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Coffeehouse Theology

Sometimes what you expected and what you get are two different things. Take for instance, this book I got called Coffeehouse Theology; Reflecting on God in Everyday Life, by Ed Cyzewski. I know you can't judge a book by its' cover, but...

On the cover is a cup of coffee and some napkins with doodles on them. On the back cover we read quotes like, 'Theology should breathe life and unity among God's people...' and 'Whether in a community, in a coffeehouse, or by e-mail, discussion and application of theology is essential. Joining the conversation is easy.'

According to Ed, ummm....no it's not. Not unless 13-step processes are easy. What I expected was a discussion on pressing issues of our culture today and how different viewpoints can coexist. What I got was a very in-depth study on how to do contextual theology.

Ed tells us, quite correctly, that none of us have a corner on truth. We can know and value truth, but we must acknowledge that we don't have all the truth. Great point, although in another section he writes that God is someone we get to know after we know who we are and how we see the world. I can't agree with that. Rather, I would argue that we can only truly know who we are after we kno who God is, for it is God who gives us our true definitions.

Now, once I knew what I had, there were many great aspects of this book. First, Ed writes that 'theology - the act of reflecting on God - should change both how we think and how we live.' Then most of the rest of the book is revolving around all the different points of view one should take when considering God and His book, our Bible.

Contextual Theology involves reading the Bible, considering how other cultures read and interpret the Bible, considering how previous cultures read and understood the Bible, considering the many Traditions of the Church, the Global Church, the Local Church...oh, and the Holy Spirit. If that list sounds involved, it is.

And while I agree that we should be considering all these things, it made for somewhat involved reading, nothing like what William Dyrness wrote on the back cover recommendation, 'With wit and grace, Cyzewski shows how theology not only connects us with God but also moves us out of ourselves into loving ministry next door and around the world.' Ed certainly wrote intelligently and proved his point well, but this is no light coffeehouse reading.

It felt sort of like a movie that spends most of the time introducing characters and then 15 minutes of action. The last couple of chapters got into some discussion on how all these differet viewpoint will affect topics which Christians disagree about. I suppose like the movie, I could wait for the sequel to have more action.

Coffeehouse Theology was given to me for review by Viral Bloggers (www.theooze.com).
http://inamirrordimly.com - Ed Cyzewski's Theology and Culture blog and book information
http://edcyz.com - Ed Cyzewski's Professional Writing blog
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Rick, I was somewhat intrigued by seeing this book, but I would not have guessed it's content as you describe it. Now I think I'll have to actually check it out, since it's not just another rehash of someone's views on current events.
September 19, 2010 at 5:34 PM
Rick Nier said…
I agree Matt. It's worth the read once you realize what you have. I didn't mention this in the post, but he actually goes into a bit a history as well.
As I think about it, this book might have been a welcome read in college in place of some of the more dry textbooks.
September 20, 2010 at 11:22 AM
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