the church geek

I was invited to be part of a blog tour reviewing Ed Cyzewski’s new book “Coffeehouse Theology.” For more information about the author and a list of other reviews check out Ed’s blog in.a.mirror.dimly.

I will start out by first saying that Cyzewski’s book doesn’t break any new ground. What this book does is serve as a primer on “doing theology in a postmodern world.” Now, if that particular phrase doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to you, I think it will after you read his book.

The author offers a thorough and yet informal and easy to grasp overview of world and philosophical history to help us see how we ended up in the midst of a post-modern worldview. He also shows us how the way we see and think about our Christian faith (specifically an evangelical faith, which is his viewpoint) has been shaped by culture, the events of history, and the perspectives of philosophy.

Ed’s concern is that the way we think about God must first be formed by scripture, but then fleshed out and broadened beyond our own narrow perspective by listening to other voices of faith such as the ancient church and the global church.

Very helpful after each chapter is a list of resources for further reading and study. They are a very good place to start, though I personally would like to see the inclusion of some more liberal (especially in the biblical resource section) as well as female voices in his various resource lists.

If you have been formed in the evangelical faith and wonder what post-modernism has to do with any of it, then this is the book for you. It will help you think about your faith in new ways that will serve you well as you seek to share that faith with others.

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Countdown to Sunday: A Daily Guide for Those Who Dare to Preach by Chris Erdman

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
My all time favorite book on pastoral ministry is the book Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry by William Willimon. Chris Erdman’s work on preaching reads very much like Willimon’s work.

This is the book I needed at this time in my ministry. I’ve done a lot of thinking and struggling over the first three years of my ministry on the place and purpose of preaching. In a world of preaching to meet felt needs, Erdman offers meaningful reminders regarding the centrality of the biblical text and that the essential purpose of the text is to form the people of God.

The book is not a sit down and read through from cover to cover sort of book, but rather an offering of meditations on the purpose and role of preaching within the context of the people of God. Especially helpful are the chapters that offer a glimpse into the way Erdman prepares to preach the text…a helpful and simple structure that any “busy” preacher could easily adapt.

If you are tired of your message preparation usurping the actual intent of the biblical text then this book is for you.


View all my reviews.

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Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus by Mark Yaconelli

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me by another ’solo pastor’ working in a small church, and it does not disappoint.

I really like Yaconelli’s approach to youth ministry, especially his consideration that much of what we do with youth is designed to manage our anxiety about them. In contrast, the author outlines an approach to youth ministry that values kids for who they are…reminding us that they have things to teach us.

You don’t have to work with youth to get something out of this book. Much of what is written transcends youth ministry and outlines a great approach not only to pastoral ministry but to living the christian life.

View all my reviews.

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I’ve seen two movies recently, here is a brief review of them:

The Savages - This movie features stellar performances by two of Hollywood’s best actors - Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. It sensitively and, I think, pretty effectively deals with some of the issues surrounding care of an aging father in the last months of his life. The situation in this movie is further complicated by a father, who was a less than a stellar parent, and siblings who as a result have been estranged from him. The result is a movie that is funny, sad, compassionate, and moving all at the same time. I rate this 7 out of 10 stars.

The Dark Knight - As noted by just about everyone who has seen this movie, its strength is Heath Ledger who excels in his performance as the Joker. His performance is superbly maniacal, eerily wicked, and an effective personification of evil. The movie deals with both Batman’s and society’s moral dilemma of figuring out what exactly is at their disposal and how to use those means in order to combat and defeat their evil foe. For a comic book movie, this is a surprisingly effective and engaging movie (2.5 hours and only once did I look at my watch…) and a great successor to “Batman Begins.” I rate this 7 out of 10 stars.

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I’ve gotten a little behind on my movie reviews, here are a few movies I’ve seen in recent months:

WALL_E - Incredible animation, an inventive, unique storyline, and compelling social commentary all work together to make WALL-E a great animated movie. This is a movie that adults will thoroughly enjoy watching along with kids who are old enough to “get it.” 7 out of 10 stars.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - This movie started off way too slow, but once it gained its momentum it took off like a rocket and was great fun. While not the best of the Indy movie series, it was still great to see him off on an adventure and back to his old tricks. It’s simply the good old fashion fun you would expect from an Indy flick. 6 out of 10 stars.

Iron Man - When Tony Stark discovers first hand the incredible harm and mayhem that his inventions in weaponry and armament have created, he turns to use his technology in order to fight against evil. You don’t have to love comic books in order to enjoy this movie. Iron Man is a smart, witty movie and one of the best I’ve seen so far this year. 8 out of 10 stars.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A deeply sorrowful story, with a few slivers of hope. This story is not quite a good as the author’s first book (The Kite Runner), but it is still a richly detailed and compelling work set in war torn Afghanistan.

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Not done yet with it, but the best part of this book is the eye-opening interpretations of scripture, especially key new testament texts. The weakness so far, is that it fails to deal with the issue of violence in the Old Testament, glossing over it on its way to achieve its narrative purpose. Still this is an important, compelling, and ultimately convicting work about who our true Lord really is.


View all my reviews.

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Young@Heart is an absolute must see movie. It is the moving and endearing story of a group of 70, 80, and 90 year olds who sing and perform their hearts out to the tunes of a variety of popular artists such as Coldplay, James Brown, and the Ramones.

The movie documents the group’s preparation for their first big concert of the performing year. As the story unfolds we are given an up close and personal look at the lives of a variety of the group’s members. Some of the more touching and moving moments of this film detail the struggle to hold on to life and the frailty that often comes with old age, while other moments show that character and dignity do not fade in the face of it.

I guarantee that you will laugh and cry while watching this movie which I rate at a 9 out of 10 stars. I would urge you to drop everything you are doing right now so that you can go see it.

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You might ask why on earth would someone want to watch a movie about a guy and his “girlfriend” who just so happens to be an anatomically correct mail order doll? That certainly can’t be anything but trouble.

Well, in this case it’s not. In fact, Lars and the Real Girl just happens to be one of the smartest, most moving, and spiritually significant films I’ve seen in a long time.

Lars is a good but painfully awkward and shy man. The limit of his social activity is his office job, attending church on Sunday morning, and being dragged off to dinner by his caring but overly pushy sister-in-law. Lars keeps to himself in a room off the side of the family garage while his brother and sister-in-law have moved into the home not long after the death of their father.

One day a large package arrives for Lars, and later that evening he shows up at the door of his brother’s home introducing his new girlfriend, Bianca, whom he says has arrived after serving as a missionary in Brazil.

But of course she is nothing more than a full sized life like doll. His brother and sister-in-law think he’s gone nuts but eventually decide to heed the advice of the family doctor and to play along with Lars’ delusion until he no longer needs it.

What unfolds is an incredibly moving modern parable of the power of love and community, as first the church and then the rest of the town make the choice to wrap their arms around Lars and to accept his new friend, Bianca, as one of them.

Their acceptance helps Lars push past the many barriers that have kept him trapped for years. It also helps him to take note of his office co-worker and fellow church member, Margo, the ‘real girl’ who really loves and cares for him.

There is much to recommend about this movie and I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

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Fin is a dawrf, a bit of a recluse, and a lover of trains. When he inherits a train station in rural New Jersey and moves in, big changes are in store as he gets to know some of the locals who invade his private and secret world.

The Station Agent is a quirky little movie with some bright spots and a compelling story about the battle against loneliness. I give it 6 out 10 stars.

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April, the black sheep of her family, is living in New York City in a tenement apartment with her boyfriend. Back in suburbia her mom is dying of cancer and it may be her last Thanksgiving alive.

Mom, Dad and the rest of the family head into the big city for a Thanksgiving dinner to be hosted by April. All they can imagine is that it will be a complete disaster and a disappointment, just as everything else with April has always been.

As April gets ready for the meal and her family’s arrival it looks like its going to be a disaster to her as well, since the stove won’t light and it seems as if she has nowhere to turn.

What unfolds over the course of the day comes as a complete surprise to everyone. Likewise, Pieces of April is a surprising and delightful movie and it rates 8 out of 10 stars.

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The Kite Runner is a really powerful and moving story of redemption…be sure to have a box of Kleenexes handy if you watch it. I really loved the book and thought this adaptation did a pretty decent job of capturing the overall story line of the novel.

I have to wonder if someone watching this movie without having already read the book would think it was that great. The movie tells the story straight up and seems to lack the nuances and subtleties that made the book so good; such as a more nuanced picture of Islamic faith and life as well as the richness of the culture of Afghanistan unlike what is portrayed in our media today.

Despite its shortcomings, the movie does capture the powerful nature of its overall story and so I give it a rating of 7 out of 10.

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Michael Clayton, played by George Clooney, cleans up messes for his law firm. He is a brilliant, engaging fellow with a knack for getting things done and making stubborn legal problems go away, or at least minimizing them the best he can.

But now he faces the mess of his life, one that even he may not be able to fix.

One of the firm’s attorneys, assigned to a multi-billion dollar case in defense of a giant agricultural chemical company, has a bipolar nervous breakdown that threatens to completely blow apart the case. It’s Michael’s job to get him back on his medicine and to do all he can to insure that the case doesn’t completely implode.

A battle ensues as Michael is vexed by the top level attorney for the chemical company, played by Tilda Swinton. She has different ideas about Michael’s ability to handle the problem and decides to complicate things by taking matters into her own hands.

While this is an engaging, compelling, and suspenseful thriller its not quite up to the level of the academy award nomination which it received. I rate this movie a 7 out of 10.

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In the Valley of Elah opens with Hank Deerfield receiving a phone call notifying him that his son has gone AWOL while on leave from duty in Iraq. Hank is surprised at this news as his son hadn’t even told him they were home.

A former military man himself, Hank drives across country to the military base to see if he can locate his missing son, but not long after his arrival the body of his son is uncovered. Lots of questions are asked but the answers given are neither forthcoming nor plausible. With the help of a civilian police detective, played by Charlize Theron, Hank is able to get to the heart of the mystery of his son’s disappearance and death.

The strength of this movie lies in the incredible and heartbreaking performance of Tommy Lee Jones who portrays Hank Deerfield with restraint and spare emotion in the face of his son’s death. His lack of tenderness is especially heartbreaking as it plays out in the relationship with his wife, played superbly by Susan Sarandon.

The movie’s weakness lies in the fact that we are never sure why it is titled “In the Valley of Elah,” the biblical location where David slays Goliath. The ancient biblical story is told twice, but no real connection is made between it and this modern day military story. This lack of connection is indicative of the movie’s overall failure to help us grasp its underlying message.

Overall I give this movie a 6 out of 10, based on nothing more than the very strong performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon.

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There Will Be Blood is the tale of two men battling one another in oil rich California at the beginning of the 1900s.

Daniel Plainview is an oil prospector and a fierce competitor. He talks confidently and self-assuredly, seemingly never answering a single question asked of him.

Eli Sunday is the young charismatic preacher of The Church of the Third Revelation. He covers the weakness of his character with the piety of his office.

Following a mysterious lead from Eli’s brother Paul, Daniel convinces the Sunday family to lease him the rights to prospect oil from their ranch. Daniel also leases the rights from all ranches in the area except for one.

When the derrick is ready to begin operating, Eli asks Daniel to publicly acknowledge him and to allow him to say a blessing for the derrick. Daniel rebuffs him and the battle is on.

The brilliance of this movie comes from the battle of two men able to find a way to get the other to admit what he truly is. The failure of the movie is that this is as far as it goes. There is no redemption to be found, just two men whose poor souls descend into very pits of hell.

I’m totally divided on how to rate this movie. Positives: the acting is great and the cinematography is incredible. Negatives: too many details are left open and its message leaves little room for hope. In the end I give it a 6 out of 10.

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The best thing I can say about Atonement is that it makes its point well: Sometimes you just can’t make up for the things you’ve done.

This is the story of a well-to-do family in pre World War II Britain. Briony is a 13 year old precocious girl who witnesses from a far an exchange between her sister, Cecilia, and their housekeeper’s son, Robbie.

It’s true that Robbie and Cecilia do love each other, but Briony - either out of jealousy or some other unexpressed motive - interprets the exchange and the various events that follow that evening in the worst possible light. Eventually she tells a lie that ruins all three of their young lives.

Briony grows up to be a successful author but is haunted throughout her life by the role she has played in the demise of Cecilia and Robbie. The only way she can set things right is through an act of imagination as it is portrayed in her final book.

From the beginning, I was not captivated by this movie and throughout found myself bored by it. Both its bleakness and obscurity of message are things this movie ought to atone for.

I give this movie 5 out of 10 stars.

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