"THE SACRED MEAL", by Nora Gallagher

"The Sacred Meal", by Nora Gallagher, is book 6 of 8 in the Ancient Practices Series.  This book is nothing more than New Age-Buddhism wrapped in a pretty "Christian" cover.  In fact, this book is a fraud if Gallagher intends to teach Christian doctrine about the Eucharist.  Shame on Thomas Nelson for publishing this garbage as Christian.  They, too, will have to give an account for leading people astray by putting their stamp of approval on that which is professed to be Christian.


For starters, never ever anywhere in the book did Gallagher mention Jesus as the sole Sacrifice that would assuage the Father's wrath for sin, or the Cross as His means for accomplishing our salvation!  She wrote, "Jesus did not suddenly make a choice between power and vulnerability.  He put his foot on a path, and years later he looked back and saw where that path had led him" (p.22).  She never spoke of the historical biblical reference for why we celebrate the Eucharist/communion.  She never mentioned God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by the "plague of the firstborn".  She never referenced the Passover event as a historical event that foreshadowed Jesus Christ.  Instead, Gallagher's view of the Eucharist is from a largely "social justice, all-inclusive, new age" approach.


As if Jesus, to Gallagher, was simply a man who happened to be enlightened and achieved a purpose that God intended for all of mankind, she wrote, "...what I am coming to understand is that Jesus meant to say these things to himself, as much as to me.  He said these things to himself because he understood that choosing the vulnerable path was the way to keep his soul alive, and protected, from the harsh realities of power.  He sought out the vulnerable because they helped keep him vulnerable.  And he finally came to identify with them" (p.20).  To her, it seems, Jesus was not the Son of God who came to accomplish His Father's will. 


Almost heretically, Gallagher steers readers away from Jesus Christ on the Cross as our Sacrifice, to making us the central focus of communion: "...of course, we're remembering Jesus, but that should not be all we're doing.  I don't think Jesus was interested in everybody just remembering him.  What's the point of that?"  [ummmmm, His sacrifice in our place maybe?]  But I digress.  She continues, "That puts Jesus in the category with the various celebrities who will do anything to get into the media so we'll remember they're still alive.  Instead, I think Jesus wanted his disciples and everyone who came after him to remember what they had together.  What they made together.  What it meant to be together.  How the things he wanted them to do could not be done alone.  How the things he did could not have been done without them" (p.24).  Gallagher's view is very man-centered, not Cross-centered, and the Eucharist is designed for us to remember Him, not us.  Think I'm crazy?  She added, "When we all show up and do our parts, we are the sacrament, the body of Christ" (p.24).


Jesus, to Gallagher, was simply an enlightened person, as I mentioned before.  She wrote, "But he [Jesus], too, was 'healed'.  He was opened.  He was changed.  He was no longer so sure of what his job was, what he was meant to do.  It may be that this is what kept happening to him [Jesus interacting with all sorts of needy people], over and over again.  He met a blind man and was changed by the encounter; he met a woman at a well and Mary Magdalene and a tax collector.  The difference between Jesus and us may not merely be one of degrees of divinity, but also his openness to others and their capacity to bend and awaken his heart" (p.62). 


-This paragraph is bad on so many levels. 
-Was Jesus in need of being enlightened that He required change to get there? 
-Was Jesus ever unsure of his purpose on earth?  Not according to scripture.  Instead, He knew exactly what His purpose was...to seek and save the lost, to give life abundantly, to testify to the truth, etc.  I don't recall Him ever thinking, "Hmmmm, what should I do now?" 
-Were all of these encounters simply chance encounters?  Seems so, according to Gallagher. 
-Finally, THE difference between Jesus and us IS divinity.  That's the point!  Only HE was able to satisfy the righteous requirements of the law of God.  Something we could not do!  By the way, she mentions we are simply separated by "degrees" of divinity...as if we have any divinity in the first place.  It seems that we are on par with Jesus in Gallagher's worldview.


Other problem areas include (I could go on to write a book here about Gallagher's bad theology, but I'll just make a few bullet points instead):


--"I hope, not to become one with God in such a way as to lose my own sense of self and boundaries, but instead to become in God more like myself" (p.93) We ARE the problem...I don't need more of me, but less!  I need God!


--She referred to the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus as a parable (p.95), rather than a historic miracle.  At first, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that this could have been a typo.  But after considering the whole of her statements, I don't think she believes the reality of the Jesus presented in the Bible.


--She tells a story of how she joined an inter-faith group consisting of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in an evening of "breaking bread" together.  After all, she states, we all descended from the same Abraham.  Anyway, she went on to tell how she not only observed the Muslims' prayer service, but participated to the point that she was doing exactly what the Muslim woman next to her was doing.  Sadly, Gallagher's theology allows her to be easily influenced by false teachings, and she leads readers to think that's ok.


--Gallagher wrote, "We have known for some time that the Gospels were written long after the death of Jesus and were compiled by men who lived long after him" (p.110).  Actually, 40 or 50 years is not that long to recall events and teachings that left indelible marks on one's life.  It's like asking a World War 2 veteran to write a book today about the horrors he faced in battle.  Not at all an inconceivable notion!


--Death, to Gallagher, is New Age-ish, almost like reincarnation:  "There is another way to think of dying and where we go.  Instead, we die in...that is, we re-enter earth, to be part of the earth that gave us our beginning (so, the earth gave me life?  Not God?), to become part of all that lives, and moves, and has its being (then she wrongfully cites Acts 17:28 as if to provide support to her statement).  What if the risen Christ does not die out, as in being lifted into the heavens, but rather dies in, that is, dies into the whole of the world?" (p.131) 


I doubt Christ, to Gallagher, truly died on the Cross, and I doubt He truly rose from the dead!  If not, why celebrate remembrance of His sacrifice?  That's exactly why I think Gallagher has the liberal view she has: Jesus was simply a fairy tale!  She supported this crazy notion by telling a story of her brother's death, and how he re-entered the world..."similar to what the writers of the resurrection stories in the gospels were trying to convey" (p.135).  Gallagher herself applies what she said about dying and rising directly to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.


Do I have to give this book a star?  If so, I guess I'll just give it 1 star out of 5 for bad theology and mis-application of scripture.  At least the pages are soft, it would work well as TP!




I receive books from Booksneeze free of charge in exchange for my honest feedback.  I am not obligated to provide a positive review of any book reviewed.  All opinions are mine.

"TITHING", by Douglas Leblanc

If what you're looking for is a theological treatise on tithing, then "Tithing", by Douglas Leblanc, is not the book for you.  However, if what you're hoping to find is a book about practical ways tithing was implemented by various people and communities, then this may be what you're looking for.

In the early pages, Leblanc admitted that he learned a valuable rule in his journalism career: "It's not about you."  Using that rule, "Tithing" takes a story-telling, journalistic approach than a teachy-preachy one.  It is less "why" and more "how". 

"Tithing" is book 5 in the "Ancient Practices Series" by Phyllis Tickle.  It is only 152 pages long with a short study guide at the end, so it's not a book one would spend a long time reading.  All the stories seem to follow a similar format, so it makes for a quick read.  In preparing for the book, Leblanc toured the country interviewing people involved in various organizations asking why tithing was important to them.  But each chapter is a story of it's own; the chapters don't build from one to the next.  Instead, readers could realistically pick up the book, choose a chapter, skip around and there would be no confusion of information by doing so.

Personally, the story-telling model did not appeal to me.  I got bored very quickly with the book, and had I not agreed to read it entirely in order to review it, I most likely would have jettisoned it at the end of chapter 1.  In fact, after finishing the 2nd chapter, I set the book on my nightstand and remarked to my wife, "I hope this book gets a lot more interesting pretty quickly."

On a positive note, what the stories/chapters brought out is the fact that there are faithful people all around the world doing great things for God's Kingdom with His money.  We seem to find ourselves admiring people like this, yet we are reluctant to live as exemplary as they do and give as deeply.  It is a wonder how the world would look today if we spent more of our time and efforts praying and giving?  It is clear that the model in the Old Testament intended tithing as a means of providing for the poor and needy.  The same theme emerged in "Fasting", by Scot McKnight, when he directed us to Isaiah who taught that fasting ought to lead us to giving.  At the very least, "Tithing" has opened my eyes to seeing giving in a little bit different light.

LIKES: I did like that Leblanc cited others efforts and organizations, giving practical ways we can give above and beyond a simple offering plate.  He not only cited those organizations, but also provided web links for readers to get involved in their efforts.  My favorite chapter was #10, "Do They Tell Such Stories About Me and You?"  In that chapter, Leblanc interviewed Rabbi Yisroel Miller.  Miller pointed to some strong support in the Torah for tithing.  Unfortunately, Leblanc didn't accentuate these points.  He simply allowed the chapter to die with the conclusion of the interview.

DISLIKES: Very little scripture was used or taught throughout the book.  I would have liked to see more of an authoritarian teaching on biblical giving, rather than an "anything-goes" method.  Also, it seemed far too often that the people telling their stories tithed because of how it benefited them.  Chapter 4, entitled, "Earnest Money", contained the story of John Schwiebert, whose view of tithing was summed up in this way: "If you become a member of Metanoia, you agree that tithing is the platform in which you enter into membership."  To him, "the tithe [was considered] earnest money."  I don't think the Bible's intent for tithing was for it to serve as a membership fee as though one paid a monthly or weekly membership to the fitness club.  I would have liked to see Leblanc challenge some peoples' faulty notions of tithing.  They could have served as teachable moments.

You'll notice I haven't quoted much from "Tithing".  That's because in my opinion there wasn't much to quote.  Overall, I give "Tithing" 2 stars out of 5.  I think he put a lot of work into interviewing people of various organizations, but I didn't see him expounding on the teachable moments.  I don't think I could recommend the book because I was honestly disappointed with it.


Disclaimer: I receive books from Thomas Nelson Publishers (Booksneeze) free of charge in exchange for my unbiased opinion of them.  I am not threatened or rewarded in any way in efforts to encourage me to provide a positive review.  All opinions are mine.

"GRAY MATTER", by Dr. David Levy, with Joel Kilpatrick

Dr. David Levy, a neurosurgeon in San Diego, CA, and his journalist/writer, Joel Kilpatrick, wrote what I believe will be a very popular book in both Christian and secular circles.  "Gray Matter" is a term that refers to the mass of matter God created inside our skulls, and Dr. Levy's work focuses on this one vital area of life -- the brain.

To read the first chapter, click here.

If you ever liked watching "ER", you'll love this autobiographical account of life behind the mask of a neurosurgeon.  "Gray Matter" is not simply a book written by an egotistical surgeon bragging about his difficult, but successful, life-saving brain surgeries.  Instead, it's a humble account of a doctor professionally using his hands and brain the way God gifted him, as he struggles with an issue of faith -- to pray, or not to pray. 

As a member of the medical community, Dr. Levy admits that his job as a neurosurgeon transcends the most challenging surgeries.  He believes his ultimate purpose as a surgeon is to make people well -- physically, mentally, and spiritually.  So the journey began when he started talking with patients about other life-issues that may have been aggravating the symptoms of the aneurysms they faced.  What he found was patients carrying baggage of unforgiveness and bitterness with people who have hurt them in their past.

Stepping out in faith, Dr. Levy decided to ask if he could pray with a patient as they sat in his examination room -- one-on-one.  He tells about his inner struggle with the pro's and con's of asking such a question: will I be disciplined or fired?; what will my co-workers think of me?; will my patient think I lack confidence in my abilities and therefore need to ask for God's intervention?  He finally works it out and boldly asks, "Can I pray with you?"  More often than not, the patients looked at him with tilted head, confused, like a dog that tilts its head when interested in a strange noise, and more often than not their reply is, "Sure."

Over time, Dr. Levy grew in boldness, although not without inner turmoil, to pray not just privately with patients in the exam room, but with them in the pre-op room with nurses and doctors around.  He even progressed to the point that patients asked him to pray with them, that nurses and doctors expected him to pray, and that those same nurses and doctors would join hands with Dr. Levy and family members to pray with the patient.  It is a fascinating account of one doctor's courage in the medical field to give people wholeness in life.

"Gray Matter" contains the right amount of real-life cases and surgeries mixed with matters of faith.  Kilpatrick and Levy brilliantly weave and build these stories and his issue of prayer together into a crescendo where the reader is greatly inspired to put aside foolish pride and embarrassment and pray in all matters.  I have already incorporated Dr. Levy's approach in some ways I handle my own professional affairs.

"Gray Matter" is not a "preachy" book, and Levy never forced prayer on any one of his patients or staff members.  But, neither is it a bland medical journal.  Although 300 pages long, it reads like a page-turner.
There's no doubt in my mind that "Gray Matter" is a must-read for anyone who struggles with his/her prayer life.  It's a 5-star piece of work, and I'm excited that I had the opportunity to read it. 


I received this book free of charge from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review.  I was not threatened or coerced in any way to provide a positive review.  The opinions herein are entirely mine.