Books & culture
Schuurman sees the church as an ironic “third way” between liberal and conservative Protestantism.
The Subversive Evangelical: The Ironic Charisma of an Irreligious Megachurch
By Peter J. Schuurman McGill-Queen’s, 2019. 384 pages. $32 (e-book $18.99). Preview at Amazon.ca and Books.Google.ca
bruxy cavey is the teaching pastor for the 5,500 people who attend Sunday services at The Meeting House, based in a former industrial complex in Oakville, Ont.
It’s not that all those people are in Oakville – the church includes 19 satellite centres all over Ontario (many in cinemas) offering the Sunday teaching by technology and a similar local midweek home church experience.
How does this model of church life arise? This book is based on a sociological PhD thesis by Peter Schuurman, an Ontario Christian academic who has been studying The Meeting House in person for several years. It summarises how Cavey, who moved to this Anabaptist church in 1996, transformed it into what it is today.
Cavey’s teaching and persona are theologically conservative and Bible-based, but expressed in ways that distance The Meeting House from negative stereotypes of right-wing evangelicalism. This “charisma,” Schuurman argues, is much bigger than Cavey alone – it is a “dramatic production” in which Cavey, staff and attendees co-operate.
Schuurman sees the church as an ironic “third way” between liberal and conservative Protestantism. The Meeting House focuses on spirituality and relationship while bracketing religion. It holds annual Purge Sundays to urge “Christian tourists” to leave if they cannot commit to active participation.
This well-rounded study also considers whether this church will survive after its charismatic leader, and to what extent it is a white, middle-class suburban phenomenon. –PYE CHEW
Faith, Life and Leadership: 8 Canadian Women Tell Their Stories, Vol. 2
Edited by Margaret Gibb
Castle Quay, 2019. 360 pages. $19 (e-book $9.99). Preview at Amazon.ca and Books.Google.ca
the second volume in the Faith, Life and Leadership series (supported by www.Women-Together. org) again offers a refreshing compilation of eight Canadian Christian women – broadcasters Cheryl Weber and Moira Brown, breast cancer activist Leila Springer, pastor evangelist Marie Miller, recording artist Ruth Ann Onley, and Susan Finlay of Nation at Prayer, Wendy Hagar of Sew on Fire Ministries and Aileen van Ginkel of The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Their autobiographies are varied. Most were not privy to a life of privilege. Many were unwanted, rebellious, abandoned, bullied and ridiculed. None sought to be leaders.
They relied on the promptings of the Holy Spirit to guide them, to transform them into His image. These women believed He was leading them in their life journey and professional development.
Most also had a cheering squad of husbands, coworkers and/or professors who championed them. They loved, guided and encouraged the women to achieve their Godgiven potential. They celebrated them.
While some churches continue to imply that women must act in a supportive, submissive role, Faith, Life and Leadership proves the contrary, painting instead the possibilities for women to richly impact others globally for the glory of God.
This is an inspiring and comforting book, and an excellent resource for churchgoers – especially men, who can learn how to support the women and daughters in their world. The book offers important wisdom about being stretched in our capacities.
The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love & Learning, Worship & Work
By Steve Garber
IVP, 2020. 128 pages. $27 (e-book $15, audiobook $15). Preview at Amazon.ca and Books.Google.ca
we often speak of our lives as juggling acts. Every day we strive to balance our work, relationships, faith, duties and passions enough to keep them from crashing to the ground. Yet among all these moving parts we often lose touch with the meaning of our life and vocation altogether. In this book Steven Garber, professor of marketplace theology at Regent College in Vancouver, helps us find the divinely woven threads that make our fragmented lives whole.
Through a tapestry of short essays and photos, Garber explores some of our deepest human questions about the intersection of work, worship, vocation, justice and love. With wisdom, scholarship and story, he paints a vision of coherence in which all aspects of our lives participate in the glory and mission of God.
The seamless life is one in which heaven meets earth in the most ordinary, daily aspects of existence. Garber takes us from boardrooms on Madison Avenue to conversations with artists to backyard meals with friends to show us every single piece is sacred.
This is a book to savour slowly. Colourful stories and photos infused with questions and insight guide the reader through the light and shadow of a faithful life in a complex world. The format lends itself nicely to a daily reflection and would also make this a great book to take on retreat.
A rich and transformative read. – JULIA BOWERING