“The book depicts the Temptation and Fall not as the source of all woe and misery, as in traditional Christian teaching, but as the beginning of true human freedom something […]
[First published in the Midwest Christian Outreach Journal, Vol 14, No. 1, Winter, 2008; modified for website March, 2008] [Note: Some of the material for this article is also found […]
[Note: This is not a book review, but rather an overview of problematic spiritual issues in the book. There is much information on Pullman’s agnostic/atheist views elsewhere, so that is […]
The church was founded by Jesus Christ, and he is the cornerstone. The church has a supernatural dimension due to its Founder, and because all believers, who are indwelt by […]
[Note: This is a commentary on the book Eve, by Wm. Paul Young. It is not a full review but rather aims to address issues with theological and biblical themes in […]
In her book, Eat, Pray, Love (NY: Penguin Books, 2006), Elizabeth Gilbert narrates her journey through three countries, Italy, India, and Indonesia, which parallels the exploration of three stages of her post-divorce […]
Why this book? I read this book at the request of some parents whose children were using this book in a Christian school. It is promoted as a book on […]
“Once you see Jesus as a teacher of enlightenment, faith changes its focus. You don’t need to have faith in the Messiah or his mission. Instead, you have faith in […]
Living Wisdom by David G. Benner is a 2019 revised and expanded edition from an earlier version. The earlier version has 10 ISBN numbers, which means the first edition was published […]
As the book progresses, it only becomes more troubling. Benner writes that we “are called to be human beings” and “to be fully human.” (87) But we are created as human beings; we really cannot be anything other than human. It is what Benner means by “human” that makes the difference.
Benner claims we are to
“recognize Christ as the deepest truth of our being. It is not just becoming like Christ but actualizing the Christ who is in us. It is a journey toward union with God.” (99)
“Actualizing the Christ” is a concept foreign to the Bible. But if one is a Panentheist and a Jungian, it makes sense because Christ is contained everywhere in creation according to Panentheism. This is a major teaching of Richard Rohr which Benner shares. “Actualizing” the Christ who is already part of our unconscious as an archetype is to awaken the true Self. This is what Benner means by being human.