Book discussion groups are popular in Christian graduate and faculty groups. While they don't replace studying The Book, many are already studying the Bible with another group, perhaps in their church. Book discussion groups afford the opportunity to explore a book in which there is shared interest. Sometimes that could focus on spiritual disciplines and growth, Christian belief, or Christian history. It might focus on a contemporary issue like racism or the environment or living sustainably. Or you might just read an … [Read more...] about Hosting Effective Book Groups
Books
Review: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Gregory Rummo has shared several reviews of C.S. Lewis books on the blog this summer. This is his last, the first of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Spoiler Alert: Because the book is familiar to many, Rummo includes discussion of the plot outcome. If you are new to the Narnia stories, you may wish to refrain from reading this review until after you've read the book. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the first[1] of C. S. Lewis's seven-part series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is a fantasy story about four … [Read more...] about Review: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Emerging Scholars Network Summer Book Club
I don't know about you, but summer is a great time for me to catch up on books I'd like to read, including significant Christian books that help me understand the faith more deeply and connect it to my life. This summer, the Emerging Scholars Network would like to help with that. Carmen Joy Imes is a professor of Old Testament at Biola University and author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019). She is also the popular host of Torah Tuesday, where she shares about her research in the first five … [Read more...] about Emerging Scholars Network Summer Book Club
Do Christians Care About Social Justice? 500 Years of the Brown Church
Are Christianity and social justice incompatible? Or are they deeply integrated in ways that many Americans have forgotten or ignored? According to Robert Chao Romero, author of the new book Brown Church, Christians have much to learn from a 500 year history of Latina/o social justice, theology, and identity that even many Latina/os are unfamiliar with. Speaking today at the Emerging Scholars Network is Dr. Robert Chao Romero (@ProfeChaoRomero), author of The Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, … [Read more...] about Do Christians Care About Social Justice? 500 Years of the Brown Church
This is not our final destination. . . .
While we should enjoy God's good creation, and while we should make the most of our time here, this is not our final destination. The new heavens and the new earth are our destination, where we will live with God forever in face-to-face and heart-to-heart encounter with God through Jesus in the Spirit. Jesus' first followers' hopes were set fully and firmly on his promises of enduring presence in their lives through the Spirit, and then later in face-to-face encounter with Jesus in the Father's house. Certainly, the … [Read more...] about This is not our final destination. . . .