Book Bag

Being jobless is getting to me and I have been experiencing insomnia.  Some toss and turn.  I read.  I thought I would share some of the books I've read recently.  

While the Moody Bible Institute is a wee bit conservative for my educational tastes (as was Denver Seminary), I think Moody Broadcasting does an incredible job creating original Christian programming.  I am picky about my radio.  I listen to secular radio like NPR and KBCO as well as Christian stations.  Just because a radio outlet is Christian, that does not necessarily mean that the content is high quality.  I discovered Moody's live stream several years ago when I was homesick at Christmas.  I listen to a lot of their programming online.

I received a copy of The Post-Church Christian when Moody invited people who listen to the Bring to Mind podcast to enter their names in a drawing for a FREE book. 

THE POST-CHURCH CHRISTIAN: DEALING WITH THE GENERATIONAL BAGGAGE OF OUR FAITH

Who are the millennials?  They are the 80 million people born between 1982 and 2000.  In the introduction to their book, The Post-Church Christian, Paul and Carson Nyquist write, “In the past few years, considerable research has clearly documented the millennial migration from the church.  David Kinnaman provided groundbreaking research in his books unChristian and You Lost Me.”  Millennials love Jesus, but they are unsure about the evangelical church.

The Nyquists, Paul, a baby-boomer and the president of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and his son Carson, a millennial and pastor serving in Wisconsin, divide their book into three parts.  In Part 1, Carson gives voice to the millennials’ frustration with the existing evangelical church.  In Part 2, Paul asks millennials pointed questions  including, Can I love Jesus and not love the church?  Can the church change and ditch its sad reputation?  What do I do with the alienation I feel?  In Part 3, the authors discuss the future of the evangelical church.

Says the younger Nyquist, “Our generation is messed up and we know it.  But we also want a place to belong, to be known.  To us, ugly reality beats fake beauty any day.  Perfection is a standard no one can meet.  But many of us grew up in homes and churches where image management was king.  As a Christian, it was your goal to convince others how spiritual you were.  Reality was irrelevant.  Perception was everything.”  Ouch.

In his section, Paul Nyquist asks millennials a series of pointed questions and provides his perspective on some of the issues millennials have with the Evangelical Church.

Do I Need to Be Part of the Church to Follow Jesus?

"You need the church and the church needs you.  The MBI president points to Hebrews 10:24-25 which states, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

How Do I Deal with the Current Reputation of the Church?

°        Admit the flaws

°        Churches get stuck

°        There is still hope

What’s My Responsibility to Those Who’ve Hurt Me?

Nyquist suggests that millennials be gracious to those in the church who’ve hurt or offended them.  “Don’t lob a grenade.  Forgive them.  Thank them.   Engage them in a conversation.

What Freedom Do I Have to Engage Culture and the Unbelieving World?

The elder Nyquist was taken aback when his Bible-believing son got a tattoo.  He didn’t know what to think at first.  “You are born of a different culture with a unique set of values.  You see the world – and Christianity – through different lenses.  Seeking to be true to those values, you have not found wide acceptance by baby boomers, such as me.  Instead, you have experienced judgment, frustration, alienation, and deep hurt.”

Millennials in their attempt to engage contemporary culture will encounter gray areas where they will be unsure how to proceed.  Dr. Nyquist encourages them to ask themselves the following questions based on material contained in First Corinthians:

1.    Will it be helpful for me?  (1 Corinthians 6:12)

2.    Will it dominate me?  (1 Corinthians 6:12)

3.    Will it cause another believer to stumble?  

       (1 Corinthians 6:13)

4.    Will it build up your neighbor?  (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

5.    Will it bring God glory?  (1 Corinthians 10:31)

6.    Will it offend an unbeliever?  (1 Corinthians 10:32-33)

Carson Nyquist concludes his section with the following, “I have incredible hope for our generation.  I believe the church is in a unique place, unsure of its place in society as she tries to balance dogmatic tradition and future innovation.  In this moment we need leaders in our generation to dream about the future of the church – not to change our faith but to find new ways to express it.”

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, A Small Town, and the Secret of a Good LifE

I read the Little Way of Ruthie Leming in one sitting, literally.  This non-fiction book, written by journalist Rod Dreher, is simultaneously the memoir of his teacher-sister Ruthie who died of cancer in her forties, and the story of Rod’s making peace with his small-town Louisiana family and his returning ‘home’ with his wife Julie and their kids.  The Little Way of Ruthie Leming reads like a novel and – even though Ruthie loses her battle with cancer – the story is far more inspiring than it is depressing.  While it does not come with ready-made questions, I think this would be a great Book Club book.

FIERCE WOMEN AND KINGDOM WOMAN

You don't have to know me really well to know that I struggle with the Christian community's concept of submission.  I grew up in a family where my father - who is not what most people would term a man of faith - used his gender/leadership role to subjugate my mom and me.  

Luckily, I had other men in my life who respected women.  That does not make submission any easier for me.  I once told a man that I was dating that "I did not go to college to stay home and cook your dinner."  I am pretty sure he wanted to cry - as he bought me my first microwave and my first Wusthof knives.

Submission, as set forth by Kimberly Wagner in her book Fierce Women, and Tony Evans in his book Kingdom Woman  (and other Evangelical authors as well) holds that while men and women are equally valuable, they fulfill different roles in marriage, the church and society.  In places like Ephesians 5:22 and 1 Peter 3:1, God exhorts women to voluntarily follow their husband's leadership.  While I understand the concept, I have a hard time visualizing what submission looks like in real life in the 21st century.

In this day and age where women increasingly possess advanced degrees and may make more money than their husbands, Wagner and Evans assume most Christian women marry and bear children in their twenties and are stay-at-home moms for the duration of their adult lives.  

Many believing women either choose not or cannot afford to stay home for the duration.  Furthermore, some of us choose not to get married.  So far, the only book I've read that addresses submission in these situations is Dancing With the One You Love: Living Out Submission in the Real World by Cindy Easley.  I'm just saying . . .

MORMONISM

Not unlike submission, Mormonism is a topic that I have visited and revisited over the years.  My roommate from my sophomore year of college was Mormon.  Some of you know that I've spent more Thanksgivings and Christmas Eves with my long-time friends, the Johnsons, than I have my biological family.  The Johnsons are Mormon.  

While I do not agree with Mormon theology, I have developed a profound respect for many things LDS from my friends.  I bought a number of books on Mormonism - most written by respected authors from both perspectives - when I was writing a paper a couple years ago.  I recently re-read How Wide the Divide by Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson and Understanding Mormonism by Andrew Jackson.  Nerdy, I know.  Still, I was stunned by some of the incorrect perceptions of Mormons and the LDS Church when Mitt Romney was the Republican candidate for president.

Happy October