CROSS CULTURE
IN REVIEW
REVIEW BY CAPTAIN MARK BRAYE
I
t’s a somewhat cheeky title, but Get Off Your Donkey! offers an important and timely message. Reggie McNeal’s Get Off Your Donkey! Help Somebody and Help Yourself is inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37), in which the Samaritan gets off his donkey to help someone in need. “This book is a call to action,” McNeal writes. “Maybe you can’t change the world, but you can change your street.” As the title suggests, McNeal’s aim is to inspire and equip readers to do something to help somebody. The book’s second goal is to show “the connection between serving others and the improved quality of our own life.” McNeal writes that “in the process of helping others, we help ourselves. I’m not just inviting you to a life of service; I maintain that you’ll get a life through service.” McNeal touches on many subjects: mission, ministry, core values, strengths and talents, lifelong learning and unlearning, and action plans. He reminds readers that “the church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a church.” God’s mission gave birth to us—the church, the body of Christ—not the opposite. God invites us to contribute to his mission. “If we reflect the heart of God, take action, and help people who need it,” McNeal writes, “we become kingdom agents.” McNeal is an excellent writer and storyteller. Get Off Your Donkey! is full of engaging anecdotes and insights into Scripture. There are also “reflection” questions throughout the book that encourage readers to ponder what they’re reading, the implications for their own lives and opportunities for service. McNeal’s challenge to his readers and the church is to serve others in our communities, which not only helps them, but improves our lives as well. As McNeal explains, “Identifying your life mission, figuring out your core values, assessing your strengths, and developing a learning path—then applying these insights in helping others—are all keys to making a difference in the world and to enjoying an abundant life.” After sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan, Christ challenged his listeners to go and do likewise. The question is: will we? Captain Mark Braye is the corps officer at Temiskaming Community Church in Temiskaming Shores, Ont.
Mumford & Sons frontman tells Rolling Stone about his faith English folk rock band Mumford & Sons is one of the most popular musical acts today. Their latest album, Babel, sold more than a million copies and won a Grammy Award for 2013 Album of the Year. Most recently, however, the band has been making headlines because of statements lead singer Marcus Mumford has made about his faith. Mumford was raised in a Christian home—his parents are the leaders of the Vineyard Church in the United Kingdom— and his lyrics are full of references to God, prayer and faith, leading to speculation about his religious beliefs. But does Mumford consider himself a Christian? In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Mumford says, “I don’t really like that word. It comes with so much baggage. So, no, I wouldn’t call myself a Christian. “I have my personal views about the person of Jesus and who he was,” he adds. “I’ve kind of separated my s el f f rom the culture of Christianity.” Mumford & Sons
Courting Controversy
Supreme Court ruling changes definition of hate speech A recent human rights case in Saskatchewan has clarified Canada’s hate-speech laws. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that William Whatcott, a Christian activist who distributed anti-gay pamphlets, did violate the province’s human rights legislation by inciting hatred against homosexuals. However, the court also decided to strike down some language in the law, which bans speech that “ridicules,
belittles or otherwise affronts the dignity” of a person or group, arguing that such speech “does not rise to the level of ardent and extreme feelings constituting hatred.” D e s pite t he r u l i ng, Whatcott says he will continue to promote his beliefs. “I have to follow Christ first,” said Whatcott in an interview with the National Post. “What I have said is true. There’s not a sentence that I retract, so likely future fliers will be more of the same.”
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Photo: Courtesy of Mumford & Sons
Get Off Your Donkey! shows that helping others is key to a more abundant life
Faithfully Departed
Photo: © iStockphoto.com/Kuzma
Service with a Smile
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