The Glory and the Shame

Fr. Peter Hocken had a profound influence on our community. He visited us four times, and each time brought both significant teachings and powerful impartations. Thank you Lord, for Fr. Peter!

The Glory and the Shame was written well before we connected with Fr. Peter. In fact, it is one of his earliest books. And generally considered one of his best, a seminal introduction to the major themes of his life - the Charismatic / Pentecostal movements, unity and reconciliation in the body of Christ, the emerging Messianic Jewish movement, and the way all of these weave into the Spirit’s preparations for the return of the Messiah.

For decades, this book was out of print and very hard to get. But through the hard work of Mysterium Christi - including many of our friends such as the Langs and Ann Friemel - it is now in print.

Get it!

Read it!

Maturing Towards Wholeness in the Inner Life

This wonderful, unusual book was written by a good friend and mentor - George Miley. While it certainly can be profitably read solo, it is best suited for a community setting. We love to read it “George Miley style” - which means a small group, seated in a circle, and each person in turns reads one of the numbered paragraphs. A pause for reflection, and the willingness to let that sentence become a springboard to heart-opening discussion, always leads to live-giving conversation. To actually finish the chapter in one go, becomes rare!

The topics George has chosen to cover come from his extensive history in Christian ministry, interlaced with his wide-ranging reading of others who write in the area of formation. Dallas Willard has especially informed George’s thinking and writing. If you find Willard hard to digest, George’s book may be very helpful - to use Amy’s wonderful analogy for George, it’s like he has taken all the mixed up coins in a book such as Renovation of the Heart, and run them through his orderly coin-sorting-machine mind, so that they come out neatly packaged and easily understood.

These topics include those you may expect …

8 Spiritual Practices
11 Prayer
20 Learning How to Forgive

… as well as some that are perhaps unexpected, but important and helpful:

10 How to spend Time in Solitude
19 Sexuality
22 Honoring your Father and Mother

And for us, chapter 21, The Ministry of Reconciliation, shows the connection between spiritual formation (our 3rd and central “activity” at Christ the Reconciler”) and reconciliation (our 2nd and titular activity) - so this will be a special chapter of a special book for our community, forever.

George Miley with Churchill at the Ancient Wells retreat in 2011

Contemplating the Trinity

As we begin a teaching series this year identifying the “Thick Practice” of our community as contemplating the Trinity, we may wonder - where did that phrase come from? The answer is this book: Contemplating the Trinity, by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa.

For those of you not familiar with Fr. Cantalamessa, he is an important figure in the Catholic Church. He has been the preacher to the papal household since 1980! A leader in the Catholic Charismatic movement, Cantalamessa is also a prolific author, writing well-known books such as The Sober Intoxication of the Spirit (one of those books that blesses you just by reading the title!)

Contemplating the Trinity was first published in Italian in 2002, and translated into English in 2007. The book begins with a series of three icons that portray the Trinity - first among them the Rublev icon that has been so important to us at Christ the Reconciler. As is appropriate for that beginning, Cantalamessa begins with an exploration of the Trinity in Eastern thought - after all, the Nicene Creed is a gift to the global church primarily from our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters, whose tradition explores the depths of the mystery of the Trinity.

From there the topics that Fr. Cantalamessa explores include prayer, beauty, and communion - all highly relevant to our life and vision at Christ the Reconciler. This is a great book to read in this season of our life, and return to frequently as part of our “Thick Practice” in years to come.

At the Foot of the Mountain

This intriguing book began as a conversation via email between two Messianic Jews. One, Jen Rosner, advocates for the newly emerging Messianic Jewish movement to consider valuing consistently Torah-observant lifestyles. Her brother-in-law, Josh Lessard, while not opposed to Torah observance, believes that individual Messianic Jews should prioritize the leading of the Spirit.

There are many reasons to recommend reading At the Foot of the Mountain. First and foremost is the irenic spirit with which the conversation is conducted. While being direct about their disagreements, Jen and Josh respect each other and seek to honor one another throughout the book. This provides a helpful corrective to the all-too-common hostility with which brothers and sisters in Christ argue in books, on social media, and in podcasts.

Another area of strength is the depth of thought that each gives to their discussions. Jen is coming from more of an academic perspective. Josh, a rabbi for a Messianic Jewish synagogue, takes a pastoral approach. Each of them is well read, have studied scriptures deeply, and present their arguments with clarity and even humor.

Finally, an area of interest for our community - which has many Catholics - is the applicability of this discussion to ongoing conversations in the Roman Catholic church. Some advocate that following the rules of the Catholic Church create a distinct people that displays the beauty of Christ on the earth. Others believe a more Spirit-led approach can lead Catholics to discern when and how to best adhere to the heart of Roman Catholicism. The conversation between Jen and Josh may shed light on this discussion, but from the helpfully oblique angle of Messianic Judaism.

In the Bosom of Abraham

Amy has published her first book!

Here are some reviews that have been written about it, both from within and outside our community.

I invite anyone who loves God (or even another human) to sit with this book, this conversation between lovers. Here you will discover your capacity for love and your understanding of the purest love, enlarged to dimensions you either may not have experienced or may have only felt , if you are fortunate, in quick passes a few times. Drink deeply here then look for the spring that the author maps for us.

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I should probably write this when I finish your book, but I’m savoring it … so it’s probably going to be a while. I’m using it as a devotional. I love reflecting on how exciting it is when Jesus opens His word to me. I’ll get an insight, see something new, and there’s nothing quite like it. It’s part of my intimacy with Him. He’s doing that for me while reading Amy’s book and I realized she had it first - how exciting! I am absolutely loving the insight He’s giving her. It’s becoming mine as I savor and share it. I love you sister - I love how you love Jesus.

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If your heart is aching for deep spiritual waters, take a plunge here. Amy Cogdell's reverent yet refreshingly candid interactions with the Lord are soul-stirring to the core. Both profound and pragmatic, this book is an invitation to intimate fellowship with the God of Abraham. I was swept up in the mystery of the Lord's ancient covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the children of Israel, and what that means for me personally as a 21st century Gentile woman grafted into the Jewish Messiah. If you want to experience a taste of the awesome transcendence, as well as disarming tenderness, of walking in friendship with God the way Abraham did, then read this book!

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If you are wanting to go deeper with God, this book is for you.

The insights and reflections here on Abram/Abraham's relationship with God are cool, pure water for thirsty souls!

I had to go slowly through this book, as the richness and depth required much more than a cursory read for me.

Thank you Ms. Cogdell!

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I want to say that I enjoyed the read and commend it to you. Amy Cogdell obviously put a lot of thought into the Abraham story and its role in covenant history. So, if you wonder how to approach foundational and yet odd Old Testament texts - especially if you wonder how to incorporate them into your faith - this book may prove helpful for you.

I want to make special note of how much I appreciated the last few chapters that discuss Isaac, the events surrounding Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac and Isaac getting married. I found these especially deep and helpful both for pondering God's word but also great devotional material!

5 Steps to Living Christian Unity

Three days ago Amy and I went to a conference hosted by the Focolare. On the Focolare book table, I spied this slim volume that seemed to be a “must have” for the CTR library:

The author was Callan Slipper, whom I had heard speak during a webinar that Amy also spoke in. I had responded positively then to some deep statements he made in a lovely English accent. So I was eager to read his thoughts in this book, 5 Steps to Living Christian Unity.

I found the book, like the Focolare movement that Callan belongs to, both mystical and simple. What a great combination!

For instance, on the mystical side, here is his reflection on John 17:22-23’s “I in them, and you in me, that they may be completely one”:

The struggle to reunite the divided church, therefore, is more than an add-on to the serious work of being a Christian. It is central to establishing the rule of God. For relationships of unity between people are where God is found.

The practical side can be seen in the five chapter titles:

1. See the Need

2. Find the Way

3. Construct the Building Blocks

4. Listen to the Silent Third

5. Overcome All Obstacles

Each chapter begins with a meditation from other authors, and concludes with a short, relevant story contributed by a friend.

At only 55 pages, 5 Steps is short enough to be read in one go, but also deep and clear enough to form a foundational text for a book club to read through over a series of six meetings (one for the introduction, then one for each chapter). Why not try this out?

A Christian Ending

On January 18, community member John Michael Wall died while in hospice at CTR, and was buried the same day in the community cemetery on the CTR land. Here’s a picture of John Michael smiling on his birthday, just a week before he died.

If you were there, you experienced the beauty of a death and burial that defied the bankrupt image provided by our society.

It would be expected that a Parkinson’s patient like John Michael would be placed in a nursing home tended to by “health care experts”; instead, he spent his last days and weeks in community, surrounded by family and friends who loved him and cared for him (which included nurses and skilled health care workers - but they weren’t the focus, he was).

And it would be expected that when he breathed his last, the “death experts” at a funeral home would sweep in, spirit away the body, and prepare it away from the family for a professional and costly burial.

Now, while not intending to cast aspersions at the funeral home industry (which has its place, to be sure), we are deeply grateful at CTR to have learned of another way from our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters. Their book A Christian Ending deeply informed what happened at CTR on January 18:

• Death was viewed as a natural, even culminating event in John Michael’s walk with Jesus

• John Michael’s body was honored and treated with care and dignity by those who loved him most

• He was buried quickly, in a place that had meaning for him, where for years to come friends and family will pass by his gravesite, remember him, and worship Jesus who has conquered death

• The cost of everything was minimal (less than $2000) and there was no subtle pressure put on the family to “honor him” by spending more money than was necessary

If you are interested in learning more, please purchase and read A Christian Ending (which is not cheap, because it is no longer in print - but it’s well worth the investment). Or check out our copy from the CTR library.

And, if you prefer listening to reading, this book has now been turned into a podcast!

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And a beautiful footnote was that John Michael’s casket was created by Orthodox believers! We learned of a nearby Russian Orthodox church, St. Andrew’s in Lockhart, that makes caskets as both a ministry and a means of support for their community. Fr. Ignatius (“Fr. Iggy”) and his friend and parishioner Buck delivered the casket in December …

… that was then put into use in January.

Thank you, Fr. Iggy and our friends at St. Andrew’s!

And thank you to the Eastern Orthodox stream of the body of Christ, for leading the way in a wholly Christian and counter-culturally healthy theology of dying, death, and burial.

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The End of Protestantism

Perhaps the surprise of this book is not so much its title, but the fact that such a proposal is being made by … a Protestant!

Peter Leithart, president of Theopolis Institute in Alabama, intends to shake up his own Protestant heritage by claiming that the causes of the original Protestant Reformation have been resolved. They simply aren’t an issue any more.

So … what are we Protest-ing?

But this is not a dry academic look at theological history. The opening of the book show Leithart’s heart for Jesus’ prayer for the church to be answered:

This (John 17:21) is what Jesus wants for his church. It is not what his church is.

The church is divided. It is not that the church has remained united while groups falsely calling themselves churches have split off. It is not that we are spiritually united while empirically divided.

The church is a unique society, the body of Christ and the temple of the Spirit. But it is a visible society that exists among other societies.

That visible society is divided, and that means the church is divided. This is not as it should be. This is not the church that Jesus desires. So long as we remain divided, we grieve the Spirit of Jesus, who is the living Passion of the Father and Son.

Leithart proceeds from there in three “Movements”: Church United, Church Divided, and Divided Church Dissolving. The last movement looks into American denominationalism - since our nation has the unfortunate distinction of representing the fracturing of Protestantism, to the max.

The book finishes with a presentation of “A Way Forward” - including these words which should be an encouragement to our calling at Christ the Reconciler:

Reunion, when it comes, will be a gift of God, a work of the Spirit. Yet we must act, and our actions will either preserve current divisions, make them worse, or move towards the unity for which Jesus prays. The way of reunion is the way of prayer. We are called to act in accord with the future unity that God has promised to his people.

Read The End of Protestantism, be challenged by the division of our current institutions, and take courage to pray and act for unity in the body of Christ!

Preaching to a Divided Nation

Bottom line: If you are a pastor, I highly recommend that you purchase this book, read it, and let the Holy Spirit guide you as to how to put it into practice. If you are a layperson, buy the book and give it to your pastor or priest!

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Paul visits Austin on May 7, 2021

Last year we were privileged to have a visit from Paul Hoffman of Rhode Island. Paul is the pastor of a church in Newport, and has worked extensively there - and elsewhere - for racial reconciliation. As we drove together through Austin, I was amazed at Paul’s capacity to absorb the ethos and stories of God’s work in our city.

We met that night as a community to hear from and pray for Paul. It was our first such meeting after the long COVID pause, and it was a true joy to be back together. When Paul shared that he was co-authoring (with Matthew D. Kim) a book presenting a model for pastors to preach about unity and reconciliation, there was a strong burden to pray for this book - that it would have a great impact in the United States once published.

And now, over a year later - here it is!

Preaching to a Divided Nation is an important book, and very timely. Paul & Matthew present a seven-step model for preachers to adopt, to enable them to confidently address the divisive issues of our time:

1. Theological

2. Contextual

3. Personal

4. Positional

5. Methodological

6. Practical

7. Categorical

The title of the book clearly focuses the content on the United States. The four “isms” that they present as dividing us are all highly relevant to life in American today:

• Ethnocentrism

• Classism

• Sexism

• Partisan Polarity (which they admit doesn’t really end in “ism”!)

As such, the book only touches the need for denominational reconciliation in a tangential way - all of the seven steps presented can easily be applied to reconciliation within the divided body of Christ, but the reader must do the work of extending them into that arena. This is in no way a criticism of the book, just a heads-up for those of us who are more focused on that aspect of reconciliation. For example, the following passage in the Introduction is as true for Catholic-Protestant division, as it is for right-left politics:

The bottom line: the church’s divisions are real and destructive. They break God’s heart, undermine our gospel witness, and contradict the reality of heaven. It appears the bride of Christ is struggling to overcome the diseases of prejudice and polarization. Many Christians are behaving boorishly, failing to exhibit a trace of patience, understanding, compassion, or empathy. Sadly, all too often the nonreligious seem more gracious than those who claim to know Christ.

In addition to the body of the book, Matthew and Paul have put together very helpful content that is included in the Appendices, including:

• Thoughts on Critical Race Theory (CRT)

• Sample Homiletical Integrity Covenant

• Sample Sermons on Classism, Ethnocentrism, Political Division, Reconciliation, Sexism, and Unity!

If you are a pastor, I highly recommend that you purchase this book, read it, and let the Holy Spirit guide you as to how to put it into practice. If you are a layperson, buy the book and give it to your pastor or priest!

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One really special aspect of this book for our community is the way we can see that Paul’s visit here in May 2021 impacted him and the development of the book:

In addition, Matthew and Paul conclude the entire book with the Seabrook story from Austin! What an honor it is to have this story included in such an important book. Thank you, Paul!

Finding Messiah

The idea of a "Messianic Jew" may be new for you. In that case, this is the perfect book to pick up. There is no better introduction to Messianic Judaism than Finding Messiah.

Why bother learning about this when there are so many other pressing topics, you may ask?

Here's one image that could be helpful in answering that important question:

Braided river image courtesy of Amanda B., New Zealand

The bride of Christ is depicted in Revelation 19 as having a voice that sounds like "many waters." I like to think of this as a "braided river" with some streams loud and noisy; others more quiet, still and deep; and others trickling along merrily. (I’ll let you decide which kind of stream your tradition is! All are important, though, in contributing to the “voice like many waters”)

Where are the Messianic Jews in this picture?

They are like a stream that went underground 1600+ years ago, and now - suddenly - have sprung up again! As Fr. Peter liked to say, this was “totally unexpected” … well, except to those few who were looking for the answer to prophecies long unfulfilled. In his book The Mystery of the Olive Tree, Johannes Fichtenbauer relates this remarkable story:

In 1998, a group of three Messianic Jewish leaders … went to meet with Cardinal Josef Ratzinger in the Vatican … When the Messianic representatives shared their personal testimonies of how they came to accept Jesus as their Messiah, the Cardinal listened carefully.

After a long pause, of thoughtful silence, he finally said: ‘The Church will not be complete unless it exists out of both the Church out of the Jews and the Church out of the Gentiles (ecclesia ex Judais & ecclesia ex Gentibus).’

He continued with another important statement. ‘We theologians always knew that one day you (referring to the Messianic brothers) would need to appear. None of us could imagine how this would happen.’

The Messianic Jews are now weaving their waves into the braided river of the Body of Messiah. What is the sound of their waters?

Jen Rosner is one important voice. Raised Jewish, she converted to non-denominational Protestantism in college. It was through her academic studies that she began to wrestle with what it meant to be a Jew, and a follower of Jesus. This journey led her to Jerusalem, where she met a “brawny, quiet man” with a long beard. As Jen tells her own personal story of discovery and romance, she frames it in the midst of critical theological topics such as Sabbath, the Holy Spirit, and Paul’s writings about “law vs. gospel.” The reader is drawn in by her captivating narrative, then confronted by the Messianic Jewish perspective on topics long thought put to rest in traditional Christian circles, then comforted by the return to the story. It is a great read!

It is important for us Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox to take seriously what God is doing in these days. This book is a fantastic way to dip your toes in this new stream!

(And if dipping your toes whets your appetite, other books by Jen - who is now a professor at five different academic institutions including Fuller - then invite a deeper dive … particularly Healing the Schism.)

Unity Through Repentance: The Journey To Wittenberg 2017

The Wittenberg 2017 Book is Available!

It is a true miracle that William Carey Publishing has put this book out. The printed book and the eBook can be ordered from their website:

• https://missionbooks.org/products/unity-through-repentance

• Outside of the US, you might want to order from BookDepository.com to get better shipping times/rates

Below is some information about the book … this isn’t really a “book review” as much as an announcement (how could I fairly review my own book? :-)

¡ Quotations on the Book's Cover !

These are truly remarkable testimonies from precious saints. Thank you Lord!

“An inspiring story of reconciliation in a wounded world”
- John Dawson, International Director of Youth with a Mission (YWAM)

“It was one of the unique experiences in my life ... The healing power of God was noticeably present in Wittenberg.”
— Archpriest Drtad Uzunyan, ecumenical representative of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey (Eastern Orthodox), Istanbul, Turkey

“By faith and through countless impossibilities, Thomas and Amy obeyed when God called them.  After 500 years, wounds were healed in the body of Christ, guiding us from far away, entering into the midst of deep traditional European conflicts of Christianity. No one of us would ever have dared this.”
— Sr. Joela Krüger, Marienschwestern (Evangelical Sisters of Mary–Lutheran), Darmstadt, Germany

Contents

The book has 26 short chapters, which aligns with the 26 verses in John 17.  (Not that each verse maps to each chapter - but, that's why there are 26 chapters.)

The first half of the book is the personal story of Amy becoming Catholic, Amy and I receiving the vision for Wittenberg 2017, and God testing and refining me.  It ends with the reservation of a room in Wittenberg in 2010.

Preface
Foreword By Fr. Peter Hocken
Part I - Background & Vision (1980s – 2000)

• Ch 1 - Hope Chapel

• Ch 2 - Born Again, Again

• Ch 3 - Power Plant of Prayer

• Ch 4 - The Grief of God

• Ch 5 - Switzerland

• Ch 6 - “The Guts To Go Through With It”

Part II – Testing (2001 – 2010)

• Ch 7 - Waiting

• Ch 8 - Compulsions

• Ch 9 - “Let Me Do It”

• Ch 10 - Herrnhut

• Ch 11 - God Does It

• Ch 12 - “Seven Years From Today”

The second half of the book expands to the story of a team - the Wittenberg 2017 leadership team, and all of the intercessors, speakers, worship leaders, and participants in the meetings.  It ends with the epic day of repentance towards the Anabaptists in 2017.

Midword by John Dawson
Part III – A Journey into Repentance (2010 – 2015)

• Ch 13 - “Where are the Jews?”

• Ch 14 - Antakya & Berlin

• Ch 15 - Ottmaring, 2012

• Ch 16 - Volkenroda, 2013

• Ch 17 - Trento, 2014

• Ch 18 - Rome, 2015

Part IV – The 500th Anniversary (2016-2017)

• Ch 19 - 500 Days Before, 2016

• Ch 20 - Death of a Father

• Ch 21 - Death of a Mother

• Ch 22 - Searching for Anabaptists

• Ch 23 - Praying John 17 Together

• Ch 24 - The Joy of Repentance

That's two halves of the book, if you're counting.  But wait, there's more!  

Part V – Sabbath and New Life

• Ch 25 - The Beauty of Completability

• Ch 26 - “Unless A Seed Fall Into The Ground”

Afterword By Hanna Zack Miley

And then there are the Appendices!  (which are all online)

1. The Wittenberg 2017 Principles 

2. Historical Conclusions about the Reformation 

3. Biographical Sketches by Amy Cogdell 

4. Wittenberg 2017 as One Pattern for Leadership of a Reconciliation Initiative by George Miley and Thomas Cogdell

5. Identificational Repentance by Helmut Eiwen

6. A Lutheran Pastor Reflects on Rome by Hans Scholz 

7. Judensau Lament by Richard Harvey 

Fire Within

Want to nourish your prayer life? Fr. Thomas Dubay’s majesterial book is meat, not milk.

Fr. Dubay draws from two authors who were also contemporaries and friends - St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Fire Within explores how these two saints use very different language to approach the same themes:

• Contemplation

• Experiencing God

• Detachment

• The Dark Night of the Soul

The best summary I can give is the one that Fr. Dubay gives himself, in an opening chapter:

A book on advanced prayer is a book on advanced joy. It is a love story, a book about being loved, and loving, totally. It is a book on holiness, the heights of holiness to which the Gospel invites everyone.

Ready for some advanced joy? It is hard work, but completely worth it!

Seek God for the City

A different kind of book, to be sure, but this is the last year Waymakers will be publishing Seek God for the City. (And besides, they put Austin on the final cover!)

For 27 years, Seek God for the City has been a beacon of Biblical prayer in the days leading up to Palm Sunday. Steve and Barb Hawthorne have researched and written prayers that lift our eyes beyond our problems, to the hope of the glory of God. For forty pages, each day is laid out with four different areas of prayer. Here is one from a few days ago, that is particularly close to our heart at CTR:

Normally, I would encourage you to grab one of these high-quality booklets and jump in the stream of prayer that thousands around the nation and the world are already engaged in. But … this year’s printed edition is sold out! However, there are a few alternatives.

The first and best is to get the app. Not only do you have access to all of each day’s prayers, but there are lots of other goodies that aren’t included in the print edition. For example, there are links to Operation World’s extremely-helpful prayer guide for each of the day’s nations to pray for:

Also, down at the bottom is a “…” menu that leads to a section called Cool Tools, which you can explore.

Another option for Spanish speakers is to download the free PDF of the entire prayer guide, en español.

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As mentioned above, this is the last year that Seek God for the City will be published. Steve & Barb will be moving on to other important activities - Steve editing the 5th edition of Perspectives and writing his own books, while Barb is looking forward to spending more time with her expanding number of grandchildren! Another important member of the Waymakers team, Stephanie, has retired and moved to a different state.

Let’s pray for them - first of all, thanksgiving for their dedication and sacrifice to put out this prayer guide for almost three decades, and for all of the prayers that have been lifted up to heaven and answered by the Father as a result. Let’s also pray for their new endeavors to bear fruit for the kingdom.

Reconciling All Things

Reconciling All Things was an instant classic when it was published in 2008. Thirteen years later, it has become only more relevant as our world and the Church has seen expressions of hostility increase.

The book is written by two co-authors, one a white Protestant American theologian, the other a Black African Catholic practitioner. They have some skin in the game!

They describe the invitation to enter into a life of reconciliation and unity as rather than “predicting a future based on the present (the rational thing to do)”, instead reshaping the present according to a vision of the future - God’s vision.

Their book predates Be the Bridge, but as we highlighted in our review of that book, so too Reconciling All Things devotes an entire chapter to “The Discipline of Lament.” Here are some highlights from one section of that chapter:

First, reconciliation without lament cheapens hope …

Second, to be deeply bothered about the way things are is itself a sign of hope …

Third, it is crucial to remember that lament is not despair or a cry into the void. Lament is a cry directed to God. Lament is prayer …

Finally, then, through lament we come to that hard place of knowing that we cannot “achieve” reconciliation. It is always a gift of God …

The book ends with ten wonderful theses on “Recovering Reconciliation as The Mission of God.” Here is one which is highly relevant to our community’s activity of Formation:

9. There is no reconciliation without conversion, the constant journey with God into a future of new people and new loyalties. … Self-interest easily becomes the goal of relationships, and loyalty to one’s own group easily becomes the aim of politics. Reconciliation thus requires a transformation of desires, habits and loyalties. …

We at Christ the Reconciler can say a hearty “Amen!” to this, and be deeply encouraged as we read this book.

When Our Love is Charity

Two of the Wittenberg 2017 gatherings (2012 in Ottmaring & 2014 in Trento) were beautifully hosted by a mostly-Catholic community called the Focolare. The Focolare was founded in Italy in the early 1940s. The founder was Chiara Lubich.

I had heard her name often, and have long wanted to read some of her writings - and partly because the Italian name Chiara corresponds to the English name Clara. So on my current trip to Turkey with my daughter Clara, I took along one of her books, published by New City Press - the publishing arm of the Focolare.

When Our Love is Charity is an explanation of one of - if not the - primary values of the Focolare community: charity. Of course, charity corresponds to love, but Chiara Lubich expounds in more detail on how to live out love in community and as a community, so it corresponds to the charity that St. Paul describes as “the greatest gift” in 1 Cor. 13.

Her writings should be of great interest to us at Christ the Reconciler, as we are being led by the Holy Spirit in the founding of our own community. Of course our emphasis on Living Out John 17 is different than the emphasis of the Focolare on Charity - but there are many overlaps as well. For example, in describing how charity leads to unity, Chiara writes:

The love God wants us to have for one another is unity in distinction. In fact, Jesus could have said “Where two or three are united in my name, I will fuse them.” but he didn’t say that. Instead he said, “I will be in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). This means unity and distinction. Creatures are finite and cannot penetrate each other, but God can penetrate each.

One area that Chiara goes into in depth, that we have also been talking about, is the impact of charity on material goods. The Focolare do not have a full communion of goods, like the Bruderhof, yet Chiara seems to want them to be drawn in that direction. At the same time, she recognizes the practical necessity of maintaining private ownership in a community that has a variety of different “levels” of membership, from loosely-associated Volunteers to Youth, Priests, Focolarini, and the fully-devoted Focolare.

One area where I wanted to understand more, was how the Focolare relate to non-Christians. They have a history of dialogue with those from other religions, which is not something that the Holy Spirit has led us to focus on. Chiara Lubich encourages her community to walk the fine line of grace to the world and truth to the gospel:

… as they feel understood, people will desire to know what kind of love carried us to them. They will discover that it does not come from us but from God, and they will recognize the true God through our witness.

We have much to learn from those who have gone before us in the pursuit of unity in community. The Focolare are among them. I encourage you to pick up one or more of Chiara Lubich’s prolific writings, to see how they live out the love of Christ in their community.

2 Books About The Church & The Jews

Well, it’s been a while since the last book of the month. The reason for that is that it took a while to work my way through Jen Rosner’s book, which has lots of footnotes. So, to make up for it, here’s a two-for-one deal!

Jen Rosner is a Messianic Jew and a professor at Fuller Seminary. In Healing the Schism, Jen has written an important book that provides a century-long overview of theological approaches to the difficult but important topic of the relationship between the Church and Israel.

We learned of the importance of this topic during the Wittenberg 2017 initiative. We were surprised when we approached German pastors with the idea of Wittenberg 2017, and kept getting the same response - “This is a God idea - but, where are the Jews?”

Why was this? Jen offers us a clue in a quotation from Thomas Torrance: “Schism between Christians and Jews is the deepest schism and the root cause of all other schism in the one People of God.” Thus movements to heal this schism, also lead to the healing of other schisms. We experienced this directly during the Wittenberg 2017 initiative, where the involvement of Messianic Jews was one of the key graces God gave us — ultimately resulting in the Shabbat celebration that in so many ways capped the 2017 gathering.

Jen frames her entire book around a question posed by Bruce D. Marshall: “Marshall seeks an affirmation of both the universal, ecclesially mediated saving mission of Christ and the irrevocable election of Israel, which necessarily includes the ongoing practice of Judaism.” Wow! So much of life is simply finding the right question.

In Chapter 1, Jen holds up to the light of this question the work of German theologian Karl Barth; in Chapter 2, the Jewish mystic Franz Rosenzweig; in Chapter 3, a series of post-Holocaust writers including Torrance, Soulen, and Wyschogrod; and in Chapter 4, Messianic Jewish theologian (and friend of CTR!) Mark Kinzer.

Each chapter is framed by looking through three lenses: Christology; the Election of Israel; and ecclesiology. Throughout, Jen evaluates the ways in which each theologian does, and does not, meet the original criteria posed by Marshall.

Jen’s conclusion is that the progress made towards “Healing the Schism” has been substantial in the last century - praise the Lord! And yet, there is still much work to be done, both theologically and on the ground. Some of this work is being done here at CTR, and Jen’s book is an encouragement to press on … for which we should be grateful!

In the Introduction to her book, Jen Rosner has a quote about opening up “the possibility of Christians learning things from Jews about how to be Christians.” There is no better summary of Bob O’Dell’s new book, and his Root Source project, than this sentence.

As related as Bob’s book is to Jen’s, it is completely different in style! If you’re looking for a book with fewer footnotes - well, choose Five Years With Orthodox Jews. The book is organized as a series of 40 vignettes, each one short and (for the most part) self-contained … such that you could just pick and choose chapters to read that sound interesting. And all of them do, since Bob has a gift for enticing titles, such as “The Greatest Love Story You’ve Never Heard” and “Does God ever Bait-and-Switch?”

Chapter 35 is “A View Too Small: First Steps” … and those of us who have been engaged with AHOP and CTR for a while will find ourselves reading a familiar story, from an unfamiliar perspective. Bob recounts his view on the J.J. Seabrook narrative that AHOP, and of course the Seabrook Center, played an important role in. It is wonderful to revisit this God event, and learn new aspects of how the Almighty wove together a tapestry that nobody expected.

One remarkable aspect of Bob’s book is the “with Gidon Ariel” on the title page. Gidon Ariel is an Orthodox Jew, and you learn about him and how Bob met him in the early part of the book. Bob asked Gidon to respond to each chapter, so at the end of each chapter written by an Evangelical Protestant Texan, there are a series of questions to which an Orthodox Jew in Israel writes his short, witty, and often surprisingly orthogonal answers. It’s like being a fly on the wall as Bob and Gidon converse at a corner café in Jerusalem.

In fact, reading the book is very much like having a conversation with Bob. This dear friend of CTR has held nothing back as he opened up his experiences, thoughts, and musings from the past five years. Get to know him better … get to know our Jewish friend better … by reading this book!

Tear Down These Walls

In both the title and content of Tear Down These Walls, John Armstrong has penned a clarion call for unity in the body of Christ. He has spent the last several decades promoting and working for what he calls missional-ecumenism - by which he means an approach to reconciliation and unity that focuses on Christ’s mission of salvation for the world. John rightly points out that Jesus links the two in his prayer in John 17 - “May they be brought to complete unity, so that the world may know …” Here is a good distillation of his approach:

… I am persuaded this resurgence of interest in the imperative of our unity will lose its momentum if it is not vitally linked with Christ’s mission. This link can be found in missional-ecumenism, a model that brings mission and unity back together.

Tear Down These Walls began as a revision of John’s previous book Your Church is Too Small, but quickly became a new work - in many ways, a summary of his life’s work and thought. As such, it contains many stories of his journey from an up-and-coming Reformed theologian … to being confronted one day in church with his easy recitation of “one holy catholic church” … to walking away from growing fame into rejection and an uncertain career path … to finding his voice as a leading advocate in the US for missional-ecumenism.

These stories weave in and out of a careful presentation of his essential approach:

• The importance of relationship first (against previous emphases on theology first)

• The anchor we have in the Creeds, particularly the Nicene Creed

• The problem of schismatic sectariarianism (as illustrated by the 44th-funniest joke of all time!)

• The hope for a truly beautiful church to impact the world

• The importance of a love for each other that is costly - “A theology of ecumenism is helpful, but love alone is indispensable”

Thomas met John Armstrong in Chicago in 2013, at the first Lasaunne Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue.

We at Christ the Reconciler should be encouraged, inspired and challenged as we read Tear Down These Walls. His practicality and emphasis on mission is a good balance to our more mystical approach that focuses on satisfying Jesus’ desire and preparing the way for the return of the Lord in glory. We have much to learn from John. I am grateful for this new expression of his life. Tear Down These Walls … Amen!

Christianity: Fundamental Teachings

By Thomas Cogdell

One week ago today, my wife Amy and I had the privilege of visiting the Alleluia Community in Augusta, Georgia. We experienced many wonderful blessings, and right at the top was to see the community - which is mostly Catholic but has a good number of Protestants as well - receive into their midst a Greek Orthodox priest, Fr. Timothy Cremeens. Praise the Lord!

The picture above shows our subsequent meeting with Fr. Timothy and his cousin Patty. The gift we gave to him, which he is holding, is a small booklet called “Christianity: Fundamental Teachings.” One reason for the gift was the connection of this book to his church, the Eastern Orthodox church.

What we told him is what I wish to highlight for you -

“This book is a miracle and a prophetic sign in the Church.”

The best way to see this is to look at the signatory page, of who contributed to and endorsed the book:

A book on Christian theology, agreed to by the significant Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant leaders of an entire country! Take a minute, and let that sink in …

…

…

… wow!

And the topics that they address are at the very core of the faith of those who follow Jesus. Here is the Table of Contents:

Just beautiful!

And it is important to note that the book is clear on where there is agreement, but also where there is not yet agreement - in hopes that one day there will be.

We encourage you to purchase a copy of this book (available on Amazon) and read it carefully. Share it with others, widely, and encourage them to do the same! Treat it as you would a sign and a symbol - a cause for great hope. Here at Christ the Reconciler, we have set it aside from all other books in our library, in a special glass case on the wall, to draw attention to it.

In conclusion, the region that is now modern-day Turkey was where much of the New Testament was written - with all of the epistles pleading for unity against the constant threat of divisive hostility. All seven of the ecumenical councils of the early church were in Turkey. The Nicene Creed was begun in Nicaea but completed in Constantinople (now Istanbul). In 1054, the Great Schism was triggered in Constantinople, dividing East from West - a wound that is yet to be healed, and in fact was exacerbated during the time of the Crusades.

And now, from Turkey, and from Istanbul where East meets West as nowhere else, comes a book declaring to the world that the major streams* of the Church can, in unity, agree on a statement of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.

* I would consider this to be three of the four major streams of the Body of Christ, the fourth being Messianic Judaism which does not have a significant presence in Turkey. These three are certainly the most visible and widely known traditions in the body of Christ, with Messianic Judaism just re-emerging on the world scene.

That They May Be One

Another wonderful surprise from the land of Turkey! The first was Fundamental Christian Teachings, a small book of doctrine jointly written by (wait for it) the leadership of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestants!. And now comes this book That They May Be One from Amy Ohler, a Canadian who lives and works in Turkey. In God’s providence, this amazing land which is home to both the Nicene Creed and the Great Schism is showing the way to the rest of the world regarding Jesus’ prayer for all of His followers.

Amy did not expect to write this book. In fact, she tells us early on that she never expected to write any book. But as the Holy Spirit began showing her God’s story through the lens of unity, she found herself writing down her insights. I am grateful - and we are all the beneficiaries of her faithful labor.

In the first half of the book, Amy unfolds new perspectives on Genesis, the entrance of sinful divisions, the place of judgment, and the cross. This lays the groundwork for the second half of the book, which I found to be profound and prophetic.

First, she addresses the place of Scripture, both as a unifying and dividing part of our faith. Would that we all considered the Bible to be our bridegroom’s journal, as Amy puts it!

The Bible communicates the heart of the Godhead, but unlike Jesus is not actually part of it.

After that analogy, she unpacks another very helpful image of a carving in a rock wall, drawn from a dream that God gave to her.

When it comes to considering other denominations, other traditions, and other church communities, we often begin with an attitude of criticism … It is like coming home and noticing that there is one dirty pan left in the sink but not seeing that the whole house is clean … when it comes to the things of God, when it comes to the church, criticism as a first approach is not usually particularly helpful.

Then, Amy draws from her experience in community in Turkey to show practical ways that community is both difficult and healing.

My roommates over the years in Turkey have been from a wide spectrum of nationalities (American, Turk, Swede, Fin, Romanian, South African, Iranian, Korean, Brit, and Arab-Turk). These roommates and my many coworkers over the years, have also come from very diverse church backgrounds (Charismatic, Orthodox, Non-denominational, Pentecostal, Conservative, Reformed, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, Catholic, or newer believers who do not associate with any particular stream), or from no church background, or even from another faith.

She surprisingly but beautifully turns next to the family - mother, father, and child. Depicting this “triad” on the amazing cover illustration of the book shows how foundational it is for Amy, and the importance of its implications for the leadership of churches and ministries.

Since humanity was created to reflect the profound unity of the Godhead, we must then recognize that men, women, and children should be acknowledged as having something of value and significance to contribute to the greater whole. Frequently, two of these voices are received far less (if at all) than the other. When one or more of these voices is missing, ignored, or oppressed, it is a sad loss to the greater whole, and such communities will be (and frequently are) weaker for it.

And her final chapter has the same name as the last book of the month - On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Given the title of the book, I expected a deep dive into John 17. Interestingly, this never came - at least not explicitly. Though John 17 is only occasionally referenced, it permeates the book - which in many ways is like a meditation on Jesus’ prayer as reflected throughout all of scripture. It is a wonderful resource for us at Christ the Reconciler, and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I can’t help but also be amazed by the timing of reading this. I have been looking for a chance to do so for several months, but didn’t find the time until I took a trip to California to see my sister. I am so glad that I read this after Caroline’s teaching on The Accuser of the Brethren. Here is part of Caroline’s talk, next to some of Amy’s writing - as an encouragement that the Lord is speaking! Let us have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church …

Caroline Owens:

Today I am going to talk about the Accuser of the Brethren. Who is this Accuser, and what is his role? He is the ‘great dragon”, that ‘ancient serpent’, Satan. The name “Satan” itself means “Accuser” or “Adversary”. His very nature is to constantly accuse us. The devil is no friend of humanity. And yet, when we look at the world, we can see his influence everywhere. The saddest place to see him working is in the church, and this is far too often. How this grieves the heart of God!

… Jesus … says to we who would harbor such thoughts or words: You do not know what spirit you are of. He is not talking about the Holy Spirit. I would say the spirit we are of, is the Accuser.

Amy Ohler:

Seeking out what is wrong in order to accuse does not generally bring life and there is good reason for this. Let’s consider for a moment where we first see accusation appear in our story. Back in the garden, the first to accuse is the second voice that speaks to humankind. Accusation is his tactic and his nature, and it is also his name - both ‘satan’ in Hebrew and ‘devil’ in Greek mean ‘the accuser’. If only we could fully recognize who we are partnering with, and who it is we look like when we accuse others, especially when we accuse others in the body of Christ! God already has one who stands before him day and night accusing the brothers and sisters. He does not need or want that from us.

Unity - On Earth As In Heaven

I was very honored to receive this book in the mail from Dan Almeter, a long-time leader in the Alleluia Community in Georgia. In the note he attached he comments that Fr. Peter Hocken wrote the foreword. Oftentimes when Fr. Peter came to visit us at AHOP / CTR, he would be coming from the Alleluia Community, which he always tried to visit on his trips to the States.  It is wonderful to have this connection with them, a shared love for (and from) Fr. Peter.

This is an important book for us at Christ the Reconciler, and very timely for our current focus on “community.”  Let’s study it together, and be both challenged and encouraged!

Unity – On Earth As It Is In Heaven tells the story of the Alleluia Community, which was founded in February 1973 in Augusta, Georgia.  That weekend, a historic snow of 15 inches fell on Augusta, shutting the entire area down.  Twelve Catholics who had been recently filled with the Holy Spirit were trapped together in a large house.  As they worshipped and prayed, surrounded by the snowstorm, they began to put into action the idea they had been discussing together for a year or so – intentional community.  They wrote a covenant of life together and adopted it, forming the first nucleus of the Alleluia Community.

Their community has grown to more than 700, but they still have the same covenant that the original snow-bound dozen crafted almost fifty years ago.

Though the Alleluia Community began with only Catholics, they immediately sought the Lord as to whether they should also include Protestants.  They heard an immediate “Yes!” from the Holy Spirit.  Today about 10% of the community is Protestant, and they have also been joined by Orthodox believers and Messianic Jews.

Dan Almeter’s book is a wonderful recounting of this journey.  He mixes stories from their decades of community life with a clarion call to living out John 17 (though they don’t use that same phrase, which we have adopted here at CTR).  As such, Unity includes both inspiration for us, and practical understandings of the nitty-gritty of life in an intentional community.  For example:

We know that in a Christian marriage each spouse is meant to help the other grow in holiness and mutual love.  They learn to do this by dying to themselves through sacrificial love.  Imagine having hundreds of opportunities every day to interact with a multitude of brothers and sisters of different backgrounds, different Christian traditions, different races, different personalities, different cultures – there’s no end to our differences.  If we can grow in holiness and charity within our nuclear family, then we can grow exponentially in community, where we must die to ourselves and live in charity with hundreds of other Christians on a daily basis.  This has, in fact, been our experience in community.  After 40 years of living covenant life with one another, holiness and love have grown to a level where mutual communion is very real and palpable.  A deep conversion to the Gospel has occurred within our midst.

 What a gift!  As we craft our own community commitment, we can learn from what the Holy Spirit has been doing in Alleluia.  Hopefully we can avoid some of their mistakes – while no doubt making new ones of our own!  The leaders of Alleluia Community have expressed a willingness to walk alongside us, without trying to make us “just like them.”  Oh, the beauty of the body of Messiah!

If you are interested in going deeper than the Statement of Personal Devotion and considering the Community Commitment here at CTR, it is important for you to get a copy of this book from Amazon and read it. 

Here is the link:

• https://www.amazon.com/Unity-Heaven-Dan-K-Almeter/dp/1979055408/ref=sr_1_1?crid=O69PKN85ATTB&dchild=1&keywords=unity+on+earth+as+in+heaven&qid=1620046851&sprefix=Unity+On+eart%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-1