Review: Christianity and Critical Race Theory: A Faithful and Constructive Conversation

Christianity and Critical Race Theory: A Faithful and Constructive Conversation by Robert Chao Romero
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There has been a lot of discussion about Critical Race Theory (CRT) recently, and much of it starts with an inaccurate understanding of what it actually is and how it is used. Having just finished a course on Catholic Social Teaching, I was very much interested in a book that talks of the intersection of Christianity and CRT. This book begins with an introduction where the two authors share a little of their experience as BIPOC with regard to racism in the US and the church. It is important to note that as a member of the current majority, I do not share anything close to their experiences and recognize that most of what they talk about is very nearly invisible to me without closer examination. Ultimately that is where CRT comes it … to highlight those areas where our laws and institutions facilitate (sometimes unintentionally) the disparate socio-economic conditions between the dominant majority and the disadvantaged minorities. Simply put, CRT is a useful tool, that has of late been abused by critics and proponents a like to avoid having what amounts to a painful discussion on both sides. Here is how the authors define CRT: 

"Critical race theory examines the intersection of race, racism, and US law and policy. In other words, it looks at how US laws and public policy have been manipulated and constructed over the years to preserve privilege for those considered “white” at the expense of those who are people of color. […] That being said, CRT represents a diverse body of theory and reflection, and I do not agree with it all. For that matter, not all CRT theorists and practitioners agree with one another."

The book only has four (4) chapters; each starting with an introduction, discussion and conclusion. The chapters are well organized and generally written in easy to understand everyday language, avoiding the specialized vocabulary that I have typically found in philosophical/theological text. The points are clear and well supported and amazingly non-judgmental for the most part … highlighting trends and [hidden] bias without directly attacking any individual or group. Most of the discussion ties to help the reader understand their specific experience, and both authors do a very good job of this.

"Chapter 1 explains how community cultural wealth, a CRT concept deployed in educational scholarship, resonates with the theology of creation in the image of God. Instead of a “deficit view,” which has been used to paint student populations in a negative light, educators—and Christians—can look at God’s children as bearers of the image of God.”

“Chapter 2 wades into the contentious discussion of CRT in the media and in the pews. Somewhere near the center of the ideological disagreement is the doctrine of sin. How one understands the nature and scope of sin, it is argued, has a direct impact on one’s view of the nature and scope of racism.”

“Chapter 3 uses institutions of Christian higher education as an example of the ways in which the tools of CRT can make a redemptive difference. The voice of color thesis encourages students and faculty of color that they are in the best position to understand their own racialized experiences and needs on campus.”

Chapter 4 “explores the difference that Christian hope in the consummation of all things makes for the ethics of the pursuing racial justice.”

Overall I found a lot to like in each chapter, with good balance of bulleted lists summarizing basic principles, personal vignettes highlighting example experiences, scriptural references to support general concepts and solid discussion tying them all together. In particular, I found the last chapter to be particularly hard hitting and poignant. Strongly recommended.

Introduction: Critical Race Theory in Christianity

1. Creation: Community Cultural Wealth and the Glory and Honor of the Nations
2. Fall: Sin and Racism — the Ordinary Business of Society
3. Redemption: Critical Race Theory in Institutions
4. Consummation: The Beloved Community

Conclusion: Made to Be Image Bearers

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#ChristianityandCriticalRaceTheory #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: Lt. Reilly - Bundle: 5 Book Series

Lt. Reilly - Bundle: 5 Book Series by Matthew O. Duncan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Performance: *****
Story: ****

The narration for the Lt Reilly PoV (books 1, 2, 3 & 5) was about as good as I have ever encountered without a cast, with a near perfect combination of timber, tone and accent to make each character distinct. The Major Mitchell PoV (book 4) changes narrators and that performance was almost sub par for me. Weighing in at nearly 37 hours for all five(5) books, this was still a bargain. The high quality of the performance and story just make it more so.

The world building here was solid for a sci-fi universe. There were a few tech issues that I could easily gloss over, but the overall feel of this military adventure was totally relatable and even a tad nostalgic for me (full disclosure - I was trained as a naval engineer … so it hit all of the small details just right). Most of the issues were in the small descriptive text (data dumps) that expounded on various tech and situations for context … fortunately they were brief enough that they didn’t take you out of the story and most seemed quite reasonable. The setting mostly revolves around the human worlds (so there are brief interactions with aliens) that could almost be dystopian with the various crime syndicates playing the bad guys (or enabling the bad guys). Intersystem space travel uses quantum tech (because warp tech is so last year) and sentient AI(s) that have been reigned in a bit to prevent them from taking over the world (so either limited and/or compartmentalized). Weapon systems are either lasers or missiles (missing PDS and rail guns) with energy shields and light armor. All just enough to make it real without diving down into the weeds.

Reilly is the PC and is a seasoned space engineer and all around good guy recruited into being a military investigator (giving us the the overall theme of the series). Mitchell is primarily a supporting character (serving mostly as a foil and potential love interest with a twist) and doesn’t do quite as well for me when taking point in book 4 (by far the weakest of the series). Kayla is the primary love interest and only takes the stage to provide a human context to the PC. With all that in mind, each story can actually stand on its own with new secrets and interesting conspiracies that are all satisfactorily resolved at the end (and since I am a sucker for happy endings … you get a +1 here). The humor and byplay between characters was easy, fun mostly believable (if a bit pollyannish).

1. Lt. Reilly 2321
2. Lt. Reilly and the Backbird Offensive
3. Lt. Reilly and the Phantom Raptor
4. Major Mitchell and the Carplex Conspiracy
5. Lt. Reilly and the Tansky Gambit

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#LtReilly #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited

View all my reviews

Review: Blade of Dream

Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Previous Review of Age of Ash

This is the second of the series about the City of Kithamar … and the exquisite world-building continues here revealing even more of the dark tapestry of intrigue and hidden horrors … and I loved this as much as the first book. It had been awhile since I had read the first book and I foundered a bit until it became clear that this was the same story told from a different perspective (and did not continue from where the first book left off). Despite being roughing the same story, these books need to be read in order and preferably back to back as I did not have such a clear memory of everything after the long delay between the two. This means that some of the book felt oddly familiar with just a few minor details added making the first half of the book a very slow start, even after I got my bearings within the over all story. Fortunately the second half picks up speed making it more difficult to put down.

This story focuses and Garreth Left, merchant scion come city watch (bluecoat) and Elaine a Sal, heir to city throne … as the star crossed lovers try and make the best of what they have, neither being truly free to do what they want. In many ways, this was a more traditional story than the first and I enjoyed the relationship between the two protagonists more as a result. Beyond that, the supporting characters were also fantastic and generally unique and each played important roles as the story of the “Thread of Kithamar” unfolds to reveal the malevolent “hunger” born from the passions of the city inhabitants. In fact, it was the idea that the gods are created and sustained by how we live and behave that I found particularly interesting … especially how these gods grow or diminish in power and the hints about how they in turn control and influence those who gave birth to them. So while there was a very satisfying ending … the story is obviously not complete (so we wait on the 3rd of the trilogy where I once again assume it shall pick up where the other two left off … the Prince is Dead … long live the Prince).

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#BladeOfDream #Kithamar #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church's Apologetic Witness

The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church's Apologetic Witness by Joshua D Chatraw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book starts with the proposition that current day apologetics is not working because it is missing a spiritual/pastoral element. In other words, the goal is to win the argument and not convert the sinner. Ultimately this approach fails because the focus on attack just makes the target defensive (and at best unengaged). Anecdotally I find a lot of support for this idea and I was very curious as to how this book would tackle the problem. It does so by looking at two primary works of St Augustine: Confessions and City of God. Rather than a detailed interpretation of what Augustine actually said in each of these, the authors are more concerned with how he does it … the method he uses and how that method can be adapted to our current day circumstance.

The basic idea is something of a trojan horse approach. First acknowledge that some truths are possible in other traditions and by exploring their belief together without simply attacking. Then you may highlight the parts of their belief that don’t work for you (in other words, ask questions about the parts that don’t makes sense for you and explore the answers together). This is referred to in Chapter 5 Step 1. After that, you may introduction your own [christian] beliefs and illustrate how they offer a more complete answer for you and invite them to try it out. This is Chapter 5 step 2.

Over all I didn’t find anything particularly earth shattering or hard to accept (there were a few places that I had trouble understanding); I can say that it put words and structure (with supporting citations) to much of what I already felt to be true, so I can say that this is an excellent addition to a conversation that should be happening amongst christian apologists and evangelists.

Part 1: Going Back for the Future
1. A Prodigal Son Returns Home … as an Apologist
2. An Augustinian Assessment of Contemporary Apologetics

Part 2: An Augustinian Visions for Today
3. A Renewed Posture
4. An Ecclesial Pilgrimage of Hope
5. A Therapeutic Approach
Step 1: Exploratory Surgery — an Immanent Critique
Step 2: Holistic Therapy — Subversive Fulfillment through a Better Story

Conclusion: The Return of the Bishop

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheAugustineWay #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: The New Prometheus

The New Prometheus by Andrew Dobell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Performance: ****
Story: ***

Fun Cyberpunk Story

Set in a dystopian future where corporations rule with a free hand, “Frankie” is thrust into direct conflict with them when she was left for dead and saved by a rogue cybernetic doc. In a mad scramble to escape the long arm of the corps and recover some aspect of her prior life, she is forced into a desperate rescue attempt of that same doc who is the only person that can maintain his creation … aka her new borg bod.

It’s a well worn trope executed well (with a strong resemblance to Alita); my inner techie is a sucker for a good cyberpunk story (+1*). The narration was also solid for the action and dialog ... And despite being the first in a series, there is an actual resolution to the initial conflict with a "to be continued" ending that continues with the same protagonists that I found easy to connect with and look forward to their new adventures within this cyber world.

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheNewPrometheus #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited

View all my reviews

Review: City of Dawn

City of Dawn by Kat Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Previous Review of City of Storms
Previous Review of City of Wolves
Previous Review of City of Keys

The final installment of four (4) for what is now one of my favorite fantasy series. Alexei and Malach were forced (aka teleported) into the desert of the Southern Continent where the Masdar League is organized into seven (7) emirates with a passing familiarity to the society that emerged in the Arabian Peninsula. This new venue enabled Kat Ross to continue with one of my favorite elements of the series … the world building … which was so good I didn’t want the story to end yet. Now far from home and separated from their allies, Alexei and Malach form an uneasy truce to rescue Malahc’s daughter Rachel from powerful renegade mage (nihilism) Balaur. Along the way we see a remarkable transformation of both men. Meanwhile Kasia, Dantarion, Nikola and Nataya team up with the surviving witches and a few mages to take a slow boat to their rescue. Every now and then we also check in with Mikhail and Morvana back home just for fun (and I did enjoy the developing relationship there a lot).

Of course, Balaur (now possessing his granddaughters body) is now looking for the City of Dreams where a dragon goddess is put into an enchanted sleep by her rebellious son Gavriel and his witch companion Cathrynne and sealed in the City needing seven (7) keys (artifacts) to release her. Each of his confederates searches for different reasons, and this may ultimately pit them against each other at the end; until then, they are united enough to thwart our heroes at nearly every turn. Slowly all parties eventually converge for a surprising showdown and a very satisfactory ending. I almost didn’t want it all to end, so the follow up chapters validating my shipping fantasies was a nice touch.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

 
#CityOfStorms #Nightmarked #BookSirens

View all my reviews

Review: When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation

When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation by Andrew Root
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are a lot of theories to explain the decline in participation in mainline christian churches. One common idea is that struggling churches just aren’t doing enough to keep their memberships actively involved. Today we see any number of activities that compete with the church for our time and church is simply getting prioritized last (symptom 1 of the secular age). The other two “symptoms” are variants of the same theme (churches simple have less influence and our belief has simply changed/evolved and church hasn’t left up). The success of Mega Churches seem to highlight the truth of all this; however, this book strikes a different tone.

Doing for the sake of doing doesn’t work and just leads to burn-out. What is needed is the patience to wait for God’s action instead of acting on our own. This is a particularly difficult task in a society that has grown accustomed to instant gratification. In our capitalized society, we know speed is a significant factor for success. Here the author provides a few practical ideas on waiting. Here also, there is a discussion about crisis that was a struggle for me to completely understand/agree with (No crisis = No God); however, one aspect of this discussion provided an interesting insight. Simply point, the drive for uniformity can be detrimental to the church community and some "tension, discord and even conflict” is actually healthy for the community to grow in faith. Getting comfortable with diversity is important; however, it can also be true that extreme opposites with some form of uniform belief just doesn’t work … and this tension was not covered at all.

The book then finishes up throwing away the “mission statement” that is so common in business and replaces the concept with the watchword. I have to admit that it took me awhile to discern the difference, but as far as I can tell … mission statements drive what we do and watchwords drives what we believe (core ideals) which indirectly influence what we do. Not every community will always have a watchword (so they need to wait until they can discover what it should be) and no watchword lasts forever (so there is a time to abandon it and look for another). This idea was completely new to me and was very thought provoking.

1. Why Your Church Has a Problem, but It Isn’t What You Think
2. Busy People, Busy Church — A Killer Cocktail
3. Stop All the Having and Just Be
4. It’s Time to Wait, but for What?
5. Waiting Brings Life, Not a Slow Death
6. Forget the Mission Statement
7. Out of the Family Basement
8. Nothing Can Separate You

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#WhenChurchStopsWorking #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: Ancient Mesopotamia Mythology: Babylonian and Assyrian History, Myths and Legends (Annotated) With A Historical Introduction

Ancient Mesopotamia Mythology: Babylonian and Assyrian History, Myths and Legends (Annotated) With A Historical Introduction by Lewis Spence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Performance: ***

An interesting a solid treatment of Assyrian and Babylonian history.  Some of the names were not what I have usually encountered, so there may be some translation involved, but there is a glossary at the end that helps a lot.  Likewise the pronunciation of some of the names and terms was not always the same as what I was familiar with, but it all still worked.

There is a lot of information in this book and I enjoyed all of it … even the myth comparisons (and contrasts) with Mesoamerica, Egypt and others (the treatment of Noah and the flood was particularly interesting).  It you are at all interested in this topic, this is a great start that goes into a lot more detail than I recall from my early western civ class in high school.

Chapter 1: Babylonia and Assyria in History and Legend (Abraham)

Chapter 2: Babylonian Cosmology

Chapter 3: Early Babylonian Religion 

Chapter 4: The Gilgamesh Epic

Chapter 5: The Later Pantheon of Babylonia

Chapter 6: The Great God Merodach and His Cult

Chapter 7: The Pantheon of Assyria

Chapter 8: Babylonian Star-Worship

Chapter 9: The Priesthood, Cult, and Temples

Chapter 10: The Magic and Demonology of Babylonia

Chapter 11: the Mythological Monsters and Animals of Chaldea

Chapter 12: Tales of the Babylonian and Assyrian Kings

Chapter 13: The Comparative Value of the Babylonian and Assyrian Religions

Chapter 14: Modern Excavation in Babylonia and Assyria

Chapter 15: The Twilight of the Gods

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#AncientMesopotamiaMythology  #FreeAudiobookCodes 

View all my reviews

Review: Nightborn: Coldfire Rising

Nightborn: Coldfire Rising by C.S. Friedman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a prequel to the Coldfire trilogy, one of my favorite sci-fantasy series. While you could read this either before or after the trilogy, I read it after and I believe that I enjoyed the trilogy more because of that experience (YMMV). Keep in mind this is not hard sci-fi, but a prequel to what is more like a dark fantasy series (so the science is good but still not solid); however, In the series, you eventually come to realize the world on which it all happens is an earth colony that essentially lost its tech and was more or less a primitive semi-feudal society. This book explains how that came about … and the colony story was actually pretty compelling and well done … with the action starting up quickly and ramping up just as fast (perhaps too fast). Although there are some 200 original colonists, the story revolves about a dozen of so personalities, each with their own back story (some of which are explored in flashbacks at the beginning of the chapters. 

The main characters are Leo (mission commander), Lisa (Doctor), Dani (chaplain) and Angie (a holistic neural researcher/occultist) with some important side characters, such as Ian the biologist. At the confusion of the story, you will have a solid understanding of the relationship between humans and their new world (aka Erna) that for me would have detracted a bit from the mystery/puzzle presented in the beginning of the trilogy (which is what I am happy to have read this last). What is missing is the story of Gerald … whose story has such an outsized impact on the trilogy that its short treatment at the end just didn’t seem like it was enough. All of that considered, if you enjoyed the trilogy you will very likely enjoy this prequel … if you enjoyed the prequel, you might enjoy the trilogy (which I liked primarily for the well executed redemption arc of the hero’s journey).

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#NightbornColdfireRising #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: Triumph Over Trauma: Find Healing and Wholeness from Past Pain

Triumph Over Trauma: Find Healing and Wholeness from Past Pain by Gregory L. Jantz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Written in three (3) parts, this book looks at how we experience trauma, how trauma affects us and how we can recover from trauma. Each chapter is fairly short, introduces a single concept clearly in easily understood/common language that is generally supported by some research or study and a brief reference to scripture and/or faith in God. It is not as heavy handed as many religious self-help books that I have encountered, but for readers that generally eschew any spirituality, it might be distracting or otherwise difficult to get by. I thought it stuck a good balance. The chapters ended with a “Your Personal Healing Steps” that seemed to be very pointed and practical … making the over all book very well organized. The author was clearly able to comfortably cover holistic/non-traditional medicine such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, et al and included a good review of each in Appendix A and a reference to organizations that can help with trauma in Appendix C. Over all, with my somewhat amateur exposure and limited training to the subject of trauma, I couldn’t find any fault in the material nor did I have any trouble understanding it (which was expected for something targeting people who have either experienced trauma or are supporting someone who has). As such, I have not reservations in giving this book high marks across the board.

Part 1 - Broken: Trauma Strikes Suddenly or Gradually
1. The Truth Will Set You Free
2. Hope amid Heartache
3. Ten Truths about Trauma

Part 2 - Trauma: The Loss of Your True Self
4. Repressed and Depressed
5. Emotional Pain, Physical Problems
6. Interrupted Circuitry
7. Wary and Watchful
8. Crushed in Spirit
9. Bright Future Dimmed

Part 3 - Recovery: The Way Back to Your True Self
10. Restore Your Freedom
11. Revisit the Hurt
12. Revitalize Your Body
13. Reset Your Brian
14. Reconnect with People
15. Revise Your Script
16. Reclaim Your Power
17. Reinforce Your Spirituality
18. A Closing Word

Appendix A - Proven and Promising Treatments for Trauma Recovery
Appendix B - Avoid “Anesthesia”to Soothe Your Pain
Appendix C - Recommended Resources

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TriumphoverTrauma #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: The Pyres: Sword and Sorcery #3

The Pyres: Sword and Sorcery #3 by Dylan Doose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Performance: ****
Story: ***


Although this is the third book in the series, this story picks up shortly after the events of the first book, Fire And Sword (available on Kindle Unlimited, so I recommend you read that first). The World-building is GrimDark and occasionally more course that I liked, but over all does a fair job navigating sensibilities (although some of the more grotesque/sensational details were a tad off putting). The setting is centered upon a powerful church/religion in a struggle against the corruption dark sorcery (so naturally all magic is condemned). That makes life for at least one of the protagonist a bit dicey, since he is a fire mage and former church monk. The other two are a disgraced crusader (with an iron fist) and a one-eyed rogue that provide the muscle for the teams purported monster hunting activity.

And that is where this story begins … right in the middle of a war between gods (The Luminescent) and demons (Dammar) and their avatars, The Patriarch and the Dog Eater. But this is a dark story, so the good guys have a dark secret and the bad guys seem to have a legitimate bone to pick (they just do it with monsters) … so we get our three (3) antiheroes to walk the line between. And The Pyres … the fires that burn sinners and pagans every “First Day” festival. After each chapter we also get an interlude that provides flash backs, out of sequence dialog and fortune cookie wisdom from some dude's diary/prophesy that may or may not have any direct impact on the evolving storyline. You do get a few surprises along the way … just to keep you motivated to continue. Ultimately it is the narration that saves what is otherwise a fairly typically fantasy.

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#ThePyres #SwordAndSorcery #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited

View all my reviews

Review: The Shadow Society

The Shadow Society by Jay Bonansinga
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I am a huge fan of Marvel movies, I am pretty much hit or miss with the comics themselves. The Shadow Society is written more along the lines of a novelized comic book without the cool illustrations. The idea of a team of anti-heroes is pretty standard stuff and the members of the quintet pretty [stereo]typical … so don’t expect a PC story here. Since this is the second of the series, let’s meet the main characters. Spur is muscle bound cowboy that is the nominal leader of the “ very special unit” and has the ability to duplicate or match his opponent’s main advantage. Boo is “petite” ninja assassin who earned her code name from her ability to ambush folks from the shadows (as in Boo, you dead). Pin-up (yeah, they went there) is a sexualized Latina who can shape shift (of course). Ticker is a dapper African American who can stop time and Hack follows the trend with his legendary cyber skills.

The story opens with a little demonic possession and satanic cult weirdness that it hopefully meant as a caricature the exorcism tradition of the Catholic Church. It is designed by be repulsive and it does a fair job without being too silly. Next we get some sleight of hand and the characters all move around the board without any apparent rhyme or reason other than bad guys gotta be bad guys. Frankly that makes Part I a bit of a drag to get through. We don’t get to the actually plot until Part II when we realize that Satan has some very specific plans to bring about Armageddon … and there really are no surprises here … after all, the prophecy is over 2 thousand years old by now. Part III is where the team springs into action to head off the Devil at the pass … with a [moderately] surprising incentive on top. This is where the super hero genre finally comes through and it was just okay when all was said and done. If you are a big comic book fan, feel free to add a star.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheShadowSociety #TheDevilsQuintet #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Review: Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection

Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection by Addison D Bevere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prayer in three (3) parts. Part one looks at recognizing the Voice of God vs the Voice of the Adversary. While the concept of the quiet voice is fairly de rigueur the analogy with a Canyon Echo was a bit of a stretch for me. There were a few interesting observation though, such as life on the canyon wall switchbacks, our tendency to want answers immediately (just can’t wait) and the role of pain/suffering in spiritual growth (a common Catholic view point) Part two tries to give us a useful definitions of the Kingdom of God and our place in it (aka there should be no separation of secular and sacred), as well as the need to practice being good. No new revelations for me here; however, I will acknowledge that for most it might be. Part three seems to look a basic characteristics of prayer, presumable to make prayer better. There is no formula or strict steps to take, and this is pitched as a good thing, because reducing prayer to that would actually make it less effective … although the author does introduce at least three (3) prayer frameworks that appear to do just that: The Examen, The Office and Lectio Divina.

As with many personal/anecdotal stories that are used to buttress the concepts the author is trying to teach, they all run the risk that they just don’t connect with a reader that has a markedly different experience and/or world view and that can undermine the point somewhat. One particular example was the idea shared by many christians that you need to [wake up early and] withdraw [into a closet] to engage in structured prayer in silence … none of which is true. To be fair, the author seems tp only hold on to the latter as a requirement … which is strange because he then goes into the pray without ceasing mantra that can only happen the you live your prayer amidst the noise and chaos of life. While I understood the sentiment, the wording was awkward for me because I didn’t connect with the premise. This disconnect was aggravated when he attempted to trace the original of the word “intimacy” to the latin “in timor” (into fear … which is actually the origin of the word intimidate) … and is something that none of the etymologies that I have access to would support. Such word games undermines my faith into the rest of his research (however, despite my misgivings, his research is generally good).

Ultimately there were several observation, opinions and interpretations that didn’t quite resonate with me despite the book having a number of true gems within it. One such example would be when it states that “There’s a sense that God can forgive only what is confessed, so we rack our brains, searching out any wrong done or right left undone. [Only] Once every item is confessed can we be on our way, hopefully feeling bad enough to never do those things again.” This is a decidedly Catholic sentiment that, having grown up in a Protestant tradition, just doesn’t resonate with me very well. That said, there is still enough here to make it worth the read.

Part 1: The Canyon
1. The Voice
2. Into Silence
3. The Prayer

Part 2: The Temple
4. What We Call God
5. Seeing the Kingdom
6. Opening the Conversation

Part 3: The Dance
7. The Integrator
8. I Am Here
9. How Should We Ask?
10. Confession, Sin, and Conscience
11. Me to We
12. Forgiveness
13. Trials, Temptations, and Joys
14. In the Name

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#WordsWithGod #NetGalley

View all my reviews