Frances M. Young Cascade Books, 141 pages One of the most brilliant living theologians – and least known to Americans – is British writer Frances M. Young. For decades she has been writing significant theology that explores how to understand and embrace the cross of Jesus without being locked into narrow atonement categories. In this book she continues that work, going deeply into biblical and patristic sources that pre-date “theories” of the atonement. The result is a construal of the cross that reveals life at the very heart of the instrument of death. Young describes her theological work here as theōria, “a kind of insight or spiritual discernment that comes through imaginative engagement or storytelling, rather than literalizing exegesis; through liturgy and living, rather than legal transaction; through poetry and preaching, rather than rationalistic system.” This method frees her to see the Passover meal as the original way early Christians understood the sacrifice … [Read more...]
Prayers of the Reformers
Thomas McPherson Paraclete Press, Brewster, Mass. 128 pages Prayer is an act of theology, however conscious or not. In this collection of prayers, the theology of the Reformers is revealed through the language of the heart and mind. There are other ways to learn, but prayer discloses theology in an intimate way. In this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation, we often forget the social, political and religious upheaval going on as pastors and theologians went about their task. They were discovering afresh what they believed about the God by the ways they prayed. This collection contains 100 prayers drawn from 300 years of history. The author has provided “not a textbook, but a tool,” that we should learn from those who have gone before us. He points out, “The Reformers were convinced that we are all God’s instruments for the working of God’s purposes, and so we pray for what we need in order to serve God faithfully.” One can surely mourn the absence of female leaders in this … [Read more...]
Eucharistic Prayers
Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich. 365 pages This is a great gift to the church by two pastors who previously collaborated in “Shaping the Prayers of the People: The Art of Intercession.” As with the previous book, the purpose of “Eucharistic Prayers” is to strengthen the worship of the local congregation. The authors, one a priest in England and the other a pastor in North Carolina, have composed these prayers for every Sunday in the three-year cycle of the Reformed Common Lectionary. The prayers are steeped in the Scriptures of the day and thus tie together the entire worship. What is even more valuable is that the authors are excellent writers who skillfully join contemporary concerns with the language of Scripture. Note, for instance, this prayer for Epiphany 2 Year A: “When you ask us to take holy risks, deepen our faith. When you call us to be faithful in small things, give us perseverance. When you invite us to do beautiful things in the life of … [Read more...]
Out of the Depths
Kenneth E. Kovacs Parson’s Porch Books, Cleveland, Tenn. 160 pages Kenneth Kovacs is a seasoned pastor and a theologian who writes like a poet. What he offers in this collection of sermons and essays is prophetic, in the finest sense of that word. Since his days studying with practical theologian James Loder, Kovacs has dared to explore the importance of authentic experience in the Christian life. He has done this while understanding the suspicion of human experience prevalent in the Reformed tradition. That exploration brought him to engage in profound readings of Scripture, theology and the writings of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Few pastors have engaged in this dialogue with Jung as skillfully as Kovacs who retains his loyalty to the Reformed theological tradition. Remarkably, he brings this insight to his sermons preached for his own suburban Maryland congregation. In an essay that interprets Jung as trying to reform the church, Kovacs asks, “What if the church saw itself … [Read more...]
On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation
Alexandra Horowitz Simon and Schuster, New York 321 pages I nominate Alexandra Horowitz as spiritual companion for anyone who desires to see the world in the fullness of its glory. Not that Horowitz would accept the role – certainly not with a religious title. Nevertheless, she is gifted scientist and writer who renders the richness of the world through the ordinary practice of close observation. Yogi Berra famously said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Horowitz proves that to be true in this collection of 11 essays describing the walks she takes accompanied by a variety of experts in fields ranging from urban sociology to geology. Most of the walks are in her neighborhood where she observes closely everything that is to see and hear. As a result of this close observation, the beauty and complexity of the world is revealed in all its glory. It’s this illumination that makes her a reliable companion for those who venture into what John Calvin said was the “theater of God’s … [Read more...]
Jesus and the Disinherited
by Howard Thurman Beacon Press, Boston. 124 pages It’s important to return to the classics for grounding in theology and practice. That is certainly true in this turbulent time. Some pastors resist preaching their sermons multiple times, but we should not resist repeated readings of the sermons of Martin Luther King Jr., Barbara Brown Taylor, Fleming Rutledge or Augustine. We return to them for wisdom, guidance and, sometimes, sheer courage to keep on keeping on. This is why Howard Thurman’s classic is so important now. When this book was written, Thurman was no longer an academic. He had become the pastor of the intentionally interracial Church for the Fellowship of All People in San Francisco. There he developed his theology that was profoundly “inward” without sacrificing the “outward” advance of the reign of Christ in the world. One might think of him as the unsung founder of liberation theology. In this work, he addresses the spiritual plight of the “disinherited” … [Read more...]
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