Journeys In Between

Amos Yong: Hospitality & The Other

I found out from John Morehead that Amos Yong has a new book out called, "Hospitality & The Other".

For those not familiar with him, Amos is a Pentecostal theologian who's done a lot of work on developing a theology of other religions with particular reference to the workings of the Spirit beyond the church. He is not emergent but very much engages with some of the same issues, like post-modernity and pluralism and how we converse with people more contextually.

Like John, I have found Amos' previous works stimulating (even if a little hard going at times) and I look forward to seeing what he has to say here.

The summary from the back cover states:

"Building on careful biblical scholarship and insights into the practices of Jesus and the early church, launched on the day of Pentecost, Amos Yong shows that the religious 'other' is not a mere object for conversion but a neighbor to whom hospitality must be both extended and received. Contemporary practice, he shows, needs to catch up with the revolutionary biblical notion of extending hospitality beyond every boundary of faith, nation, and ethnicity."

Keep an eye out for it.

Interview with the Vampire Writer - Anne Rice

Jamie Arpin-Ricci  interviews Anne Rice on faith, writing and Christian art. Awesome interview.

Emerging Downunder by Ray Simpson and Brent Lyons Lee

Mike Lowe has alerted me to a book launch coming up next week that may interest a few of you, particularly if you're in Melbourne.

The book is called 'Emerging Downunder'

The blurb goes: "Emerging Downunder: Creating Celtic New Monastic Villages of God taps into the current hunger for spirituality, the death pains of obsolete church forms, and the rising tide of hope felt by many Christians. It suggests ways the fragmented church may reconnect both with its roots and the contemporary environment, providing practical examples of church that bring praying, eating, learning and hospitality together in one place."

"This book was first published as Church of the Isles by Ray Simpson for a British audience. In collaboration with Brent Lyons Lee, it has tapped in to worldwide conversations about ‘emerging church’ and ‘new monasticism’ and applied it to a ‘downunder’ context."

Tim Costello will be launching the book in Melbourne at 6:30pm on Thursday April 3 at Credo Café, (The end of Baptist Place Laneway off Little Collins St between Swanston & Russell St.)

If any of you can make the launch I would be interested in hearing your take on it.

2008 Christianity Today Book Awards

The 2008 Christianity Today Book Awards have been announced in the last week. Have a read and let me know what you think. Can't say I have read any of them but "Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity" looks like an interesting one to me.

Enoch

I noticed the book of Enoch was uploaded to the Internet Sacred Texts Archieve a few days ago and is now available for free. Enoch is one of the more interesting apocraphal books in my opinion so if you want to read it click here.

Being a Christian I find Enoch chapter 46 particularly interesting ...

There I beheld the Ancient of Days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of Man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of Days.

He answered and said to me, "This is the Son of Man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."

... particularly given its close parallel to the Revelation chapter 1

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

See the parallels? Now what does that suggest to you?

Jesus! Just look at these books!

In a fit of post-Christmas browsing I thought I'd have a look and see what the most expensive "Jesus" books on Amazon are ... I nearly choked. These are just going to blow you away. Here are the links to some so you can check them out for yourself.

Fancy a copy of "Jesus Never Fails" or the "NIV Pastor's Bible? Be my guest! Should put me well on the way to making this blog self sustaining. Nah. Better to buy a well for someone in Africa.

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna

I received an email from Frank Viola's people yesterday offering an advanced copy of the new and heavily revised edition of "Pagan Christianity" for review.

The new edition, which they're saying is a complete rewrite, has been co-authored with George Barna,  popular speaker and research guru. I'll wait till I receive it before making any personal comments (and that could be a few weeks given international shipping times) but here is the publicity blurb for your consumption:

Book Description
Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we "dress up" for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices.

Sorting Out Truth From Tradition
Many Christians take for granted that their church’s practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The New Testament is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ’s indwelling in ways that rocked the first-century world.

Times have changed. Pagan Christianity leads us on a fascinating tour through church history, revealing this startling and unsettling truth: Many cherished church traditions embraced today originated not out of the New Testament, but out of pagan practices. One of the most troubling outcomes has been the effect on average believers: turning them from living expressions of Christ’s glory and power to passive observers. If you want to see that trend reversed, turn to Pagan Christianity . . . a book that examines and challenges every aspect of our contemporary church experience.

Are We Really Doing Church “By the Book?”
Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service?
Why do our church services seem so similar week after week?
Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?

Not sure? Pagan Christianity makes an unsettling proposal: Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our modern Christian church practices.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions like a business organization rather than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ’s revolutionary plan for His church—to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role—you’ll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.

Stay posted for the review.

You'll find the official site at www.paganchristianity.org

Richard Leigh, the author who sued over Da Vinci Code, dies

I was reading this evening that Richard Leigh has died. Richard Leigh, who co-authored The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, one of the most controversial books of the 1980s, with Michael Baigent, was possibly even more famous for being the guy who sued Dan Brown for plagiarism over The Da Vinci Code. How he died was a mystery.

The Priory of Sion, mmm yes, it must have been the Priory of Sion.

Shelfari: Social Networking for Book Lovers

I am currently testing out http://www.shelfari.com, a new social networking site for book lovers.

The principle seems to be, network with friends who have similar reading interests and see what else you can suggest to one another that might also be of interest.

If you want to network with me my public address is http://www.shelfari.com/mattstone and I go by the name of Matthew S. Should be easy enough for you to find.

See what heresies are on my reading list :-)

Beyond the Burning Times

I am pleased to advise that Amazon is now taking pre-orders for "Beyond the Burning Times" a Pagan-Christian dialogue book my friend and colleague Philip Johnson is co-writing with Pagan author Gus diZerega [click photo to enlarge].

As the title suggests, the aim is to help Christians and Pagans move beyond the mutual antagonism that has historically plagued Christian-Pagan relations with one another and advance the cause of mutual listening and understanding.

As a pioneer in the missional apologetics approach that has been emerging out of Christian interactions with new religious movements and irreligious spiritualities in recent years, I have always found Phil to have plenty of sagely advice for Christians interested in conversing with non-Christians and coming to grips with the challenges of pluralism and post-modernity. And given the respect Philip enjoys in the Pagan community as well, I am sure that Witches, Pagans and Goddess Worshipers of all traditions will find this a refreshing change.

So, here's the link to the "Beyond the Burning Times" and a few of the other books Phil has co-authored with John Drane and Ross Clifford.