Tagged: Christianity RSS

  • coffeehousereader 6:57 am on March 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Christianity, ,   

    An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor 

    This book is a gem. Mrs. Taylor talks about so many different ways to worship God that doesn’t include the four walls of a church building. The way in which she writes is like music. The imagry she uses is beautiful and she makes you think outside the box.

    I wish I had my own copy because so many sentences jumped out at me as being profound. The whole idea that in life there are so many sacred moments and spots that we pass/experience daily that we don’t acknowledge. I’ve always had moments of restlessness with being stuck in a stuffy church building. Why not worship out in the fresh air instead?

    I am definitely going to find her other title. I sense she is a kindred spirit from reading her words.

     

  • coffeehousereader 9:17 pm on February 25, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Christianity, Doubt, , , ,   

    Silent Savior by A. J. Gregory 

    I was a bit leery on checking this book out of the library. I’ve read books on how to deal when it seems as though God is silent.  They read like a giant Christian cliché.  I was hoping this was not going to be another ones of those types of books.  I was in for a pleasant surprise.

    A. J. Gregory writes with honesty.  She doesn’t sugar coat the tough times or make you feel that if you aren’t praying enough or doing x, y, z that you’re not following God’s will and that’s why He’s silent.  Nope.  She struggles with doubts as well.  Some days faith isn’t as easy as it appears and trusting God is a challenge.  It was very refreshing to read a book by a believer where they let themselves be completely vulnerable with their audience.  There was no fakery in her words.

    If you’re struggling with knowing that God is there I recommend this book.  I’ve had my own dry spiritual spells and they suck.  I used to have such a stronger faith, but sometimes it feels as though it’s been put on the back burner.  I know it takes trust and patience. I know in time I’ll come full circle and be in the spot I am meant to be in my walk with Christ.  There’s no cookie cutter way to get there.  I’m glad for the time for growth and contemplation.  It’s tough going from a place where you’re fed Christianity 24/7 to having to work on it yourself.

     

    • wellwateredgarden 9:46 pm on February 25, 2010 Permalink

      Re: I know I’ll come full circle and be in that spot I’m supposed to be … actually – faith says that you’re in that spot all the time … believe it!

  • coffeehousereader 7:49 pm on December 10, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Christianity, Compassion, , Groundlessness, , Mediation, No-Self, Spirit, Wisdom   

    Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian by Paul Knitter 

    This book took me almost a whole month to finish.  At times it felt like I was reading a textbook. It wasn’t boring like a textbook, but its slim volume was full of so much information. Considering I went into reading this book quite ignorant of Buddhism I can say after reading it I’ve gained more knowledge and understanding of what Buddhists believe and they way in which they living out their beliefs.

    It’s interesting to see both religions compared side by side and see how Buddhism can enhance Christianity.  I never thought it was possible.  I’m trying to think of how to explain this book.  There is so much in it that took so long to digest I fear I’m going to spoil it for those of you who might want to read it.  Mr. Knitter describes the basics of Buddhism and how it started.  Siddhartha the, man who would become Buddha, felt that his own religion (Hinduism) was lacking, so he decided to venture out and discover a more in-depth spirituality.  This led him to travel all over and met a cowherd woman named Sujata who gave him some rice-milk.  He had been fasting and praying for so long that he was able to feel his back bone from touching his stomach.    This woman’s kindness led him to realize that he wasn’t finding what he was searching for, so he decided to sit under the Bodhi tree.  By the following morning he awoke to realize that we’re all interconnected, constantly in motion and that when we are selfish we break our connectedness with each other.  Siddhartha is said to have continued to sit under the tree for the next 49 days.

    This book was a lot to take in.  Trying to review it is proving challenging.  There’s so much discussed it’s like reviewing a thick fat textbook when you feel like you’ve merely gotten only an overview of the class you’re going to be taking.

    In learning about how another belief system sees the world is a lot to take in.  It’s like growing up with a world view that is black and white and then you hear about a different world view where there’s lots of color.  It’s mind bending to understand your world through a different cultural lens.  Buddhists don’t believe in evil.  Growing up with sin being a key word hearing that not everyone believes there’s such a thing makes me want to go, “What? That’s a basic belief.”  Instead they feel that people do things out of ignorance out of not realizing who they truly are.  Buddhists believe that we are all interconnected with each other and they our goal should be to be no-self.  They believe we are groundless because we are always in constant motion.  We should instead care more about others and in caring for others we are truly caring for ourselves.  I know it sounds like Greek, but hopefully the way I’m writing this makes some sense.  Buddhism’s goal is for us to discover our Buddha nature which would mean we’d be compassionate and have wisdom in how to act in the moment.  They are big on focusing on the current moment.  Not the past or the future since one has gone and the other is yet to be.  Reading more about being in the now was fascinating. I think that’s a great way to focus one’s mind. If you’re too caught up in the past as I’ve been you miss out on all the awesome things happening in your life currently.  You go through life in a fog.  But then if you focus strictly on the future and waiting for x, y, z to occur you aren’t paying attention to what’s occurring now.  I have faltered previously in pining for the past.  It didn’t help me appreciate what I was going through at the time (high school).  Learning how to focus in the now and appreciate the emotions, sensations and thoughts I have right in the moment would be great for me.  Buddhists are big on meditating.  I am not practiced in this art form.  I was taught how to pray when I was little.  I think for Christians sitting still is a huge challenge.  We’re too focused on doing rather than being.  I still love the verse in the Bible that says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  That says a lot.  In order for us to truly know Him we have to be still.  I think that doesn’t just mean physically being still, but stilling our fast paced minds.

    At the end of the book Mr. Knitter asks if it’s possible for us to dip our toes into the lakes of other faiths/beliefs/religions.  I thought this was a good question to pose.  Is it possible to be raised a particular faith (Christianity) and learn from other beliefs and still keep your childhood faith?  The author believes it’s possible.  He still considers himself a Christian, but he’s learned so much for Buddhism and practicing it he considers himself a Buddhist Christian. It sounds somewhat blasphemous.  I think not learning about other beliefs has put me in the dark.  It makes it so that when I do meet others of different beliefs/faiths I don’t know how to interact with them.  It’s like I’m speaking Greek and they’re speaking Chinese. It’s sad because if I did understand where they’re coming from in regards to their faith there could be wonderful conversations, but because of being ignorant of someone else’s views I miss out on connecting with others. And now at the end of this post I’m sounding Buddhist.  I think I need to go rest my brain now. :)

     

    • dougrogers 9:31 am on December 11, 2009 Permalink

      Congratulations. I’ve seen so much misunderstanding show up in my Tag Reader from Christians talking about Buddhism that this was so refreshing.

    • Mrs. Micah 4:54 pm on December 11, 2009 Permalink

      I am looking forward to reading this even more, now! Maybe I’ll have a chance to thumb through it next time I’m in a larger bookstore. Our library copy isn’t processed yet.

      I’ve found Buddhism to be a useful tool in my spiritual journey, though not a spiritual path I want to follow in toto. I also found the book Living Buddha, Living Christ food for thoughts. It comes from the Buddhist side and I don’t agree with some of his assessments of Christian teaching–I’d say some interpretations are taken from passages without knowledge of other passages that help illuminate them. Like if the Bible were a collection of sayings rather than a narrative (and parts are a collection of sayings, but there’s a lot of self-referential stuff in it). Anyway, it’s still a good book. And the few misunderstandings (I feel free to call them misunderstandings because I don’t really know any group of Christians that sees them in the light he does and because I think he’s unaware of larger contexts) still provide an interesting look into what reading the Bible from an entirely different worldview would be like.

    • JM 7:30 am on December 13, 2009 Permalink

      Just finished this book, found your review and am wondering how you feel about what for me is the major issue that emerges from the text – why bother with Christianity? If its contradictions can’t be resolved without recourse to another more thoroughly developed system, why bother trying to patch up when a perfectly accessible and useful system is available?

  • coffeehousereader 7:13 am on December 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Christianity, , , , , KJV Debate, NIV, Paul Knitter, The Message, Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian   

    On The Edge Of Enlightenment 

    I’m still trudging through my current read.  As I’m taking my time reading it my brain is on an overload of information.  Sometimes I have to reread what I’ve just read.  Reading a book where Buddhism and Christianity is compared is intriguing.  It’s enlightening to see how Buddhism can enhance Christianity.  It sounds blasphemous I’m sure.  I’m not going to suddenly turn Buddhist, my spouse has already gone that route, but in reading this book I’m trying to understand what he has been reading about and absorbing the past few years.  I’m also hoping to gleam a lot through educating myself about Buddhism.  I have previously read one or two books on this  topic.

    I think it’s great to be learning about other beliefs.  Growing up I was never exposed to other beliefs.  Of course now that I’m in my early thirties it’s like I’m having a late bloomers religious exploration.  I never took World Religions in college.  I did take Christianity 101 and that is what started me on my Christian confusion. To read about all the different secs of Christianity from the early years of the church was like discovering views you never knew were out there, but after you read about them it’s like finding the missing piece of your faith puzzle.  It’s realizing I don’t necessarily agree with what I’ve been taught growing up.  My Christian confusion started with taking Christianity 1o1, then it got muddled at the same time because I learned about the whole KJV Bible ONLY debate.  So then I wasn’t sure I really wanted to own an NIV, so I switched to a KJV, but then everyone knows that’s a pain in the rear to read because it’s so archaic.  Then I tried The Message.  Reading that out loud was hilarious because to me it sounded so silly.  I know it’s not meant to be a study Bible and is not the best paraphrase to read for a Bible study, but I just couldn’t take it seriously. So then I went back to NIV which is what I was raised on.  But after hearing about the KJV ONLY view it’s like I couldn’t go backwards to when I was innocent and in the dark.  Finally I’ve settled on the Amplified Bible.  I know Joyce Meyers highly recommends it and I admire her, so I thought ah, what the heck I’ll try it.  Sadly I’ve only cracked it open one time.  Yes, I haven’t been reading my Bible at all.

    I’m looking forward to continuing my book on Buddhism and seeing how their views can enhance my faith.  What a wild read this is turning out to be.  Have a great day and happy Friday! :)

     

    • Mrs. Micah 7:18 am on December 4, 2009 Permalink

      Fascinating. I’ve run across articles on the subject, but not books. I consider myself an Anabaptist Christian augmented by Buddhism. I’m not comfortable with the entirety of Buddhism, but sometimes I find going outside the system & language in which I was brought up help me to understand the same concepts in a new and useful way. I’ll have to check it out. I don’t know if I’d say that without Buddha I couldn’t be a Christian, but it helps a LOT.

    • (Gardening)Jo 9:36 pm on December 6, 2009 Permalink

      Blog looks great! :-)

  • coffeehousereader 7:17 pm on November 26, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Christianity, , Trees   

    A Contemplative Afternoon At The Park 

    This afternoon we went to a local park where we got out our camping chairs to sit and read.  Thankfully there was one person out flying their model airplane.  The park has a little flying strip area for model airplanes.  Some of them are so impressive looking.  The weather was perfect this afternoon.  There was a slight breeze and there were wispy looking clouds out.  A lady walking her white Pomeranian walked by and said, “Hello.”  Her little dog looked like a little pompom bouncing around.  A cute little dog. :)

    I just started reading a book called Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter.  It’s about a man who used to teach Theology and grew up Catholic.  When his wife became Buddhist he decided to study different religions, especially Buddhism, to see how they could enhance him living his Christian faith and help him understand his Christian faith deeper.  Strange sounding, but intriguing at the same time.  I’ve barely started it and am only on chapter one, but so far it’s stretching my brain. I’m not versed in what Buddhists believe, but it’s interesting to see the two faiths so to speak compared side by side and how one can enrich the other.  I’m sure I’ll get the evil eye from some believers on actually saying that, but I know I’ll learn a lot by reading this slim book.

    It’s so hard to want to go work tomorrow.  It feels like Sunday night and not Thursday night.  My internal clock feels thrown off having a day off in the middle of the week, but thankfully tomorrow is FRIDAY!

    I’m very excited because this Sunday I will be getting to see an old childhood friend who will be in town visiting her mom and brothers.  I can’t wait to see her.  I haven’t seen her in about 12 years.  I’m happy I’ll  get to introduce my hubby to her.  They’ll get along great since they both love anime.

    Tomorrow I get to see one of my girl friend’s from high school. I haven’t seen her in months. I’m very excited to meet up with her for coffee.  That will be perfect for after work.

    Well I better get back to making Holiday cards….yes a volunteer opportunity through my work. It’s fun, I get to be creative and reach out to the community. :)

     

    • October Rose 6:41 pm on December 3, 2009 Permalink

      It’s always good to understand other worldviews, and thus other people. Having grown up Catholic myself, I believe that Christianity is THE Truth, but other religions reach for Truth as well, and seeing how they reach for it in different ways is fascinating and beautiful. And it can help you understand your own faith more deeply.

      One of my favorite courses in undergrad was Asian Philosophy, and we studied different branches of Buddhism, along with Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and a little little bit of Shinto.

      :)

  • coffeehousereader 1:55 pm on November 16, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Andrew Marin, Christianity, , , Love Is An Orientation   

    Love Is An Orientation By Andrew Marin 

    What to say about a book that asks Christians to humble themselves towards the GLBT community?  I was given Love Is An Orientation to read and it has floored my world.  Reading about the author’s experience of having his three best friends come out to him within three months must have been quite a shock.  Growing up in a Christian family and world he never knew anyone who was gay, until he was confided in.  Andrew didn’t know how to relate, how to talk to his friends about them being gay, so what Andrew did do was go to the Bible to read what it had to say, but he also went out and got to know gays, lesbians, bis and transgender folks.  He immersed himself in his local gay community.  Andrew didn’t beat anyone over the head with a Bible with verses. He listened and listened.  He cried, laughed and got to know them.  He was there for them if they needed to talk.  He let them be themselves with no, “I’ll be your friend only if you go straight,” etc.  Andrew also sought out the Christian Gay community to ask them what exactly is it that they believe and to also worship with them.  Rather than focusing on trying to fix a person’s sexuality Andrew focused on caring and showing love by being there.  He showed it in his actions and words.

    Recently I went on his blog and watched a few videos from when he went to his local Gay Pride Parade.  He kindly went around to get people’s opinion on the church and if they could say one thing to the church as a whole what would their comment be?  Watching these videos broke my heart.  The GLBT community is seeking fellowship, but rather than non judgmental opening arms they’re getting doors slammed in their faces. Of course at the parade there is a church group behind barricades with signs and mega phones.  Andrew walks over to them and they immediately start telling him that he’s going to go to hell.  He tells them he’s not gay, but they don’t listen.  They even tell him he’s on the wrong side of the barricade.  Watching that part of the video made me sick.  Rather than reaching out to people, yelling at them and condemning them seemed to be the goal. Not all churches do this, but it is sad to see how some Christians have felt they need to be the judge and mouth piece for God.  One thing Andrew has learned is that God speaks to everyone in His own way and in His own time.

    I, personally, have had 2 friends come out to me (one in the 8th grade and one in I believe senior year of high school).  At the time I was sheltered in that department and was of course shocked to my core.   I tried to change one of those friends a long time ago by writing lengthy, pleading letters.  I even sent a book about an ex-gay.  Thoughtful, but I wasn’t listening to my friend.  Further heartache ensued because of my pride.  Rather than trusting my friend to be appropriate when bringing his boyfriend to my wedding I told him I only wanted him to come to my wedding. Needless to say this one friend of mine saw it as me not being understanding or accepting.  That friend didn’t attend my wedding and there was a rift between us.  That really hurt, but looking back I was so afraid of the what if’s I didn’t trust my friend which was my loss.

    Reading Andrew’s book helps me see how to be more like Jesus we need to be loving not judgmental, snotty or arrogant.  Spouting scripture isn’t going to change someone, but being there for them speaks so much more.

    Thank you Andrew for your honesty, your boldness in speaking the truth in a way that really does model who Christ is.  I know your book is going to help bridge the gap between the Christian community and the GLBT one.  If only we would all swallow our pride and arrogance, step out of our own comfort zones and actually “Live the LIFE,” as Michael W. Smith says! :)

     

    • hopesreadywriter 8:25 pm on November 18, 2009 Permalink

      this is really good! I am a follower of Christ and completely agree. Jesus wouldn’t have done any of that as an example. Why are we more accepting of a pornographer, adulterer, drug addict (sin wise) but beat down with hatred and anger the homosexual community. And then we wonder why they want nothing to do with God when it is not God, it’s man and their ignorant weakness as human beings thinking they’re representing Christ.

      Any-hoo, I could go on! Thanks for sharing!

    • Addie 1:32 pm on November 19, 2009 Permalink

      Wow Heather. This is well written book review. You should think about becoming a professional book reviewer. You can get paid to do what you love to do :) .

    • oldhamn 5:08 pm on December 3, 2009 Permalink

      Good post. Thanks for the reflection on a book that asks for a little more from people.

  • coffeehousereader 6:57 pm on October 18, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Christianity, , , , Timothy Keller   

    Spiritually Hungry: A Look at The Prodigal God by Tim Keller 

    I just finished a little tome titled The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.  It’s a short little book, but has a profound message that I’ve never thought about before.  It takes the parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son and turns it on its head.  Rather than viewing the wayward son as the bad guy it shows how the  older son who stays behind to do the right thing is not as angelic as he looks.

    Growing up hearing this Bible story I always viewed the wayward son as the bad son. He was the one who leaves his family prematurely to go live it up and live the supposed good life (drinking, being with multiple women, staying up late every night, eating fine food, buying lots of nice possessions), and wasting away his inheritance. I never thought about the older son who stays behind and of course is furious when his younger brother returns.  Daddy dearest of course welcomes his younger son back with open arms and even decides to throw a huge welcome back party for him.  The older brother is not just ticked to see his little brother return groveling at their dad, but to see their dad want to lavish him a party and gifts too.  How insulting to the one son who does what he is told, works hard to help and assist with the family business and not chose to throw away his inheritance.

    I never thought the older son as being in the wrong too.  I mean sure I’d be ticked and not want to go to my younger brother’s welcome back party if he’d just thrown away my father’s hard earned money.  I can completely understand why he’d be hugely insulted.  But I never saw how the anger and jealousy was just as wrong as the living it up.  Rather than being understanding and thankful his brother returns home safe he refuses to come into the party.

    Mr. Keller shows how the different paths these two brothers choose are the ways in which we can try to reach God..  We can attempt to be the lone spiritual Christian ranger and go live our own way thinking we know best, or we can be the spiritually correct one who follows the rules. Growing up I was the good girl.  I always followed the rules, never questioned.  Now I can see myself turning from the elder brother of feeling I’ve spiritually ‘arrived’ into the younger brother who wants to experience the world and examine life and my beliefs.  Not that I’ve chucked my belief in God.

    Reading how being the good little Christian girl can also, blind me to my real condition.  I can have the sense that I’ve grown in my faith, gained Biblical knowledge, but not see the fat stinky plank in my own eye.  It’s interesting how a well known Bible story can have deeper meaning than previously I thought.

    Before I read this book I would never have seen myself as the elder brother whose inside bitter and arrogant but outwardly the model son in following the rules without complaint or question.  It’s a real wake up call to see yourself in the mirror and see it’s not all rosy.

    I have a long way to go in my Christian walk.  This book opened my eyes to so many aspects of my faith and how I thought I was walking the good Christian path.  It’s therapeutic to see that my path has lots of pot holes that need to be filled.  It’s refreshing to be honest with myself.

     

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