Summer Book Clubs, Structure
Purpose: The purpose of the summer book clubs is to pursue wisdom collectively by reading books that deepen our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world we live in. We grow in wisdom in reading a variety of books ranging from books about the Bible itself to books about cultural issues. Method: We call this a “book club” rather than a “book study” because we are not primarily gathering facts about biblical and theological topics, but hosting conversations that sharpen each other drawing from the biblical wisdom that we possess as a body toward sharpening biblical understanding and practical faithfulness. Procedure: The effectiveness of a book club is dependent on the commitment of the participants. We ask that for each ...
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2019 Summer Reading List
1. From Brokenness to Community, Jean Vanier (56 pages) Jean Vanier (Van-yay) passed away May 7th; his loss will be felt by people from a variety of Christian denominations. Vanier relinquished an academic post at the University of Toronto to found L'Arche communities for people with disabilities. This book is a series of two lectures that detail what he has learned from decades of living with this group of people. The book is short (2 chapters, 60 pages) and might be digested slowly. A possible format might be four weeks, covering the chapters, looking how the biblical metaphor of the body functions (Ephesians 4:1-16; Romans 12:1-21; Colossians 1:21-2:23 [read “body” instead of “substance” in 2:17]; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 [keep an ...
Deep vs. Shallow Biblical Grounding
We had some questions about an "atypical" book list. Our reasons for pushing for an “atypical” book is this: it is vital to the health of our church that we pursue deep biblical grounding rather than settle for superficial. This is how we see the difference. Deep Biblical Grounding Shallow Biblical Grounding Self-awareness of assumptions allows the text to exercise proper authority Eisegesis, finding your own ideas in the text Historical, literary, and grammatical awareness Commonsense reading without resources Aim: Pursue wisdom over a lifetime Aim: Read for the daily nugget Read widely to develop discernment Read only the Bible Embraces tough questions as opportunities for pursuing deeper wisdom Avoids tough questions Longstanding questions Quick and easy answers Macro applications: ...
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