Crazy Love

Crazy Love, Overwhelmed by a Relentless God written by Francis Chan is one of those books that a serious and thoughtful Christian cannot read without knowing that their individual sanctification has a lot more upside potential than we had perhaps previously thought.  As one who holds to the concept of “progressive sanctification,” which I acknowledge is not universally held within Christendom, this book seems to speak directly to that point, with humbling examples of how out of touch we are with reality when we think we are seriously and consistently walking in the way of Christ in our day to day lives, irrespective of how devoutly we think we live our faith.

All 10 chapters of this book are terrific, and make penetrating  points about the outward evidence of our faith.  But none are perhaps stronger than chapter 4, titled “Profile of the Lukewarm.”  Just a few of the examples of “the lukewarm” are:

Lukewarm People give money to charity and the church…as long as it does not impinge on their standard of living.

Lukewarm People are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.

Lukewarm People seldom share their faith with their neighbors, co-workers or friends.

Lukewarm People gauge their morality, or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world.

Lukewarm People love God, but not with all their heart, soul and strength.

Lukewarm People love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.

Lukewarm People will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.

Lukewarm People think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.

Lukewarm People are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.

And there are more!

Chan’s chapter titled “Profile of the Obsessed,” as you might expect from its title, is the antidote to being lukewarm.  And to the degree that the profile of the lukewarm describes you (me), the less likely you (I) will be able to identify affirmatively with the obsessed.

This book is simultaneously easy and difficult to read.  In terms of its size, format and writing style it is very reader friendly, but the content is incredibly convicting, as you might have sensed from the examples cited above.  Chan is an engaging person, both in print and in the videos that are referenced in the book and which can be viewed for free on the Internet.  I recommend this book without reservation, to  any and all readers, especially those who come to it humbly and with a willingness to be called-out, but also encouraged and stirred up.  (Heb. 10: 24) 

The Death Penalty on Trial

The Death Penalty on Trial - Taking a Life for a Life Taken, by Ron Gleason, Ph.D. offers a Biblical look at the often controversial topic of capital punishment.  This is a relatively short book, with the author’s material filling only about 100 pages, with the appendix, end notes, bibliography, etc. it is only 135 pages.  Gleason, who is pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda, CA, deals very graciously, but directly with a subject about which there are probably very few people who take a stance of ambivalence.  My (safe) hunch is that people feel rather strongly in favor of, or opposed to the death penalty.

Gleason systematically discusses the background of the death penalty across history and cultures.  He then takes a look more specifically at the death penalty in what would be considered the church age, starting in about the fourth century A.D. citing St. Augustine as a supporter of the death penalty, then noting the support for it from the Reformers, especially, Luther and Calvin.  But probably the most compelling evidence comes from Gleason’s pointing to the Old Testament and the verses that speak directly to God’s divine law, which was not revoked by the New Testament, but in fact reiterated for the purpose of authorizing civil governments to impose punishment on murderers via their own execution.

Gleason dedicates two chapters to the most popular objections to the death penalty in our age.  One chapter addresses these from the perspective of the secularists who generally cite the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, regarding cruel and unusual punishment.  The other is dedicated to the objections that are raised by Christians who oppose the death penalty because of the apparent contradiction between holding a pro-life stance with regard to abortion, all the while supporting capital punishment.  In both chapters, he refutes the claims and shows the fallacy of their reasoning, pointing consistently back to scripture.

The author’s stated intent was to deal constructively with this topic for both Christians and non-believers alike.  I think he has done a good job in accomplishing this task.  But, I am perhaps not the best person to ask, as I already held to a pro-capital punishment position.

Respectable Sins

Respectable Sins written by Jerry Bridges is a book that I have finally gotten to in my reading list.  Published in 2007, this is certainly not hot-off-the-press.  But is it is an excellent, and revealing (or should I say convicting) book that will perhaps go on to be as significant a seller as Bridges’ million plus selling book The Pursuit of Holiness.

Bridges’ basic premise in the book is that Christians have been so focused on drawing attention to the highly visible sins of the world and society in general, that we have lost sight of our own more “refined,” “subtle,” “acceptable,” or “respectable” sins.  More to the point, he suggests that we not only overlook our more subtle sins, we actually tolerate their presence in our lives.  In an appropriately convicting observation, the author asks the reader “shall we presume upon God’s grace by tolerating in ourselves the very sin that nailed Christ to the cross?”

The solution to dealing with our respectable sins, is the gospel.  Bridges notes that “the gospel is a vital gift from God not only for our salvation but also to enable us to deal with the ongoing activity of sin in our lives.”

The respectable sins that are discussed in the book are:  ungodliness; anxiety and frustration; discontentment; unthankfulness; pride; selfishness; lack of self-control; impatience and irritability; anger; weeds of anger (these are sins that stem from unresolved anger); judgmentalism; envy and jealousy; sins of the tongue; and worldliness.

In spite of its uncomfortable subject matter, I actually found the book to be enjoyable to read.  Obviously not based on the revealing of the tolerated sin in my life, but because Bridges addresses the topics with a straightforward gentleness that allows the reader to relax and simply contemplate the personal implications.   The chapters are of such a length that I did not reach a level of saturation, or fatigue with the belaboring of a point.  Bridges makes his case for each of the sins succinctly but with clarity.  Of course, I will give credit to the Holy Spirit for His assistance in illuminating the subject.  As the author notes, the Holy Spirit combined with the gospel is ultimately our hope for identifying and eradicating our respectable sins.  We are to be encouraged because the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, empowers us to deal with our sins, and encourages us, as His indwelling presence is the assurance that we have been forgiven of all of our sins and our unrighteousness.  Appropriating and acting upon this reality should give us the encouragement to deal with our respectable sins.  The progressing of our sanctification depends on it.

This is an excellent book and well worth the time to read it.  But, be prepared to be convicted!

Glenn Beck’s Common Sense

I am guessing that you have read a book or two that has been authored by a person with whom you are “acquainted.”  And by acquainted, I don’t mean that they are a personal friend, or that they are even someone you have actually met in person.  Instead what I am talking about are people such as politicians, entertainers, celebrities, or pastors that you are familiar with and have heard speak.  I find when I read such a book, I almost ”hear” the author as I read.  I “hear” his/her intonation, and their emotions rise and fall as the points are made in print.  Such was the case with Glenn Beck’s Common Sense.  Glenn Beck, is the talk radio and Fox News Channel host.

This “hearing” Beck as I read his book was something of a double edge sword for me.  On the one hand, it made the reading come easier and faster, as if it was being read like an audio book.  On the other hand, I felt as if I was not reading anything new.  With virtually every word I read, my sense was, “I have ‘heard’ all of this before”, either on the radio, or on TV.  And that is disappointing because, I am not what I would describe as a regular listener to Beck’s radio program, and only infrequently watch his hour on Fox News.  If someone were to tell me after the fact that this book was nothing more than transcripts of his radio or television monologues, edited for a book, I would have to say, “I’m not surprised.  That said, I don’t believe that to be the actual case.

Don’t misunderstand the comment above as me being unhappy with the book.  I enjoyed reading it.  And many of the points that Beck makes are right-on with respect to the myriad of problems we are facing in our country and the apparent inclination to solve them with more and more and still more and then even more government spending and interference.  To his credit, Beck supports his arguments against the expansion to government influence and control, with statistics and historical examples of the failure of such a strategy.

Beck was inspired to write his book, by another book with the same title, written 230 some odd years ago, by Thomas Paine.  In 1776, Paine wrote a pamphlet decrying the impact of the British Empire on our original 13 colonies and encouraging a revolution.  The one that actually took place just a few months after the publication of his pamphlet.  Paine’s Common Sense was apparently inspirational to the framing of our Declaration of Independence from England.

While I enjoyed the points that Beck makes in this book, perhaps even more enjoyable was the fact that Beck published Thomas Paine’s Common Sense as an appendix to his own.  Not only was this a really interesting read, but it also stood as an important reminder of the almost indescribable wisdom of those men who were responsible for the forming and framing of our nation.  And what a stark contrast they present to the current day nuckleheads that populate the halls of Congress and the West Wing of the White House, and their breathtaking lack of that same wisdom.

God help us!

Ancient Word, Changing Worlds

Ancient Word, Changing Worlds the Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age by Stephen J. Nichols and Eric T. Brandt, is another one of those jewels that I ordered largely on the basis of needing to increase my order for some other books, to recieve free shipping.  I’ll grant you that the title of this book caught my attention, but I was not really shopping for a book on the doctrine of scripture.  Nevertheless, I am very glad I bought it.  I found it to be an informative and helpful read.  I am also pleased that I now have this as a resource in my library because it contains the writings of some really brilliant minds, representing orthodox and reformed Christian theology.  More about this in a moment.

While perhaps not in the league with a seminary textbook on the subject of the doctrine of scripture, this book still provides a tremendous overview on the subject, and one that particularly focuses on the changing and “emerging” views that have characterized modernity and post-modernity. 

The authors have organized the book in a very friendly and readable structure.  The book first of all, centers around three critical words with respect to the doctrine of scripture, inspiration, inerrancy, and interpretation.  These three words receive treatment from the authors in a separate chapter dedicated to each.  In these chapters, they provide a narrative of the history and development of these three critical words as they relate to scripture and the differing points of view that have materialized from the mid-1800’s to the present.  Following each of these chapters is another dedicated to select readings from the primary source documents that were used to construct the author’s narratives. 

I don’t believe I have ever read a book structured quite like this, and I admit that initially I didn’t quite “get it.”  But it proved to be very effective.  Effective in the sense that rather than quoting a reference and simply footnoting it, the authors provide the actual texts from which they drew their conclusions, in the succeeding chapter.  The three chapters containing these source readings are titled, fittingly enough, “In Their Own Words.”  The theologians represented in these source readings include Hodge, Warfield, Wescott, Manly, Machen, Preus, Henry and Packer among others.  But the authors also include some opposing views to these conservative theologians such as Barth, Berkouwer, Beegle and Fosdick along with others, who have succumbed to varying degrees to modernist/post-modernist sensitivities.

Ancient Word, Changing Worlds is an excellent book, but definitely not suited for the casual reader of “religious non-fiction“.  Although it reads easily, and I found it incredibly helpful, anyone who is comfortably challenged theologically by authors such as Max Lucado or Rick Warren will likely be very frustrated by the technical content and more academic nature of this book.  My guess is you will be frustrated within the first chapter.  You will find a vast resource of information in this book, but very little in the way of reflection and contemplation, such as you might expect in books written by those two authors and others who are similar.  But, if you are interested in a challenge and a trip that takes you much deeper into the important, let me correct that, the essential teaching of the authority of scripture, this really is an excellent book.

Just Do Something

 Just Do Something, written by Kevin DeYoung, a pastor in East Lansing, MI, offers a terrific perspective on a subject that impacts all of us, at least all Christians…how do we think about seeking and acting upon God’s will for our lives.  The subtitle to the book is probably the best indication of the direction DeYoung intends to take his readers.  That subtitle is:  A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will – OR – How to Make A Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing In The Sky, etc. 

This is a relatively short book, 128 pages in length, and those pages are bound in a compact paperback format of only 5 x 7″.  So, when I say short, I mean short.  It literally can be read in a couple of evenings.  Maybe one evening if you are a fast reader.

DeYoung’s basic premise is that there are essentially two legitimate ways to think about God’s will.  The first, is God’s will of decree.  That is, everything that comes to pass, is according to God’s sovereign decree.  What God wills, will happen, and what happens is according to God’s will.  This necessarily raises the question of how evil plays into both the sovereignty and will of decree of God.  While the answer to that could take the space of many blogs, the short version would be that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, including acts of evil that are perpetrated by His human creations.  Best evidence of this is the ultimate solution to our sin which was brought about by evil acts, that resulted in the murder of Jesus.  Christ’s death (including the evil acts of men leading up to it), was accomplished according to God’s will of decree.

The second legitimate aspect of God’s will, is His will of desire.  This is best understood as His commands.  These are perhaps the easiest to find, as scripture is filled with commands and imperatives.  These are a clear indication of the way things should be, according to God’s will.

The way in which we get side tracked and distracted is when we seek a third aspect of God’s will, which is unfounded, according to DeYoung.  That aspect might be called God’s will of direction.  He goes on to describe the pitfall we get ourselves into from time to time, all with the noble and pious pursuit of “God’s will.”

“Does God have a secret will of direction that He expects us to figure out before we do anything?  And the answer is no.  Yes, God has a specific plan for our lives.  And yes, we can be assured that He works things for our good in Christ Jesus.  And yes, looking backward, we will often be able to trace God’s hand in bringing us to where we are .  But while we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time.”

Dispelling the notion that we are obligated to seek God’s will of direction for every decision we make about our lives is the subject of the rest of the book.  DeYoung utilizes an enjoyable mixture of what I would describe as wry humor, mixed with examples that can be understood and applied by people of all ages, but perhaps especially by those who are in their early 20’s through mid 30’s (the demographic that characterizes his church, which is located adjacent to the campus of Michigan State University).  But even for someone who completed his college education 33 years ago, his points still ring true for me as well.

This is a quick and easy read, but it is nonetheless, filled with good insight.  I recommend it for everyone who is serious about comprehending the subject of ”God’s will” and especially my college-aged friends who have lots of big decisions that they will be making over the course of the next few years, all of which I am sure they would like to make “according to God’s will.”

A Praying Life

“IT’S HARD TO PRAY.”   These are the first words written in the Forward to A Praying Life:  Connecting with God In A Distracting World, by Paul E. Miller.  They come from the pen, or more likely the keyboard, of David Pawlison, from the Christian Counselling and Educational Foundation.  Those four words really struck a chord with me.  Because that is exactly my sentiment when it comes to prayer.  For something that ought to be so easy and available, the truth is, it’s hard.  

From the book’s introduction all the way to the final chapter, Miller expands on this idea that prayer generally does not come easily or naturally.  Mostly because of the presuppositions and misunderstandings that we carry with us into the process.  He brings these points to life, largely from well described examples from his personal experience.  But he is careful, and effectively so, to not leave the reader with the impression that this book is about him.  Instead, he uses his difficulties and equally his times of satisfaction and “success” in prayer as helpful examples of what is possible for the reader.

The book is organized into 32 relatively short chapters, grouped into 5 parts.  The titles of these 5 parts give a good indication of where the reader will be taken on their journey into an improved prayer life.  The titles of these parts are:

Learning To Pray Like A Child
Learning To Trust Again
Learning To Ask Your Father
Living In Your Father’s Story
Praying In Real Life

The number of gems-of-wisdom that I underlined as I read this book would be far to many to even begin to excerpt in this blog.  Instead, they serve as a serious encouragement to me to re-read this book in about a month and reclaim the findings once again.  Reading a book a second time is unusual for me.  But that’s how good, deep, and helpful this book is.  Paul Miller successfully diagnoses many of the common problems we have with prayer, and offers very practical ways to overcome them.  I am tremendously encouraged by what I have learned.

I have read several commendable books this year, but this one is by far and away the best.  No matter how satisfied you think you are with your prayer life, I think this book is a MUST read.  I can’t think of another book (apart from the most obvious one) that I can say that about.

How to Argue Like Jesus

When I first saw the title of this book, I was a little put off by it.  In fact, the only reason I bought it was that in the course of ordering several other books from an on-line retailer, they offered it as an add-on for like next to nothing.  As it turns out, I am quite glad that I spent the few extra bucks to get it.  The book turned out to be pretty interesting. 

I am still not crazy about the title and it is still equally off-putting.  And as it turns out, there may have been a shock value kind of strategy employed here by the authors or the publisher, because the subtitle “Learning Persuasion From History’s Greatest Communicator” is more indicative of what the book is really all about.

At 174 pages in length, divided into 6 chapters and a final one, of sorts, called ” Case Studies” the book is not a difficult read, although it does wade pretty deeply into the framework of effective rhetoric that Aristotle proposed…logos, pathos, and ethos.  There were times when I felt like I had somehow stumbled into a 400 level college English course.  My head is still muddled with some of the terms that were used.  I suspect that the authors anticipated that this would be the case as they have included a really nice glossary of all the terms many of which I had never heard before, and likely will never hear again, apart from coming back to this book (seeing as I am not going BACK to college and if I did, it would not be to study English).  

In spite of the technicality of some of the content, the authors really do make it relevant and useful.  And perhaps more importantly, they provide evidence of how our Lord used these among other techniques to communicate to his hearers, whether common people, ruling authorities, or his disciples (which of course includes us).

While the examples from the book have an obvious theological basis, the authors have done a very good job of broadening their application to any contemporary need for persuasion.  Anyone who finds themselves engaged in speaking before groups of people of any size, related to any subject, will find this book offering some really useful suggestions for ways in which to improve their communications effectiveness.

UPDATED:  For the first time ever at “WHATEVER!” an author has made a comment related to my review of a book he/she has written.  You can find those comments below.  Also of note, the authors of How to Argue Like Jesus have been interviewed by Christian Book Notes, and are responding to questions left in the comment section of that blog.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

Basic Christianity

Basic Christianity is a “modern” classic I suppose.  The original edition was dated 1958, and the second (and most recent) was 1971.  The reason why I paid attention to these dates is because there were sections of the book, wherein the author, John Stott, made commentary about our modern culture, that was was, well, very contemporary.  I kept looking to see how recently the book had been edited.  I suppose a whole blog post could be devoted to the idea that our culture today is, in many ways, not appreciably different than it was in the early 1970’s.  And yet, in so many ways it is much worse.  But that, for another time.

Basic Christianity is divided into four sections or parts as Stott refers to them:  Christ’s Person; Man’s Need; Christ’s Work; and Man’s Response.  Within each part, there are two or three chapters.  This alternating style between the study of Christ and corresponding reflection on mankind, works very well as Stott lays out a VERY foundational understanding of our Christian theology and man’s response to it. 

Given the title, I give a modest amount of credit to Stott for not tipping his hand in any significant way as to his soteriological leanings, although it seemed in more than just a few instances his attempts at keeping his vernacular simple seemed to point to an obvious Arminian predisposition to the working of God’s grace in salvation and Stott’s descriptions of man’s work to ”seal the deal.”  Another complaint I have, although it does not occur too often is his use of scripture completely out of context, again seemingly to make a point, or out of an interest in using relatively simple terminology, or perhaps better said, terminology that would be familiar to anyone who had even the remotest background in the scriptures.   

The most peculiar of which was Stott’s insistence that Christ knocks at the door of all people, awaiting a response.  While I would agree that there is a general call made to all people to repent, I understand scripture to say that this proactive “knocking” by Christ is reserved for the saved elect.  Had Stott not cited Revelation 3: 20 for his use of this concept, I might have chocked it up to his trying to use nice metaphor.  But the exact context for this knocking of Christ, is to already existing believers in the Church at Laodicea, and NOT unbelievers.  In its original context, Christ is sending a message of conviction to the backsliden believers in Laodicea, who needed to step up their faithful obedience, not become saved.

This oddity and a few others aside, Basic Christianity is a good book, and its durability over the course of the last 50 years is evidence of that.  Strangely enough, and in betrayal of its title, I probably would not recommend it to someone exploring the faith because of the matters described above, but instead offer it as a good book for group discussion among more mature Christians who can discern some of the points that Stott makes from whatever theological stream he originates from, and accept or reject them based on their own more developed understanding of scripture.

Take Charge Of Your Life

When reading a book, there are so many variables that enter into the process, each of which, to some degree or another, impact the result of the time invested.  Some of these would include the relevance or importance of the subject matter to the life of the reader, the writing style employed by the author, affinity for, or aversion to, that author, the accuracy of handling facts and opinions, among others.  And I might suggest that for readers who profess a faith in Jesus Christ, there is a spiritual element that must be considered, as we seek and receive discernment from God as to the content of the book being read.

I picked up Take Charge Of Your Life, largely on the favorable recommendation of Tim Challies, a well know Christian book reviewer and blogger.  He focused on the apparent contradiction between what could be a first impression of the book, based on its title and cover layout, suggesting that many might confuse it with a Joel Osteen genre book.  Instead Challies suggested that this book was filled with substance that would otherwise be lacking in anything written by Osteen.  You can read Challies comments HERE.

I am afraid that I find little agreement with Challies on this particular book.  By all rights, I should benefit from such a subject, but in spite of its theoretical relevance and importance to me in this particular chapter of my life, I found relatively little that was helpful between the covers.  Dr. Ganz writing style might be fine for some, and I might be the only one off-put by it, but I found him using thousands of words to make a point when a few dozen would have sufficed.  He seemed to take three steps forward and two back, in order to effectively advance one step, if that makes sense.  Further, he seemed to be making the same few points over and over and over again.  And the few points he made were not all that special, earth shattering or significant.  I never really felt like I was being taken anywhere through the process of reading, even though structurally, he seemed to have a plan.

And there was another matter that was troubling to me, although it took a little time to figure out what it was.  And interestingly, Challies missed this in his review of the book, in spite of the fact that he, himself had counseled against it.  I have no idea how I stumbled across this particular article that Challies wrote almost 2 years ago, but I did.  I am going to attribute it to Providence.  In any event, it nails the particular problem I was having with the author’s treatment of scripture.  And sure enough, when I checked the first few pages of the book, there it was, the notation that “all scripture references are the author’s paraphrase unless otherwise indicated.” (emphasis, mine)

So here in lies the spiritual conflict that I discovered I had with the book.  Dr. Ganz evidently does not have confidence in the essentially literal translation of the Word of God, and to use it to make his points, or better still would be to allow scripture to make its own points upon which the author elaborates.  According to Challies, an alternative (albeit a distant second choice) to an essentially literal translation would be to use a well known paraphrased translation like the New Living Translation.  Dr. Ganz not only did NOT use a recognized paraphrase translation, he used his own paraphrase.  

This seems to me to be the height of arrogance in the use of scripture.  One of my complaints with Rick Warren’s highly popular The Purpose Driven Life is the fact that he groped around using no less than 15 translations of the Bible, some literal, some paraphrased, occasionally out of the original context, all to lend credibility to the points he makes in his book.  But to his credit, he never re-wrote the scripture verses to create his own paraphrase.  While I might have been fooled by this technique a few years ago, I find this practice to be deceptive.  And, with apologies to Tim Challies, I think you got this one wrong.  On this point alone, this makes Dr. Ganz a whole lot more LIKE Joel Osteen than creating a distinction that separates the two.

I cannot recommend this book and consequently have not linked its title to any online retailer.  I would not encourage you to invest your time, but if you feel compelled, I will at least spare you the investment of your money.  If you are someone with whom I have a personal relationship, I will loan you my copy.