Book Review - The Pastor and Counseling

As a new pastor, there were some things in my job description which were intimidating. But for me, nothing was more intimidating than the thought of counselling. I had often given advice to people, and helped them to think biblically about things, but I had never been–in my estimation–a counselor to anyone. For that reason, I was glad to hear of a book on counseling from 9Marks and Crossway. I find my resources from 9Marks, most published by Crossway, to be the most helpful on church-related issues. The Pastor and Counseling is no different.

This book by Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju is very helpful to me for two reasons. First, it lays down a “theology of counseling” that is both informative and inspiring. Second, it provides a simple yet thorough explanation of what counseling looks like.

The book is divided into three sections and also includes some very helpful appendices. The third section will become more helpful as my pastoring/counseling ministry develops. The third section deals with developing a culture of counseling in a church and ideas around the employment of outside resources. For now, sections One and Two will be a great aid to me in developing as a counselor.

Section One, and the Introduction, deal with concepts of counseling and section Two considers the process of counseling.

The first chapter in section One paints a biblical picture of what pastoring, and specifically pastoral counseling, looks like: a ministry of laboring and suffering, of discipling God’s people, of praying, and of teaching God’s people. Chapter two, still part of section One, delineates the goals of counseling and speaks to the initial contact with someone who might be coming to you. Chapter three, the final in this section, relays the methodology of counseling; the pastor listens, considers, and speaks to people’s heart response to God, self, others, and their circumstance. This section was informative through simple explanation and clear illustrations. The increase in my understanding resulted in a new-found motivation to disciple through counseling. This topic was becoming less intimidating.

The three chapters of section Two provide a very practical description of what actual counseling sessions should look like. Chapter four, the first chapter of section Two, detailed the initial meeting, highlighting its four goals: 1) establishing a relational connection, 2) exploring through listening, 3) displaying hope, and 4) setting expectations. The next chapter concerns itself with the ongoing process of counseling. Concrete ideas such as getting an update, checking up on assigned prep work, and further exploration of the issues might seem obvious to many, but I found the thorough explanation of what the process looks like beneficial. The last chapter in this section, chapter six, describes the final meeting and how the pastor concludes the counseling and releases the member into the regular care of the church. Counseling, once a very intimidating topic, was becoming increasingly understandable and I, once a very intimidated pastor, was becoming emboldened to pursue this aspect of my calling.

For those adept at counseling, this volume might be overly simple. I really cannot speak to that. For me, new to pastoring and new to counseling, this book is a valuable resource. I am certain that The Pastor and Counseling would also be significantly helpful for lay people as well. I recommend this book to pastors who want to grow in their understanding and practice of counseling and to those lay people who would like to do the same.

Book Review - The Son of God and the New Creation

If Graeme Goldsworthy’s The Son of God and the New Creation is indicative of what readers can expect from the new Crossway series Short Studies in Biblical Theology, then I suggest the books are going to be a tremendous gift to the church and her people. This first volume from the series delivers an edifying and intriguing look at a central theme of the Bible in a refreshingly accessible manner.

The renaissance of biblical theology over the past decade has surely been a positive thing. Even as a layperson, I am aware of the increasing number of books in this genre that have been and are being published. I have even read a few of them myself. The Short Studies in Biblical Theology promises more biblical theology in the coming years. Series editors Dane C. Ortlund and Miles V. Van Pelt intend for these books to “magnify the Savior and to build up his church.” The Son of God and the New Creation thoroughly accomplishes both of these goals.

In this volume the author, Goldsworthy, traces the theme of “Son of God” through the Bible and considers how God’s Son connects to the new creation. The study follows an outline which is clearly laid out in the first chapter. This volume will begin not in the Old Testament, but rather in the New Testament. Goldsworthy writes: “Since we begin our Christian journey by coming to faith in the person and work of Jesus, it makes sense to begin with him.” From there the author wants to identify how the New Testament authors relate this theme to the Old Testament which sets up a survey of the theme in the Old Testament itself. The author finishes with a consideration of New Testament application. Though the author recognizes that this method is not “the only way a biblical-theological investigation can be carried out,” I found it very helpful as well as easy to follow.

I found that the theme in question and how the author conveyed his research both exalting to Jesus and edifying to me. With clear explanations and concise writing, Goldsworthy explains and expounds the theme “Son of God” and in doing so paints a picture of a glorious Saviour. In following this golden thread through the New and Old Testament, I found myself not only educated, but also enraptured; what a wonderful Saviour this God-man is. As has been my experience, following different thematic concepts through all of Scripture leads to some edifying discoveries. For instance, Goldsworthy’s study conveyed to me the surprising emphasis the Bible places on an actual location when dealing with God’s work in creation. In fact, the author suggests God’s redemptive plan can be explained simply: “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule.” It was only through this investigation of the “Son of God” in Scripture that I became aware of this important detail. So, I found in this book, as I have found in other biblical theologies, a very helpful and God-honouring teaching.

The series in general, and this book in particular, are intended to build up the church. The Son of God and the New Creation will build up the church, even the less-than-intellectual types as well as the I-have-an-aversion-to-reading types. Before getting this book in my hands, if you asked me to picture a book on biblical theology I would have envisioned a massive tome of at least 700 pages. The works on biblical theology that I have read are exactly that; large books that trace a theme through every book of the Bible, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation. They were incredibly impactful books that I am very grateful to have read. But they are not for everyone. The length alone would eliminate most people. That is where a book like the one in consideration succeeds; it is accessible to every level of reader and it will be helpful to every level of reader. In my opinion, putting biblical theology within the reach of the average church member is a significant contribution to the body of Christ.

With the aim of writing a biblical-theological study of the “Son of God” that is edifying to the church and exalting to the church’s Saviour, I can say with conviction that The Son of God and the New Creation is a brilliant success. I recommend this book and am looking forward to the next in the series.

A copy of this book was given to me from the publisher for the purpose of review.

175 Tweetable Quotes from The Prodigal Church by Jared Wilson

So, yeah, this sort of got out of hand. I got started and it was a slippery slope sort of deal.

Nevertheless, I really found The Prodigal Church by Jared C. Wilson very helpful and informative. I like doing these "so-many Tweetable Quote" posts as a way to review a book. These posts also end being a resource for use in the future. And the issues Wilson raises in this book are worth pondering and re-pondering and re-re-pondering. So I hope you also find this helpful.

I am a pretty weak typist, and so there could be some errors; I'm also not great at pronouncing my words and since I used Dragon Dictation to do some of this work there may be more errors. I tried to catch them, but if they still exist than the fault is all mine. Enjoy.

1. “…guilt can be a powerful motivator…But guilt is not a very enduring motivator.” (9)
2. “This is not an argument for a more traditional church so much as it is an argument for a more biblical one.” (18)
3. “…I invested in the attractional church because I shared its heart for the lost. I still have not rejected its primary aims.” (20)
4. “How we “do church” shapes the way people see God and his Son and his ways in the world.” (21)
5. “If we give either legalism or license an inch, they will take a mile.” (23)
6. “What if the way we communicate Jesus actually works against people trusting him?” (24)
7. “‘What if what we’re doing isn’t really what we’re supposed to be doing?’ We should ask that. All of us.” (24)
8. “A definition of attractional…a way of ministry that derives from the primary purpose of making Christianity appealing.” (25)
9. “…too often the message of Christ’s death has become assumed, the thing you build up to rather than focus on.” (27)
10. “To hear a lengthy appeal to our abilities, culminating in an appeal to our utter inability, can cause spiritual whiplash.” (27)
11. “…the idea that the attractional church is having its doors beaten down by lost people is a myth.” (35)
12. “…the kind of growth the attractional church experiences the most of is in reality the kind of growth they often claim they don’t want… ‘transfer growth.’” (35)
13. “The family has not been won to a church. They’ve been won to a menu of attractive goods and services.” (36)
14. “God will use anything to bring people to him. But just because he is no snob, that doesn’t mean ‘anything’ is normative for our use.” (38)
15. “The ends don’t justify the means.” (38)
16. “It is a customary mantra of ministry that healthy things grow. And yet sometimes healthy things shrink.” (40)
17. “‘Healthy things grow’ sounds right. But cancer grows too.” (40)
18. “So it’s possible to look big, to look successful, and to not actually be big or successful in the ways that matter.” (40)
19. “Sometimes unhealthy things grow.” (41)
20. “It would see, actually, that for some churches, bigger inadvertently becomes the point …” (41)
21. “”…in the attractional model, all too often members are not contributing to the life of their church body but to the church’s programming…” (45)
22. “Shouldn’t we measure our models against the means and methods found in the Scriptures?” (46)
23. The Bible is frustratingly vague on ‘how to do church.’” (47)”
24. “…as we seek to do the good work of missionary contextualization, we have to make sure that we have not crossed lines into cultural accommodation…” (48)
25. “Beneath the exercise of liberty in methodology is always a functional ideology driving our decisions.” (48)
26. “A ‘functional ideology’ is the belief…in a church that…drives the methods and practices of the church.” (49)
27. “In short, just because we think we can do something doesn’t mean we should.” (49)
28. “I think the evangelical church in the West is particularly susceptible to two primary ideologies…pragmatism and consumerism.” (49)
29. “…I think the attractional model is fundamentally built on these functional ideologies…pragmatism and consumerism.” (49)
30. “We need to be careful, however, not to confuse pragmatism with simply being practical.” (50)
31. “I would suggest that pragmatism runs counter to the functional ideology of Scripture.” (50)
32. “It [pragmatism] assumes a method’s value is based on the demonstration of our desired results.” (50)
33. “Those verses are instead a reminder that we can do our work but we cannot do God’s. Nor is his work contingent upon ours.” (51)
34. “The sower [in Luke 8:5-8] appears to be scattering the seed somewhat indiscriminately.” (51)
35. “In the pragmatic way of thinking, faithful church ministry always results in growth. And it does! But not always in the ways we expect and desire.” (52)
36. “Pragmatism has a utilitarian ethos to it. It is by nature unspiritual.” (52)
37. “Pragmatism is anti-gospel because it treats evangelism as a kind of pyramid scheme…” (53)
38. “Pragmatism reasons that God’s ability to use anything means our freedom to use everything.” (53)
39. “The way the church wins its people shapes its people.” (54)
40. “…the most effective way to turn your church into a collection of consumers and customers is to treat them like that’s what they are.” (54)
41. “But in my dad’s mind-in the world of logic and realism and fairness-the customer is sometimes pretty stupid.” (56)
42. “No human’s desires are value-neutral.” (56)
43. “We can and should address some felt needs, but not all felt needs are created equal.” (56)
44. “…the attractional church model necessarily gives rise to competition among churches…” (57)
45. “…the target audience of the ‘worship experience’ is not any mortal in the congregation. The target audience is God himself.” (58)
46. “The purpose of the worship service is not what we get out of it but the God who has drawn us into it.” (59)
47. “…the functional ideologies…of pragmatism and consumerism are disastrous, because they make the individual person the center of the religious universe.” (60)
48. “The worship service, biblically, is never seen…as a place where individuals go to enjoy a particular experience nor as the central place of evangelism.” (62)
49. “The worship service, biblically, is a gathering of Christians to enjoy God in communion with him and each other.” (62)
50. “The attractional church follows a trajectory away from what makes the church the church.” (63)
51. “The worship service must be conducted with the unbeliever in mind, but it doesn’t need to be conducted with the unbeliever in focus.” (63)
52. “…in the biblical picture of the earliest church, we don’t get any indication that the worship gathering is meant to be an event oriented around the unbeliever’s presence.” (63)
53. “…designing your service specifically for the [unbeliever] is neither biblical nor wise.” (65)
54. “What the Bible seems to express is that unbelievers in the service are best served not by having their tastes catered to…” (66)
55. “What you win them with is what you win them to.” (66)
56. “What we do in church shapes us. It doesn’t just inform us or entertain us. It makes us who we are.” (67)
57. “The worship service…doesn’t just cater to certain tastes; it develops certain tastes.” (67)
58. “We will eventually become conformed to the pattern of our behaviors.” (67)
59. “Habits come from character, but it works the other way too-character is shaped by habits.” (67)
60. “The Bible’s ‘functional ideology’…is that ‘what works’ is the Holy Spirit through the message of the gospel of Jesus.” (70)
61. “…neither the Spirit nor the gospel needs help from our production values.” (70)
62. “The wider evangelical church is suffering terribly from theological bankruptcy.” (74)
63. “We [evangelicals] have tended to favor the practical half truth rather than the impractical (allegedly) whole truth.” (74)
64. “Our shepherds are increasingly hired for their…laboring in the increase in attendance rather than the increase of gospel proclamation.” (75)
65. “The dilution of understanding of worship is a direct result of the dilution of theology in the church.” (75)
66. “Fortune-Cookie preaching will make brittle, hollow, syrupy Christians.” (77)
67. “We fill our buildings with scores and scores of people, but we’ve reduced the basic message to fit the size of an individualistic faith.” (77)
68. “The typical application message tends to overemphasize our good works while a good proclamation message will emphasize God’s finished work.” (82)
69. “The essential difference between applicational preaching and proclamational preaching ultimately depends on how much the preacher wishes to make of Jesus.” (83)
70. “The applicational preacher either presupposes the gospel or relegates it to the conclusion of his message.” (83)
71. “…just because you dress casually, play edgy music, and talk a lot about grace, it doesn’t mean you aren’t a legalist.” (84)
72. “…it’s my belief that the self-professed ‘culturally relevant’ churches are the chief proponents of legalism in Christianity today.” (84)
73. “But ‘do’ isn’t any less law-minded than ‘don’t.’” (84)
74. “The gospel isn’t ‘don’t,’ but it also isn’t ‘do’; both are merely religion.” (84)
75. “They [unbelievers] don’t need the church to act like good people, really; they need the church to point to Jesus as the only truly good person.” (84)
76. “”Pharisaical legalism was just self-help without the cool clothes.” (84)
77. “…we must never teach the practical points as the main points.” (85)
78. “The [good] news is so much better than the instructions! It is better because the news actually saves us.” (86)
79. “But what will really save the lost world? Let me tell you: none of our complaints against it.” (87)
80. “It is possible, actually, that all of our emphasis on the practical has only served to make things impossible.” (87)
81. “Preaching even a ‘positive’ practical message with no gospel-centrality amounts to preaching the law,” (88)
82. “…when we preach ‘how to’ law sermons instead of the gospel, we may end up with a bunch of well-behaved spiritual corpses.” (89)
83. “,,,what the Christian church needs today in its imperfect fumbling back to the beauty of gospel-centrality is a stubborn unmuddling of law and grace.” (90)
84. “It seemed as though authenticity was a style we were going for, which is, surely, the exact opposite of authenticity.” (93)
85. “…emotionalism is dangerous.” (94)
86. “The danger in this [emotionalism] is that we end up craving the emotions associated with emotional worship, not necessarily the spirit of worship itself.” (94)
87. “It’s not the charismata that are offensive to me; it is the complete lunacy that claims Spiritual authenticity.” (95)
88. “We are in very real danger of divorcing our styles and preferences from our object.” (95)
89. “Worship must really be worship, which is to say worship of God, the triune God.” (96)
90. “The problem in these emotionalistic, faddish, trendy times is that worship becomes more about us than God.” (96)
91. “The danger we face when we worship is coming into the experience assuming we are summoning God.” (97)
92. “If you worship God in a less-than-clear or in a doctrine-less sense, you end up worshipping another god.” (99)
93. “When we divorce theology from worship…we compromise our worship. It may look great but it is hollow and shallow.” (99)
94. “The center of worship is the perfect and eternal God…not the achievements of the created.” (99)
95. “Self-celebratory worship music is the result of self-celebratory teaching and discipleship.” (100)
96. “Worship is a way of life, a quality of the believing heart.” (100)
97. “Modern church worship is characterized by an exaltation of the self, but authentic worship is marked by an emptying of ourselves.” (101)
98. “Authentic worship doesn’t just focus on the fullness of who God is, but it glories in the beauty of what God has done.” (102)
99. “It [real worship] is basking in the warm glow of eternity.” (102)
100. “The gospel is a blinding light interrupting our minding our own business on a lonely road.” (102)
101. “When we gather, are gathering a watchers or as beholders?” (103)
102. “When we gather…Are we gathering to see a performance or to see the passing by of the glory of God?” (103)
103. “The gospel must be central because nothing else even comes close to filling the eternal gap.” (104)
104. “The way the attractional church worships produces the kind of worshipper it gets.” (111)
105. “I’m only saying that we should use these things after asking deeper questions about them than ‘Will this work?’” (112)
106. “But the uncritical use of media and technology can stunt our church's spiritual growth, even if in the short-term it entertains and pleases the people.” (112)
107. “The uncritical co-opting of the cultures need for media might actually feed inside the church the negative qualities they feed outside the church... ” (113)
108. “All churches should be seeker sensitive in the best sense of the phrase…” (116)
109. “At what point do we look at cultural trends not as things to mirror and copy but as things to challenge and subvert?” (116)
110. “I am afraid many churches have moved from leveraging technology to merely co-opting whatever they think the world finds appealing or slick.” (116)
111. “We cannot expect our people to grow in God's glory if we do not put God's glory for their faces.” (119)
112. “We cannot settle for success. Our people need real glory, and only the gospel "of first importance" reveals it. ” (120)
113. “In other words, the bigger and the attractional church becomes, the more programs and ministries it thinks it must offer.” (121)
114. “The drive to provide an array of goods and services prevents a church from exercising missional nimbleness.” (122)
115. “Churches passionate about simplicity will pursue a simple vision.” (128)
116. “The attractional of church often reasons according to available resources, not according to actual spiritual value.” (128)
117. “But it isn't more entrepreneurial visionaries we really need more cross-focused visionaries.” (131)
118. “If the church is people, then the organizational machine and a local congregation should be considered expendable.” (132)
119. “When an attractional church multiplies, the results more resemble franchises then church plants.” (133)
120. “As the attractional church accumulates more complexity, it becomes more rigid, despite all its claims to innovation and cultural relevance.” (133)
121. “… the simple church adopts an approach to church growth that is more reflective of farming, of cultivation.” (134)
122. “… the simple church focuses simply on the long-term investments in growth and trusts the “Spirit produce growth in his time.” (134)
123. “The simple church follows the direction not of the shifting winds of the culture but the surprising currents of the Spirit.” (134)
124. “The simple churches mission waiting much more nimble than the attraction church. (134)
125. “Similarly, the church needs to stick to what the Bible actually tells us to do, and what the Bible actually tells us to do is not very complicated.” (134)
126. “Over programming create an illusion of fruitfulness just be busyness.” (134)
127. “Here's a good test: take a look at a typical over-programmed church's calendar and see how many of the activities resemble things seen New Testament.” (136)
128. “Always ask 'should we?' before you ask 'Can we?'” (137)
129. “Somewhere between the poles of attachment to church programs and 'self-feeding' lies the real stuff of covenant community.” (143)
130. “Systems may aid the discipleship process, but discipleship is not a system.” (144)
131. “Underneath our felt needs is an entire industry of idols emerging from the foundation of sin and longing for glory.” (144)
132. “Are we trusting our programs, or are we trusting God?” (145)
133. “Whatever our programs, our churches' leaders need to take seriously the command of Christ – in as many ways as possible – to feed his sheep.” (145)
134. “But if we want to Christ–exalting, Christ–loving, Christ–following people, we have to get more personal and go deeper.” (145)
135. “Pragmatism, on the other hand, is the mind-set that says that whatever "works" can and should be used.” (147)
136. “A pragmatic mind-set treats spiritual matters along the lines of mathematics.” (147)
137. "We must remember that pastoral ministry, like Christianity itself, is not a matter of formulas but of faith.” (147)
138. “Or maybe we've taken the biblical sheep metaphor a bit too far, and we're looking at how best to herd the sheep instead of how to best feed them.” (148)
139. “But when all is said and done, we are not managers of spiritual enterprises: we are shepherds.” (148) 
140. “Jesus neither sulks nor sighs about us. He ministers to us willingly, eagerly. ” (149)
141. “Therefore, personal presence is so important. And I'd say you're not really a pastor if you're not present. ” (149)
142. “Only the Gospel goes deep enough to effect real hard change. Everything else is just behavior modification. ” (150)
143. “But in order to reveal someone's functional ideology… we have to employ the only tool adequate for that job, and that is the gospel of Jesus…” (150)
144. “The way we are typically programmed to measure the success of our ministries sets us up for hollow victory in desperate failure.” (151)
145. “It is only to say that what we measure and how we measure shows where our confidence lies.” (151)
146. “Clearly, accumulating numbers cannot be our primary measure of success.” (151)
147. “… in the attractional church, growth in numbers is often seen just as a measure of success but as a justification for any methodology used to get them.” (151)
148. “Biblical credibility is not found in big stats.” (152)
149. “… We are responsible mainly for the care of the souls, not the accumulation of them. ” (152)
150. “When we pastors cling to the gospel ourselves, it will shape us, giving us the mind and heart of Christ for our people.” (153)
151. “The central idea of the church should be the Gospel.” (156)
152. “Numbers don't account for everything. In some cases, they don't account for anything. ” (157)
153. “What God will require of us is not ministry quantity but ministry quality.” (157)
154. “...but in a church centered on the gospel, things like inspiration and good feelings are seen as byproducts of the experiences, not the aim of the experience. ” (158)
155. “What is emphasized and valued the churches media correlates to what the church is measuring success.” (159)
156. “The attractional church, which places a huge emphasis on numbers, science, and raw data, highly prices statistics.” (159)
157. “The gospel-centered church highly prizes stories. Rather than prizing bigness, it prizes relationality. ” (159)
158. “The gospel is not made more powerful by a dynamic preacher or a rockin' band… The gospel cannot be improved. ” (163)
159. “You cannot program salvation.” (165)
160. “The Spirit doesn't where the church’s wristwatch. You cannot control him." (166)
161. “That's what prayer is, essentially: acknowledged helplessness.” (166)
162. “But we do not worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ingenuity.” (167)
163. “Everything good and valuable must come from the Spirit's sovereign working, not from our ministerial machinations.” (167)
164. “The Evangelical church's search for the magic bullet is insatiable.” (169)
165. “The nurturing of your congregation's desire for experiential community begins with you.” (169)
166. “Reject the tyranny of results.” (172)
167. “Preach hard on the importance of discipleship, on the call to community…” (173)
168. “… the church does not exist to facilitate all our good ideas.” (176)
169. “Good intentions and strong giftedness do not baptize on biblical methods.” (176)
170. “If all of life is repentance, then all of ministry is too.” (184)
171. “The very nature of Grace throws off all measurements of balance.” (185)
172. “In reality, both irreligion and religion are fundamentally self-salvation projects.” (185)
173. “… in the New Testament, you never find application on exhortation disconnected from gospel proclamation.” (187)
174. “It’s about letting the gospel direct the methods.” (199)
175. “If you treat your church like a business, you will see other churches as your competition.” (219)

Book Review: Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles

Book Review - Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles

Few words give rise to more fear and trepidation among Christian as the word evangelism. Fear of sharing one’s faith, or fear of making an unattractive gospel presentation, is common in churches. The irony of a word associated with “good news” eliciting so much angst makes one wonder if we have veered off the track somewhere. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus addresses the topic of evangelism and its author, J. Mack Stiles, clearly understands the problematic nature of this topic and the need for clear, biblical teaching on it.

The overarching purpose of this book is hinted at when one consider the series it is a part of: the Crossway Books published 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series. Evangelism is a book that addresses the need for biblical evangelism as an integral component of a healthy church.

More specifically, Stiles writes about “biblical evangelism” (17), and “more than that, [the book is] also about developing a culture of evangelism” (18). The author is concerned about teaching the reader what biblical evangelism is and he believes that it includes implementing and encouraging a culture of evangelism within the church. Stiles further expounds on this issue with teaching on healthy evangelistic platforms as well as “basic principles that shape the actual practice of sharing our faith” (19).

Chapter one concerns itself with important definitions of evangelism, the gospel, and biblical conversion. These definitions provide the foundation for the rest of the author’s discussion of this topic. Evangelism, “teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade” (26), is thoroughly explained. Teaching the gospel–“the joyful message from God that leads to salvation” (33)–is the means of evangelism. And, the goal is biblical conversion which occurs when we “repent, place genuine faith in Jesus, and walk with him” (38).

Chapter two’s content is made obvious with its title: A Culture of Evangelism. Stiles initiates this discussion with a polemic against both programmatic evangelism and pragmatic evangelism. The antidote for these unbiblical methods of sharing the faith is an approach that the author sees as “communal and personal: a culture of evangelism” (47). In the chapter we read that a culture of evangelism, though hard to succinctly and exhaustively define, is a culture that: is motivated by love for Jesus and his gospel (48), is confident in the gospel (49), understands the danger of entertainment (50), sees people clearly (51), pulls together as one (53), has people teaching one another (53), models evangelism (55), celebrates when people share their faith (56), knows how to affirm and celebrate new life (57), does ministry even when it is risky and dangerous (58), and understands that the church is the chosen and best method of evangelism (60).

The importance of the church as God’s plan for evangelism is the sole concern of chapter three. Stiles seeks clarity for the reader by defining the church and arguing that the church is “God’s great plan for evangelism” (100) and the way we can best implement God’s great plan is by developing and nurturing a culture of evangelism in Christ’s body. In fact, Stiles argues that all churches have a culture of evangelism and that the difference from church to church is in the health of that culture. This chapter deals with evangelism at the corporate level.

Chapter four considers the individual Christian within a healthy culture of evangelism. Stiles indicates that believers must be “intentional evangelists” (79) with the context of a church’s evangelistic culture. Stiles elucidates how individual Christians become intentional evangelists: by preparing our hearts, mind, and feet (84); by understanding a gospel-shaped way of life (88); by slaying our assumptions (90); by perceiving evangelism as a discipline (94); by praying (96); by giving leadership in evangelism (97).

Finally, in chapter five Stiles addresses the actual sharing of our faith. The author purports the best instructions we receive on sharing our faith come through the New Testaments illustration of Christians as ambassadors. Stiles indicates the significance of conversations and displays what these might look like. He instructs that an ambassador must be bold, clear, and deliver the message while trusting Christ for the response. Stiles finishes with a call for ambassadors to not lose heart.

On a practical level, I found Stiles’ book edifying, enriching, and encouraging with both myself and the church in mind. His faith-filled optimism and clear biblical teaching is both informative at the head level and motivating at the heart level. His practical wisdom won from real-life experiences was also helpful.

I have noticed a greater awareness in my life for opportunities to share the gospel and find myself less apprehensive than I once was. For those two reasons alone I am thankful for this book. This book is an easy-to-read and hard-to-put-down volume on evangelism that will benefit both leaders and members of churches.

Book Review: Church Elders: How to Shepherd People Like Jesus by Jaramie Rinne

Much time, money, and energy is expended in North America by well-intentioned people who desire to live a healthy lifestyle. Many spend their hours, hard-earned cash, and strength, while eating healthy foods, so as to reach and maintain one lofty goal: health. Church Elders: How to Shepherd People Like Jesus is a book that is also concerned with health. However, author Jeramie Rinne is not concerned so much with healthy individuals, but rather with healthy churches. This book’s inclusion in the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series, published by Crossway books, make the book’s purpose obvious. The book’s title makes it clear that the author believes church elders are part of what makes a church healthy.

More specifically, Rinne believes that a proper understanding of biblical church leadership among both the leadership and the congregation will promote vitality in the local church. Thus, Rinne provides a “concise, biblical job description for elders” which is “an easy-to-read, inspiring summary of the elder task” (15). The author hopes to instruct the church on biblical eldership, instill a desire in men to pursue the office of elder, and inspire any men whom God may be calling to vocational eldership to consider this great privilege in ernest.

The author, Jeramie Rinne, is the Senior Pastor of South Shore Baptist Church and studied church eldership when he became a full-time pastor (elder). He graduated from Wheaton College in 1993 with a B.A. Bible and Ancient Languages and followed this degree with a Master’s of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in 1996. Rinne’s passion for church leaders and congregations is apparent in the pages of this book.

In chapter one, the author initiates his attempt to provide a proper understanding of eldership, which will lead to healthy churches, by listing six qualifications of elders. These qualifications are gathered from the New Testament. Rinne invites the reader to consider the following marks of an elder: the desire to be an elder (1 Tim. 3:1, 1 Pet. 5:2), godly character (1 Tim. 3:2-3, Titus 1:7-8), the ability to teach (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:9), leading one’s own family well (1 Tim 3:4-5), being male (1 Tim 2:12, Eph. 5:22-6:4), and being an established believer (1 Tim. 3:6).

Chapter two describes the overarching responsibilities of elders with the job description of “shepherding church members toward greater Christ-like maturity” (102). Elders have as their goal seeing the image of Jesus in their congregation and understanding the means to this end being investment in their lives. Thus, elders are more like shepherds and less like trustees.

The emphasis of chapter 3 centers on sound teaching; elders accomplish their tasks through teaching the Word. The author recognizes there are many different scenarios in which teaching occurs–from one-on-one discipling to small group leadership to preaching to the congregation–but he insists that biblical teaching is integral to shepherding God’s people.

Rinne uses the fourth chapter to expound on another duty of elders/shepherds: tracking down stray members/sheep. While explaining the duty of searching for lost sheep, the author also describes five different types of strayers: sinning sheep, wandering sheep, limping sheep, fighting sheep, and biting sheep. With each of these types of people he includes some ideas for how the church elder might help.

Lead Without Lording, the title of the fifth chapter, indicates the direction the author moves. Rinne wrestles with two ideas that are often in tension. The first, confident leadership, often seems to clash with the second, gentleness. According to the author, an elder should lead confidently but with being a bully, without being arrogant, and without domineering. In fact, a “Jesus-shaped humility gives [the elders] a moral authority to which the church willingly defers” (103-4).

Chapter six introduces the issue of polity: a church is to be lead by a plurality of elders. The life of the elders is a mirrored microcosm of the life of the church. The author demonstrates the plurality of eldership present in the early church with a brief survey. He follows this up with a brief apologetic for multiple elders.

Much of the preceding chapters are about doing eldership; chapter seven is about being an elder. Rinne calls elders to model maturity. Elders should live lives that the church can imitate and should encourage congregants to do so. God uses elders who have a “well-tended life” (105). Eldership is not for those who have finally arrived, but rather it is a call to a deeper and more profound imitation of Christ.

The importance of prayer is the focus of the eighth chapter. The author produces arguments for the necessity of prayer and also includes what a “prayer-soaked elder ministry” (113) should look like. This includes public prayer, presbyter prayer (praying at elders meetings), personal prayer (praying with members), and private prayer. In praying for their sheep, elders are joining with the Great Shepherd, Jesus, who is currently praying for his people (Heb. 7:25).

In concluding this book, Rinne reminds the elder and potential elder the eternal ramifications of being an elder. On a serious note, the author warns the reader that an elder will give an account for his stewardship of this office: elders will “answer to the Groom for how [they] treat his bride” (122). Secondly, the author reminds the reader that there is an unfading reward for those who faithfully shepherd God’s flock.

Church Elders is a book that challenges me on a very personal level. As someone who has been in that office and continues to aspire to that office, I found ample opportunities in the pages of the book to question my own character and calling. In particular, the love a shepherd has for his sheep and the sacrifices he is prepared to make for them, as they are compellingly presented in the book, cause me to re-evaluate my own life in light of what biblical eldership is.

On a practical note, this book offers many helpful suggestions on the day-to-day aspects of being an elder. It offers ideas that the author has formulated from his experience leading the church. The suggestions are powerful because they are attainable and they come with a persuasive, urgent plea from the author. The author is serious about this topic and his gravity is coupled with a great joy. Both the seriousness of the calling and the enjoyment of the office as expressed by the author are contagious. I found this very edifying.

Finally, this book strengthened many philosophical positions that I already held. I hold to a view of church leadership that is very close to the one espoused by the author. The book did not challenge my beliefs, but rather bulwarked them.

Church Elders strength is its content and its conciseness. The book is very accessible and very readable. It is relatively short in length and the style is informal. That being said, its message is very important and the author covers a surprisingly significant amount of material considering the size of the volume.

From The Gospel by Ray Ortlund

80 Tweetable Quotes from Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles

Here is another collection of Tweetable quoted from another book in Crossway/9Marks' series called Building Healthy Churches. This one, Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles, was simply excellent. This was a much needed and timely read for me. This process of collecting Tweetables is a great way for me to review a book and quickly remind myself what it was all about. I hope these are useful for you as well. Enjoy.

1. “Usually the wrong ideas [of evangelism] are based on marketing principles or on human understanding about how to argue someone into the kingdom.” (18)
2. “Much of our problem with evangelism is that we don’t have a big enough view of the church.” (19)
3. “I believe that God loves the world and has a wonderful plan for evangelism: his church.” (19)
4. “There is much room for humility when it comes to evangelism.” (23)
5. “There is no formula that dictates how god must work in evangelism.” (23)
6. “I…will take people practising evangelism as best they can over those who forgo evangelism until they have the perfect practice.” (23)
7. “…the Bible never uses results to guide or justify evangelistic practice.” (24)
8. “…when we set out to practice evangelism, we must start with biblical foundations.” (24)
9. “We must look to [biblical foundations] to shape, guard, and inform how we share our faith rather than looking for a way to gain maximum impact.” (24)
10. “Sadly, what often informs our evangelistic practices is the world…business…self-help section…rather than Scripture.” (25)
11. “…people trade biblical principles for worldly desires and our evangelistic practices get twisted.” (25)
12. “Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.” (26)
13. “…many churches offer a costless, comfortable, and benefit-giving “gospel” that is found nowhere in Scripture.” (28)
14. “Jesus was engaging, but he never entertained…” (28)
15. History of modern evangelism: “The high-pressure sales job has been replaced by the soft sell of self-help.” (28)
16. “First, there is no evangelism without words.” (29)
17. “J. I. Packer…says that Paul’s method of evangelism was primarily a teaching method.” (30)
18. “Great things happen when we can teach the gospel.” (30)
19. “Being able to teach the gospel benefits our spiritual lives as it makes sure we are living according to gospel themes.” (30)
20. “If you do not know how to teach the gospel, you may not truly understand it.” (30)
21. “…remember that the gospel must be taught before someone can become a Christian.” (31)
22. “We make the gospel too small by thinking it only “gets us saved,” that it is a sort of fire insurance…” (32)”
23. “…the gospel becomes both the door of salvation and the pattern for life.” (32)
24. “Additions to the gospel, however good or good-hearted, corrupt the gospel.” (33)
25. “The hope in evangelism is that we so steep ourselves in gospel truth and gospel living…that the gospel can’t help but come out of us.” (34)
26. “…we don’t just lay out gospel facts academically or haphazardly. We have an aim or direction in our gospel teaching.” (35)
27. “…no one is born a Christian…all Christians are converts.” (36)
28. “…just as we cannot produce conversion, neither can we produce genuine faith.” (37)
29. “We aren’t persuaded in a biblical sense unless we repent, place genuine faith in Jesus, and walk with him.” (38)
30. “Unbiblical evangelism is a method of assisted suicide for a church…” (39)
31. “…if you ask most normal people what hinders their evangelism, the vast majority will tell you it’s fear.” (42)
32. “Evangelize with believing friends who will pull you along.” (42)
33. “…since I believe in the church as the engine of evangelism, we need to develop cultures of evangelism in our local churches…” (42)
34. “It just makes sense to share our faith alongside friends.” (43)
35. “…usually when we think of evangelism in community, we think of evangelistic programs, which is not the same.” (43)
36. As opposed to evangelistic programs, “most people come to faith through… [familiar] Christians intentionally talking about the gospel.” (45)
37. “A strict diet of evangelistic programs produces malnourished evangelism.” (46)
38. “…programs can often make us feel as if we’ve done evangelism, when we haven’t.” (46)
39. “I yearn for a culture of evangelism that never trades confidence n the gospel for confidence in techniques, personalities, or entertainment gimmicks.” (49)
40. “In a culture of evangelism, we don’t mistake entertainment for ministry, or ministry for entertainment.” (51)
41. “We need a culture of evangelism that never sacrifices to the idolatry of entertainment…” (51)
42. “When Paul says that we should see people through the eyes of Christ, he means for us to have a gospel view of people.” (52)
43. “…in a culture of evangelism, most of all we’re mindful of what people can become: new creations in Christ…” (53)
44. “…I long for a culture that remembers what people can become through the gospel.” (53)
45. “I would happily trade all the pizzazz of stunning speakers, mind-blowing music, and…popular…pageants for a culture of evangelism…” (55)
46. “In a culture of evangelism, people carefully teach one another how to share their faith in a biblical way.” (55)
47. “The practice of celebrating evangelistic efforts is…hugely important in developing a culture of evangelism.” (57)
48. “I yearn to be in a church where even evangelistic attempts are championed.” (57)
49. “Even if an evangelistic effort doesn’t lead to a gospel conversation, evangelistic failure is better than not trying evangelism at all.” (57)
50. “I long for a culture of evangelism that is risky in the sense that we’re confronting culture.” (59)
51. “I long for a church that understands that it…is the chosen and best method of evangelism.” (60)
52. “I long for a church that disarms with love, not entertainment…” (60)
53. “I long for a church that…lives out countercultural confidence in the power of the gospel.” (60)
54. “…if you are part of a healthy church that has a culture of evangelism, you are part of the greatest way of evangelism ever known.” (63)
55. “…a culture of evangelism is grassroots, not top-down.” (65)
56. “In a culture of evangelism, people understand the main task of the church is to be the church.” (65)
57. “The question is not, “Do we have a culture of evangelism?” but “Is our culture of evangelism sick or healthy?”” (67)
58. “Every Christian should know what makes a church a church.” (70)
59. “In a culture of evangelism, people who love Jesus work together as instruments in the grand symphony of God’s work.” (81)
60. “…in a maturing culture of evangelism, people trust God to do something bigger than what they see with physical eyes.” (81)
61. “Sometimes we unwittingly motivate congregations with blunt instruments such as guilt.” (85)
62. “[Churches] must use their gatherings to regularly rehearse and think through the gospel…” (85)
63. “It is easy to go from a welcoming church to become a church that jettisons the gospel in its desire to be “friendly.”” (87)
64. “Unfortunately, many churches fall into…heresy when their main concern becomes the non-Christian rather than fidelity to the gospel.” (87)
65. “The quickest route to heresy and error is “relevant” evangelism.” (87)
66. “Good-hearted motivations that try to shape the church for the needs of man and not the glory of god are the death of biblical churches.” (87)
67. “…churches are called to concentrate on God, while individuals are called to be sensitive to seekers.” (87)
68. “…trying to live a moral life is impossible. Living a gospel life is a gift from God.” (89)
69. “If we live gospel-centered lives, we will find ourselves sharing the gospel.” (90)
70. “If you are bored with the gospel, you need to take a deep look at the sin of your heart.” (91)
71. “…if the gospel does not resonate in your heart, check and see that you are truly converted.” (91)
72. “We don’t know whom God is calling to himself. Praying for others keeps us mindful of that.” (96)
73. “Besides teaching and modeling, one of the most important things leaders can do is just talk about evangelism.” (97)
74. “We must deliver the message regardless of the discomfort produced, effort required, and shame endured.” (101)
75. “Ambassadors exist to deliver messages.” (101)
76. “It’s my sense that boldness is the most needed element for evangelism for the Christian community.” (106)
77. “The Bible calls us to remember those who have been brave and faithful, and to follow their example.” (107)
78. “…I’m convinced that sharing our faith, regardless of the response, is a key to spiritual health for the individual and for the community.” (112)
79. “Evangelism is bigger than what we see.” (114)
80. “Sometimes God lets us see tired people transformed into people filled with light. That’s a glorious thing…” (114)

70 Tweetable Quotes from Ortlund's The Gospel

 
I thoroughly enjoyed and was edified by Ray Ortlund's book The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ. I have amassed a hockey-sock full of Tweetable quotes from the book. Enjoy!

1. Let's not assume that our churches are faithful to the gospel. Let's examine whether they are (17).
2. So the test of a gospel-centered church is its doctrine on paper plus its culture in practice ... (18).
3. Nothing is gained by merely repackaging the church in forms more attractive to outsiders (18).
4. We possess, in the gospel alone, God's wonder-working resources for the display of Christ among us (19).
5. Any church ... that falls short of the gospel of Christ in either doctrine or culture will inevitably collapse ... (19).
6. Gospel doctrine creates gospel culture. The doctrine of grace creates a culture of grace (21).
7. We need strength from beyond ourselves, because it's hard to hold on to gospel doctrine (22).
8. This is the massive love of God-the Son leaving nothing of the Father's glory unexpressed, leaving nothing of our need unfilled (31).
9. I want to be really forgiven of my real sins by a real Savior (34).
10. God's final category for you is not your goodness versus your badness, but your union with Christ versus your distance from Christ (34).
11. If you don't believe your way into Jesus Christ, you will perish (35).
12. The doctrine of grace creates a culture of grace where good things happen to bad people (39).
13. Gospel doctrine and gospel culture do not coexist by lucky chance (39).
14. Being part of church frees us from a vague idealism and gives us traction for real gospel advance ... (40).
15. Obviously, we pay a price to give our lives to a real community (40).
16. We didn't ruin God's plan; we are his plan, his eternal plan to love the undeserving, for the display of his glory alone (40).
17. There is nothing degrading in Christ. nothing we need to worry about or filter out (44).
18. How can we hope to be true to Christ if we look away from the Bible's stark portrayal of our natural corruption (44)?
19. The real holiness Christ creates is beautiful (47).
20. A gospel-defined church is a prophetic sign that points beyond itself (51).
21. Despair is an intellectual and social sin. It denies gospel doctrine and destroys gospel culture (55).
22. Fixing broken things is the way of God (56).
23. There is nothing petty and small about a church when it believes this massive and noble gospel (62).
24. ... the hope of the gospel makes us cheerfully defiant toward every disappointment ... (62).
25. ... the hope of the gospel and the triumph of our Savior make us cheerfully defiant even toward our own sin and failures (63).
26. ... the beauty of human relationships, is the first thing that outsiders are likely to notice when they enter a church (66).
27. A church should offer the world ... a counterculture, a living embodiment of the gospel (67).
28. ... we must not import into our church families today the failed patterns of our earthly families in the past (70).
29. The household of God must offer a clear and lovely alternative to the madness of this world (71).
30. The family of God is where people should find lots of gospel, lots of safety, and lots of time (72).
31. The goal is not to make the church safe for sin; it's to make it safe for confession and repentance (73).
32. We must not allow anything in our churches to compete with the high visibility of the gospel (75).
33. A church can offer living and palpable proof that the gospel makes a real difference for real people living in the real world (76).
34. As a pillar and buttress of the truth, our churches are God's Plan A for world redemption, and he has no Plan B (76).
35. We either proudly believe we are too good to be judged, or we proudly believe we are too bad to be saved (79).
36. We lose sight of him quickly, don't we? We all need frequent exposures to his overruling good news (82).
37. A gospel culture is harder to lay hold of than gospel doctrine (82).
38. And when a whole church luxuriates in Christ alone, that church embodies a gospel culture (83).
39. Exalting ourselves always diminishes his visibility (83).
40. The false safety of self is an enduring problem for us Christians (85).
41. ... it is possible for us to unsay by our practical church culture what we say in our official church doctrine (88).
42. It is possible to hold to the gospel as a theory even as we lose it as a reality (88).
43. Right gospel doctrine + anti-gospel culture = a denial of the gospel (88).
44. We can sincerely love the doctrine of God's grace and, at the same time, unwittingly nullify that grace (89).
45. We must also ask, is our church culture clearly aligned with that gospel doctrine (89)?
46. The gospel gives us more than a place to stand; it also leads us into a path to follow (89).
47. A gospel culture is not easy. But it is possible (91).
48. Going forward with The Lord means that the future will be both more thrilling and more
49. It is the strong scent of Christ that people detect when our churches are filled with the gospel (94).
50. Whatever people might thin of us, God savors us as we lift up Jesus Christ crucified (95).
51. Throughout the Bible, God's pleasure comes to a focal point at the cross of Christ (95).
52. And the clearer our churches are about Christ, the more polarizing we will be (95).
53. But the one thing the gospel never does is nothing (96).
54. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ refuses to be held at arm's length with critical detachment (96).
55. No one judges the gospel. It judges all, and it saves some (96).
56. ... no one is static. No one is not responding to the gospel (98).
57. ... we must never be deflected from faithfulness to Christ because of human rejection (98).
58. Eternal consequences hang in the balance in every gathering of the church, every Bible study, every personal conversation, every blog post (99).
59. Faithfulness makes enemies on earth. But faithfulness also has a Friend and advocate on high ... (102).
60. Every one of us is always five minutes away from moral and ministry disaster (103).
61. If our purposes rise no higher than what we can attain by our own organizing and thinking, then we should change our churches into community centers (105).
62. The gospel never advances without someone paying a price (107).
63. The greatness of Christ creates courage in us (108).
64. Trust him that, with every false treasure you surrender, he will  more than bless you with true spiritual riches (108).
65. But if the leaders are courageous for Christ, their church will be too (109).
66. The beauty of love is the crown of a well-taught church (111).
67. This is who Christ is. He will always be to us an endless sea of sweetness (111).
68. Love is Christ's authorized way for us to be convincing (112).
69. If we fail to love one another in ways so striking that we actually start looking like Jesus, then the world has the right to judge that we know nothing of him (113).
70. A heart aloof from God grows aloof from others (117).

Intentionality and Growth

The impetus for this post came with a picture that Crossway Books posted on their Twitter account (@CrosswayBooks). Here it is:

God is gracious and may cause us to grow in spite of ourselves. He is loving and kind and understands our frailty. But generally speaking, I do not think we are supposed to stand idly by and wait for God to do something in terms of our spiritual development unbeknownst to us. We should not anticipate growth in godliness to be a matter of happenstance.

Rather, as the picture above suggests, Christlikeness does not happen by accident. There is no accidentally getting closer to God. There is rarely unintentional and inadvertent sanctification. Christian maturity is not a function of passivity. If we are not intentional about discipleship in our own lives, it is either not going to happen at all or it will happen to such a minute degree that it will be hardy noticeable.

This picture also reminded of a quote from a book I am currently reading called God in the Whirlwind. The author, David Wells, suggest "we need to carve out space for ourselves in which we can daily attend to God’s Word, to study it, mark it, learn it, and inwardly digest its truth." The key word in this quotation is "carve." Carving suggest intentionality. It's cutting, but it's purposeful cutting. And it also indicates pain. It might hurt a little to carve out time for God.

But the pain is worth it. And it won't happen by accident.

Book Review - The Final Days of Jesus

In The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived the authors, Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, give us a book that is simple yet profound, and modest yet informative. This book provides an account of the final week of Jesus. It takes into consideration the people and events surrounding Christ from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.

The book is organized around each day of the week with each particular day, if applicable, divided up into major events. Significant selections of Scripture, as well as  maps and charts, add to the effective commentary by the authors.

The writing and explanations throughout this valuable work are simple and unembellished. And this somewhat unadorned style is very persuasive. The authors discuss the main people and events of Jesus' last week and do not veer from this central narrative. The book is not bereft of exposition; the authors explain things when necessary. But, for the most part, they let the Gospel accounts speak for themselves. The austere-ness of this book does not inhibit the book from moving the reader. This story, unadorned, is captivating and thrilling; just having the facts presented without overmuch fanfare effectively conveys the gravity and wonder of this King of the Jews and his final seven days. Where the authors do wade in to longer discussions, it is helpful and informative.

The somewhat modest approach employed by this book does not disappoint in terms of the information it conveys. The aggregation of the the different accounts in the Gospel gives an in-depth and clear picture of the last days of Jesus. When appropriate, the authors explain how the Gospel's seemingly different versions can be harmonized. Historical background is provided by the when the reader's lack of knowledge may undermine the narrative. The authors have found a balance in terms of helping the reader understand and letting the original authors, the writers of the Gospel, tell their story.

This book will be valuable for all Christians as well as non-believers interested in the last days of Christ on earth. Its simplicity enhances the beauty and wonder of the story. Its lack of verbosity does not prevent it from being informative and helpful. This is a wonderful book at any time, and is of particular value now during Lent and leading up to Easter. I recommend this book.

This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.

What you think of Christ is everything

From Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon: The Fellowship of the Gospel and The Supremacy of Christ (Preaching the Word) by R. Kent Hughes:

What you think of Christ, your conception of him, is everything.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, that he is eternal, without beginning and without end, that he always was continuing; if you believe that he is Creator of everything, every cosmic speck across trillions of light-years of trackless space, the Creator of the textures and shapes and colors that daily dazzle your eyes;

if you believe that he is the sustainer of all creation, the force that is presently holding the atoms of your body, your town, this universe together, and that without him all would dissolve;

if you believe that he is the mystery, the incarnate reconciler who will one day reconcile the universe and redeem humanity to himself;

if you believe that he is the lover of your soul, who loves you with a love bounded only by his infinitude;

then, despite the fact that life will be full of trouble, nothing much will go wrong.

Your vision of Christ will quicken and shape your life. What you believe about Christ makes all the difference in the world now and in eternity. (line breaks mine)

Book Review - What's Your Worldview?

James N. Anderson has written a helpful and informative book on worldviews called What's Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions. This book would likely be found in the apologetics section of a bookstore or library, but it would be significantly different than most, if not all, books found there. Though what makes it different is definitely part of the appeal of this book, it also provides the reader with a valuable resource for studying worldviews, for sharing one's faith, and for scrutinizing one's own beliefs.

Since much of the blog and Twitter chatter involves the uniqueness of this book, we'll start with what it is that makes What's Your Worldview? special in the genre of apologetic books. Anderson immediately draws the reader's attention to this book's unusual feature: "Have you ever read one of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” (CYOA) books?" This is the first line of the book. And with this sentence the reader is introduced to the unique characteristic that is receiving so much attention. I'll not go into details about CYOA books as many are familiar with them. If you're not, a search on Wikipedia will give you the gist of how they work. The fact that this book on apologetics works like a CYOA book is what makes it unlike anything else out there. This format helps the reader find out their own worldview by presenting a series of questions. The answer to each question determines the destination (worldview) the reader arrives at. This was surprisingly fun and intriguing to experiment with. It added some suspense to the reading experience. This unique structure definitely adds to the attractiveness of the book. Particularly, I think unbelievers would find this a very comfortable feature.

That is one reason why I suggest this book would also be a valuable tool in sharing your faith. I could easily see myself handing this to an unbelieving friend and asking them to see where they land when it comes to their own beliefs. And I think that process would encourage valuable discussions. What's Your Worldview? is a non-threatening way to engage those who don't share your beliefs and give them an opportunity to hear about Christianity's perspective on life. Anderson's work is not only a resource for sharing your faith, but it is also a resource for studying worldviews in general.

The final destination for all readers will be one of 21 different worldviews which will be determined by how the reader answers a series of questions. The destination worldviews are 1-2 page summaries which are in and of themselves a very informative and helpful part of this book. This book will be a good reference to revisit when there are questions about different religions, philosophies, and outlooks on life. The worldview summaries that are represented in the book are as follows: Atheistic Dualism, Atheistic Idealism, Christianity, Deism, Finite Godism, Islam, Judaism, Materialism, Monism, Mysticism, Nihilism, Non-Mainstream Monotheism, Panentheism, Pantheism, Pelagianism, Platonism, and Pluralism. It must be obvious that  a book that includes concise, readable summaries on all these belief systems would be of significant value. And one of the many worldviews that the reader will come to understand is their own.

For the Christian reader, this book will help confirm whether or not what they believe actually lines up with historic Christianity. Or, it will clarify where one departs from the Christian perspective into another system of beliefs. Thus, it is a diagnostic for those who profess themselves as Christ-followers. Again, it seems to me that the value of this function of the book is evident.

What's Your Worldview? is a fun and edifying book to read. It's Choose Your Own Adventure structure, unique in the realm of apologetical books, is the main reason why it is so fun to read. It provides more than entertainment as a tool for evangelism, a resource for study of worldviews, and a diagnostic of one's own beliefs. This is a book worth owning, reading, and re-reading

Book Review - What Is Biblical Theology?

I consider myself an outdoorsman. I love to hunt and fish. I don't get to do those things as much as I'd like to, but when I can get out I thoroughly enjoy myself. I'm thankful my father introduced me to fishing and hunting because I wasn't born with a love for those pursuits. I had to be introduced to them. I had to be mentored and pointed in the right direction. I needed someone, in this case my dad, to give me a little push in the right direction. Hunting in particular is a sport that is difficult to begin on your own. You need have someone to guide your steps and teach you the ropes. I'm thankful my dad played the role of mentor in this aspect of my life.

I think biblical theology is a bit like hunting in this regard; it is a little intimidating and difficult to get into that type of reading. The books are often big...really big even. And the term itself seems beyond what the average reader desires or is capable of handling. For us non-scholar types, the pursuit of biblical theology is like hunting in that we would be well served to have a mentor to get us started and teach us the ropes, someone to guide us and get us started in the right direction.

Jim Hamilton, through his book What Is Biblical Theology?, acts as the mentor we need to begin this literary pursuit. Hamilton advises us and instructs us in a preparatory manner for delving into the very edifying and enjoyable world of biblical theology. And once you begin down this path, you just might find reading and studying biblical theology is something that you love to do. The few books on biblical theology that I have read have been God exalting and personally enriching. Hamilton uses What Is Biblical Theology? to point us in the right direction and encourage us to press into this captivating curriculum called biblical theology.

Hamilton begins the book, which for the intimidated is a mere 120 pages, with two introductory chapters which motivate us to investigate biblical theology and educate us on exactly what it is. Biblical theology is the "interpretive perspective of the biblical authors" (15) and its aim is to "understand and embrace"(12) their perspective. Starting in these chapters and continuing throughout the book, Hamilton's passion for this discipline is evident and infectious. From here the book is divided into three parts: "the first sets out the Bible's big story, the second looks at the way the biblical authors use symbols ... and the third considers the part the church plays in that story" (22).

Part 1 of What Is Biblical Theology? is comprised of three chapters. The first considers what we in the English teaching profession call the elements of fiction. But in this case we could call them the elements of non-fiction narrative. These aspects include settings, character, and plot. Hamilton informs us that the big story of the Bible provides us with the true perspective on life; "We make sense of our days in light of this overarching narrative" (32).

The second chapter of Part 1 takes one of the aspects-plot-and focuses its attention on its details. Hamilton includes conflict, episodes, and theme under the heading of plot. The author demonstrates how plot episodes, which revolve around creation’s conflict with God, recur throughout the biblical narrative. These recurring plot episodes, which include ideas like exile and exodus, "function like schematics or templates" which are "used to communicate the meaning of who Jesus was and what he accomplished" (39). Thus, the importance of biblical theology should be apparent; it helps us understand Jesus!

The final chapter of Part 1 investigates the promises throughout the big story of a coming redeemer. These ‘gold coins’ represent clues to a mystery: the mystery of God's great work to save His people through His Son. What seems obvious to us now was not so to those who were anticipating a Messiah. But as we read the Bible, Hamilton explains, we can retrospectively see how God announced this coming mystery-Messiah through the prophets and Old Testament writing. Part 2 deals with elements a little more figurative.

The Bible's Symbolic Universe is the title Hamilton gives to Part 2. The chapters in this section cover symbols, imagery, typology, and patterns in the Scriptures. Hamilton concisely explains how these elements work and what they do. He offers intriguing examples which beckon the reader to look and understand these concepts as they come to us in the Bible. I found these succinct chapters whetted my appetite for more; more study, more investigation, more understanding and more of the Bible. In the author's words, "These images, types, and patterns are often laid on top of each other, and this layering both interprets and communicates. This use of symbolism and imagery adds texture to the story the Bible tells, reinforcing it and making it concrete" (65).

The final section of this book, Part 3, discusses the church and her grand role in this story of stories. Hamilton's passion permeates the whole book but particularly rises in these chapters. He writes, "The true story of the world and the church's place in it is a stupendous tale. Best of all, it's true (98)." Biblical theology's importance increases as we understand that the "Bible's story and symbolism teach the church to understand who she is, what she faces, and how she should live as she longs for the coming of her King and Lord" (113). Biblical theology helps us grasp the glorious truths of the gospel, the magnificence of our Messiah, and the riveting role of the church in this drama. Do you really need any more encouragement to look into biblical theology? I think not.

Hamilton's enthusiasm and zeal for this topic is infectious. I found myself getting excited as I read through this relatively brief introduction to biblical theology. I have found Hamilton's contagious passion for this subject, and similar ones for that matter, to be an endearing quality of his writing which encourages me in my pursuit of understanding and appreciating my God. I think, in this book, he will have this impact on you. In particular, if you need a mentor and coach and motivator to help you to become a disciple in the sometimes intimidating discipline of biblical theology, I do not think you will find a better guide than Hamilton and his guidebook What Is Biblical Theology? is a good place to start.  

Divine grace alone prevails against sin

I highly recommend the series of theological books that fall under Crossway's collection labelled Theology In Community. I have read a couple of them and you can read my reviews of those volumes here and here. I also have their title The Kingdom of God on my Kindle, ready for reading. The most recent text from this series that I have read is Fallen: A Theology of Sin. It is an excellent resource that I have already made use of in my preaching and one that I am sure to revisit.

From this book comes the substance of this post. In a chapter entitled Sin in the Former and Latter Prophets and Writings, Paul R. House concludes his chapter by presenting a few summative statements about sin:

1. Sin is perversion - Sin "distorts the people whom God made and thus the world over which they exercise stewardship" and it "harms people's relationship with God" (80).
2. Sin is active - Sin is "thinking, planning, and doing" things god has prohibited as well as "not doing the good"  that God has prescribed and thus "the wrath of god is directed at people, not to sin in the abstract" (80).
3. Sin is relational - "Sins committed by people harm people; sins committed by nations harm other nations" (81).
4. Sin is pervasive - "Sin scars every person and portion of life" which is evident because "the scope of God's teaching indicates the multitude of ways one may sin" (81). Sin has its origin in the hearts and minds of humans and therefore "the types and effects of sin are as varied and creative as the human mind can conceive, and they are as dangerous as human opportunity allows" (81).
5. Sin is deadly - "It harms what it touches, and it can kill wherever it goes" (81). 

And though these statements might cause one to despair and doubt, House reminds of the gospel which is neither despairing nor does it give reasons for doubting:

Because these principles are so sobering, the magnify God's redemptive work in Jesus Christ. Christians cannot really fathom all that it means to have forgiveness through the saving blood of Jesus. There is no way to fully comprehend how much each person sins and how those sins harm life. So, there is no way to thank God fully for what he has provided. Once again, only by faith can one respond to God's promises, covenants, and teaching. Sheer divine grace alone prevails against sin (81, emphasis mine).

Book Review - Fallen: A Theology of Sin

In Fallen: A Theology of Sin, Crossway and the editors Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson deliver another valuable and useful book to add to the Theology In Community series that has also given the church books on the deity of Christ, suffering, God's glory, and the kingdom of God. This is another treasure trove of practical information that exudes solid doctrinal teaching on the overlooked and under-studied topic of sin. I reviewed The Deity of Christ and found it immensely helpful and highly recommended; this volume follows suit.

The books first chapter is written by world renowned scholar D. A. Carson. This theological heavyweight considers the intrinsic and contemporary significance of sin and in all too typical fashion his work is both helpful and enjoyable. I am particularly fond of authors whose writing reminds me of their preaching; in the sentences and paragraphs I could almost hear Dr. Carson's talks on the same topic. Carson represents sin as it is understood in the Bible and reflects on our society's spiritual poverty as a result of being bereft of this knowledge.

Chapters 2 and 3 are written by Paul R. House. This is my first acquaintance with his writing but it will assuredly not be my last. In chapter 2, House discusses the treatment of sin in the Old Testament Law while noting how incomplete such an endeavour will be in the small space allotted. Nevertheless, House offers a summary that is beneficial and enriching. House looks at the definitions of sin the Law offers and traces the themes surrounding sin in the texts under consideration. In chapter 3, House moves on to discuss the treatment of sin in the prophets. This chapter looks at contributions towards the Old Testament's teaching on sin from each book of the Former Prophets as well as highlighting the books of the Latter Prophets and their demonstration of the universal scope of sin. I appreciated his contribution to the discussion and will not hesitate to read more of his work if the opportunity arises.

Robert W. Yarborough is passed the baton and endeavours to investigate sin in the New Testament without interacting with any of the writings of Paul. He considers the indirect evidence of sin from these books by investigating invitations to repent as well as instances of conversion. He adds to his observations a concise summary of 2 word groups associated with sin; the hamartia word group and the adikia word group. This chapter was artfully written and its presentation helps with an understanding of sin that has breadth and depth.

Concerning chapter 5, I'll get right to the point: Douglas J. Moo's chapter entitled Sin in Paul is alone worth the price of the book. I do not consider myself overly intelligent, but I do consider myself fairly well-read. However, this chapter provided me with some "wow" moments; I encountered ideas and explanations that I had never come across before. The style is winsome and the content is top tier. Moo deals with the vocabulary of sin, the nature of sin, the larger environment of sin, and the consequences of sin among other topics the apostle to the Gentiles grappled with in his writings. To belabour the point, in my copy there is an almost unhelpful amount of marginalia, underlining, circling and highlighting; I might have been better off noting what was not extremely helpful. If for this chapter alone, buy the book!

Christopher Morgan, in the sixth chapter, looks at sin with the metanarrative of the Bible in mind. He considers sin in light of creation, the fall, redemption and the consummation. This section offers the reader a wide-ranging assessment of sin in Scripture. This chapter contains several lists and charts that are excellent summaries and provide me, as a teacher, with valuable tools.

A very delightful and informative presentation of sin in historical theology is Gerald Bray's contribution to this collection. Chapter 7 offers an intriguing perusal of sin through the ages of church history. Bray writes in a manner that is easy to read and the information he conveys captivated my attention.

Chapter 8 contains a thorough exposition of what a theology of sin for today should look like. His explanation and investigation into sin in its pre-fall context was fascinating and memorable. Of note, this chapter contained some memorable illustrations that I intend on using in some sermons in the near future.

Sydney H. T. Page investigates the relationship between Satan and sin and evil. He looks at Satan's roles in regards to sin; tempter, deceiver, accuser, afflicter. But he also reminds the reader of the defeat of Satan, sin, and evil through the work of Christ on Calvary.

The next chapter, the tenth, is practical and pastoral and perceptive in regards to its topic; temptation. The author, Davis B. Calhoun, produces a wide range of encouraging and informative quotes from church history. After the Moo chapter, this was the most edifying chapter as it adroitly answered numerous question about temptation: What is temptation?; What does the bible say about temptation?; How could Jesus be tempted?; What are the source or causes of temptation?; How do the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us?; When does temptation become sin?; How can we overcome temptation?; What happens when we Confess our sins?; and what are the results of temptation? As is obvious, Calhoun covers a lot of ground and he does so in an engaging way.

Finally, the smooth and soothing prose of this chapter, courtesy of Bryan Chapell, is reminiscent of his excellent verbal communication skills. Entitled aptly Repentance That Sings, this final section offers are harmonious finish to the book. Though delivering a comfortable read, this chapter was, for me, very convicting. Though I enjoyed the skilful writing, I could feel the God's thumb of conviction gently pressing on my heart as the chapter progressed. The editors prove their worth by choosing this chapter to end on; it was full of practical application and powerful motivation to take our own sin seriously and, by the grace and mercy of God, deal with it.

I highly recommend this book as valuable resource on the doctrine of sin. Its able authors deliver another valuable contribution to the Theology in Community series. Let these words of D. A. Carson convey the importance of understanding sin and the value of a book such as Fallen: "It is impossible to gain a deep grasp of what the cross achieves without plunging into a deep grasp of what sin is" (22).

25 Tweets from the first chapter of Covenantal Apologetics

I am really enjoying Covenantal Apologetics by Scott Oliphint. I thought I would share some shorter quotes and excerpts from the first chapter of the book.

1. Christian apologetics is the application of biblical truth to unbelief (29).
2. The entrance of sin in the world was also the initiation of a cosmic war (30).
3. [Sin] marks the beginning of a radical and all-encompassing war (32).
4. ...every person on the face of the earth is defined, in part, by his relationship to a covenant head (32).
5. Suffering is clear evidence that Christ is Lord; it is not a testimony against that truth (34).
6. It is the clear and steadfast conviction that Christ, and Christ alone, is Lord that has to motivate our Christian defense (34).
7. We are to think about and live in the world according to what it really is, not according to how it might at times appear to us (35).
8. The lordship of Christ is the conclusion to, the end result of, his own suffering and humiliation (35).
9. So wherever you go, to whomever you speak, Christ is Lord there, and he is Lord over that person (35).
10. The power of sin in us makes us adept anosognosiacs (people unaware of, or denying, our own disease) (36).
11. Anyone who wants to argue that truth is relative betrays, by that argument, that it cannot be (36).
12. The Bible is authoritative not because we accept it as such, but because it is the word of the risen Lord (37).
13. ...we must base our defense of Christianity on reality, and reality is what God says it is (37).
14. We view our apologetic, and proceed in it, as in the rest of life, through the corrective lenses of Holy Scripture (37).
15. Since God is Totally Other from creation, our understanding of him and our communication and communion with him can take place only be his initiative (41).
16. ...part of what it means to be created in God's image is that man inescapably knows God (42).
17. The problem is not with the evidence, but with the "receptacle," (the sinful person) to which the evidence constantly comes (44).
18. Trying to make ourselves out to be gods, we distort both who we are and who God is (45).
19. Always and everywhere, in covenant relationship with God our Creator, we seek the utterly impossible and unobtainable; we seek autonomy (45).
20. Man's denial of God is not something done in ignorance (45).
21. ...it is incumbent on the apologist to ask the unbeliever to justify his own position (45).
22. Generic theism is no part of the Christian faith (48).
23. ...any defense that does not include the triune God is a defense of a false theism (48).
24. ...we cannot begin our discussion with the assumption that the intellectual, moral, or conversational ground on which we and the unbeliever are standing is the same (49).
25. ...all people, just because they are image of God, are responsible to God for everything they are, do, and think (49).