| Author | Message | ||
| Mwh Registered user Username: Mwh Post Number: 511 Registered: 4-2006  |
Hello everybody Anyone of you know this book? http://www.theessentialjesus.com/ SDA preachers and their helpers distribute this book to all the leaders of the churches in Denmark. In Him, Martin | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 819 Registered: 8-2004  |
I have never heard of the book but I recognize William G Johnsson, who used to be the editor of the Adventist Review and Jan Paulsen who is the current president of the SDA General Conference. From this I would assume that it upholds standard SDA doctrines (whatever they are at the moment). Distributing such books to all the church leaders is a standard SDA practice, though I've heard of it being done most often with EGW books: for example, "Steps to Christ" or "Desire of Ages" are often mass mailed or personally delivered to pastors, political leaders, etc; "Education" is sent to the local teachers and school board members; and "Ministry of Healing" is for the medical community. Mary | ||
| Bobj Registered user Username: Bobj Post Number: 99 Registered: 1-2006  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin, I'm not acquained with the book, but Johnsson (editor of the Adventist Review) was helpful in getting me to see beyond adventism with his book "The Fragmenting of Adventism." He also wrote a piece in the Review in the late 80s or early 90s on Brennan Manning's book "The Lion and the Lamb." More than any author, the Lord used Brennan Manning to speak to my heart and to see what adventism does to people. Manning is a former cathoilc priest. His book "The Ragamuffin Gospel" helped heal my heart years ago. So Johnsson ultimately provided me with a couple of the stepping stones I needed on my path toward trusting in the Lord. Looking back, I can think of several SDA authors and pastors that have said or written things that seem so strangely at odds with the church. It's almost like they were trying to tell us something--to warn us. I recall reading somewhere that some of the Jewish Christian leaders thought they could help the church by staying in Jerusalem in AD 66, hoping to convince the Romans to play nice, but ended up losing their lives with all the others who didn't flee. But again, I'm not acquainted with this book. Bob | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5376 Registered: 12-2003  |
I've not read this book, either. In reading the review, I recognize a few phrases that sound "familiar", for example, "The confronting Christ who demands obedience, a Christ contrary to contentporary Christian drought, is explored. We are confronted by His compassion, and our form of relationship with Him is directly challenged." I know that the sentence above hints pretty strongly to me that Christ demands obedience to the law and ultimately the Sabbathóbut I'm sure that if this is the author's point, it will be couched in less direct terms. I would like to read the book; I also see a "yellow flag" when I read, ""The desire to be like God can be a worthy aspiration as well as a satanic delusion, depending on how we perceive the nature of God. In Christ we see the essence of God, and it is one of humble self-giving. To grasp that, or rather to be grasped by it, is the lowering of human pride and conceit in the dust' (Norman Young)." The essence of God is much more than self-giving. It is sovereign love, mercy, grace, justice, wrath, and much more. This paragraph brings to me all the old "feelings" of recoiling from dealing with Jesusóthe feeling that the Father is GOD, that Jesus is "small God", and the Holy Spirit is "also God". Jesus revealed the truth about Godóbut from my reading God as "self-giving" was not the primary revelation of God. Eternal loveóyes. Holyóyes. Full of mercy and truthóyes. Self-givingówell, yes, but Jesus emptied Himself when He became incarnate. He was exalted above every name when He was seated at the Father's right hand, and ALL THINGS were put under his feet, on heaven and on earth. I suspect that this book may certainly lead some spiritually crippled Adventists to see Him in a much more nearly Biblical light. God can certainly use it to teach truth, in the way Bob shared above. But as our pastor said this morning as he preached from Mark 6:1-13, Jesus is an offense, and people will be scandalized by Him. Further, we must NOT "edit Jesus". By reading the list of contributing authors, I know that this book cannot go beyond what Adventism can support. This does not mean this book might not be something really good for a lot of Adventists to read...but it will, nevertheless, still be Adventist. Thanks for the linkóI think I may try to get the book. I'd like to read it. Colleen |
