Meditating on the Names of God

Names can be powerful things. Those of us how have children can all probably relate to how much we thought and debated about what word they would be labelled with the rest of their lives as central to their identity. Lucky for God, He wasn't limited by just one name. :)

I've seen many short devotionals and works of art based on the many names of God. In his short book, Your Great Name: Discovering Power for Your Life in the Awesome Names of God, Michael Neale explores some of the names of God used throughout the Bible and based on his song, Your Great Name.

For well-studied biblical scholars, there probably isn't much new information, but I don't think that's how this book is meant to be used. Texts like this remind me that worship and being in awe of God isn't necessarily just about getting information and understanding. Sometimes it's simpler, just hearing the names of our Lord and meditating on them. Frankly, being able to listen to a short audiobook, taking a break from having to be as critical of a thinker, actually helped me feel more connected to God.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Deep, Final Words of Christ @christianaudio @RevAdamHamilton

In Final Words from the Cross, Adam Hamilton explores seven of the final phrases Christ spoke on the Cross. Hamilton's book, while concise, still conveys a understanding and respect for the emotional and intellectual depth of Jesus' last words.

Hamilton does not simply tell readers (or in my case, listeners) what to believe or how exactly we must understand and interpret the words. Rather, he provides a realistic, human-yet-divine picture of the impact and meaning behind the words. He clearly understands the scholarship on these biblical passages, but does not drone on in intellectual boredom.

One of the elements I particularly valued was the stories he developed for each phrase. Hamilton wrote first-person narratives from the perspectives of various individuals in the biblical story to flesh out the words of Christ and really bring them to life.

Books like this can be cheesy, superficial, and intellectual without heart, all missing the bigger picture. Yet Hamilton does a phenomenal job of balancing all of these elements, creating a devotional, emotional, and intellectual book that really deepened my faith and appreciation of Jesus' final words on the cross.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Is Automatic Tithing Biblical?

Tithing can be a very controversial topic, for better or for worse. In any case, for most church organizations, it's necessary to keep the lights on. That's why I think it was a brilliant business decision to start offering the ability to automatically tithe through automatic withdrawal from a bank account or by credit card. I'm sure it helps ensure more regular income.

I love paying bills this way. It helps me make sure I'm never late and lets me think less about bills and more about life. And I use automatic tithing myself so I don't forget.

Does applying this to tithing, though, miss the point of tithing? Leon Bloder wrote, "My tithe is the first check I write." There's a spiritual discipline element to help us focus on God and remember that all of what we have is God's. It's a way of dedicating our income and our lives to God.

With automatic tithing, we can easily lose that. It all happens unconsciously and relegates tithing to the dreaded monthly bills category. Is that what God really wants from us?

Limitations of Biblical Canon

I have recently realized that I love collecting Bibles. I don't know how many I have, but I have a lot. My wife has started complaining about it, particularly as we start planning to move (we just entered escrow on our first house).

My first Bible was of the NIV Life Application Study variety. It was thick and chunky, with lots of good information, like I thought a Bible should be when I became a Christian as a teen. I was starting out as a good evangelical. :)

Over the years, I have collected Bibles from several translations, which I think is a useful thing. I have a massive (seriously, I think it's the biggest book I own) Bible encyclopedia. I'm not sure I would buy all that now since most of it can be found more easily and more quickly online for free. But there's still something I like about having it on my bookshelf. Maybe it's memories. Maybe it's pride. But there's a weighter feel to the Bible and Bible study with the actual texts (pun somewhat intended :) ).

However, over the years, I've noticed that my Bibles have moved away from the study variety that are large and chocked full of information. They are more of the devotional type. As I wrote a month ago, there's is great value in approaching the Bible as a devotional text rather than just a theological text of proof for one's doctrine.

In many ways, approaching the Bible devotionally allows me to view the Bible as more holy, or sacred, than if I had to defend it all day long to maintain my belief system. The devotional nature definitely has theology in it, but it is more organic and relational than a systematic theology text. And I don't believe God inspired the latter. God is organic and relational, and that is the type of the text he inspired.

Interestingly enough, even the biblical canon (the accepted compilation of texts that comprise the Bible) has been relatively organic. The Protestant canon is different from that of the Roman Catholics and the various Orthodox traditions. And it has changed a few times. This can make understanding 2 Timothy 3:16, stating that "all Scripture is inspired by God," rather difficult to fully understand because what is considered Holy Scripture is very much in the hands of men (and generally not women).

I have faith in our canon. Yet I also have to recognize that it was not handed down by God on tablets like the Ten Commandments. I have to have faith that the men who put together the current canon (and since I'm a Protestant, most of my Bibles exclude the Apocrypha) did listen to God.

This is where my studies of church history were very interesting and useful. There were many debates over what would be included as canon. There continue to be debates today. Ultimately, as people of faith, we need to look for consistency in the messages. And frankly, in moving against the Protestant tradition, the canonical tradition can be useful, too. There is something to be said for the fact that the existing canon has been so meaningful to so many people.

Ultimately, we have to come back to the fact that we approach the Bible with faith. Many Christians use it to bolster their faith in order to avoid the anxiety that arises with ambiguity from doubt. Yet it is possible to destroy support for the biblical canon as it stands, leaving no more "beyond a shadow of a doubt" certainty for faith.

I do believe the Bible was inspired by God. And it helps keep me connected to him. However, it does not "prove" my faith. Faith is not based on fact. It is based on my trust of God rooted in my relationship with him. Just as I have faith in the beauty and wonder of my wife based on my trust of her rooted in our relationship.

Bible as Theology or Devotion?

One of the things I have noticed recently is that I have preferred to read the Bible more from a perspective of contemplation and devotion than trying to define theology. What I mean by that is not worrying as much about how to believe in certain systems and what is or is not a sin, but rather exploring the character of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit and what the journey of faith is like. Charlie Wear recently wrote a post entitled, Getting to Know God Through His Book, which I think gets to some of these ideas, too.

Most of the biblical authors seem to have written from a devotional perspective. While devotion definitely has an element of theology, devotional texts are very different from systematic theology tomes. Yet many times, we ignore the celebration of Christ as we read the Bible, instead looking for ways to defend our system of beliefs.

This leads us to miss out on a huge part of the beauty and power and message and truth of the Bible. Instead, viewing the Bible as primarily a theological text, I think, makes us more likely to be defensive about our particular readings of it, thus making it more difficult to accept the superficial paradoxes and contradictions.

The Jesus Creed blog recently ran a post about reading the Bible both critically and religiously. In it, they ask:

What does it mean to read the Bible religiously?

Is the Bible a book we submit to and proclaim?

or

Is the Bible a book we wrestle with – critically, theologically, practically – to discover God?

I don't think the Bible as theological text is incompatible with the Bible as devotional text, but we need to remember that it is not only theological.

Jesus Deficit Disorder @christianaudio @caReviewers @FrankViola @lensweet

Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola's The Jesus Manifesto looked rather interesting when I got a review copy of the audiobook from christianaudio. I've heard many good things about Sweet and Viola, so I was excited to listen to this book.

For a text that is based in so much passion, I once again was disappointed by the fact that neither of the authors read their text. So much is missed when the author does not read their own text.

I think that would have made a big difference here. Much of the passion was lost. In fact, a lot of the book seemed overstated. Although God can never truly be overstated, the use of metaphor and hyperbolic adjectives was just too extreme. The point was lost.

While I agree with the intended worshipful comments, I got bored with the book.

Also, the basic premise that the church has Jesus Deficit Disorder (a lack of focus on Christ) is just not one I really buy. I agree that many churches and people definitely suffer from this, the communities of which I have been a part have focused a lot on Christ.

The "Jesus Deficit Disorder" is just one example of a metaphor or phrase that appears clever at first, but just comes across as cheesy when paired with so many other such phrases. It gets old.

It's not a bad book. If you want a book that is a devoted worhsip of Jesus, Jesus Manifesto does it well. You can even sign a Jesus Manifesto. These are good things. The audiobook just didn't really move me at all...

The Wonderful Mystery of the Cross @ivpress @judithcouchman

This review was made possible by a complimentary copy of the book from InterVarsity Press.

The Mystery of the Cross by Judith Couchman caught my attention by a beautiful, illuminated manuscript-type cover and the promise of exploration of images of the Cross to enhance devotional time. Here's the book trailer:


Having reviewed several books that I was expecting to be great, but did not meet that expectation at all, I went into this book expecting it to disappoint me.

However, this book blew my expectations out of the water. First of all, the format is great. I appreciate that each chapter is quite short, making it easy to read a section when one has just a few minutes (like I usually do) rather than long periods of time to sit and really read deeply. This makes it particularly useful as devotional tool.

I also appreciated that each chapter included an image of the cross considered in that chapter. It helps to really understand what Couchman is describing. I also like that the images were hand-drawn, adding to the human dimension of the history of these images, making them seem more devotionally-focused than an aim for perfection.

The content, though, is where this book really shines. My undergraduate degree was in Religious Studies, particularly focused on early church history and hagiographies (the lives of the saints). Therefore, I really enjoy understanding the rich history behind images, stories, and words that make up our current faith. I find that this really helps me appreciate our tools for worship in a much deeper way.

Couchman does precisely this in each chapter. However, it's not boring or dry. She beautifully summarizes the history of an image and how and why it was used. She does so in an effectively concise way (something I cannot do :) ). This creates a nice balance between understanding the history while making each chapter short enough for effective devotion.

She then ends each chapter with a more devotional reflection. Some images may have a controversial history that may make some people not want to use them in devotion or that may challenge some people's faith. However, Couchman reframes the story in a way that does not negate the controversy, but rather uses it to enhance the mystical nature of Christian faith and the cross.

With these elements, Couchman balances both a cognitive, academic approach with an affective, devotional heart. Readers of my blog know that I look for ways to balance the two, as both are critically important for our lives. It's hard to do using all the spiritual formation resources we have. It's even harder to find in a single resource like this book. I am impressed by it and plan to continue to use it to enrich my own personal devotion. Few books truly have aided my devotion as much as this one has, especially recently.

As you can see, I strongly endorse this book. If you pick it up (and it's 30% off right now at IVP), I do suggest going into it with lower expectations. We all know how if we go into something with expectations too high, we are bound to be disappointed. This is one book I would not want to experience less because of my expectations.