I was selected some time ago as an Ooze Select Blogger, and I’ve been somewhat remiss in my duties as a reviewer. I’m going to make a concerted effort to rectify that situation. One of the things we were told is that we could do some “flash reviews” at times rather than full blown reviews. In an effort to catch up, today will be a flash review day, and I hope to have a longer review for another book up this Thursday.
Feel: Matthew Elliot
This was a bright spot in the latest round of review material. Honestly, this is one that I’m going to go back through with a fine-toothed comb for my own reading and learning pleasure because I felt I really just skimmed the surface for review purposes. As someone who grew up in a church tradition that downplayed the emotional side of faith, Feel was a very affirming read. I grew up in a culture that seemed scared of emotional displays in the context of faith, and I love Elliot’s thesis (my own words here) that we are denying ourselves from a full life in Christ when we make our faith an intellectual/logical one and supress our feelings.
The book is not a call to become hyper-sensitive and throw all critical thinking and logic out the window. There is a balance between reason and emotion that a healthy Christ-follower attains. The key is discernment as to whether or not a felt emotion is the correct emotion. Rather than use logic and reason as an instrument to squash emotions, use them to judge whether an emotional response is a godly one, and if it is don’t impede it.
The author, Matthew Elliot, has a running blog on the Amazon site (click link above), and there is a special website set up for the book with extras here. Overall, I thought the book was a great read, thoughtfully put together. I would recommend it to anyone with questions regarding the relationship between faith and emotions.
Song for a Revolution of Hope, Vol. 1: Brian D. McLaren
Yeah, you read that right. Brian McLaren of A Generous Orthodoxy fame is also a songwriter. I’ll have to admit, this is a hard thing for me to review, and I nearly chose not to do so. I have a hard time, as a songwriter myself, critiquing someone else’s music when my own is (in my own mind) vastly inferior. Having said all that, I’ll admit I did not like the album.
First, I’m not really all that fond of folksy sounding music, which this album has in spades. Second, not that an album has to be overly studio produced, but I do expect a certain amount of polish to something you record, package and strive to sell. In the liner notes included (some of which were photocopied and had misspellings!?!) it is even noted that the group of musicians recording the album got together over the course of the week and the cuts were recorded live over the span of five days. Yeah, that kind of showed.
There’s no denying the musicians have talent, but the end result was pretty poor in my estimation. I understand low budget and limited amounts of time, but I say again if you expect me to pay money for it, it needs some polish.
Lyrically, the album is deep, fresh and challenging, but many of the songs would probably be better off presented as sermons rather than songs. Calls for social justice are presented alongside heartfelt worship and sung prayers. All in all, a good presentation if it had been produced much better. If you’re into folksy stuff, give it a try. Otherwise, give it a pass.
Hokey Pokey: Matthew Paul Turner
This book from the former editor of CCM magazine is about finding and embracing your life’s calling. Turner weaves many personal anecdotes both from his life and from conversations with others to help drive his point home. Turner’s prose is full of sarcasm, thankfully much more held in check than on his personal blog. In fact, if I had read his blog before the book, I probably would have given it a pass, but that’s a subject for another time.
There’s really nothing groundbreaking here, but the book is a good read nonetheless. My biggest criticism is the length of the book—and that’s saying a lot coming from a long-winded writer like myself. The book is not long, and really can be easily read in a day or two, but I found that the numerous stories and object lessons could have either been shortened or cut entirely and Turner’s main points would have come across more cleanly.
I did appreciate the advice Turner offers for those who are searching for their vocation, and that “vocation” does not necessarily mean “job” but rather “calling.” This is an important distinction. Another nice touch is the encouragement to be open to what the world around you has to offer—the idea that you don’t have the market cornered on truth and would be better served by accepting truth wherever you might find it. In addition, the idea that calling is not a self-serving thing, but rather meant for the good of the community around you is a welcomed point. (The back copy quote of Tolkien is a plus in my book too.)
I would suggest this book for anyone who is sincerely searching for their place in this world and asking God for help in the right direction. Don’t expect anything profound, but you may find focus in the reading.
Porn Nation: Michael Leahy
Michael Leahy combines spiritual memoir with a Barna-like presentation of stats alongside a self-help volume. That’s the quick overview of the book Porn Nation. Writing from a first-hand perspective about the destructive nature of porn and sex addiction, Leahy recounts his own downfall and losses as a result of his addiction, and about the long road to freedom.
While obviously centered around the redemptive power of Christ, the book does not come across as preachy. In the vein of all good spiritual memoirs, every mention of Jesus is a “what He did for me” relationship. The second third of the book has page after page of statistics and evidence that leaves you convinced of the porn problem in our nation—if you were not convinced already. Pointedly, the revelation of the number of people who call themselves Christ-followers who are also porn viewers should raise a red flag and make us all take a good, hard look at our own churches. How can we reach out to those members of our own congregations and let them know the church is a safe place for them to reveal their addiction and ask for help?
I think Porn Nation might just be one of those books churches should buy in bulk and then give out to their men for free. The result might be pretty astounding. I would recommend this book be read by every Christian male, especially ministers, whether they have a porn problem or not.
