The rhetoric and name calling is getting ridiculous.

Actually, it’s been ridiculous for quite some time.

And I am tired of being told by those on the left that I cannot hang out with the conservatives because they want tax-cuts for the rich and fewer bargaining rights for unions, and I am tried of being told by those on the right that I cannot hang out with the liberals because they are in favor of homosexual marriage and amnesty for immigrants.

We are a divided country, and if our divisions were not bad enough, we are allowing these political differences to bring division to the church as well.

These things should not be.

So I was thrilled to recently read an ebook by Frank Viola called Beyond Evangelical. The book was based off some blog posts he wrote back in May 2011, and the bloggish origins of the book are evident throughout the book. It contains numerous hyperlinks to other internet resources, and even has an emoticon here and there. 🙂

But this is not a negative thing. I believe that as ebook evolve, we will see them become more and more like blog posts. The ebook will become the marriage between a book and a blog.

Regardless, the content of this book is fantastic. Frank Viola shows how evangelical Christianity has allowed itself to fracture along political lines, and how this division can heal.

And heal it must.

He is convinced, as am I, that seismic shifts in Christianity are coming in the very near future, and are already underway (p. 58). To come through these changes as healthy and vibrant as possible, we must be united.

But what is it that can unite us?

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If you know and appreciate the writings of Frank Viola, you will be pleased to know that he has a new book out!

It is titled Beyond Evangelical.

Here’s the book description:

Recent studies indicate that evangelical Christians are known by the world as people who are narrow-minded, judgmental, self-righteous, legalistic, callous, hard-hearted, politically partisan, and quick to attack their own. Why is this, and is there a viable cure?

The evangelical Christian world has fractured into four main streams. One of these streams has grown weary of the Christian Right vs. Christian Left squabbles and vitriolic disputes. If this describes you, then you are not alone. And you will be encouraged to know that God is raising up a new breed of orthodox Christians who are breaking free from the Christian Right vs. Left quagmire.

Beyond Evangelical explores the changing face of evangelicalism and introduces readers to a growing segment of the Christian population who do not fit into the Right or Left categories, but who are marked by an uncommon devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ as this world’s true Lord.

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No one needs to tell you that millions of people today are questioning “church as usual.”

While people within the traditional church often complain that those who leave their “church” are abandoning God’s church, the ones who leave actually feel that they are finding church for the first time. They are learning what it means to follow Jesus into the world, to experience true community with other believers, to read Scripture in a new light, and to serve others out of love rather than compulsion.

One of the people leading the way in these new forms of being the church in our communities is Mark Winter, and he has recently published a book called, Was Church God’s Idea?

This book is a good reminder to all of us who are seeking to follow Jesus outside the four walls of a church building that church has not always consisted of big buildings, paid clergy, and endless programs.

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Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (458-471 A.D.), would not ordain anyone who had not been diligently reciting the psalms; the second Council of Nicaea (587 A. D.) concluded that no one was to be consecrated bishop unless he knew the Psalter thoroughly; and the eighth Council of Toledo (653 A.D.) ordered that no one be promoted to any ecclesiastical position who did not know perfectly the entire collection (Ross, 27).

Yikes! I guess I better get studying the Psalms!

We think we are so smart today with all of our books and computers, but seriously, how many of us know the Bible as well as we should?

I know I do not.

One of the things I strive to do on this blog is explain Scripture in a way that shows how people understood it when it was written, and also showing how the story of Scripture transforms and changes our lives today.

But many Bible commentaries do this as well. To help bring the Psalms to life, I recommend the new commentary by Allen P. Ross: Commentary on the Psalms. I believe it is one of the best commentaries ever written on the book of Psalms.

But this is no surprise, since Dr. Ross is one of the leading Old Testament scholars in the world.

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