Deus Misereatur

You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit James K. A. Smith Brazos Press Baker Publishing Group 6030 East Fulton Road Ada, MI 49301 http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/brazospress ISBN: 9781587433801; $19.99; March 2016 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur The ancient essayist astutely quipped, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4.23). That truism surfaces in story form and didactic instruction throughout Scripture, and is substantiated when raising our children, supervising employees or shepherding parishioners: what has your heart rules your life. This is the central emphasis in the newly published 224 hardback, “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit” by James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, accomplished author and editor. This short work appears to be a compression and reworking of his larger “Desiring the Kingdom” to mak...

Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides by Scott Sauls My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sometimes we Christians come across as a snooty, snobby sort. Usually it happens when we forget what we were saved out of and where we came from. At other times it’s because we have lived inside a particular church’s walls for so long that we can’t imagine anyone calling themselves “Christian” and thinking differently than us and our particular sacred fraternity. So it’s good to be reminded what we’re supposed to be about, and given suggestive ways to get there. And that’s where writings like “Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides” can be a helpful refresher. Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, penned this 210 page paperback in 2015 to give fellow believers a gentle nudge in the right direction. But it is also written for the investigative, adventurous unbeliever who might – on a w...

Science, Politics, and Gnosticism by Eric Voegelin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ten years ago I picked up this teeny book as part of my background reading for my doctoral thesis. It was a stretch to read then, but I sensed Voegelin was on to something. Now, ten years later, in the midst of a hot presidential campaign season, with loads of climactic social changes erupting in the country, and racial tensions flaring, I picked it up again and read it with a better appreciation for what the author was communicating. This 102 page paperback is a densely argued, heady work that revolves around two major essays penned by the author in 1959. "Science, Politics, and Gnosticism" is a work that delves into modern political theory with the author standing in a specific position: one that is open to the divine other while scanning the horizon of modern mass ideological movements. Voegelin is convinced, and seeks to convince the reader, that these modern mass movements are, at the end of th...

[This prayer goes along with, and flows out of the sermon for today from Jeremiah 15.16: Critical Crossroads] From Psalm 119:161-168 Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words . There are places in our world, O Lord, where injustice, immorality, illegality and inhumaneness sit enthroned and empowered, violently and viciously crushing people and seeking to harm your chosen ones. Lift up the downtrodden and demoralized, show strength with your arm; scatter the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; and bring down the mighty from their thrones (Luke 1.51-52). We especially ask for you to defend, direct, and deliver your Church in all places, and more pointedly, in Qatar; Romania; Russia; Rwanda, Turkey, and the Republic of South Sudan. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil . Eternal God, look upon these United States of America that there may again be great joy at your word, like the joy of those who have found a priceless trea...