Todd D. Hunter

Summary: Written for those who have been disillusioned by the church and bad religion, offering hope that the rediscovery of Jesus and his aims can sustain and restore us.

The number of people who no longer identify with a church, even if they still identify as “Christian” is staggering. The last decade has been particularly disastrous with numerous sex and power abuse scandals and the embrace of partisan politics of the left and the right. It has become popular to use the post-modern language of deconstruction with regard to one’s faith. In some cases, those deconstructing have left Christianity altogether, often times for a personally designed eclectic and ethical spirituality. For others, this has led to a “reconstruction” centered on the teaching of Jesus, a renewal of a gospel centered faith focused around loving God and neighbor.

Similar to me, the author came to faith during the Jesus movement and all of the heady hopes of the 1970’s and 1980’s and finds himself looking back with the nagging question I’ve also struggled with: “Nothing in my generation has worked?” And the question for both of us is, “why have you remained a Christian?” Why don’t we deconstruct or just throw in the towel? In Hunter’s case, he saw plenty of what he calls “bad religion” as a leader in several church movements. He proposes that what brought him through the experience of bad religion was the good Jesus to whom he kept returning, and this made the Bible freshly compelling. He contends that this can bring his readers through to a reconstructed, vibrant faith as well.

The book is organized around questions that have been raised in focus groups Hunter hosted with those struggling with the disappointments and hurts they’ve experienced with the church:

Can I find faith again?
I am failing to connect to faith and church.
I’ve lost the religious plot line.
I feel pain, cynicism, and despair–where is Jesus?
What about all the bad things done in God’s name?
Can I trust the church to be an instrument of restoration?
How can I find vibrant faith?
Why is consistent spiritual growth so difficult?
Is there an authentic community of faith?
Do my religious reservations and churchly hesitations disqualify me?

Hunter’s encouragement as we consider these hard questions isn’t simply the facile Sunday School truism, “Jesus is the answer to all our questions and we should trust him.” What Hunter does is dig deeply into the identity, the story, the eternal life that empowers the church in caring mission, that finds its source in Jesus. He explores what it means to follow this Jesus, to repent of our own implicatedness in bad religion, and to recognize the oft-hidden goodness of Christ-followers quietly pursuing his kingdom aims.

The book does what it urges in offering exercises and prayers that direct us back to Jesus. While Hunter allows all our questions and objections about the bad religion we’ve seen and experienced to be aired, he also makes it unmistakeably clear that Jesus’s aim was to proclaim and inaugurate God’s kingdom and this involves an invitation to which we must give a response. He is both the destination of our journeys and the path, the way on which we may walk, if we will.

The one question I find myself left with is, if Jesus is so great, good, beautiful, and compelling, why are his people so rarely like him? Why does it seem like so many miss the point and exchange hs goodness for bad religion? How can so many read their Bibles regularly and miss Jesus? So many young people I know struggle with this. As Russell Moore has observed, it is not that many young people can’t or won’t believe in Jesus; it’s that the church doesn’t believe in Jesus, doesn’t believe its own gospel. Perhaps all we can do is come to Jesus saying, “I believe; help my unbelief.”

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.… (altro)

Okay sinners, here is a book for you. Todd D. Hunter, author, Anglican bishop, adjunct professor, and authority on sin has written a helpful book on dealing with the problem of temptation (or dealing with the problem of ‘not dealing with temptation).

What makes this book so good is Hunter eschews strategies for handling sin that don’t go to the root of the problem. He isn’t interested in simply helping you modify your behavior; rather he want you to do the hard inner work of looking at where your desires are disordered and are causing you to be tempted in certain ways. He writes:

Disordered desires are a tyrant. This is why we struggle against them, striving to overthrow them in our hearts like the little despots they are….Our disordered desires are ruling our hearts and minds, and we don’t know what to do about it (7)

Hunter is adamant that we can only be tempted when a desire that we already have in side matches something that comes to our attention. Thus temptation is not an outside problem; it’s a heart problem.

Using research from the Barna group, Hunter addresses the five chief areas where contemporary people are tempted: anxiety, procrastination, overeating, media addiction, and laziness. While he has some practical insights into each temptation, he primarily uses these issues as case studies to explore how various strategies do not really get at the core of our sin problem.

Hunter’s proposed plan for dealing with sin involves the recovery of ‘Ancient and Fruitful’ practices such as the abstaining disciplines of silence and solitude, retraining your desires to desire the Kingdom first, liturgical prayer & the daily office, the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist and the Lectionary. He urges us to hold on to hope, carry a vision and make a plan to overcome temptation, but also to make use of the resources we have in Christ and the Holy Spirit. The bottom line is that overcoming temptation will require inner-work retraining disordered desires and cultivating a vision and hope for the Kingdom and a relationship with the triune God.

Each chapter closes with a prayer exercise taken from one of the prayers from the Book of Common Prayer or the Celtic prayer book. I really appreciated these prayers (they also feature prominently in several chapters). This made this book more formational than merely informational for me. The book is an invitation into cultivating the sort of inner life which can stand up in the time of trial. There is a lot of wisdom in Hunters words. His reliance on prayer, sacraments and spiritual practices point the way to victory from the sin that so easily entangles us.

One question I would have is what role does the community have in helping us pursue holiness. It is true that some of the practices he commends are communal (liturgical prayer, the sacraments, etc.) but the theme of mutual accountability is underdeveloped. Maybe he’s right that wrestling with sin is personal inner work but I also crave the intercession of the saints, particularly those who know me as I am (not just a general confession). I also have experienced hearing the words of absolution from those who knew my tangled heart in all its tawdry details and it broke the power of my shame. It seems like an important dimension of this.

The appendix of the book includes Barna’s survey which provides the statistic data used by Hunter in the chapters. Frankly I am not sure that the Barna study adds a whole lot. Hunter makes use of the statistical data, but on one level he’s rather ambivalent to them. He hones on the five particular areas of temptation that most of the respondents struggled with but he is clear that even if these are not your areas of struggle, the remedy of inner work, spiritual disciplines, prayer, sacraments and the larger story of redemption provides you the way to freedom.

These small caveats aside I highly recommend this book for you if you are self aware enough to know your struggle with sin and temptation. Otherwise I’m sure you know someone particularly sinful whom you could probably gift this book too. Give it to them and say, “When I saw this book, I thought of you.”

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a copy of this book. I was asked to give a fair and honest review, and that is what you just read.… (altro)

Description:

Our Favorite Sins is the sinner's guide to beating temptation using practical bible-based tools. Anglican bishop and founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Todd D. Hunter, uses his 30+ years of experience to teach valuable skills for decreasing daily temptation, as well as for prioritizing whats really important in life.

Review:

Let's face it, we are all guilty of something. We have all been tempted in some way or another, and many of us choose to break God's rules; knowing of the consequences, but still compelled to commit - like an addiction. How many times have we done something we regretted, hurt ourselves and the ones we love, and casually forgotten - just to do it again? Are we inept at taking cues and learning lessons? Have we fallen so far that our faith and fear in God no longer stand as a deterrent? Or are these just excuses to keep our desires in charge?
These are some of the thoughts I had while reading Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit & How You Can Quit. We have all heard of the seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony, but how seriously do we take them? Todd D. Hunter takes readers through the modern world of temptations including: anxiety, procrastination, pornography, over-indulgence (food, electronics, alcohol, drugs, sex...), and adultery, to expose readers to the truth - we are all guilty of sin, but there are ways to beat it. I was skeptical at first, unsure of how to approach the book - everybody sins, but that doesn't mean we all want to face it. Who likes to be told that what they are doing is wrong? However, once I started reading, I was surprised to find that it is not a book that blames the sinners, but one that allows them to judge themselves and admit their own flaws, leading to realization and ultimate "recovery" from temptation and sin. The author's methods are clear, concise, and backed-up by the Book of God - The Bible. The 259 page guide is written as a discussion of sorts with around fifteen chapters and room for the reader's own contemplation. I equate it to a spiritual therapy session; a couple pages a day, as well as the completion of a few interactive exercises, and the reader, (in this case - me), begins to feel lighter, more in touch with God, and strong enough to say "NO" when it comes to temptation and the devil's influence. I like how the author set up each chapter, the prayers, and the methodology behind his approach. There were a lot of points made that I have never thought of, and I will definitely be referring to this book again in the future. Highly recommended for all readers interested in Christian-based spiritual growth and the ability to shut-out sin.

Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)

* I received this book from the author (Thomas Nelson, Inc.) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.… (altro)

I would like to acknowledge BOOKSNEEZE for providing me a free book for my honest review of Our Favorite Sins by Todd D. Hunter. This 2012 Book teaches us the sins we commit and how to overcome them.
“O wretched man that I am - who will deliver me from this body of death.”
(ROMANS 7:24).
I believe we all sin and this book speaks volumes on what the common sins today are and how to overcome them. It is important to first become aware of what sins are most prevalent in today’s society such as procrastination, overeating, internet, social media, laziness, anxiety and many more.
“Keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very should.”
(1 Peter 2:11)
What are the top Temptations according to Todd Hunter the author? Todd talks about them as he found his statistics from the “Barna Survey.”
1. Being stuck in a rut of apprehension about life.
2. Habits of procrastination cannot do what needs to be done in a timely manner.
3. Temptation to eat too much.
4. Temptations to electronic devices and social media in the internet.
5. Laziness is a huge temptation by not working as hard as expected in their occupations.
If you are a Christian and struggle with any sin or temptations this is an easy to read book with scriptures to back up all of his claims. Todd knows how to capture your attention as he has struggled often and failed with sins in his life. He has thirty years of pastoral experience and he now teaches how to let God have control of you and your sins.
If you need a solution to your own temptations Todd points to practical, biblical, and time tested solutions. He has a prayer to pray at the end of every chapter to help you in any struggle you might be having today.
© 2012 Jackie Paulson all rights reserved.

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http://www.amazon.com/review/R2C77KFUHOSSJ2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=...… (altro)