Holistic Spirituality: Life Transforming Wisdom from the Letter of James

By Bruce G. Epperly

The book of James has gotten a bad rap amongst Christians, especially modern protestants. It's often considered not as theologically serious as the writings of Paul, nor as gracious as the gospels. For some it's too works-oriented, for others just a bit obscure. Some have even questioned whether it is truly a Christian book. Let's face it. You're much more likely to see a seminary course on Romans or Galatians than on James, or to hear a sermon, for that matter!





Bruce Epperly doesn't agree with that perspective. Not only does he think James has something important to say about the way we live as 21st century Christians, just as it did for 1st century Christians, but he also doesn't think James is in opposition to Paul. He suspects the two apostles would have had no difficulty with each other's theology.



In this third volume of the Topical Line Drives series, he aims to direct readers to the important message of this little book for contemporary Christians. He provides a fresh orientation and focus to understanding the message.

Once you've read his thoughts you'll likely never read James in the same way again. Certainly, you won't dismiss it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Energion Publications
• Release date: Feb 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781938434914

Book preview

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HOLISTIC SPIRITUALITY

LIFE TRANSFORMING WISDOM

FROM THE LETTER OF JAMES

Bruce G. Epperly

Topical Line Drives, Volume 4

Energion Publications

Gonzalez, FL

2014

Copyright © 2014, Bruce G. Epperly

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Aer.io: 978-1-938434-91-4

iTunes/iBooks: 978-1-63199-431-9

Google Play: 978-1-63199-432-6

Nook: 978-1-63199-433-3

Print:

ISBN10: 1-938434-76-5

ISBN13: 978-1-938434-76-1

Energion Publications

P. O. Box 841

Gonzalez, FL 32560

energionpubs.com

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A Word of Thanksgiving

During July 2013, I began a new spiritual and professional adventure. I was called to be Pastor of South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Centerville, Massachusetts. After two decades of seminary teaching and creating programs to nurture pastoral excellence for novice and seasoned ministers, I experienced the divine lure to move forward to full-time congregational ministry. Like many congregations, this historic Cape Cod church is seeking to join tradition and novelty in responding to seekers and pilgrims. As I began my ministry, I was inspired to share the holistic vision of the Letter of James as a challenge to explore new ways of being Christian in the twenty-first century. This text emerged from a sermon series on the Letter of James, given during August and September 2013. I am grateful to this open-spirited congregation for its support of my spiritual leadership and willingness to hear the ancient stories of grace and healing in novel and innovative ways.

I am grateful to Henry and Jody Neufeld, publishers and editors, who encouraged me to fashion a small testament from a handful of sermons. I am thankful for the loving support of Kate, my spiritual companion of over thirty five years, who inspires me to live out my faith in the quotidian adventures of marriage and family life. Marriage and family life is the crucible inspiring us to become doers and not just speakers and hearers in the ways of wisdom.

I give thanks for my teachers and mentors, John Cobb, David Griffin, Marie Fox, Richard Keady, Bernard Loomer, and John Akers, and fellow companions in the pathway of Jesus, Patricia Adams Farmer, Anna Rollins, Suzanne Schmidt, Ed Aponte, and Kathy Harvey Nelson, whose faithfulness inspires my own quest to join vision, promise, and practice in service of God’s quest for Shalom. To these and others, as well as to you my reader as you seek to walk Christ’s ways of wisdom and healing, I share the words of Dag Hammarskjold:

For all that has been – thanks.

For all that shall be – yes.

May you and your congregation be blessed in your quest for holistic spirituality for just such a time as this.

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Adventures In Holistic Spirituality

An Ancient Text with a Living Message

Today, many North Americans claim to be spiritual but not religious. They practice meditation and yoga, attend spiritual life retreats, follow spiritual teachers on the internet, and utilize various forms of energy medicine. They see their lives as spiritual journeys from darkness to light and separation to unity. For them, spirituality is affirmative, forward-looking, free-spirited, and meaning-giving. But, often they are emotionally and spiritually alienated from Christianity and the church. They admire Jesus, but when they think of the church, it’s the last place they would expect to experience spiritual transformation. They perceive the church as the bastion of soul-deadening religion and backward-looking thinking. In their minds, religion is rule-oriented, anti-science, dogmatic and exclusionary, sexist, homophobic, and hypocritical. They think they need to deny the insights of science, literature, and