By: Phil Goldsberry on February 16, 2017
Introduction James Smith has a prophetic voice that captivated me from the first page of the Preface of his book, How Not to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor. I was the church planter from Terre Haute, Indiana, small-corn town USA that moved to the New York City Metro area out of a call in 1987. …
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on February 16, 2017
In his book Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, Catholic Theologian and Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture, Dr. Vincent J. Miller argues that Consumer culture has given way to the how religion and religious practices have become commodities. The commodification of religion enables “people [to] pick and choose from the offerings of…
By: Aaron Cole on February 16, 2017
Summary: How (Not) To Be Secular Reading Charles Taylor by James K.A. Smith is a fascinating “cliff note” version of Charles Taylor’s classic: A Secular Age. In this concise book, Smith interrupts and unpacks Taylor’s ideology from key terms to consolidating Taylor’s concepts. In the preface, Smith defines Taylor’s book as a “different map”; “a…
By: Lynda Gittens on February 16, 2017
CONSUMING RELIGION – CHRISTIAN FAITH AND PRACTICE IN A CONSUMER CULTURE Don’t let the Joneses get you down was a popular song and phrase during the 70’s by the Temptations. It spoke about people trying to possess more assets than the other just to appear to be in a particular status in life. A sample…
By: Stu Cocanougher on February 16, 2017
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:1 This verse has always intrigued me. As someone who has a desire to know God, this verse is…
By: Aaron Peterson on February 16, 2017
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘love your neighbor who is no longer bothered by the “God question” as a question because they are disciples of “exclusive humanism” and who seek significance without…
By: Marc Andresen on February 16, 2017
The introductions, in and of themselves, were more than enough to stimulate reflective thinking. Charles Taylor, and James Smith as his interpreter, open to us a new way of looking at and regarding our society today, in their books (respectively) A Secular Age and How (Not) to Be Secular. Taylor gives his research question in…
By: Claire Appiah on February 16, 2017
James K. A. Smith –How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor Introduction James Smith is a Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College where he holds the distinguished Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview. He is the author of several noteworthy books. In these capacities he enlightens the church with…
By: Mary Walker on February 16, 2017
“After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but is often true.” Spock[1] In his book on Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, Vincent Miller, who teaches theology at Georgetown University, explores how religious belief and…
By: Rose Anding on February 16, 2017
TO BE… by Charles Taylor, A Secular Age Introduction Does God really exist or is it just a mere childish belief in a supernatural existence? If there truly is a God who controls nature, why do many negative things happen while he keeps watch and does nothing? The answers to these questions…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on February 15, 2017
It is no secret that capitalistic societies have influenced a consumer mentality in churches and society. I appreciated the clear summary and strong points Miller addresses to the negative effects of consumerism and the impact this is having on society and religion. Although he offered some tactics to combat consumerism in his final chapters for…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 15, 2017
“People now readily engage all of culture, including their religion, as an object for passive consumption, rather than active, tradition-bound engagement.”[1] Vincent Miller, in Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, makes a strong case for the origins of consumerism. As a Catholic scholar, Miller also provides an argument for how religion…
By: Jim Sabella on February 15, 2017
Miller, Vincent Jude. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture. New York: Continuum, 2004. Summary: We often don’t take the time to stop and notice it, but if we listen carefully, we will hear a constant song playing in the background of our everyday lives. Someone said it like this, “we are…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on February 11, 2017
An Odyssey of Epic Proportion The term odyssey is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a voyage or series of experiences that give knowledge and understanding through many changes of fortune. To me, LPG5 has been a true odyssey marked by amazing global experiences, an exponential increase in knowledge through diverse exposure to powerful texts,…
By: Pablo Morales on February 10, 2017
In his first book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll lamented on the lack of cultivation of the mind that characterized much of evangelicalism. In his sequel, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, the author provides a theological framework that is meant to serve Christians in their intellectual pursuits. SUMMARY Using…
By: Jason Kennedy on February 10, 2017
One of my favorite family vacations every year is not on an island or a lake. No, my bliss is found in the mountains. Every year we load up our kids and go to Utah or Colorado for a bit of skiing. My oldest daughter, Clara, is a great little skier. In her young age…
By: Chip Stapleton on February 10, 2017
One of my favorite stories about John Calvin was relayed to me by one of my seminary professors during a class on Calvin and his writings. We were discussing Calvin’s views on the Eucharist and Dr. Achtemeier told us that Calvin was adamant that the Eucharist should be celebrated weekly during worship – but the…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on February 9, 2017
“Thus, the market system seems to have grown up after the Fall rather than having been inherent in God’s original design. As such, it can never lead to salvation. It will not, left to its own devices, usher us back to the goodness of the Garden.” [1] One thing is clear, capitalism is not a…
By: Kristin Hamilton on February 9, 2017
It seems safe to say that the Reformers were not big on balance and personal boundaries. In fact, the way Weber describes Calvin and Luther in his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, shows me these two theologians can be held responsible for the crippling fear I will not make enough money,…
By: Kevin Norwood on February 9, 2017
Most famous theologians have a book that they have written concerning Christology. What is Christology? Christology is Christian reflection, teaching, and doctrine concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Christology is the part of theology that is concerned with the nature and work of Jesus, including such matters as the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and his human and divine natures and their relationship.[1] Mark A Noll’s Christology…
