I have finished the thirty-first book in my Epic 100 Book Attempt of 2011.

The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce was a very satisfying read to me. I have had a lot of questions about the canonization of Scripture for several years. I have heard several in depth explanations of the process, mainly by my husband, but I was not satisfied with those explanations. I wanted to know more, and I wanted to find out for myself. Thus, I began reading this book.

Bruce did a very good job in organizing his book. It was easy to follow, and very clearly written. While the subject matter is not a light read, it was not overly difficult either. I am by no means a scholar or historian and was only averagely acquainted with the topic, but I had no problems understanding what I was reading. On the contrary, I found it very interesting and engaging… more so the topic of the New Testament canon than the Old. I didn’t feel like Bruce belabored his points, but rather he was concise in most instances and more explanatory where needed.

When I told my husband that I had finished the book, he asked me if I had learned anything. My answer, of course, was yes. I learned a great deal in reading this book. I’m not sure my recall is such that I could adequately convey to another what I learned, as far as remembering names and time periods, etc. I would need thorough notes and study to get all of that information into my brain. However, I feel like I have a good overview of the history of Scripture, and I learned a lot about things I had never heard of before. Especially interesting to me was the subject of the books of the Bible that were questionable regarding their inclusion in the canon. I learned about books that were held in high regard by the church but were not considered to be canonical. I also learned about books that were included in the final canon after much debate over their inclusion over the years. I also enjoyed reading about all of the various ideas and opinions about the writer of Hebrews.

For anyone interested in the topic of the canon of Scripture, I recommend picking up this book. It’s pretty in depth, but not so much as to drown the average reader in literary frustration. It’s a very approachable book, and it has a respectful and thoughtful conclusion to wrap it all up.

The final paragraph of the book:

“To adapt words of Paul, the reader of scripture should say, “I will read with the Spirit and I will read with the mind also.” The inclusion of each scripture in the canon of all scripture helps one in the understanding of each scripture, but at the same time, since each scripture makes its contribution to all scripture, the understanding of all scripture is impossible without the understanding of each scripture.”

This remodeling project that we began somewhere around three months ago is finally starting to look like it might be over soon. The hardest jobs are behind us, and it’s starting to look pretty good. So far, we have new hardwood floors in the living room, kitchen, and hallway, the stairs and landing have been re-done to match, a new wrought iron stair railing has been put up, the walls and ceilings have been painted, new kitchen cabinets have been installed, and we bought new living room furniture. Right now,  Chris’ brother, Derick, is spraying a texture (similar to the texture commonly on ceilings) onto the wall beside of the stairs, and the small wall beside of the lower flight of stairs. I think this technique is called California Knockdown or Orange Peel, if any of you are familiar with that.  After that dries, he’s going to paint those walls. We have been waiting for a couple weeks since the cabinets were installed for the countertops to be made and delivered. They are scheduled to arrive and be installed Friday. Once the countertop is installed, we can put up the tile backsplash. We will also have a kitchen sink again. We’ve not had water in the kitchen for the entirety of the remodeling project. This has made cooking and the resulting cleanup a pain in the butt. So, I’m really looking forward to having my kitchen put back together. After all of that is done, the last part of this stage of remodeling is having all the trim and molding put up.

We are going to do some other things, but I envision that as a second stage of remodeling. We are going to have to let our finances catch up before we start it. Namely, we are going to install new entry doors, new french doors in the kitchen (opening to the back deck), and new doors in the hallway.

All of that to say, this has been a long, drawn out project, and I’m so thankful my house is going to be put back together soon. We are in the process of refinancing our house to pay off some debt and consolidate it all into one payment. In order to close on it, we have to have the house assessed. The guy coming to do that is coming on either Friday or Saturday, so I have to have the house clean, neat, and orderly when he is here. That means for the next two to three days, I am going to be cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. The newly remodeled area of the house is already looking good, but that leaves a lot more house to clean. Have I mentioned that I hate cleaning? Well, I do. It must be done, though. We are also having an exterminator come on Friday to do the pest inspection which we need for the refinancing. Have you noticed that Friday has popped up a lot? Let’s recap…on Friday, they are delivering and installing the countertops, the exterminator is coming, and the home assessor dude may show up then (hopefully, he will come on Saturday). Ay yi yi.

That is what we’ve had going on. Hopefully, the next time you hear about these projects, it will be when I’m showing you pictures of the finished product. Then you can all come over for dinner.

Last night, we were eating at Red Robin, and I decided to have some meaningful conversation about church with our children.

I asked Elijah, “Lige, what is your favorite thing about church?”

Elijah thought for a minute and with an (almost) straight face, he said, “The part where they say ‘you are now dismissed’.”

Owen got his hair cut first.

Elijah went next. He got a hairy tongue.

This is what happens when you say, “Put your arm around your brother for the picture.” Sigh. Boys.

I have finished the thirtieth book in my Epic 100 Book Attempt of 2011.

From Amazon’s website:
“Sandra Hack Polaski introduces readers to the letters and world of Paul, encouraging a critical appreciation of Paul and his writings that does not require a choice between commitment to the scriptures and integrity as a modern feminist. In conversation with the leading interpreters of Paul and considering possible responses to Paul-conformist, resistant, rejectionist, and transformational-Polaski forges her own theory of how to interpret Paul. She reads, emphasizes, and reinterprets overlooked, neglected, misintegrated, or differently interpreted Pauline texts, making visible the invisible and challenging the accepted readings. Polaski uncovers both the ideologies behind the text and the ideologies the text seeks to suppress. She traces the trajectories toward which the texts point even if Paul did not fully follow the trajectories to their logical end. Such a program leads Polaski to find God’s New Creation as the operative center of Pauline thought.”

I posted the above product description, because I felt like I couldn’t do it justice. The folllowing, though, are my own thoughts:

I came across a used copy of A Feminist Introduction to Paul at the used bookstore the other day, and it was almost as if the skies parted and a beam of heavenly light shone down on the book as an angel choir sang in the background. Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but it was pretty darn close. I have struggled with the teachings of Paul for a long time, but my commitment to Scripture held me at an impasse. Sandra Hack Polaski’s in-depth, scholarly take on Paul and his teachings has really helped to illuminate some of the issues that have been like an uncomfortable rock in my shoe. I’m not sure yet how this book has and will affect my belief system, but I can say that I don’t dislike Paul like before. It seems that he may not have been quite the misogynistic oppressor of women that I (in my worst moments) thought he was.

I know a lot of my friends and acquaintances who sometimes read my blog have been freaked out since they first read the title of the book I am reviewing, and I certainly don’t expect anyone to read this book just because I like it. However, for the open-minded, it’s a fresh take on an old conversation, and can help to reconcile a respectful commitment to Scripture with that tug-of-war within the mind of a woman who wants to serve God in the church.

I have finished the twenty-ninth book in my Epic 100 Book Attempt of 2011.

The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation by Thom S. Rainer & Jess Rainer was a very interesting and easy to read book. It explored the characteristics of The Millennial Generation (those born between 1980 and 2000) and the impact that they are having and will have on our society.

It was interesting to me because I am a Millennial. Born in 1983, I am one of the oldest Millennials. I had a lot in common with the general characteristics of my fellow Millennials as described by the book, but not across the board. For instance, like the majority of Millennials, my parents are both part of the Baby Boomer generation, my family is my highest priority, I place a very high priority on education and learning, my friends are very important to me, and I believe that I can make a difference in the world. I differ from my Millennial peers in that I am not very close to my parents, my religion is a very high priority in my life, and I had a very strict, homogeneous upbringing. Also, I married much (much) younger than my peers, and therefore am in a different stage of life (raising four children) than other Millennials. (Interestingly, 47% of Millennials believe they will have 2 children. Only 7% believe they will have 4 children, as I do.) Another interesting difference is that, unlike most Millennials, I have not married a fellow Millennial. My husband is a member of the Gen X generation. Maybe that’s why we don’t always see eye to eye on things.

This book used a study of a group of 1,200 Millennials born between 1980 and 1991, so it surveyed only the older half of Millennials, since the younger half were still under eighteen at the time this book was written. The insight provided by this book is invaluable to businesses, schools, churches, and government institutions. This is the largest generation in American history. We, as a country, should understand what makes them (us) tick, and how they (we) can enhance the society that we live in.

I encourage everyone to read this book. Everyone has loved ones who are in this Millennial generation, and the research will aid in connecting with them. I especially recommend the book to anyone who is involved in church leadership. I was excited to hear that my pastor is currently reading this book.

I will leave you with a few excerpts from the book that I found particularly noteworthy.

“Indeed the Millennials will become the greatest adopting generation our nation has known. Children are valued. Hope is instilled in them.”

“Millennials are the least religious of any generation in modern American history. Millennials are still spiritual. Three out of four Millennials say they are spiritual but not religious.”

“Millennial Christians are not content with business-as-usual churches. To the contrary, they will connect with churches only if those churches are willing to sell out for the sake of the gospel.”

“The Millennial Christians will commit themselves to churches. But those churches cannot look like and act like most American churches today. The Millennial church will be a radically committed church.”

“But these Millennials do not seek change for change sake. They have a keen desire to practice the Christianity of the Bible, to move the twenty-first century church to become more like the first-century church. In many ways therefore, these young adults seek to move the church to its roots or origin.”

I have finished the twenty-eighth book in my Epic 100 Book Attempt of 2011.

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna was a fascinating read. I found it particularly interesting because I am very unsatisfied with church as usual. It was interesting to see how the “Christian” traditions that we hold so tightly to often have little or no Biblical basis. Most of the way we do church is, at the very least, influenced by paganism, but, more often, the very roots themselves are pagan.

This book covered everything from how we started meeting in church buildings to why we have Sunday School, and just about everything in between.

My criticisms of the book are that sometimes I felt like maybe they didn’t present all of the available historical information because it didn’t serve their purpose. I’m not saying this is a fact, but that I wondered if it wasn’t so. Also, the author is highly in favor of house churches as the only real way to do church as the first Christians did it. I’m not so sure it’s always feasible or advisable. I see a “meeting in the middle” solution as a valid option. The author’s tone took on an almost elitist slant as the book progressed. That kind of rubbed me the wrong way a little bit, but, as with all the books I read, I chew the meat and spit out the bones.

With those couple of criticisms aside, I highly recommend this book. If nothing else, it will cause you to think. George Barna is a very well respected researcher, and the book is well written. I encourage you to check it out.

A little snapshot from a day in the Harmon house:

Kids are eating snacks at the kitchen table, and I hear a scuffle, a yelp, and then Elijah quickly saying, “I’m sorry, Owen! Thank you for forgiving me!”

Owen quickly yelled back, “I DON’T FORGIVE YOU!”

I just laughed, and no one tattled. I guess they worked it out.

I have finished the twenty-seventh book in my Epic 100 Book Attempt of 2011.

What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert was a pretty good book. I admit, it took me a while to get through it, but that was mostly because I tended to read it on my iPhone at night before I went to sleep. More often than not, my eyes got heavy and I went to sleep before I got more than a few pages in. The book is, obviously, about the Gospel. I’m not going to give a very in depth review, but, as I have with other similar books, I will post a few quotes that I liked from the book. Enjoy.

“The Bible is the story of God’s counteroffensive against sin. It is the grand narrative of how God made it right, how he is making it right, and how he will one day make it right finally and forever.”

“Repenting of sin doesn’t necessarily mean that you stop sinning– certainly not altogether, and often not in particular areas, either.”

“But because we will continue to struggle with sin until we are glorified, we have to remember that genuine repentance is more fundamentally a matter of the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is a mere change of behavior.”

“The church is the arena in which God has chosen, above all, to showcase his wisdom and the glory of the gospel. As many have put it before, the church is the outpost of God’s kingdom in this world. It’s not correct to say that the church is the kingdom of God. As we’ve seen, there’s much more to the kingdom than that. But it is right to say that the church is where we see the kingdom of God manifested in this age.”