Rooted + Radical

Since I’m in the process of moving, I haven’t been able to give my reading and reflection the time it deserves.  My review of Jamie Smith’s “Desiring the Kingdom” is forthcoming, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share an excerpt from it.  For more of a discussion on “mushy worship music” visit http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2009/10/20/genre-jesus-is-my-girlfriend-hillsong-u-and-kutless-fans-please-read/#comment-3347

“While we might be rightly critical of the self-centered grammar of such choruses (which, when parsed, often turn out to be more about “me” than God, and “I” more than us), I don’t think we should so quickly write off their “romantic” or even “erotic” elements (the Song of Songs comes to mind in this context). This, too, is a testimony to why and how so many are deeply moved in worship by such singing. While this can slide into an emotionalism and a certain kind of domestication of God’s transcendence, there remains a kernel of “fittingness” about such worship. While opening such doors is dangerous, I’m not sure that the primary goal of worship or discipleship is safety…[Such a view] suffers from a “quasi-rationalism that sneers at such erotic elements in worship and is concerned to keep worship “safe”. From James K.A. Smith “Desiring the Kingdom”.

I’ve been engaged in a very heated debate about John Piper at a friend’s website. Check it out and wade in (beware of flying mudballs).

http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2009/11/11/the-message-valid-translation-or-useless-paraphrase/

The Internet is a tool, nothing more nothing less.  My intent in creating this blog is to serve as a clearing house for my thoughts about the numerous books I read every year.  I am a bibliophile.  However, over the years of collecting and reading books, I’ve realized that I’ve become more of a consumer of books rather than a connoisseur.  That is to say, I’ve focused more on reading certain books just to be able to say that I’ve read them rather than enjoying the act of reading itself and deeply engaging with the text.  This is also compounded by the fact that I am a notoriously fast reader – I ravenously devour books, which has led to a very peculiar set of reading habits.  Normally, I’ll read four or five books in a row, often switching between two at the same time, and then read nothing for indeterminate periods of time.  I would much rather develop a habit of sustained reading – one book at a time, with a requisite time of reflection upon completion.

I’ve always had a decent memory, particularly when it comes to facts (hence my undergraduate focus on history).  This also extends to remembering the broad details of books, particularly non-fiction books (the author, publisher, and contours of the argument).  However, I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to truly appreciate a book and to develop my skills in the art of reading, I need to be more deliberate in engaging with the text itself, to gnaw on its bones and marrow, to ruminate upon its words in order to digest the argument.  In doing so, I will become not only a book connoisseur, but I will also be a more critical and charitable reader.

To that end, this blog is meant to serve as a digital form of “spiritual exercise” as it were, a crude hybrid of journalling and book reviewing, a tool for me to develop my reading habits.  By their nature, blogs have a rather narcissistic bent, which is interesting given that they exist in a very public medium.  Consequently, I have no pretensions about the usefulness or validity of this blog beyond my own interests.  That being said, in a spirit of digital hospitality, I invite anyone with similar interests or diverging opinions to join in the conversation (dialogues are more interesting than monologues and no one likes talking to themselves for too long…)

I should probably stop talking about reviewing books in order to start reviewing books!  I’ve thought about which book I would review first, and the timing of Baker Publishing’s release of Jamie Smith’s “Desiring the Kingdom” couldn’t have been better.  This book touches on a number of my interests – theology, spiritual formation, and postmodernism, which makes it an excellent candidate for my first review…stay tuned…

Welcome to my blog, a site dedicated to exploring the intersections of spiritual formation, theological education, social justice, and postmodernism.

The name of my blog is based on the etymology of the Latin word “radix”, which means “rooted” and “radical”.  When our faith is rooted in Christ, we cannot be anything but radical.

I am a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church of North America.  I hope to use this blog as a ministry tool, focusing on book reviews and theological musings for the edification of my congregation and anyone else who wants to join the conversation.

Blessings!