Phew! I'm done with 'round 1' of books. Here is what I thought:
First on the list is Mathison's The Shape of Sola Scriptura. For a good portion of the book, I had an unanswered objection to some of Mathison's logic, but near the end his arguments came to a magnificent crescendo, and my objection was no more. The book as been a tremendous help in sorting out the issues of authority in the church. If you want to know why so many people in your church are leaving for Orthodox or Catholic churches, this book will tell you why (hint: they actually have good reason to, in most cases). The issue of authority is an argument that is majorly twisted and abused in probably 95% of literature that addresses it, particularly in apologetic literature.
The Shape of Sola Scriptura: A
Next, I read both of Malcom Gladwell's books: The Tipping Point and Blink. These books have fascinating studies throughout that also make really interesting conversations. They will challenge you to think twice about how you view AIDS, racism, fashion, crime rates, salesmen, and your own free will. WOW.
The Tipping Point: A
Blink: A
I just finished Leithart's The Kingdom and the Power this morning. My pastor and I have been meeting on a weekly basis and discussing it. It has been really helpful to me, being new to a covenant worldview, but by the end when the novelty wore off, it became a little less interesting. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants a biblical view of the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom and the Power: A-
Finally, and lastly, I finished Jean Twenge's Generation Me. The book contains a lot of studies and statistics, which I sometimes find myself skipping over, unless they are particularly appealing or relevant to me (wow, that is such a 'Generation Me' thing to do). While the studies may not be as interesting as those in Gladwell's books, this is far more impactful on how I view my peers and parents, because the book goes to a lot of trouble to explain our generation's behavior (by 'our' I mean those people who were born in the 70's, 80's, or 90's - that is 'Generation Me'). It has made me more skeptical of certain beliefs or movements that I can see are a pure invention of modern culture. At the end, Twenge lays out all of the impacts, as they relate to political leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and students. I found the analysis at the end to be particularly interesting and well thought-out.
Generation Me: A
explanation: the reason for all of the high grades is not because I am a generous grader - rather, it is because I have picked out the books that I have been wanting to read for a long time (due to the many recommendations offered on their behalf). There are also books that I have checked out that I didn't even finish, like The Philosophy Gym - it sounded interesting, but it wasn't - the logic was flawed, and the writer was a little pompous. Also, I started reading China, Inc., because I am interested in the rise of China. However, I quickly realised that I wasn't that interested in China. Later, you will see lower reviews. These books really are the creme of the crop. Check them out sometime!
First on the list is Mathison's The Shape of Sola Scriptura. For a good portion of the book, I had an unanswered objection to some of Mathison's logic, but near the end his arguments came to a magnificent crescendo, and my objection was no more. The book as been a tremendous help in sorting out the issues of authority in the church. If you want to know why so many people in your church are leaving for Orthodox or Catholic churches, this book will tell you why (hint: they actually have good reason to, in most cases). The issue of authority is an argument that is majorly twisted and abused in probably 95% of literature that addresses it, particularly in apologetic literature.
The Shape of Sola Scriptura: A
Next, I read both of Malcom Gladwell's books: The Tipping Point and Blink. These books have fascinating studies throughout that also make really interesting conversations. They will challenge you to think twice about how you view AIDS, racism, fashion, crime rates, salesmen, and your own free will. WOW.
The Tipping Point: A
Blink: A
I just finished Leithart's The Kingdom and the Power this morning. My pastor and I have been meeting on a weekly basis and discussing it. It has been really helpful to me, being new to a covenant worldview, but by the end when the novelty wore off, it became a little less interesting. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants a biblical view of the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom and the Power: A-
Finally, and lastly, I finished Jean Twenge's Generation Me. The book contains a lot of studies and statistics, which I sometimes find myself skipping over, unless they are particularly appealing or relevant to me (wow, that is such a 'Generation Me' thing to do). While the studies may not be as interesting as those in Gladwell's books, this is far more impactful on how I view my peers and parents, because the book goes to a lot of trouble to explain our generation's behavior (by 'our' I mean those people who were born in the 70's, 80's, or 90's - that is 'Generation Me'). It has made me more skeptical of certain beliefs or movements that I can see are a pure invention of modern culture. At the end, Twenge lays out all of the impacts, as they relate to political leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and students. I found the analysis at the end to be particularly interesting and well thought-out.
Generation Me: A
explanation: the reason for all of the high grades is not because I am a generous grader - rather, it is because I have picked out the books that I have been wanting to read for a long time (due to the many recommendations offered on their behalf). There are also books that I have checked out that I didn't even finish, like The Philosophy Gym - it sounded interesting, but it wasn't - the logic was flawed, and the writer was a little pompous. Also, I started reading China, Inc., because I am interested in the rise of China. However, I quickly realised that I wasn't that interested in China. Later, you will see lower reviews. These books really are the creme of the crop. Check them out sometime!
Comments
The following were stressed in the book:
1) A Sacramental worldview - everything we do as a church revolves around particularly the Eucharist
2) Cultural Transformation - engaging the culture as opposed to hiding from it
3) The main function of the church is to be the church - through the sacraments, liturgy (worship), etc.
4) Viewing the church more corporately - most evangelicals focus on the "me" aspect of Christianity and ignore the corporate aspect
5) Also, the book has been helping me to see the Bible more holistically, as one story that begins in a garden and ends in a city, with types and archetypes
These are the things I wasn't used to thinking about, and the book gently eased me into this frame of thinking. That is what I meant when I said I was new to a "Covenantal Worldview," although I'm sure I could have used a better phrase - I just don't know what.