Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great family devo for post-modern and contemporary discussions, November 26, 2008
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For life-long learners, December 13, 2008
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonder Full, December 8, 2008
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.
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