Book Displays: Latino Heritage Festival Week

This week is Latino Heritage Festival Week here at TIU! We are celebrating with events, guest speakers and many other celebratory and educational experiences.

The featured chapel speaker for Latino Heritage Festival Week is Pastor Orlando Crespo, the national director of InterVarsity Latino Fellowship and the author of Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethnic Identity.

Check out our display here at Rolfing highlighting resources in honor of Latino Heritage Festival Week! Here are just a few of the many books and media items we have available:

                                                               

How will you celebrate Latino Heritage Festival Week?

Book Displays: Liturgical Worship

Liturgy. Even the word can cause fear and disapproval in some evangelical circles. Visions of rote readings, unenthusiastic congregants, and inhibition of the Spirit come to many minds when the topic of liturgy in worship is brought up.

I grew up in a traditional church where liturgy was a staple of our Sunday morning diet. There was something so powerful about publicly declaring what we believed as a community. Even as a child, it was clear to me that church was not only for watching, but for participating. Liturgy has the power to join us with Christians all over the world and throughout history. It gives us all a chance to participate in worshiping God as a community.

Liturgy has played a significant role in lives of Christians for centuries. Throughout history Christ’s followers have incorporated historical prayers, creeds, and songs into their worship experiences. But, the temptation to give into stale recitation without allowing the Spirit to saturate one’s heart will always be present.

This month, TIU had the privilege of hosting the Kantzer Lectures in Revealed Theology, featuring
Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale University. His series of seven lectures was entitled “The God We Worship: A Liturgical Theology.” Throughout the month of October, Rolfing is featuring a book display on the same topic.

Did you attend the Kantzer Lectures? What were your reactions to the material?

What do you believe is the role of liturgy in the church today?

Global Christian Week

It is Global Christian Week here at TIU! Our keynote speaker is the Consulting Director for OMF’s Chinese Ministries, James Hudson Taylor IV. He will be speaking on this week’s theme, “Rooted.”

James Hudson Taylor IV is the great-grandson of James Hudson Taylor, an influential missionary to China. The elder Hudson Taylor lived and worked in China for fifty-one years in the mid-eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds. His work in China has left a lasting legacy of faith. Hudson Taylor is especially remembered for his integration into Chinese culture and his unique approach to missions, not in the colonial way of the past, but by chosing to live, dress, teach, and speak in the ways of the people he was witnessing to.

This week, representatives from Christian missionary organizations are available in the Waybright Center. Feel free to stop by, ask questions, gain inspiration, and gather information about the work Christians are doing around the world.

Check out some of Rolfing’s online resources about missions!

Book Displays: Poverty Minstry

What is the gospel? Is it something we do? Is it something Christ does? Or maybe a combination of both?  Richard Stearns’s book, The Hole in our Gospel, has gained a lot of attention since its publication in 2009. In his book, Stearns argues that the American church has lost a piece of the gospel message. He urges Christians to look beyond their own churches and work to win the world for God’s kingdom. He challenges Christians to move from simply having a private faith to experiencing their faith in a public way, mainly through reducing poverty and caring the the sick, underprivileged, and the hurting throughout the world. Stearns delves into realms of missions, self-denial, and caring for “the least of these” in hopes of encouraging Christians to see the hole in their gospel.

His tone is gentle yet firm, and it is difficult not to feel sympathy for his cause. There is no debating that his argument is valiant and beneficial. Poverty is a crisis that needs to be addressed. Yet some argue that there is something missing from Stearns’s argument. In a review from the Christian Research Institute, author and pastor Kevin DeYoung gives three criticisms of Stearns’s book.

First, DeYoung resists Stearns’s method of turning Christians from apathy. He agrees that Christians are often apathetic to needs outside their own daily life and community, but he does not agree with Stearns’s method of motivation. Stearns asks believers to move away from valuing those in their own circles over those around the world. After all, God values all his people equally, so why don’t we? DeYoung finds this method of motivation ineffective and responsible for producing unnecessary guilt.

Second, DeYoung disagrees with Stearns’s use of economics to prove his point. These facts are no doubt motivating, but somewhat misleading as well. His use of statistics creates a dissidence regarding who is responsible for world poverty. In some places, he says that western Christians are not to blame for world poverty, and in others, his facts and statistics seem to argue the opposite.

Third, and arguably most important, is the question, What is the gospel? Stearns focuses on a gospel based on the actions of believers. DeYoung argues that this focus is a disservice to the true gospel message. Although Stearns would no doubt agree that Christ atoned for our sins so we could be reconciled with God, his book does not make it clear. When viewed as a whole, it seems Stearns’s gospel is primarily focused on something that we do.

Undoubtedly, this is an interesting read and a valuable perspective to explore. We are interested in your thoughts on this subject! Please comment below and check out our display relating to poverty ministry!

What do you believe is the balance between words and deeds associated with the gospel?

Have you read The Hole in our Gospel? What is your reaction to Stearns’s premise?

Book Display: Mathematics

I don’t know about you, but I have a slight math phobia.  I still remember sitting at my desk in the third grade, sweating as I watched the teacher hand out timed math quizzes. My hand would shake as I picked up my pencil and waited for her to say, “Start!”  There was always that kid who finished the test in an astonishingly short amount of time and made sure everyone knew it. Then there was me, using my fingers to do simple addition and having completely forgotten how to do math under all the stress .  Thankfully, the story does not end there. I had a fantastic calculus teacher in high school who would come to my lunch table and help me with my homework. It is because of him that I no longer sweat when I see numbers, although I do cling to my phone’s tip calculator when going out to eat.

This display is for people like me who have a math phobia, and for you mathematicians out there, and everybody in between!

Here are a few of my favorites!

Book Displays: Soteriology

This month, Rolfing is highlighting resources on soteriology, the theology of salvation. In a work entitled Getting “Saved”: The Whole Story of Salvation in the New Testament, by Charles H. Talbert and Jason A. Whitlark, the authors explore what the New Testament says about salvation and what it means for believers. This collection of twelve essays by six authors focuses on the process of salvation in the context of the post-conversion experience.

The book was reviewed by John Frederick of St. Mary’s College for The Gospel Coalition. The reviewer had mainly positive things to say about the book. He recommended it as a valuable resource for Protestants and Evangelicals. The reviewer viewed the emphasis on  the inner renewal involved in the salvation process as a move in the right direction, as opposed to the sometimes lax view of inner change that plagues some evangelical circles. He also promoted the book as a great resource for people who do not agree with the authors’ premise. He suggests that people from any tradition can benefit from the results of these articles and the thoughts of the authors.

The reviewer argues that the title of the book is somewhat misleading. The title, Getting “Saved”: The Whole Story of Salvation in the New Testament, implies a comprehensive view of salvation; the process of conversion, sanctification, justification, and final salvation; past, present, and future.  The essays that make up this book mainly focus on the period after conversion, the “progressive element of salvation.”  The reviewer also felt that the booked lacked a clear declaration of the fact that salvation is only accomplished through faith in Christ alone . It is clear that the authors believe this is the way to salvation, but the reviewer counted it as a weakness that it was not stated as clearly and as often as one might hope in a book about “getting saved.”

Check out this and other valuable resources from Rolfing on our display about soteriology!

Have you read Getting “Saved”: The Whole Story of Salvation in the New Testament? What are your thoughts on the book? We want to hear your thoughts!

Book Displays: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives on Ethnicity

This month, Rolfing Library will feature a display highlighting the sociological and anthropological perspectives on ethnicity. This topic became especially relevant this week as I listened to an interview on WBEZ’s Afternoon Shift. This conversation focused on trans-racial adoption and the effect of ethnic differences on an interracial family.

The host interviewed a child of trans-racial adoption and a mother of two adopted daughters of another race. The conversation centered around the unexpected challenges of being part of an interracial family and the unique benefits of parenting and being a child of a interracial family.

During the broadcast, both the mother and daughter identified a phenomenon that they had experienced that I found specifically interesting. In many cases, people feel the need to comment on the family’s physical differences. Many people mean well, saying things like, “I see the family resemblance,” knowing full well that the parents and children are not related and do not look similar. Others ask questions like, “Who are their real parents?” Each question comes with its share of challenges and social difficulties. Affirming the family connection and identity as a unit is important in these circumstances, but denying the ethnic differences between the parent and child does not benefit the the child or the family. Both women commented on the importance of connecting the adopted child with a mentor of the same race. This helps affirm the child’s identity and explore the sides of themselves that differ from their parents. Ethnicity can be a difficult subject to discuss but exploring our own ethnic differences and similarities can lead to greater self-discovery and understanding of those around us.

Here are some resources available on our display. Stop by the library and check out our resources on the sociological and anthropological aspects of ethnicity!

We want to hear your thoughts and stories!

How are ethnicity and identity related?

What has been your experience with trans-racial adoption or interracial families?

Book Displays: Small Group Ministry

I have been a part of a few small groups in my life, with varying degrees of success. In some cases, there have been profound connections made, learning accomplished, and hearts changed. Unfortunately, there have also been experiences that were not as successful; awkward silences, “too perfect” answers, shallow conversation, and disrespectful participants. The variety in my experience has caused me to wonder, “What factors contribute to the success or failure of a small group ministry?”

Small groups can foster some of the most intimate and life-changing moments in a Christian’s life, even Jesus kept a small group of friends in his inner circle, but some Christians find this type of model difficult to emulate in our culture today.

A blog post by The Gospel Coalition entitled Building a Better Small Group, uses the lifestyle and spiritual practices of the English Puritans as a model for building spiritual community in our culture today. Author Joanne Jung argues that the Puritan’s focus on biblical literacy and soul care in the practice of conference, cultivated authentic community and intimate connection with God and his Word. She provides a list of questions used by the Puritans to further their understanding of God, open themselves up to hearing God’s voice, and connect with each other.

This month we are featuring a display about small group ministry. Check out some of the resources we have to offer on this subject.

        

What makes a successful small group?

How have your experiences shaped your views of small groups and authentic community?

What can small group leaders do to help make a small group successful? What can participants do?

Join the conversation, we want to hear your thoughts!

Guest Post: Jewish American Heritage Month

It’s amazing how our “evangelical bubble” keeps us from understanding key events in history that are important and foundational to other groups and cultures around us. I had the opportunity to be immersed in Jewish culture for 10 days while on a fellowship with the Museum of Jewish Heritage, with other seminarians from different faith traditions. It was the best and most challenging time as those of us who were not Jewish looked at history through Jewish culture; most notably, the Holocaust.

Nazi ideology reformed not only the social structure of Europe, but the Christian churches in Germany as well. After the Nuremberg Race Laws of 1933, the German churches held up the standard of Aryan blood and began to utilize the Reich’s standard of Aryan blood with the standards of religion. National Socialist racial policy was adopted by the Deutsche Evangelische Kirche (DEK). In 1936, the mayor of Breslau worked to exclude Jews from German places of culture, leading to the exclusion of Protestant and Catholic ministers of Jewish descent from interdenominational schools. Most German churches affiliated themselves with the Reich, while the Confessing Church, which represented a minority of Protestant Christians, spoke against the race laws but had little effect in forming public policy. The race laws influenced the church back in 1933, desiring to rid the church of Jewish blood as their “Christian and national task.” The official stance of the DEK was stated in 1941 that baptism did not change the biological fact of Jewish blood, declaring Jewish Christians had no part in the religious life of the German people, the church, or society. ^[1]

It is sobering to consider that for the most part, the German church bought into the Reich’s social and quasi-scientific policies and identified themselves with the Reich rather than Jesus Christ. The voices of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth spoke against the discrimination against the Jewish people, but even the Confessing Church granted the Reich state “the right to reorganize the position of Jews and Christians of Jewish descent in society, even the right to suppress them politically, economically and socially,” leaving the Jewish Christians and all other Jews without protection.

Catholic Bishop Von Galen boldly spoke out against the euthanasia policies of the Reich in which the mentally ill, developmentally and physically disabled were put to death as “unproductive persons.” Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke boldly that the enemies of the Jews were enemies of Jesus Christ, but the momentum against the Jews and others deemed undesirable in German society were eliminated by whatever means possible. Camps in the east such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Chelmno were killing camps, taking the lives of over 3.5 million Jews, a large number of them Poles and Roma.

Reading the Gospels with our Jewish friends at a seminar on the role of the church in the Holocaust demonstrated how our casual use of the term “the Jews” — even as a descriptor — was hurtful. I’d never considered that just reading a Gospel passage aloud could spark an intense debate that reflected the pain still present in the people who were pursued and nearly exterminated only sixty years ago. My bubble “popped” that afternoon, as I became aware that even believing that Israel continues to be a people dear to YHWH, I could still unknowingly sound anti-Semitic in explaining a Gospel passage. This trip to New York, Berlin, Oswiecim and Krakow opened my eyes to the cultural gap we as Christians must be wiling to cross to establish conversation and trust with our Jewish friends and neighbors.

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^[1] Gerhard Besier, “The German Churches’ Attitud to the Race laws of the ‘Third Reich’” in Kyrkohistorisk Årsskrift 107 (207).

Guest blogger Marie Butson works in the Technical Services Department at Rolfing Library as the serials assistant and is working on her M.Div. and M.A. in Bioethics.

Book Displays: May

Check out our new displays for the month of May!

Trinity has recently added a new program for those interested in pursuing special education and English as a second language in the classroom. The Master of Education in Diverse Learning opens up new opportunities to study practical aspects of teaching and presents opportunities to expand an educator’s skill set. Check out our Diverse Learning display for more resources.

            

The infallibility of the Bible has long been contested and debated in the church. The importance of this issue is foundational to all aspects of theology and pastoral ministry. Check out our display on Biblical Inerrancy and share your thoughts on the preservation, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible.

            

In honor of Jewish History Month, we have a display highlighting Jewish literature, history, religion, and culture. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post from a guest blogger in honor of Jewish History Month, and check out some of the resources we have provided!

            

We would love to hear your thoughts on these topics. What resources have been helpful for you?