“A Vibrant Contrast to
the Madness of our Hypermobile Culture“

A Review of
The Wisdom of Stability:
Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture.
by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Reviewed by Chris Smith.

The Wisdom of Stability:
Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture.
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.
Paperback: Paraclete Press, 2010.
Buy Now: [ ChristianBook.com ]

Transience is a major curse of our age.  From those who are always on the move to avoid their creditors to the upwardly mobile who are always seeking greener pastures, it seems that everyone is on the move.  In our urban neighborhood, it is a fairly common practice for renters to move into a new place, paying the first month’s rent, and then forego paying the second month’s rent, and then at the end of the second month when their account is 30 days past due, the eviction process is started and the renter then has 30 days until they are evicted.  Thus, crafty renters can get three months worth of housing for the price of one month, and force themselves into a cycle of moving every three months (or more if they are able to scrape together more than a single month’s rent).  These habits have larger cultural implications; I have heard of a public school in our neighborhood that has turnover rates as high as 95% from one year to the next (i.e., only 5 % of the students who started in a grade one year were still at the school a year later).  Lest I get too critical, it occurred to me recently that I myself have, in the last 15 years (since the summer before my senior year of college), lived at a staggering twelve  addresses in four different states!  Thankfully, I have been fortunate to live in the same house for the last six years, and have no intention of moving any time soon, and am slowly learning here about the historic Christian practice of stability.

Given the great mobility of American culture, it is not surprising that stability is virtually unknown in our churches today.  In the historically Black Walltown neighborhood of Durham, North Carolina, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and the Rutba House community have been growing roots over the last decade in that place and re-learning the practice of stability.  Hartgrove has reflected on these experiences and on the Christian tradition of stability in his excellent new book, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture.  This new volume features a foreword by Kathleen Norris, who herself has reflected eloquently on stability in her most recent book Acedia and Me (which was our 2008 Book of the Year).  The book also features narrative “Front Porch” reflections interspersed between the chapters, in which Wilson-Hartgrove captures vignettes from his own life that cut to the heart of the “craft” of stability.

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“What Can We Say About Nature?”

A Review of
Two New and Very Different Nature Books.

Reviewed by Brent Aldrich.

Insectopedia.
Hugh Raffles.
Hardback: Pantheon, 2010.
Buy Now: [ Amazon ]

All about Birds:
A Short Illustrated History of Ornithology.
Valérie Chansigaud.
Hardback: Princeton UP, 2010.
Buy Now: [ Amazon ]

What are we to do with all of the creatures of this earth? All of that life that is not human? How do we begin to describe it? Just as significantly, how in those descriptions might we also be describing the limits of human language and a desire to understand what seems so different from us – honeybees, crickets, red-winged blackbirds? Surely this is part of what physicist Niels Bohr means when he writes that “physics concerns what we can say about nature;” for Bohr, working at a quantum level, the act of observation must be included in the experiment, and so it goes, for physics and for any object of study, that the observers have methods by which they work, and that the language about the thing in study will define the thing itself.

The act of observation, of looking, might seem to go without saying. But there are vast differences in meaning that appear between “today’s technical language of genomics” and Karl von Frisch’s “deeply personal language of bees, a remarkably affective language that imbued his subjects with purpose and intentionality” (172).

Two new books that take on the study of creatures are Insectopedia by Hugh Raffles (from which the above quote is taken) and All About Birds: A Short Illustrated History of Ornithology by Valérie Chansigaud. While one is about the study of insects, and the other about the study of birds, the approach of the two authors is telling of two different sensibilities of approaching the world; with Raffles, it is entered into thoroughly, telling stories, observing and participating in the broader culture that surrounds his insects, seeking out localized insect events, and asking questions that might not have apparent or empirical answers. Chansigaud, on the other hand, tells a very linear history, laced more with the affiliations of dead white guys than with the birds, and relying heavily on the Enlightenment mythologies of the West. While Raffles embraces an embodied and nuanced relationship to the creatures he’s writing about, Chansigaud aims for the authoritative voice of the canon to define her subject.

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“For Those Who Have Tried Church
And Found it Wanting”

A Review of
Giving Church Another Chance:
Finding New Meaning in Spiritual Practices.
by
Todd Hunter.

Reviewed by Jeff Romack.

Giving Church Another Chance:
Finding New Meaning in Spiritual Practices.
Todd Hunter.
Hardback: IVP Books, 2010.
Buy Now: [ ChristianBook.com ]

Giving Church Another Chance is a book, according to author, Todd Hunter, “for everyone who has tried church and found it wanting, but somewhere deep within they still desire a spiritual life in the way of Jesus.”  If his publisher has a solid marketing plan they could do quite well considering the size of the target market.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  Actually, they have their work cut out for them considering the number of recent books in the genre of spiritual practices and/or the genre of ‘they love Jesus but not the church.’  Still, the number of people who have tried church and found it wanting must be enormous and growing larger each week if you believe the word on the street.

Hunter has written for us a book intended to stimulate our thinking toward fresh vision for what he terms the repracticing of traditional forms associated with the church.  A worthy introduction counsels us that repracticing the familiar forms is not an end in itself but best understood as a key move in forming and empowering us for the sake of God’s purposes through us and for the world. So far so good. Hunter’s mindset is missional and his concern that people be brought to faith and discipled is clear.  He, by his own admission, is not emerging, describing the theology of the emerging church as “fuzzy” and the concern for evangelism as limited.  Hunter comes across as a generous evangelical that has landed in the Anglican Mission in the Americas (related to the Anglican Province of Rwanda), at least for this part of his journey, and wants to tell us how it works for him and how it might work, perhaps, for you and me.

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We are giving away two copies of Viral Hope, a new book edited by J.R. Woodward.

How to enter to win:

1. Announce the contest on Twitter, Facebook or your blog:
   The Englewood Review (@ERBks ) is giving away 2 copies of JR Woodward’s book VIRAL HOPE.  Enter here: http://ow.ly/1Fj4G
   
2. (IMPORTANT!) Post a comment below with your name and a link to your post for #1.   We will choose our winner from among those who have left comments.
3. You may enter one time per day for the duration of the contest.
4. We will pick a winner at random from the eligible contestants and notify them this weekend.

The contest will end at 4PM ET on Friday May 7th.

VIRAL HOPE, a new collection of mini-essays edited by J.R. Woodward and the first book published by Ecclesia Press, is a fabulous companion volume to Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s The Wisdom of Stability (see our review above).  In the Spring of 2009, Woodward invited 50 friends to write a brief blog post about what the Good News looks like in their respective places, “as if their local newspaper had asked them to write an article about it.”  These posts, which originally spanned the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost have now been published together in this new volume.  There are a few names  here that readers will recognize (e.g., Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove), and more that will be familiar to those who frequent the blogosphere, but mainly the common thread that all the authors here share is that they are members of church communities seeking to embody the good news of Jesus Christ in particular places around the globe (though the overwhleming majority of entries are from North America).   On the whole, VIRAL HOPE is lively collection of stories that remind us that following in the way of Christ is indeed good news for our neighbors as well as ourselves.  It serves as a powerful reminder that the Kingdom of God is taking root and sprouting in communities all over the globe, and in so doing the good news is spread — hence the “viral” descriptor in the book’s title.   Chris Backert’s concluding essay sums it the book beautifully in four brief points:

1. Something in the world is terribly wrong.
2. Something better is coming.
3. We get to participate in this great story of God’s restoration
4. [All of these points are] mysteriously related to what happened to Jesus between the days we call Good Friday and Easter.  (169-170)

Indeed, this is the heart of the Gospel and this wonderfully good news is taking root and flourishing in all kinds of places around the globe.  This book, I imagine, will be an encouragement to many Christ-followers in the generation to come; I recommend finding and reading it, especially if you find ourself near or beyond the point of giving up on our faith in Christ — a dose of Viral Hope will do you good, and just might ignite even more stories of this sort of locally-emboded faithfulness in your place, in my place and beyond.

An excerpt from the recent book

A Blessed Life:
Benedictine Guidelines for Those Who Long for Good Days.
Wil Derkse.
Paperback: Liturgical Press, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

In our continuing effort to fund the publication and free distribution of The Englewood Review, we are going to be collaborating more intentionally with Christian Book Distributors. Primarily, we will be offering you the opportunity to buy bargain books from CBD that we think of are interest. Buying books this way is a win / win / win proposition. You get great books for a great price, CBD gets the sale and we get an excellent referral fee from CBD.

This week’s bargain books (Click to learn more/purchase)
Four Books on Christian Community:

	The Rule of St. Benedict By St. Benedict / Dover Publications $3.99 Modestly described by its author as “a little rule for beginners,” this masterpiece of spiritual wisdom dates from the sixth century. It was originally intended as a manaual for aspiring monks, a diverse group composed of serfs, scholars, shepherds, and sons of the nobility. Benedict’s teachings have guided readers from every walk of life, encouraging with advice regarding the dignity of labor, the challenge of responsibility, and the proper use of resources
	The Spirit of Adoption: At Home in God’s Family By Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner / Westminster John Knox Press $2.99 – Save 90%!!! This is front-line work on an urgent topic, that practical kind of “how to” book on one level, and the “why to” theology work we have needed, on another. It is hard to think of any Christian who will have to read it who will not have acquired new perspectives on adoption and on God as Adopter, perspectives that we solely need and will surely welcome.
	The Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible By John David Pleins / Westminster John Knox Press $4.99 – Save 88%!!! A full-scale study of the social vision of the Hebrew Bible. Adopting a sociological and historical approach, the book analyzes biblical statements about social ethics within a framework provided by Israel’s social institutions, the social locations of its actors, and the historical struggles for power and survival.
	Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice By Jonathan R. Wilson / Baker Books $2.99 – Save 85% What exactly is it we’re called to do when we meet as God’s people? Wilson offers compelling insights on “gathered worship” as work, witness, and warfare. He examines practices of baptism, communion, and foot-washing; and shows how glorifying God together grounds us in truth and the language of faith. Invaluable reflections for leaders and laypeople. 240 pages, softcover from Brazos.

We  have recently made a slight change to our format and the reviews, excerpts, poems, etc. of our Midweek update will be posted to “pages” on the ERB website, and announced via social media.  If you’re a “first-to-know” sort of person, you can get these updates when they first come out in one of two ways:

• Our Facebook Page.
• Our Twitter Feed.

Otherwise, in our regular issue each Friday, we will recap the content of our midweek update.  For instance, this week’s update included:

• A video of Marva Dawn discussing Sabbath.
• An excerpt from Stanley Hauerwas’ new memoir.
• Free eBook: THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN from Plough Books.
• Poem: “The Library” by John Greenleaf Whittier.

The First of May
A.E. Housman

Featured in
THE COLLECTED POEMS OF A.E. HOUSMAN.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

The orchards half the way
From home to Ludlow fair
Flowered on the first of May
In Mays when I was there;
And seen from stile or turning
The plume of smoke would show
Where fires were burning
That went out long ago.

The plum broke forth in green,
The pear stood high and snowed,
My friends and I between
Would take the Ludlow road;
Dressed to the nines and drinking
And light in heart and limb,
And each chap thinking
The fair was held for him.

Between the trees in flower
New friends at fairtime tread
The way where Ludlow tower
Stands planted on the dead.
Our thoughts, a long while after,
They think, our words they say;
Theirs now’s the laughter,
The fair, the first of May.

Ay, yonder lads are yet
The fools that we were then;
For oh, the sons we get
Are still the sons of men.
The sumless tale of sorrow
Is all unrolled in vain:
May comes to-morrow
And Ludlow fair again.

A Brief Review of

Wisdom Chaser: Finding My Father At 14,000 Feet.
Nathan Foster.
Paperback:  IVP Books, 2010.
Buy now: [ ChristianBook.com ]

Reviewed by Michelle Van Loon.

My idea of an outdoor adventure is taking a leisurely stroll on a well-groomed path through a Chicagoland forest preserve, and frankly, even that’s a stretch for a life-long suburbanite like me. Our Wisconsin neighbors scornfully call us Illinois residents “flatlanders”. Mountain-climbing is not on my nature radar screen.

I’m not sure it was on author Richard Foster’s nature radar, either. But the invitation to climb one of Colorado’s 54 “fourteeners”, given him by his struggling 22-year old son Nathan offered the two men an opportunity to begin untangling their difficult relationship:

As I became a young adult, my father and I seemed to have no time or interest in getting to know each other. We had nothing in common…The strain of our unresolved arguments, and silence when words should have been spoken, had taken their toll. The distractions of life numbed my hurt, which over time hardened into apathy. The little I knew about my father I didn’t much like.

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REGISTER NOW!
Two weeks of early registration left!

Englewood Christian Church – Indianapolis
Friday June 11 and Saturday June 12

For many years now, the individualism of American culture has exerted great influence on the way we approach life, even in matters of faith. However, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, there are some churches that are regaining a sense of our calling to be communities of God’s people, who share life together in meaningful and redemptive ways. However, the forms that these churches take are often quite different. We have invited representatives from a wide variety of such churches to share stories from their life together and to lead us in a conversation about what it means to be communities of God’s people in the twenty-first century.

Read more about this conference and REGISTER here:
http://englewoodcc.com/LifeTogether/

Speakers include:

- Danielle Shroyer — Author of THE BOUNDARY-BREAKING GOD
- John Nugent — Prof. of OT, Great Lakes Christian College
- (Just Added)
Sally Schreiner Youngquist — Pastor Reba Place Fellowship Community
- Matt Tebbe — Pastor Life on the Vine Community

Workshops by:
Our main speakers, Will Samson and MORE TBA!

(More speakers TBA soon…)

Cost: (includes Breakfast and lunch on Sat.)
$50 (Standard rate)
$40 (Groups of 10 or more)

Help spread the word with the FB invite:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=373231690950

Englewood will also be hosting a conference on The Church and Agriculture on October 29-30. Confirmed speakers include: Fred Bahnson, Martin Price (founder of ECHO) and Ragan Sutterfield.

More details will be announced in the next month or two…