Deus Misereatur

I have been thinking about the suicide bombings in Istanbul, Turkey. I spent 2 years in Turkey from 1981-83, at an Airbase close to Adana (not far from Tarsus). I was converted there, baptized there, and cut my teeth on the Bible there. So what happens in Turkey has a personal interest for me. But also what has happened there is happening in other places, destroying other lives, harming other communities. And so, in this regard, I draw your attention to three prayers, the first two are from the Book of Common Prayer-1928 and the last one from the Book of Common Worship-1993 : In the time of war and tumults   O ALMIGHTY God, King of all kings, and Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; abate their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices; that we, being armed wit...

Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church Doug Serven, general editor White Blackbird Books (Storied Communications) 1937 N.W. 17 th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106 www.storiedcomm.com ISBN:  978-0997398403; $14.80; May 2016 Reviewed by the Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Shrill with a Side of Sane; 3 stars of 5 I couldn’t believe what I was just hearing. I had recently retired after spending 20 years of enlistment in the U.S. Air Force, working side-by-side with men and women from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds, and was about to become ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). And here was an elder in what would be my first PCA church, surrounded by the whole eldership, telling me I was not allowed to invite “any of those people to this church”! The same elder later told me that he was not convinced that “those people” were fully human! Then some time later another elder stood ...

Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians by Mark A Tietjen My rating: 5 of 5 stars The only exposure I had with Søren Kierkegaard was in some passing references in theological and philosophical works. So I was hesitantly interested in picking up the recently published “Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians” by Mark A. Tietjen, chaplain and Grace Palmer Johnston Chair of Bible at The Stony Brook School in Stony Brook, New York, former professor of philosophy at the University of west Georgia, past secretary-treasurer of the Søren Kierkegaard Society, and author. This 173 page paperback ended up being a pleasant read by an author who was knowledgeable and delighted with his subject. After a short foreword by Merold Westphal, “Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians” cruises through five easy chapters. The first brings the reader up to speed on the life of Søren Kierkegaard, his loves, academic background, and format of writing. The author coaches us on h...

American Babylon: Notes of a Christian Exile Richard John Neuhaus Basic Books 250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500 New York, NY 10107 www.basicbooks.com ISBN: 978-0-465-02071-3; $17.99; March 2009. As we approach another annual commemoration of Independence Day, Christians may be asking “How do we relate to our country?” And if they’re not asking this, they ought to be.  In 2008 Richard John Neuhaus, Lutheran pastor turned Roman Catholic priest, prolific writer, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, and founder/editor of First Things , pushed forward a work meant to help Christians think through their relationship and role in this country. This 270 page hardback, “American Babylon: Notes of a Christian Exile,” was published two months after his decease (January 8, 2009). In many ways it reads like the final words of a dying father to his children. “American Babylon” is shaped by Jeremiah’s letter to the Babylonian exiles in Jeremiah 29, and Neuhau...

Pictures at a Theological Exhibition: Scenes of the Church's Worship, Witness and Wisdom Kevin J. Vanhoozer IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press) PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515 ISBN: 978-0-8308-3959-9; $20.00; March 2016 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Clear-Eyed  Read; 5 Stars out of 5 If relaying sound doctrine to Christ’s people is part of the divinely sanctioned, apostolically commissioned tasks of a minister ( e.g. , 2 Timothy 2.2 and Titus 2.1), then looking for friends who can help us in this task is simply plain smart.  And a friend has stepped forward to do just this in his recently published 327 page paperback titled, “Pictures at a Theological Exhibition: Scenes of the Church's Worship, Witness and Wisdom.” Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, has pulled together this readable resource with the aforementioned goal in mind; “…it m...

("Mother and Child" by Pino Daeni) From Psalm 131 “ O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. ” Mighty God, high and exalted, you who are the greatest good, you who are the utmost in integrity, and you who are supreme over life and death: humility is a waning virtue; thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought, we think ourselves mighty, magnificent and marvelous in our modern technologies, scientific advancements, social sensibilities, medical feats, and military competencies. All of this egoism surfaces in our national and international politics, foreign policies, and business ventures. Help us, in our communities, in our country, and in our campaigns, to remember that we are but human, and therefore “ surely all mankind is a mere breath ” (Psalm 39.5, 11)! That “ not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who exec...