A Bounty of Books

One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love by John M. Perkins contains the hard earned life long wisdom of a man who has spent his entire life working to repair and strengthen relationships between blacks and whites in America. The main institution through which he has worked is the church. If members of the church of Jesus Christ can't get along, how can we expect people outside to?

All Together Different: Upholding the Church's Unity While Honoring Our Individual Identities by J. Brian Tucker and John Koessler is a treatise on how numerous people with sometimes conflicting identities can come together as one body in the local church. This book identifies and examines personal and group identities using spiritual, social, and psychological parameters.

This book is somewhat of a tough read. There is a lot of good information, but it is densely packed which prevents an easy sort of flow from developing. It probably would be easier to read in chunks rather than several chapters all together. However, once one knows this, there is a lot of helpful information in here for church leaders in various contexts.

The main point of this book is that the overarching and most important identity of an individual in a church is that of a follower of Christ. All other identities are important and some must be addressed, but only that of a follower of Christ should be considered ultimate. This is how so many differing identities can become one - by uniting in that of a Christian.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, See Part 255

Messy Grace: How A Pastor With Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction by Caleb Kaltenbach is Kaltenbach's story of supporting the truth of the Bible in a difficult, and for him very personal, area of life. As the title states, Kaltenbach is a pastor whose parents both identify as homosexual.

In Messy Grace, Kaltenbach tells his story of growing up with an out mother in a committed relationship and a closeted father. Growing up, he was taught that Christians hate people, and originally attended church hoping to better combat the hatred he saw hurled at his mother and her partner by Christians. To his surprise, he fell in love with Jesus and has spent his life since then pursuing and serving Him.

Kaltenbach does an excellent job of laying out both his opinions and experiences and what the scripture says about homosexuality. He encourages everyone to re-examine their own preconceived ideas in light of what scripture says. Kaltenbach offers a good mix of personal experience and general principals and practices. Each chapter includes discussion questions at the end for a deeper look. The main theme is that there is a tension between grace and truth that every believer must follow. Holding a traditional, biblical view of homosexuality does not give Christians permission to either ignore or treat badly those in the LGBT community. In fact, the Gospel argues the opposite approach must be taken. Kaltenbach offers practical suggestions about the two communities engaging and interacting with one another.

Not everyone will agree with Kaltenbach's views, which he readily admits. His main goal is to move the conversation a little farther along than it was before. Messy Grace is an easy and practical read that will benefit many all along the spectrum of this important issue. It's a good resource and recommendable to everyone.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale by Ian Morgan Cron is a combination novel/mini-biography of St. Francis of Assisi. At the beginning of the study guide included in the back, Cron writes, "Chasing Francis is written in a genre called wisdom literature, which is a delicate balance of fiction and non-fiction, pilgrimage and teaching." I had never heard of wisdom literature outside of ancient texts, but after reading Chasing Francis, I found myself wishing there were more examples in the modern world.

Using the meltdown, pilgrimage, and restoration of the faith of his main character, Pastor Chase Falson, Cron gives the reader a look into the life of St. Francis. Chase finds many similarities between the state of the church during Assisi's time and how it related to the world, and the state of the church and how it relates to the world today. Assisi and his teachings were thought to be radical and out of touch with the establishment of his day, but his willingness to simply take what Scripture says and obey it without trying to find a deeper meaning, drew thousands and helped renew their faith in, and relationship with, their Creator. This resonates with Chase who experiences his own restoration through learning about St. Francis.

The story of a pastor burning out and finding restoration is an effective vehicle to teach the reader about St. Francis, which is what Cron was intending to do from the beginning. There are large excerpts from many books about St. Francis, and much of the dialogue is about his life as well. The way it is intertwined with the story is seamless and not at all burdensome. In the back, Cron provides a chapter by chapter study guide that the reader can use to further study the life of St. Francis, and see how what he believed can impact his/her life. There is also an extensive bibliography included for anyone interested in reading other works about him.

Chasing Francis provides an enjoyable reading experience that includes the profound insight and sharp wit that made Cron's memoir Jesus, the CIA, My Father, and Me a bestseller. Coupled with the life and lessons of one of the church's most beloved saints, I'd recommend Chasing Francis to just about anyone. It will appeal to readers of various genres, and at barely over 200 pages, is definitely worth the investment.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Unleashed by Erwin McManus is a re-release of his book The Barbarian Way. Serving as a primer to living a life of what most people would consider an extreme faith, the main thrust is God intended His people to live a wild life of faith, not the tame, safe, institutionalized, often fear based faith that characterizes the majority of American Christianity. Through personal anecdotes from his own life as well as his childrens' lives, McManus illustrates what a life of untamed faith can look like.

A couple of key quotes that sum up the message of Unleashed are: "His [God's] desire is not to conform us, but to transform us. Not to make us compliant, but to make us creative. His intent is never to domesticate us, but to liberate us" (p. 64). "The freedom to love and the freedom from fear make the barbarian an entirely different species within the whole of humanity. This may be the most extraordinary mark of the Spirit of God within the heart of humanity: the freedom to live out dreams greater than ourselves" (p. 102).

Unleashed is a quick and easy read. For anyone searching for a more meaningful faith, or looking to live a life based on absolute faith in the wildness of God and His promises instead of fear, it provides an encouraging example of those who are living that way. It made me stop and think, and re-examine my own life, to see if there were areas where I was letting fear dictate my actions and decisions, instead of the faith I profess.

There were a few things I would've changed about the book. One is that it seems extremely redundant after a bit; it almost seems as though everything could've been conveyed just as effectively in a long essay rather than a short book. Another thing is that the Scripture references are few and far between, and the extrapolations based on those used are a bit of a stretch sometimes. I believe there is truth in what McManus says, and what he proposes can be seen in Scripture, just not necessarily in the ones he picked, or the way he chose to present it.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to break out of the standard mold of American Christianity.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255