“The Jesus Creed” is what Scot McKnight calls Jesus’ answer to the question “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus reply is ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt 22:36-39).

The Jesus Creed for Students explores various aspects of what it means to take these words of Jesus seriously. The authors don’t try to discuss every implication of what the Jesus Creed means, rather they present ideas and issues that are of particular interest to people who are beginning to think seriously about their faith. Doubt, trust, when to speak about one’s faith (and when not to), the difference between saying an action is wrong and judging another person, and materialism are all thoughtfully and concisely discussed.

A significant portion of the book examines what it means to be part of the body of Christ. Very helpfully the authors talk about living the Jesus Creed where one already is, with open eyes to discover ways to serve (love) others. They also write about the role families play in all this, particularly is the student is more engaged in their faith than the rest of the family.

I have one criticism and then I want to end this review with what I think is the best thing about this book.

First the criticism. Chapter two titled,”happiness is a GPS (global positioning system), is a discussion of the Beatitudes. They begin by trying to compare and contrast “happiness” and “blessing”. Trying is the operative word here. By the end of the chapter if you didn’t have a clear idea of the differences to begin with, you won’t have much more clarity when you’re done. But the concept of being blessed is a difficult one for our society and this isn’t the main difficulty in the chapter.

My problem with this chapter is a paragraph which essentially says that depression occurs when people “live only for their own happiness” (pages 16, 17) Please don’t call this depression. Call it dissatisfaction, the emptiness of modern life, the result of self centeredness,  ennui, unhappiness, or despair.

Depression is a serious, even life threatening clinical illness. It is not caused by selfishness, or shallowness, or lack of purpose.  Depression requires treatment by medical professionals.  This is an important distinction to make, especially in a book for young people. It is important for readers not to be confused about what depression is and its causes.

Now for what I liked best. What the authors did very well was encourage their readers to adopt a form offixed hour prayer using the Jesus Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. They managed to encourage this ancient and “high church” practice without using any “church” language that might scare students away. It is not presented as a rule or a formula for successful holiness. It is gently offered as an intriguing challenge. Try this and see what happens. The authors encourage this practice by asking their readers to begin and end each chapter by saying the Jesus Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. Our daily habits shape us and praying the Lord’s Prayer and the Jesus Creed daily, and ideally several times a day, is a wonderful life shaping practice for people to engage in.

In The Jesus Creed for Students, the life of faith is not presented as doing great things for God. There are not stories of students doing fantastic deeds. This is a friendly yet serious book that encourages a thoughtful commitment to Christian living.

If you are still looking for a graduation present, The Jesus Creed for Students would make a great gift. Even better, give the book and then give your time and presence to your student and talk about the book together.

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Note to my readers:  Normally if I review a book, I have purchased the book myself or acquired it from the public library. However in this case, a PDF of this book was provided for review by its publisher, Paraclete Press. I was not paid for this review. Also, links to Amazon.com or other book selling sites are for your convenience, I have no financial arrangements with them.  Just so we’re all clear about this…

***** cross posted at Conversation in Faith

Volf notes that some (moral expressivists) believe that moral judgments should be expressions of our feelings.We ought to state what we feel about another person’s acts and what our response to them will be. In this view, people are good and “evil” actions are a result of the impact of genetics and outside influences. It is, of course, true that our actions are influenced and shaped by biology and culture and society and the family we grow up in, and our school and neighborhood. Never the less as a moral realist, ( one who believes we can speak about good and evil as real things, not just in terms of our feelings) Volf writes “…there is not greater insult to a human being than to reduce her to a set of influences. Our condemnation of her deed notwithstanding, we respect an evildoer by calling her evil because we are treating her as a responsible being.” (page 23, Against the Tide)

Volf is encouraging us to, in a sense, reclaim the category and language of evil and good.

In popular culture to call someone “evil” is to label them as something other than human. The common sentiment is that human beings are basically good. Bad actions have societal and biological causes. “Evil” is not part of our definition of human. We demonize evildoing, we consider evildoers somehow other than human and that allows us to ostracize, punish and destroy.

We must recognized that evil, as well as good, are part of who all of us are. All of us are created and called good by the good creator God and yet all of us are fallen and capable of evil. Some of us are capable of more evil than others of us. But as Volf notes, The fact that some are more evil does not make us more “good”. The line between good and evil runs through every human heart (Alexander Solzhenitsyn)  For Christians to say that someone is evil  means Christians must act in a particular way.

Volf reminds us that “To call someone evil is not to place her beyond the pale of God’s redemption. Similarly, to call her evil is not to exempt ourselves from the obligation to love her. If our enemies are hungry, we should feed them; if they are thirsty, we should give them something to drink. Instead of being overcome by evil, we should overcome evil with good.” (page 25)

“To love you as an evildoer, I must see your evil as a human evil, rooted in your possibilities as a human being. In a strange way, it is a good thing to be able to call someone evil– provided that person is evil and that the one doing the calling is committed to loving the evildoer.” (page 28)

This week, I will be wondering who have I knowingly or unknowingly named as evil and demonized? Who do I need to remember is a beloved child of God? How do I begin to love them?

You have heard that is was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.      Matthew 5:43-48.

March 30, April 6,13,20 at 7:30 pm we will be discussing this topic and more at Westminster Presbyterian Church 47 Jefferson in Grand Rapids. Please join us.

first posted at www.conversationinfaith.wordpress.com

Also if you would like to explore some Lenten opportunities both on line and in Grand Rapids read our Lent 2010 post.

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The fear of making a mistake looms large in career choices.

If our career choice was between being a drug lord or curing cancer, most of us could make the choice without much trouble. It is much more difficult to choose between two good choices. Should I do medical research or be a clinician? Should I take the risks of self employment and open a neighborhood coffee shop or work for a larger corporation to have health care benefits and a steady paycheck for my family?  Deciding between two good choices can be tough.

But why? Why is it so difficult to choose between two good choices?

We seem to assume that only one of the good options is the correct choice. We act as if God prefers only one of the good choices and our task is to fathom the hidden mind of God.These are interesting theological assumptions, don’t you think?

I’m don’t think God hides his will from us. I do think, based on personal experience, that we can manage to ignore God’s will for us. But I don’t think God is playing some sort of divine hide and seek with our lives. I think God trusts us to make the final decision.

What if it’s not so much “Here are three choices, guess which I like best”?  What if it is more along the lines of, “Here are three good options, pick the one that gives you joy”?

I also don’t believe God is a linear thinker. Actually, I’m pretty sure God is not a linear thinker. God is more flexible and creative than we are. Look at the marvelous complexity of the world.  The structure of the world is more web like than linear. God may well have a plan for our lives but perhaps it’s not linear.  If you listen to older people talk about their lives, one of the most interesting things is how, in retrospect they see that God was present and at work in apparently unrelated, non linear events.

Can we make wrong career choices? Of course.  But we can also be sure that God is with us no matter what career we choose.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor tings present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39

cross posted at www.conversationinfaith.wordpress.com

• Wednesday Sept 29, 9:30 am-4 pm
• Thursday Sept 30, 8 am-4 pm
• Saturday Oct 9, 8 am -4 pm
• Tuesday Oct 19, 8 am-4 pm
• Wednesday Oct 20, 9:30-4 pm

Let Nancy know if you are interested. If you need a ride,we can provide one for you. No experience needed, Habitat will teach us what we need to know. If you wish to volunteer for a different day, let Nancy know.

Click on this link to see the house.   rehab house on Merrill st.

  The Grand Dialogue is a wonderful day to meet some interesting people and be part of some fascinating discussion. Best of all it’s free (except for your optional lunch). 

I’ll be there and I would like to have lunch with any students who attend so we can meet and talk about Dr. Wallace’s presentation from a Christian perspective. Let me know if you would like to do this, and I’ll reserve a space for us to meet.   Registration is free, but you do need to individually register and you can do that- here. 

 From the Grand Dialogue website:  

Grand Dialogue is an inter-institutional, inter-disciplinary, inter-faith exploration of Science and Religion. Grand Dialogue is an association of colleges, universities, and related organizations exploring the relationship between science and religion. This inter-institutional, inter-disciplinary, and inter-faith exploration seeks to find positive ways of relating these two great ideas in a constructive dialogue. Participating organizations each have their own unique perspectives, foci, message, and intended audience. By cooperating, we affirm the willingness to be open to various issues and perspectives in a spirit  of mutual respect. 

  

 

 

 

 

PC(USA) resources

ELCA; Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Reformed Church in America resources

Christian Reformed Church resources

Evangelical Covenant Church resources

United Methodist Church resources

Vineyard resources

Free Methodist Church resources

Clearly this is not an exhaustive list. Please add your own church’s resources via comments.

For more information about Degage and the race, click here.

Follow this link to Following the Star.

Our prayers are with you all as you finish the semester.

This week I will be at the Inter Varsity Bible Studies to sign up students for our Faithful Work Round tables. See our calender for times.

These are small groups designed so students can meet with Christian professionals in particular careers.

This week signs ups will feature Christian professionals in:

Education

Music

Library Science

Social Work

If you would like to have the opportunity to meet and discuss what it’s like to be a Christian working in these careers, please join us. You will hear how these people’s faith shapes how they think about their job and the way they do their job.

Dates and times for the meetings will be based on the schedules of the students who sign up.

If  you won’t be at Bible study this week or if you don’t attend the Bible study but are interested in the Faithful Work Round table, please e mail me nancy@truenorthonline. org to sign up.