Pastor Joe Burnham and a Reconstructed Abundant Life
by joe
Conscious Men, unlike most of the books I am reading on men’s work, first casts a vision rather than just inviting men on a journey of discovery. At the same time, I get the sense that the authors took their own journey, and are now describing where they are in hopes that others might have an easier path.
For this reason, it needs two reviews. One for the man new to men’s work. Another for a man who is just starting.
He: Understanding Masculine Psychology, is a book you can read in a few hours yet spend a lifetime exploring. My introduction to the work of Robert Johnson came through the book, We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love. Finishing that, I found myself compelled to read and discover more of my own story within the pages of his work. Given my personal insights after reading We, moving on to He only made sense.
In We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love, Robert Johnson uses a blend of ancient myth and Jungian psychology to examine Western culture‘s fascination with romance and the harm it is doing to both men and women.
I picked up Theology for the Community of God not fully realizing how massive it is (659 pages). Years ago I heard Michael Hidalgo preach that “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) can also translate, “wrathful children.” My own examination of Greek grammar led me to the same conclusion. However, I know that I only know enough Greek to be dangerous. I needed confirmation by an academic I could cite in my post, Light Up the Darkness. Google led me to this book. Since I appreciate Grenz and the title sparked my curiosity, I bought it and devoured most of it.
Desiring the Kingdom comes in two parts. The first explores the formation of human identity. Anyone interested in human psychology and sociology will find this part valuable. In the second, Smith seeks to specifically apply part one to those interesting in Christian formation (specifically, Calvinists). The first part of this book alone deserves five stars as it enabled my own journey of spiritual reformation.