Primal Shout
A couple of months ago, in a blog posting, pastor and writer Mark Batterson happened to mention that his publisher Multnomah Books was going to give away some free copies of his newest book PRIMAL for bloggers to review.
I thought, "Hey, I read, I blog (Bierkergaard: "Where Theology Collides with Real Life,") and I am writing a book (tentatively title "On the Edge: Helping Teens Successfully Transition to College,"... it might be good for me to examine a book more seriously than just as a casual reader. I could learn not only content but also elements of style and structure. Oh yeah, another reason...I like free books. Providentially, I was deemed worthy to be one of the chosen bloggers to review the book.
Anyone who knows me, and most who will read this blog posting do not so maybe it is a moot point, knows that I tell it like it is. I am not going to give a "T-Ball" equivalent of a review just to get more free books. I am going to throw this ball of a review as hard and as skilled as I can muster in my literary arm and hopefully cross home plate with a strike. If this book's bat connects with me, it is not because I had a "no strike out" posture. Happily, I have to say, that this book pretty much hit me from the first throw. Unlike a pitcher, I am not grimacing from the mound.
Batterson starts with a story about he and his wife descending ancient stairs under the city of Rome to a place where, nearly 2,000 years ago, Christians hiding in the Catacombs, undermined the Roman Empire; not with weapons and warriors of the world but with humble men and women whose lives personified the "Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength" of loving God and neighbor teaching of Jesus--when they climbed up those stairs to lovingly confront and serve their culture. In the Bible, this is called the "Great Commandment" (Mark 12:30).
The book's architecture from that point forth moves downward deeply into what Batterson terms "Primal" Christianity--a verb and not a noun as he writes later in the book-- developing the definitions of these four words of the Great Commandment. The stories Batterson tells from history and science (neurology and astronomy most particularly and powerfully) really resonate and fit into these 4 under-girding and over-arching themes of compassion (heart), wonder (soul), curiosity (mind), and energy (strength). Like a medieval cathedral that imaginatively soars into the sky had to be built on an exceedingly strong foundation, Batterson does not stray from biblical truth in order to try and win and wow onlookers. His book stands structurally and artistically. The sturdy bricks become beautiful under his typing hands.
Batterson clearly speaks to both the need for solid biblical doctrine and the imaginative doing and building of truth in action. The power of narrative is only as good as the bricks of truth employed. Too often, the post-modern thinkers construct imaginary castles in the clouds, which have no power to stand against the storms of time and eternity. Not all narratives are equally true. The story of the Cross, for all of its theological and even mystical implications, was ultimately as real as it gets. A real God-Man, on a real cross, dying a real death, for real sin, who was really raised from the dead.
Lest you think I have only the highest praise of this book with no critique, there are a few "foul-balls" that I think Batterson hits. Here are the one's that most seemed out of bounds.
On page 3, he writes that "The truth must be reincarnated in every culture and every generation." It is an unfortunate choice of words to use "reincarnated" in the context of the paragraph where he is talking about postmodern forms of worship. Reincarnated sounds too "New Age" for my tastes and it is a word that clearly has another primary meaning than how Batterson employs it. I know what he means to write but he could have written something less laden with New-Agey connotations, something like "The truth of Christianity has to be incarnated in every culture and every generation."
On page 97, Batterson writes that "Curiosity is a holy instinct." He follows, "And that curiosity is as old as Eden." Not be cliche, but one could argue that "Curiosity also killed the cat" in the Fall of Man so to speak. Curiosity can be holy, it can also be devilish. And Eden clearly shows us that.
Last, there is a sentence where Batterson notes "If we keep on trying to meet new challenges with tired old ideas, I'm afraid we'll fade into oblivion." I am not sure who Batterson is referring to when he says "we." I assume it is individuals or chuches who don't live as God commands. It is not the Bride of Christ (the Church) as she is being prepared for that great wedding with Christ; there is no chance that the Bride of Christ is going to be a no-show. God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. I know that Batterson would agree with this...he just needs to be clearer. It is possible that some of his readers are not theologically schooled enough to know that the Church is preordained by God to not fade into oblivion.
As it is, these and my other concerns are not primary in my review of the book but I didn't want to ignore them either. Batterson does hit a towering home run with his reflections on Joseph starting on page 25 (Counterfactual Theory).
The book's cover has a torch fire emanating out of the "M" in PRIMAL. Just as a fire can both warm and warn, my highly positive review does not mean that this book can be played with...the implications and imperatives are far too challenging. Batterson's subtitle for his book is "A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity" is not to suggest that this quest is to be an academic exercise to find the right answer like some theological Crossword or Sudoku Puzzle, lazily completed or not on a couch-bound Sunday afternoon.
No, the quest is much more dangerous and fulfilling than that. It is instead to be the right answer to a world that thinks that Christianity's fire has no answer for our age's dark problems. Like the Auld Lang Syne lyric "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?" (literally meaning to "not be forgotten?"), we must keep these PRIMAL truths of the Christian faith burning in our minds and hearts, soul, and strength (Batterson calls them the "four dimensions of love.")
Appropriately, this book would be a great way to ignite your New Year on fire.
Amo Dei
I thought, "Hey, I read, I blog (Bierkergaard: "Where Theology Collides with Real Life,") and I am writing a book (tentatively title "On the Edge: Helping Teens Successfully Transition to College,"... it might be good for me to examine a book more seriously than just as a casual reader. I could learn not only content but also elements of style and structure. Oh yeah, another reason...I like free books. Providentially, I was deemed worthy to be one of the chosen bloggers to review the book.
Anyone who knows me, and most who will read this blog posting do not so maybe it is a moot point, knows that I tell it like it is. I am not going to give a "T-Ball" equivalent of a review just to get more free books. I am going to throw this ball of a review as hard and as skilled as I can muster in my literary arm and hopefully cross home plate with a strike. If this book's bat connects with me, it is not because I had a "no strike out" posture. Happily, I have to say, that this book pretty much hit me from the first throw. Unlike a pitcher, I am not grimacing from the mound.
Batterson starts with a story about he and his wife descending ancient stairs under the city of Rome to a place where, nearly 2,000 years ago, Christians hiding in the Catacombs, undermined the Roman Empire; not with weapons and warriors of the world but with humble men and women whose lives personified the "Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength" of loving God and neighbor teaching of Jesus--when they climbed up those stairs to lovingly confront and serve their culture. In the Bible, this is called the "Great Commandment" (Mark 12:30).
The book's architecture from that point forth moves downward deeply into what Batterson terms "Primal" Christianity--a verb and not a noun as he writes later in the book-- developing the definitions of these four words of the Great Commandment. The stories Batterson tells from history and science (neurology and astronomy most particularly and powerfully) really resonate and fit into these 4 under-girding and over-arching themes of compassion (heart), wonder (soul), curiosity (mind), and energy (strength). Like a medieval cathedral that imaginatively soars into the sky had to be built on an exceedingly strong foundation, Batterson does not stray from biblical truth in order to try and win and wow onlookers. His book stands structurally and artistically. The sturdy bricks become beautiful under his typing hands.
Batterson clearly speaks to both the need for solid biblical doctrine and the imaginative doing and building of truth in action. The power of narrative is only as good as the bricks of truth employed. Too often, the post-modern thinkers construct imaginary castles in the clouds, which have no power to stand against the storms of time and eternity. Not all narratives are equally true. The story of the Cross, for all of its theological and even mystical implications, was ultimately as real as it gets. A real God-Man, on a real cross, dying a real death, for real sin, who was really raised from the dead.
Lest you think I have only the highest praise of this book with no critique, there are a few "foul-balls" that I think Batterson hits. Here are the one's that most seemed out of bounds.
On page 3, he writes that "The truth must be reincarnated in every culture and every generation." It is an unfortunate choice of words to use "reincarnated" in the context of the paragraph where he is talking about postmodern forms of worship. Reincarnated sounds too "New Age" for my tastes and it is a word that clearly has another primary meaning than how Batterson employs it. I know what he means to write but he could have written something less laden with New-Agey connotations, something like "The truth of Christianity has to be incarnated in every culture and every generation."
On page 97, Batterson writes that "Curiosity is a holy instinct." He follows, "And that curiosity is as old as Eden." Not be cliche, but one could argue that "Curiosity also killed the cat" in the Fall of Man so to speak. Curiosity can be holy, it can also be devilish. And Eden clearly shows us that.
Last, there is a sentence where Batterson notes "If we keep on trying to meet new challenges with tired old ideas, I'm afraid we'll fade into oblivion." I am not sure who Batterson is referring to when he says "we." I assume it is individuals or chuches who don't live as God commands. It is not the Bride of Christ (the Church) as she is being prepared for that great wedding with Christ; there is no chance that the Bride of Christ is going to be a no-show. God is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. I know that Batterson would agree with this...he just needs to be clearer. It is possible that some of his readers are not theologically schooled enough to know that the Church is preordained by God to not fade into oblivion.
As it is, these and my other concerns are not primary in my review of the book but I didn't want to ignore them either. Batterson does hit a towering home run with his reflections on Joseph starting on page 25 (Counterfactual Theory).
The book's cover has a torch fire emanating out of the "M" in PRIMAL. Just as a fire can both warm and warn, my highly positive review does not mean that this book can be played with...the implications and imperatives are far too challenging. Batterson's subtitle for his book is "A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity" is not to suggest that this quest is to be an academic exercise to find the right answer like some theological Crossword or Sudoku Puzzle, lazily completed or not on a couch-bound Sunday afternoon.
No, the quest is much more dangerous and fulfilling than that. It is instead to be the right answer to a world that thinks that Christianity's fire has no answer for our age's dark problems. Like the Auld Lang Syne lyric "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?" (literally meaning to "not be forgotten?"), we must keep these PRIMAL truths of the Christian faith burning in our minds and hearts, soul, and strength (Batterson calls them the "four dimensions of love.")
Appropriately, this book would be a great way to ignite your New Year on fire.
Amo Dei
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