Enjoy The Kingdom And The Cross Formulated By James Bryan Smith Print
is a terrific little book, And when I say "little," I mean little, It ispages, plus apage smallgroup discussion guide and one page of notes, Little.
The head of the blurb on the back cover says, "Why did Jesus have to die" actually, kind of annoyingly, it's really: "Why did JESUS have to DIE"
The six chapters are geared toward helping readers understand the work of Jesus on the cross what does it mean How can we interpret it Bryan goes through several theories, including the "fishhook theory," which he describes as: "Jesus baited a hook and tempted Satan with it, and Satan took it".
Sounds strange, except if you've read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe you'll know this theory, whether you realize it or not: Aslan lets the White Witch kill him, but she doesn't realize that the "deeper magic" stipulates that in doing so, because it's an innocent giving himself willingly for the sake of another, the innocent one will rise up more powerful than before.
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Another example is Obi Wan Kenobi letting Darth Vadar win in the lightsaber fight, and, again, we see the hero gathering more power to himself in the act of surrendering.
The smallgroup discussion questions at the end actually look interesting and promising: most discussion guides are chock full of leading questions and conversation dampeners.
I have yet to find a discussion guide that really works, and even here I'm notsure it would work but the questions look as good as any I've seen.
I'd like to use this for our Bible study, which just started using another book where the discussion questions that looked OK in the abstract didn't work out very well in practice.
That book is The Episcopal Way, quite a disappointment to me and the group leader, Honestly I thought this one of the best books I've ever read, Smith's writing is well researched and respectful of the reader and truly seeks to honor God,
Smith always makes me see things that I can never believe I haven't seen before in addition to teaching me things I hadn't bothered/thought to research.
I felt like he truly answers the questions the books suggests it will answer the best anyone could, I've read too many where I feel like that isn't true,
I would highly recommend
this very quick readpages of actual text and I hope to be able go through it with a friend or my small group soon using the guide in the back.
Bottom line: Read it! A nice little book to take a discipleship group through, A beautiful Lenten experience that includes exposure to fine arts and iconography as roads to a deeper experience of ourselves with God, In six short chapters, James Bryan Smith zooms in on what Christ's work on the cross means about who God is and how we're to live as his people.
A soultraining exercise included with each chapter and a discussion guide at the end makes this complement to The Apprentice Series perfect for groups, An Apprentice and Renovar Resource, Not my favorite of Smith's works, But a nice resource for contemplation, especially leading up to Easter, I think it would be best read in the context of a community rather than solo, But I think that about most books, A short book designed to make you think and answer some hard questions, particularly questions that nonbelievers might ask and we cannot always answer, why did Christ have to die Why couldn't God find another way What does it mean Does God only love and bless the righteous
It also covered lighter questions, such as how can we use imagery to contemplate or understand God and scripture without it becoming a graven image or idol
Although biblically sound it is light on scripture with short verses to meditate on and discuss.
I'd rate at,really, not because the content is poor but because for a lenten study I would have liked it to delve deeper, Some of the topics are great and definitely more suited to group discussion which I did than lone reading, In addition to reading this during lent, I have been reading the gospels which is an awesome way to compliment the study, James Bryan Smith M. Div. , Yale University Divinity School, D, Min. , Fuller Seminary is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, KS and a writer and speaker in the area of Christian spiritual formation, He also serves as the director of the Aprentis Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University, A founding member of Richard J, Fosters spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches, Smith is also the author of A Spiritual Formation Workbook, Devotional Classics with Richard Foster, Embracing the Love of God, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven and Room of Marvels.
James Bryan Smith M. Div. , Yale University Divinity School, D, Min. , Fuller Seminary is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, KS and a writer and speaker in the area of Christian spiritual formation, He also serves as the director of the Aprentis Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University, A founding member of Richard J, Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches, Smith is also the author of A Spiritual Formation Workbook, Devotional Classics with Richard Foster, Embracing the Love of God, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven and Room of Marvels.
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