Talk about books (spring)

I look forward to sharing about my favorite books here, and hearing from others who do the same!

A book that's really challenged (and encouraged me) is Tony Jone's "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier."

He's made me think about making my faith beautiful. Especially after reading the passage where he says:

"... why in the world would you think that you can do anything to get people to come to church? Instead, why don't you worry about being faithful -- living out a beautiful Christianity -- and see what the spirit does in your midst? I think that people will be more attracted to the Spirit than anything you could ever do to "hook" them. (p. 201)

After going to the opera recently, I am more than ever convinced of the wisdom under girding Jones' thinking. My preconceptions of opera were shattered -- but not by rational arguments by leading critics, not by a pledge of rigid adherence to Puccini's original score or staging, and not because they provided an "opera-seeker-sensitive listening experience with cup holders at each seat, watered down content, and sit-com length. No. Instead they simply made it beautiful. And that beauty made me long to experience more. Our souls hunger for beauty where ever they can find it. As Jim Croegaert's song says:

Frost on the window never the same
So many patterns fit in the frame
Captured in motion frozen in flame
And in the patterns is there a Name
Why do we hunger for beauty?
("Why Do We Hunger For Beauty" ©1989 Meadowgreen Music Co./Heart of the Matter Music )

That hunger for beauty is part of who we are -- and what calls us to beauty and to God. Dare we -- conservative, liberal, seeker-sensitive, praise-band oriented, Bible-based, emergent, or whatever, dare to live a beautiful faith and thereby call people to God? Dare we not?

-- Brent

I've read three fascinating books recently in three entirely different genres:

"King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop" (Harvard Sitkoff)is a fascinating biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. To me, MLK is one of those people you always hear about, but actually know very little about. This book brought his life to life, particularly for someone who is not old enough to have experienced him in person. One of the primary aims of this book is to help people see that Dr. King was about more than race relations. He also cared deeply about peace and poverty, and wove his life around all three of these issues. Sitkoff did not create just a glossy, bright picture, but presents the and honest and difficult struggle that King lived out.

"High School Confidential" by Jeremy Iversen is a challenging and interesting story of the difficulty of high school. Iversen, a Stanford grad, went undercover as a high school senior after he graduated from college, and retells his experiences (with minor adjustments to protect the "innocent") with candor and wit. A provocative book for all people who work with, have, or know teenagers, Iversen provides a glimpse into a subculture that certainly contains a large amount of mystery to those of us who have passed into adulthood.

"The Brain That Changes Itself" (Norman Doidge) is a brilliant, groundbreaking piece of work on the brain. Neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain can change throughout the entirety of one's life, is a relatively recent discovery, and Doidge, a practicing psychiatrist, did his research thoroughly to bring interesting, readable stories to a wide audience. Broken up into a variety of chapters that feel (in a good way) like mini-books, Doidge explores a variety of themes in relation to the brain's impact on them including counseling, physical therapy, autism, addictions, Alzheimer's, imagination, and a host of other topics. This should scoot to the top of the reading list if you're looking for something interesting to expand your mind (in a number of ways).

What I really enjoyed about all of these books, is that while none of them are patently "Christian" or even faith-based, they all challenged me in the way that I process my faith and live it out. All pushed me to consider how engage with God and others in more thoughtful ways. I love how God works through all of literature to redeem his creation.

Neuroplasticity is a particularly interesting topic. We used to think in the medical profession that once there is damage to the brain that you are stuck and that there is no further growth. We now know that BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor)causes arborization and growth. This is a topic that I do a lot of lecturing on to other physicians

For the last two months I have been reading and re-reading BRAND JESUS by Tyler Wigg Stevenson, and I will probably re-read it again for a long time because it is the most articulate description of how consumerism has so badly deformed American (and other cultures as well) Christianity that it would be unrecognizable by Jesus Himself. The Apostle Paul however would instantly recognize it for what it is, the same adulterated image that the Roman belivers were face with. Stevenson takes us through Paul's letter to the Roman believers with the thought in mind that we in the US are in the same kind of "empire" that twists all religions into its self-serving needs.

It will never be a popular book, and it is painful to read, but it is an accurate portrayal of where we are and how we got here.

I just finished reading a fascinating historical novel on the Old Testament, Orson Scott Card's Sarah. Card is best known for science fiction (Ender's Game), so I think this is his first foray into the biblical world. Card is a Mormon, is controversial for his views on social issues, but is the recipient of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards for the best novel two years in a row.

In Sarah, he uses lots of imagination and departs from the biblical story at a few places (e.g. - he doesn't really believe that Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt), but his portrayal of Sarah, Hagar, Abraham and Pharoah makes the book well worth reading. (Card promises another O.T. novel, Rebecca.)

I enjoyed L.L. Barkat's new release, Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places, a lovely memoir, laced with inspiration and truth gleaned from scripture and Barkat's own journey. She tells just enough of her difficult story to give us glimpses into her childhood, but doesn't dwell there. Instead, she carries us forward into healing and grace. Well done.