Here are some notes on two books I have read recently:
Cross-cultural Partnerships:
Navigating the Complexities of Money and Mission
Mary T. Lederleitner
InterVarsity, 2010
My Rating: ****
“Good intentions are not enough to ensure good outcomes in cross-cultural partnerships,” says Mary Lederleitner, a cross-cultural consultant with Wycliffe. Unfortunately, most churches engage in missions with well-intentioned hearts but unprepared minds for the cultural challenges of communication, partnership, and financial accountability.
This book is timely. I know what it’s like to be the middle man – the bilingual go-between American living on the field helping short-term mission teams build partnerships. It is hard work trying to help these cultures collide with as little friction as possible. I nodded my head all the way through this book. I also learned a lot about mistakes I’ve made (without knowing it!). Lederleitner unpacks our cultural baggage so we can see ourselves through other eyes and better serve our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
The Cruelty of Heresy:
An Affirmation of Christian Orthodoxy
C. FitzSimons Allison
Morehouse, 1994
My Rating: ****
Heresy isn’t cool, bold, and novel. Actually, it’s ancient, lazy, and cruel.
C. FitzSimons Allison, a retired Episcopalian Bishop, takes readers on a tour of the ‘great’ heresies of the Christian Church, demonstrating not only why the teachings were deemed heretical, but also how they wither the soul and distort the beauty of genuine Christianity. From Adoptionism to Eutychianism, Allison guides us through the heretical minefield, educating us in the truth and passionately condemning the counterfeits. Much food for thought in these pages!
