I find my sentiments to be very much in line with MisterDubbs. Are you over-reacting? Maybe. Are these books really useful? Maybe not this particular one, but I'm extremely fond of NT Wright's “Christian Origins and the Question of God” series.That's not to say I follow him blindly; but I value the instruction from those who have done exponentially more study than I have. Will people use these books alongside the Bible and in community to figure out the answers to their questions, instead of swallowing their favorite Christian guru's opinions whole? Some will and some won't. The problem here, like pretty much every problem, doesn't really lie in the book (unless the author is intending to lead people who are following him blindly, and even then, the book is just a manifestation of a problem) but in the people who are not being prodded towards community and working through life in that context.

But don't most books in your experience say “This is it. This is the way you need to think about X issue.” How many books say instead “This is one way of looking at it.” or the literary equivalent of “Please consult your physician before swallowing this horse pill.” So your saying “unless the author is intending to lead people who are following him blindly” doesn't wash when you consider that these people consider themselves authorities. Perhaps they don't think of themselves as above questioning, but certainly they're pretty sure they're right and their opposition is wrong or else they wouldn't write it would they?

Whether they're “correct” about that or not it something that maybe we can't be 100% sure of or even 75% sure of, especially in cases like this. So what do we measure against to determine truth?

So is there something implicitly wrong in being “pretty sure they're right and their opposition is wrong or else they wouldn't write it would they?” I mean, we are having this exchange, right?

Most books in my experience do claim to have some sort of insight that won't be gleaned the same way elsewhere. I am prone to value an author who recognizes that not only has everything not been said about any given topic, but also that what has been said has not necessarily been said the best way it can be said, over one who exhibits an attitude of being the end-all on the matter. I am speaking beyond the notion of “functional certainty” to claiming all else is wrong simply because it is different.

I turn around to peer at my bookshelf and replete with a smattering of different viewpoints. Some of which are irreconcilable, some of which are simple disagreements over terminology. But if you were to ask me to recommend one for any given topic, the pick would be from the group who in my estimation serves to further a discussion larger than themselves. Purporting to be AN authority is somewhat different from claiming to be THE authority, no?

Nothing implicitly wrong with being pretty sure you're right. I think that's a good thing. So long as when you're a successful author that doesn't lead to believing your own press releases.

And certainly any given book is going to strive to provide its own unique insight. They need to stand out from their brethren on the shelves.

Part of my reaction is coming from the book I'm reading currently. The author seems to be coming from a place that is “functional certainty”. If you're x then you're completely wrong and not just wrong by dangerously wrong. I know that this guy isn't alone in using these sorts of tactics and I suspect that in these sorts of book circles that thinking is predominate. I'm not certain, but I'm functionally certain that that's the case.

It's good that you read and own books by people who disagree with one another and that you presumably disagree with. What I'm trying to get at here though with all of this is, how does one determine who's an authority (or even THE authority)? To make it more specific, how do you determine that?

Only through one's own careful thought and study can decisions be made regarding the level of authority any other individual possesses. We think through and argue for various emphases and sometimes come out with some semblance of a structure for evaluating authorities.

I think it's helpful to point out that we're never just reading the Bible without some sort of lens for interpretation. Even translations are interpretations. So if I were to say, “the level of authority one possesses can be determined by comparing it with scriptural teaching”, we would be incorrectly naive to think that we are coming to the table from a purely objective stance.

I have been a Christian for 35 years and served in ministry capacities for more than twenty years. In that time one thing I have found is that to grow in Godly wisdom and gain a thoroughly Biblical worldview there is no substitute for reading the Bible itself. While other texts can be very useful for perspective and even for application to modern life, it is only within the text of the Bible itself that God's word is found. Through daily reading of His word, and focusing on the principles contained within the text we gain an understanding of God's plan directly for us.
As far as the question of modern application of the Christian life in regards to the ancient text, I would say that as one reads and meditates on the Word and spends time in prayer, communicating on a spiritual level with God the understanding of how it all applies to our present situation reveals itself quite clearly.
We must approach God in the same manner as did Elijah (1 Kings 19), knowing that God is not in the storm of voices that careens around us screaming for our attention. He is not in the books and seminars and blogs and sermons and talkshows that bombard our ears with constant thoughts and ideas and quotes. Those things are not evil, they are not sinful, they are necessary parts of human nature. But while such things may be wise, and give glory to the Lord, God himself is not in them.
No, God is in the still small voice, the quite whisper beyond the storm. The voice that can only be heard when we concentrate our hearing on His presence and search in silence for His response.
Therefore first and above all else, read the Bible on its own in your own language and pray for understanding when it is not clear and in time as you grow in Christ and mature toward knowledge of the Kingdom all things will become known.

“No, God is in the still small voice, the quite whisper beyond the storm. The voice that can only be heard when we concentrate our hearing on His presence and search in silence for His response.”

Why don't I hear that?

Quiet and patience. Long patience. Life patience. Elijah was probably in his forties in the story in Kings 19 and had followed God all his life. The Apostles, even while walking with Christ mostly didn't get it until years later. If you don't hear the voice of God don't question the existence of the voice, question the method of listening. And patiently listen with an open spirit and open mind for as long as it takes. Weeks, months, years, even an entire lifetime. God speaks, and those who hear him will, in the striving to hear his voice, stretch beyond the limits of their understanding of who they are.

Basil Sands
http://www.basilsands.com

Who Dares, Wins

Where are we told that the experience of Elijah and the Apostles is supposed to be indicative for all believers if we just wait long and hard enough through Zen-like practices? I'm not questioning the existence of God and his work, I just think it's terribly unkind to set people up to hear something he hasn't said we will.

My son and his friends love watching NFL football. They jump and shout and stomp and cheer for their team. It is an emotional experience for them. I don't get anything out of it at all. I do enjoy watching rugby, but never shout or get excited about it.

Likewise not everyone will get married, not everyone will enjoy gourmet food, not everyone understands poetry. Each person has a different experience of life. Not everyone will experience the voice of God in the same manner. The fact that some hear God's voice does not mean that it is going to be the same for all believers anymore than the fact one person can sing in perfect pitch means that everyone else must also do so.

Paul states this clearly in First Corinthians 12: 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire[e] the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.

And that most excellent way Paul mentions in the next chapter is Love. In other words, live first to “Love God” and “Do Unto Others as you would have them do unto you” and the rest will fall into place both in your flesh and in your understanding.

It is not in the experience in which we grow, it is in the striving. If a person yearns to hear the voice of God, then we have the example of those Biblical people who did to lead us in how to do so. If a person's faith does not require such, then they may never hear it.

Basil Sands
http://www.basilsands.com

Who Dares, Wins

Hey Basil! Thanks for your comments. I think there's wisdom in what you're saying. I do have one question though. I don't remember reading about a still small voice in the Bible. I can't imagine anything about God being still or small. So where does this notion come from?

The phrase “still small voice” isn't in the Bible. But the concept is throughout. The experiences of Abraham in Gen 15, Jacob's dream, Solomon, Elijah, Daniel, John on Patmos and so on all point to times when God spoke to a person in the quiet. David and other psalmists often mentioning “meditating on your laws” and listening in the night. I am not necessarily advocating a mystic lifestyle, but it has been my experience and my understanding of the Bible that those who experience supernatural encounters with God have usually done so during times of prayer and meditation. I don't think the experience comes because of the act of meditation, but it comes when we discard distractions and put ourselves in a place to listen.

As far as God being still or small in a physical sense, you are correct. He is after all the creator and sustainer of the Universe. But he is also at every place and every moment simultaneously. That being the case he can speak both in the storm and in a whisper:

1 Kings 19:11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I also have grown weary of these sorts of books. I find them to be more doctrine pushers than books that teach one to question ideas and grow outside of a narrow theological paradigm. But I am not against self-help book per se.. just the ones that are not focused at helping overcome something specifically – if that makes sense?

While I think there is a lot to be said for the art of interpretation, when well-practiced (it's basically what I do, after all), I'm more than a little skeptical of this particular interpretation. This book is specifically addressed to help deal with “the false worldviews that dominate our postmodern world,” which is anything but value and agenda-neutral. Such language seeks an audience that already feels displaced, confused, and in serious need of an anchor, people afraid of the current “postmodernism” that is apparently infecting all of our moral values – in other words, exactly the people who would “swallow their favorite Christian guru's opinions whole,” as you put it, so that they can feel secure. This is a book with a clear agenda, and that doesn't make for fair interpretation.

I'm sure that there are much fairer ways to interpret the Bible in today's society, and I'm sure such work has been done (it's the Bible, after all; I'm not sure there are any books that have been interpreted more); however, this book gives no indication of doing that, nor do most like it. And unfortunately, it's a general rule that a straightforward, thorough interpretation is a tougher sell than a book that promises to answer all of your questions.