Mt. Equinox
I took my camera into work today and snapped a few pictures during my “commute.” I missed the days when a few brilliant leaves were still clinging to the trees with snow-capped mountains in the background, which is a bummer. But today was awfully darn beautiful.
We have variety of perspectives this week regarding Coffeehouse Theology on the blog tour.
Adam J. Copeland writes:
For me, however, the book didn’t particularly pique my interest for a simple reason. Ed and I come from very different backgrounds. I was encouraged to consider the veracity of the virgin birth in middle school youth group. It was at public school — not church — where I first heard that evolution was questionable. “Context” is practically my seminary’s motto.
I appreciate Coffeehouse Theology for what it is, though, an introduction to contextual theology in a clear, easy-to-read, and approachable way. If you’re new to the idea that people in different parts of the world will read the Bible very differently from you, or that the authors’ original intent is not always explicit, or that theology colors the way we read the scriptures, then pick up a copy, take it to your local coffeehouse, and enjoy.
Jamie Arpin-Ricci shares:
Ed’s ability to engage theological realities with intellectual credibility and authority are further empowered by the clear reality that his pursuit of understanding God is by no means academic, but stemming from a deeply relational, missional passion for Jesus. He does not attempt to give us all the answers (nor does he suggest he has them), but through stories, examples and clear explanation provides a much needed bridge between the complexities of theology and the people of God.
Benjamin Sternke really didn’t like the cover, which is fascinating because people either love it or really hate it, but writes:
I give this book high marks. Ed writes with an easy-to-read voice and has a knack for distilling large amounts of complex information into bite-sized packages of clarity and understandableness (not a word, but it should be), all without ever sounding condescending. Through a number of great examples, Ed shows the reader how theology is relevant to “normal” life, and quite convincingly re-frames how the reader thinks about theology.
UPDATE: Darryl Dash just posted his interview over at Dashhouse.com.
I have something in common with my poor Philadelphia Phillies. We have both had major events in our lives affected by weather. The Phillies had rain drench their almost certain world series title, and I had rain, sleet, and snow falling last night during my debut event for the Coffeehouse Theology at the Northshire Bookstore.
I had invited a lot of people. It was supposed to be, you know, kind of a big event. However, with snow in the forecast many of the people up in the mountains couldn’t make it, and several others at the event, those who lived in town, shared how several folks didn’t want to venture out for fear of ice. So we ended up with just shy of 20, which was still a good-sized crowd.
Perhaps it was all for the best, as I haven’t done a ton of public speaking. It’s the irony of writing a book: you write a book because you’re good at writing, not speaking. However, once you write it, you need to do public speaking in order to sell it! I came prepared, but in retrospect, it’s a good thing that I started with a small, manageable crowd. It felt like training wheels.
As I walked up the steps to the event area, I asked God to use me to be a blessing for those present. “You were made for this,” popped into my head. It was the briefest of confirmations that made all of the difference in the world. As I’ve struggled with that “What to do with my life” matter, I keep coming back to writing. It all clicked one day when my agent wished me well with my “writing ministry.” I thought to myself, “So, that’s what I’m supposed to do.” As I walked into the event area, I had sense that God wants me to write books, so he’s not going to abandon me in it.
From what I can tell, the event went very well. I rolled right through my talk on the book and then loosened up quite a bit for the Q and A part. We had a lively discussion, and I found myself surprisingly at ease. The Q and A started with a question about Islam that didn’t have much to do with my book, which is, for me, the nightmare scenario. However I shared what I knew and things quickly moved back to Christian theology, which was a relief!
My favorite question was, “What has it been like working in the Christian publishing world?” Oh, the stories I could have told! However, I shared my favorite thus far: the fine line for using swear words.
The book signing part went smoothly, and while at the table I had some great discussions about theology. One person shared that she didn’t know there were Evangelicals like me out there, specifically, willing to dialogue with other denominations and such. It was a refreshing evening for me, and that’s what ministry is supposed to be: refreshing, not draining. So far, so good.
Today on the Coffeehouse Theology blog tour Jim Bonewald, a PC USA pastor, shares his take on my book:
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.
Baptists Todd Littleton and Tripp Fuller also weighed in.
Fuller notes:
As many theologically interested people know we are in the middle of a Trinitarian revival of sorts and Ed not only joins the revival but talks intelligibly about the Trinity (as in your friend who keeps rolling their eyes when you bring it up could understand it as a substantive and positive contribution to theology). He does this by developing a rich missional approach to theology and examining how it is informed by God’s own nature. Ed’s missional focus is on the forefront throughout the book as he discusses other topics like scripture or culture.
Todd Littleton, a friend from my ETREK days, establishes the place of Coffeehouse Theology among the leading works in theology and culture today:
Ed combines the work of Guder on the missio dei, from Missional Church, with the epistemological proposal in Grenz and Franke’s Beyond Foundationalism, and the approach to reading Scripture described in Scot McKnight’s Blue Parakeet. Interestingly Ed does so without the benefit of the publication of Scot’s book. That means, for me, Ed and Scot think along the same lines. Not bad company for Ed from where I sit.
Ed’s book came at a good time as I was looking for a book to help my Sunday morning group discover how often they do theology and how this translates in their lives to give witness to Jesus. We do need to know, on a popular level, how we are influenced and what those influences are. The idea what we know is pristinated through our vaunted reason no longer holds much water, or coffee for that matter.
There are quite a few blog posts out there today reviewing Coffeehouse Theology. They all found some great points and some found weak points in the book, so I’d like to offer a brief overview of each blogger’s review.
Adam Malliet, a friend back from my days in youth group, offers some great reflection on dangers of continuous deconstruction:
Maybe its time to begin reconstructing. We have to build on something and that cornerstone will always require faith (and the accompanying doubt) whether it is in nothingness, yourself, capitalism, nation-states, etc… the list goes on. I am building on the narrative of God’s redeeming work, first through Israel and then through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Andy Rowell, a teacher and student at Duke Divinity School, clarifies my confusing use of “contextual theology”:
Darrell Guder’s Missional Church uses the term “contexualization” but not “contextual theology.” “The church relates constantly and dynamically both to the gospel and to its contextual reality. It is important, then for the church to study its context carefully and to understand it. The technical term for this continuing discipline is contextualization” (Darrell Guder, ed. The Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998, 18). Again, I do not think Cyzewski’s approach has the weaknesses of the group of theologies under the heading “contextual theologies” but I do think it is unfortunate he repeatedly uses that term to describe his own approach.
He also offers some kind words about the book:
Maybe McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian and Cyzewski’s Coffeehouse Theology should be given to all Christian college students–the former to get them intrigued about theology and the latter to nudge them toward further constructive reflection. Cyzewski’s book is ambitious–tackling a number of issues related to systematic theology.
and
All in all, Cyzewski’s Coffeehouse Theology is a fine introduction to a number of contemporary issues in theology in language college students or other beginning theological students will understand. I hope it will serve as the on-ramp for many into rigorous theological reflection.
Writer Heather A. Goodmam, who really liked the book, did mention the following weakness:
I would’ve liked to have seen more direct sources–thinkers, theologians, philosophers of the times of which he spoke rather than relying more on present-day historians. And in speaking of postmodern times, I would’ve liked to have seen a few more case studies. I think there were a couple of times that were almost repetitive and would’ve allowed for these developments instead. He does have some case studies in the global church section, mostly his personal experiences.
Goodman provided a great summary of the book, and shared the following:
Which brings me to the next sections: the historical church (or tradition) and the global church as perspectives and voices in the discussion.
These are two things I’m passionate about. Ed notes that we don’t blindly accept anything and everything, but we have to realize that this isn’t my discussion. While we need to be relevent to our culture, we need to be mindful of the perspective of the universal church. We all wear cultural glasses that affect our views (sometimes clarifying, sometimes distorting). I need the universal church in my study.
This book is informative, helpful, and personal. Ed shares his journey of learning about the process of theology.
So all in all, it’s been a great day for the Coffeehouse Theology blog tour. My thanks to the bloggers who have generously given their time to read my book and to present their careful reflections.
Blogger Molly Aley has today’s review of Coffeehouse Theology. She definitely wins the award so far for typing in the most text from the book onto her post! You’ll also enjoy what she has to say:
I will say that I found this book a warm and engaging walk with a friend, musing over what theology is and why we don’t have to be afraid of it. The recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter are excellent, and the content of each chapter is good solid food for the soul of the reader.
And in other news, endorser, author, and church planter JR Briggs shares an additional endorsement on his blog today.
I’ve been a bit swamped in the evenings of late and so many blog post ideas are falling by the way side… So here’s a little list of the things that have been on my mind of late.
“You see, not since the 76ers won the NBA in 1983 has a Philadelphia team won a championship. There are 11 other U.S. cities that, like Philly, have a team in all four major team sports — and all of them have had champions in this quarter-century.
Well, add it all up — and if the Phillies lose the World Series to Tampa Bay, Philadelphia teams will then have failed to win a championship in exactly 100 straight seasons.
Of course, given that the Phillies last year became the first and only team in all humankind ever to lose 10,000 games, a mere 100 seems like small potatoes. The Phillies are to losing what the Zimbabwe dollar is to currency.”
Have you ever read a really good book, even a life-changing book, and then find yourself trying to remember what it said five years after you’ve read it? I’m like that. All of the time in fact.
I also see books on Amazon wish lists, Facebook profiles, and in book stores that look interesting, but I don’t quite have time to read them. While I could scope out some reviews or peek at a sample of them online, I rarely can tell if the whole book is worth reading. Many books start out with a bang and then fizzle amidst the meandering around one solid, but oft-repeated idea. Each chapter becomes a marathon where the author proves he can very well milk another chapter out of his central premise.
For both of these situations and in many other cases, Heather A. and Chris Goodman’s latest study resource, Solomon Summaries, is worth a look. Think of Christian cliff notes, summarizing important Christian books (such as Mere Christianity, The Divine Conspiracy, and Jesus for President) and offering some practical ways they can be used in Christian communities. They have some nice endorsements as of now, as well as book reviews on their site.
As to my dilemma with forgetting books, I read through the summary of Mere Christianity and found it a helpful refresher of the book’s main points, helping me recall the important bits that slipped my mind. As I read through the summary, I found myself learning a lot of information in a relatively brief amount of time, which is a real bonus.
And speaking of which, the summary I read for The 10 Commandments of Marriage was excellent. I don’t think I’d ever pick up that book, but the summary was excellent, as Goodman broke down the information into pieces that were easy to read and very informative. Only the author can tell how well she summarized the book, but as a reader of the summary I felt like I had a good grasp of the main points.
I see Solomon Summaries being worthwhile for Sunday School classes, students who need a solid study tool, and anyone who loves books and wants to keep on top of a wide array of books out there without necessarily reading them all. If you’re wondering whether or not Solomon’s Summaries will work for you, there’s a great offer below. Just be sure to mention you heard about Solomon Summaries from www.inamirrordimly.com.
Special Offers with this blog tour…
The summaries are being offered for free until 12/1/08. They’ll start charging 12/1/08. As a reader of my blog you are eligible to receive a year’s subscription for $100 (regular price: $120, ~15% discount), and you will be entered into a drawing for a stack of books with your subscription. Be sure to visit Solomon Summaries for more information.
For more information about Heather A Goodman, you can visit her web site: Heather’s Website.
And Another Special Offer…
Everyone who visits the Solomon Summaries website from the tour will receive a free sample summary. Additionally, be sure to reference www.inamirrordimly.com when signing up.
You can find out who else is blogging on Solomon Summaries by checking out this list of all participating bloggers and the master list of bloggers on the tour.
LT over at American Born Chinese Pastor has the latest review of Coffeehouse Theology. I know LT from seminary. He is one of those thoughtful guys who always had a heart for theology and ministry, seeing the value of both and always articulating his views with careful consideration and compassion.
He does quite a bit of reflecting on his own context, and offers up this gem of a paragraph:
Theology requires great humility from us. For those who have long held onto their beliefs and convictions the task of theology requires their willingness to be pulled out from the comfortable warm water they have been wading in and squirm out in the wide open sea. As we discover the weight of God’s truth and glory, submit to his values and mission I believe we experience transformation. Theology is far reaching and much more influential than we may realize. It must serve the mission of God and not simply fill our heads with more knowledge or just satisfy our questions. Then we may begin to embrace those different from us, become a little less homogeneous. Perhaps less White, less Chinese, less middle class or what have you. Instead what gives way is a new humanity as Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2:15 to a diverse church comprised of traditional Jews and Gentiles. Consider also what we find throughout Acts on the tensions between these two groups and the Gospel renewal we see in and through the life journey of Paul the Apostle.
Amy Spiegel, wife of theologian and author Jim Spiegel, has been doing an incredible job blogging at their relatively new site called Wisdom and Folly. I’ve really enjoyed reading Amy’s posts, and when it came time for the Coffeehouse Theology blog tour, she was at the top of my list.
Here’s a little sample of her reflections on my book:
As we neared the village, our faithful leader came thundering down the path to stop us. We had unintentionally offended our Ukrainian friends by shunning the prepared food and showing off our ability to buy an alternative. With great embarrassment and not a little righteous indignation, we returned to eat lunch with the rest of the group. (I believe humble pie was on the menu that day.) It was then that I began to reflect on just how ingrained certain values were to me as an American: independence, individualism and consumerism, to name a few. Not all bad in the proper context, but they nonetheless placed me in a certain context both culturally and economically. If I wanted to minister to these students I had traveled so far to meet, I was going to have to check some of these values like luggage at the gate, knowing I might never see them again.
This is the challenge that Ed Cyzewski gently but forcefully issues in Coffehouse Theology. If we are to attempt to understand God and his inspired word, the Bible, we must understand ourselves and the context in which we live, because our biases and cultural beliefs form a lens through which we see the world and the scriptures.
The latest stop on the Coffeehouse Theology blog tour is Tod Bolsigner who blogs over at It Takes a Church…
I enjoyed reading Tod’s review, but wanted to note that he was impressed with the design by the fine folks over at NavPress. So NavPress design team, this one’s for you. Tod says:
When I received the book, I didn’t even care if it was good. It was cool. It looked cool, the chapter headings were interesting and the diagrams in the book were actually helpful. It also looked like a book. A serious thoughtful, readable book. Not one of those “look at me, I have a neat design but nothing much really to say except for my personal rant” that seem to be all the rage.
Read the rest of the review here.
John O’Hara over at Emerging Pentecostal has the latest review of Coffeehouse Theology. I really liked his suggestion at the end of the review:
I enthusiastically recommend Coffeehouse Theology to anyone who is interested in learning how to do theology with their eyes open. My only recommendation is that you do what I hope to do after reading it solo: go through this text in community, and especially with people who may come from a different point of view than yourself.
Hold on to your hats folks, we have a lot of bloggers coming up in the next two weeks!
Theology should permeate every aspect of our daily lives. Sports are no exception to this.
Ever mindful of the importance of being relevant and connecting theology with our culture, I have decided to adapt a special edition of Coffeehouse Theology to address the beliefs of baseball fans. I’m calling it Coffeehouse Phillieology.
It’s a bold, fresh, contextually sensitive look at whether or not rally caps are effective, whether beards help players hit better, and even digs into the lucky glove and lucky shorts superstitions. We’ll look at the curses afflicting certain baseball towns and whether or not God really does have it out for certain fans and teams. Particular attention will be paid to Philadelphia and its quarter-century championship drought.
Issues such as pitching inside or brushing back batters and the morality of certain sliding techniques are explored from a strictly biblical perspective. The nature of truth as related to the strike zone will be addressed specifically. Readers will learn if there really are such things as balls and strikes.
By the time you’re done reading Coffeehouse Phillieology, you’ll have a clear picture of the triune God’s place in the baseball diamond and the Biblical perspective connected to everyday issues players face in the batters box, on the field, and in the dug out.
And if this sounds too good to be true, too delicious a pun to pass up, you are absolutely right.
I’m keeping one eye on ESPN’s Game Cast tonight, lowly cable-deprived Vermonter that I am, to make sure the Phillies make it to the World Series. In between pitches I’ve been checking out some other blogs.
It’s been one month since the release of Coffeehouse Theology and the two study guides. So far I’ve been really encouraged with the feedback from readers. Some have bought it as a gift for a friend struggling through through theological questions, and others have found it a helpful move toward greater Christian unity as we work on theology together.
I’m still waiting to see a few upcoming reviews in some magazines, but so far the blog tour has yielded generally positive reviews. Such evaluations from respected peers is probably one of the most satisfying parts of writing a book.
So what’s next? Well, for starters, the blog tour goes on. Due to some shipping delays I’ll be extending the blog tour into November. I’ll also link to any other reviews that crop up over time. Lisa Delay will be posting her interview in the near future as well. (UPDATE: The interview is now up!)
However, I’m also excited to announce I have a couple of events in the works. The book’s unofficial kick off will take place at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT on October 28th at 7 PM. I’ll read from the book, share a bit of the story behind it, answer some questions, and then have a signing.
I’m also in the very early stages of planning an event at Fellowship Baptist Church in Mount Laurel, NJ on November 9th. More details will follow soon about that, as we have a lot to iron out.
Of course I’ll be looking for additional churches or bookstores where I can talk about the book, so if you’re interested, drop me a line!
::INAMIRRORDIMLY:: A theology and culture blog with the Bible in one tab and a news feed in the other. Ed Cyzewski is a freelance writer, theologian, and a nonprofit employee in southern Vermont.
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