Customer Reviews

A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings on Art, Science, and Life

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I received this book about a week ago after I managed to make the cutoff for a group that had been asked to review it. I am so glad that I responded to the invitation! A Faith and Culture Devotional isn't just another devotional style reading; I found this out within the first few minutes of scanning through and browsing the book. I've read (and continue to read) devotional compilations as a regular part of my spiritual disciplines; these compilations, in my experience, have taken many different forms and styles. The work that has been completed by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington with the Faith and Culture Devotional follows a very unique approach as they endeavor to help the reader "find God" in the everyday existence that is our spiritual journey through life.

Allow me to share a few specifics; the devotional is bundled in a collection of readings spanning fifteen weeks. The subject and context of the readings are gathered from art, science, life, history, and theology to name just a few, as the subtitle implies. As diverse as the topics and subject matter are, the contributing authors are equally so. The readings are short, probably taking no longer than 5 minutes for even the most deliberate of readers. At the end of each reading follow a few reflective discussion points that serve equally well for the individual or a group.

In conclusion, I would like to share a personal experience and one of the reasons I rate this devotional volume so high. As I mentioned, I am a "devotee" and advocate for devotional writings. I am also a husband and father who believes in regular "family" devotional exercises (Bible reading and discussion, as well as supplemental devotional readings). Currently living at home, are two sons (ages 17 and 13) who have been exposed to countless devotionals (ancient-classic to contemporary) and multiple versions and English translations of the Bible. It has been difficult for me to keep it "fresh" through the years...especially on those "groggy-eyed mornings." Because I was so personally stricken with the Faith and Culture Devotional and we had recently finished our latest devotional reading, I decided to share these contemporary writings with the family. The first morning's reading, A Christian Theory of Everything by Sam Storms, awakened more discussion in my family than anything I had shared over the past year. Sam Storm mentioned a theory from physics known as the string theory and immediately my tired-eyed son's attention was captured. He sat bolt upright and listened with interest to the remainder of the reading. Once the reading was completed, we shared in family conversation for the next 20-25 minutes talking about how God is glorified in every, and all, aspects of life. It was a good conversation and the first of many that I'm sure we will have as we make our way through these daily readings on art, science, and life.

Wow. Did you ever wonder what Picasso really thought about his own artistic abilities? How God, who created reality, sees reality? If there is implicit evidence for the Big Bang in the Bible? What makes U2 concerts unforgettable? About the source of the astonishing complexity of a single cell and its DNA? How (or if) a close community enhances health? What really motivated Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin? These are a very slim sampling of the topics explored in A Faith and Cultural Devotional.

You won't believe the scope and reach of this book. And the range of voices (from scientists, authors, philosophers, thinkers, artists) chiming in from their offices, classrooms, studios, and laboratories! It reads to me like a symphony of intellects, all pitched for and pointed to One Thing: the unfathomable variety and glory of God and his relentless love for us.

This book is good medicine for minds and hearts overstimulated and numbed by our warp-speed culture. It is truly wonder full.

I'd never seen a devotional like this before, and you probably haven't either. A Faith And Culture Devotional: Daily Readings on Art, Science, and Life, compiled by Veritas Forum founder Kelly Monroe Kullberg and author and educator Lael Arrington, doesn't follow the usual time-honored devotional formula of Bible verse(s), brief inspiring story and/or application, prayer for the day. In fact, I'm not quite sure "devotional" is the right category for this wonderful book. It is a digest of provocative bite-sized essays from respected Christian voices from across our culture's spectrum. Bible and Theology, History, Philosophy, Science, Literature, Arts and Contemporary Culture are each represented in the 15 weeks of daily readings. Contributors include Frederica Matthewes-Green, R.C. Sproul, J.P. Moreland, John Eldredge, Francis Collins, Philip Yancey, and Terry Glaspey. Though all are orthodox in their basic theology, they are not all from the same theological or ideological camp.

That's the strength of this volume. Though there are devotional elements to it, this volume is more about allowing ourselves to enter into interior dialogue with important ideas. It is intended to help readers live faithfully as learners, and seamlessly weave what we're learning into the whole cloth of our lives.

Each day's 500-800 word essay is followed by a set of reflection/discussion questions designed to take the day's reading and make it sticky. For instance, on day seven of week one's readings, the day of the week devoted to contemporary culture issues, Erwin McManus writes about a discussion he had with a group of Muslims about Christianity. In summarizing his surprising conversation with the group, he says, "Religion exists not because God loves too little but because we need love so much." The three reflection and discussion questions following his essay are the kind of great, open-ended asks that invite probing thought.

Recommended. Big time.

My next book Zondervan gave me the opportunity to pre-screen is A Faith and Culture Devotional. BY Kelly Kullberg and Lael Arrington. It came out Dec. 1.

It is a compilation of very brief devotional readings focused on the following topics: Theology, History, Philosophy, Science, Literature, Arts and Contemporary Culture. One article on each topic for 15 weeks worth of reading. This makes the book quite large for a devotional (considering many are 30-60 days as opposed to over 100). I appreciated the length and organization of the devotional as much as any aspect. This was very well done.

The articles are composed almost exclusively by experts in any given field. There is the occaional pastor/grad student article, but they are few and far between. The reader can be assured that they are reading scholarly accurate presentations. Another plus.

How were the devotionals? Short. Very short, two pages max. Another plus. Out of roughly 100 devotionals, I would say about 10 were phenomenal, life changing perspectives. 20 were quite good. 50 were mediochre. and the last 20 were basically terrible. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these devotions were simply not unique. I came to the book expecting it to be like nothing I've ever read. In fact, it was basically a right-wing conservative evangelical diatribe on how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the arts demonstrate humankind's falleness.

Who is it for? College students, advanced high schoolers, and those who have never heard about how faith and culture interact, or who have never read some of the ancient voices in the church. It is very good for a basic overview of faith and culture. It is not good for a fresh, unique, perspective.

The good: Short devotionals, some excellent ones, very cool demonstrations of how great God is, a variety of authors (though kullberg seems to show up an awful lot). Excellent introduction. Awesome questions for reflection at the end of each chapter (best part of the book imo). Good structure. Great price for what you get.

The bad: not unique, attempts to show how faith and culture interact, but only gives a conservative perspective. Often times the devotionals are just attacks against liberal perspectives on evolution, philosophy, or theology. Not necessarily christo-centric.

I agreed to read and blog about A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings on Art, Science, and Life, by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington, so Zondervan was kind enough to send me an advanced copy of it. I had hoped it would be the thinking person's devotional, one that would spark new thoughts or perspectives, and from which I could really learn. I think it did that, although to a lesser degree than I wanted it to.

The devotional is broken up into fifteen weeks, and then each week has seven devotions on the topics of Bible and theology, history, philosophy, science, literature, arts, and contemporary culture. The purpose of the devotional is to reveal God in all subjects, all areas, every part of life. The contributors are scientists like Michael Behe and writers like Chuck Colson and Philip Yancey, and cover topics from creation to God in Picasso's art to Shakespeare to U2. The scientific accuracy of the Bethlehem star is addressed, as well as the reasons why the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were canonized and the Gnostic gospels of Thomas and others are heresy. It disproves evolution through the study of mutations caused by malaria, as well as Bono and U2's Christian roots. Its range is very broad and the contributors are well-suited to write their chosen topics.

I feel that this devotional is a good supplement to (but should not replace) your Bible study, as any scripture in this book is incidental rather than the focus of any devotions. The Bible is defended, appluaded, supported, and authenticated, but God's fingerprints in the world rather than the Word itself is the focus of A Faith and Culture Devotional. That being said, I definitely recommend it as a way to see and worship and learn about God in every aspect of life.

It's hard to decide which of the great 5-star reviews I identify with the most, but the phrase "stretch and challenge" comes close. Am trying not to race through too quickly, as there's so much to chew on, to delight in, and to share with others....one reviewer mentioned the "conversation with Muslims" piece--one of my favorites so far...Erwin McManus - p 38-39 "There is only one reason for God to come himself, because in issues of love, you just can't have someone else stand in for you..." What a great analogy he has given in this conversation with a Muslim. I'm recommending this book, and giving it, to many!

Everywhere we turn today - whether it be on the news, in the paper, or within a circle of friends - the topics of faith and culture are prevalent. Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington have scripted a devotional that allows, on a daily basis, for us to take a closer look at how faith is (and has been) a part of "Bible and Theology", "History", "Philosophy", "Science", "Literature", "Arts", and "Contemporary Culture" . They have brought together the thoughts, expertise, and writings of leaders in each of these areas to further equip and stretch us. Each day concludes with thoughts for reflection and discussion, further contributing to its utility not only for personal study and reflection, but as an ideal tool for small groups.

I recently finished A Faith and Cultural Devotional and put it down feeling rather non-plused. I went in with the hopes of having an intelligent and thought provoking collection of essays focused on the different topics represented (art, science, and life) with applications to Christian faith and spirituality.

While the volume achieves this to some level, I found myself wishing there had been more coherence in the essays. It felt more like a 'sampler' than a devotional (a number of the essays were not written for this volume but were pulled from other published works). I did not feel like the devotional moved in any particular direction or offered any consistent level of quality in its offerings.

I liked that the book offered a range of thinkers - some I was excited to read and others less so, along with some I had never heard of. However, I felt like there could have been more editorial oversight in the selection and placement of the different pieces. Some clearly read as a devotional, while others felt like a article written about a scientific topic on a popular level. Overall, I would have liked more coherence and more direction and will not strongly recommend this volume as a whole to others.

A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings on Art, Science, and LifeI give this book my highest recommendation. I hesitate to call this book a devotional. It is much more than that. I initially bought it for my father-in-law in an effort to show him we don't have to shelve our brains to be a follower of Christ. As I read it myself and saw how challenged and encouraged I was I bought one for my wife, my pastor, my worship leader and I am buying 9 more for the men's discipleship group I lead. What an interesting concept that a Christian can be educated, balanced and have an intelligent, fact based and defensible faith. I challenge anyone to read a couple of the daily readings and they will be hooked.

I've been reading these daily devotionals slowly and have appreciated what I've read so far. They're different from what I'm used to in a daily devo and I like the change.