**Rowland Croucher**
2009-08-07 02:15:23 UTC
JOY IN DISGUISE: Meeting Jesus in the Dark Times by Edward S. Little=20
(Morehouse Publishing, 2009).
=91I lived for a year on a street graced by the presence of three=20
churches. The first, next door to my apartment complex, was the True=20
Love Church. Just down the block stood the Greater True Love Church. A=20
bit farther on was the Reformed Greater True Love Church. It didn=92t tak=
e=20
much imagination for me to conjure up the scenarios: church fight,=20
division, another fight, another split, and on and on and on.=92 Conflict=
,=20
writes Bishop Little, =91is always a complex reality that includes=20
multiple elements and many layers. I have a theory that conflict issues=20
from three sources: principle, personality and power=92.
I enjoyed this book: it=92s an easy read, down-to-earth, and full of=20
pastoral wisdom. Indeed, Episcopal wisdom. I finished it in one day,=20
secretly desiring that I had a pastor like Edward Little. The Bishop of=20
Northern Indiana is humble (he doesn=92t brag about pastoral successes,=20
but writes honestly about his ministerial stuff-ups), irenic (he=92s a=20
=91loving brother and friend=92 of practising homosexual Bishop Gene=20
Robinson even though he voted against him, and is an interesting=20
raconteur (especially about movies).
I have only three small reservations=85 It=92s difficult to write or pre=
ach=20
with a paragraph-by-paragraph/expository approach and be interesting.=20
Our bishop is conservative, and fellow-evangelicals in my experience=20
want so much to ground their preaching-authority in the biblical text=20
that they often commit the cardinal sin for preachers of being=20
uninteresting. =91People do not come to church wanting to know what=20
happened to the Amalekites=92 says the old quote, or the Greek word for=20
this or that. Second, the title and sub-title were probably chosen to=20
sell the book rather than faithfully describe its contents. Sure, we are=20
helped by traveling with Paul during his hard times, but the title may=20
promise more counseling/pastoral help =91in the dark times=92 than the bo=
ok=20
delivers. Paul, for many moderns, lived in another world =96 in all=20
senses. And occasionally there=92s a bit of editorial slackness (it=92s=20
koinonia not kononia).
But the book is an excellent resource for preachers, if you aren=92t boun=
d=20
too tightly to the lectionary and want to earth a month=92s sermons in=20
Philippians. And good for a month=92s devotions too.
Rowland Croucher
August 2009
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/
(Morehouse Publishing, 2009).
=91I lived for a year on a street graced by the presence of three=20
churches. The first, next door to my apartment complex, was the True=20
Love Church. Just down the block stood the Greater True Love Church. A=20
bit farther on was the Reformed Greater True Love Church. It didn=92t tak=
e=20
much imagination for me to conjure up the scenarios: church fight,=20
division, another fight, another split, and on and on and on.=92 Conflict=
,=20
writes Bishop Little, =91is always a complex reality that includes=20
multiple elements and many layers. I have a theory that conflict issues=20
from three sources: principle, personality and power=92.
I enjoyed this book: it=92s an easy read, down-to-earth, and full of=20
pastoral wisdom. Indeed, Episcopal wisdom. I finished it in one day,=20
secretly desiring that I had a pastor like Edward Little. The Bishop of=20
Northern Indiana is humble (he doesn=92t brag about pastoral successes,=20
but writes honestly about his ministerial stuff-ups), irenic (he=92s a=20
=91loving brother and friend=92 of practising homosexual Bishop Gene=20
Robinson even though he voted against him, and is an interesting=20
raconteur (especially about movies).
I have only three small reservations=85 It=92s difficult to write or pre=
ach=20
with a paragraph-by-paragraph/expository approach and be interesting.=20
Our bishop is conservative, and fellow-evangelicals in my experience=20
want so much to ground their preaching-authority in the biblical text=20
that they often commit the cardinal sin for preachers of being=20
uninteresting. =91People do not come to church wanting to know what=20
happened to the Amalekites=92 says the old quote, or the Greek word for=20
this or that. Second, the title and sub-title were probably chosen to=20
sell the book rather than faithfully describe its contents. Sure, we are=20
helped by traveling with Paul during his hard times, but the title may=20
promise more counseling/pastoral help =91in the dark times=92 than the bo=
ok=20
delivers. Paul, for many moderns, lived in another world =96 in all=20
senses. And occasionally there=92s a bit of editorial slackness (it=92s=20
koinonia not kononia).
But the book is an excellent resource for preachers, if you aren=92t boun=
d=20
too tightly to the lectionary and want to earth a month=92s sermons in=20
Philippians. And good for a month=92s devotions too.
Rowland Croucher
August 2009
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/