Chris Currie Parson’s Porch, 152 pages Every Sunday, all across the world, preachers stand to proclaim a “word from the Lord” to a particular people, in a particular place, at a particular time. It’s an incredibly inefficient process, and one that various technologies and ecclesiologies may continue to challenge. But “in the meantime,” this kind of face-to-face communication is the primary means by which Christ becomes present to local congregations, week in and week out. Chris Currie is well aware that compiling a written artifact of such particular proclamations is problematic at best. It risks “removing them from the intimacy of the congregation in which they are preached” and “ripping them from the struggles a community may be facing.” A “prayerful imagination” (Eugene Petersen’s term) will be required for these printed words to come alive for the reader. Nevertheless, I think this works in this particular case. First, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in … [Read more...]

Jonathan Merritt Convergent Books, 256 pages Reviewed by Dana Hughes Jonathan Merritt is worried. The Christian, writer and linguist is concerned that the rich language of faith is suffering from misuse and disuse in America. As a lover of words and the Word, Merritt is troubled by how infrequently sacred language is used beyond the Sunday morning hour of worship; how ignorance, indifference and avoidance still the tongues of believers and unbelievers alike; and how the lexicon of faith is appropriated by secular ambition. In his new book, “Learning to Speak God from Scratch,” Merritt addresses these issues with passion. He is like Jeremiah with a burning fire shut up in his bones, and weary with holding it in, he unleashes it as ink. “Words are the fires we carry to each other,” he writes, “but the embers do not originate with us. They were handed to us by messengers from generations past, and now we pass them on to others.” His is an urgent plea not only to keep the fire of … [Read more...]

Don Postema Faith Alive, 93 pages Does a book like this ever go out of favor? I hope not (in the same way that I hope quiet classics are not forgotten). Years ago, Don Postema published a classic, “Space for God.” This book, “Catch Your Breath,” is equally a classic and draws upon the themes of “Space for God.” There is a need, indeed a necessity, for humans to rest - catch our breath - in order to know God and experience peace. That sounds so easy, and perhaps trite. The truth is that this counsel remains a necessity for our time in the same way that it has for generations upon generations. Postema devotes six chapters to Sabbath practices: mindfulness, rest, refreshment, receptivity, release and refocusing. His introduction and conclusion draw from his own experience. It will not shock anyone to say we are a people in need to deep rest. We are a people who must find creative ways to honor the Sabbath rest that God intends. Nothing about this is new. What Postema does is provide … [Read more...]