Well, I did not finish my assignment for today. I only finished and wrote on one chapter instead of two. Hope you will forgive me. I didn’t want to rush through a chapter just to have something to write. I am enjoying the book too much for that. That being said, hereare my thoughts on chapter 4.
Chapter Four The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice!
This one is hard. I want to scream, “No it isn’t!!!!!” Keller made me step back and think more clearly about how to address such concerns. The fact is, this book and the issues it raises are constantly forcing me to recognize my tendency to respond rather than reason, mostly because I think I have the right answer and the questioner doesn’t. How humble, right? It is sometimes sad to see how prideful I can be in “standing up for Jesus.” Enough about my own sin, let’s get to some real answers. Read the rest of this entry »
Too Much Suffering and Too Much Control
Refreshing! That is my view on this book. In the past I have read books that pointed out the obvious and actually cultivated my arrogance, being bothered that I had to “answer” questions that unbelievers had as if they were wrong to even ask. I see that now and have been challenged to rethink my involvement with “unbelievers.” Unbelievers are people too! They struggle and fight and don’t always think properly: just like me! The fact is there is one crucial difference between me and the average unbeliever-Christ! He has grabbed me and will not let me go. That is all the difference. This simple fact helps me to be reminded that the difference is not something that can be attributed to me and my abilities. That gives me increasing humility and compassion, because Jesus must do it to them too. He must grab them and open their eyes.
What does all this have to do with the book we are reading together? Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to the next book discussion. We will be reading and then discussing two chapters each week on Thursday. Please join us in talking about this book so that we can all learn together. Today we will discuss the introduction and first chapter.
Introduction
I loved the “which one is the victim” discussion. I thought Keller did a good job of explaining that our culture is becoming both more secular and more religious at the same time. I particularly liked the challenge Read the rest of this entry »
I find your lack of faith-disturbing.
–Darth Vader
So begins our next book choice for Discerning Reader and I am hooked immediately. Please join me in reading this book and discussing it on this blog, looking for ways that we can think through major issues, but also so that we can see how we must apply what Dr. Keller is presenting. Truth is never meant to be something you only agree with, you must embrace it and live it! That is the challenge we have before us. What can we learn and what must we be willing to change? Great questions to ponder as we begin, but as always, we must make sure we test what is being said in the book. We should be willing to change if God wants us to change, but we are not required to change simply because Dr. Keller says so.
I am going to recommend that we take a couple of chapters at a time. For some of you, this will be exceedingly slow. If that is you, please consider the fact that we must process what we read. This is not a novel that we can read quickly to get the overall story. You might even consider reading the same chapters a couple of times in the week as we discuss it or meditating on a few pages each day. For others of you, you would like to take a chapter a week to really digest it. If that is the case for you, please feel free to do so. It might limit your ability to contribute to this discussion, but it will be worth it if you need to take more time to process. The point of reading the book together is to be able to think through what the book is saying. Whatever you need to do to accomplish that is right for you.
We will officially begin this book discussion on Thursday, so be looking for it and pick up the book if you have not already.
Michael
OK everyone, the next book has been chosen and it is The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. This should be an interesting read and we will take it a bit slower so that we can discuss the issues that are raised. I am looking forward to the discussion as I plan to use some of this book in ministry on the local college campus.
We will start the discussion on June 12th, so order the book using the link above or at your local bookstore. If you order it off this site, I will get credit at Amazon, so you would also be supporting the ministry here. If you choose to do this, go to the picture of the book on the sidebar and follow the links to Amazon to purchase the book. Either way, please get the book and read the introduction and chapter one. This is what I will be commenting on on the 12th.
Thanks for being patient with me. Let’s dive into this book together and learn more about the God we love.
Michael