Life together is certainly something modeled by Jesus, and
is highly recommended within the Christian community, so I jumped at the chance
to review The Irresistible Community: An
Invitation to Life Together by Bill Donahue (Baker Books, 2015).
The book has an interesting format: 12 chapters, each
introduced by a ‘monologue’ by one of the 12 Disciples. The chapters are broken
into 3 sections: “Join the Fellowship of
the Table”, “Practice the Ministry of the Towel” and the “Live in the Circle of
Truth”. Community, service, and how to
live with the truth of God's words. .
We were created to be in community, in relationship with God
and with others. And that’s what the table is all about. Fellowship, getting
along with one another. But then Jesus got up from the table, wrapped a towel
around his waist and went to work washing the disciples’ feet. As Christ followers
we learn to serve; we grow from serving, and many times serving does more for
us than it does for those we serve. And then we have to deal with the facts of
truth: it hurts and it heals, it’s dangerous.
So far so good, but for me this was not an easy book to read
–it just doesn’t flow. The monologues at
the beginning of each chapter were entertaining, and I would like to see a
novel about the Twelve written in this style. There were some interesting facts
throughout, and even some things to ponder (an illustration about a robber or a
surgeon (p 212) really caught my attention.
There is just too much going on here, and it doesn’t all fit
together.
3/5 I received a copy
of this book from the publisher in
exchange for the review
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