The Mrs. & the Minister

What Josh McDougall's Jesus Was an Airborne Ranger:  Find Your Purpose Following the Warrior Christ claims to do is offer Christians a 21st century account of what Gustaf Aulen calls the "Christus Victor" theology in his 1931 book .  So I was excited to give the book a read. What I found, however, was a picture of Christ more akin to the 9th century's The Heliand .  McDougall makes interesting claims about parallels between the life of Christ and the training and service of Airborne Rangers, since he is one he is definitely qualified to write this unique story. He promises you a warrior Christ and he certainly delivers magnificently. McDougall's book has the tone of that of a military man -- clipped, concise, upbeat and certainly confrontational.  The author has no problem getting to his point quickly in each chapter.  There are some super funny lines including describing the "feminized Christ" that we've all grown up with as a "...

Joanna Weaver's Lazarus Awakening  Finding Your Place in the Heart of God continues the deep biblical study that began in her Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World:  Finding Intimacy with God .  This time, she turns her attention to the relationship between Jesus and Lazarus and examines all the ways in which our lives are stifled -- even dead -- in large and small ways.  As she peels apart the layers of the story of the friendship of Jesus and Lazarus, she reveals the biblical message at the heart of that friendship:  "Only Christ can perform the spiritual CPR we so desperately need".  Jesus calls us out of the deaths of our lives -- just as he called Lazarus. The book -- and the accompanying study guide and DVD -- defines what that friendship between Jesus and his disciples, like Lazarus, looks like.  Weaver constantly asks of us, "What kind of friend am I?" and offers tools for evaluating the nature of our friendship with Jesus.  And those v...