Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile IVP Books, 220 pages The Enneagram is ancient tool that helps people gain a greater understanding of themselves and their relationships. Not to be confused with the once popular Meyers-Briggs personality system, the Enneagram has deeper roots in esoteric philosophy and even theology. The history is a bit murky but often associated with Evagrius, a Christian monk of the 4th century and the Desert Mothers and Fathers who reportedly used it in pastoral counseling. It is also associated with Sufism and in the 20th century was renewed by George Gurdjieff. Eventually it made its way to an American psychiatrist, Claudio Naranjo. Naranjo began using it in teaching seminars that included Christian priests and pastors. Hence, the Enneagram entered more fully into Christian spiritual practice.  Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile are active Christians and master teachers of the Enneagram, former students and now colleagues with Richard Rohr. This is an … [Read more...]

Walter Brueggemann Westminster John Knox Press, 165 pages Few contemporary scholars are more prolific than Walter Brueggemann. Such profusion often results in boredom for readers who grow weary of familiar themes repackaged with shiny new covers. Gladly, this is not the case for Brueggemann. His students and colleagues continue to gather wisdom from his sermons, essays and comments gathered in collections such as this one. “A Gospel of Hope” is full of readings that the author honestly describes as audacious. In confessing the audaciousness of repeating what one has already said, he points toward the audaciousness of all proclamation that is rooted in the radical claims of the gospel. All preachers and teachers who dare to speak of the hope of God’s presence in troubled times belong to a long line going all the way back to the beginning. Brueggemann is keenly aware of the times we are living in and the necessity for counter-narratives of hope strong enough to shape the people of … [Read more...]

Walter Wangerin Jr. Zondervan, 176 pages Walter Wangerin is well-known for his collections of stories, including the award-winning “The Book of the Dun Cow” and “Ragman.” For many years he served as an inner-city pastor and from that experience many of his stories arose. Readers familiar with those stories will recognize his particular voice and vision in this new collection. The stories are drawn from ordinary experiences with his family and others. Yet in these events, the light of God’s grace is revealed. This is Wangerin’s gift: simple stories that point to the extraordinary presence of God. The result is a heightened anticipation of God in world. Where will grace next be revealed? These stories cause you to enter that search and ask that question. They are divided into nine sections of two stories each; taken together they comprise a theological compendium of grace revealed in ordinary life. The cynic might describe the stories as too simple and predictable, bordering on … [Read more...]