Exploring New Books
Welcome to this week’s posts at Tov Unleashed Substack! A Substack that explores and explores the long and winding roads of new books and ideas.
Monday: I’m calling it “readings within readings.”
Tuesday: a brand new book on the Gospels: how they were written, how they were read, and how they were circulated.
Wednesday: another brand new book. How is Romans preached outside the world of traditional Protestant thinking about Paul’s theology and Romans?
Thursday: the justice and mercy themes of the parables of Jesus, beginning with the parable about the Samaritan who shows mercy.
If you want to read all posts as well as comment, please
Tov Unleased . . I listened to an intriguing interview of John Mark Comer introducing his new book Practicing the Way. He talked about shadow of church and importance of life with others around the table. I also listened to you and Laura being interviewed about Pivot on Broken to Beloved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrVKA0_CyJc
The process for an individual's spiritual formation, moving from God wounding to transformed, what techniques to employ to help people become aware of their shadow, that may reveal trauma, but that do not intentionally create trauma, seems the mystery. I don't think that's been discovered yet. Well meaning people are experimenting, but I think JMC's idea about table and your idea about TOV Pocket is where Holy Spirit driven transformation will happen best. That it is in relationship where we will fail, having the courage to stay engaged with someone we know and knows us, where sin cannot be ignored or hidden, is what we are called to do through a confessional process. Do I think there will be less trauma? Probably not, but it will not be generated by manipulation. Generating trauma to make a person aware of their shadow is evil. When it bubbles up through a natural or normal experience is optimal. Curt Thompson's confessional community story telling process has a component where a failure will be revealed, as least to self, and can be dealt with if you have the courage.
The thing about this process that you can't get away from, is the possibility that people will get upset enough to leave the local church and that income stream ends. If leadership is always worried about that income stream, I wonder if transformation will be possible.
Excellent