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It's a Dance: Moving with the Holy Spirit
The author uses a fictitious church and fictitious people to write a nonfiction book about the Holy Spirit. Patrick Oden destroys the myth that solid Christian doctrine is only communicated in a didactic style as he shares the conversations of a newspaper journalist and pastor. The personalities of the people and the conversational style turn theology into an enlightening, fascinating read.
- GenresChristianity
274 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 28, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It took complex theological concepts and put them in the everyday language of a lay person. It didn't read like a theological tract but rather with the ease of looking in on a conversation. Yet this aside, this book convicted me of what encompasses one's actual moving with the Holy Spirit. The role of every believer, the role of the pastor, and the role of the church as a whole in the context of the Holy Spirit were all cleanly laid out in the casual conversations between the two men featured in this book. It really challenges one when one visit the concept of one's own creativity and how the Spirit manifests that in our everyday lives. Kudos to Patrick for this fine work, I will definitely be sharing the insights gained in this book with everyone I know.
July 14, 2008
i liked this book so much i don't want to put it down. i feel that whatever i say it won't do it justice. it's been a long time since i read a book that got me thinking, and thinking in new ways, so much. it's ignited a flame within me.
it does have some weaknesses. i wasn't sure i agreed with everything presented. and the dialogue is, at times, seemingly forced. but i commend the author for his ability to bring it all together conversationally so well. it's what made this book so accessible and so in tune with "the dance". this is theology for the layman. and i wouldn't have it any other way.
it does have some weaknesses. i wasn't sure i agreed with everything presented. and the dialogue is, at times, seemingly forced. but i commend the author for his ability to bring it all together conversationally so well. it's what made this book so accessible and so in tune with "the dance". this is theology for the layman. and i wouldn't have it any other way.
August 12, 2011
It's a Dance is a worthy contribution to contemporary discussions of pneumatology AND ecclesiology. While conceived primarily as a contribution to the world of pneumatology it is Oden's linking of pneumatology and ecclesiology where the book succeeds the most. Far too often the work of the Holy Spirit is divorced from A) the work of the triune God and B) the place of the Church. While not focusing too greatly on the former, Oden takes great pains to show the formative place of the Holy Spirit in and through the mission and ministry of the Church as the worshipping and missional body of Christ.
My criticisms of the book stem primarly through the structure of the book. By writing the book as a narrative between the pastor of an emergent start-up church and a local newspaper reporter, the content - which has the potential of being overly heady - is earthy and reader friendly. Unfortunately, there is still a need for precision in language. Oden achieves this but at the expense of natural conversation. Some of the information conveyed by the pastor - at the tip of a hat - is too technically precise to be believable. Still, the narrative style is a welcome intrusion if one can suspend disbelief while reading.
My biggest critique is directed at the subtle polemic against the established church of North America. Because the book is conceived as an apology for the emergent church there is necessary critiques of the established church. These critique's are necessary and relevant. However, far too often this book moves past critique and moves into unconstructive criticism. Yes, those millenial moderns in their late 40's living the American suburban dream may be out of touch, but merely dismissing their spirituality and deeming them hopelessly lost is not helpful nor does it square is the gospel. The chapter on creativity is the most obvious example of this. As the Church, we have a responsibility to all people, not just those who think like us.
Despite my concerns, this book is a wonderful read for those who are making their first tentative steps into the world of pneumatology. I was especially pleased with how Oden took the work of someone like Jurgen Moltmann and made it approachable for the masses and not just the academic elite.
My criticisms of the book stem primarly through the structure of the book. By writing the book as a narrative between the pastor of an emergent start-up church and a local newspaper reporter, the content - which has the potential of being overly heady - is earthy and reader friendly. Unfortunately, there is still a need for precision in language. Oden achieves this but at the expense of natural conversation. Some of the information conveyed by the pastor - at the tip of a hat - is too technically precise to be believable. Still, the narrative style is a welcome intrusion if one can suspend disbelief while reading.
My biggest critique is directed at the subtle polemic against the established church of North America. Because the book is conceived as an apology for the emergent church there is necessary critiques of the established church. These critique's are necessary and relevant. However, far too often this book moves past critique and moves into unconstructive criticism. Yes, those millenial moderns in their late 40's living the American suburban dream may be out of touch, but merely dismissing their spirituality and deeming them hopelessly lost is not helpful nor does it square is the gospel. The chapter on creativity is the most obvious example of this. As the Church, we have a responsibility to all people, not just those who think like us.
Despite my concerns, this book is a wonderful read for those who are making their first tentative steps into the world of pneumatology. I was especially pleased with how Oden took the work of someone like Jurgen Moltmann and made it approachable for the masses and not just the academic elite.
June 28, 2016
Every generation tends to believe their wine skins and practices were the RIGHT way to "have church." Still, the Spirit of God continues to chose new places & ways to break barriers & the methods of men, and visit each generation & cultures in the ways that is right for them.
There are no hard & fast rules in the romance of the Spirit. Flowing with the Spirit allows us to follow God's lead and what could have been a burden becomes a dance!
This book expresses a Wesylan view of a Spirit led life & faith community. The Holy Spirit brings LIFE to individuals & communities of faith. The Holy Spirit demands to be continually abundant & flowing, not limited to old wine skins, but to overflow every vessel, claiming the right to manifest anytime, anywhere. From the tent revivals of a generation or two ago, to nonconformist Hippie Jesus People to the little brown church in the vale, the Spirit flows where people allow and embrace the new wine in every generation.
From picnics to potluck club to pubs... where will the Spirit lead you to dance? Patrick Oden's book will stir your spirit and open your mind to what the Spirit is saying to the Church in the 21st century.
There are no hard & fast rules in the romance of the Spirit. Flowing with the Spirit allows us to follow God's lead and what could have been a burden becomes a dance!
This book expresses a Wesylan view of a Spirit led life & faith community. The Holy Spirit brings LIFE to individuals & communities of faith. The Holy Spirit demands to be continually abundant & flowing, not limited to old wine skins, but to overflow every vessel, claiming the right to manifest anytime, anywhere. From the tent revivals of a generation or two ago, to nonconformist Hippie Jesus People to the little brown church in the vale, the Spirit flows where people allow and embrace the new wine in every generation.
From picnics to potluck club to pubs... where will the Spirit lead you to dance? Patrick Oden's book will stir your spirit and open your mind to what the Spirit is saying to the Church in the 21st century.
July 31, 2008
Ian and I are reading this with 3 other couples: we all have kids and have dinner together every other Sunday and then a babysitter for an hour while we discuss the book. Stay tuned for a final review.
Well, we are done with the book. It was just ok. Provided some good discussion about community life, church life and responsibility, and about our own experiences in church and in our own personal spirituality. I think this fall we will be reading/listening to a marriage course by Tim Kellar, the pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC. Should be good!
Well, we are done with the book. It was just ok. Provided some good discussion about community life, church life and responsibility, and about our own experiences in church and in our own personal spirituality. I think this fall we will be reading/listening to a marriage course by Tim Kellar, the pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC. Should be good!
September 4, 2007
It’s a theology book really, about what the Holy Spirit does in our lives and in this world, which is a lot more than the showy stuff that gets all the attention. Not really a typical theology book, however. More like listening in on a conversation. In a pub. With chicken wings. And the occasional bathroom break.
July 8, 2008
holy lord! this book is awful. and i won't even get into my issues with emergent theology. poorly written, trite, contrived. one of my friends who read it nailed it by saying "if you've never written dialogue, maybe your first book shouldn't be dialogue."
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews