Well, here we are. The journey has lasted a year now, and we've read some challenging and stimulating material along the way. We've had some times of insightful and thoughtful discussion, and times where busy schedules clearly cramped those efforts. Being the victim of the latter on many occasions, I have, regretfully, fallen behind on my own ability to participate in the discussions. It would seem contrary to the virtue of this group to continue monthly assigned readings merely for the principle of it without being able to commit the appropriate time and effort needed.
Therefore, the book/post for this month will mark the beginning of an indefinite break from the monthly readings. Hopefully, this will allow the veteran members of the group to catch up, while also allowing the newer members to read some of the previous texts which they were not around to enjoy.
In light of this, we close with a doozy. The Brothers Karamazov has been a staple in world literature for years, and contains plenty of characters, situations, questions, and ideas to inculcate the kind of cogent discussion that is characteristic of this group. Let's do it!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Book 11/Movie 1: What Would Jesus Buy?; Mere Christianity
We're proud to present our first film to the book club. It has been a long time coming, and with the craziness of schedules during the holidays, we thought it would be a welcome break from a book. However, for those who would still want to read a book, you can! That's the beauty of this month. Choose either a book or a movie or both and let us know what you think. Both options are Christmas-inspired. 'Tis the season! See reviews below:
What Would Jesus Buy?: Religion aside for a moment, there's a terrible addiction that has swept across this country, and it's one of the nation's best kept secrets. Mostly everyone will tell you that it's a really bad thing, but nobody can seem to stop doing it. And it doesn't come cheap, nearly sixty percent of us are in long term debt because of it. No, we're not talking booze, drugs or overeating. It's shopping. And over 15 million Americans may in fact be addicted to it. Rob VanAlkemade's 'What Would Jesus Buy?' is a rousing, irreverent and simultaneously sobering documentary about the year round destructive shopaholic obsession that spins into an out of control buying and spending orgy by the time Christmas rolls around. The movie follows performance activist Reverend Billy and his ragtag cross country caravan, The Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, to bring the voice of reason a few holiday seasons ago, to compulsive consumers everywhere.
Mere Christianity: In 1943 Great Britain, when hope and the moral fabric of society were threatened by the relentless inhumanity of global war, an Oxford don was invited to give a series of radio lectures addressing the central issues of Christianity. Over half a century after the original lectures, the topic retains it urgency. Expanded into book form, Mere Christianity never flinches as it sets out a rational basis for Christianity and builds an edifice of compassionate morality atop this foundation. As Mr. Lewis clearly demonstrates, Christianity is not a religion of flitting angels and blind faith, but of free will, an innate sense of justice and the grace of God.
P.s. For a great Christmas album, see Sufjan Stevens' 5-Disc Box Set entitled "Songs for Christmas".
What Would Jesus Buy?: Religion aside for a moment, there's a terrible addiction that has swept across this country, and it's one of the nation's best kept secrets. Mostly everyone will tell you that it's a really bad thing, but nobody can seem to stop doing it. And it doesn't come cheap, nearly sixty percent of us are in long term debt because of it. No, we're not talking booze, drugs or overeating. It's shopping. And over 15 million Americans may in fact be addicted to it. Rob VanAlkemade's 'What Would Jesus Buy?' is a rousing, irreverent and simultaneously sobering documentary about the year round destructive shopaholic obsession that spins into an out of control buying and spending orgy by the time Christmas rolls around. The movie follows performance activist Reverend Billy and his ragtag cross country caravan, The Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, to bring the voice of reason a few holiday seasons ago, to compulsive consumers everywhere.
Mere Christianity: In 1943 Great Britain, when hope and the moral fabric of society were threatened by the relentless inhumanity of global war, an Oxford don was invited to give a series of radio lectures addressing the central issues of Christianity. Over half a century after the original lectures, the topic retains it urgency. Expanded into book form, Mere Christianity never flinches as it sets out a rational basis for Christianity and builds an edifice of compassionate morality atop this foundation. As Mr. Lewis clearly demonstrates, Christianity is not a religion of flitting angels and blind faith, but of free will, an innate sense of justice and the grace of God.
P.s. For a great Christmas album, see Sufjan Stevens' 5-Disc Box Set entitled "Songs for Christmas".
Book 10: Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?
Continuing on the theme from last month, this is a transcript from a talk given by Tony and Peggy Campolo (husband and wife). They take very different sides on the issue, but tie them both together with a foundation in love. Let us know what you think!
The transcript can be read online from the following link:
http://www.bridges-across.org/ba/campolo.htm
The transcript can be read online from the following link:
http://www.bridges-across.org/ba/campolo.htm
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Book 9: Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches
Well, here it is. Grasping the spirit of this book group we now turn to one of the most controversial issues of today. Whether you are sympathetic to the Christian faith or not, this is certainly an issue that has dominated politics, religion, and relationships, and is one that demands further investigation and discussion. Whatever one's perspective, this book promises to inform and to challenge, and to inspire as many questions as it answers.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Book 8: The Promise
The sequel to The Chosen.
"Young Reuven Malter is unsure of himself and his place in life. An unconventional scholar, he struggles for recognition from his teachers. With his old friend Danny Saunders--who himself had abandoned the legacy as the chosen heir to his father's rabbinical dynasty for the uncertain life of a healer--Reuvan battles to save a sensitive boy imprisoned by his genius and rage. Painfully, triumphantly, Reuven's understanding of himself changes as he starts to approach the peace he has long sought."
"Young Reuven Malter is unsure of himself and his place in life. An unconventional scholar, he struggles for recognition from his teachers. With his old friend Danny Saunders--who himself had abandoned the legacy as the chosen heir to his father's rabbinical dynasty for the uncertain life of a healer--Reuvan battles to save a sensitive boy imprisoned by his genius and rage. Painfully, triumphantly, Reuven's understanding of himself changes as he starts to approach the peace he has long sought."
Book 7: The Chosen
"Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations.
In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love."
In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Book 6: The Shack
"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"
Monday, May 4, 2009
Book 5: A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple's Trial by Trail
In honor of our friend Nick Brown--who has challenged my Western tendencies towards consumerism and comfort by embarking on the Pacific Crest Trail (a trail from Mexico to Canada along some of the Western U.S.'s highest points)--and in honor of some of our summer backpacking trips to many of the national parks, I'd like to offer "A Blistered Kind of Love", a story about a couple who traveled the Pacific Crest Trail before they got married, and the insights and hijinks they encountered along the way.
Alternating chapters, the Ballards describe their arduous 2,655-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, which zigzags its way from Mexico to Canada, crossing three states, three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 33 federally mandated wildernesses. Grappling with thirst, fear, and pain, they completed the trail in 132 days. In addition to providing detailed information on pretrip planning (meal preparation, gear, medicines), they also relate many amusing anecdotes about the characters they met along the way, including one pair whose goal was hiking 1 percent of the trail while intoxicated (they were successful). In between breathtaking descriptions of the many scenic vistas, which they viewed very briefly because of their manic devotion to covering a set amount of miles per day, the couple speak insightfully about their dynamics, which sometimes deteriorated into fights over the size of each other's steps. Although many of the couples they encountered on the trail had broken up by the end, the Ballards got married. This delightful title has appeal beyond hard-core backpackers.
Alternating chapters, the Ballards describe their arduous 2,655-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, which zigzags its way from Mexico to Canada, crossing three states, three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 33 federally mandated wildernesses. Grappling with thirst, fear, and pain, they completed the trail in 132 days. In addition to providing detailed information on pretrip planning (meal preparation, gear, medicines), they also relate many amusing anecdotes about the characters they met along the way, including one pair whose goal was hiking 1 percent of the trail while intoxicated (they were successful). In between breathtaking descriptions of the many scenic vistas, which they viewed very briefly because of their manic devotion to covering a set amount of miles per day, the couple speak insightfully about their dynamics, which sometimes deteriorated into fights over the size of each other's steps. Although many of the couples they encountered on the trail had broken up by the end, the Ballards got married. This delightful title has appeal beyond hard-core backpackers.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Book 4: The Giver
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Book 3: The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.
Chew on this quote from the novel:
"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."
Hmmmmm...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Book 2: Many Lives, Many Masters
"The true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient, and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives."
Book 1: Jesus Wants to Save Christians
"There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 Million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty."
"This is a book about those two numbers."
"This is a book about those two numbers."
The Journey in Detail
Welcome! This is a place for those seeking truth. A place where questions can be asked, and sometimes, answers may be found. It is a commitment to be on a journey together, challenging previously held ways of thinking and being, and striving to move on towards perfection, towards attaining the full measure of human essence (whether that is enlightenment, Christ-likeness, Brahman, Entire Sanctification, Self-Actualization, or any other way of explaining a movement beyond a trivial, mundane existence in an effort to live in a way of life as it was intended (created?) to be lived.)
For those sympathetic to such a journey, here are the tasks (at least in terms of this specific blog):
1. Read one book a month.
-There will be one book a month that we as a group will decide upon and it will be our task to read it sometime during that span. The books for the next month will be provided a month in advance so that we will have adequate time to order, buy, check-out, or borrow the selected text. The books will be listed from most recent to least recent on the right.
-A note on the selection of the books: The intent of reading the books is to challenge and to teach, and hopefully, to change the way we live for the better. They will be selected because of a recommendation that they are likely to do just that. If this is going to be a group that is serious about this journey, we must be open to a variety of books, ones that we might not have otherwise read. This is NOT a quest to reinforce our previously held ideas. If any of us has any right to share our opinions with another person, we MUST be open to that person’s opinion. So, even if we don’t think we will agree with a book, READ IT ANYWAY. We never know what we might learn. And in the worst case, we will gain a perspective that is different from ours, whether that changes our opinions or not.
-It is possible that one month a movie or other form of media might be most beneficial to the group. The group is open to that.
2. Post at least one comment.
–Even if every part of one of us disagrees with a book, forcing ourselves to post one comment will at least engage us in the discussion. A contrasting voice is still a voice, and can be heard and learned from, as opposed to no voice at all.
-Comments can be posted at any time. Don’t bother waiting till the end of the month or the end of the book to comment if there is something on your mind now. As soon as the book post is up, then comment away!
Thank you to everyone who has committed to this journey. I have no doubt that it will be a positive and beneficial one. I am excited to be able to have a regular place of discussion of issues that are truly important and life/world-changing. Maybe some months (if not every month for those who are interested) we can get together at a coffee shop, or the beach, or my apartment (I’ll serve coffee and tea), or anywhere else and have a longer conversation about the things that come up.
For those sympathetic to such a journey, here are the tasks (at least in terms of this specific blog):
1. Read one book a month.
-There will be one book a month that we as a group will decide upon and it will be our task to read it sometime during that span. The books for the next month will be provided a month in advance so that we will have adequate time to order, buy, check-out, or borrow the selected text. The books will be listed from most recent to least recent on the right.
-A note on the selection of the books: The intent of reading the books is to challenge and to teach, and hopefully, to change the way we live for the better. They will be selected because of a recommendation that they are likely to do just that. If this is going to be a group that is serious about this journey, we must be open to a variety of books, ones that we might not have otherwise read. This is NOT a quest to reinforce our previously held ideas. If any of us has any right to share our opinions with another person, we MUST be open to that person’s opinion. So, even if we don’t think we will agree with a book, READ IT ANYWAY. We never know what we might learn. And in the worst case, we will gain a perspective that is different from ours, whether that changes our opinions or not.
-It is possible that one month a movie or other form of media might be most beneficial to the group. The group is open to that.
2. Post at least one comment.
–Even if every part of one of us disagrees with a book, forcing ourselves to post one comment will at least engage us in the discussion. A contrasting voice is still a voice, and can be heard and learned from, as opposed to no voice at all.
-Comments can be posted at any time. Don’t bother waiting till the end of the month or the end of the book to comment if there is something on your mind now. As soon as the book post is up, then comment away!
Thank you to everyone who has committed to this journey. I have no doubt that it will be a positive and beneficial one. I am excited to be able to have a regular place of discussion of issues that are truly important and life/world-changing. Maybe some months (if not every month for those who are interested) we can get together at a coffee shop, or the beach, or my apartment (I’ll serve coffee and tea), or anywhere else and have a longer conversation about the things that come up.
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