One paragraph book reviews today. Getting right to the point, which busy people should appreciate.

Finding God in the Shack by Roger Olson (IVP). Olson is one of the most vigorous theological authors willing to take on the reformed intelligensia, as can be seen in his books Arminian Theology and Reformed and Always Reforming. In this book, Olson takes a measured, but overall positive view of William Young's theological novel. Olson's book is already garnering negative reviews from those who are convinced The Shack is a theological threat to Christians who aren't paying sufficient attention to the Bible's prohibitions on creative writing. (I assume C.S. Lewis's Great Divorce is in for a beat down in the near future.) Where does Olson come out? A balanced, moderate, intelligent, appreciative and overall positive view. Don't start a ministry on it. Don't confuse imagery with heresy. Appreciate the personal core of the story that is touching so many. (Olson collates Young's story of Mack with his own struggles with a pastor father.) Use it as a discussion starter. Be fair and realistic about the overall effect of the book. A fine response to the three-alarm fires that have dominated the internet.

Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ, by Robert M. Bowman, Jr., J. Ed Komoszewski. Bowman and Komoszewski are solid, apologetically oriented scholars, and this book is a comprehensive contribution to the resources available to present the biblical case for the deity of Jesus Christ. What's the point? Clearly, the authors are responding to some of the assertions made by the radical Jesus scholars. The overwhelming Biblical evidence for Jesus as God has been obscured in many quarters, and this resource gives an encyclopedic, yet readable digestion of the entire Biblical witness. It's also a resource that is appropriate for comparative religious research, where Jesus is claimed by Muslims, New Agers and every other religion. Included are comprehensive indices, helpful charts and vast amounts of scripture. A beginning apologist would especially appreciate this, as would anyone whose ministry or evangelistic efforts include answering the claim that Christians have promoted Jesus far beyond what is warranted. Don't mistake this for a scholarly tome; it's exceedingly readable and usable. Is this material available elsewhere? Not in this kind of presentation and with this amount of focused evidence on a single issue. Combine this with a book like The Case for Christ, and a layperson is well equipped for the current atmosphere of questioning all things Jesus.

The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle. I appreciate Phyllis Tickle as a post-evangelical. Her books of the Hours are wonderful resources. I find her "historical/cultural/theological rummage sale" idea interesting, the way a lot of bright people can see things and turn them into a book or a seminar. At 172 pages, there's not a lot of ink here, and most of it is spent on that description. Tickle says we're in the Great Emergence and living through it to something new and Spirit-inspired. Which means.....? Which means, I think, that Tickle is quite impressed- as a left of center Episcopalian interested in spiritual formation- with the Brian Mclaren style emerging church phenomenon, and believes that we're all headed for a "centering" of post-Protestant, happy ecumenical Christianity in non-traditional churches and on the internet. Readers of this space will know immediately that I am not this optimistic about what liberal white people in coffeeshops and web sites are going to contribute to the post-evangelical future. I believe what's left of the emerging church will be right there with TEC and PCUSA when it's all over. Instead of a great centering, I'm looking for a great collapse and a lot of people retaining some sort of de-churched spirituality. Yes, they will talk about Jesus, but will their Jesus shaped spirituality move into real community beyond Facebook? I'm very, very doubtful. But if you want your evangelical megashift more of the optimistic, liberal, Jefferts Schori variety, this book will cheer you up. I liked the rummage sale, but I'm not buying that "mainline liberal leftovers win out" line just yet.