Book Review: A Future for the Latino Church - Daniel A. Rodriguez

Daniel A. Rodriguez, A Future for the Latino Church: Models for Multilingual, Multigenerational Hispanic Congregations, InterVarsity Press, 2011. What business does a white male living in Mexico City have reviewing Daniel A. Rodriguez’s book, A Future for the Latino Church: Models for Multilingual, Multigenerational Hispanic Congregations? Absolutely none. I made a small error in requesting this book as a reviewer, but I did make a fantastic choice in reading the book. There are plenty of good reviews of Rodriguez’s book, but my brief one here shows how it can be helpful, even to a white guy, living in Mexico. My mistake was not taking into account that the book was written about the Latino church in the United States. This is a population I have very little contact with. Obviously, working in the Mexican church in Mexico is a very different context than the struggles of the Hispanic church in the States, especially when many of those congregations deal with unique struggles. Multigenerational congregations often have a multilingual struggle. This is common for most churches where immigrant families have been rooted for a number of years. Many Asian churches in the US are struggling with language and generation as well. So why take this review seriously if I made such an error in judgement? Two reasons. The book is valuable especially for those who live in cities historically known for their Latino heritage – Los Angeles, San Antonio, Chicago, Miami, and New York to name a few. Second, the book is valuable for those whose cities, suburbs, or rural contexts see emerging Hispanic populations and churches. Whether, latino, white, black, asian, or a mix, cityscapes are changing because of Hispanic churches, and it is wise to learn more about where they are going. Embroiled immigration debates often conceal the reality of the Latino population. Rodriguez points out that 62% of Latinos in the United States are native-born, meaning they are not immigrants. That is more than half of Latino growth. He also points out that 61% of US-born Latinos are English dominant and another 35% were bilingual (19), meaning, the fear that Latinos are not learning English is unfounded. And this has profound implications for Latino and other churches in the States. No longer will churches have the excuse to segregate because of language, but can work together each with its own heritage flavor. Rodriguez’s book is an important study on the Latino church, and it is wise to pay attention. He has strong advice for Latino leaders, particularly regarding language issues in church and engaging the future generations. His work also illuminates the reality of these churches and their importance to the entire US Christian landscape. In Mexico City, I don’t have too many Mexican-born Mexicans who relate to the US-Latino context. But as a missionary I do have US-born Latino colleagues who come to live here, and they too must wrestle with some significant contextual differences. Reading this book has helped me to understand their reverse reality a bit better. I do have Mexican-born friends who have immigrated to the States. They participate in Latino churches, and I have often recommended Rodriguez’s book to them so that they don’t become another story of segregation between native-born Latino and immigrant, but rather that each group can learn from one another, one friend at a time. Powerful book. Good research, and inspiring. My only criticism is that Rodriguez spends much of his interviews in powerful and large Hispanic congregations, but there are many that are small and remain small. Growth and size mattered to Rodriguez in his writing and as such betrayed a potential oversight as to the power of the small Hispanic congregation in the US. A Future for the Latino Church is a book about the future of the entire US church.

Book Review: The Shaping of an Effective Leader - Gayle D. Beebe

Gayle D. Beebe, The Shaping of an Effective Leader: Eight Formative Principles of Leadership, InterVarsity Press, 2011 Few people will ever be presidents of universities or CEO’s of companies. More likely people will run their own small business and the team necessary to make it successful. More likely people will manage a team to make their division successful. At the university, perhaps some will move up the ranks to department chair or even dean. Gayle Beebe, president of Westmont College, writes with top leadership in mind, however, his book, The Shaping of an Effective Leader: Eight Formative Principles of Leadership is a valuable read for those in leadership, particularly in some management capacity. I was not so interested in this book after reading the subtitle. Regressing to the eighties and nineties self-help era – Can anything really be broken down so neatly as to fit in eight principles? Leadership writers have moved beyond the simple steps and have recognized the complexity and nuances of postmodernity, yet still, having known many good things to come out of Westmont and Spring Arbor, where Beebe was president before, I decided to give the book a chance. Beebe dedicates the majority of the content of his book to summarizing what he learned from mentors, particularly indebted to management guru, Peter Drucker. Beebe does indeed break his leadership scheme into eight pieces consecutively growing into a pyramid. What the pyramid shows, however is the basis for basing management around the people and the team. I like that Beebe holds high expectations for his executive team, and all-the-more for himself as a leader. At first glance, I got the impression that Beebe hoped for the type of leader who took charge by control. Rather, Beebe’s leader is one who takes control by receiving the charge – the charge of responsibility, the charge of those serving on his or her team, and the charge to contribute something meaningful. This kind of leader recognizes that an organization exists for a mission and the mission drives the responsibility. The leader requires clarity of mission and receives the charge for leading the organization to meet that mission. A leader is always necessary, but a leader gains that responsibility by synthesizing the contributions of his or her team to meet the responsibility of the organization’s mission. A leader of this type listens and leverages each member of the team’s unique contribution as it relates to the organization’s mission. Finally, the leader sees his or her own value in what can be contributed personally to society. This is done by both believing in the mission of the organization, and by finding ways to apply and self-differentiate, even from the organization, in a way that one can pour constructively into society. Beebe still outlines eight principles, narrowing leadership into manageable bites. But his synthesis of Drucker and others are not leadership doctrine, but the results of anecdotes of a life leading and being mentored by even greater leaders.

Book Review: Authentic Church - Vaughn Roberts

Vaughn Roberts, Authentic Church: True Spirituality in a Culture of Counterfits, InterVarsity, 2011 What does it mean to be an “authentic church”? Vaughn Roberts, in his, Authentic Church: True Spirituality in a Culture of Counterfeits, examines Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians to examine this very question. Roberts takes an expository approach to the 1 Corinthians study, looking at the questions of culture raised in the epistle, rather than beginning with today’s cultural questions and looking for answers. The Corinthian church, as perceived in the epistle, manifested a number of practices that demonstrated its compliance with cultural fads and a lack of authenticity. By utilizing this methodology, Roberts searches out a model of spiritual authenticity as evidenced in the Bible, using the lessons to speak into today’s cultural context. In this way he attempts to limit his contemporary contextual bias in his hermeneutic, which is important as the premise of his book is that an authentic church and spirituality are not co-opted by the fads of culture. Roberts’ book was pulled together from a variety of sermons, and unfortunately it reads as such. His writing is preachy and often comes with an “us versus them” mentality. It is an obvious apologetic for an evangelical audience, taking for granted that Roberts’ readers take the Bible as authority. Yet, despite the chip on the shoulder tone of the book, Roberts tackles some significant cultural issues from a biblical perspective. This book will serve as a good accompaniment resource to an evangelical sermon or series on 1 Corinthians, but lacks the depth to truly study church authenticity in the midst of culture.

Book Review: Kingdom Without Borders - Miriam Adeney

Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity
Miriam Adeney
InterVarsity Press, 2009
$18.00

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee

As a Christian, to what do we belong? To a small group? To a community church? To a campus group? How large is the Kingdom of God to which we belong? Miriam Adeney professor of global and urban ministries at Seattle Pacific University, shares just how grand the global Kingdom of Heaven is in her book, Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity.

It is no secret that Christianity has been global for centuries. The Gospel spread in multiple directions from the hill of Golgatha and the open tomb. From the little home in which the disciples first cowered to the grand spaces of violent conflict, to the networks of global organized crime, slavery and prostitution, and to theocratic societies the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed. Christians are taking their voice through song, through peace, through compassion and through martyrdom to the ends of the earth.

Too often the world associates Christianity with the West. Even still, though most “western” denominations are growing exponentially faster in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We in the west are too often connected to our own notions of theological power and impetus, yet good theology has been transmitted throughout the globe. Miriam Adeney’s book demonstrates just how large the Kingdom of God is, and how God is truly raising up a global movement that shares the Gospel to every nation from every nation.

We indeed find our strength in numbers, and Adeney demonstrates just how numerous the population of God’s Kingdom is. We are apt to forget this coming from a cloistered Evangelical Church in the States. Our strength goes much deeper than numbers, however. We have exemplified through powerful stories a depth of faith that challenges global Christianity and each individual who calls themself a citizen of this Kingdom without borders.

Book Review: Practicing the Way of Jesus, Mark Scandrette

Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love
Mark Scandrette
InterVarsity Press, 2011
$15.00

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee

Practicing the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette is nothing new among Christian literature, but Scandrette’s creativity in setting experiments for spiritual formation is powerful for helping others align their lives to Christ and the Christian life. Scandrette is a social artist, asking people to challenge themselves. His experiments are so practical they could almost elude spiritual formation. Yet, these experiential practices cut at the quick of a lifestyle unaligned to Christ and lead to nothing but a deeper relationship with God.

The book discusses the purpose of Scandrette’s spiritual formation program called the Jesus Dojo. He explains that the word dojo refers to a training center and it is an adept description of the experiments that Scandrette discusses. What I liked about the book regarding the training is the sheer variety and contextualization of the experiments. The book does not outline a “how to” list of experiments that must be done for spiritual formation. Rather, he provides examples of what the Jesus Dojo has done. Scandrette doesn’t write as an expert with the perfect plan. He writes as a creative thinker invested in the lives of people who want to invest their lives into God.

Practicing the Way of Jesus is an easy read and inspiring. I will find myself returning to a number of concepts that brought light to my imagination. The true power of Scandrette’s work will come as it gets passed around among a small group or community within a congregation, within an intentional community or among close friends. As a social artist Scandrette’s work will motivate discussion among peers on how to truly be reaching people, especially post-Christian urbanites.

Review: Abundant Simplicity - Jan Johnson

Abundant Simplicity: Discovery the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace
Jan Johnson
InterVarsity Press, 2011

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee


Simplicity is a notable component in clearing space for God. In the age of constantly changing technology, increasing number of cable channels, options for virtual entertainment and the shear ease of mobility, complication has become the standard. Generations of advancement shaped the philosophy that said simplicity was base. Generations of prophets have been trying to affirm that claim, but recognize that God is the base and our relationship with him is everything. Books on simplicity have become vogue in the Christian publishing world, or the publishing world in general for that matter. People are finding life too complicated and need to consume and buy more and more books about simplicity to find the simple life. Yet Jan Johnson’s book, Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace is worth the read.

Johnson’s writing is simple yet eloquent. The book is not longer than it needs to be, it is not cluttered with passages of spiritual masters just to prove that she’s read them (though her ability to weave their stories into her chapters with one liners makes it obvious to the reader that she has not only read them, but communes with them); it is not packed with ostentatious claims of her mastery nor pretentious humility about not being a master that tends to come with other spiritual books. It is just simple.

Also unlike many books about spirituality, Abundant Simplicity is decidedly Christian. I am a fan of drawing in the spiritual practices that God has imprinted upon us yet others have claimed while Christians have forgotten. Yet, too often these books become pluralistic and relativistic that they go beyond recognizing the good of non-Christian spirituality to appropriating it as Christian spirituality. Johnson’s book does not fall into this category. It clearly has a purpose, to create space for a relationship with Jesus.

One of the most important aspects of Johnson’s approach to simplicity is the intentionality in becoming simple. Carving out intentional space for simplicity means carving out intentional space for God, which in turn will carve out more and more space for simplicity. Intentionality breeds the unintentional perpetuation of simplicity and a deepened relationship with God. It is almost comical as to how easy and uncomplicated it is. Intentionality is so important to Johnson’s work, I would title the next edition, The Art of Spiritual Intentionality: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace in Abundant Simplicity.

Her book is great for those just beginning their relationship with Christ or for those who’ve been walking with Jesus for decades. It is not academic, but practical. It is not whimsical, but reasonable. Johnson’s only expectation is the desire to simplify to create space for God. She recognizes the plurality of approaches and provides options that begin to stir intentionality, not form a ritual of spirituality. Her’s is an easy read that can take hours or months. What I noticed in my own life was beginning to question small practices, taking intentional time to see if what I am doing or thinking is complicating or simplifying my relationship with God and my relationship with others. Nothing particular stands out as formative advice or crucial piece of spiritual wisdom lacking in other books, but Johnson’s clear writing prodded me into examining life.

Abundant Simplicity has a place on the bookshelf among the giants like Interior Castle, Celebration of Discipline, Renovation of the Heart, Contemplation and others. It would make a great gift or great book study for groups. As cheesy as it sounds, Johnson’s book is so simple it is one of the few you will need on simplicity to begin to eliminate complication and carve out space for God.

DMR Format Change

DMR is changing its posting format from a monthly issue to a by the review post. Please check in for new posts regularly.