Unlike the rest of the world, for whom October is Scary Month, at Crux we celebrate Reformation Day on October 31. In honour of this day, our picks for the month reflect our favourite reformers. We didn’t limit “reformers” to those associated with the Reformation — rather we thought about reformers of the church more broadly. Here are the first few Favourite Reformers:
Carolyn’s Pick: Training in Christianity by Søren Kierkegaard
Carolyn is our resident Kierkegaard scholar. She says:
When Kierkegaard wrote this book, he was aware that it would likely be interpreted by many of his readers as a polemic against the established Danish Lutheran church. However, his hope was that some would recognize it for what it was—a call for reform from a man with a deep love for his national church. Frustrated by the way in which becoming a Christian was considered as easy as becoming a Danish citizen, Kierkegaard calls attention in this book to the ways in which the paradox of Jesus Christ the God-man calls for faith and passion in the face of complexity and doubt.
Rev. Heather’s Pick: Heretics by G.K. Chesterton
Rev. Heather is our local preacher and pastor. This is what she has to say about Chesterton:
Does it bother you when people pride themselves on being smarter than those who came before them? When what used to be an insult becomes synonymous with courage and cleverness? Do you hate it when people think they’re clever for tearing others down? You’re not the first one to find this irksome! It bothered the hilarious and wise G.K. Chesterton as well and he wrote about it. And don’t worry if his deconstruction without reconstruction crawls up the back of your neck like a cat that’s noticed a canine intruder – fear not! Chesterton will respond to your desire for reconstruction in his follow up text: Orthodoxy (also on the shelf in Crux). There is so much yet to read!
Our Favourite Reformers will be continued in the next few days. Watch for it.
Crux Books 