Characteristics of the Neo-Reformed Community

About three years ago, the church where my wife was working graciously decided to rent their auditorium to another church. From the outset, one of the glaring differences was that this other church was complementarian, and the church employing her was egalitarian. But her church had always held — rightly or wrongly — to an 11:00 AM start time, and the other church was willing to meet at 8:55. So the relationship began.

I should also add that both of the churches use the term “Baptist” in their name, or did until the other church underwent a name change a few weeks ago. (To make matters worse, another church sprang up in our small town which also used the same appellation, with a doctrinal perspective entirely unique from the other two.) The other church would be part of the Neo Reformed movement which, I would argue, owes much of its growth to the internet, and really took root in the mid-2000s, but also includes some churches, leaders, authors and key organizations which existed prior.

For our family — as for many readers here — the differences were quite clear, but for others in our town there was confusion between the two. The differences were many, and wasn’t the usual Calvinism vs. Arminianism discussion. (I settled that, eloquently, in this post.) It went beyond that, and often sprang from a great degree of arrogance from those in this new sect.  I realized I had never written down all the various topics that came up during dinner at our house, so earlier this week I grabbed a page in my notebook and started making a list.

I wanted to get past the superficial. Everyone knows the Neo Reformed movement has a crush on the English Standard Version (ESV) and prefers the modern hymns of The Gettys, City Alight, etc. to things from Bethel or Elevation; but those are hardly doctrinal distinctives; rather they form part of the vibe which further defines (or isolates) them from the rest of Evangelicalism.

The Neo Reformed people also have a love of words. I don’t mean individual words, like their love affair with the word “Gospel,” but rather publishing and (at the outset) blogging in general. Just look at the pile of books which are given away each year at the Together for the Gospel (T4G) conference, or the proliferation of books published by Crossway (one of their favorite publishers) and you get the idea. Or check the rate at which local church pastors re-post everything that appears on the Desiring God website.

There could be different reasons for this. I often asked people, ‘Why don’t Salvation Army leaders have blogs?’ My answer was, ‘While everyone else is writing about theology, they’re out in the streets doing theology.’ Perhaps I exaggerated. Perhaps not.

But with all that as introduction, let’s jump in to the actual meat of this discussion and look at some differences.

Chosen/election vs. free will

So first, let’s get a few of the Calvinist distinctions out of the way. There are better articles on this elsewhere, so I’ll leave that with you. Basically, the doctrine of election means that salvation outcomes for every one of us were predetermined before time. In the stronger, double predestination view, the implication is that God created some people for the purpose of destruction. Some people in the movement share that view as well.

Limited vs. unlimited atonement

Did Christ’s sacrifice cover the sin(s) of the entire world, or just the ones who ultimately become one of the chosen? This one is really significant for many and takes up two points in the TULIP acronym, so I felt it should here as well. When asked about this a few days ago, I pointed out that the question of free will is about the individual, while the nature of the atonement — see below — is more about God’s side of the equation.

Hierarchicalist vs. mutalist

This is the question of women in ministry. Can a woman be an elder or deacon? Can a woman be a pastor? Here I am using some excellent alternatives to complementarian and egalitarian which I heard recently in a series of lectures that Tyler Staton did at Bridgetown Church in Portland. (They had never had a formal policy on this and were working on solidifying their position. These are worth tracking down at YouTube; use his name plus the word ‘lecture.’) This is a good a place as any to remind you that this movement is distinct from the classic Reformed movement, or what is sometimes called the Dutch Reformed movement. As an example the CRC church where we live has a woman pastor.

Cessationist vs. Continuationist

To me cessationism seems to be a reverse-engineering of a desire to distance oneself from the charismatic spiritual gifts, especially when the point of cessation is randomly tagged as the end of the apostolic age or the finalization of the canon of scripture. For the record, if someone is sick, and prayer for healing is desired, I would think you want that prayer to be made by someone who believes that God is still in the business of healing. I really think that much of this is part of a larger issue which I would call pneumaphobia or a fear of the Holy Spirit. (Look it up!)

“The Bible Says” vs. “What is the Way of Jesus?”

There simply isn’t a chapter and verse for every subject that arises in the Christian’s journey. Some parts of our spiritual formation simply have to be ‘worked out with fear and trembling.’ And sometimes the fear and trembling isn’t even necessary, the WWJD question is sufficient. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is helpful here, the idea that  we can learn from reason, tradition, experience and scripture; but the Neo Reformed movement holds to a very literal meaning of Sola Scriptura meaning “the Word of God alone.” (Though all sides of the quadrilateral appear equal when it’s illustrated, the other three must be in agreement with scripture.)

Outward conformity vs. spiritual disciplines

In the Neo Reformed movement you’re more likely to see an emphasis in program participation and the repetition of the party line on various subjects. Holding a unique individual perspective, dressing differently, voting for a different candidate, etc. can leave one ostracized by the group. In contrast, the practice of spiritual disciplines is often unseen, the product of an inner life which is between the believer and God.

Plain reading vs. higher criticism

Making a huge generalization here, but I see the Neo Reformed community leaning towards a plain reading of scripture, but willing to engage in textual criticism where it suits an apologetic for some of their unique positions. Doing the word study, studying the context, and involving comparative passages are always helpful. In balance though, we have to remember that the problem with trying to figure out how a cat works by dissecting it is that you’ll get your answers, but the cat will be dead. Having said that, deeper textual analysis gets us where we need to be when the so-called literal reading is insufficient.

The wrath of God vs. the love of God

You’re simply more likely to encounter the God of wrath in the Neo Reformed community, but that doesn’t mean that those outside the community get a pass on sin and judgement. This isn’t your usual “God of the Old Testament versus God of the New Testament” dichotomy, but the Neo Reformed movement easily develops the picture of the wrathful God from New Testament texts, especially Romans. Which leads naturally to the next item.

Eternal security vs. holiness

I’ve chosen to tag the holiness aspect of Arminianism as eternal security’s opposite for the same reason a conservative driver, seeing a highway speed sign doesn’t bother to check their speedometer because they know they’re driving legally. In a similar way, for most the idea of losing one’s salvation just isn’t at all a personal concern. The lyric “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;” makes no sense to the person who is abiding in Christ. But while the Neo Reformed people emphasize God’s wrath, make no mistake that many outside that movement believe that you can indeed choose to walk away. (You had free will before, and you keep free will after.)

Penal substitutionary atonement vs. other atonement theories

While the cross meets our sin problem, many believe there is much more taking place on Calvary and invoke multiple atonement theories, or lean in to a particular one of a list that includes: Passover model, ransom model, scapegoat model, moral exemplar, Christus Victor model, covenants-focused model, and others. (Some of these have similarities and other names.) The Neo-Reformed movement stresses PSA over and above all others.

Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology

Honestly, this one is over my pay grade, but in Neo Reformed circles, dispensationalism is the default solution to understanding God’s dealings with us today versus his dealings with other people at other times. That said, I’m not sure that I agree with writers online who see Covenant theology as dispensationalism’s true opposite. I think another word is needed here.

Doctrinal certainty vs. the realm of mystery

Sometimes the best answer we can give people is ‘I don’t know;’ or ‘We don’t know.’ Anglicans and Roman Catholics have a better understanding of mystery than Evangelicals, but in Neo Reformed circles there is little allowance for it at all.

Defended sovereignty vs. unthreatened sovereignty of God

This came up in a discussion of “open theology” and would appear in other unusual theological takes where there would be instant outcry that such doctrines undermine the sovereignty of God. Outside of the Neo Reformed movement, there is never a worry that the idea of God’s sovereignty is not able to withstand any challenges. Even though most Evangelicals don’t agree with open theology, God’s sovereignty is a basic aspect of his nature that isn’t threatened by such propositions and as such is easily accommodated.

“Watch dogs” vs. “Guide dogs”

In the Neo Reformed movement you are more likely to see individuals or organizations gravitate to the role of what are called discernment ministries. (Even though discernment is one of the nine charismatic gifts mentioned earlier.) There is a rather enormous propensity in the movement to be calling out those with whom it disagrees, which at one time or another, includes everybody else. These attacks on other Evangelicals are usually not done in a gracious or charitable spirit. Better to be training guide dogs than raising watch dogs.

Just war vs. heavenly citizenship

I wanted to avoid the Anabaptist use of “pacifism” here, and also avoid stereotypes about gun ownership, since that is almost entirely an American phenomenon. But the Neo Reformer is more likely to engage in civic or federal causes whereas those outside the movement, while also willing to speak or serve in the public square, don’t see the urgency of so engaging. The next section is a good example.

“Seven Mountains” vs. “In…but not of the world”

This is a fairly new distinction, but in many conservative circles, as well as in the Neo Reformed movement (and there can be overlap here) the “seven mountains” phrase refers to exerting greater control over society by placing their members in key positions in governance affecting family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. While maintaining a voice in these areas is important — see previous section as well — there isn’t the same obsession with other Evangelicals.

…So there you have a rather rushed catalog of the various differences found in two different churches in the same city which, coincidentally, both had ‘Baptist’ in their names.

The Must-Read Book on our Greatest Urban Challenge

While it’s not exactly a new release, the housing crisis has been the hot topic of conversation for this decade, and Kevin Nye has emerged as one of the foremost voices on this issue. I really wanted to read this, but on the day it arrived, I knew Ruth was better qualified reflect on its content…

Review Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness by Kevin Nye (Herald Press, 2022)

by Ruth Wilkinson

My personal experience of ministry among unhoused (see note below) people is different in scale from that of Kevin Nye, but identical in many respects. In his book Grace Can Lead Us Home I recognize friends and situations, along with societal and church dynamics that for some readers will be new, or even alien.

For example, in a smaller municipality unsheltered people tend to hide away on the far end of the rocky beach, in the forest along the river, or a friend’s backyard–very different from having a Skid Row neighbourhood, a tent city, or people sleeping on subway grates. But in both settings, these people are as ‘invisible’ as passers-by choose to make them. To be fair, street ministry is not something to which we are all called. I have sat in the sand alone with a friend who I found beaten unconscious, holding his hand and waving the flies away from the blood on his face until the emergency responders could find us. That’s part of my calling. It’s not part of everyone’s, and when people with good intentions dive in over their heads, it doesn’t end well.

But books like Grace Can Lead Us Home can open the eyes–broaden the horizons–of people who are not (maybe not yet) ready to step out into this milieu and to begin the learning of hard lessons that it entails. People who are not yet ready to have their hearts broken. Not yet ready to sit on a tree stump and receive a cup of food-bank instant coffee.

Nye’s overview of the correlation between homelessness and addiction, as well as issues like gender-based violence and discrimination, race, harm reduction, and housing-first models of assistance are informative and challenging. Some readers will dismiss his observations, but in my experience they ring true.

As a pastor and member of a local Christian community, I am sometimes asked by people how they can help when they see a tent in the woods, or when one of our unhoused neighbours comes to a church service on Sunday morning. I do my best to speak into each situation, and I’m deeply glad to hear the question asked. If you are a follower of Jesus, and you have ever asked yourself “how can I help?” this book is a good starting point for understanding the complexity of homelessness and how you might be called to support the people who experience it and/or those who walk alongside them.

**The language to describe this group of very diverse people is somewhat contentious. On one hand, a local service group this past year put on a Christmas dinner for (in one man’s words) “hoboes.” Other people get very upset at hearing the phrase “the homeless,” perceiving it as a slight. My friends who are themselves unhoused use the word “homeless” to describe themselves, but some prefer to be described as “roughing it.”

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Ruth Wilkinson is a pastor in Ontario, Canada who has often found that big-city urban ministry and life in small towns isn’t all that different. Her writing appears frequently on our sister blog, Christianity 201.

Thanks to Herald Press for a review copy of Grace Can Lead us Home.

When it Seems Like God’s on ‘Silent’

A review of God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer by Pete Greig (Zondervan).

I’m still blessed with being able to request books from time to time, but with this one, I made it clear that I might not do a review. This book, on unanswered prayer, was for me; something personal I needed to read right now.

Also, it’s an older book, at least in book review terms, published way back in 2020. Almost ancient. But one author leads to another — if you allow that to take place — and so just as through John Mark Comer we were introduced to Tyler Station, so with Tyler we’ve been introduced to Pete Greig.

Pete is the founder of the 24/7 Prayer Network (24-7prayer.com) defined as, “an international, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice; a non-stop prayer meeting that has continued for every minute of this century so far, in over half the countries on Earth.” It’s based in the UK, and Tyler is the head of the U.S. branch. To talk about 24/7 would be an article in itself, but you can learn more at the link above, or you fully immerse yourself by downloading the Lectio 365 app for your phone.

But we’re getting off course here; back to the book.

God On Mute was originally written in 2007, and what I’m holding in my hand as I type this — which makes for some tricky keyboarding — is actually an updated edition.

The book operates on three levels.

First, the birth of the book is somewhat personal, as Pete’s wife Sammy has suffered with a chronic condition for decades now, which involves seizures, although she is doing better now than when the first edition was written. It’s so much more meaningful when the author can empathize with their readers.

Second, the book uses Holy Week as a motif for our journeys through the times God seems silent. Reading the chapter on Holy Saturday on the day it was actually Holy Saturday made this especially poignant for me.

Third, the book is a teaching on a subject that we all will need from time to time. I got the sense that instead of of just listing principles and steps — although the book does that in places — the author comes alongside those who are grieving the situations where God seems absent. In this book at least, I found a sympathetic voice on what can be a sensitive topic.

There’s also a substantial guided prayer section at the back which I am still reading, but it is very similar in style and pacing to what one finds on the Lectio app.

Finishing the book a few days ago, the status of my prayers is unchanged, but I feel I have a bigger picture. I also did something I’ve never done before with any book, and as I was reading I created an index inside the front cover of some anecdotes and quotations to which I might want to return.

Learn more at Zondervan.com.

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My review of Tyler’s book, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools is directly related, and to read that you may click here.

Thanks once again to Mark at HarperCollins Christian Publishing Canada for this great resource.

 

Attempting to Gain Christian Culture by Osmosis

A March 11 article in the Saturday Star (Toronto) was discussing the effect that working from home has had on the workplace, particularly among recent hires who haven’t spent a lot of time in the office or interacting with their co-workers beyond voice calls or Zoom meetings. It’s becoming a problem.

The solutions “involve newer staff coming into the office more often, but not randomly; they’re not going to just pick up the culture and work habits of a company by osmosis, especially given that more experienced staff won’t be coming as often as junior staff.”

Interesting.

I thought of the “seven reasons” I give people who’ve left physical church why they should return. Some have to do with corporate worship, corporate prayer, corporate giving, and communion, which comes from the same root word as community. There is also much being written lately about the psychology of being in a gathering coming under the oral reading of scripture and spoken teaching, as opposed to getting it from an uploaded church service, an audio stream or a podcast.

For the people who have listened my rant on this subject in person, I would need to apologize. I left something out.

The Toronto Star article reminded me that there is an entire church culture that you miss out on when you choose not to gather in person. Things that simply can’t be conveyed through a screen or a speaker. Elements of church life that are entirely experiential.

And, I must confess, you can’t entirely gain this through books, though I give full marks to the people who have delved deep into Christian literature during the past three years of lockdowns and mandates. I wish there were more of you. The Christian bookstores which closed during the past 36 Covid months wish there were more of you. However, as much as I love Christian books, they can’t impart to you the Christian culture of a local congregation; a local assembly.

…I’ve always felt that the Book of Acts could easily be renamed, “What Happened Next;” and a big part of what happened next is the Church. Local churches are not perfect, and if you need something close to a written guarantee, here it is: I promise at some point you will be hurt, let down or disappointed.

But I also promise you that if you stay away entirely you will miss out on so much that we all need right now.

 

Image: “World’s Smallest Church” in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.

The Jesus Revolution: Seeing My Story on the Screen

Because I actually wrote about the film The Jesus Revolution prior to it hitting the theaters, I was surprised when a blog reader asked me if I was going to write a response to actually seeing it.

A response? My response was emotional. Even though the film was the story of evangelist and Pastor Greg Laurie, and even though the film was the story of Pastor Chuck Smith, and even though the film was the story of hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee … it was my story they were telling on the big screen.

I’m where I am today and do what I do because of what happened in those years in Orange County, California. I even got to meet several of the people portrayed in the movie in real life in many visits to the area, and at one point was interviewed for the job of Assistant Editor of Contemporary Christian Music magazine. To say I was immersed in all this would be serious understatement.

I’ve only experienced sensory overload a few times in my life. (For comparison purposes, one was at the New Year’s Eve fireworks at Epcot in Disney World.) But in the only thing that held me back on Saturday was an abundance of respect for the other patrons at the cinema. Otherwise, I wanted to wail. Those events shaped my life. Dang! It hit me hard!

And, I am not alone. I’m hearing this deep, gut response — or hints of it, since we’re guys, right? — from other people. Powerful. Impactful.

My wife is on staff at a local church, and lately I’ve been trying to be supportive at another nearby church in our community. I went back to the former church on Sunday for a special service they were having, and the pastor spontaneously decided to open the service with a song by the group LoveSong which is titled Two Hands, which he’d heard the day before at the theater.

It’s not the first time he’s played guitar in church. Probably closer to the thousandth if you count all the churches he has ministered in. But as I reminded him after lunch, the very fact that he was able to stand in church holding a guitar — a few Catholic folk masses notwithstanding — traces back to the revolution described in the film.

In other words, it wasn’t just the time the hippies came to church, but it was the time the guitars came to church. And it wasn’t just that, but it was also the time casual dress came to church.

And it was the time revival came to church. People turned to Christ. Which is the point, after all. The Jesus Revolution — the actual events, not the film — is considered the last great outpouring in modern church history. How could I watch that play out onscreen and not be overcome by the emotion of it all.

What would I say in more of a review sense?

They captured the times well. The addition of the reporter for TIME Magazine as a tertiary character was brilliant. The people were believable. The other components that make a film more than just ‘good’ were there in the right places. I would watch the whole thing again.

Driving back, my wife pointed out that though both the Christian and mainstream music of the day was represented, Chuck Smith’s pre-revolution church wasn’t shown as having any music at all. I’m sure there was old church piano or organ hiding somewhere, but we didn’t see or hear it. (It’s like there wasn’t any music at all in those years!)

And that is also, I believe, just the point. While people underwent spiritual transformation and became Christ followers, a pivotal part of the revolution was expressed in music, just as music was a central component earlier this month at Asbury University.

That music revolution reverberates in the capital “C” Church today in the forms of Contemporary Christian Music, and in Modern Worship.

As someone who participates regularly in both, how can I not be overwhelmed with thanks to those who led the way?

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Special heartfelt thanks to the people behind faithfilms.ca for arranging for us to see the movie. Faith Films provides marketing and publicity support for Christian productions screening in Canada and is part of Graf-Martin Communications.

Tyler Staton: More Than Just Another Book on Prayer

I hear Jesus saying, “Pray with the heart of a lover and the discipline of a monk” – Praying Like Monks (p193)

If the Bible tells us anything about how to pray, it says that God much prefers the rough draft full of rants and typos to the polished, edited version. – Praying Like Monks (p21)

Review: Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton

Two years ago, when I reviewed Tyler Staton‘s first book, Searching for Enough, I commented that a book about the apostle Thomas was fitting since it is a recurring theme in Tyler’s preaching. Given the available instances online of Tyler speaking in his own church — Oaks Church Brooklyn and later Bridgetown Church Portland — and as guest speaker in various venues, that was an accurate reflection of his go-to theme.

In hindsight however, this sophomore book project, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer (Zondervan, 2022) lands the plane on a topic that is more central to Tyler’s heart and by which his current ministry is more defined.

You could deduce this partly from the fact he’s done not one, but two teaching series on prayer in this calendar year alone; one series, Teach us to Pray in January; and a second “Vision” series which began in September. (Click here for Bridgetown’s teaching page.)

But you could also discern it from a look at Tyler’s life: Even before entering his early teens, prayer became a defining part of his spiritual journey, to the point of doing early morning prayer walks around his middle school to pray for the students in his year. Those prayers bore fruit. Today, he’s National Director of the United States chapter of the 24/7 Prayer Movement, an organization founded by Pete Greig.

Full disclosure: I am a somewhat rabid fan of Tyler’s teaching. It meets my current need for sermon content that is both informative, illuminating and pastoral. I would start to read a fresh chapter convinced I must have already read it the day before, because many of the illustrations had stuck with me; a sort of situation where you’ve read the book before seeing the movie, only the other way around.

I also deeply respect him not only for the breadth of sources and influences that shaped the book, but also for the personal anecdotes where the principles taught have been brought to life through interactions with people both in and outside the church, and on both coasts of the U.S. Honestly, I could write about prayer, but it wouldn’t emerge the same as someone like Tyler Staton who is practitioner of the things described; someone who lives the lifestyle taught.

For the cynics who say that there are already too many books about prayer in a crowded Christian publishing market, I would answer, “I agree, but you need to read this one.” I’m not overly emotionally, but several times I had to rub my eyes, if you know what I mean. At the same time, there are some more lighthearted references. In a podcast, I think Tyler referred to letting people breathe after particularly heavy moments.

Some churches end the sermon time with the pastor saying, “Today, for your homework, I want you to…” At Bridgetown, the language used is “practices” and each chapter of Praying Like Monks contains action steps you can take. The ten chapters lend themselves to small group study — I’d even say take twelve weeks — and it’s good if you can listen to a few sermons online so that you’ve got Tyler’s voice in your head as you’re reading.

It’s hard for new voices to find an audience, but I really hope you’ll take my recommendation and consider this one.

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As an example of Tyler Staton’s writing style, I offer this short excerpt which I ran at Christianity 201 a few days ago.

Link to: Publisher’s book information page

 

A Worship Song I Can’t Edit!

I’ve never been a fan of long worship songs. I know what it means to ‘lose yourself’ in a worship moment, but when ‘soaking songs’ started to become in vogue, I found the ADHD in me kicking in around the 5½ minute mark.

But then there’s this one.

I think that The Same God by Elevation Worship is a worship song we need in these times. This is the lyric version which clocks in at just over 8 minutes. You’ll find other versions online which run 11½ minutes.

Like the 11th chapter of Hebrews, it offers a catalog of people and events which serve as reminders of where God met people where they are.

And honestly, I can’t think of anything much I would want to take out to shorten this to the four-to-five minutes that many — especially non-Pentecostals or non-Charismatics — prefer.

So here’s my suggestion: If you don’t know this song, take the time now to just rest with it and let it speak to you. 

He is the same God today as he has been before.

Henri Nouwen and the Acrobats: Behind the Making of the Book

In late May I received a short note from the co-author of a book I had briefly mentioned on my Christian book trade blog. The book was Flying, Falling, Catching: An Unlikely Story of Finding Freedom (HarperOne, 2022) by the late Henri Nouwen and Carolyn Whitney-Brown. Both Carolyn and I thought that the story behind the book deserved greater attention, and months later, she sent what follows, which at this point, we have exclusively. You can learn more about her writing at this link.

by Carolyn Whitney-Brown

I first met Henri Nouwen at L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill [North Toronto] in 1989 when he drove me with my husband Geoff to a local pizza place for lunch. He was a terrifyingly inattentive driver. But we had a terrific conversation that day. Geoff and I were completing our PhDs in English literature, so like Henri, we were coming from academic backgrounds looking for ways to live the gospel more concretely in a diverse community.

As Gord, a longtime L’Arche member with Down syndrome, would encourage us, “Open your heart.” We lived with Henri and Gord and many others at Daybreak until 1997, learning to think and love and laugh and pray in new ways. Those were transformative years.

Carolyn Whitney-Brown with Henri Nouwen

Henri first saw the Flying Rodleighs trapeze troupe perform in 1991, and it hit him like a thunderbolt. He described a physical response that left him shaken, excited, in tears – a response of his body, not in words. Over the next five years, he got to know the trapeze troupe and they became close friends. His times with them were relaxing, inspiring and full of fun. He talked about them constantly.

I knew from conversations with Henri at the time that he wanted to write differently; something that would read like fiction or even a novel. He wanted his circus book to be different than any of his previous books, based not on ideas or insights, but offering a story that would draw readers into an experience and invite them to draw their own significances and connnections.

But he died suddenly in 1996, and the fragments that he left behind sat in his literary archives for decades.

In 2017, because I was a writer who knew Henri well, I was invited by the publishing committee of Henri’s literary estate to have a look at his trapeze writings and see if anything inspired me.

Immediately, I was hooked by two mysteries. First, why did his encounter with the Flying Rodleighs strike him so powerfully at that moment of his life? And second, why he did he not finish his book about them?

I started to read widely in the archives, trying to figure out what else was going on in his life and spirit in those years, what had prepared him to see, as he put it, “the angels of God appearing to me in the form of five trapeze artists.”

I couldn’t write the book that Henri would have written, but in Flying, Falling, Catching, I honour his desire to write a creative book that would be as engaging as a novel. I juxtapose his writings about his friendship with the Flying Rodleighs trapeze troupe alongside other significant moments in his life. Those experiences in Henri’s own words are framed by the true story of his first heart attack and his rescue out the window of a hotel in the Netherlands in 1996.

The book is in two voices, Henri’s and mine, with two typefaces so that readers know which writings are Henri’s and which are mine.

I had a lot of fun writing it.

After completing the book, I keep thinking about pedestals. It’s easy to put Henri on a pedestal: he was wise and brave even when he was demanding and anguished. He’s often called a spiritual master. But that elevates him to a unique and lonely place, and being admired like that was not a healthy place for Henri. The trapeze act involves a different image of a pedestal, as somewhere to launch from. You’d look silly staying on a pedestal. It’s a platform to allow you to take a risk. And trapeze performers are rarely on a pedestal alone: no one can do a trapeze act by themselves.

Henri Nouwen with The Flying Rodleighs
Photo: Ron P. van den Bosch

You can actually see some hilarious film footage of Henri on the trapeze pedestal on the online recordings of two book launch events, one with commentary by Rodleigh Stevens himself, and the other with L’Arche Daybreak. In that one, I tell viewers to notice that real friends will not only accompany you on a pedestal, but they will throw you off at the right moment! You can find links to both book launch events at:

https://www.writersunion.ca/member/carolyn-whitney-brown

It struck me recently that I am now the age that Henri was when he was so entranced by the Flying Rodleighs, and interestingly, so is Rodleigh himself, since he and I are close in age. At our age, Henri let his imagination be seized by a whole new adventure. He said,

“On a deeper level, [my friendship with the Flying Rodleighs] has given me a sense my life is just beginning. I don’t know where it’s going but I’m only sixty-two so I may have another thirty years. The Rodleighs are saying to me indirectly, don’t be afraid to fly a little, don’t be afraid to take a few doubles or triples or a few layouts. If you really miss the catcher you fall into the net so what’s the big issue! After all, take a risk and trust, trust, trust.”

Henri cared passionately about building communities that honour differences, that work for justice, that seek God’s vision of peace on earth and goodwill to all. As you finish reading Flying, Falling, Catching, be open to the spiritual challenge: What seizes YOUR imagination? What excites you? What life of fun and creative energy does God imagine for each of us, not just alone, but in our communities?

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Flying Falling Catching is also available in the UK through SPCK Publishing.

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Related: At Christianity 201 — Henri Nouwen quotations

Skye Jethani Adds 3rd Title to “Serious” Series

Book Review: What if Jesus Was Serious About the Church?: A Visual Guide to Becoming the Community Jesus Intended (Moody Publishers, 2022)

Two years ago I was able to review the first book in what we now know has become a series, What if Jesus Was Serious? At the time, I mentioned that the use of “napkin doodles” therein was foreshadowed in one of Skye Jethani’s older books, With. I was unable to get a review copy of the follow-up, What if Jesus Was Serious About Prayer? but when the subject-at-hand for the third book was the modern church, I knew I wanted in, and despite the publisher’s great reluctance to grant review copies, was able to request one.

The reason I wanted to own this one in my personal collection is because this is a theme on which Skye is most outspoken when talking to Phil Vischer or interviewing guests weekly on The Holy Post Podcast. As a former pastor himself, and a former writer for over a decade with Christianity Today, Skye is able to articulate the challenges faced by the capital “C” Church worldwide, the small “c” church locally, and those whose vocational employment is church-related.

The podcast for which he is quite well known fails (in my view) in one respect, in that it is far too American-oriented. If you’re reading this review in the UK, or Australia, or Canada, and you’ve sensed that as well, you’ll be happy to know that the book casts a wider perspective beyond the U.S. I promise you’ll only roll your eyes once or twice.

So for those who need to play catch-up, as with the first two books, this one consists of short — never more than four page — chapters, each of which commences with a little drawing which might be a chart, or a diagram, or a cartoon, or a meme. It’s hard to describe them. Hence the reference to “napkin doodles.” The thing you would draw on a napkin (or blank paper place-mat) in a coffee shop when trying to explain an idea. (Again, the book With is must-reading to see how the concept evolved.)

This one has 51 such chapters, grouped in five sections; The Family Reunion, The Family Meal, The Family Gathering, The Family Business, and The Family Servants.

I immediately shared the second part with my wife. I find that I can never read enough about the Eucharist, Last Supper, or Communion Service, and our need to keep its centrality in the modern worship service. It and the third part, about the manner in which we worship are the longest two groupings in the book and include subjects that are important to the author.

Skye Jethani is so forthright and authoritative on these subjects, and I feel he is a voice that everyone in Evangelicalism needs to be hearing.

Because I tend to gush about the books I review — I choose them and don’t get books sent automatically — I do have a couple of criticisms. One is that for those who obsess over page counts, the 232 pages in this one include about 45 which are essentially blank. That’s a product of the way the book is formatted, and in balance, one needs to also consider this digest-sized paperback uses color process throughout.

The other thing was the ending. For me, there wasn’t one. The 51st article ended abruptly, which I expected given the concision that Skye employs throughout. But then I turned the page looking for a conclusion; something that would tie everything altogether, and there wasn’t one. No closing statement. Perhaps, as with the podcast for which he is known, there is a bonus chapter only available to Patreon supporters.

Those complaints aside, I encourage you to consider this. It’s fairly quick reading, and if you or someone in your family is employed in ministry, it contains a number of great conversation starters. If you simply care about where modern Evangelicalism is headed, it contains even more topics to provoke discussion.

A Compelling Case for Christianity

The book we’re highlighting today is special to me because I’ve known the author, Clarke Dixon for a decade, and had read the material when it first appeared as part of his blog, now called Thinking Through Scripture and later re-blogged on our own Christianity 201 page, where, when not on sabbatical, Clarke is our regular Thursday devotional writer. He is a pastor in Ontario, Canada.

Beautiful and Believable: The Reason for My Hope is especially directed towards those who might be sitting on the fence regarding Christianity, or doubting its core claims, or having specific objections.

From the introduction:

The picture of the diving board on the cover was taken by one of my sons where we vacation. My sons have taken the plunge from this board many times. Me, not so much. I can understand reticence. However, despite my caution, there are good reasons to dive in from this board. The water is deep. There are no sharks. Jumping in can be great fun. Or so I am told. I tend to be a skeptical person.

There are many reasons people share for being skeptical of the claims of Christianity. In this short book I would like to introduce you to some reasons that we can lay aside our doubts and fears and take the plunge into a life of faith. It is beautiful. It is believable. And it can be great fun.

This book is presented in two parts. The first part gives reasons to believe in God and trust in Jesus based on the beauty of Christianity. The water is refreshing on a hot summer day. Jumping in is a beautiful experience. Christianity, when expressed well, leads to greater beauty in one’s life, and indeed the world.

The second part gives reasons to believe in God and trust in Jesus despite the warnings of the people who say it is foolish to do so. According to the evidence, the water is deep, there are no sharks. Faith is not a blind leap, but a reasonable step.

If you are skeptical, I understand. However, I invite you to discover how Christianity is both beautiful and believable. I invite you to join me on the diving board, maybe we might even take a step . . .

The chapters are short — this is a great title to give to a guy, since some men have trouble staying on track while reading — and Beautiful and Believable is printed in a very clear, readable font.

Your local bookseller in Canada and the U.S. can order through Ingram, using ISBN 9798836457112 for the print edition, or of course, the usual (!) online source for books for both book and eBook, or from Apple Books; currently the print MSRP has been set generously low for the 142 page paperback.