Practical Insights into the Mechanics of Conflict January 6, 2003
I read this book nearly 10 years ago and found it very helpful. As a pastor of over 23 years and a survivor of a few humdinger conflicts, it was comforting to know that conflicts have patterns. It also helped me control my own responses.

I wouldn't wish church conflicts on a dog, but they seem to come (to most of us in the ministry, not dogs!) no matter what precautions we take. But they can often be contained early, and this book can help. It will also help you accept that conflict is common and to be expected, therefore leading us to the conclusion that one should be as prepared as possible. The chapters are all pretty good, but those written by Speed Leas excel.

The time to read this book is before (or early on)conflict begins. Every pastor needs to be prepared for what is inevitable. Lay leaders (board members, etc.) can also benefit from this book. Also helpful would be Terry Muck's book, "When to Take A Risk."

The authors approach Church Management from their various perspectives, but all seem to have a grip on managing a church, everywhere from facilities to staff to offering security to planning.

This is a fine book with some great specific suggestions.

John Killinger brings you back to the "basic" you in an easy going spiritual way day by day. Awaken yourself to the world and all the things you used to love and find amazing before they were taught out of you. Find the magic of youth within your original self.

I had the hardest time getting in line for this book at the library. It was almost always checked out. It ties as most interesting with "Irresistible" but the focus is on the Christian nature of the stories. Harry turns out to be Jesus made flesh and all the symbolism turns out to be as Christian as C. S. Lewis could wish. As long as you are not an extreme fundamentalist reading these stories turn out to be great Christian literature. In fact, it turns out that all moral narratives are Christian. Dr. Killinger explains why.

While reading this book I got the impression that Killinger wrote this book to refute Abanes's book on Harry Potter. He was irate over what Abanes wrote (which I completely understand) and so he posted his defense. However, he slips into many of the same mistakes as Abanes, although going the opposite direction.
1. He lambasts anti-Potterists as narrow-minded and numbskulls...it isn't going to win any friends.
2. His mainline Christian tendencies come out in force when he's quoting the Bible, referencing the JEDP hypothesis, an eschatological redaction of the Gospels, and Tillich's views on the mythological meaning of the resurrection. Along with referring to the Nativity as a "legend" he is hardly making any friends or credibility with the fundalementalists who have probably already have passed him off as a "so-called Christian" who is a part of Satan's deception.
3. If you did not understand the vocabulary of my last point, you will not understand the vocabulary of Killinger. I got a Religion degree from an Evangelical school, but even I had a hard time keeping up with his over-use of theologically-laden terms. Fortunately, he has enough sense to explain kerygma in an subordinate clause, but why even use it in a popular book anyway? Unless you have taken a few Theology or Bible classes, you're going to need a Theological Reference book by you at all times.
4. I consider myself well-read in the area of great Christian thinkers, but even I had to pause frequently before Killingers large block quotes to place the authors, ranging from Chesterson, Buechner, Nouwen, to Merton. Great people, but not read much outside the small Christian academic circle. A little help would be nice to understand who these people and why we should listen to them.
5. Killinger never actually refutes the main arguments of Abanes. I'm guessing that as a mainline Protestant they didn't make any sense to him, so he came up with his own arguments. So he never answers the question of what to do with the verses in Leviticus or Revelation that command captial punishment for witches. Along with his quotations of popular mediums and spiritists to prove that the world beyond is not so far away, fundalmentalists are sure to write him off as an occult sympathiser, or worse, a one-world-religionist.
6. While Abanes often makes the mistake of leaps of logic (like the idea that Harry can do divination because he can talk to snakes) Killinger also falls prey to this. He attempts to make connections where Rowling has explicitly said in interviews that no connection can be made (like a meaning to the word "Quidditch"). However other ideas, like making Harry into a Christ figure and Dumbledore into God, is tenuous and almost as funny as some of Abanes ideas.
The book does make some good points, but it hardly is going to convince an anti-Potterist to change their view. Instead this book would be wonderful for any well-educated evangelical or mainline Christian.

I found this book absolutely wonderful. I am a Harry Potter fan, and I am also a Christian. I have read some of the other literature about the Harry Potter series, and have found myself getting defensive. This book gave me a lot of things to think about that I hadn't considered in my readings of the HP books. People who haven't even touched the HP books because of their religious views ought to read this book before they speak out against the HP books.

John Killinger's short book, The Cup and the Waterfall, provides thoughtful insight about our world, and Christianity, and the power of prayer. Ten years ago, I received a copy as a gift when I was going through some difficult times, and I have kept this book near at hand since then, to enjoy during good times and to strengthen my faith during not-so-good times. This is not a book to be read quickly, or to force on someone else. It a book to read slowly, perhaps a chapter a day, allowing one to thoughtfully consider the messages and to reflect on how these messages can change your perspective on life, and indeed, perhaps change your life itself.

John Killinger writes in a simple, direct style, and with each chapter he incorporates a few quotes from the Bible, from other religious authors, or from literature in general. These quotes help focus the reader on the upcoming chapter's message. Each chapter ends with a brief prayer that allows reflection and guidance. His style does not "preach" his message, but rather, teaches about life, through stories of his own experience and interesting anecdotes concerning the lives of others.

As my friend did for me, I have given several copies of this book to others during their times of need, or despair, or when they were trying to come to grips with their faith. I have not read many religious or prayer-oriented books, but I would not give up my copy of this book for a thousand dollars, especially since it is out of print.

I admit at the outset that I am not the kind of person who would be considered a candidate to read this book. I am a theological conservative, reared in the conservative tradition, educated in a Southern Baptist university and seminary. I pastor a conservative church. But I was intrigued by the title and purchased the book, believing that it might give me better insight into how conservatives are viewed and better prepare me for dialogue with a culture that increasingly rejects conservative theology and its emphasis on absolutes.

The theology I encountered in the book did not surprise me. The first "wrong" teaching discussed is, obviously, that the bible is the literal, inerrant word of God. As Killinger admits on p, 195, this teaching must be thrown out in order to reach the rest of the conclusions he advances in the book (i.e. that Christ isn't the only way to God, that science is truer that faith, etc...). The conclusions he reaches are basic to liberal theology and I expected to find them in the book and for "Ten Things" to be an advocate for them.

The worldview of the book did not surprise me. Killinger is a product of a worldview that is open to everything except absolutes. And when absolutes are expressed, those expressing them are viewed as unsophisticated, inarticulate, and unthinking...even dangerous. In short, they are attacked. The incongruity of the mindset that pervades our culture and this book, a mindset that says "we are all free to believe what we want to believe...unless you are a conservative" seems lost on Killinger. In the same paragraph where he derides "fundamentalists' exclusivity and condemnation of others" he classifies conservatives as terrorists. Does this sound like a man who wants to preserve the right of conservatives to believe what they wish?

What did surprise me was the hostile tone of the book. One review on this site says that the book is "much less strident in tone" than other books of the same persuasion. It is part of the reason I purchased it. Yet in this book, Killinger's childhood church and its leaders (people for whom he claims to have great respect) are mentioned by name and classified in ways that border on slander. And in the one instance in the book where he does try to shield the identity of one couple, they are described in such detail that the shield is lifted. And can anything be more strident them calling Billy Graham a terrorist (see p. 20 and p. 181)?

So in essence, this book becomes a vent for the bitterness of a bitter man, bitter from a lifelong war with those opposed to his liberal views. It is written with an intellectual arrogance that is only thinly veiled with false humility, reminding me of a quote from Dallas Willard (an intellectual of the first rank) in "The Divine Conspiracy" that intellectuals "especially take pride in being humble about their minds." (p. 103). It offers nothing new or helpful to the debate between conservatives and liberals. If he only believed that Jesus did die for our sins, perhaps he could be delivered from the hurt he has chosen to build his identity around, as this book seems to indicate he has.

Authored by a former prominent Southern Baptist pastor and professor who was once deemed a "rising star" in that denomination, this book provides the wisdom, insights and learnings of a veteran pastor who is now able to reflect back upon the experiences of his truly dynamic career.

This work offers the general public insights into our nation's largest Protestant denomination that only a well positioned insider could possibly have discerned. I read Killinger's book over the course of only two days. It is very well written and truly compelling - you can't wait to read what he has to say next!

The work is somewhat similar to that of Bruce Bawer's "Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity" as well as to the popular "Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism" by John Shelby Spong, but is more balanced, less dense, and much less strident in tone than the others.

I am tempted to assert that Killinger, in a few places, may have "overstated" or "overly generalized" in his remarks about the ways and practices of the Southern Baptist Convention, but it could well be that he isn't. If not, then this work shines a truly needed exposing light upon the denomination that is most represented in our current U.S. Congress - and that currently has "the keys to the kingdom" of current U.S. foreign and domestic policy.

In this United Methodist pastor's opinion, this work ought to be required reading in all mainline seminaries and I highly recommend it for adult Sunday School or church book club discussions.

Other books of a similar nature include: "Theological Crossfire: An Evangelical/Liberal Dialogue" by Clark Pinnock and Delwin Brown; "Liberals & Other Born-Again Christians: Many Minds, One Heart," by Sally Geis; "The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind," by Peter Gomes.

For those who are currently reconsidering their theological commitments, I recommend exploring: "Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God," Dennis Linn; "The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Contemporary Faith," Marcus Borg; "God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God," Gregory Boyd; "Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God's Opneness," Clark Pinnock; "The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium," Walter Wink; and "Grace & Responsibility: A Wesleyan Theology for Today," John Cobb, Jr.

My spouse & I were both raised in a traditional conservative church (Church of Christ) and over the past 2-3 years have begun to question many of the things we were taught. We want our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about God and religion to be our own, not simply what we were spoon-fed growing up. This book has been amazing to read. . .the author is very learned in spiritual things; he is well-read & I find this book fascinating. It's an excellent spring-board for anyone who would like to take a different look at conservative christianity.

Some of this is hard reading; there are many quotes and references and the author's own writing style means some passages may need to be read more than once for clarity, but it's worth it. I plan to give copies of this book to family members & have already recommended it to several friends.

Dr. Killinger had enough material for a couple of interesting essays, but not a book. The first two chapters give some helpful background about the turn of the year 1,000 and survey some possible reactions people may have to the turn of the new millenium.

Chapter 3 looks at Biblical themes which could relate to the turn of the millenium. A possible source of good ideas, but more broad than profound.

Chapter 4 seemed to have nothing to do with the topic of the book and praised an odd set of representatives of "the human spirit". You might think that persons of faith, such as Mother Theresa might have been included in this list. But Killinger chose rather to include people like Marilyn Monroe, praising her for marrying a great baseball player and then a great playright and the way she was "an initimate friend" of JFK.

I was so disgusted at that point that I didn't really look at the collection of sermons in chapter 5. The book lacks any kind of conclusion and doesn't really have an overall theme.

In general, the more I read, the less interested I became.