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Echo: Unbroken Truth Worth Repeating, Again
This book isn't about you. You're a part of it, but you are not what it's about.
Echo is a book about unbroken truth worth repeating so many times that you can't tack enough "agains!" onto the end of it. This is a book about Jesus - who He is, what He's done, what He's doing, and what He will do.
That's good news for you, because all that is significantly more interesting than you. This truth has far more power to change your life than anything you could ever do yourself.
And that glorious truth is this: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is ascended. Christ will come again. Amen!
Echo is a book about unbroken truth worth repeating so many times that you can't tack enough "agains!" onto the end of it. This is a book about Jesus - who He is, what He's done, what He's doing, and what He will do.
That's good news for you, because all that is significantly more interesting than you. This truth has far more power to change your life than anything you could ever do yourself.
And that glorious truth is this: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is ascended. Christ will come again. Amen!
326 pages, Paperback
Published May 8, 2018
37 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 19, 2018
Rev. Fisk does it again! Only this time he does it even better. He breaks down the Christian faith in such a way that pushes through the Lutheran bubble of CPH only readers and gets to the heart of Christianity and the confession of the church. Bravo!
March 7, 2025
Echo is Rev Jonathan Fisk's creative exploration of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. He embraces the historic categories but rejects the terms, renaming the Ten Commandments to "The Ten Important Things about Being Creation," the Apostles Creed to "The Three Elements of the Gospel/The Five Results of the Gospel," and the introduction and petitions of the Lords Prayer to "The Seven Edges of Christian Holification."
Fisk's goal is to vivify the study of the catechism and to encourage readers to heed the teaching from Luther that the Christian can never stop learning the basics of Christianity as expressed in these fundamental doctrines. I love the intention of this book, and I think underneath some unnecessary length and cleverness there is some really great stuff.
If you've read or listened to Fisk, you'll recognize the style and informal register. The twist on the catechism ended up sacrificing clarity to be catchy or cute. I'm probably stodgy, but I like the terms "commandments", "articles", and "chief parts." Abandoning the historic language might have been a good idea for some, but certainly not how it was executed in Echo.
The major faults for me identified.. I don't love this book, but I like it. I am in full agreement that you can never spend too much time contemplating the chief doctrines of the Christian faith, and this book enables just that.
Fisk's goal is to vivify the study of the catechism and to encourage readers to heed the teaching from Luther that the Christian can never stop learning the basics of Christianity as expressed in these fundamental doctrines. I love the intention of this book, and I think underneath some unnecessary length and cleverness there is some really great stuff.
If you've read or listened to Fisk, you'll recognize the style and informal register. The twist on the catechism ended up sacrificing clarity to be catchy or cute. I'm probably stodgy, but I like the terms "commandments", "articles", and "chief parts." Abandoning the historic language might have been a good idea for some, but certainly not how it was executed in Echo.
The major faults for me identified.. I don't love this book, but I like it. I am in full agreement that you can never spend too much time contemplating the chief doctrines of the Christian faith, and this book enables just that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2024
Echo is definitely theologically sound and may help you appreciate essential truths in a new light.
Pastor Fisk's writing style (at least in this book) was not necessarily for me, however, I appreciate the way he articulated some of the great truths of our faith in ways I had not seen or heard them articulated before. I would be overjoyed if my 20-year old son would read this, and I think it's written with the kind of tone that would hit home for someone around that age.
I'm glad I read it, and I look forward to reading more of Fisk's work.
Pastor Fisk's writing style (at least in this book) was not necessarily for me, however, I appreciate the way he articulated some of the great truths of our faith in ways I had not seen or heard them articulated before. I would be overjoyed if my 20-year old son would read this, and I think it's written with the kind of tone that would hit home for someone around that age.
I'm glad I read it, and I look forward to reading more of Fisk's work.
May 27, 2018
Great book
What a great reminder of the importance of the basic teachings of Christianity. With so much watered down, false teachings and heresies out there it is refreshing to read something of value.
What a great reminder of the importance of the basic teachings of Christianity. With so much watered down, false teachings and heresies out there it is refreshing to read something of value.
July 8, 2018
Truth spoken again.
The same things you loved to hate in confirmation class retold in ways both refreshing and understandable without sacrificing any theological meat.
The perfect gift for a recent confirmand, but beneficial to everyone.
The same things you loved to hate in confirmation class retold in ways both refreshing and understandable without sacrificing any theological meat.
The perfect gift for a recent confirmand, but beneficial to everyone.
August 24, 2018
Very well written! It sounds so simple, but when you put it down to think about it, you realize how deep it truly is. I did end up with questions for my pastor, but something that sends you to your pastor can't be bad!
March 3, 2020
I plan to read it again . I had to read it in small doses because there is so much “meat” in what is said.
It made me want to pick up my catechism again and look at it with a deeper understanding.
I’ll be thinking and praying on what I’ve learned for weeks.
It made me want to pick up my catechism again and look at it with a deeper understanding.
I’ll be thinking and praying on what I’ve learned for weeks.
July 18, 2021
The word catechism comes from a Greek word meaning to resound or echo.
Why is it so important to repeat the ideas of the catechism? The book opens with this quote: "God Himself is not ashamed to teach these things daily. He knows nothing better than to teach...Can we finish learning in one hour what God Himself cannot finish teaching."
Fisk takes the 3 major parts of the catechism - the Ten Commandments, the Apostle's Creed, and the Lord's Prayer - and doesn't call them by their names. Instead, they are "The Ten Important Things about Being Creation", "The Three Elements of the Gospel", and "The Seven Edges of Christian Holification." He includes illustrations, and writes in a personal and thought-provoking style.
I originally thought this book was for younger readers, maybe middle schoolers who are reaching confirmation age. I'm sure some of them would be able to handle a book of this length, but not many. It could be a great resource for teaching a catechism class, but I found it a great refresher for my own personal Bible study and faith growth.
This is a book I'll reread every few years. Wish I would have highlighted and underlined the first time through - a lot of great quotes.
Why is it so important to repeat the ideas of the catechism? The book opens with this quote: "God Himself is not ashamed to teach these things daily. He knows nothing better than to teach...Can we finish learning in one hour what God Himself cannot finish teaching."
Fisk takes the 3 major parts of the catechism - the Ten Commandments, the Apostle's Creed, and the Lord's Prayer - and doesn't call them by their names. Instead, they are "The Ten Important Things about Being Creation", "The Three Elements of the Gospel", and "The Seven Edges of Christian Holification." He includes illustrations, and writes in a personal and thought-provoking style.
I originally thought this book was for younger readers, maybe middle schoolers who are reaching confirmation age. I'm sure some of them would be able to handle a book of this length, but not many. It could be a great resource for teaching a catechism class, but I found it a great refresher for my own personal Bible study and faith growth.
This is a book I'll reread every few years. Wish I would have highlighted and underlined the first time through - a lot of great quotes.
July 27, 2019
I remember confirmation class as being mostly dry memorization culminating in an agonizing public examination while clothed in white robes with red carnation corsages. The gifts and cash after the fact were nice, and I used the bible with my name engraved on it from my grandmother for 20 years, but I rarely (never?) felt inspired to pull out my catechism again. Even as my adult faith deepened through bible study and prayer, I rarely thought about my catechism. It was interesting to me to realize that many of my other-denominational friends had no such foundation for understanding scripture or their Christian faith, and many of them even found such things as the Apostles Creed vain human constructs; it was through their eyes that I began to value what I had been taught, and to see these human constructs as essential distillations of faith put into words. Enter "Echo" by Rev Fisk. His book is written for just such readers as myself--those who need to have their memory of the core beliefs of Christianity refreshed, who need to see the teachings from confirmation class as eternal truths.
Echo covers the 10 commandments, the Apostles Creed and the Lord's Prayer in a new and unique way. Yes, he tries to hide the fact that he's discussing the catechism but its apparent from the beginning. That said, it is far from stale and far from boring. He intentionally uses new language so that it doesn't have the "same old same old" sound of catechism class--"holification" instead of "sanctification", for example--words that make you sit up and think about what both the new word and the old word mean. "Sanctification" is a churchy, catechism-y word, but "holification" seems like simply a clear descriptor. These are part of what makes Rev Fisk's book appealing. Another is the way he ties concepts together, showing relationships between the major principles under discussion--like the "Don't take the Lord's Name in vain" of the 10 Commandments being clearly related to the "Hallowed by Thy Name" in the Lords Prayer. Toward the end of the book, he weaves many concepts together in a way that is both remarkable and a little overwhelming. I appreciated the insights but struggled to keep up.
The inclusion of graphics was helpful in making concepts more transparent--when Fisk was weaving multiple concepts together, the grids were very useful to me. The whole text is liberally sprinkled with little black and white drawings which are used consistently throughout as a visual representation of key concepts; a little man and a little woman, little numbers corresponding to the concepts under discussion. Very helpful....until they were not. Pictures can indeed be worth a thousand words, but added to the thousand words already being used, they weren't always helpful; I felt like some of the complex images showing interrelationships should actually have had explanations tacked next to them. Maybe I'll go back and scribble in notes. Learning through pictures is usually very helpful for me--I'm a doodler always looking to draw out relationships and include pictures when I take notes--so I think the intent of this approach is very valid, but not quite spot-on.
Another mixed bag is Fisk's writing style. On the one hand, his nearly stream-of-consciousness, chatting-together style is engaging, informal and unpretentious--approachable, friendly and enthusiastic. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a stronger editorial hand might have taken some Pauline run-on sentences and broken them into more easily digested chunks. He sprinkles in a lot of short, emphatic sentences to break things up, along with bolded words for emphasis and specific, relevant scripture passages imbedded in the text. The combination of complex subject matter and long sentences did not always add clarity. The other mixed blessing is that because the writing is very readable, but the content demands additional thought and meditation, I found myself reading more than was maybe advisable at one sitting. In the same way its possible to gorge on good food, its possible to gorge on good writing and complex concepts. Probably wise to read in small doses. That said, the text is broken into subsections which should make that easy.
I like Fisk's weaving of contemporary references with lines from the catechism, the Creed and other Christian references, which is similar here to his Broken book. I also appreciated his desire to be very clear--he repeated concepts using synonyms or rephrased things in a new way in a subsequent paragraph to drive things home. At times this was a little overdone (I think the book could have been shorter), but overall effective at teaching through repetition--the point of the whole book.
I'm a sucker for a pretty book and this is one. I found it very visually appealing with the stark black, white and red cover. The pages are crisp and of good quality paper; the weight and dimensions of the book are nicely balanced, substantial without being a burden. The font and layout are easy to read. The margins would support note taking if I could bring myself to write in such a pristine-looking book. I have started buying a lot of books used, but am very glad I bought this one brand-new.
I recommend this book particularly for Christians who want a refreshing drink from the well of basic Christian teachings. Even if you have previously scoffed at these vain human constructs, give it a chance--after all, any book written about Christianity is a construct of some kind. Complex enough for a lifelong Christian, simple enough to complement a catechism class for a young person, this is an engaging book on timeless concepts that would edify any Christian reader.
Echo covers the 10 commandments, the Apostles Creed and the Lord's Prayer in a new and unique way. Yes, he tries to hide the fact that he's discussing the catechism but its apparent from the beginning. That said, it is far from stale and far from boring. He intentionally uses new language so that it doesn't have the "same old same old" sound of catechism class--"holification" instead of "sanctification", for example--words that make you sit up and think about what both the new word and the old word mean. "Sanctification" is a churchy, catechism-y word, but "holification" seems like simply a clear descriptor. These are part of what makes Rev Fisk's book appealing. Another is the way he ties concepts together, showing relationships between the major principles under discussion--like the "Don't take the Lord's Name in vain" of the 10 Commandments being clearly related to the "Hallowed by Thy Name" in the Lords Prayer. Toward the end of the book, he weaves many concepts together in a way that is both remarkable and a little overwhelming. I appreciated the insights but struggled to keep up.
The inclusion of graphics was helpful in making concepts more transparent--when Fisk was weaving multiple concepts together, the grids were very useful to me. The whole text is liberally sprinkled with little black and white drawings which are used consistently throughout as a visual representation of key concepts; a little man and a little woman, little numbers corresponding to the concepts under discussion. Very helpful....until they were not. Pictures can indeed be worth a thousand words, but added to the thousand words already being used, they weren't always helpful; I felt like some of the complex images showing interrelationships should actually have had explanations tacked next to them. Maybe I'll go back and scribble in notes. Learning through pictures is usually very helpful for me--I'm a doodler always looking to draw out relationships and include pictures when I take notes--so I think the intent of this approach is very valid, but not quite spot-on.
Another mixed bag is Fisk's writing style. On the one hand, his nearly stream-of-consciousness, chatting-together style is engaging, informal and unpretentious--approachable, friendly and enthusiastic. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a stronger editorial hand might have taken some Pauline run-on sentences and broken them into more easily digested chunks. He sprinkles in a lot of short, emphatic sentences to break things up, along with bolded words for emphasis and specific, relevant scripture passages imbedded in the text. The combination of complex subject matter and long sentences did not always add clarity. The other mixed blessing is that because the writing is very readable, but the content demands additional thought and meditation, I found myself reading more than was maybe advisable at one sitting. In the same way its possible to gorge on good food, its possible to gorge on good writing and complex concepts. Probably wise to read in small doses. That said, the text is broken into subsections which should make that easy.
I like Fisk's weaving of contemporary references with lines from the catechism, the Creed and other Christian references, which is similar here to his Broken book. I also appreciated his desire to be very clear--he repeated concepts using synonyms or rephrased things in a new way in a subsequent paragraph to drive things home. At times this was a little overdone (I think the book could have been shorter), but overall effective at teaching through repetition--the point of the whole book.
I'm a sucker for a pretty book and this is one. I found it very visually appealing with the stark black, white and red cover. The pages are crisp and of good quality paper; the weight and dimensions of the book are nicely balanced, substantial without being a burden. The font and layout are easy to read. The margins would support note taking if I could bring myself to write in such a pristine-looking book. I have started buying a lot of books used, but am very glad I bought this one brand-new.
I recommend this book particularly for Christians who want a refreshing drink from the well of basic Christian teachings. Even if you have previously scoffed at these vain human constructs, give it a chance--after all, any book written about Christianity is a construct of some kind. Complex enough for a lifelong Christian, simple enough to complement a catechism class for a young person, this is an engaging book on timeless concepts that would edify any Christian reader.
March 26, 2019
10 Commandments, Apostles' Creed and Lord's Prayer from a different direction. Author does a lot with social media and podcasts and such, and has a style that may be meant for young readers. Tries to be clever and ironic and hip, but I just found it confusing and annoying. Lot of chaff to wade through. I've given his other book, Broken, as a confirmation gift and will probably stay with that. This may go over well with a certain audience, but I don't think it was written for me.
March 15, 2020
This book is a refreshingly clear discussion of the truths contained in the Catechism. It speaks truth into a confused world, showing us our position in this world, but more importantly, God's position and constant sovereignty in all things. There are so many things it discusses that are something I experience and can empathise with. A very helpful read.
December 26, 2021
Jonathan Fisk does a great job to explain and apply Biblical faith to our lives in a new and creative way. We often get so used to hearing the faith formulated in the same way over and over that we often miss the greatness of Christianity. Fisk's book helps us rediscover that greatness.
While I differ with Fisk on his view of progressive sanctification I still wholeheartedly reccomend this book.
While I differ with Fisk on his view of progressive sanctification I still wholeheartedly reccomend this book.
December 4, 2023
Remarkable. A treasure of a book. I will be buying copies for a few friends.
This book has given me a new appreciation for the imagination God has given us. Fisk's way of speaking the truth is such an imaginative, creative way is a gift. I will be reading this book again in the future and recommending it to my loved ones.
Very unique writing and visuals given. Just wonderful.
This book has given me a new appreciation for the imagination God has given us. Fisk's way of speaking the truth is such an imaginative, creative way is a gift. I will be reading this book again in the future and recommending it to my loved ones.
Very unique writing and visuals given. Just wonderful.
June 11, 2018
Creative & confusing
September 28, 2019
I think this book would have spoken to me much better in college or high school than it does to me at 30,but I think that's the idea. I really liked the different take on the catechism.
March 15, 2020
Absolutely brilliant! A must read!
Read
June 10, 2020A new way to look at the Catechism. I enjoyed it.
July 1, 2020
The intent is clear upon reading it, but the presentation reveals much about that often-traveled road. Fisk reminds us why our learning is ever incomplete.
September 8, 2023
Play it again
November 18, 2020
While a little wordy and difficult to follow at times, this book really breathes life into the catechism and is a refreshing and thought-provoking take on the Christian life and foundational truths.
January 24, 2019
Excellent read
A wonderful text about the basics of Christian faith. I recommend it especially anyone new to Lutheran theology. God bless.
A wonderful text about the basics of Christian faith. I recommend it especially anyone new to Lutheran theology. God bless.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews