Addition to Top 10

I suppose that it kind of works like the Academy Awards. If a book is published in 2009 but I don't read it until 2010 then it should count for this year's Top 10 books. I did want to put this out there because of how highly I think of the book and the author.
I know this sounds very much like a "homer" but I think Dallas Willard's book, "Knowing Christ Today", could be one of the finest modern day books I've read (Ok, maybe The Search for God and Guinness was just as good). I've read all of Willard's books but in a strange way this one felt the most "accessible" (even though in the beginning he did say it was going to be difficult sledding). I had heard that he was planning to write a book on the disappearance of moral knowledge for awhile now. But this book goes far beyond what I expected to actually state the case that one can have honest to goodness knowledge as a follower of Christ. I am re-reading it very carefully again.
My quick take is rather than being a book about straight epistemology or even virtue epistemology, what Willard has laid out a pretty strong case for the availability of knowledge for the average Christian. It goes beyond the standard formula that used in epistemology for what counts as knowledge (JTB). Instead he lays out a view close to Jonathan Edwards where knowledge is different than mere belief or even commitment. Consistent with Edwards, it makes no sense to bifurcate head and heart knowledge. Both are connected and vital if we are to understand the will. My sense is that Willard is in agreement.
Oddly enough, I suppose where Willard will receive the most flak is his use of words (and knowing him he does not use words carelessly). He does use the phrase "Christian Pluralism" and I think that might throw a few people off. My guess is that some might accuse him of being a universalist. Actually, he makes it clear that he's not. So obviously, "pluralism" means something different to Willard. In other places He uses the phrase, "Cosmic Christ". It's simply best to read that as the eternal second person of the Trinity.
My only other thoughts are I had hoped that he would also tie knowledge to the internal witness of the Holy Spirit and the connection then of knowledge to the Word of God. Other than that, read the book thoroughly! I think that you will find it challenging and inspiring that Christians need not capitulate to modern day pressure and rhetoric. For any college pastor who reads this, I do think that Willard is on to something that is critical for us to understand in this postmodern age of tolerance as we minister to those in college.

January plans for sabbatical

A few weeks ago I received an email from a friend regarding my post on idols. Particularly, he was interested in what God had opened me up to in terms of my own personal idolatry. Here's a brief answer as it relates to last month.

December for me was a month of decompression. After ministering for over twenty years without a clear break (except after Kay and I got married) the first month was spent gaining my balance. Even with Christmas and New Orleans the task was to actually de-pressurize my life. To that extent, I would say this: I now can understand why people who retire often go crazy. If you spend the majority of your waking hours producing something, once that "thing" is gone there are serious questions of identity that arise. For me it reminded me every day that at the core of "me", I am not a pastor. I do not have to answer to everyone's whims. I cannot please everyone. My "job" is not who I am. It seemed to me that this must be connected to idolatry in some way. Once I take something good and make it ultimate in my life by investing purpose, meaning, and identity, once that thing is gone, it's going to create a sense of existential loneliness and confusion. December can only be described as a month of God revealing to me the depth of how I place my job on the altar thinking that what I do is absolutely necessary to His plan.

Now January! Here's the plan. I'm open to God to lead me in any direction. For instance, even early in the month, while I thought I was going to spend time thinking about ecclesiology (the Church), I ended up reading, thinking and praying about eschatology (future things). I'm ok with meandering a bit because through it God will teach me what He wants. The pull of idolatry in this life is incredible and pervasive. Only when we look at the end are we reminded that even this life has been redeemed by Jesus' work on the Cross and His resurrection.

I'll be studying and praying quite a bit as i'm up in a monastery next week. Since I'm going to a Benedictine monastery it's only appropriate that I spend time looking at St. Benedict (and I might even throw some Henri Nouwen in there) It's during this time of silence and solitude for much of the day that I'm open to God revealing even more about my vices and the virtues make me think I'm doing alright. And finally to spend some long times walking in the gardens and vineyards praying for guidance and for those I love dearly (including you all!). I will see you all in about four weeks!

Thoughts on New Orleans and rebuilding

I went with my two boys this past week and watched "Princess and the Frog". It was kind of throw back to the old-school Disney animated feature: strong female character, chaos, and big musical numbers. It certainly wasn't as funny as others but it was solid. My big reason for going? New Orleans was the city of choice! And that reminded me that this year we're bringing another team to New Orleans.

Our first trip was in December 2005, only months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. What we saw that year is hard to describe. In many ways, seeing the Ninth Ward completely wiped out was surreal. In many ways it looked like we entered into a war zone but instead of bombs, homes were destroyed by water and the force of the wind. We were called to help one homeowner in the Ninth Ward that year all she wanted was for us to recover some money in a little storage container. The rest of the house was waterlogged, unable to be salvaged.

But now after five years we're heading back for what probably is our last time in New Orleans. First, I'm grateful that we have been able to partner with Castle Rock Community Church. We've gone from cleaning up to actually helping to rebuild the city. There's still a long ways to go but the fact that we've hung in there to help make a difference in a city that desperately needed outside help is something very special to me. In many ways, New Orleans, like Calcutta, India and Jerusalem, Israel feel like home away from home. It's because I've spent time there and gotten to know people.

The other thing that always strikes me is the caliber of people that we have brought with us. They could spend their money and time elsewhere. But instead they choose to come with us, using their time, talent, and skills to help rebuild some pretty poor parts of New Orleans. Oh yea, the food is great, and it's fun to be there but there's a bigger reason to go... to give our lives to something redemptive... something that is at the very heart of the gospel. I consider it a real privilege to co-labor alongside some pretty cool people. I'm so impressed with their desire to actually pay a portion of the trip out of their own pocket and their love for the Savior which leads them to loving those who are on the margins.

There is much to do with college students! But it's always works out well when we combine great teaching and training on how to live life well in the Spirit connecting that with works of compassion and mercy! Spiritual formation is best "caught" when we intentionally teach on the heart while we give our bodies to laboring for God's Kingdom. We lead with the body and then check our hearts. Spiritual formation always has a missional component. I can't wait to get back to Castle Rock to see fiends and to engage our students in something that will hopefully shape their worldview for the rest of their lives!

Best Reads of 2009

As the year winds down , let me quickly list the top books I've read this year in no particular order. Maybe I'll do something along the lines of movies next...

The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
The divide between Israel and Palestine continues to draw the world's focus toward a small piece of land in the Middle East. The book is based on a story that Tolan did for National Public Radio. The book is incredibly helpful in describing the history behind the conflict in the format of a narrative. While it does not reach back into history as far as I would want it to, it provides enough context so that the average person can at least get a basic grip on how complex the problem is. What's even more powerful is that it speaks of the power of hope, that we can work to understand while not completely agreeing.

Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
How in the world does a 60-something year old pastor in Brooklyn, New York become so popular among young adults? Read the book and you'll see Keller's style and understand why. What he unpacks is something that we all know... we are just as idolatrous as those who have come before us. Our version is not with wooden statues but just as pernicious as we take things, people, and ideas and make them ultimate in our lives. He does a fine job representing the pastor/shepherd/theologian/philosopher that used to be the norm in churches.

John Coltrane: His Life and Music by Lewis Porter
When it comes to bebop there was no one else like 'Trane on the sax. When you listen to him, his phrasing is an expression of his soul (I think jazz as an art form points entirely to the complexity of the soul, and not the brain, and ultimately to God). While his music was genre changing, his life was ultimately sad. One of the better biographies of a man who shaped American music. Next I'm up for reading a biography of Miles...

Soren Kierkegaard's Christian Psychology: Insight for Counseling & Pastoral Care by C. Stephen Evans
Ok, this is a bit harder of a read because one needs to be somewhat familiar with Kierkegaard's life and the framework of his concepts. However, what he represents is the philosopher who was also spiritual theologian and contributed greatly to what authentic faith looks like. I know this sounds cliche but this is a must read for all pastors who are in the trenches with people trying to grow. His understanding of sin as building your identity on anything else other than God is helpful in pastoral care.

The Quest for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield
One of my favorite books of 2009. Yep, sat me down with a Guinness and started reading about the history of the company. All I have to say is, "Oh my, what a great book!" I had all my categories blown away when I understood the spiritual legacy that Arthur Guinness left as a part of the Guinness Brewing Compnay. More than that, the book is riveting when it recounts the great impact the company had on its employees, eliminating poverty and unemployment, and spiritual awakening. If more companies today involved in the capitalistic enterprise understood the importance of ungirding the profit motive with virtue, I think it would change corporate America for the better. Now I wish someone would now write a book about all the great spiritual discussions that occurred in a pub...

The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need by Juliet Schor
Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College. The book is a bit dated but the effect is powerful nonetheless. We buy what what we don't need and it's left many people with a habit that will not help them do well in life. Companies work hard at creating "needs" that are either artificial or superficial. What's worse is that it's acceptable today to consume. I'm certainly not advocating ceasing buying things but the book will make you think twice before just jumping in to buy something. It's shocking that the vices of greed and gluttony are presently acceptable.

Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden
Just finished it. This biography of Jonathan Edwards cements him as one of the influential (if not the most influential) pastor/theologians in American history. What strikes me about Edwards is his deep understanding of theology and philosophy is well-thought through whether you agree with him or not), as well as an interest in how the Holy Spirit works in justification and sanctification. If you like reading biographies and are interested in discovering one of the great influences on modern day evangelicalism, this is a good read.

Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren Winner
The Paradigm Shift college ministry spent quite a bit of time this summer working through a biblical theology on sex and the body. Probably one of the best times of reading and study I've had. And no, it's not because the topic was sex! My interest in talking about this subject is due to the fact that the church doesn't. Oh, we do maybe once a year and it's largely the message of "don't do it" said by people brought in. Winner's book is not only compelling (she has a background it seems in spiritual formation) but she has a good grasp of historically how the church has dealt with the subject. And she has a great understanding of chastity not as something to mock but something that is a real virrtue (connected to the cardinal virtue of temperance). Confused? Read the book and it should become clear.

Life on the Vine by Phillip Kennison
Great book on the virtues lived out in a robust sense of community. Kennison looks at the Fruit of the Spirit and offers relevant and practical insight into how this is lived out in the context of our lives together. For those who enjoy good reads on spiritual formation, this is a very helpful book.

The Most Powerful Subgroup

I want to continue on a theme from a few days ago. In reading about the life of Jonathan Edwards, it became apparent that the seeds of the First Great Awakening were connected to young adults. At least early in his career, Edwards seemed to have a good connection with young adults and it was their response to Edwards' teaching that laid the foundation for the work of the Spirit.
Though there is not a strict connection, revivals, awakenings, and new movements of God's Kingdom have seen their genesis with college aged/young adults. I do not know of a recent book that chronicles movements in history that began among young adults. I recall a book many years ago by Patty Burgin, when she was with Crusade staff, wrote about the powerful percent. In the book she asserted (at that point) that only 1% of the world's population have the opportunity to attend a university.
It's here that two things have happened. First, those that attend university tend to be the ones who shape society and culture for the future. In that sense, college students are absolutely critical to reach as they are the shapers of countries. Second, it is out of this subgroup that new expressions of expanding God's Kingdom were launched. College is not only an extreme privilege (Some estimates are that still 1% of the world's population has a college degree) but it's also the place where God stirs new dreams and passions for a lost and dying world and for the Church, God's holy bride. We can speculate why God has chosen young people, college students to lead the way. But that's another discussion. The fact is that throughout church history God has used young adults to shift the prevailing paradigm.
A couple of examples will suffice...as noted, young adults were central to the beginning of the First Great Awakening here in the U.S. Later in history (1806), five student at Williams College in Massachusetts began gathering to pray. At one of their meetings a thunderstorm broke out and they rushed to the shelter of a haystack. This was the beginning of the first solid North American missions work. In the first fifty years over 1,000 students were sent to the mission field. Both the Student Volunteer Movement and Intervarsity have their origins in the Haystack Prayer movement.How about Jim Elliot? It probably escapes most of us who know about his life that it was his college years that mostly launched him into serving on the missions field until he was martyred in Ecuador. And we can continue with the start of Campus Crusade and the Navigators! I used to serve the Crusade so the story of Henrietta Mear's influence on Bill Bright and Dawson Trotman (who would go on to found The Navigators ministry) at Forest Home was recounted for new staff. It was through the influence of Dr. Mear's that both men began to pray and received direction from the Spirit to reach the college campus. More recently, we have all been affected by the Passion movement with Louis Giglio.
This is the short answer to why even devote time and energy to college students. The strategic nature of reaching collegians with a compelling and lasting picture of the gospel is critical to the health of the Church both here in the States and also around the world. God uses college students! If this is the case, it is in our best interest then to invite our college students to participate in something big and not just "youth group". It has everything to do with making the kind of disciples whose hearts are enlarged to love God and others, who are re-trained to live life well with the Great Commission and Commandment in mind (and not just more behavior modification and getting people pumped up).

The Subculture of Young Adults

Ok, there's lot to learn theologically and philosophically when reading the biography of Jonathan Edwards but over the past week I've run into a little historical fact that I was not expecting. My friend Ben Hines encouraged me over lunch to write a blog about college ministry. Here's an initial attempt at it.
Edwards is best known for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and he doesn't get much love for it. He's depicted as a narrow minded, intolerant, angry Christian. That's the farthest thing from the truth. In fact Edwards had much success as a pastor ministering to young people in Northampton, MA. In many respects his ability to "connect" with the young adults sowed the seeds for the First Great Awakening.
But even then there was a subculture present. There were certain practices among the young adults that were part of their culture, much of it lived under the radar. Here are some examples: tavern-haunting (yes, they bar-hopped back then), playing cards (probably not Texas Hold 'Em), reading "titillating" material and excessive drinking. One thing that had parents really concerned for their kids about was the practice of night frolicking. I'm still not sure what exactly frolicking is, but I think it has to do with hanging out with no good intentions. It seems like a lot of the frolicking among young adults in colonial America was done at taverns.
But the one that surprised me was a practice called, "bundling". Now don't misunderstand me, I don't take sexual sin lightly but the name "bundling" cracked me up. "Bundling" was the New England practice where parents would allow their older children to spend the night together with friends in the same bed (and I'm assuming mixed gender), partially clothed. It was allowed with the explanation that parents trusted children but certainly with the proverbial winking of the eye because everyone knew what was going on. Bundling was supposed to be a way to get to know another person with some clothes on in bed! In some perverse way it was probably thought of as a way to decrease sexual temptation. I understand the thinking to be if you can lay in bed with someone of the opposite sex with clothes on, then you won't be tempted, as if the presence of clothes acts like a natural barrier to temptation! Of course, that was not just naive, that was stupid. Because of this practice, there was an increase in pregnancies before marriage. Marsden in his book "Jonathan Edwards: A Life" cites that premarital sex was commonplace back then but as long as the couple married there was no stigma attached.
Wow! All this to say that there was a young adult subculture present back then even in post-Puritanical times. In fact, I'll write about this in the next few days but it was the subculture itself that was affected by the Holy Spirit in conjunction with Edward's preaching. God has always used those on the fringes, the subcultures, to affect change! This is one of the reasons why ministering to collegians is strategic in nature. Throughout history it's been the seed of change as religion is expressed.

Jonathan Edwards pt. 1

My journey this month is to devote myself to prayer and study. I am using the life and sermons of Jonathan Edwards to spur prayer and thought. This really is the first week of sabbatical that I've felt I can get on with what the process of renewing and refreshing that comes with sabbatical.
First, let me say this about Edwards. You cannot read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and conclude that Edwards preached singularly about hell, fire and damnation. Nor can the modern man quickly conclude that all the myths associated with an older picture of religion are dispelled making Edwards irrelevant to modern life. Actually, if you read what was going on in people's lives there are many similarities today! It strikes me that Edwards was a well thought through theologian, philosopher, and practitioner of identifying the Spirit's work in people's lives. In fact, consistent with the Puritanical tradition, he was interested in understanding the role of beauty and its drawing power upon a person. Many of his sermons reflect on the beauty of Christ. That does not strike me as a pastor who was quick to damn people to hell. If you read about his life, in the context of what was going on religiously at the time, he is much more of a shepherd leading people in deep reverence to the throne of a beautiful God.
Second, you cannot get away from the fact that when Edwards preached he used two primary forms of communication. First, he was incredibly logical in his preaching. He simply moves from one point to another then ending with application. He was not a motivational speaker, focusing on positive things. One thing that characterized his teaching was he "led" people to inevitable conclusions. When he got to the application part, the work that was done before to communicate truth left true seekers of God no option but to respond in repentance. But also his sermons utilize both logic imagery to not only paint the horrors of life without God but the beauty of life with God. His sermons utilize word pictures that spark the imagination of a person, both in the horror of life where one is left to one's own resources or the incredible attractiveness of following Christ.
Our preaching of the Scriptures to collegians should reflect both - a well thought through presentation that moves from point to point leaving very little untouched. It should stir the minds of people to think and reflect upon the reasonableness of our faith. Yet, it should use words to communicate beyond the mind. it should use words that drive truth to people's hearts. The Spirit should be able to use our words to stir affections in our hearts for God and His Kingdom. More on this later when I reflect on Ed Clowney's thoughts on Christ-centered preaching later in January.