Sunday, May 25, 2003
The Humor of Christ
by Elton Trueblood
Interesting little book, in which the author puts forth the idea that some of Christ's statements should be taken as humorous. The book was written in 1963 and at the time the American church apparently was very prim and proper. I know that the image of Jesus that I got growing up was very quiet and proper and even tempered. Not the type of character who would chase money changers out of the temple or holler out to a festival crowd to come and get living water. Anyway, Dr. Trueblood makes a good case that Jesus might have cracked a smile once or two in His ministry. There's one point where he stretches the point a bit too long, when he attempts to sell his idea that Jesus' comment on the parable of the unjust steward were spoken in jest. I've heard a better interpretation of that in the book Poet and Peasant, but it is a hard passage so I have to give him credit for wrestling with the issue. Despite the slightly too liberal, mid-20th century theology, I'd say check it out.
Labels: CheckItOut
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Peace Child
by Don Richardson
Peace Child is a modern Christian classic, the story of a missionary who went to work among a stone age tribe, the Sawi, in the early 1960's. He tells of the violent ideals of their culture--vengeance, treachery and cannibalism--and how it seemed to have no common ground with Jesus' message of peace, love and forgiveness. But much to Mr. Richardson's surprise, he found that God had provided links within the culture of the Sawi through which they, too, could understand and relate to Jesus' story. (This concept is further developed in Richardson's book Eternity in Their Hearts.) It was a fascinating read, first experiencing the Sawi culture and their reactions to Western civilization, and then reading of Mr. Richardson's own reaction to them. I don't know if it can be enjoyed solely as a tale of cross-cultural communication. I was a bit put off by the account of the Sawi's encounter with the white folk, (probably evidence of my own prejudices) so I could imagine that a non-Christian may not have much sympathy with the missionaries. But I would definitely put it on my shelf if my wife hadn't already put it there. So, give it a try, if you're at all interested in missionary stories or cross-cultural communication.
Labels: DonRichardson, OnMyShelf
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