Friday, 31 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

Given a fair reading, this book will be an eye-opener for some, and an encouragement to others. I hope there’s no cause for cynicism or gloating. Keep in mind that this is a broad brush, “big picture” kind of book. Brooks is careful to point out that his study is not predictive of individual behavior, but measures influential factors on a large scale. Subtitled America’s Charity Divide: “Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters“, this is fascinating and well documented study of correlations between charitable giving and things like religion, sociopolitical and economic views, family structure and work ethic. Brooks finds a very strong correlation between religion and giving; not just giving to religious charities but to secular ones as well, giving time and money to help others. Conservatives were much more charitable as a group than Liberals owing largely to a difference in philosophy on who is responsible for caring for those in need. Those who place less responsibility on government are more generous with their own time and money. The working poor tend to give a much larger percentage of their time and money for helping others than any other group. Charitable values are largely passed on by example from parents to children in intact healthy families. Brooks also draws some interesting comparisons of charitable activity in the USA and Europe. He finds that where government becomes more of a caretaker, people become less charitable and less prosperous. Brooks finds a strong correlation between charitable activity and the economic prosperity of a country, seeing trends that discourage personal giving a worrisome. Many commonly held stereotypes are contradicted in this book. Brooks was very surprised to see his own findings contradict the assumptions he had going in to the study. I came away from the book feeling encouraged that there are a lot of good people in this country who ought to get to know one another better. I highly recommend it.

[Edit 19 January 2008] An interesting review of this book from Books & Culture can be found here.

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Saturday, 11 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

There’s a popular expression that seems to be going around ministry circles today that says, “Nothing happens (or, nothing gets done) without prayer.” I’ve heard or read this saying many different places. It isn’t meant literally, of course. Lots of things actually do get done without prayer and many things in spite of it. But sometimes I’m so puzzled by slogans like this that I have to think for a while about the meaning they are trying to convey, especially with regard to prayer. Something bothers me about this one. It’s probably the emphasis on ”getting things done“ or ”making things happen“ with prayer, as if prayer were a tool for accomplishment. Of course, it goes without saying that the accomplishments are really those of God’s design and execution, not ours, and what we’re really trying to say is that prayer ensures that what gets done by us is that which is aligned with Gods purpose, right? Maybe. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sunday, 5 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

Reading this book is like having a wise older friend share his life experience with you. The valuable lessons that professor Goldingay has learned on what it means to follow God through all of life’s ups and downs will enrich your life. They can help us learn to deal with life as it comes, not as we want it to be. He he is able to accept his role as caretaker for his wife, Ann, as a calling from God and is able to see her debilitating illness as a vehicle for her ministry to others. This book is full of profound and moving insights and stories. It is honest about life’s difficulties and doubts, but also embraces hope and life’s joys along the way. In this journey we are not alone. God walks on with us.

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