Father. Hell. Atonement. Discipleship. Let's be honest, these words haven't been winning any popularity contests lately. In fact, they have become strangely embattled in today's conversations about faith--variously ignored, overused, or flat-out misunderstood. Besides, hasn't culture taught that "Father" is exclusive, "community" promotes conformity, and "doctrine" is intellectually naïve? In her probing new book, Marva Dawn challenges these assumptions, encouraging readers to ponder these embattled words, and indeed all words, before they dismiss them. Dawn looks at the significance of this language in the history of the Christian faith, arguing that words are events and the ways in which they are spoken can influence other's behavior. As she eloquently argues, "churches cannot flourish if the names are corrupted." Written for all Christians, this book will particularly serve pastors, who grapple with words and language-based choices every day.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Dawn, whose many books (Keeping the Sabbath Wholly) have earned her something of a cult following, believes that many Christians have either distorted or ignored crucial words in the Christian faith. Here, she reclaims a classic Christian vocabulary, offering short reflections on more than 60 words. The topics range from theological ("justification") to social ("class"). Some of Dawn's meditations are delightfully perspicacious: analyzing the punctuation in many English renditions of the Apostle's Creed, she shows that we are too quick to ignore Jesus' real suffering on the cross. "Decadence" used to mean a serious decline in morals; why, Dawn wonders, have we named our favorite chocolate desserts after depravity and dissipation? But other essays are confusing. In a strange and puzzling poem, Dawn tries to reclaim "x"—the letter used to stand in for a signature, but now it denotes a generation. Really, she says, it should point us to the cross. Dawn spends too much time riding the gender hobbyhorse. Many have spurned the word "Father" because it is patriarchal, but Dawn improbably insists that to "call God Father... does not indicate gender." The gems in this collection sparkle, but there are too many duds. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Marva Dawn (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) has authored many books, including Reaching Out without Dumbing Down; Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God; and A Royal "Waste" of Time: The Splendor of Worshipping God and Being Church for the World. She is currently a teaching fellow in spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Marva J. Dawn serves the global Church as a theologian, author, musician, and educator under Christians Equipped for Ministry and as Teaching Fellow in Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. A scholar with four master's degrees and a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and the Scriptures from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Dawn has taught for clergy and worship conferences and at seminaries throughout the world. She is also well-known and highly appreciated as a preacher and speaker for all ages and sometimes contributes to worship by means of her musical gifts. She is the author of more than fifteen books and is happy married to Myron Sandberg; they reside in Washington State.
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Meditating on significant topics,
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This review is from: Talking the Walk: Letting Christian Language Live Again (Hardcover)
Talking the Walk is a most interesting little volume and highly recommended. The chapters are short, meditation like, and yet frequently profound. There is no specific reason for the selection of the terms discussed but most are concepts that have been the focus of debate among Christians. In fact, Dawn often initiates the discussion by rehearsing opposing perspectives (e.g. liberal, conservative; modern, historical) before attempting to seek some middle ground. But her "middle" is usually cause for greater reflection. While recapturing some of the theological weight of key doctrines she attempts to view each concept in light of current developments but with a clear biblical focus. Dawn's leanings are obvious (e.g. feminism, pacifism) but not overt. The book is refreshing.
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