Customer Reviews

The Voice of Acts: The Dust Off Their Feet: Lessons from the First Church

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second project by "The Voice" Scripture Project. [..]

I really like the layout of this book even better then The Last Eyewitness. It reminds me of a dramatic reading of the Bible that my dad has on CD. They have the "characters" clearly marked in the passages versus when the narrator/author (Luke) is speaking. This gives a great flow to the idea of this being a story that you would read as if you were reading something from your past history in a historical book (hmm...isn't that an interesting concept for the Bible...). Brian McLaren does a great job of interpreting the scripture to make this great feel of the narrative. Chris Seay's "commentary" on passages is very insightful. Even with in the first chapter of Acts, both of them really brought to the forefront the importance of the working of the Spirit at that moment of Jesus going back to heaven. It really brought to life for me the importance of the Spirit in the life of the church and in the lives of followers of God through Jesus. Even before the Spirit was given in chapter 2, the disciples relied on the leading of God in their lives (which gave great need for thought and prayer--look at the example we have in Acts of them "drawing straws).

After this rewriting and passage commentary by Seay and McLaren, Section 2 contains some articles on historical and background information on the book of Acts by Robert Creech, Greg Garrett, Tim Keel, Chuck Smith, Jr., Andrew Jones, and David Capes. This gives even more background information from outside the reading of Scripture (which I think gives a more complete view for the reader of the context of what is going on in Acts).

Then in Section 3, Creech, Evan Lauer, and Jones, look at taking this first century examples and story and discussing steps forward for the church in the 21st century as one walks away from the stories of Acts. This is a very insightful section and a great tool and resource to continue the conversation after this reading is done. Really this section helps with the processing of the information as you continue on. One of the great ideas is looking at the idea of Chapter 29...basically how the story continue on and how do we move away from the stories here and continue the story in our time in our culture. Within this section as well they give a real life case study of a church walking away from the story of Acts and the story of the growth of this community.

I gave rave reviews for The Last Eyewitness but I have to say that this is even a better resource. The flow of the narrative telling of the Acts story is wonderful. It really was brought to life for me and had me turning the page one right after the other...it was hard to put down. The commentaries within the passages are insightful but even more then that help to shape the readings even more. They compliment the stories well. I personally feel this is a great resource because there are some tools that help you to continue the conversation even after reading this. They lead you to continue to think about the writings and stories in Acts and bring in the idea of looking at the background of the stories and bringing it into our conversation here in the 21st century. I would say this is a great read for anyone looking to dive into scripture. I would give this to a person who has read the Bible 100 times or someone who has never read the Bible. The resource sections are great for people in any walk of life but also helpful for people heavily involved in ministry (whether full time or in leadership or whatever). There is a great flow to this book that I really enjoyed and making the Scriptures come to life but yet also giving you something to think about as you walk away. I would HIGHLY recommend this resource!!!!

Wow! I am a big fan of this series. I really liked the first book in this series, The Last Eyewitness: The Final Week (Voice). I absolutely love this book. Brian McLaren's masterful translation of Acts is beautiful and poignant. I actually teared up as Stephen was being stoned and asked God to forgive his killers. In addition, Chris Seay adds insightful commentary throughout the text. The second section incudes several chapters by theologians and practicioners that give historical and cultural context to the scripture and even suggest how we as the church might find new life and direction in this powerful section of God's Word. Seriously, get this book.

This is a helpful resource that offers both reading enjoyment and an in-depth study of the book of Acts. It was crafted by scholars and artists to be accessible to people of every level of intellectual and spiritual development. Many thanks to the Papa Bear of Emergent, Brian McLaren, for his work on the translation, and to Chris Seay for editing such a powerful volume. Job well done.

- S.

With the list of names associated with this text, it's greatness seemed to be a no-brainer. But it wasn't so. The Dust Off Their Feet provides a poor retelling of Acts from Brian McLaren, who is usually a wonderful storyteller. It then goes on to provide some sub-par essays from usually great thinkers. These essays are great for people new to Biblical interpretation and hermeneutics, and that's about it. I was very let down and had hoped for much more than what I read.

I'm not sure what the other commentator was talking about, but the book has realized its potential. After all it is a eminently readable translation of one of the most important books of the Bible, a great book by any one's reckoning. Furthermore, the commentary is inspiring and the essays provide a way to apply and understand today what Acts was about.

I really loved reading this book. It let me see Acts in a new (but not untruthful) and different way. I still went to my NIV Bible to read Acts as well, and this book matched so well. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't read it.

Great product for you to read with another person. I really like how it breaks down Acts, in a simple, easy to read, enagaging manner. I am currently reading it with my wife.

Brian McLaren, Chris Seay and a team of eight pastors, scholars, and theologians share in this relevant, contemporary, retelling of the story of the original emerging church. "The Dust Off Their Feet" is that story from the book of Acts, as retold by Brian McLaren.

In an effort to effectively reach the new believers of today's generation this team of writers recapture the meaning and experience of the scriptures through the use of a narrative communication approach. Brian McLaren's brilliant retelling of Luke's narrative and the commentary and background material, ably written, by Chris Seay, bring to life a "young and powerful church, centered in the gospel."

The book is divided into three sections, the retelling of the book of Acts, insightful articles that help in understanding the evolving church of the first century, and finally articles that reflect ways in which the Holy Spirit is trying to shape the evolving of today's emergent church.

Poignant and moving, the narrative becomes a dynamic resource for pure reading enjoyment as well as for an insightful study of the book of Acts. I, also, found that the book to be ideal for reading aloud, alone, or in a family devotional setting. This approach added another dimension and created an experiential impact.

Packed with new insights and challenges this is a book for today's generation of new Christians, and for their pastors and lay leaders in the church. Contemporary writing. Powerful in promise. A deeply moving reading experience.

First of all, great cover. The image asks a lot of questions. Who is it? Does it represent the church? Why isn't the dust shaken off of the feet like the title? Maybe today's church needs to learn more from the first church to do so....anyway, great cover and title. I read the first book in this series, The Last Eyewitness, and loved it. I'd have to say that I enjoyed this book but not as much as the first. I've only been able to guess why. Maybe because it sounded like a different voice was sharing the story...duh, that makes sense. So, it's not like a grandfather telling a story by the fire. The format seemed a little different to me but that's mere aesthetics. I think intertwining section 2 into the retelling of acts would have helped me absorb more. But section 3 was great at the end. Discussing the application of the experience of the first church to today's church was very exciting at the end of the book. This book is worth the read and a good addition to the series. I guess the first book was more like hearing a family member tell you a story and the second was more like a history teacher telling you a story. Both appeal to different people and both are good. I was more attracted to the first book with the addition of artwork that wasn't stereotypical "Christian art". I'm an artist so I appreciated the dynamics of the story with visually artistic "snap shots".