The Prodigal God

Posted on February 8, 2009 by rbirkey

I have recently finished reading The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith another great book by author Tim Keller.

As you might imagine, this book is about the parable that Jesus told that is usually called “The Prodigal Son.” Keller rightly points out the problem with this title. The story is about a father and two sons – not one. He also points out that the meaning of the word “prodigal” applies to the father as well as to the younger sons actions, and in fact the father exhibits this “lavish” characteristic in his generosity more than the younger son did in his disobedient living. Hence, the title of the book.

Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

Keller points out the historical context for the parable was targeted at the religious establishment of the day – the Pharisees (see Luke 15:1). Jesus was getting to the core of their self-righteousness, motives and attitudes. He then makes the case that this parable is very applicable to us North American evangelicals … as we tend to be more like the “elder brother” in the parable. We see the “sins” of those around us and judge others so easily, but we can’t see our own self-sufficiency, hypocrisy and lack of mercy and love.

As I read the book, I found myself connecting with the younger brother at times, and then the older brother as well. The lavish love, mercy, forgiveness and grace the father extends to both sons is astonishing! The fact is, I have needed that outpouring of mercy from a “prodigal God” myself as a “younger brother,” and I have needed the pleading from the father as an “older brother.” My heart needs to respond to him not for what he can do or give to me (inheritance, power, prosperity, blessing, etc.), but because I just want him for who he is. He’s not asking for a performance based relationship, and there is nothing I can do to merit the relationship he invites me into. This is hard for me to accept… and I think it is hard for many of us to live with.

I highly recommend the book.

Here is a sermon by Tim Keller on “The Prodigal God”

Heaven & Hell – My Life With the Eagles

Posted on January 20, 2009 by rbirkey

I recently finished reading Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001) by Don Felder, one of the original members of the band “The Eagles.” The book was given to me as a Christmas present by my oldest son, Taylor, because he knew that this was my favorite band of all time.

I found it to be a very revealing look at the inside of the music industry and culture during the turbulent 60′s and 70′s. Really amazing stuff. Don seems to be a person who entered the industry with some moral perspectives and humility from his upbringing, struggled through those years, made a lot of mistakes on his way to the top, but learned through it all and has come out of it a better person than many of his peers.

This is not a book to read for literary enjoyment… but the content is compelling. I have a lower view of fellow band members/founders Don Henley and Glenn Frey after reading this book. They seem petty, egocentric, manipulating and deceitful. Too bad that the group had to end the way it did. Getting rid of Don Felder (who wrote their greatest hit song: Hotel California) was a massively stupid thing to do.

I had thought about trying to see The Eagles on their “Long Road Out of Eden” tour this year, but now I think I’ll pass.

Here are a couple of interesting websites on Don’s life and music:

An interesting video interview:

Tata Jesus is Bangala!

Posted on January 3, 2009 by rbirkey

I’ve just finished reading “The Poisonwood Bible” a novel by Barbara Kingsolver about the Price family who go to the Belgian Congo in the late 1950′s as Baptist missionaries. It’s a pretty depressing story based upon the experiences of Nathan Price’s wife and four daughters… who rotate telling their story in each chapter of the book. Orleanna, Rachel, Leah and Adah (twins), and Ruth May (the youngest).

Nathan turns out to be an abusive, narrow-minded, ultra-conservative tyrant who refuses to learn anything from the Kingala culture around him, and chooses to impose his views, opinions and version of reality on the unsuspecting villagers. He yells “Tata Jesus is Bangala” to his congregation over and over, never understanding that depending on the way you say it, it means that Jesus is either precious (good), or that he is the poisonwood tree (bad). His listeners are never really sure what he means and there is never any real spiritual transformation as a result.

The female Price family members however, do learn from their Africa experiences but become increasingly alienated and separated from Nathan. Eventually tragedy strikes – which leads to the eventual sad breaking apart of the family.

Another interesting part of the book is how it weaves in the 1960′s political background of how the Congo became independent, then how the Eisenhower administration was involved in the assassination of the first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, and how it came to support the ruthless dictator, Mobutu.

To me the book makes a strong case for the serious consequences that exist for anyone (an individual, church or a nation) who is not willing to learn and communicate cross-culturally with a sensitive, serving attitude and manner. The same consequences exist for us in today if we do not learn to be flexible and to make the transition and bridge from modernism to postmodernism.

Reimagining Church

Posted on November 12, 2008 by rbirkey

I reviewed a book by Frank Viola and George Barna called “Pagan Christianity” some months ago. There is a companion book to it that is out now called “Reimagining Church,” by Frank Viola.

Some great reviews of the book can be found at http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org – including Relevant, The Ooze, Kingdom Grace, Len Sweet, Internet Monk, and others.

You need to know that “Pagan Christianity” isn’t complete without reading this book also.

I will be reviewing the book here as soon as I complete it myself!

My Review of “The Shack”

Posted on August 16, 2008 by rbirkey

The Shack - by William P. Young

I’ve recently finished reading William P. Young’s novel, “The Shack.” We first heard about it through the grapevine… which turns out to be the way the book is being marketed… mostly via grassroots and word-of-mouth methods. I guess it is working because it is now a best-seller and there is talk of a movie. Not bad for an unknown, first-time author who had to self-publish because he couldn’t get any publishers to take the book.

Next, I started seeing reviews and comments about the book in various publications, blogs and websites that I frequent. At first, the reviews looked to be pretty negative (See CT’s Out of UR blog). They seemed to center around charges of misrepresenting the Christian concept of the Trinity, or one or more of the Persons in the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). There were some other criticisms that the book is anti-church, or is part of the “emergent” movement.

I love novels. I have been reading them since I was a kid. I love all kinds of fiction. I think this is because I love a good story, with a plot, good characters and tension, mystery, drama and conflict. My favorite novelists are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Lawhead. It doesn’t get any better than these.

So, how does The Shack stack up to these greats? Well, it’s not going to be a classic (Sorry Eugene Petersen). Yet, the story did draw me in, and held my interest. Along the way I felt the elements I like in a novel… tension, conflict, drama, resolution. I met interesting characters and felt like I was getting to know a real person. Overall, I’d have to say it was a pretty good read which I enjoyed reading and would recommend to any lover of fiction.

Notice, I said… fiction. This book is not a theological treatise. It is not an apologetic for a particular brand or movement of Christianity any more than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, or The Hobbit is. It is simply a modern day parable… not an alegory as some have suggested. I believe it reveals the authors process of healing in the form of a story. Along the way, we are challenged to rethink or reexamine some of our concepts of God and his relationship to us as humans. That’s all it is, and it is good to have our concepts challenged from time to time.

Added on AUG 24, 2008: My father sent me this link to a blog post and review of this book by Diane Eble. It includes an audio interview with the author William “Paul Young,” that I found to be quite revealing and enlightening regarding the context for his writing this book. Thanks, Dad!

Still Submergent After All These Years

Posted on July 13, 2008 by rbirkey

$Why We\'re Not Emergent - Book Cover$ Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be is a recent book by Kevin Deyoung & Ted Kluck, published by Moody Publishers of Chicago. The authors explore and define the “Emergent” movement within Christianity, and call it to balance and biblical authority.

It is well written. I found it to be an engaging mix of serious theological thinking and discussions combined with humorous stories, experiences, reflections and personal musings. In fact, it’s like an “emergent conversation” without the typical “emergent” excesses.

To any younger (say in their 30′s or younger) Christian raised in the evangelical tradition and also in the predominant post-modern culture, who finds themselves drawn to the “emergent” church, it’s celebrities (Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and others), it’s theology (or lack thereof), and its values (social justice, mercy, justice, service), I highly recommend this book. You need to hear the call in this book to biblical balance and wrestle with where you will stand.

I am personally sympathetic to much of what the emergent church is saying, especially in terms of our “orthopraxy” (right living). We evangelicals have focused strongly on “Orthodoxy” (right beliefs), and in this mostly left-brain process we have almost ignored the call of Jesus to become disciples. We have also ignored the mostly right-brain realm of the Holy Spirit. Following Christ is not just about saying a prayer and being all set for heaven because you verbally assented to a certain set of propositions. It is also a call to sacrifice, service, community and a life transformed. It is about learning to live under the control of and within the power of the Holy Spirit. It is all about becoming more and more like Christ.

Ravi Zacharias has said that the toughest question he gets asked is:

“Why, if Christianity is true and claims to change lives, do we see so little evidence of that transformation in the lives of Christians?”

How do you defend against that? This is the existential indictment that the ‘emergents” are pointing their finger at. There is the lack of real difference in the lives of most of us Christians and our almost full-scale adoption of the culture around us. We don’t look that much different. Why should someone follow Christ if that is the case? We don’t even seem to care, or to even notice we have a problem. Our churches are full of lukewarmness and lack the powerful life changing work of the Spirit.

This is where the emergent church has got it right. Sadly, many of their spokespersons do not want to be nailed down on what they will base their alternatives on. Their truth seems to be very relative. The movement cannot last if this is the case. It will become a passing fad. Any true insights and indictments there may be in the emergent movement are doomed if they cannot rest it upon God’s Truth.

I think the book’s Epilogue is especially good: “Listening to all the churches of Revelation.” In it, the authors call the emergent church (and all believers) to assess where we are in light of what the Spirit had to say to the seven churches. The cultural, philosophical, social and spiritual parallels are amazing. I think they really nailed it in their assessment of where we are as the western church, at the beginning of the 21st century. It begs the personal question: Am I ready to confess my sins of lukewarmness, tolerance of sin, loss of my first love, numbness to the lost around me, and my focus on the material world? Am I ready to hear Jesus say, “But I have this against you?” Will I let Jesus come in and clean house – I mean really clean it?

Chapter Titles:

Intro: Still Submergent After All These Years (Kevin)
Intro: Maybe (Ted)
1 – Journey: Are the Pilgrims Still Making Progress? (Kevin)
2 – Rebel Without A Cause: What Is Worth Submitting to? (Ted)
3 – Bible: Why I Love the Person and Propositions of Jesus (Kevin)
4 – Thank You for Smoking: On Dialogue, Futurism and Hell (Ted)
5 – Doctrine: The Drama is in the Dogma (Kevin)
6 – A Funeral for a Friend: On Churches, Story, and Propositional Language (Ted)
7 – Modernism: The Boogeyman Cometh (Kevin)
8 – Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Dialouging for the Sake of Dialogue (Ted)
9 – Jesus: Bringer of Peace, Bearer of Wrath (Kevin)
10 – Real Topeka People: In Search of Community (Ted)
11 – Why I Don’t Want a Cool Pastor (Ted)
Epilogue: Listening to All the Churches of Revelation (Kevin)

Hilarious “Pagan Christianity?” Spoof Video

Posted on April 7, 2008 by rbirkey

This satirical video makes light of the many negative and condemning reviews of the book “Pagan Christianity?” (authors: Frank Viola and George Barna, Publisher: Tyndale) by reactionary people who have not even taken the time to read it!

I think the sad part is that many of us in the evangelical world are perceived to be reactionaries – and justly so – for extreme examples like this. It really irritates me and gives us all a bad name.

Weep and Enjoy!