Crackers and Grape Juice

Christian Piatt returns to the podcast to talk about the latest installation in his Surviving the Bible series.

Christian is:
A Contributor to the Huffington Post;
A Blogger for Patheos;
A Contributor to Red Letter Christians;
A Contributor to The Ooze, and;
A Contributor to Burnside Writers Collective, among others.


Connect with Christian on Twitter or Facebook for the latest news and updates, or contact Christian for more information about his services.

From the publisher -

A lot of us have tried to read the Bible. And we've failed. Christian Piatt has too. But now, using the annual lectionary as his guide, he has put together a devotional that allows us to read through major parts of the Old and New Testaments and finally understand them in plain English. Every week has several Scripture readings, explanations of confusing terms, a story, a deeper dive into interesting themes, and a closing prayer.

You can use it as a weekly study or browse a thematic list for something you're curious about. It's an ideal resource to use with a friend or small group, but it's set up to be accessed by anyone who has enough curiosity, openness, and desire to grow.

Start anywhere. Set it down and come back to it. There's no "wrong way" to use Surviving the Bible. Engage ancient texts in new ways that make sense, here and now, maybe for the first time. Any way you use it, it's sure to challenge and inspire.
http://www.fortresspress.com/product/surviving-bible-devotional-church-year-2019#

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Scot McKnight joins the show to talk about his latest book, 'It Takes a Church to Baptize'
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587434164

From the back jacket - The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized?

Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time. McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith. The book includes a foreword by Todd Hunter and an afterword by Gerald McDermott.

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Addison Hart joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, 'The Letter of James: A Pastoral Commentary'.

https://www.amazon.com/Letter-James-Pastoral-Commentary/dp/1532650140

From the back cover: The Letter of James is perhaps needed more than ever today. In this commentary, Hart argues that the epistle is indeed the work of James of Jerusalem, “the brother of the Lord,” that it was an encyclical letter, and that its chief concern was to combat a distorted version of Paul’s gospel. It is a work with a singular purpose: to bring the churches back to the most basic teachings of Jesus. In its defense of orthopraxy as the primary Christian standard, its denunciation of those with wealth who exploit or neglect the poor, its hard words for those who have taken on the mantel of “teacher” without first learning to restrain their tongues, and above all its exhortation to relearn the truth that “faith without works [of love] is dead,” James could be talking to churches in our own time. This commentary presents James afresh, as a living guide with a perennial message for those who seek to follow Jesus. It is pastoral in intent, written for those who teach and preach, those who desire a more authentic discipleship, and those who practice lectio divina—the meditative reading of Scripture.
_____________________
Addison Hodges Hart is a retired priest (of both the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches, M.Div.), former college chaplain for Northern Illinois University, teacher, spiritual director, and former ecumenical/interfaith director (for the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois). He is the author of six previous books, published by Eerdmans, the most recent being The Ox-Herder and the Good Shepherd: Finding Christ on the Buddha's Path (2013), Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World (2014), and The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden: A Study of Imagery in the Gospel of John (2016). He currently lives with his wife in Norway, along with two Newfoundland dogs, a herd of cats, and some goats.

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The intersection of faith and doubt is viewed either as a badge of honor for some Christians but for others, doubt has no place. In his new book, 'Faith in the Shadows:
Finding Christ in the Midst of Doubt,' pastor and author Austin Fischer explores this intersection, drawing on his own experience as a doubting pastor.

https://www.ivpress.com/faith-in-the-shadows

Austin Fischer is the Teaching Pastor at Vista Community Church. His first book – 'Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed' - was published by Wipf & Stock in January 2014. He writes and speaks and you can follow him on Twitter @austintfischer.

www.http://austinfischer.com/

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crackersnjuice.substack.com/subscribe

Two longtime Mockingbird writers, Charlotte Getz and Stephanie Phillips, have written a book that features a patchwork of personal essays, pocket liturgies, and pseudo-fictional plays, and not a dull moment between them. Stephanie Phillips and Charlotte Getz never expected to raise their families anywhere but home, in the American South. But then…life happened. Quirky, hilarious, and (mostly) true, UNMAPPED is the tale of two long-distance friends who found home—together and apart—in unexpected exile. This spiritual memoir duet is unlike anything you’ve ever read.

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Luke Norsworthy is known for a few things: amazing hair, a CrossFit body most dads dream of, and a keen awareness that what we say about God has implications that go beyond the cliché. In his new book, 'God Over Good,' Luke explores what it means to save your faith by letting go of the expectations we place on God.

An excerpt from the book: "God doesn't always seem to be what we would call good. A good father wouldn't make it so difficult to get to know him, would he? And if God is all-powerful, wouldn't God ensure that we never suffer? Either our understanding of God is incorrect, or our definition of good is inadequate.

In a world that is messy and a church that is imperfect, it's easy to let our faith be lost. But that doesn't mean we have to lose God. It means we must consider that perhaps our idealized expectations are wrong.

With transparency about his own struggles with cynicism and doubt, pastor Luke Norsworthy will help you trade your confinement of God to an anemic definition of good for confidence in the God who is present in everything."

uke Norsworthy (MDiv, Abilene Christian University) is the senior pastor of the 1,500-member Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas. A frequent speaker at universities, retreats, and conferences, he is the host of the popular Newsworthy with Norsworthy podcast on which he has rubbed shoulders with some of the brightest and most prominent voices in theology, including N. T. Wright, Barbara Brown Taylor, Mirsolav Volf, Walter Brueggemann, John Ortberg, and more. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three daughters.

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/god-over-good/390350

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Natasha S. Robinson joins the podcast to talk about her new book, 'A Sojourner's Truth.' Natasha is a Naval Academy graduate, served in the United States Marine Corps, was the Senior Diversity Admissions Counselor in the Office of Admissions at the Naval Academy, and is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Charlotte.

The journey of one of us is the journey of all of us. In these pages we are drawn into the journey of a young African American girl from South Carolina to the United States Naval Academy and then into a calling as a speaker, mentor, writer, and teacher. Intertwined with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson's story is the story of Moses, a young leader who was born into a marginalized people group, resisted injustices of Pharaoh, denied the power of Egypt, and trusted God even when he did not fully understand or know where he was going. Along the way we courageously explore the spiritual and physical tensions of truth-telling, character and leadership development, and bridge building across racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender lines. You are invited to bring along your story as well - to discover your own identity, explore your truth-revealing moments, to live unafraid, and to gain a deeper sense of purpose.
http://www.natashasrobinson.com/books/

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Everyone has a backstory, and for preachers, that backstory sets the stage for preaching.

Lisa Cressman is the author of 'Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft' (The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 2018), and Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday, (www.backstorypreaching.com), a guest preacher, preaching instructor, and speaker. Lisa is a Certified Daring Way® Facilitator, holds a BS in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA., and a D.Min. in Practical Theology from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN.

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In this episode Jason talks with Parker Palmer about his new book On The Brink Of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old. In addition to the book they talk about a number of other subjects including community organizing during social unrest, incarnation politics, and treating depression with medication.

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