Wow. A professor had us read an entire book in less than two days (not just a small paper back, but a 193 page book). Skimming though was allowed. Anyway I didn't really like not being able to process it as I went, so I went back over the book and looked at what I had underlined and starred. For every starred comment I folded a page, and for every multiple starred comment I made a big fold on the page. Looking over the binding of the book there are many folded pages implying I did get some things out of my cursory read of the book.
The book, The New Faces of Christianity by Jenkins, is a book looking at, and at times, comparing the "global south" to the "global north." Below are some of my "big fold" quotes from the book:1) "'...Western theologians, liberal and conservative, have been addressing the faith to an age of doubt and secularity, and to the competing salvific claims of secular ideologies.' Global South Christians, in contrast, do not live in an age of doubt, but must instead deal with competing claims to faith." (page 5)
--> I have to wonder about this myself. How much do I have to deal with claims that compete with my faith? Many times in western culture, pluralism is accepted saying that anything I believe is okay (including that eating cheese will get me to heaven) as long as I don't force this frame of thinking on anyone else. This makes me sad that I sometimes feel complacent in my faith because I am not challenging the pluralism that I see. I say I don't willingly participate in it, but isn't silence omission and surrendering without a fight like concession?
2) [looking especially at Africa's pagan religions] "Pagan and primal religions teach the existence of spiritual menaces facing society, but they also provide means to combat those dangers. A crucial flaw of early white missionary activity in Africa and Asia was that it forbade these solutions, whether amulets, fetishes, spells, charms, or ceremonies, since all were conspicuous symbols of pagan practice. At the same time, though, missionaries rarely offered plausible spiritual resources to combat what were still universally seen as pressing menaces." (page 103)
--> Goodness, I agree with this. I never really thought about it before, but how does this translate to our culture as we also work with youth? What are we equipping youth with in the churches to combat the temptations, habits, and influence of things such as sexuality, that students face every day? We often lay out the rules saying that when you are a Christian you act like this.... or you don't do this..... But how are we equipping students to deal with the things they see, hear, and feel? Is the church getting into the messiness of kids' lives? Are we doing discipleship where we get into life with one another as people struggle with self image issues and addictions (physical, emotional, and sensitory)? Why are we afraid, or better yet, WHY AM I afraid to deal with these issues and combat them as real forces? They are real. We, including myself, deal with them on a daily basis. Lord, you know that I do not have the answers and do not discount the struggles I have and see. Please Lord bring your peace and conviction.
The last quote that really summed up what I got from the book was:
3) "Perhaps most important, the experience of the emerging churches must make us rethink the role of the Old Testament." (page 189)
--> Lord how true this is because of the hardship and social issues that face the "global south" today seem to, at times, directly correlate with what happened in the Old Testament. Sometimes the Western church can have New Testament answers for everything, but what does your WHOLE word have to offer? This book by Jenkins also mentioned books of the Bible, from the old and new that seem to resonate with people currently following other incomplete walks of faith. Your WHOLE word is useful for rebuking foreign ways, teaching THE WAY, and admonishing your followers (as the verse seems to say).
Overall Lord thank you for having me read this book. I wasn't very excited about the time line, but your truth has no time line. It always was, and will always be.
Thank you for my busy days and my days of blessing. Please forgive me if at times I am not slow to speak but instead say too much. Please forgive me for that. You are the Lord of the Lord, the King of Kings, and the Prince of Peace. Thank you for all you promise.
In your holy name, Amen
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