“The church of Jesus Christ exists to be a sign of the kingdom of God in the culture in which it exists. It is the light and hope in a reprobate world that suggest there is an alternative worldview where giving, losing, serving, and turning our cheeks are higher values than hoarding, gaining, controlling, and avenging. The body of christ is the visible expression of a value system that sets love and obedience above rights and freedom.” (p. 160)
Apathetic.
Hypocritical.
Judgmental.
Arrogant.
Aloof.
Out-of-touch.
These are just some of the adjectives that some have used to describe the church in the West, and particularly the church in North America. The tragic thing is that many of the comments, which employ these and other adjectives, are made by those who are on the fringe. They have either given up on the church and have been part of an exodus from the church. Or they have never been a part of the church, yet critique it as if they have firsthand knowledge.
Admittedly, the church is not all that God has intended it to be. In many instances the adjectives and criticisms are justified and true. What is disconcerting, however, is the voices that decry the problems of the church neither offer a new way forward nor do they endeavor to help be part of a positive change as a part of the church. Jimmy Dorrell and the folks at The Church Under the Bridge, however, are an exception. Acknowledging the imperfections of the church has been part of a long process in which through soul-searching and the guidance of the Holy Spirit they have forged a new kind of church. A church that makes sense to and speaks the truth of God into the lives of a wide smathering of society. Drugs addicts and prostitutes worship next to business executives and spoiled college students. Together they do life together. They learn from one another. And, not surprisingly, they and the church that embraces these folks are better for it.
Trolls and Truthis a phenomenal book from a pastor who has learned firsthand the inadequacy of the church as it currently is and has fought hard and championed the church as it ought to be. The result is a heart-felt, beautiful, and sometimes uproariously funny set of “14 realities that today’s church doesn’t want to see.” Dorrell’s wit and humor is able to disarm the reader to the extent that the reader will be nodding in agreement with many of the observations that he has made. The stories help the reader to know that while this book critiques the church and proposes a new way forward that it is not a purely academic or untried series of suggestions- instead, these stories are recorded by a pastor who has experienced the pain and joy that are characteristic of the way forward.
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The Nehemiah Factor: 16 Characteristics of a Missional Leader, by Dr. Frank Page, is what one might consider an extended response to the question- “Can revival come through truly missional leaders of genuine faith?”
In the book, Dr. Page uses sixteen chapters to set forth what he believes to be the sixteen qualities of a missional leader. Some of the qualities of the missional leader are God-given and God cultivated- meaning that the missional leader must employ and make use of the gifts that God has given to him or her. Other qualities stem from walking in close relationship and obedience to God. Such qualities are manifested as one grows and matures in their relationship to Christ. Still other qualities, however, are ones that can be cultivated through study, effort, attentiveness, and practice.
What I most appreciated about this book was the fact that Dr. Page recognized the interplay between the qualities that have been given us, that are cultivated as we walk with Christ, and those that are learned or refined through effort and/or practice. Such an understanding does not come easy. Yet, it does reflect the fact that God has created each and every one of us uniquely, while at the same time acknowledging that some aspects of leadership can be learned and cultivated even if we are not naturally disposed to be great or competent in such areas.
That said, I found the book over all to be a difficult read. The book had a rather folksy and pop-leadership quality to it. Page would make a point, often in a short paragraph, and then spend a number of pages giving weak anecdote after weak anecdote to illustrate his point. At other junctures (such as chapters 1 and 2), Dr. Page seems to forget that he is writing a book about leadership rather than a book about predestination and free-will.
Finally, I found the title, The Nehemiah Factor, to be misleading. While Page does reference Nehemiah, his various leadership qualities, and some of the lessons that we can extrapolate from the life of this leader- I felt that the book had very little to do with Nehemiah and the leadership that he provided. Instead, Page made his points, used a plethora of stories, and then sprinkled in a few pieces of Nehemiah’s story to give the title validity.
Over all, the book was a mediocre attempt to enter the discussion of what it means and what is required for one to be a missional leader. It is worth taking the time to read, but given the sheer volume of quality books on the subject of leadership in general, and missional leadership in particular, this would not be my first choice or recommendation on the subject.
Tragically, too often in religious circles we’ve been trying to pray away or spiritualize a brain problem- assuming (however well-intentioned) that we or someone else has a sin problem. Or a character flaw. Or a root of bitterness. Or worse, a demon. (p. 9)
Growing up in the church and, now, serving as a pastor of a church- I cannot help but admit that these things do happen. For this reason, among many others, I gladly sat down to read Dr. Henslin’s book.
As I began to read, however, I found myself to be extremely disappointed. The book, at points, was rather cumbersome. As a newcomer to the study of the brain, I found some of the sections to be rather dull and tedious. The technical terms and the scans of the brain, while interesting, could easily go over the reader’s head. While some of the language and scans were helpful in helping the reader to later understand a point that Dr. Henslin was making, it seemed that there were far more than were actually necessary.
Moreover, I found the frequent, and what often seemed to be forced, references to Dr. Amen, his research, and his available resources to be out of place and distracting. In some places the references were so plentiful that it seemed as if one was watching a late night informercial.
What is more, the information regarding supplements and medications (cf. pages 79-82) while helpful and for “information purposes only” concerns me. We live in a day and age when people self-medicate. Walking through the nutritional supplement section of the grocery store, or visiting one’s local health food store underscores the fact that countless people read books and/or magazines, taking the information contained therein as THE “truth” without ever researching further what the author has to say. People then purchase and consume supplements in quantities much higher than needed by their bodies.
So, while the church has been especially slow to drink from the well of science, a well that includes some very interesting research in the field of neuroscience (especially as it relates to development, cognition, emotions, etc.), I found this book to fall short of stepping into that void and providing a viable and valuable solution that I would recommend to friends or colleagues.
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Tragically, too often in religious circles we’ve been trying to pray away or spiritualize a brain problem- assuming (however well-intentioned) that we or someone else has a sin problem. Or a character flaw. Or a root of bitterness. Or worse, a demon. (p. 9)