphor for the declining Church, the purpose of this book is to read the situation appropriately and make the best out of whatever remaining years ahead. It is not about anticipating death. It is about surviving through the years when alive. Penwell, author, speaker, and senior minister of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) writes this book about hope in the midst of hopelessness. He says that the gospel is about "failure and death" and God embraced that. Making a reference to the post Revolutionary War period, Penwell points out that time also as a period that seeds the Second Great Awakening. During that time, the Church was also in decline, like our present. During that time, there was great apathy toward the Church, just like ours. During that time, there were skepticism and negativity toward the institutions, just like ours. During that time, people wanted to be free of ecclesiastical or political meddling, just like ours! In the same way, the success of the Great Awakening contributed a lot to the apathy toward the Church, just like our present crisis which came after the most recent revival. Like the generations that participated in the great revivals of old, these very people are also passionate about "equality, mission, and social justice."
AUTHOR: Derek Penwell
PUBLISHER: St Loius, MO: Chalice Press, 2014, (192 pages).
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Brim (Suzanne Castle and Andra Moran)
TITLE: Brim: Creative Overflow in Worship Design
AUTHOR: Suzanne Castle and Andra Moran
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (128 pages).
Like riding a bicycle, there is only so much theory can teach. Only through practice, one learns the art and science of riding a bicycle. The same goes for worship. We can have all the right theologies and all the right teachings about the how, the what, the who, the why, the when, and so on, without practical use, they remain in the intellectual realm. With this book, we get both; a short devotional about what worship is, and many practical helps and tips on what it takes to lead a meaningful worship service. Much thought has gone into explaining the reason for the title of the book. It can mean brimming with joy and uplifting spirit as one comes to worship. It can mean ideas that overflows. It can mean how Jesus works the brims of society, reaching out to the marginalized. For the purpose of this book, brim is about a "creative overflow in worship design." Written by two seasoned worship leaders, Moran and Castle have teamed up to offer reads and interested worship leaders to infuse the arts, technology, and various audio-visual "multi-sensory experiences" into the worship service. They even have a website to spur further discussion here. Honour God with the creativity that He has endowed upon us. That is the motivation for the book.
There are several convictions the authors have set forth. Let me highlight just a few of them to give you a gist.
First, they emphasize the importance of planning. For them, it is as much as six months in advance to plan the themes and worship series. Such planning includes recruitment, idea-storming, prayers, visual arts integration, and other pertinent details. The list of things to plan for is pretty meticulous. For example, in building the worship team, they suggest the need for at least six roles: team captain, designer for the sacred space, prayer person in charge, technologist, art person, and clergy. It is because worship is serious business, planning is critical.
Second, they embrace an inclusive form of worship format. Thus, they are free to choose from ancient or traditional forms of terminology, contemporary use of language, choosing not only hymns or choruses, but also popular music that adds to the overall worship focus. The "worship supply closet" is a great reminder that symbols and various props can enhance and make the worship more meaningful for all. For example, the authors peruse thrift stores and various garage sales regularly so as to help design the worship environment a more meaningful atmosphere.
Third, they believe in preserving and respecting what has been handed down to us. The chapter on "hand-me-downs" is something that I feel some worship leaders may have unwittingly ignored. Tradition is not merely some old old story or idea. It is about stewarding the gift and inheritance of our forefathers and those who have faithfully walked the path before us. It is about being thankful for all we have been receiving on a silver platter. It is in recognition of how God has blessed the past with much vigour and goodness. Traditional when seen in the light of faithful past, will remind us that the traditional vs contemporary debate is altogether a silly comparison altogether. There is meaning in both. Do not throw away something that is traditional simply because it is old. Neither dump the contemporary simply because it is newer. Embrace whatever is appropriate in our individual Church contexts.
Fourth, they believe that there are plenty of resources to jiggle the worship leader's creativity. Thus, the resources they provide are plentiful. For example, the playlist of songs suggestions is helpful as a starting list in preparing for worship. I know of worship leaders who struggle each week thinking of what songs to choose. The playlist does have a theme. The many different flows of worship, ideas for individual services, and many different ways to do worship present to readers a wealth of resources for worship.
Fifth, they believe that practical use will aid learning. Thus, the ten worship service designs have been fully laid out for worship leaders to learn and to lead through examples. Tested and tried in their own worship communities, the list of ideas remind me once again that worship is more than just singing songs. It is about the whole experience. This reminds me of Leonard Sweet's EPIC acronym for designing worship services in a postmodern environment. While I list the following, it does not necessarily mean I endorse them. They are listed for information purposes.
The choice of the word "Brim" in itself is fascinating. I remember in seminary studies where my friends tell me a core ministerial trait is to serve God not out of our limited abilities, but to serve God fully out of an overflow of HIS goodness, HIS ability, HIS resources, and HIS love. Brim is pointing and accelerating my awareness of this. Great worship resource!
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me courtesy of Chalice Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
AUTHOR: Suzanne Castle and Andra Moran
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (128 pages).
There are several convictions the authors have set forth. Let me highlight just a few of them to give you a gist.
First, they emphasize the importance of planning. For them, it is as much as six months in advance to plan the themes and worship series. Such planning includes recruitment, idea-storming, prayers, visual arts integration, and other pertinent details. The list of things to plan for is pretty meticulous. For example, in building the worship team, they suggest the need for at least six roles: team captain, designer for the sacred space, prayer person in charge, technologist, art person, and clergy. It is because worship is serious business, planning is critical.
Second, they embrace an inclusive form of worship format. Thus, they are free to choose from ancient or traditional forms of terminology, contemporary use of language, choosing not only hymns or choruses, but also popular music that adds to the overall worship focus. The "worship supply closet" is a great reminder that symbols and various props can enhance and make the worship more meaningful for all. For example, the authors peruse thrift stores and various garage sales regularly so as to help design the worship environment a more meaningful atmosphere.
Third, they believe in preserving and respecting what has been handed down to us. The chapter on "hand-me-downs" is something that I feel some worship leaders may have unwittingly ignored. Tradition is not merely some old old story or idea. It is about stewarding the gift and inheritance of our forefathers and those who have faithfully walked the path before us. It is about being thankful for all we have been receiving on a silver platter. It is in recognition of how God has blessed the past with much vigour and goodness. Traditional when seen in the light of faithful past, will remind us that the traditional vs contemporary debate is altogether a silly comparison altogether. There is meaning in both. Do not throw away something that is traditional simply because it is old. Neither dump the contemporary simply because it is newer. Embrace whatever is appropriate in our individual Church contexts.
Fourth, they believe that there are plenty of resources to jiggle the worship leader's creativity. Thus, the resources they provide are plentiful. For example, the playlist of songs suggestions is helpful as a starting list in preparing for worship. I know of worship leaders who struggle each week thinking of what songs to choose. The playlist does have a theme. The many different flows of worship, ideas for individual services, and many different ways to do worship present to readers a wealth of resources for worship.
Fifth, they believe that practical use will aid learning. Thus, the ten worship service designs have been fully laid out for worship leaders to learn and to lead through examples. Tested and tried in their own worship communities, the list of ideas remind me once again that worship is more than just singing songs. It is about the whole experience. This reminds me of Leonard Sweet's EPIC acronym for designing worship services in a postmodern environment. While I list the following, it does not necessarily mean I endorse them. They are listed for information purposes.
E = Experiential
This means worship services in the postmodern culture need to relate to the hunger for experiencing life. Believing and experiencing are the same side to the expression of faith.
P = Participatory
In an age where there are rising suspicions on authority and institutions, many modern folks are interested in being able to participate and to have their voices or opinions heard. Thus, in worship services, if the participatory element is in place, it makes it more meaningful.
I = Image-Driven / Image-Rich
People nowadays learn more from images and symbols more than abstract concepts or words. Using a picture, a portrait, or a prop, worshipers will find it more helpful to reflect and ponder on things diving with images.
C = Communal / Connective
We live in a age where people not only want to be connected, they want to feel connected. Thus, any programs or processes in Church needs to have this consideration in place.
The choice of the word "Brim" in itself is fascinating. I remember in seminary studies where my friends tell me a core ministerial trait is to serve God not out of our limited abilities, but to serve God fully out of an overflow of HIS goodness, HIS ability, HIS resources, and HIS love. Brim is pointing and accelerating my awareness of this. Great worship resource!
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me courtesy of Chalice Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Monday, July 1, 2013
"Sabbath in the Suburbs" (MaryAnn McKibben Dana)
TITLE: Sabbath in the Suburbs: A Family's Experiment with Holy Time (The Young Clergy Women Project)
AUTHOR: MaryAnn McKibben Dana
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (144 pages).
What do you do on the Sabbath? This question itself is easily asked but not easily answered. It can also be easily planned but not easily executed. Tell that to the author and her family. As young parents, with both holding on full-time jobs, observing a 24-hour Sabbath day of doing nothing seems crazy in a oft-called 7/24 world. Just think of it. For anyone already complaining about not enough time to do all they ever wanted to do, slicing off 24 hours per week just to do nothing is absurd, even unproductive. Yet, it is the very busyness and frantic lifestyle that drives the family not just to observe the Sabbath, but to want to redeem their lives from the busyness of life. The author declares right from the start that Sabbath is not just about stopping from work, it is about freedom from work. What does it take to move from a hurried and harried week toward an unhurried and casual Sabbath day? The whole book is a testament to the gradual appreciation of the ancient practice of Sabbath for modern times.
The Danas learn quickly that keeping the Sabbath is no easy matter. Wiring the Sabbath mentality into the whole family is even more challenging. Chronicling 12 months of intentional Sabbath observance, the family begins with deciding exactly which common day to keep the Sabbath. With some flexibility to set the day, they then work on the actual things that they can do and not do. In doing so, they learn to simplify meals. It means trying not to change things, working on self-improvement, or anything that is considered "productive" over the other six days. It means being more casual about activities. It means timeless moments. They call it "Sabbathly" which is to do things in the manner of Sabbath. It is caring and yet remaining care-free. It is taking a break from the routine. It is a focus on delight.
Reflecting on Scripture, it is about learning to count our days; bringing things back to balance; appreciating the creation of God; doing things slowly; and many more.
So What?
This book is a practical look at how one family battles the pressures and frenetic pace of life with the ancient practice of Sabbath. Done with a light-hearted touch, it carries an essential message for us to observe the Sabbath more faithfully and fully. Instead of rushing to tie up loose ends, push the family to do more and more, for one day a week, do not simply do less. Either do nothing or do something else completely different from the other six days. It is an experiment that invites the experience. The first few chapters will be appreciated by most of us familiar things crazy and busy. Readers will easily identify with the struggles of the demands on a young family. In fact, things do not seem to turn out right initially. For instance, the struggles with what exactly can and cannot be done, which in itself can be quite a challenging exercise for the newbie. On top of that, with heavy work demands (the author is a pastor), it can be tough to carve out a chunk of 24 hours just to do nothing. After all, the family needs to be fed, and household chores still need to be done.
Halfway through the book, it is a pleasant surprise to see that not only the author's family gets used to the Sabbath routines each week, they actually look forward to it. I think this is the biggest value in reading this book. For Sabbath is something often talked about in religious circles but seldom practiced. One reason why people shy away from keeping Sabbath is because of erroneous paradigms in the first place. For instance, some may think keeping Sabbath amounts to religious legalism. Others may suppose that Sabbath keeping is too ancient for any modern practical usage. This is precisely the point why we need Sabbath keeping. Let me offer five thoughts on the Sabbath.
First, Sabbath is about coming back to recognizing God knows best. If God has set forth an example for us to follow, we better follow it well. By resting on the Seventh Day himself, God has shown us what it means to work and to enjoy the fruits of our work. In fact, God has on a daily basis looks back at the day of creation and says it is good. On the Sabbath Day, God actually says "very good."
Second, it is about freedom. The Fourth Commandment is essentially about freedom from slavery. The author recognizes this quite early in the book. Our modern world is stuck on progress and productivity so much that we have become enslaved by it. Too much of a "good" thing is not necessarily good. Sabbath is that opportunity to become more aware and more appreciative of what we had done.
Third, it is about trust and restoration. Just taking a day off per week is a demonstration of trust that we are not masters of the universe. God is. Can we by rushing through another day save the world? Probably not.
Four, the author's observation of "observing scarcity" is something worth pondering more about. Our modern world is more comfortable with progress, with greater possessions, with faster and better advances. We have unconsciously become more electronic like rather than human like. The price of progress is high. When keeping the Sabbath, we can learn to limit ourselves to the bare essentials. There is no need to rush or to grow at any cost. We grow at the speed of love. We move at the speed of care. We travel at the speed of trust.
Finally, what the author has shown is that keeping the Sabbath is possible. It is possible all twelve months of the year, once a week, and every week. If you want to know more about the ups and downs, and the candid but wise sharing of this family's experiment, you need to read this book!
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
AUTHOR: MaryAnn McKibben Dana
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (144 pages).
What do you do on the Sabbath? This question itself is easily asked but not easily answered. It can also be easily planned but not easily executed. Tell that to the author and her family. As young parents, with both holding on full-time jobs, observing a 24-hour Sabbath day of doing nothing seems crazy in a oft-called 7/24 world. Just think of it. For anyone already complaining about not enough time to do all they ever wanted to do, slicing off 24 hours per week just to do nothing is absurd, even unproductive. Yet, it is the very busyness and frantic lifestyle that drives the family not just to observe the Sabbath, but to want to redeem their lives from the busyness of life. The author declares right from the start that Sabbath is not just about stopping from work, it is about freedom from work. What does it take to move from a hurried and harried week toward an unhurried and casual Sabbath day? The whole book is a testament to the gradual appreciation of the ancient practice of Sabbath for modern times.
The Danas learn quickly that keeping the Sabbath is no easy matter. Wiring the Sabbath mentality into the whole family is even more challenging. Chronicling 12 months of intentional Sabbath observance, the family begins with deciding exactly which common day to keep the Sabbath. With some flexibility to set the day, they then work on the actual things that they can do and not do. In doing so, they learn to simplify meals. It means trying not to change things, working on self-improvement, or anything that is considered "productive" over the other six days. It means being more casual about activities. It means timeless moments. They call it "Sabbathly" which is to do things in the manner of Sabbath. It is caring and yet remaining care-free. It is taking a break from the routine. It is a focus on delight.
Reflecting on Scripture, it is about learning to count our days; bringing things back to balance; appreciating the creation of God; doing things slowly; and many more.
So What?
This book is a practical look at how one family battles the pressures and frenetic pace of life with the ancient practice of Sabbath. Done with a light-hearted touch, it carries an essential message for us to observe the Sabbath more faithfully and fully. Instead of rushing to tie up loose ends, push the family to do more and more, for one day a week, do not simply do less. Either do nothing or do something else completely different from the other six days. It is an experiment that invites the experience. The first few chapters will be appreciated by most of us familiar things crazy and busy. Readers will easily identify with the struggles of the demands on a young family. In fact, things do not seem to turn out right initially. For instance, the struggles with what exactly can and cannot be done, which in itself can be quite a challenging exercise for the newbie. On top of that, with heavy work demands (the author is a pastor), it can be tough to carve out a chunk of 24 hours just to do nothing. After all, the family needs to be fed, and household chores still need to be done.
Halfway through the book, it is a pleasant surprise to see that not only the author's family gets used to the Sabbath routines each week, they actually look forward to it. I think this is the biggest value in reading this book. For Sabbath is something often talked about in religious circles but seldom practiced. One reason why people shy away from keeping Sabbath is because of erroneous paradigms in the first place. For instance, some may think keeping Sabbath amounts to religious legalism. Others may suppose that Sabbath keeping is too ancient for any modern practical usage. This is precisely the point why we need Sabbath keeping. Let me offer five thoughts on the Sabbath.
First, Sabbath is about coming back to recognizing God knows best. If God has set forth an example for us to follow, we better follow it well. By resting on the Seventh Day himself, God has shown us what it means to work and to enjoy the fruits of our work. In fact, God has on a daily basis looks back at the day of creation and says it is good. On the Sabbath Day, God actually says "very good."
Second, it is about freedom. The Fourth Commandment is essentially about freedom from slavery. The author recognizes this quite early in the book. Our modern world is stuck on progress and productivity so much that we have become enslaved by it. Too much of a "good" thing is not necessarily good. Sabbath is that opportunity to become more aware and more appreciative of what we had done.
Third, it is about trust and restoration. Just taking a day off per week is a demonstration of trust that we are not masters of the universe. God is. Can we by rushing through another day save the world? Probably not.
Four, the author's observation of "observing scarcity" is something worth pondering more about. Our modern world is more comfortable with progress, with greater possessions, with faster and better advances. We have unconsciously become more electronic like rather than human like. The price of progress is high. When keeping the Sabbath, we can learn to limit ourselves to the bare essentials. There is no need to rush or to grow at any cost. We grow at the speed of love. We move at the speed of care. We travel at the speed of trust.
Finally, what the author has shown is that keeping the Sabbath is possible. It is possible all twelve months of the year, once a week, and every week. If you want to know more about the ups and downs, and the candid but wise sharing of this family's experiment, you need to read this book!
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Friday, June 21, 2013
"The Calling of Congregational Leadership" (Larry L. McSwain)
TITLE: The Calling of Congregational Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing Ministry (TCP The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series)
AUTHOR: Larry L. McSwain
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (288 pages).
Leadership is a calling. It is a ministry of being, of knowing, and of doing. Larry McSwain is a Professor of Leadership at the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia. The main idea in the book is about how congregational members can "model communities of obedience to the lordship of Jesus Christ in who they are and what they do." Aimed primarily at congregations that are local and autonomous, and structurally not as hierarchical or connectional, the author believes that God's power flows through the local congregation of the Church as they touch each other's lives, through the practices of being, knowing, and doing ministry.
Part One deals with the being aspect of a congregational member. This is linked with a response to the calling of each member. For people are meant to be unique, not uniform. There are four ways to understand calling. Firstly, calling is beyond the self. God must call the person. Secondly, the calling involves an experience from within, to generate purpose and passion. Thirdly, the call to leadership comes from the Church. This has implications for pastoral leadership and the ecclesiastical call, where serving the Church is not about an employment contract, but about vocation. Such a vocation is that deepest desire to serve. Fourthly, it means learning about vocational calling and discernment remains a core responsibility of the Church leadership. The response to the call is then through deeper self-knowledge, deeper growth in spiritual disciplines, and deeper responsibility in leadership.
Part Two is about knowing the mission of God. It requires the leader to know the cultural realities of the church community. It needs the leadership to understand the uniqueness of their DNA, and live intentionally God's mission for their unique contexts.
Part Three is the most practical part of the book. Congregational leadership is demonstrated through eight ways, all of which are interconnected and important.
So What?
This book presents a comprehensive picture of what a Church needs. The objectives are clear. The flow is logical. The suggestions are practical. It is a powerful handbook for Church ministry and leadership, and congregation members can benefit from the book in many different ways. The three parts of the book shows us that every leadership consideration must involve recognizing the who we are created (the being). Then, we need to be clear about the mission of God in our Churches (knowing). Know who we are. Know what we are supposed to do. Then, go ahead and be equipped for the work to be done. Churches that are aimless often do not know who they are and where they are supposed to go. It is because they lack knowledge in these, they are unable to be trained or seek education. In other words, they start barking up all kinds of different trees in search of something to do. The tragedy is that they may end up doing things that are totally out of sync with their calling. Finally, the doing aspect of the book contains many practical advice and program steps. Many of the ideas can be easily adopted by any congregation.
My suggestion is that readers should not jump too quickly to the last part of the book. Instead, they need to spend a 40-30-30 percentage. For 40% of the time, pray and fast to discover their being, their calling, and to affirm one another their uniquenesses. For the next 30% of the time, take time for knowing the self, the congregation, and the community at large. Finally, the last 30% is about implementing all of the above in specific ways. For any Church, certain ministries will be more developed than others. So, different ministries will be at different phases at any one time. Thus, it is important to take a step back and not presume the whole Church is stuck at any one phase.
Even though the author has indicated the book as meant more for congregational members of churches that are non-hierarchical and non-connectional, I think the ideas in the book can benefit the Church at large.
Great leadership resource!
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
AUTHOR: Larry L. McSwain
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2013, (288 pages).
Part One deals with the being aspect of a congregational member. This is linked with a response to the calling of each member. For people are meant to be unique, not uniform. There are four ways to understand calling. Firstly, calling is beyond the self. God must call the person. Secondly, the calling involves an experience from within, to generate purpose and passion. Thirdly, the call to leadership comes from the Church. This has implications for pastoral leadership and the ecclesiastical call, where serving the Church is not about an employment contract, but about vocation. Such a vocation is that deepest desire to serve. Fourthly, it means learning about vocational calling and discernment remains a core responsibility of the Church leadership. The response to the call is then through deeper self-knowledge, deeper growth in spiritual disciplines, and deeper responsibility in leadership.
Part Two is about knowing the mission of God. It requires the leader to know the cultural realities of the church community. It needs the leadership to understand the uniqueness of their DNA, and live intentionally God's mission for their unique contexts.
Part Three is the most practical part of the book. Congregational leadership is demonstrated through eight ways, all of which are interconnected and important.
- Dreaming: This is important for hope is tightly connected to dreams. Just like the Christian lives in anticipation of the promises of God, the Church leadership must adopt "pastoral imagination" that embodies the call of the people, the needs of the neighbourhood, the mission of God, and the strategic vision of the Church.
- Caring: It is the art of compassionate ministry that distinguishes Church leadership from other kinds of leadership. The three circles of care are pastoral care, internal congregationalcare, and external community care. Pastoral care involves friendship, comfort, confession, and teaching. Compassionate preaching can be done over the pulpit. Caring preaching can minister to the hurt and needy. Grief ministry to the suffering.
- Proclaiming: The purpose of the gospel is basically to be made known to as many people as possible. The Church's mission is to declare it to their neighbourhoods.
- Organizing: If there is no people to plan activities, there will be nothing for the people to look forward to. Activities in the Church include worship services, learning programs, liturgy, hospitality, social, evangelism, and so on.
- Resourcing: This is essentially about stewardship. Out of the need to practice holistic stewardship, education, training, and giving structures need to be attended to.
- Conflict Management: With change so prevalent everywhere, people do come into conflict from time to time. Various conflicts and the responses are suggested on how to deal with each.
- Evaluating: In order to improve, one needs to evaluate themselves.
- Celebrating: Serving well also means celebrating well together.
So What?
This book presents a comprehensive picture of what a Church needs. The objectives are clear. The flow is logical. The suggestions are practical. It is a powerful handbook for Church ministry and leadership, and congregation members can benefit from the book in many different ways. The three parts of the book shows us that every leadership consideration must involve recognizing the who we are created (the being). Then, we need to be clear about the mission of God in our Churches (knowing). Know who we are. Know what we are supposed to do. Then, go ahead and be equipped for the work to be done. Churches that are aimless often do not know who they are and where they are supposed to go. It is because they lack knowledge in these, they are unable to be trained or seek education. In other words, they start barking up all kinds of different trees in search of something to do. The tragedy is that they may end up doing things that are totally out of sync with their calling. Finally, the doing aspect of the book contains many practical advice and program steps. Many of the ideas can be easily adopted by any congregation.
My suggestion is that readers should not jump too quickly to the last part of the book. Instead, they need to spend a 40-30-30 percentage. For 40% of the time, pray and fast to discover their being, their calling, and to affirm one another their uniquenesses. For the next 30% of the time, take time for knowing the self, the congregation, and the community at large. Finally, the last 30% is about implementing all of the above in specific ways. For any Church, certain ministries will be more developed than others. So, different ministries will be at different phases at any one time. Thus, it is important to take a step back and not presume the whole Church is stuck at any one phase.
Even though the author has indicated the book as meant more for congregational members of churches that are non-hierarchical and non-connectional, I think the ideas in the book can benefit the Church at large.
Great leadership resource!
Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Monday, January 21, 2013
"From Twilight to Breaking Dawn" (Sandra L. Gravett)
TITLE: From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga
AUTHOR: Sandra L. Gravett
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2010, (112 pages).
This book interprets Stephanie Meyer's popular book and movie series from the angle of religious themes. Amid the hype, the smashing of box office records, and the astronomical sales of books and merchandise linked to the hit Twilight saga, the author highlights the themes with respect to Stephanie Meyer's Mormon background, how it has been overtly infused into the stories, and significant themes that make the whole series so captivating, and also thought provoking. This book begins with the basics, briefly describing what the movie is about, the main characters, the key themes, and provides simple storyline for readers unfamiliar with Meyer's saga. It also appeals to fans as it provides glimpses of the delightful plots.
Three key characters are studied. Firstly, the character of Edward has been described as a "Christ figure," with lots of positive association of goodness, life-giving blood, spiritual presence, transfiguration, and many good attributes that the Bible has spoken about overcoming temptation, life and death, sacrifice, love, and many more. Secondly, the character of Bella, which helms the entire saga with her being the sole narrator. She represents the Eve figure, innocent and weak, falling to temptation, being a temptress, lover to Edward, often displaying a parallel to Mary in the Bible. Thirdly, Carlisle as leader of the Cullen family, symbolizes a spiritually authoritative figure, chief guide, procreation figure, fatherly position, and a uniting patriarch. After dealing with the three key figures, Gravett moves toward the theme of "Determinism and Moral Choices," with themes of good vs evil, the choices we make, the shifting from mortal to immortal worlds, and Mormon perspectives on morality. Mormon theology on salvation is different from Christian theology. For example, Satan seeks human salvation for Satan's sake, rather than humanity's sake. In that aspect, as Meyer fuses in this into the story, it adds in complexity in spiritual themes as the different Mormon, Christian, and moral themes are intermixed. At some point, it is difficult to tell the themes apart, which makes any interpretation rather challenging.
There is also a chapter on Renesmee, the daughter of Bella and Edward, and Gravett carefully compares the pregnancy of Bella with the Bible story of Mary and Jesus. This straightaway evokes questions about theological significance, with references to some biblical and some heretical teachings about the nature of Christ. The final chapter compares the conclusion of the saga with the Kingdom of God.
My Thoughts
The author, Gravett tries very hard to view the Twilight saga from a biblical angle. I feel that she has overplayed the biblical significance. In fact, it can very well be a misinterpretation of Meyer's intent. While the book and the religious themes represent Gravett's ideas, I think Meyer's books are more Mormon than Christian. It would have been more beneficial to approach this book by using three lenses. Firstly, from the lens of the ordinary book reader or movier goer to connect viewers to the story. This is the general perspective for people who love stories. Secondly, it can be approached from Stephanie Meyer's Mormon outlook, to connect Meyer's Mormonism with direct instances of the saga. I say this because Meyer's version of Mormonism is quite different from the mainstream. This will give a better angle instead of speculating what the stories mean. Thirdly, we can compare and contrast the Mormon themes with Christian themes, instead of risking the application of biblical themes out of context of both story and Bible. In doing so, this book can do both Meyer and the Bible, and Gravett herself a disfavour by quoting both of them out of context.
This book pales in comparison with Elaine Heath's "The Gospel According to Twilight." The intentions are good but the mechanism is flawed.
Rating: 3 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
AUTHOR: Sandra L. Gravett
PUBLISHER: St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2010, (112 pages).
Three key characters are studied. Firstly, the character of Edward has been described as a "Christ figure," with lots of positive association of goodness, life-giving blood, spiritual presence, transfiguration, and many good attributes that the Bible has spoken about overcoming temptation, life and death, sacrifice, love, and many more. Secondly, the character of Bella, which helms the entire saga with her being the sole narrator. She represents the Eve figure, innocent and weak, falling to temptation, being a temptress, lover to Edward, often displaying a parallel to Mary in the Bible. Thirdly, Carlisle as leader of the Cullen family, symbolizes a spiritually authoritative figure, chief guide, procreation figure, fatherly position, and a uniting patriarch. After dealing with the three key figures, Gravett moves toward the theme of "Determinism and Moral Choices," with themes of good vs evil, the choices we make, the shifting from mortal to immortal worlds, and Mormon perspectives on morality. Mormon theology on salvation is different from Christian theology. For example, Satan seeks human salvation for Satan's sake, rather than humanity's sake. In that aspect, as Meyer fuses in this into the story, it adds in complexity in spiritual themes as the different Mormon, Christian, and moral themes are intermixed. At some point, it is difficult to tell the themes apart, which makes any interpretation rather challenging.
There is also a chapter on Renesmee, the daughter of Bella and Edward, and Gravett carefully compares the pregnancy of Bella with the Bible story of Mary and Jesus. This straightaway evokes questions about theological significance, with references to some biblical and some heretical teachings about the nature of Christ. The final chapter compares the conclusion of the saga with the Kingdom of God.
My Thoughts
The author, Gravett tries very hard to view the Twilight saga from a biblical angle. I feel that she has overplayed the biblical significance. In fact, it can very well be a misinterpretation of Meyer's intent. While the book and the religious themes represent Gravett's ideas, I think Meyer's books are more Mormon than Christian. It would have been more beneficial to approach this book by using three lenses. Firstly, from the lens of the ordinary book reader or movier goer to connect viewers to the story. This is the general perspective for people who love stories. Secondly, it can be approached from Stephanie Meyer's Mormon outlook, to connect Meyer's Mormonism with direct instances of the saga. I say this because Meyer's version of Mormonism is quite different from the mainstream. This will give a better angle instead of speculating what the stories mean. Thirdly, we can compare and contrast the Mormon themes with Christian themes, instead of risking the application of biblical themes out of context of both story and Bible. In doing so, this book can do both Meyer and the Bible, and Gravett herself a disfavour by quoting both of them out of context.
This book pales in comparison with Elaine Heath's "The Gospel According to Twilight." The intentions are good but the mechanism is flawed.
Rating: 3 stars of 5.
conrade
This book is provided to me free by Chalice Press and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
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