Fifth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

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The Raising of Lazarus Lectionary:  34 Reading 1 -  Ezekiel 37:12-14 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 130:1-8 Reading 2 -  Romans 8:8-11 Verse - John 11:25a, 26 Gospel -  John 11:1-45 Lazarus, come out! LESSON: The Power of God Through Those Who Believe We’re a week away from the start of Holy Week. Our Lord now has his sights set on Jerusalem, and the pace is quickening. In these next two weeks, we’re living just one part of the Gospel passage from today: an encounter with the reality of suffering and death. Jesus is asking us to have faith in him. In today’s First Reading the prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the Lord’s promise to not only to bring us back to life but to bring us home. The background of this passage is the famous "Valley of Dry Bones." The people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. They weren't just sad; they were spiritually and nationally "dead." Their common saying was: "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." They d...
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Review: Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus: How Questioning Your Religion Can Lead You to a Healthy and Holy God

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Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus: How Questioning Your Religion Can Lead You to a Healthy and Holy God Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus: How Questioning Your Religion Can Lead You to a Healthy and Holy God by Preston Ulmer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some time ago … my cousin asked me if there was anything in my faith that if he were able to prove wrong would break my faith. I took the question seriously and from that point I had a strong understanding of my own core faith. That doesn’t mean that I did not accept traditions outside of that core (of which most christian traditions reside), but that I was open to another way. That was the start of my journey to deconstruct my faith … after which I found myself in the Catholic Church after I reconstructed it. That is a long winded way to say that I can identify with what the author is saying here to some extent … I don’t agree with everything he says and would frequently say it differently (not surprising since he confesses a pentecostal viewpoint); however, he does make an excellent point.

The book is a quick read and mostly on point with minimal repetition. Part one deals with what deconstruction is and why it is good for the faith. This is important because the term deconstruction is not a common term in my faith tradition (restoration or catholic); although it is apparently more common in evangelical traditions where diversity within the pews is not well tolerated. That is not to say that people in other traditions doesn’t experience a crisis in faith … studies show that all the mainline churches are declining the in the US, but that we are using different vocabulary to talk about the same thing. Part One makes sure we are all on the same page. Part two introducing a way to use deconstruction constructively :-) this is also important. When you “blow up” your faith, something needs to fill the gap; here is a healthy approach to do that where the end result is a spirituality that is stronger and better that what you had before. Too many times I have seen people just give up entirely and walk away completely.

Introduction: Saving Deconstruction
Part One: Why Deconstruct
1. Deconstruction Is Part of Our Spiritual Heritage
2. More Questions Than Answers
3. Deconstruction vs Deconversion
4. Deconstruction Is About Authority
5. WWJD? (What Would Jesus Deconstruction?)

Part Two: How to Deconstruct - The FUSE Method
6. F - Find the Specifics
7. U - Understand Where It Came From
8. S - Share the Impact
9. E - Engage with the Remains

Conclusion: A Christianity for Our Kids

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#DeconstructFaithDiscoverJesus #NetGalley

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