"Righteous" indignation (part II)

A couple days ago I mentioned how seminarians (re: me) can display pride and arrogance at those who would dare to prefer buying an audio copy of the latest Henry Cloud marriage book instead of a scholastic commentary on Ecclesiastes. Well, I don't want to stop with just the seminarians. I've seen the same pridefulness in regards to accepted expressions of emotion.

There is a basic assumption in the emerging generation that authenticity is valuable. I can't remember the last time I was in an emergent-style worship gathering and the guitar player failed to remind us that any authentic expression of worship was valid. Sit, stand, go to the bathroom, whatever. Worship must be authentic. In an effort to cultivate authenticity, worship leaders who express emotion and "seem real" are regarded as more authentic, and therefore superior.

I am not a "worship leader." I have immense respect for those who can walk and chew gum at the same time, much less sing and play a guitar. Worship leaders are often good-looking, funny, athletic, and have cool, spiritual sounding names like "Tim" or "Braden." Even so, I suspect that we expect worship leaders to exhibit the emotions we find important, rather than what they are actually feeling. I have variously heard worship leaders defined as too quiet, too loud, too talky, too touchy-feely, too happy, too sad, and not-Bob-enough (okay, that last one was a lie).

When we seek out an environment where the worship leader is an idealized version of our spiritual life, we're in for a rough ride. I wish I felt God like Josh does. That's what real penitence looks like. Looking to anyone, whether worship leader, pastor, Sunday school teacher, or janitor for our spirituality is ineffective and heretical.

So what does this have to do with pride? The reality is, we can become judgmental if the worship leader does not fit our understanding of proper spirituality. If we are the brooding type, but the worship leader is happy-clappy, we can become prideful about their lack of spiritual depth. But, I thought the value was authenticity? If that is his or her authentic spiritual expression, why do we become judgmental?

Proving myself right

Well, I figured my plan for putting up one review a week would falter, and it has. I've been working on a few books, but nothing really worth writing about yet.

On Friday I went to a "normal" Christian bookstore for the first time in a while. By normal I just mean that it doesn't cater to a seminary audience. My first reaction, as it too often is, was pride. These trinkits and books are heretical/juvenille/whatever. I took a perverse pride in noticing that the DaVinci Code section was larger than the theology section. It felt good to think I was smarter and/or more spiritually mature than the people that owned and frequented the store.

After wandering the aisles for a while, I realized a few things. First, that I was being stupid. Christian stores can sell more than books without needed to be ashamed. Secondly, most Christians do not care about the types of books I usually read. That does not make them less (or more) mature in their faith (where does Jesus say, "Blessed are the bookworms"?).

I guess my point is this: when we become immersed in a Christian sub-culture (whether that's seminary, Crusade, the Emergent movement, or the cool Christian club (my name for the Sufjan Stephens/Donald Miller... thing), it is easy to fall into pride when your pet area is neglected. In the next few days I'll mention how pride has effected me during other stages (like those mentioned above). Hopefully it'll help.

Upcoming books

Thought I would give a list of the books I'll be reading and reviewing in the next year or so. If you have good recommendations, feel free to add something, but most of these are ones I've wanted to read for a while. The (BB) refers to a "Becca book", meaning one my wife has been encouraging me to read, which makes it extra special. I'm planning on rotating between the categories, but we'll see.

Biography/History
John Calvin biography
Meet the Brethren
Ancient Church as Family, by Joe Hellerman
John Newton biography
George Muller biography
Evangelism in the Early Church, by Thomas Green

Novel
Chronicle of a Death Foretold (BB)
Merchant of Venice (BB)
Grapes of Wrath
East of Eden
Brothers Karamazov

Pastoral/Leadership/Professional
Houses that Change the World
Contemplative Pastor, by Peterson
Transforming Discipleship, by Ogden
The Emotionally Healthy Church
Church that Works
How to Thrive in Assoc Staff Ministry
Working the Angles (Eugene Peterson)
Connecting Church (Frazee)

Theology
I believe in the HS, by Thomas Green
Scripture, by Robert “Talbot” Saucy
Theology of the NT (Ladd)
Theology of the OT (Kaiser)

Christian Living
Collected works of C.S. Lewis
Cost of Discipleship, by Bonhoffer
Wisdom of Tenderness, by Brennan Manning
God who Hears, by Bing Hunter
Desiring God, by Piper
When I Don’t Desire God, by Piper
Choose the Life, by Bill Hull

Family/Marriage
Seven Principles, by John Gottman (BB)
Stages of Faith, by Fowler (BB)
How People Grow, by Henry Cloud (BB)



Spiritual Formation
Prayer (Foster) (BB)
Streams of Living Water (Foster)
True Spirituality (Schaffer)
Renovation of the Heart (Willard)

Other
Tiffany’s Table Manners (BB)