new books!

got home from work today and there was a present awaiting me. i love to see the amazon box - it makes my heart skip a beat (that may be a little extreme, but i really like it).

i ordered "letters from a skeptic" by greg boyd and "the forgotten ways" by alan hirsch. looking forward to both of them. i think i am going to start with "letters from a skeptic."

here is the what is on the back cover:

"dear greg:
i find you idea of dialoguing about the subject of christianity very interesting, and i'd be happy to do it. i've got enough time on my hands....you invited me to raise whatever objections come to mind, so i'll jump right in. here's one i've wondered about a lot: how could an all-powerful and all-loving god allow the church to do so much harm to humanity for so long? isn't this supposed to be his true church, his representation on earth?....to my mind, this is quite enough to prove that the church does not possess any true philosophy....well, you wanted an objection; you've got one. i look forward to your response....

love always,
dad"

wow - i think this should be interesting. i am of the opinion we don't wrestle with the tough questions enough. it is much easier just to push them out of our mind and pretend everything fits nice and neat into our categories. i respect those that have really wrestled with the tough stuff. this seems like a good question/issue to start with. the church has done all kinds of deplorable things in the name of god, in the name of christ, in the name of religion. even today, sometimes the church is the biggest barrier to faith in christ. that is tough to hear, but true nonetheless. i look forward to where this book might take me.