Take and Read

A Theological Book Discussion

-- Paul Doerksen, MBCI

Sometimes work, family or other kinds of responsibilities seem to leave little time for reading and discussion, and at any rate, it’s hard to find or work through certain kinds of books alone. However, the fact that other people are reading the same books and there is an opportunity to take this material up with those people creates interesting possibilities. Take and Read participants read four recently published books during the fall and winter. Sessions begin with an analysis of the book, followed by fantastic dessert, coffee, and small group discussion with other readers.

Paul Doerksen will again lead the sessions, which will include a book by Kathleen Norrisn entitled Acedia & Me, which creatively discusses the pervasive condition of spiritual malaise. The cost of the four meetings will be $120, which includes books, dessert and coffee (if two people share books, the second person will be charged only $40). Contact Karin Friesen at 667-8210 Ext. 3111 or kfriesen@mbci.mb.ca Monday – Friday (12:30 – 4:30 pm) to register.

This Year's Books

1. Oct. 7/09:
A.J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, Simon and Schuster, 2007.
Jacobs is a self-described secular journalist who tries to do something many Christians claim to do – obey the Bible. So, in addition to growing a really long beard, Jacobs fi nds that his quest creates some very awkward situations (have you ever stoned someone for committing adultery?), and surprising insights into the Bible. In addition, this book has the merit of holding up a mirror to our own approaches to the Bible – and it’s funny.

2. Dec. 2/09:
David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies, Yale University Press, 2009.
The so-called ‘new atheists’ (e.g. Dennett, Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens) have captured the attention of many readers. Theologian David Bentley Hart contends that these atheistic writings are based on profound conceptual confusions and facile simplifi cations of history. He attends to many issues which the ‘new atheists’ address, seeking to bring into focus the truth about the most radical revolution in Western History. Sometimes theology is considered a ‘blood sport,’ and this book is a fine display of this dynamic.

3. Feb. 3/10:
Alan Jacobs, Original Sin: A Cultural History, Harper, 2008.
G.K. Chesterton famously stated that original sin is the only provable Christian doctrine in existence. Alan Jacobs (no relation to A.J. Jacobs above), in this cultural history of a doctrine that is often misunderstood, shows how this notion has shaped our political structures, how we teach and raise children, and especially how we understand ourselves. Does our Christian faith really require us to believe that all of us are bad to the bone?

4. Apr. 7/10:
Kathleen Norris, Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life, Riverhead Books, 2008.
The poet Kathleen Norris deals with what is probably a fairly widespread phenomenon - spiritual malaise - which the ancient Christians knew as acedia, or alternatively, the ‘noonday demon.’ She believes that the restless boredom, frantic escapism, commitment phobia, and enervating despair so many of us experience is the ‘ancient demon of acedia in modern dress.’ This is not indulgence in outrageous speculation, but a serious attempt to understand a spiritual condition deeply experienced by Norris herself.