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In the last couple weeks, our speed of life has accelerated like James Bond’s Aston Martin (Quantum of Solace: watch it!), and I’ve been meaning to toss out this simple post for awhile now…for those of you who track these things:

On this coming Sunday, the 23rd, I’ll be preaching on James chapter 3, verses 1-12 at LifeConnection Church in Independence. That’s “James” in the Bible, as opposed to the a movie discussion on the 3rd action sequence in the Bond film…ok, sorry. Intriguing passage centering on a bunch of cussing, vindictive Christians, their habit of letting fly, and the ripple effect.

On November 30, a week from this Sunday, I’ll be preaching at East Side Baptist Church…talking about what we’re doing downtown, the eternal relevance of God’s word, and how we should be missionaries wherever we live. Won’t be a ton of research required for this one.

I’m looking forward to these opportunities to talk with folks–feel free to come visit. I’m recruiting fans but I’ll take hecklers too. If you think of it, ask Jesus to give me a strong helping hand. Thanks!

An update is on the way, as soon as I get a chance to slow down again.

I’m not a careful follower of Scot McKnight and his widely-read blog, Jesus Creed, so when my friend Rob told me I should read McKnight’s latest book, The Blue Parakeet, I didn’t know what to expect. For many people, McKnight has proved to be a helpful “middle voice,” arbitrating between some of the extreme positions of folks in the Emergent camp and those on the other side who tend toward immovable rigidity in their approach to church traditions. (If that last sentence makes no sense to you, don’t feel bad. You’re not missing much.)

This book turned out to be an extension of McKnight’s “middle” approach to church practice and theology, where “middle” or a “third way” is shorthand for a biblically-grounded position that takes changing cultures and geography into account. In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight advocates an approach to reading and living the Bible that is, in my opinion, not so much startling or ground-breaking as it is healthy and needed. Here’s what I liked about the book:

» McKnight explains clearly that while the Bible is authoritative for our lives, we need to exercise discernment in how we apply it and not be lazy or stupid. For example, questions like this—”How come we don’t obey the Old Testament commands about blood sacrifices, but do obey the one prohibiting adultery?”—can and should be answered. There are essential questions we should ask about the text as we read the Bible with a view to wise application.

» Maybe you’ve heard the Bible’s “big picture” explained in terms of a simple trajectory: Creation - Fall - Redemption. Scot McKnight argues that a more biblically accurate view would include Covenant Community (after Fall, before and after Redemption). And I agree. A huge chunk of the Bible is spent outlining the failed and occasionally successful attempts of God’s people to do life together, and this component of biblical living is dramatically absent in most of the American church today.

A couple of nitpicks:

» The Blue Parakeet is written for a wider audience than McKnight’s typical theologian crowd, and it is pretty readable–but McKnight has some work to do before he figures out this “readable” thing. At times he comes across as stretching…albeit in a kind of humorous, professorial way.

» McKnight’s “test case” for applying his “third way” of reading scripture is one of today’s hot topics, Women in Ministry. I applaud his attempt to jump into the fray, but was disappointed with the way he handled the Bible texts involved. There are certain passages that almost always come up in this discussion, and McKnight handled some of them, but not very thoroughly–and some not at all. I guess I was expecting more than the cursory treatment he gave the topic.

All in all, The Blue Parakeet is a smart, accessible book that takes aim at some unhealthy ways of reading the Bible. McKnight affirms the authority of God’s word while encouraging people to read with a view to intelligent application, life change, and, ultimately, knowing the One about whom the Bible is written. Recommended.

I read On the Old Testament earlier, and that was my intro to Mark Driscoll’s new series of Re:Lit “Books you’ll actually read.” Like the OT book, On Church Leadership runs about a hundred pages and can be read in about an hour.

A quick look at LibraryThing statistics revealed that, as I suspected, the Leadership book, which deals with the biblical perspective on “elders,” “deacons,” and “pastors,” as well as women leading in the church, is the most widely-owned book in the imprint to date. Makes perfect sense, since this is one of the most widely-debated issues in the church today.

I’ll come right out and say I’m a fan of the Complementarian Driscoll champions, which has strong biblical warrant. Aside from helpful clarity on the women in ministry question—”This chapter should include a wick because it is connected to a powder keg of controversial theological debates”—Driscoll also deals with stuff like elder qualifications, the roles of elders vs. deacons, leadership teams, and something you don’t see in most books on leadership: the essential role of church members as leaders in their spheres.

On Church Leadership features Mark Driscoll’s trademark directness dosed with more stand-up moments than I found in On the Old Testament. (”When the Bible tells us not to kill innocent people it does not mean that God wants us to kill innocent people, even if a “scholar” has more degrees than Fahrenheit, know Greek, and published a book explaining it based upon drawings on the wall of a cave in upper Mesopotamia.”)

I’m not someone who feels ripped off if I smile while reading a theology book, so I enjoyed this one thoroughly and definitely recommend it.

The rivets in the walls were as wide as manhole covers and would have taken a week to saw through with a diamond cutter before you realized the walls were triple reinforced. The towers on either side of the gate were made of solid granite and rose 14 thousand feet into the air where storms gathered at their peaks. They seemed to have existed independently, and been masterfully incorporated into the structure of the city.

Above the single entry, printed in the boldest sans serif you have ever seen, was a message: NOW ENTERING STRONG CITY. And then, in a more flowery script, Make yourself at home.

Isaiah 26:1-5

Time for a quick review of N.T. Wright’s Acts for Everyone (Part One):

Awesome.

Now, let me elaborate. What impressed me deeply about Wright’s commentary on Acts is his magisterial command of biblical narrative threads. He views the events of Pentecost and the apostolic journeys without ever losing sight of the Old Testament backdrop of prophecy and accumulated Jewish history. As a result, the reader gets a much deeper appreciation for the timing and gigantic significance of God’s actions.

In addition, N.T. Wright’s style is scholarly and warm at the same time. He shares brief anecdotes with each passage that transition into his focused commentary. It’s amazing that Wright can generate scores of these spot-on illustrations, most of them from his own life, but all the more so when his anecdotal approach is paired with the kind of sweeping analysis and wise commentary he supplies.

If you’re looking for a commentary on Acts that’s extremely informed, “provocative” in the scriptural kingdom sense, and devotional as well, this is it. N.T. Wright is accessible (in a C.S. Lewisian way), but without softening the impact of his remarkable theology jones. I’m very appreciative, as reading Acts for Everyone, Part 1 proved to be both inspiring and theology-shaping experience, sending me back to the book of Acts with new eyes. (I expect no drop-off in Part 2.)

*** N.T. Wright’s Acts for Everyone gets three of three stars–don’t miss it.