Reflections of the Kingdom

Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks by Walter Brueggemann My rating: 4 of 5 stars Book : **** Performance : *** A Tilt Against Exceptionalism Using the Jewish experience of Babylonian exile and destruction of the Temple, the author examines the Hebrew Scripture to help us understood how the problems of Jewish Chosenness intersects with American Exceptionalism … where both lead to a destructive nationalism that is unable to see the reality of their vulnerability (highlighted by US response to the 911 attack on NYC). Brueggemann begins by pulling from Psalms and the Prophets examples of the Jewish world view as God’s chosen people and compares this with the modern American culture of exceptionalism that seems to be its spiritual heir where both give rise to the hubris of elites that denied their vulnerability and fostered an increasing injustice to those on the margins as those same elites began to feel safe ignoring their plight. The au...

Christian Love by Bernard V. Brady My rating: 4 of 5 stars Book : ***** Performance : *** The Evolution of Christian Love "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13) This is a review on how the understanding of the Command to Love as a Christian vocation has evolved since the founding of the faith centuries past. The other begins with how love is portrayed in the Hebrew scriptures (aka Old Testament), focusing on the aspects of ahab (broadly between persons) and hesed (compassion and mercy). Examples are taken from Ruth, Tobit and Song of Solomon among others. Dr Brady follows that up with another two (2) part chapter on Agape (Greek) and Caritas (Latin) in the New Testament (the latter coming from a Latin translation of the Greek). From there, we start to consider the various theologians and philosophers who were the thought leaders of their time, such as St Augustine (another two part ch...

Word: An 11-Session Study of Matthew by Sarah Howley My rating: 3 of 5 stars This short, 65 page Study Guide is part of the four (4) book “The Son reveals the Father” series (One for each Gospel) whose stated goal is to "uncover the nature of God through the nature of Jesus” revealed to us in the Gospel and prefigured in the “Old Testament.” It begins with some general guidelines for group and individual that make it clear that each session is designed to help you begin your study and is not scripted or overly biased to a particular conclusion. Each session starts with an Introduction that tries to weave in a contemporary context before reading the specified chapters for that session. Afterward there are a series of questions to help kick off the discussion/meditation before looking at links from the Old Testament and finishing with a quick section to encourage thinking about [discussing] how to apply the lesson in today’s world. There is very l...

Consider the Ostrich: Unlocking the Book of Job and the Blessing of Suffering by Scott Douglas My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a study of the Book of Job, considered by the author and many scholars to be the oldest [intact] book of the Tanakh/OT (the debate on this doesn’t appear to be nearly as settled as stated by the author, with most scholars place it in the 7th century with the final version circa 4th century BCE). The timing really doesn’t have much impact on the author’s exegesis; however, it does provide an interesting take on the creation story that seems less formed that what we have in the final redacted version in Genesis. The Book of Job is primarily interested in answering the question of "why God allows believers to suffer.” Before diving into the book, the author provides a brief introduction to Job and his friends who drive much of the Socratic dialog that explores this theme. Then we get to the prologue of the book that se...

The Ave Treasury of Catholic Prayers by Ave Maria Press My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was not raised within the rich Catholic tradition that would eventually play an important role in my conversion after Vatican II. Part of that tradition is the vast collection of prayer that have stood the test of time for nearly any occasion, situation or need … and which sadly seem to frequently be left on the shelf more often than not. As I continue to explore my new faith, this collection of 150 prayers that represents both liturgical/community prayer and less formal private/solitary prayer is the most complete collection that I have encountered and has proved to be an invaluable asset for enriching my own relationship through prayer with my creator. Introduction General Prayers Daily Prayers for Speaking with God throughout the Day Prayers for the Sacrament of Reconciliation Prayers for the Holy Eucharist Prayers for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Prayers ...

The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church by Rachel L. Swarns My rating: 3 of 5 stars Let’s get this out of the way first … slavery of any kind is evil; however, the underlying theme of this books is that the Catholic Church, specifically here in the American colonies, was somehow more duplicitous in their participation in this evil institution than any others of the majority … and that assertion was not demonstrated within this book … only implied. The 272 are the slaves that were sold in 1838 by Georgetown University, a Jesuit learning institution that had poorly administered its finances to the point of near bankruptcy. That sale enabled to University to survive and eventually thrive to become the elite American college it is today. It is the contention of the author that this success is the foundation of the American Catholic Church today … a statement that is only marginally supported by the following...

Beyond the Greek New Testament: Advanced Readings for Students of Biblical Studies by Max Botner My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book/reader is specifically targeting students of biblical and religious studies (which I am) with the presumption they learned Greek as part of their studies (which I have not … yet). As such, this was a bit more that I had originally had hoped for and there, unfortunately, elements of the book that I am not qualified to evaluate; however, it also appears that this work will be an important companion when my studies intersect with it. While I am more comfortable with transliterated Greek and there is a substantial amount of original Greek, there is still a lot a more casual reader can extract from it. An extended introduction provides a good review of Greek vocabulary, grammar and discourse along with recommended additional resources (such as The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek CGCG, which is cited in several places thro...