Poking the Box

I like the way Seth Godin thinks about this. It's very stimulating in moving me forward. And yes, this is the cover of the book.

Poke the Box
by Seth Godin

From the Book Jacket

Here’s what’s missing: Instigation. Initiative. The forward motion that breathes life into an organization and teaches us what works.

We’re waiting for the one who explores, creates and makes a ruckus. We need you to poke the system and see what happens, to learn form it, to adjust and to repeat.

Your organization has everything it needs; the plant, the brand, the people, everything. Except …

The only thing missing is your ability to provoke, instigate and discover. Go, go, go.

Poke the Box is a manifesto about producing something that’s scarce, and thus valuable. It demands that you stop waiting for a road map and start drawing one instead. You know how to do this, you’ve done it before, but along the way, someone talked you out of it.

We need your insight and your dreams and your contributions. Hurry.

Seth Godin on Poke The Box & The Domino Project

Summer Reading: Should Christians Embrace Evolution?

Recently finished reading this one, along with several other books this summer on the them or origins (evolution and creation).

Should Christians Embrace Evolution: Biblical & Scientific Responses
edited by Norman C. Nevin

From the back cover:
We are witnessing an aggressive attack on the credibility of the Christian faith. Christians are increasingly called to embrace Darwinian evolution — or acknowledge that they are altogether opposed to science.

But for the contributors to this volume, this is a false premise. Committed to the authority of Scripture, the need for careful exegesis, and the importance of rigorous scientific investigation, these thirteen scientists and theologians offer valuable perspectives on a controversial area of debate for concerned Christians who are determined to draw their own conclusions.

“Helpful to [anyone] who wants to expose their thinking to top-quality, cutting-edge arguments.” ~ Richard A. Carhart, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Illinois, Chicago.

“The experts in science and theology who have contributed [these] chapters … will be very helpful to Christians who are struggling to sort out conflicting claims and arrive at the truth.” ~ Phillip E. Johnson, Author of Darwin on Trial, Cofounder of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture.

“This is a most helpful compilation, which is designed to make one think very seriously about the whole issue of evolution and the Bible. To those who love the Scriptures, and seek to be faithful to them, this will prove enormously helpful.” ~ Rt. Revd. Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes

Summer Reading: God and Evolution ~ Jay W. Richards

God and Evolution: Protestants, Catholics and Jews Explore Darwin's Challenge to Faith
Jay W. Richards, editor

From the product description:
What does it mean to say that God “used evolution” to create the world? Is Darwin’s theory of evolution compatible with belief in God? And even if Darwin’s theory could be reconciled with religious belief, do we need to do so? Is the theory well established scientifically? Is it true?

In the century and a half since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution, Christians, Jews, and other religious believers have grappled with how to make sense of it. Most have understood that Darwin’s theory has profound theological implications, but their responses have varied dramatically.

Some religious believers have rejected it outright; others, often called “theistic evolutionists,” have sought to reconcile Darwin’s theory with their religious beliefs, but often at the cost of clarity, orthodoxy, or both. Too few have carefully teased out the various scientific, philosophical, and theological claims at stake, and separated the chaff from the wheat. As a result, the whole subject of God and evolution has been an enigma wrapped in a shroud of fuzz and surrounded by blanket of fog.

The purpose of this anthology of essays is to clear away the fog, the fuzz, and the enigma. Contributing authors to the volume include Jay Richards, co-author of The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery; Stephen Meyer, author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design; William Dembski, author of The Design Revolution; Jonathan Witt, co-author of A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature; Denyse O’Leary, author of By Design, or by Chance?; and David Klinghoffer, author of Shattered Tablets.

About the Author

Dr. Jay Richards is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and Director of Research for the Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. His previous books include The Privileged Planet; Money, Greed, and God; The Untamed God; and Are We Spiritual Machines? Dr. Richards holds a Ph.D. (with honors) in philosophy and theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. His work has been covered in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has appeared on many national radio and TV programs.

Summer Reading: Genesis 1-4 ~ C. John Collins

Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary
by C. John Collins

From the product description:
Much controversy surrounds the opening chapters of Genesis. They are "front-loaded" with all manner of vital topics - such as God’s work of creating the world and mankind; what it means to be human; why our present experience is so different from what we find in Genesis 2; how we come to know God and to be sure of his love.

Collins employs a literary-theological method informed by contemporary discourse analysis in order to read passages as coherent wholes. He shows how later biblical and inter-testamental writers have used Genesis 1–4, and reflects on how these chapters shape a Christian worldview today.

On My Reading List

Very exciting! Just got in a shipment of books I ordered from Amazon.

• The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views by Gregory A. Boyd, Joel B. Green, Bruce R. Reichenbach and Thomas R. Schreiner
• What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity? by N. T. Wright
• Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision by N. T. Wright
• Paul: In Fresh Perspective by N. T. Wright
• New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context by David Bivin

That should keep my busy for a little while. Just have to decide which one to begin with.