Tag Archives: books and blogs

B&B Friday: Forthright Magazine

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Fridays in The Kitchen are often for books and blogs. I want to look at another site maintained by members of the churches of Christ, Forthright Magazine. It’s technically not a blog, but many of the articles are presented in a blog format. You can subscribe to the site by e-mail or by RSS feed, just like a blog. Unlike your typical blog, however, Forthright Magazine has regular articles by numerous authors, some writing weekly, others bi-weekly, others less regularly.

Several of the authors are people that I know on some level. Editor Richard Mansel and I have participated in several preachers’ forums on the Internet; despite his love for the Crimson Tide and mine for the Longhorns, we’ve forged a friendship. Randy Matheny also participates in one of those forums, plus I knew of Randy when we were living in neighboring countries (he in Brazil, me in Argentina). Barry Newton and I went to graduate school together, so we’ve known each other longer than either cares to admit. Paula Harrington is a “blog friend” that I got to meet personally in Tulsa last week. She does amazingly well at overcoming the handicap of having a brother who carries a purse. (Inside joke)

Forthright Magazine produces an amazing amount of information on a variety of spiritual topics, especially considering the fact that it’s all created by volunteers and provided for free. It’s well worth your time to explore the site at www.forthright.net.

B&B Friday: The Sacred Meal

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I signed up to review books for Thomas Nelson. That means I receive books from them for free in exchange for reviewing them. Looking over the books they had available, I chose The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher (which means I received it for free; this is my attempt at full disclosure).

I chose the book because I have been studying the Lord’s Supper over the last few years. I thought this book would be about that. It is. Well, kind of. I feel sort of like a European that gets invited to a football game in the States, only to discover that the sport isn’t the one he is familiar with. What Gallagher describes is not the Lord’s Supper I know from my Church of Christ background. This is Holy Communion. It exists in a world that is foreign to my Christian experience, with priests and altars, people eating wafers and drinking from chalices. It was an interesting insight, but a frustrating one at the same time.

As an author, I’m sensitive to not wanting to be overly critical of someone else’s work. Yet I also feel a responsibility to do my best to present an honest evaluation of what I’ve read. If I’m being too hard, so be it. Write it off to just another grumpy reviewer.

More than being about the supper, this book is about community and fellowship, a description of the author’s experiences in church. That’s not bad in itself, but it’s sad that this book is supposed to be part of a series about “Ancient Practices.” There is a cursory nod to the biblical background, but Gallagher’s interest is in modern practices, not ancient ones. Biblical history is given a cursory nod, but little more than that. Gallagher’s statement that “We have known for some time that the Gospels were written long after the death of Jesus and were compiled by men who lived long after him” reveals a person who has spent little time examining current biblical research. What “we have known for some time” was disproved decades ago, so her attempt at intellectual snobbery comes off as mere ignorance.

Still, I did gain some insights into human nature and more than a few thoughts about what participating in the Lord’s Supper can mean to Christians. In an age where personal experience often trumps research, Gallagher’s book may well find an audience.

I do have to lodge one more complaint. Are there no proofreaders at Thomas Nelson with a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish? Words like “Sanctuario” and “communidades” are painful to read. Either write them in English or in Spanish, but not a mangled version of the two.

If you’d like insight into how Holy Communion is practiced in the Anglican church, this book can shed some light. If you’d like to know more about the ancient practice of the Lord’s Supper, you’d do better to read John Mark Hicks’ Come To The Table.

B&B Friday: Irresistible Revolution

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Irresistible RevolutionIrresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne is not a feel-good book. His goal is to make you uncomfortable. Claiborne believes in taking seriously the teachings of Jesus, something which will, in Claiborne’s words, “mess you up.”

Claiborne is part of a group called The Simple Way. The members of this community seek to live among the poor and outcast, eschewing the comforts of suburban life. They do so, not out of a sense of masochism, but out of a deep conviction that they must live out Jesus’ words. They must help the poor and feed the hungry. They must seek social justice (part of which is avoidance of all goods produced through oppressive conditions). Claiborne makes his own clothes. He has gone to jail numerous times for his beliefs.

One of his most “radical” acts was to travel to Baghdad at the time the U.S. invasion was beginning. Arguing that pacifism is not passivity, Claiborne went to show the people of Iraq that Christianity was not attacking their country, that a nation was attacking their country.

The book is a biography of sorts. It’s mainly stories. What theology is present is presented through example, not Bible study. It’s a theology of the streets.

Sometimes Claiborne’s words come off a bit “holier than thou.” Sometimes, despite his claims to the contrary, you get the sense that Claiborne revels in the cool factor of what he does. But I don’t doubt his sincerity. I may not agree with all of his convictions, but I can’t accuse him of not living according to those convictions.

Which is something that we all need to do. We may not all choose such a radical response to the gospel (and Claiborne argues that not everyone has to), but I have to think that reading this book can help us seek out the stains of hypocrisy in our own lives.

I encourage you to read Irresistible Revolution. It’ll mess you up.

(As one who dabbles in graphic design on an amateur level, I have to say that the layout of this book is amazing, particularly the chapter transitions. And, for those who might be wondering, all of the proceeds from the book are donated to ministry)