the blog of ben davidson
Sex God is Rob Bell’s exploration of the connection between spirituality and sexuality. You can read the review I’ve posted our just read the seven sentence summary from Mr. Bell himself;
Sex. God. They’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the “this” and spirituality is the “that”. To make sense of the one, we will have to explore the other.
I’ve posted a review of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. This book is a memoir of one year in the life of Jacobs as he tried follow the rules, commandments and regulations of the Bible as literally as possible.
I had two separate conversations today dealing with the thorny issue of two human beings trying to get along. One of the people that I spoke said that he craved order and the prospect of a new relationship was stressful because it might mess with his plan. In the other conversation, a couple of good people were struggling to get along because the rules and expectations that have been placed on them are preventing them from really engaging each other.
When we pursue a better system rather then relationship it like we are shrink wrapping our furniture. We may keep it clean, but we’re not leaving anyone with much to enjoy. This doesn’t only apply to two people, it also impacts our ability to have a relationship with God.
I came across this quote today by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while reading The Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch:
Discipleship means adherence to Christ and, because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship. An abstract theology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge of the subject of grace or the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous, and in fact exclude any idea of discipleship whatsoever, and are essentially inimical to the whole conception of following Christ… Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.
Christianity is not a doctrine but a person to whom I trust myself without reserve.
It sounds so obvious but I understand the temptation to get cozy with comfortable theories rather then encounter the unpredictable person of Christ. I’ve also found recently that our need for a systematic approach to life can actually be a hinderance to all relationship, not just our relationship with God.
In this, discipleship and friendship have a lot in common. If our plans, theologies or need for order come between us and our encounter with each other or with God, we have completely missed the point.
God, may we get pass our need to control and learn your heart for the freeing, unpredictable and beautiful dance that a friendship can be.
I’ve posted a review of the latest book I’ve read. It’s called “Facedown” by Matt Redman. Check it out.
The Theology of the Hammer
By Millard Fuller
In 1976, Millard and Linda Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity. Since then, Habitat has built over 225,000 homes for over 1,000,000 people in need. With a goal to eliminate substandard housing around the world, Habitat is an organization that is committed to radical social transformation. Millard coined the phrase, “theology of the hammer” to describe the theological convictions he held that led to the formation of this organization. In his words, the theology of he hammer is the conviction that,
“Christian faith mandates that we do more then just talk about faith and sing about love. We must put faith and love into action to make them real, to make them come alive for people. Faith must be incarnated; that is to say, it must become more then a verbal proclamation or an intellectual assent. True faith must be acted out.” (Fuller 7)
The book itself is 143 pages of Millard’s personal history and theological underpinning for his work with Habitat for Humanity. The stories Millard tells and the passion that he tells them should be more enough to get even coldest heart excited about the work of Habitat for Humanity.My main criticism of this book is that, at times, the book feels a bit like a drawn out wedding speech that the bride and groom feel the need to thank each person at the wedding by name for their help and contribution to their lives.A truly inspiring story in the books, comes from the city of Dumaguete City in the Philippines. Two Habitat projects were built on opposite sides of the city garbage dump. The two developments contained over 180 homes and many of the families living in the homes had moved directly from living in the garbage dump to their new Habitat homes. Millard describes entering this community for the first time:
“As we and scores of happy mamas and papas and their equally happy children walked through the cleans streets – with neat Habitat houses on both sides, surrounded by a great profusion of flowers and lush vegetable gardens in several places – I realized that we were probably seeing the best Habitat project in the world. It was absolutely like walking through a story book.” (Millard 132)
It’s stories like these that inspire and remind me that the gospel is more then something that simply takes root inside of me, the gospel is meant to be good news in the lives of people of every ethnic, religious, and economic background in every corner of the planet. It’s for this reason that I recommend this book, and more importantly, I encourage you to check out and get involved with the fine work that Habitat for Humanity is doing around the world.
