Books, Books, Books

Yesterday was a good day for my reading prospects.

First off, Tim Keller's new book, King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus arrived in the mail. I can't tell you how glad I am to get this one. Delighted, in fact.

Second, coming to me not in the mail but through Interlibrary Loan, two books by Stanley Hauerwas. I forget now what got me interested in him this past week. Something I'd read on a blog somewhere, no doubt. Anyway, the two books that came to me yesterday are going to be stimulating indeed. One is called Resident Aliens (written with William Willimon). I read the first chapter last night. Here are a couple of choice snips:

"The world was fundamentally changed in Jesus Christ, and we have been trying, but failing, to grasp the implication of that change ever since."

"The bible's concern is whether or not we shall be faithful to the gospel, the truth about the way things are now that God is with us through the life, cross, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth."

"In Jesus we meet not a presentation of basic ideas about God,world, and humanity, but an invitation to join up, to become part of a movement, a people."

The other Stanley Hauerwas book that fell into my lap this week, on loan from a local seminary, is his commentary on Matthew . Here's a snip from its first chapter, which should get you thinking a little about the world-shattering nature of the plan of God:

"Matthew's Gospel is meant to train us, his readers, just as Jesus had to train his disciples, to recognize that the salvation wrought in the cross is the Father's refusal to save us according to the world's understanding of salvation, which is that salvation depends on having more power than my enemies."

That may not say it all, but it says an awful lot. I have a feeling I'm going to be spending time with these books long after I've finished reading them.

Manger / Cross / Crown

Tim Keller on Dwelling in the Gospel. This is from a conference that took place in NY last April, the 2008 New York City Dwell Conference. Keller is going to blow your everlovin' mind here. Sit down with this and listen carefully. Keller has a profoundly practical understanding of the Gospel, and one from which I have learned much.

BTW, after you've listened, you'll understand the title of this post. Or, you can read much of the content of this talk in his article from Leadership Journal, The Gospel in All Its Forms.

Idols Only Breed Anxiety, Bitterness, & Despondency: Insight from Tim Keller

Maybe you've seen this already: Tim Keller's two-column comparison of Religion vs. The Gospel. Scroll down a little and you'll see this comparison.

In the "Religion" column:

Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.

Then, in the "Gospel" column:

I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

I like that. Sharp guy, that Tim Keller!

[HT: Reformissionary]