I have always thought that there should be bumper stickers that say "Christians make the best lovers". This book would be a defense of that statement. Marva Dawn uses her skills as a biblical scholar, counselor, and insightful commentator on the human condition to write a book that shows that we are not creatues that "have sex", but rather are sexual creatures. THis is a good thing, says Dawn, buut our sexuality needs to be in function of God's design. She outlines this plan in several chapters that focus on the marks of a virtuous sexual relationship.

She also covers topics like homosexuality, abortion, marriage, celebacy, divorce, nurturing children, etc. All with great tact, compassion, and insight. She is really really good at making virtue both exciting, realistically achievable, and fulfilling.
Great for groups or individuals (the book, I mean!).
Enjoy!

It has been over a year since I've read Marva Dawn's Sexual Character but it still has left an impression on me. Her prime characteristic is an ability to present a very clear and well thought out explaination of what can be a very emotional and cloudy topic. Her personal examples also shine with relevance and authenticity. If you are looking for a thoughtful and intelligent discussion of Sexual Character, you won't find anything better.

This book is very helpful in understanding and interpreting our postmodern culture as it impacts worship. The author describes God as our "Infinite Center", and worship as "immersed participation in all the fullness of God's splendor." She emphasizes the need to "be Church" to our culture. The author also deals candidly with many of the music issues affecting worship today, especially the "traditional" versus "contemporary" struggles, and worship and evangelism issues. While many authors offer practical suggestions for "what works," she gets to deeper levels, reminding us that worship is not a matter of taste, that evangelism itself should not "drive" what happens in worship, that we cannot sacrifice substance for style. Throughout the book, she reminds the reader that she is not seeking to provide answers for "being church" in our culture, but she invites us to ask better questions about the meaning and purposes of worship in postmodern times, and how our worship practices form us to be God's people. Reading this book is definitely not a waste of time!

While repetition certainly gets the point across about the main purposes of worship, it makes reading this book a challenge. I agree with the author on many points, especially the beauty and depth of hymns, but some of her ideas seem meant to exclude. Yes, God should be the focus of our prayers, offerings, songs, etc. Also, the author writes many times about the danger of tradition becoming stale. However, most of her conclusions point to what already is and there are very few ideas leading to a fresh approach to the next generation. Upon finishing the book, I felt glad for a sure focus for my worship life and for the depth in the Book of Common Prayer, but also felt despair at the lack of meaningful ways to involve those unaccustomed to juggling prayer books and hymnals.

This book is an excellent must read for all worship leaders and pastors. It goes beyond style taste and gets in to the theology of worship and how few in the church understand the true issues at stake. By the way this review is being written by a drummer in a contemporary praise band. I am not anti contemporary and neither is the author by the way. However I believe that contemporary worship needs reform. So many lyrics focus on we the worshiper and our promises to God rather than declaring who God is in His magnificent glory and His promises to us. Worship is not first and foremost about reaching out to the unbeliever but, is to be the believers praise and thanksgiving for who God is and what He has done. When we boldly and scripturally worship God unbelievers will be drawn but, that is a by product not the goal. The author unlike a reviewer stated above speaks out against dead traditionalism as well and is not entirely against contemporary worship but, is calling for needed reform. As for the idea that teens in the church will never except older hymns that is not true. Many teens are apparently looking for more substance in worship than their parents are. We need hymns as well as the creeds to root the contemporary church to the historic church.

Marva J. Dawn, a Lutheran theologian at Regent College in Vancouver, throws in her views on the current "worship wars" being waged in churches across America. Taking a firmly traditional stance, though not in an unconditional and close-minded way, she details how churches have become captive to today's therapeutic, TV-addicted, and narcissistic culture. Churches have unthinkingly adopted the standards of the secular culture by singing songs that have more to do with our feelings than God, preaching sermons that are motivational speeches rather than exegeses of the Word, and encouraging church atmospheres which pretend to intimacy but replicate the alienation of our age. Dawn, citing figures as diverse as social critics Neil Postman and Jacques Ellul to theologians Walter Brueggeman and David Wells, shows how American Christianity got that way, and details some positive corrective steps. Worship is about God, and worship should form the character of the Christian, she insists, and anything less than that is unworthy of the Lord.

The book's clarion denunciation of the easygoing, narcissitic "gospel" is a real eye-opener and a prophetic challenge to the contemporary church. Though somewhat repetitive, her points are made clearly and with good support from both Scripture and theological tradition. The passion in her critique stems from what's at stake, which is the very life and death of God's people today. Her case for the traditional liturgy is particularly compelling in how she describes its effect on children and newcomers to the church. Having a set, repeated, and Scripture-rich liturgy following the church calendar will do much more to shape the worshiper's character than most of today's informal services. Dawn is also a classically trained musician and choir director, and it shows in her preference for older church music and especially in the chart presenting the difference between "high" and "pop" culture productions; it is such sections that have led some to accuse her of elitism. The criticism is unwarranted, in my judgment. The issue is not aesthetic taste, but whether the content of both the lyrics and the music are focused on God and will last over time. It's a mistake to think that people will be turned off by substance and depth, and prefer what they hear and see in the outside culture; thoughtful people come to church looking for something different. The church imitates the outside culture at its own peril--the final warning in her book, about the church being its own worst enemy, is a striking warning to churches who think otherwise. They may be, in fact, be captive to "principalities and powers" that guide our broken ways of life, and may be committing slow spiritual suicide in the end. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down needs to be read by everyone, especially church and worship leaders, concerned with the way they are evangelizing their neighbors. From the Old Testament we learn that the Holy God cares a great deal about the structure and content of our worship, and if the situation is as bad as Dawn thinks it is, we dare not let that state continue for long. Souls are at stake.

Yes, these were transcribed lectures, with a few new parenthesis added for clarification. I wish I could have been there. This book is the next best thing.

One thing I noticed, Marva must've had the longer session times, or she really talks fast! The chapter lengths bear this out. But I didn't find her transcribed sessions too wordy or too full. Both Peterson and Dawn hit all the nails I needed to have hit, and a few more.

I greatly appreciated the lower key toward church growth, with the emphasis on spiritual growth over numerical. I've been waiting a long time for a church leader to espouse the method that our first century fathers used . . . God added to the church daily those who would be saved!

In the next few days, I'll go back through the book and highlight all the good stuff, and borrow many of the quotables. I've already borrowed an idea for a teaching series - Reality vs. Truth, Truth vs. Reality.

Thank you for a great resource!

I read this book just after my ordination three years ago.

Why would someone who was just ordained be reading a book subtitled 'Rediscovering the Call'? Why would someone who hopes to make a profession out of the vocation to ordained ministry be reading, much less recommending, a book entitled 'The Unnecessary Pastor'?

Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson have put together a book useful for experienced ministers as well as those in training, or even just thinking about ministry. Ministry consists of more than the one who stands up at the pulpit or behind the altar. This book helps shift the focus from that tradition role, fraught with danger and limitation, to explore the more counter-cultural calls that the Bible really expects of those called ministers.

'We are unnecessary to what the culture presumes is important: as paragons of goodness and niceness. Culture has a fairly high regard for pastors as custodians of moral order. We are viewed as persons who provide a background of social stability, who are useful in times of crisis and serve as symbols of meaning and purpose. But we are not necessary in any of those ways.'

Peterson recounts the tale of wanting to host a conference with the same title (The Unnecessary Pastor), but was advised against it by someone who said that no one wants to hear that her/his job is irrelevant, as the title implies. Peterson was advised to put a more positive spin on the title, but in fact left it as is, and the conference was oversubscribed.

People everywhere are looking for ways to reconnect to a more authentic way of being. Pastors and ministers are no different; in fact, they are probably even more in search of this reconnexion given the focus of their lives (or, at least, professional lives) in the first place.

Dawn speaks of the language of faith and God as similar to an unfinished Shakespeare play: how would we produce it? What resources would we draw upon? Could we ever write as well as Shakespeare? What improvisations would be needed? In much the same way, the church has been given the unfinished work of God, and we must improvise in our imperfect way to strive to give a good performance, full of meaning as true to the author as we can.

Pastors above all are called to lives that are formed and then transformed. Grace must be present in all we do, and not tailored to the demands of the world. 'It is interesting to me that religious liberals and conservatives are often unwitting allies in their attempts to translate the gospel into the world's terms. ... Churches find themselves powerless in the world and not able to invite our neighbours into the faith because we don't live in ways that give any warrant for belief.'

The call is also one of formation and transformation of community. The stronger the community, the less needed will be the pastor, in many ways. The pastor may be freed to become a true disciple, without having to cater to the whims of congregation members, or worry about the plumbing and the lighting bill. The stronger the community and the more supportive it will be, the greater the pastor will be able to respond, and in turn make the community and world more responsive.

Dawn and Peterson draw on resources from many denominations, major scholars and ancient wisdom, linking very closely the Biblical ideas of ministry to their exposition of the true necessity of today's community.

Again Peterson exemplifies the heart of the true pastor. This is my first time reading Marva Dawn. I just finished this book and found much to help me in the midst of being a small rural church pastor.

I was surprised by the review by the reader in Ohio. Although the other works by Peterson, flow better, the dialogue between Dawn and Peterson was refreshing.

Ephesians is the classic source for biblically modeled community. Timothy and Titus have been the classic resources for young pastors. The exegesis and insight from these two authors/ pastors/teachers has been highly encouraging and releasing for this new pastor who is trying to discover how to effectively lead God's people into holy living and community.

I reccomend this book as a excellent resource for pastoral theology, for young pastors, for teaching or preaching these texts and anyone seeking to get a firm grasp on the role of pastor.

I would not suggest this book as a first (or maybe even second) experience with Peterson, mostly due to the dialogue format.

Marva Dawn, at least in this book, doesn't not measure up to the mastery of Peterson. However, my interest in her work was futher sparked. I plan to buy and read a Marva Dawn book today.

The Bibliography is also full of great works for the pastor.

Bravo to Marva Dawn! This is an important book and very worth reading, especially for those of us who work in and around the church. Marva Dawn reminds us all of the importance God places on authentic personal weakness and vulnerability. Indeed, God tabernacles in it. In a day and age where, in the name of relevance, evangelism, inclusivity, etc. churches are buying into the power strategies of techno-ministry, Dawn prophetically reminds us to beware. Beware that we don't operate as fallen powers rather than Christ's church. My staff was challenged and encouraged by this book. I highly recommend it.

Ms Dawn has written an account of her Sabbath keeping, not God's. Neither the day, nor her practices, are of the Lord's making. Sunday cannot be called the Sabbath because it is not the 7th day but the 1st day of the week - a day chosen by man, not God. Since man cannot make anything holy, it is just a day to cease working. Ms Dawn should read the book "The Sabbath" by Abraham Joshua Heschel in order to know what "keeping the Sabbath Wholly -and Holy - means. I was very disappointed because there is no worship, no praise - merely personal indulgences. Just like Cain's offering, Sunday keeping is a substitution offering by man and presented to God in place of what He requires. This is never acceptable to God. I am concerned about the author's lack of knowledge of the Scripture. We are advised to "obey God rather than man".

In a world of labor saving devices and wonderful technology, we seem to be more stressed out than ever. And in some churches, those who take more and more responsibilites upon themselves are viewed as being the most spiritual and dedicated to God.

I personally am active in church. I think some folks stay away from church altogether just so they can rest, which is NOT the answer...rest also involves focusing on God, getting our priorities re-aligned, etc.

This is a great book, which will really get you thinking as you seek to carry out God's commandment to rest for one day out of seven.

As Ms. Dawn says in the Preface to her book, legalism is contrary to the keeping of the Sabbath. The important thing is the keeping of the Sabbath for the health of one's relationship with God, and for one's own spiritual, physical, and emotional health.

I have found this book to be one of the most important things I've ever read: it offers practical ways for Christians (and others, if they care to borrow) to keep the Sabbath, which is helpful for those without a strong model to work from. The book is broken into four parts, of seven chapters each, so it can be read a chapter a day for four weeks, gently guiding the reader into a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the day of rest. It also focuses equally well on the negative (ceasing and resting from things) and positive (embracing and feasting) aspects of the Sabbath.

I am sorry that the previous reviewer of the book was unable to glean the many helpful and exciting ideas that I found, especially as both she and Ms. Dawn seem to have an equal respect for Abraham Joshua Heschel's book on the Sabbath (another book everyone should read). Contrary to her perception of it, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly is an holistic approach to Sabbath-keeping, entirely centered around God.