Reasons of the Heart
Part One: Foundations
1. Today's Unusual Opportunity
2. Beyond Cheap Impact
3. Apostolic Apology
4. The Larger Biblical Mandate
5. A Rich Palette
Part Two: Conversations
6. Initial Barriers
7. Beyond Belief
8. One Way? No Way?
9. The Great Outrage
10. Faith on Its Way to Assurance
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Review: The Christian Faith in the Modern World, J. Gresham Machen
This is a little book published in 1936. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The issues addressed in the book are surprisingly relevant to today's issues. It is essentially a defense of the Christian faith, starting with whether God is knowable, whether he has revealed himself, whether the Bible is the Word of God, whether it presents Christ as deity, and whether that presentation is trustworthy. 75 years after publication and I find this readable, enjoyable, and informative.
I especially resonated with his chapter on the centrality of the resurrection to the christian faith. He speaks of the historicity of the account and the remarkable change that took place in the discouraged, defeated disciples in a matter of a weekend. He addresses charges of hallucination, a spiritual resurrection, and the length of appearances - that they were not just momentary "apparitions" but lengthy discourses and even eating! He addresses the issue of why the enemies of the church did not merely produce the body if in fact Christ was not raised. Machen ends with not "merely" an appeal to the facts, but an appeal to God to open men's eyes to the truth so that they may be saved.
This is one of many books that convinces me that far too many people have preconceived ideas about Machen, Westminster Seminary, and even Presbyterians in general. I would recommend this book to any Christian - in fact, it is one of those I want to keep on my shelf for my children to read.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Book Review: Ministering to the Mourning by Warren and David Wiersbe
Ministering to the Mourning
by Warren and David Wiersbe
Outstanding Book! Absolutely recommended for everyone - but especially for those who minister to others (pastors, elders, care givers)! Tough topics, but warmhearted compassionate biblical advice.
by Warren and David Wiersbe
Outstanding Book! Absolutely recommended for everyone - but especially for those who minister to others (pastors, elders, care givers)! Tough topics, but warmhearted compassionate biblical advice.
Book Review: Leadership Next by Eddie Gibbs
There were some parts of the book I liked - for instance, the movement towards a shared leadership framework. However, like most "Emerging Church" leaders, he shows too much disdain for the church of the present and the past and thinks, like many others, that his generation will finally *get it right.* I'd like to see him do a review of this book 25 years from now - but of course, that doesn't help his readers today. Worthwhile for some insights and approaches, but I wouldn't recommend it to a non-critical reader.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Book Review: Spiritual Leadership
Spiritual Leadership
Principles of Excellence for Every Believer
by J. Oswald Sanders
This book was required reading for me for a course. I've found it to be helpful in some areas, but I have questions about others. Dealing with the issue of Leadership, Sanders is at his best when he deals with the "inner life" or "private life" of the leader - there's no divide between the character of the leader as leader and as a private person. This is a continually welcome message for both the church as well as the culture. He deals quite well with the fact that Jesus' choice for leaders in the early church was quite different from what the world would have chosen.
He rightly reminds us that God is most interested in our relationship with Him and our relationship with others. One might be quite smart, or quite down-to-earth, or quite charismatic - but that does not mean one would be a leader in the mold of Christ. Service is perhaps the best word Sanders uses to define what Leadership within the church looks like.
He deals with practical issues of time management, reading, delegating, training others, and making yourself exspenable to the place you serve. He highlights the cost of leadership, the perils of leadership, and the tests of leadership. All of this is great stuff, because it reflects scriptural principles to a large degree.
However, I do wonder if there is too much focus on the "religious" at times. I recognize that prayer is time we spend with God, but the "old-time" focus on three, four, or five hours of prayer a day makes me wonder if we have not allowed religious ideas or even a bit of asceticism to creep in. I also wonder if we too easily excuse neglect of family in the name of "serving the Lord." I have heard that many of the leaders of these "great awakenings" have not had the best family life - and, without judging them, I wonder how much we should listen to them in their spirituality?
My final issue that I will voice is one I have with many evangelicals today - the reference to Charles Finney as a positive example. From what I know, Finney denied that Christ's death on the cross did anything for mankind, or for individuals - except that it was an example to follow. From my understanding, that places Finney not just outside the bounds of orthodoxy, but outside the "church." How can we quote a man's methods whom Paul (see Galatians) would apparently oppose?
Principles of Excellence for Every Believer
by J. Oswald Sanders
This book was required reading for me for a course. I've found it to be helpful in some areas, but I have questions about others. Dealing with the issue of Leadership, Sanders is at his best when he deals with the "inner life" or "private life" of the leader - there's no divide between the character of the leader as leader and as a private person. This is a continually welcome message for both the church as well as the culture. He deals quite well with the fact that Jesus' choice for leaders in the early church was quite different from what the world would have chosen.
He rightly reminds us that God is most interested in our relationship with Him and our relationship with others. One might be quite smart, or quite down-to-earth, or quite charismatic - but that does not mean one would be a leader in the mold of Christ. Service is perhaps the best word Sanders uses to define what Leadership within the church looks like.
He deals with practical issues of time management, reading, delegating, training others, and making yourself exspenable to the place you serve. He highlights the cost of leadership, the perils of leadership, and the tests of leadership. All of this is great stuff, because it reflects scriptural principles to a large degree.
However, I do wonder if there is too much focus on the "religious" at times. I recognize that prayer is time we spend with God, but the "old-time" focus on three, four, or five hours of prayer a day makes me wonder if we have not allowed religious ideas or even a bit of asceticism to creep in. I also wonder if we too easily excuse neglect of family in the name of "serving the Lord." I have heard that many of the leaders of these "great awakenings" have not had the best family life - and, without judging them, I wonder how much we should listen to them in their spirituality?
My final issue that I will voice is one I have with many evangelicals today - the reference to Charles Finney as a positive example. From what I know, Finney denied that Christ's death on the cross did anything for mankind, or for individuals - except that it was an example to follow. From my understanding, that places Finney not just outside the bounds of orthodoxy, but outside the "church." How can we quote a man's methods whom Paul (see Galatians) would apparently oppose?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Book Review: CrossTalk - Where Life and Scripture Meet
CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet by Mike Emlet
OK, another book from CCEF that cracks my top 10 all time books. I'm going to have to make it officially a top 20 books just to keep some other authors visible ...
To sum up a response to this book, I say “Wow !" I wish I had read this book years ago, but I doubt I was ready for it – in any case, the Lord is sovereign and I have read this book (and it has been published) in His timing, which is perfect. I have lived as a perfectionist, as someone who functionally based my justification on my supposed sanctification, and I have lived in a community where the Bible is always reduced to “rules.” It has been difficult to realize that I am always looking for the “call” on someone’s life – mine or a friend’s – and that much of my personal ministry was looking for “corrective verses” instead of the “whole-istic” view of ministry presented in Scripture. It was like being in a band where on the flat notes could be struck, and thinking that this was the only kind of music there was.
I have struggled even in my own reading of scripture not to turn everything into a demand, into a rule that needed to be followed in order for “approval” to be had. The first chapter continued to whet my appetite for more – something that CCEF resources have been doing for a couple of years now. The imagery of ditches and canyons struck home – I wanted everything to be a ditch, and I felt inadequate for anything wider than a few inches. Saying to me that the Bible is NOT primarily a book of do’s and don’ts has felt like making the Bible a foreign book – if THAT was not what it was for, how do I understand it? But then to go even further and say that the Bible is not primarily a book of timeless principles for the problems of life – well, statements like that will get you labeled with the “L” word. And yet, there is something that rings true, something that warms my heart, something that creates longing in me when I see what is meant by the proper use of Scripture in ministry. As I am learning in my Prolegomena class, it is improper for me to sit in and judge Scripture, and so I must confess that my feeling of “rightness” has no impact on the actual rightness or wrongness of any method, and yet I do want to affirm that this approach seems to be more in line with the Jesus I see ministering to others rather than the people I see around and including me.
The idea of meta-narratives, of seeing myself and others within a story that is part of a larger story seems quite revolutionary to me – and yet, by transferring my gaze off of my own little world, I gain an others-centered perspective that keeps me from spiraling in on myself. By explicitly focusing on the saint-sufferer-sinner model, it prevents me from falling back into old habits – of merely attacking the points of sin. I am reminded to see people as God’s beloved children, being redeemed, who suffer due to their own sin and the sin of others – and not just as projects who need fixing. I love the concrete examples that are given of using a passage from the Old and New Testament in a ministry setting – and not just “easy application” passages. This again seems to resonate in my heart with a “I knew there was something better out there but couldn’t find it” response.
I find myself longing for the time to re-read this book and to sit down and think through specific ministry situations with the framework it presents. Quite frankly, at this stage of my life - I find that I have little time for anything. And yet, I am smack in the middle of ministry – so much so that I desperately need to make time for this. Most of all, I want time to go through Scripture and change my view from a “rule-search” or a “principle-search” to a search for Christ. It really is He that I want most of all, and yet so much gets in the way – including myself. I think this book will get worn out from my use – at least I hope so – and I want to be able to incorporate it into the “second-nature” of my thinking.
OK, another book from CCEF that cracks my top 10 all time books. I'm going to have to make it officially a top 20 books just to keep some other authors visible ...
To sum up a response to this book, I say “Wow !" I wish I had read this book years ago, but I doubt I was ready for it – in any case, the Lord is sovereign and I have read this book (and it has been published) in His timing, which is perfect. I have lived as a perfectionist, as someone who functionally based my justification on my supposed sanctification, and I have lived in a community where the Bible is always reduced to “rules.” It has been difficult to realize that I am always looking for the “call” on someone’s life – mine or a friend’s – and that much of my personal ministry was looking for “corrective verses” instead of the “whole-istic” view of ministry presented in Scripture. It was like being in a band where on the flat notes could be struck, and thinking that this was the only kind of music there was.
I have struggled even in my own reading of scripture not to turn everything into a demand, into a rule that needed to be followed in order for “approval” to be had. The first chapter continued to whet my appetite for more – something that CCEF resources have been doing for a couple of years now. The imagery of ditches and canyons struck home – I wanted everything to be a ditch, and I felt inadequate for anything wider than a few inches. Saying to me that the Bible is NOT primarily a book of do’s and don’ts has felt like making the Bible a foreign book – if THAT was not what it was for, how do I understand it? But then to go even further and say that the Bible is not primarily a book of timeless principles for the problems of life – well, statements like that will get you labeled with the “L” word. And yet, there is something that rings true, something that warms my heart, something that creates longing in me when I see what is meant by the proper use of Scripture in ministry. As I am learning in my Prolegomena class, it is improper for me to sit in and judge Scripture, and so I must confess that my feeling of “rightness” has no impact on the actual rightness or wrongness of any method, and yet I do want to affirm that this approach seems to be more in line with the Jesus I see ministering to others rather than the people I see around and including me.
The idea of meta-narratives, of seeing myself and others within a story that is part of a larger story seems quite revolutionary to me – and yet, by transferring my gaze off of my own little world, I gain an others-centered perspective that keeps me from spiraling in on myself. By explicitly focusing on the saint-sufferer-sinner model, it prevents me from falling back into old habits – of merely attacking the points of sin. I am reminded to see people as God’s beloved children, being redeemed, who suffer due to their own sin and the sin of others – and not just as projects who need fixing. I love the concrete examples that are given of using a passage from the Old and New Testament in a ministry setting – and not just “easy application” passages. This again seems to resonate in my heart with a “I knew there was something better out there but couldn’t find it” response.
I find myself longing for the time to re-read this book and to sit down and think through specific ministry situations with the framework it presents. Quite frankly, at this stage of my life - I find that I have little time for anything. And yet, I am smack in the middle of ministry – so much so that I desperately need to make time for this. Most of all, I want time to go through Scripture and change my view from a “rule-search” or a “principle-search” to a search for Christ. It really is He that I want most of all, and yet so much gets in the way – including myself. I think this book will get worn out from my use – at least I hope so – and I want to be able to incorporate it into the “second-nature” of my thinking.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Review of "Religion Saves"
RELIGION SAVES
+ NINE other MISCONCEPTIONS
by Mark Driscoll
Table of Contents
Introduction
Question 9: Birth Control
Question 8: Humor
Question 7: Predestination
Question 6: Grace
Question 5: Sexual Sin
Question 4: Faith and Works
Question 3: Dating
Question 2: The Emerging Church
Question 1: The Regulative Principle
+ NINE other MISCONCEPTIONS
by Mark Driscoll
Table of Contents
Introduction
Question 9: Birth Control
Question 8: Humor
Question 7: Predestination
Question 6: Grace
Question 5: Sexual Sin
Question 4: Faith and Works
Question 3: Dating
Question 2: The Emerging Church
Question 1: The Regulative Principle
Review of "Religion Saves"
RELIGION SAVES
+ NINE other MISCONCEPTIONS
by Mark Driscoll
Another Mark Driscoll book, another hard-hitting winner as far as I'm concerned. Mark takes the top 9 questions people submitted to him and answers them in his no-holds-barred straight forward style. You may not agree with him on every issue, but you won't wonder where he stands.
Mark takes on "religious" people, who go beyond what the Bible has written on issues and draw firm lines where the Bible has not. Instead, he attempts to think biblically about the issues that seem to dominate some intra- and inter- faith discussions. You may have other pressing questions than these nine, but reading through this book will give you a great sense of where many people are and how Mark answers them as a pastor and a man who cares about truth.
+ NINE other MISCONCEPTIONS
by Mark Driscoll
Another Mark Driscoll book, another hard-hitting winner as far as I'm concerned. Mark takes the top 9 questions people submitted to him and answers them in his no-holds-barred straight forward style. You may not agree with him on every issue, but you won't wonder where he stands.
Mark takes on "religious" people, who go beyond what the Bible has written on issues and draw firm lines where the Bible has not. Instead, he attempts to think biblically about the issues that seem to dominate some intra- and inter- faith discussions. You may have other pressing questions than these nine, but reading through this book will give you a great sense of where many people are and how Mark answers them as a pastor and a man who cares about truth.
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Prodigal God
The Prodigal God
Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Tim Keller
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Parable
ONE - The People around Jesus: "All gathering around to hear him."
Two Kinds of People
Why People Like Jesus but Not the Church
TWO - The Two Lost Sons: "There was a man who had two sons."
The Lost Younger Brother
The Younger Brother's Plan
The Lost Elder Brother
THREE - Redefining Sin: "All these years I've been slaving for you."
Two ways to find happiness
Two Lost Sons
A Deeper Understanding of Sin
Both Wrong; Both Loved
FOUR - Redefining Lostness: "The older brother became angry and refused to go in."
Anger and Superiority
Slavishness and Emptiness
Who Needs to Know This?
FIVE - The True Elder Brother: "My son, everything I have is yours."
What we need
Who We need
SIX - Redefining Hope: "He set off for a far country."
Our Longing for Home
The Difficulty of Return
The Feast at the end of History
SEVEN - The Feast of the Father: "He heard music and dancing."
Salvation is Experiential
Salvation is Material
Salvation is Individual
Salvation is Communal
Babette's Feast
Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Tim Keller
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Parable
ONE - The People around Jesus: "All gathering around to hear him."
Two Kinds of People
Why People Like Jesus but Not the Church
TWO - The Two Lost Sons: "There was a man who had two sons."
The Lost Younger Brother
The Younger Brother's Plan
The Lost Elder Brother
THREE - Redefining Sin: "All these years I've been slaving for you."
Two ways to find happiness
Two Lost Sons
A Deeper Understanding of Sin
Both Wrong; Both Loved
FOUR - Redefining Lostness: "The older brother became angry and refused to go in."
Anger and Superiority
Slavishness and Emptiness
Who Needs to Know This?
FIVE - The True Elder Brother: "My son, everything I have is yours."
What we need
Who We need
SIX - Redefining Hope: "He set off for a far country."
Our Longing for Home
The Difficulty of Return
The Feast at the end of History
SEVEN - The Feast of the Father: "He heard music and dancing."
Salvation is Experiential
Salvation is Material
Salvation is Individual
Salvation is Communal
Babette's Feast
Review of "The Prodigal God"
The Prodigal God
Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Tim Keller
The Prodigal God is one of two books I have read on the "Prodigal Son" parable (A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur being the other). Both books have added depth to my understanding and appreciation for what is often known as the "best short story ever written." Neither of the authors focus solely on the Younger Brother, as most discussion I have heard have done - but Tim Keller speaks to all the characters - and the audience of the parable.
One must start with the title, which probably has given many people a bit of a pause - and I think Dr. Keller did that on purpose. I know I tended to associate the word "prodigal" with the excessive lifestyle and wanderings of the younger son, but Keller points out that the definition of prodigal includes "recklessly extravagent" and "having spent everything" - both wonderful descriptions of the lavish love the Father of this story has for his wayward sons. Keller masterfully points us to Our Heavenly Father, who has been "recklessly extravagent" in his pursuit of changing sinners into sons.
Dr. Keller's treatment of the condition of the older son is masterful, and he emphasizes that though both sons are alienated from the Father in different ways, the Father loves both and calls them to reconciliation. He also explains why we are left hanging about the resolution of the Elder brother's relationship to the Father and how that related to his audience - the Pharisees.
This is another book making my top list, and it is one I would recommend to people - even people wondering about Christianity. This really does show how this parable gets to the Heart of the Christian faith - not the religion.
Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
by Tim Keller
The Prodigal God is one of two books I have read on the "Prodigal Son" parable (A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur being the other). Both books have added depth to my understanding and appreciation for what is often known as the "best short story ever written." Neither of the authors focus solely on the Younger Brother, as most discussion I have heard have done - but Tim Keller speaks to all the characters - and the audience of the parable.
One must start with the title, which probably has given many people a bit of a pause - and I think Dr. Keller did that on purpose. I know I tended to associate the word "prodigal" with the excessive lifestyle and wanderings of the younger son, but Keller points out that the definition of prodigal includes "recklessly extravagent" and "having spent everything" - both wonderful descriptions of the lavish love the Father of this story has for his wayward sons. Keller masterfully points us to Our Heavenly Father, who has been "recklessly extravagent" in his pursuit of changing sinners into sons.
Dr. Keller's treatment of the condition of the older son is masterful, and he emphasizes that though both sons are alienated from the Father in different ways, the Father loves both and calls them to reconciliation. He also explains why we are left hanging about the resolution of the Elder brother's relationship to the Father and how that related to his audience - the Pharisees.
This is another book making my top list, and it is one I would recommend to people - even people wondering about Christianity. This really does show how this parable gets to the Heart of the Christian faith - not the religion.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Review of "Lost in the Middle"
Table of Contents
Preface: A New Awareness
Introduction: The Bible and Midlife
Chapter 1: Midlife: A portrait
Chapter 2: Two Midlife Psalms
Chapter 3: The Death of Invincibility
Chapter 4: The Leaves are Off the Trees
Chapter 5: Towers to the Sky
Chapter 6: Lost in the Middle: Don's Story
Chapter 7: Painful Faith: God's Story and Suffering
Chapter 8: May I Speak to the Manager Please?
Chapter 9: Golden Calves
Chapter 10: Finding the Real You
Chapter 11: Last Chapter, First Values
Chapter 12: Grace That is Greater
Preface: A New Awareness
Introduction: The Bible and Midlife
Chapter 1: Midlife: A portrait
Chapter 2: Two Midlife Psalms
Chapter 3: The Death of Invincibility
Chapter 4: The Leaves are Off the Trees
Chapter 5: Towers to the Sky
Chapter 6: Lost in the Middle: Don's Story
Chapter 7: Painful Faith: God's Story and Suffering
Chapter 8: May I Speak to the Manager Please?
Chapter 9: Golden Calves
Chapter 10: Finding the Real You
Chapter 11: Last Chapter, First Values
Chapter 12: Grace That is Greater
Review of "Lost in the Middle"
Lost in the Middle
Midlife and the Grace of God
by Paul Tripp
Life interrupted my reading of this book. I read the first three quarters of it a few months ago and put the book down in favor of other pressing responsibilities. Now that they are completed, I have had time to pick up this book again, and it was refreshing. Reluctantly, I will admit that I am now in "mid-life" - although I surmise that Paul includes just about anyone whose life has shaped up to be different than they planned, but not yet contemplating "retirement." In short, just about everyone.
I have less hair than I used to, and my beard is peppered now. I have been going to the gym to try to regain at least a rough outline of my wrestling physique. My life is certainly not the way I would have arranged it or predicted it, and this book helped me to continue to deal with the fact that the plan my loving heavenly Father has for me is better - even though I don't understand it.
I love Paul's style and his use of real life as examples. I may not be able yet to identify with all the particulars of his examples - but I can see they are just around the bend ... however, the underlying categories of struggles are more than familiar to me ...
My Story is not primarily about me, and it is not limited to my myopic view of the world. Paul points at that we must recognize that there is a larger story in history, a story that includes millions and billions of people - individuals known by name to the Lord and yet gathered as a people for His Glory. Unless I see the bigger story, and see the hand of the Lord moving in my life to make me more into the image of his son for his glory, I will not be able to make sense out of life. If I live for money, pleasure, prestige, or anything other than God, midlife has a way of exposing empty dreams and unfulfilled promises. Just as Adam and Eve fell for the serpent's lie and found much bitterness in following him, we too fall for his tricks as we live for things that will ultimately not satisfy.
God is present in the midst of our lives, and he is present in our sufferings, mistakes, and sins. He is there because He is committed to us for His name's sake more than we are committed to our folly. Thus, we must know the end of the story - where He is taking us - before we can make sense out of where we are ...
I am planning to give this book to a number of people in my life, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is between graduation and the grave ...
Midlife and the Grace of God
by Paul Tripp
Life interrupted my reading of this book. I read the first three quarters of it a few months ago and put the book down in favor of other pressing responsibilities. Now that they are completed, I have had time to pick up this book again, and it was refreshing. Reluctantly, I will admit that I am now in "mid-life" - although I surmise that Paul includes just about anyone whose life has shaped up to be different than they planned, but not yet contemplating "retirement." In short, just about everyone.
I have less hair than I used to, and my beard is peppered now. I have been going to the gym to try to regain at least a rough outline of my wrestling physique. My life is certainly not the way I would have arranged it or predicted it, and this book helped me to continue to deal with the fact that the plan my loving heavenly Father has for me is better - even though I don't understand it.
I love Paul's style and his use of real life as examples. I may not be able yet to identify with all the particulars of his examples - but I can see they are just around the bend ... however, the underlying categories of struggles are more than familiar to me ...
My Story is not primarily about me, and it is not limited to my myopic view of the world. Paul points at that we must recognize that there is a larger story in history, a story that includes millions and billions of people - individuals known by name to the Lord and yet gathered as a people for His Glory. Unless I see the bigger story, and see the hand of the Lord moving in my life to make me more into the image of his son for his glory, I will not be able to make sense out of life. If I live for money, pleasure, prestige, or anything other than God, midlife has a way of exposing empty dreams and unfulfilled promises. Just as Adam and Eve fell for the serpent's lie and found much bitterness in following him, we too fall for his tricks as we live for things that will ultimately not satisfy.
God is present in the midst of our lives, and he is present in our sufferings, mistakes, and sins. He is there because He is committed to us for His name's sake more than we are committed to our folly. Thus, we must know the end of the story - where He is taking us - before we can make sense out of where we are ...
I am planning to give this book to a number of people in my life, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is between graduation and the grave ...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Review of "The Reason for God"
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Leap of Doubt
ONE: There Can't Be Just One True Religion
TWO: How Could a Good God Allow Suffering
THREE: Christianity Is a Straightjacket
FOUR: The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
FIVE: How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
SIX: Science Has Disproved Christianity
SEVEN: You Can't Take the Bible Literally
Intermission
Part 2: The Reasons for Faith
EIGHT: The Clues of God
NINE: The Knowledge of God
TEN: The Problem of Sin
ELEVEN:Religion and the Gospel
TWELVE: The (True) Story of the Cross
THIRTEEN: The Reality of the Resurrection
FOURTEEN: The Dance of God
Epilogue: Where do we go from here?
Part 1: The Leap of Doubt
ONE: There Can't Be Just One True Religion
TWO: How Could a Good God Allow Suffering
THREE: Christianity Is a Straightjacket
FOUR: The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
FIVE: How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
SIX: Science Has Disproved Christianity
SEVEN: You Can't Take the Bible Literally
Intermission
Part 2: The Reasons for Faith
EIGHT: The Clues of God
NINE: The Knowledge of God
TEN: The Problem of Sin
ELEVEN:Religion and the Gospel
TWELVE: The (True) Story of the Cross
THIRTEEN: The Reality of the Resurrection
FOURTEEN: The Dance of God
Epilogue: Where do we go from here?
Review of "The Reason for God"
The Reason for God
Belief in an age of Skepticism
by Tim Keller
It is rather remarkable to have read 4 of my top 10 books in the past six months, but that is what has happened. I had heard good things about this book from my friends and it did not disappoint, as it became the third best book I have read - and it is not far from How People Change and Desiring God, although I would be surprised to see them toppled in the coming years.
Just about everything I have read from Tim Keller's pen has been good, and much of it inspires me to think beyond my own life. I wish this book had been available 20 years ago ... but God planned for me to read this book right at this point in my walk with Him, and so I shall not grumble ...
One can tell from Keller's book that he has had much interaction with real people asking real questions. I don't know how to go about describing this book without writing one myself, so let me share a few quotes that I wrote down as I read:
"Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. He comes to forgive us and save us through his life and death in our place." (p.19)
"God's grace does not come to those who morally outperform others but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior." (p.19)
"Religion operates on the principle 'I obey - therefore I am accepted by God." But the operating principle of the gospel is "I am accepted by God through what Christ has done - therefore I obey." (p. 179-180)
"If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with "rights" - I would have done my duty and now would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace - then there's nothing he cannot ask of me." (p. 183)
"The latter is ... an effort to get control of God through your prayers and practices ... approaching God as a means to an end ... using God rather than trusting him." (p. 228)
Obviously, those are sections that stuck out to me, based on my history and where I am currently in my walk with God. There are plenty of other great sections of the book that others will highlight. Dr. Keller has done a great job of taking the most profound objections to Christianty and turning them around to show the logical inconsistencies in the argument against the Christian God.
While I wouldn't recommend this for my daughter quite yet, I would definitely recommend this to any teen or adult who wants to have a serious discussion about faith in the God of the Bible.
Belief in an age of Skepticism
by Tim Keller
It is rather remarkable to have read 4 of my top 10 books in the past six months, but that is what has happened. I had heard good things about this book from my friends and it did not disappoint, as it became the third best book I have read - and it is not far from How People Change and Desiring God, although I would be surprised to see them toppled in the coming years.
Just about everything I have read from Tim Keller's pen has been good, and much of it inspires me to think beyond my own life. I wish this book had been available 20 years ago ... but God planned for me to read this book right at this point in my walk with Him, and so I shall not grumble ...
One can tell from Keller's book that he has had much interaction with real people asking real questions. I don't know how to go about describing this book without writing one myself, so let me share a few quotes that I wrote down as I read:
"Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. He comes to forgive us and save us through his life and death in our place." (p.19)
"God's grace does not come to those who morally outperform others but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior." (p.19)
"Religion operates on the principle 'I obey - therefore I am accepted by God." But the operating principle of the gospel is "I am accepted by God through what Christ has done - therefore I obey." (p. 179-180)
"If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with "rights" - I would have done my duty and now would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace - then there's nothing he cannot ask of me." (p. 183)
"The latter is ... an effort to get control of God through your prayers and practices ... approaching God as a means to an end ... using God rather than trusting him." (p. 228)
Obviously, those are sections that stuck out to me, based on my history and where I am currently in my walk with God. There are plenty of other great sections of the book that others will highlight. Dr. Keller has done a great job of taking the most profound objections to Christianty and turning them around to show the logical inconsistencies in the argument against the Christian God.
While I wouldn't recommend this for my daughter quite yet, I would definitely recommend this to any teen or adult who wants to have a serious discussion about faith in the God of the Bible.
Top 10 books
My Top 10 recommended books that I have personally read ...
10. The Dispensational-Covenantal Rift (R. Todd Mangum)
9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (CS Lewis)
8. When Sinners Say "I Do" (Dave Harvey)
7. Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)
6. Whiter than Snow (Paul Tripp)
5. Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer (Paul Tripp)
4. Death By Love (Mark Driscoll)
3. The Reason for God (Tim Keller)
2. How People Change (Tim Lane)
1. Desiring God (John Piper)
10. The Dispensational-Covenantal Rift (R. Todd Mangum)
9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (CS Lewis)
8. When Sinners Say "I Do" (Dave Harvey)
7. Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)
6. Whiter than Snow (Paul Tripp)
5. Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer (Paul Tripp)
4. Death By Love (Mark Driscoll)
3. The Reason for God (Tim Keller)
2. How People Change (Tim Lane)
1. Desiring God (John Piper)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Review - Death By Love (Mark Driscoll)
The twelve chapters of this book are unique, hard-hitting application of 12 theological truths of Christ's identity and what he accomplished on our behalf, written as letters to members of his congregation. Mark pulls no punches, both in describing sin's ugliness and God's gracious and radical solution in Christ.
I resonate with this book, I think, mostly because it is not sterile. It does not clean up stories, sugar coat the diagnosis or walk the politically correct church line. Therefore, I believe it will actually help many people. It rings of truth in situations to me the way God's Word does - not the sanitized biographies we read in today's Christian culture. God didn't hide the warts and ugliness of life in general or of his saints in particular - including the ones we hold up as heroes of the faith. We do a great disservice to everyone when we sanitize life.
On the other hand, I'm sure if every book was written in this style, we would quickly become desensitized to it - as we do with TV, movies and other parts of our culture. This book serves an important place in my library and it is one of my favorite books, but it is not for everyone. It should be, in my opinion - but not everyone is ready for it. It is a must-read for mature Christians and those who give simplistic answers to life's tough questions. The fact that it does so well what it does while "teaching" theology warms my heart and makes me wonder if there really is hope after all for the American church.
I resonate with this book, I think, mostly because it is not sterile. It does not clean up stories, sugar coat the diagnosis or walk the politically correct church line. Therefore, I believe it will actually help many people. It rings of truth in situations to me the way God's Word does - not the sanitized biographies we read in today's Christian culture. God didn't hide the warts and ugliness of life in general or of his saints in particular - including the ones we hold up as heroes of the faith. We do a great disservice to everyone when we sanitize life.
On the other hand, I'm sure if every book was written in this style, we would quickly become desensitized to it - as we do with TV, movies and other parts of our culture. This book serves an important place in my library and it is one of my favorite books, but it is not for everyone. It should be, in my opinion - but not everyone is ready for it. It is a must-read for mature Christians and those who give simplistic answers to life's tough questions. The fact that it does so well what it does while "teaching" theology warms my heart and makes me wonder if there really is hope after all for the American church.
Review - Death By Love (Mark Driscoll)
Table of Contents:
Introduction: "We killed God:Jesus is Our Substitutionary Atonement
Ch 1: "Demons Are Tormenting Me" - Jesus is Katie's Christus Victor
Ch 2: "Lust Is My God" - Jesus is Thomas' Redemption
Ch 3: "My Wife Slept with My Friend" - Jesus is Luke's New Covenant Sacrifice
Ch 4: "I Am a 'Good' Christian" - Jesus is David's Gift Righteousness
Ch 5: "I Molested a Child" - Jesus is John's Justification
Ch 6: "My Dad Used to Beat Me" - Jesus is Bill's Propitiation
Ch 7: "He Raped Me" - Jesus is Mary's Expiation
Ch 8: "My Daddy Is a Pastor" - Jesus is Gideon's Unlimited Limited Atonement
Ch 9: "I Am Going to Hell" - Jesus is Hank's Ransom
Ch 10: "My Wife Has a Brain Tumor" - Jesus is Caleb's Christus Exemplar
Ch 11: "I Hate My Brother" - Jesus is Kurt's Reconciliation
Ch 12: "I Want to Know God" - Jesus is Susan's Revelation
Introduction: "We killed God:Jesus is Our Substitutionary Atonement
Ch 1: "Demons Are Tormenting Me" - Jesus is Katie's Christus Victor
Ch 2: "Lust Is My God" - Jesus is Thomas' Redemption
Ch 3: "My Wife Slept with My Friend" - Jesus is Luke's New Covenant Sacrifice
Ch 4: "I Am a 'Good' Christian" - Jesus is David's Gift Righteousness
Ch 5: "I Molested a Child" - Jesus is John's Justification
Ch 6: "My Dad Used to Beat Me" - Jesus is Bill's Propitiation
Ch 7: "He Raped Me" - Jesus is Mary's Expiation
Ch 8: "My Daddy Is a Pastor" - Jesus is Gideon's Unlimited Limited Atonement
Ch 9: "I Am Going to Hell" - Jesus is Hank's Ransom
Ch 10: "My Wife Has a Brain Tumor" - Jesus is Caleb's Christus Exemplar
Ch 11: "I Hate My Brother" - Jesus is Kurt's Reconciliation
Ch 12: "I Want to Know God" - Jesus is Susan's Revelation
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