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Book Review – With the Old Breed

September 5, 2011 in books, entertainment with 0 Comments

A friend lent me a copy of the book With the Old Breed several months ago. I had just started another book, so it sat on my shelf until a couple of weeks ago.

I was a bit intimidated by the book at first, because the type was small and I assumed it was going to be a history lessen in some obscure details about the Marines. I was wrong. Almost immediately I was sucked into the unfolding story of a young man thrust into the horrors of war.

With the Old Breed is the memoir of E. B. Sledge, a marine who fought in some of the worst battles of the Pacific in WWII. It’s a fascinating look at the harsh realities they faced and the mental and physical extremes they endured.

It’s raw, honest and gripping…yet at times it’s tough to read–the author describes some of the horrors of war. He doesn’t do this in a sensational way, or to exploit the events, but he does so to shed light on the intense circumstances they faced and reveal the often overlooked realities of their experiences.

For someone who hasn’t done a lot of study on WWII, I found this to be an insightful and compelling read. I highly recommend it. Pick it up at amazon.com.

Immediately after finishing the book, I started searching for other information about the book and it’s author. I found the following clip on youtube. It’s part 1 (I believe you can find the rest by viewing this playlist) of a History channel show that documents E. B. Sledge and his experiences.

Book Review – Surprised by Hope

August 18, 2011 in books with 0 Comments

After starting several months ago, tonight I finished Surprised by Love by N. T. Wright. It’s a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. With that said, however, it’s not always an easy book to read. There’s at least two reasons for this:

Wright’s writing style. Wright is smart. Very smart. And this comes out in his writing. His sentences are often long. He will often string together several clauses in order to clarify his point and build his argument. In most books, I’ll highlight a phrase here or there, or a few sentences at a time. But with this book, I found myself highlighting paragraphs (or at least good chunks of them) at a time, just to get the whole thought captured.
Wright’s thoroughness. This book starts out slow and takes it’s time picking up speed. The author takes careful time to develop his argument and make sure it’s properly supported. By the time you reach the end, the pace has stepped up tremendously, but that’s because of the framework built up in the first half.

So what’s it about? In Surprised by Hope, N. T. Wright seeks to correct many of the misconceptions that modern believers have about heaven and life after death. Many people view heaven as an escape hatch out of this evil, cruel world. We long for the day when we will be rid of this place and experience some ethereal existence in the clouds.

But, Wright argues, that’s not in line with the Biblical understanding of these things. Jesus’ resurrection doesn’t teach us about life after death…but “life after life after death.” Jesus didn’t die and come back to life so that he could whisk us up to some other world. Instead, it was the beginning of the restoration of this world. In Wright’s words:

As long as we see salvation in terms of going to heaven when we die, the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of saving souls for that future. But when we see salvation, as the New Testament sees it, in terms of God’s promised new heavens and new earth and of our promised resurrection to share in that new and gloriously embodied reality—what I have called life after life after death—then the main work of the church here and now demands to be rethought in consequence.

Later in the book, Wright comments on our focus on heaven. He says, we’re not considering the end of the book:

As we read Revelation, we must not allow the wonderful heavenly vision in chapters 4 and 5 to lull us into imagining that this is the final scene in the story, as though the narrative were simply to conclude (as in Charles Wesley’s hymn) with the redeemed casting their crowns before the throne. This is a vision of present reality, seen in its heavenly dimension. We must read on to the end, to the final vision of Revelation 21 and 22, the chapters that give final meaning to all that has gone before and indeed to the entire canon.

Our partnering with Jesus means that begin to experience and live out the future restored life now. We, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer, do God’s will here on earth “as it is in heaven.” Our actions here matter, not simply because they will save others from hell (though they may encourage others to enter into new life with Jesus), but because “what is done in the present in the body, by the power of the Spirit, will be reaffirmed in the eventual future, in ways at which we can presently only guess.”

Instead of looking to escape or “earn” our way to heaven. We work diligently here and now because “our labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15). Our actions matter now.

What you do with your body in the present matters, he [Paul] insists, because God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Glorify God in your body because one day God will glorify the body itself. What is to be true in the future must begin to be true in the present, or it will be called into question whether you are really on track in the first place.

Near the end of the book, Wright moves onto a more practical discussion of how these truths influence Christian life and mission. With the theological and historical framework laid, he provides a wonderful view of the faith that is driven by the hope of Jesus resurrection.

Though I highly recommend this book, I do so realizing that it’s not for everyone. This is a heavy book, particularly in the first half. But I believe Wright accurately corrects and teaches a Biblically accurate view of our future hope. A view, that is too often distorted and watered down in modern Christianity.

Book Review – Love Wins

April 3, 2011 in books, thoughts with 5 Comments

I just finished reading Rob Bell’s latest book, “Love Wins.” It’s been the source of quite a bit of discussion and controversy since the trailer for the book was released several weeks ago. There’s a great chronology of the events here at The Resurgence.

I’m not going necessarily review the book, mainly because there are much better ones out there already. In particular, check out the reviews from Relevant Magazine and George P. Wood, (the later being the best one I’ve seen).

Instead, I’m going to try to distill the main controversy of the book down to it’s simplest parts. The problem with some of the reviews is that they are LONG (like 20 page pdfs…) and most people (like me) don’t want to wade through that.

Here’s how I see it.

Most Christians believe that we have the opportunity to choose heaven or hell (by accepting or rejecting Jesus) here in this life. Once we die (or at the judgement when Christ returns) that is it. There are no more opportunities. We’ve made our decision and the time is up. Some go to heaven and some go to hell.

Bell’s view is that our choice doesn’t end at death. He concludes that a loving God wouldn’t limit our time of choosing to a short period here on earth. He says,

God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever. A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.

Bell’s conclusion that choice continues on after death begins with his reading of 1 Timothy 2:3-4 “this is good and pleases God our savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” Which leads him to ask the question, “Does God get want he wants?” In other words, will all men be saved?

Bell suggests in chapter 4, that God will reconcile everyone to himself. He’s careful though, to acknowledge that we still have choice in the matter. So, he doesn’t believe God forces anyone into heaven…we choose that (even if it’s after death)…but he strongly implies that all will eventually make that decision.

The other reviews I linked to above do a great job explaining some of the short-comings of “Love Wins.” As someone who used to listen to Bell’s weekly messages quite a bit (several years ago), I was disappointed with how it the book felt a bit one-sided. As I read it, I couldn’t help but feel that Bell was addressing some of the misunderstandings of a traditional view of hell. However, at the same time, I kept thinking he wasn’t really addressing my traditional views of heaven, hell or God. Instead, I felt like he was attacking a caricature of those things…a caricature that I didn’t ascribe to either (and I would guess that many others also don’t agree with). For someone who is known for raising questions and living in the midst of paradox…Bell doesn’t seem to be able to hold the tension of God’s love and man’s free will. Either God is loving and everyone is given eternal choice, or God is a mean, vicious tormentor who punishes people unnecessarily. For him, there doesn’t seem to be any other way to understand it.

So does Rob Bell believe in heaven and in hell? – Yes, as a present realities and ones that continue into the afterlife.

Is Rob Bell a unviersalist? He would say no…because he believes we have choice in the matter (God doesn’t just scoop everyone up into heaven). But he does indicate that God will eventually be reconciled with all men…so…kind of, yes.

My conclusion in bullet points:

I’m going to keep my eye on Bell. I’m not sure where this line of thinking will take him.
I don’t think Bell is WAY out there. But he goes farther than I’m willing to follow.
I hope he’s right…but I don’t think he is. I love the idea of everyone being reconciled to God. However, even if people do have a choice after death (which I don’t believe), I don’t think they’ll turn from their selfish living after entrenching themselves in it during this life. (For a great video on this topic, see my post here.)
In the end, a book like this gets us talking. This is good. We need to do a better job communicating who God is and what heaven and hell are all about. Sometimes we need to take a good, hard look at our beliefs and the way we communicate them.

Book Review – “Soul Print”

March 7, 2011 in books with 3 Comments

I just finished reading Mark Batterson’s most recent book, Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny and I’ve got to say, it’s his best book yet.

I’m a big fan of Batterson’s books. I’ve found them to be more than informational experiences. For whatever reason, each of them have had a message that I needed to hear at the time I read them. They’ve been more of a “divine appointment” for me.

In Soulprint, Batterson takes the reader down the path of self-discovery. He accomplishes this by analyzing Biblical “scenes” in the life of David. But this is more than a self-help book or a “you-are-special-you’re-the-only-one-like-you” book. Batterson deals with issues like: pain, disappointments, embarrassment, sin and integrity. Each of these, he says, influence your soul print, the part of you that is uniquely you. Identifying that soul print will then lead you to fulfilling the unique purposes God has for your life.

The book is an easy read. Not that the topic is simple or basic, but it’s very accessible. Every reader will leave challenged and inspired by their time with it. Batterson excels at inspiration, but he balances that out with an equal does of practical instruction and direction. For instance, “Scene II: Lifesymbols” recounts how David took Goliath’s armor after defeating him and puts it in his tent as a way of remembering the victory. Batterson explains that memories greatly shape our soul print and he challenges the reader to find “lifesymbols” of key moments in our lives. He explains that lifesymbols “are like cue cards that help us remember His script. They reveal who we’re becoming by reminding us of where we’ve been and how we got here. (pg. 54).”

I highly recommend this book. It will challenge you to search out not just who you are, but the legacy that God has uniquely designed you to fulfill.

You can pick up a copy of Soulprint at amazon (Kindle version).