Shaping Theology: Engagements in a Religious and Secular World Book

This book is actually intended to be read one "chapter" at a time over thirty days, but I read it several "days" at a time off-and-on throughout the last three weeks. I found it while browsing at a local bookstore and picked it up for a friend, but I never give away a book without having read it first.

Basically, this book is a step-by-step analysis of the reader's own views on Christian faith made possible by systematically considering each phrase of the Apostles' Creed. After each day's reading, the authors present some ideas on how to delve more deeply into the topic of the day as well as a recommended title for reading more about the concepts that were discussed that day. Scripture references throughout the book are from The Message (MSG) paraphrase translation, of which I am a huge fan.

While the audience of the book is anticipated to be "skeptics" -- someone who is searching for answers to the "larger questions of life" or who has "given up on church but not on God", I found it to be helpful and relevant to me, as well. The sections that I found the most helpful (and over which I spent the most time contemplating) were the sections on Hell ("...he descended to hell..."), Judgment ("...From there He will come to judge the living and the dead..."), the Holy Spirit ("I believe in the Holy Spirit..."), and Christian community ("I believe in ... the communion of saints..."). I think all-to-often the (protestant/Baptist) church today over-looks many of these topics or just bluntly says "here are the facts" without bothering to discuss their importance to living the Christian life. This book does a good job of considering each of the beliefs that Christians have held most dear since the early church and what the implications of each is on our modern lives.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who:
1. is questioning the basic elements of their Christian faith, or
2. has always taken someone else's say-so on the basic elements of their faith and is ready to think about them for their self, or
3. needs a break from their stale routine faith to go back and dust-off the basics, or
4. who is wanting to take-up relevant conversation with any of the above.