DashBooks

The Prodigal God

2008-10-27T20:49:18Z

The parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15, is one of the best known stories of Jesus. In short, a son leaves home and squanders his inheritance. When things get bad, the son decides to return home to work as a servant. To his surprise, his father welcomes him back and throws a lavish feast to mark his return to the family. The father in this story represents God, and the son represents sinners who are forgiven and embraced despite their past.

But this isn't the full story. There are, of course, two sons in the story, and the targets of this parable are not the "'wayward sinners' but religious people who do everything the Bible requires." Jesus told this story "not to warm our hearts but to shatter our categories," writes Tim Keller.

In The Prodigal God, Keller helps us understand:

There are two ways to rebel against God: the younger brother way (openly rebelling) and the elder brother way (keeping moral laws and never rebelling). Both are self-salvation projects, but the second is more dangerous.
The gospel is radically different from religious moralism. The gospel is for the rebellious, but it's also for the righteous and their "damnable good works."
The gospel provides what we need to change, and it provides us with all that we truly hope for.

Keller writes:

During the years I was working on these two books, my provisional titles were "The Gospel for Non-believers" (The Reason for God) and "The Gospel for Believers" (The Prodigal God). This second book is my way of doing what Martin Luther directed us Christian ministers to do. "This...truth of the gospel...is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consists. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually."

In some ways, The Reason for God expanded on Keller's approach to apologetics. You got more than you would encounter just listening to his sermons. The Prodigal God, on the other hand, is more like a distillation of his preaching. You get less than you'd get in a year of listening to his sermons, but you get at the heart. It's a much smaller book too, by the way.

If you are familiar with Keller's preaching, then the material in this book will not be new to you. But don't underestimate its power. The gospel is for both the irreligious and the moralistic. It may just be what we moralistic elder brothers need to join the Father's feast for the very first time.

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Unpacking Forgiveness

2008-09-30T10:39:00Z

I don't think that there are many issues that come up more often than forgiveness. I sense this every time I preach about it. I can sense that I'm talking about an issue that is real for every person who is present.

Learning how to forgive isn't easy. Hurts often run deep; some situations that demand forgiveness are almost unspeakable. How does one forgive when the offense is so great, and the wound is so deep? To make things even more complicated, people who teach about forgiveness often offer conflicting answers. Not only is forgiveness difficult, but it's also frequently misunderstood.

Given these difficulties, I suspect I'll be using Unpacking Forgiveness quite a bit in the coming years. It's written by a pastor - Chris Brauns - and it reminds me what good pastoral practice should look like:

It's biblical - I've heard a lot of opinions about forgiveness. Brauns, thankfully, is driven by Scripture rather than his own views. It's hard to find anything in the book that isn't grounded in Scripture.
It's clear - There's a lot of fuzzy thinking about forgiveness. I know; there was some fuzziness in my thinking when I began this book. For instance, many of us fall into a therapeutic model of forgiveness, which makes forgiveness about our emotions rather than a relationship. Brauns does a good job of untangling the issues and clearly communicating which approaches are right, and why it matters.
It's practical - This is not some abstract treatise. Anyone struggling with the forgiveness can pick up this book and immediately benefit. It answers practical questions about when (and when not to) confront, how to go about forgiving, how to respond to the unrepentant, how to conquer bitterness, and more.
It's sensitive - Brauns sometimes has hard things to say, and when he does, you can feel him wince. He's committed to telling the truth, even though he knows it's sometimes not what we want to hear. You get the sense that he cares.
It's gospel-based - Brauns takes us to the gospel. Human forgiveness is ultimately related to divine forgiveness, and rooted in God's grace.

Bruans helps us understand that while we should always offer forgiveness and show love, forgiveness cannot take place until it is accepted by the other party. Forgiveness is more than an emotion; it is a transaction between two parties. This helps us avoid some of the problems that come from automatic, therapeutic models of forgiveness.

In short, forgiveness is one of the most important, practical topics out there, and Unpacking Forgiveness is the clearest, most biblical and practical thing I've read. It untangles an important issue, and I hope it is widely read and applied.

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D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939-1981

2008-08-05T14:32:27Z

"The immense value of church history and of the history of doctrine is the dimension of historical depth it gives to one's understanding of the faith, and of the balance it brings to one's judgments. Did ever the church stand in greater need of this?" (T.F. Torrance)

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is not a household name today, even though he died a relatively short time ago. I knew of him as a brilliant thinker, a physician who became a pastor of Westminster Chapel in London near Buckingham Palace. I've heard and appreciated some of his sermons, and I have some of his books. It wasn't until I heard Tim Keller continually refer to him that I decided to learn more.

The result is a deep appreciation for an incredible ministry. Reading biographies of great men is inspiring, and this one is no different. I benefited from seeing accounts of Lloyd-Jones as he pastored a church in London during the worst of World War II, with bombs exploding nearby; as he dealt with difficult deacons and patiently pastored a church while allowing God to change hearts; as he became known for his preaching ministry and began to speak all over the world; and as he dealt with controversies that continue today. You can't help but read all that he went through without learning as you think through the issues and weigh what you would have done.

But what really struck me as I read this volume is the benefits of being out of step with the times. It's popular today to say that we live in a new day, and that everything has to change. But things weren't all that different when Lloyd-Jones was alive. Many within the church were arguing for new approaches. For example, one person argued in 1976 that his method of preaching was out of date:

What one must question, however, is this: is our age ever going to accept monologue again? Does it not seem that our generation is demanding, and insisting on the right of talk-back?...One way communication may have been sufficient in the past. Nowadays there is feed-back, and right of reply, and letters to the editor: must the preacher be the sole exception to this general trend?

Lloyd-Jones, however, never lost confidence in the power of the Word proclaimed, and the results were profound.

Other trends in his day included increased reliance on business methods and entertainment in an effort to become more effective. Lloyd-Jones resisted these trends. As a physician, he had diagnosed the problem differently, and more entertainment and better methods would never be enough. "The modern church was bypassing her primary need," writes Iain Murray. "She was adopting 'methods of big business and advertising' instead of praying for a visitation of God." His focus was not on new methods, but on preaching and applying the gospel and relying on God's power.

Iain Murray's biography is not hagiography. You do get a sense of where Lloyd-Jones struggled, and he seemed to be aware of these areas as well. But I can't tell you how much I appreciated reading of his life and ministry, and how much I learned as a result. Every pastor could benefit from reading these books.

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D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years 1899-1939

2008-07-01T13:15:23Z

I've known about Martyn Lloyd-Jones for years. I knew he was a medical doctor who gave up a promising career to become a pastor. I knew he was stern and a gifted preacher who could take years to work through a book of the Bible. I remember being captivated listening to a cassette tape of him preaching on two words: "But God..." But when I kept hearing Tim Keller mention the influence of Lloyd-Jones on his own ministry, I had to learn more. I'm glad I did.

The first thing that struck me as I read this volume is how little things have changed. Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking that we are the first to encounter some of the trends and fads that everyone writes about. The landscape of this book seemed familiar to me: churches in decline, a massive rethinking of theology, an emphasis on pragmatism, a loss of confidence in preaching, a desire to be relevant, and an old version of the attractional-missional debate. Anyone who is familiar with books and blogs on church life today will recognize many of the same issues in this book, even though Lloyd-Jones lived a century ago.

Lloyd-Jones became an oddity within this context. He believed that the solution to the decline of the church was nothing less than a rediscovery of the Gospel, and a reawakening to the identity of the church. In other words, Lloyd-Jones pressed for a return to first things. He seemed radically out of step with his times, but the result was a greater relevance and impact than if he had tried to be relevant.

Here's an example of the problem as Lloyd-Jones saw it:

We are not declaring the Gospel with power to a dispirited and disillusioned age; we are not living in the discipline of Gospel fellowship; only in a very imperfect degree are our churches God's resting place and holy habitation. The depressing and alarming thing about our churches is not their tiny congregations, their shabby buildings, their social insignificance, their political impotence. If our churches are in peril it is not because they are less crowded than cinemas, less powerful than the promoters of dog-racing, less correct than Sunday golf, less fashionable even than Romanism or Christian Science. If our churches are in peril, it is because they have forgotten what they are.

Surprisingly, Lloyd-Jones didn't believe in evangelism programs. He believed that when the church understood the Gospel and who she was, and lived in light of that reality, that would have more of a missional impact than any Gospel program. This reminds me of what Dallas Willard said about not making outreach a primary goal.

Even though Lloyd-Jones violated everything that his contemporaries said about effective ministry, his impact was enormous and is still being felt today.

Besides this book's message for today, there is lots to appreciate about the story of his life. I was surprised to read that Lloyd-Jones almost moved to Winnipeg as a boy. As a resident of Toronto, I loved reading of his visits to this city, and how we confronted T.T. Shields, the polemical pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist Church, and told him to stop being so negative. While staying at 74 St. George Street in Toronto, Lloyd-Jones discovered a series of books across the road at Knox College that significantly shaped his life. And we read that he never tired of visiting Niagara Falls.

A good biography is humbling. This one helped me realize that our problems and the proposed solutions aren't so new, that God uses individuals who are somewhat out of step with the times, and that the solution involves, more than anything else, the Gospel.

I'm looking forward to reading Volume 2.

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Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor

2008-06-17T14:53:20Z

I've long had a theory that the most effective pastors are ones we'll never hear anything about. It's hard to believe this in a day of celebrity pastors and megachurch conferences, but our values are so far out of line with God's that I'm sure we'll be surprised one day at how God's estimation of things is different from ours.

Chances are that you've never heard of Tom Carson. He was an ordinary pastor who gained respect but never rose to prominence. He planted a church in Quebec when this was no small feat. He eventually left the church when he was not seeing the conversions that he had hoped for, and he finished his working life as a civil servant and a tent-making pastor. Throughout his ministry he struggled with a sense of inadequacy, no doubt in part because he was just an ordinary pastor. I'm sure there many pastors who can relate.

If Carson's son, noted New Testament scholar D.A. Carson, had not written this book, we probably never would have heard of Tom Carson's life, or benefited from his story. But I'm thankful that he did. Any pastor who feels ordinary, and who sometimes feels discouraged - and that's pretty much every pastor - could benefit from reading this book.

Memoirs helped me see the beauty of ordinary pastoral ministry as I observed it in Tom Carson's life. I was inspired by his example of faithfulness, integrity, and humility, especially when lesser men would have compromised. I recognized some of my struggles in his life. I was frustrated to see Tom Carson get discouraged when he probably did a better job in many areas than I'll ever do. The book helps us understand how the Gospel can help the pastor deal with discouragement in ministry.

D.A. Carson has managed to write an account of his father's life that is neither hagiography nor a tell-all memoir. The book concludes:

Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people...testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday's grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity...

When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television...But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man - he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor - but because he was a forgiven man.

May God raise up more ordinary pastors like Tom Carson.

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Preaching to a Post-Everything World

2008-06-10T11:40:33Z

The question behind Preaching to a Post-Everything World is simple: "Could I now reach who I once was?" Zack Eswine of Covenant Theological Seminary wants the answer to be yes.

Until we remember that God drew us to himself and nourished us before we even knew where to find the book of Exodus in the Bible or that such things as Arminianism and Calvinism even existed, we will withhold from others the same mercy that was required for us to learn what we now know.

To reach others in a post-everything world, Eswine argues that we need "preachers who understand biblical exposition in missional terms." How do we become this type of preacher?

First, we must prepare the sermon for a post-everything world. This means that we preach what is real, not what is simplistic. We preach what is redemptive, sensing echoes from within the text and within our culture of the redemptive storyline of the Bible. It also means that we avoid moralism. Eswine provides guidance on how to do this while connecting to real listeners who don't know or accept the biblical story of redemption.

Second, we can learn from God's homiletical range. Eswine helps us consider the various ways that truth is communicated through Scripture, including the models of prophet, priest, and sage. He writes:

Expanding our preaching postures and connecting them to identified cultural contexts will give us what we need to retool our biblical sermons to connect with our cultures. God has already provided the communication frameworks we need to meet the challenges we encounter.

Finally, we must engage the cultures of a post-everything world, recognizing the various issues that will arise as people hear Scripture. Eswine helps us deal with difficult topics and defeater beliefs, and to contextualize our message without compromising it. He also calls us to rely on the Holy Spirit and to engage in monastic practices, so that the "mess of life" does not "strip the missional preacher of his substance."

Eswine also includes two valuable appendices: one outlining a process for sermon preparation, and another that outlines a method for discerning culture.

The strength of this book is that it is both Christ-centered and missional. The weakness of this book is that the material is sometimes overwhelming. Eswine warns us that the book will alternate between an informal style and formal lectures. I struggled sometimes as his writing bounced between these two styles.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this book. There's a wealth of material, and I'm sure I'll return to the book many times in the future. If you are a preacher looking for ways to be both Christ-centered and missionally relevant in your preaching, then you'll find this book valuable.

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Compelled by Love

2008-05-20T10:06:30Z

One of my friends often says that we don't have a how-to problem. It's much more serious than that: we have a want-to problem. That could be why many of the books and seminars we have don't really work. Many of them offer more how-to solutions, when what we really need is to want to do what we already know we should be doing.

Compelled by Love: A Most Excellent Way to Missional Living, written by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation, is different. It tackles the real reason we don't engage in mission as we should. The issue is not technique; it's love.

The authors write:

If we operate by our own view of the world and our own strength, we will walk away from people every time. However, Christ's love in us - the conviction of Christ's truth displayed in love and the change in our lives because of redemption - causes us to have a new view of people and a new life of compassion for the saved and the lost.

Stetzer and Nation take us on a tour of the triune God's missional love for us. They then lead us to consider the church's mission, which is evidence of God's love. We are not called to be the hippest churches, nor are we to focus on our abilities. Instead, it's about presenting God's presence to the people of this world. When we understand God's love and our mission, we'll be prepared to give up on our "needs", and love and be loved within the church. We'll discover that love and obedience go together. This will lead us to love and to share God's missionary passion for the world.

If you're looking for a how-to book on missional living, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a book that will lead you to think about issues below the surface of missional living and missional churches, then Compelled by Love is a book you'll want to read.

From Embers to a Flame

2008-05-15T11:55:43Z

I have dozens of books on church revitalization. They range from trendy and shallow to not bad, but few of them are really good. That's why I am glad to have found From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church. This book manages to be both biblically grounded and practical, and is a useful guide for church leaders who would like to see their churches transformed.

The author, Harry L. Reeder III, first makes a case for why church revitalization is necessary. This is important because revitalization is sometimes ignored in favor of church planting, leaving pastors in struggling churches wondering if it's worth it. Reeder then offers a paradigm for revitalization based on the church in Ephesus, which he traces through Acts, the pastoral epistles, and from Revelation 2. Reeder describes ten strategies that fall under three categories: remember, repent, and recover the first things.

While some may find ten strategies or steps to be signs of yet another pragmatic book focused on methodology, these strategies go deeper than many I've read. I'm glad he emphasizes the importance of connecting with the past, and acknowledging and repenting of corporate sins. His focus on gospel-driven and Christ-centered ministry is also welcome and necessary. Reeder writes, "Since the gospel is such an important, powerful, and life-changing message, it should be the center of everything we do in the church of Jesus Christ." Although this should be obvious, it's often ignored. Reeder also emphasizes the importance of biblical preaching, since God uses his Word to change the hearts of people.

Reeder also covers other matters that sometimes come too early: mission and vision, the multiplication of servant leaders, small group discipleship, and evangelism.

Reeder concludes, "The church you pastor may not be a flame bringing light and heat, but I know that its embers can be stirred up - not through gimmicks, programs, or personalities, but through godly leadership to a biblical paradigm of church revitalization." It is this emphasis that I appreciate most. If you're in a church that needs revitalization, I highly recommend this book.

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Young, Restless, Reformed

2008-04-19T00:28:11Z

A couple of years ago, the emerging church was getting all the attention. That changed when Collin Hansen wrote an article for Christianity Today called "Young, Restless, Reformed." Hansen wrote:

While the Emergent "conversation" gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement may be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon. It certainly has a much stronger institutional base. I traveled to some of the movement's leading churches and institutions and talked to theologians, pastors, and parishioners, trying to understand Calvinism's new appeal and how it is changing American churches.

The article, and this book, are the result of a two-year journey to learn about what appeared to be a resurgence of Calvinism in America. Hansen traveled to Passion Conference in Atlanta, John Piper's home and church in Minneapolis, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and more.

Hansen discovered thriving Calvinistic ministries that focused on theology and doctrine, as well as young people who couldn't get enough of writers like John Piper, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards. It's a diverse movement, somewhat disconnected, and often controversial. It's also not flashy. "I tell people we're a really boring ministry," one leader said. "If God is not your attraction, you'll be bored."

Young, Restless, Reformed serves as an introduction to the new Calvinists in America. If you belong to this group, there won't be a lot in this book that's new. If you aren't part of this group, or aren't part of the American scene (like me), then this book will introduce you to what's been happening.

I sometimes talk to people who think that effective ministry today means downplaying doctrine, or emphasizing entertainment. Young, Restless, Reformed shows that many are ready for more of a challenge. It also helps explain the attraction of the Reformed movement for those who just can't figure it out.

Readers may face a couple of dangers with this book. One is overestimating the size of the Reformed resurgence. Despite its growth, it is still quite small. The other danger would be jumping on the Reformed bandwagon just to be trendy. Although these are dangers, a wise reader can learn lots from this book.

"Hunger for God's Word. Passion for evangelism. Zeal for holiness. That's not a revival of Calvinism. That's a revival. And it's breaking out in places like Emery, South Dakota." Whether or not you're Reformed, I hope we'll see more of these traits all over America, and the world. Something seems to be happening.

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Who Stole My Church?

2008-03-05T15:11:23Z

Who Stole My Church? is a book that's both the same as, and different from, other books on transitioning churches.

That's not particularly helpful, so let me explain. It's the same as other books because it covers some of the same ground: changes in culture, life cycles of organizations, the history of musical innovation within the church, and the bell curve that divides people into innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. This is helpful information, but it's ubiquitous. But that's not the unique contribution of this book.

Who Stole My Church? is different from any other book I've read on transitioning churches because it's a story, or parable, of real people who resist change in dialogue with an older pastor who leads them in processing what's happening. I said that they're real people, but I need to make it clear that this is a fictional book. But they're real in the sense that I've met every single one of them. In fact, sometimes I had to put this book down and shake my head. Was MacDonald spying on the church I pastor a few years ago? MacDonald writes as someone who knows how people struggle with change within a church. He's been there. I wish this book had been written ten years ago. As a work of fiction, it's very true to life.

This book may help the late majority and laggards to understand why churches must contextualize, even though this is a painful process. I especially like it because it's written by someone in their peer group. Those who are struggling with change will recognize themselves in the book, and will also probably feel that they have been sympathetically portrayed.

This book will also help pastors understand what's really happening as people react to change, and it may provide a model for both groups to come together and process what's happening.

I really hope that pastors who are thinking of going into an established church to lead change read this book. It will give them an idea of what they're in for.

Who Stole My Church? doesn't do everything. It doesn't help sort out what shouldn't change, and how much change is too much. It doesn't provide all the answers to what's faddish change versus significant change. It doesn't present a deep theology of the church, and it doesn't unpack all the resources of the gospel that will help us in the process. But it succeeds in what it sets out to do. It tells a story of a church that's struggling with change, helps both sides understand what's going on, and provides an example of how the resulting conflict could lead to greater health rather than disintegration. If you're in a church struggling with change, or thinking of pastoring one, you'll find this book helpful.

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The Reason for God

2008-02-26T18:19:30Z

I'm a certified member of the Tim Keller fan club. I listen to his sermons. I read everything he writes. I even belong to the Facebook fan club. Few thinkers or practitioners have influenced me more than he has. I am not the biggest fan out there, but I'm certainly a member of the club. This is dangerous, because nobody can live up to all that.

But Keller isn't the first to face the challenges of a growing profile and unrealistic expectations, and thankfully, he continues to use his influence wisely. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, now on the New York Times bestseller list, is likely to multiply his influence even more, not only within the church but also within a culture with serious doubts about Christianity.

In a sense, there's nothing new in this book. It's all out there in other places, just like all the ingredients of a meal prepared by a chef are there in the grocery store. In The Reason for God, you have presuppositional apologetics in the tradition of Van Til, as well as generous doses of C.S. Lewis, the subtle but strong influence of Jonathan Edwards, as well as engagement with contemporary thinkers and writers.

What is unique is how Keller brings all together; in other words, the way these ingredients are mixed. Keller aptly deals with common doubts and objections to Christianity, such as "There can't be just one true religion" and "How can a loving God send people to hell?" Behind every doubt is an alternate set of beliefs. "The only way to doubt Christianity rightly and fairly," Keller writes, "is to discern the alternate belief under each of your doubts and then to ask yourself what reasons you have for believing it." Keller does this with each of the objections to Christianity, showing that none of the objections make Christianity impossible or even implausible.

Doubting our doubts about Christianity is only part of the journey. In the second half of the book, Keller offers reasons for faith, demonstrating that the Christian faith makes the most sense of the world. "I ask you to put on Christianity like a pair of spectacles and look at the world with it. See what power it has to explain what we know and see."

What really stands out about this book, besides its content, is the way that Keller engages with these issues. He is civil, respectful, winsome, and ironic, but never hostile. He does not belittle those with alternate beliefs, even as he directly examines and challenges those beliefs. Keller models a way of relating to those who disagree, and provides a model for all of us. He shows how one can possess an robust and orthodox Christian faith, and yet winsomely engage with those with completely different and hostile beliefs.

Keller's wife, Kathy, has said that the mark of a good sermon is that people stop taking notes part way through. It starts rationally, like a lesson, but ends with an encounter with Jesus. The Reason for God is full of rational arguments, but it doesn't end there. By the end of the book we encounter beauty, and some of the most profound expressions of the Christian faith I've read.

Last Sunday, somebody thanked me for making this book available to them. They've been looking for a book like this for some time, and they're loving it. I don't think he will be the last one. The Reason for God is a book that deserves to be read not only by Christians, but by those who have doubts - even by those who are hostile. It covers important issues, and shows not only the rationality but the beauty of the Christian faith. Just as importantly, it does so in a way that is genuinely respectful to the reader no matter what their beliefs. I hope it will be read widely.

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Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be

2008-02-18T13:58:45Z

A couple of years ago, I found myself disappointed with many of the critiques of the emerging church. Some were nasty, and some did a poor job of capturing the movement (or whatever you call it).

But something's changed. For one thing, I have. I can relate to what Trevin Wax has said: "Many who initially intrigued by the Emerging conversation are now distancing themselves from Emerging theology." (See Trevin's entire post.) Something else has changed as well: the quality of the critique. A case in point is Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be.

What do I like about this book?

The authors, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, don't take themselves too seriously. They write differently: Kevin is the more scholarly pastor, while Ted is the less academic guy who writes shorter, more experiential chapters. You get propositional arguments in this book, but you also get to visualize Ted reading Rob Bell while his wife's family cottage while discussing the contents with his brother-in-law, or sheepishly admitting that he likes Rob Bell's Nooma videos to his mother-in-law, who likes them too. I really enjoyed the voices of the authors in this book. "Emergent leaders have often cried foul when their books have been held up to academic scrutiny. 'We're not professional scholars,' they say, and neither are we. So it's a fair fight - more fair than fight, we hope."

I also like the way they approach the subject. They have read the books, and not just one or two either. They've been to some of the churches, conferences, and classrooms. They admit when they like the authors and speakers, and never forget that they're talking about real people. They like some aspects of the emerging church. They understand the difference between emerging and emergent. They don't think one voice speaks for the entire emerging church, and they speak appreciatively of those who are more theologically conservative. Kevin writes:

We don't think of our emergent sparring partners as "the bad guys." ... Hopefully our writing is of the "faithful wounds of a friend" variety and not the slanderous, mean-spirited kind. Our disagreements are strong and stated strongly, but, we trust, not bitter or cantankerous...We love Jesus and love the church. We believe emergent Christians love the same. The shape and substance of that love is what we disagree on.

Ted adds, "We strove to represent these guys accurately, and hope that if we were to run into each other at a conference, a coffee shop named Ecclesia, or a pub, we could truly enjoy each other's fellowship, cognizant of the fact that we'll be together in the kingdom."

They're also realistic about their goals. "We're not really writing this book to change people's minds because, let's face it, that rarely happens...This is our attempt at joining the 'conversation.'"

So what is their problem with the emerging church? Here they cover a lot of ground. They point out some of the problems with thinking of the journey as more about experience than a destination. They argue that humility is not the same thing as uncertainty. They argue for the value of propositions, which are not a modern phenomenon. They suggest that the emerging view of modernism is often caricatured. They gently poke fun at emergent speak. They present some of their problems with the notion, "Give me Jesus, not doctrine," and the emphasis on orthopraxy at the expense of orthodoxy. They question "whether the emerging church even has the category of theological error," concluding that some do, but also fearing that many do not. They suggest that the emerging church has an over-realized eschatology (too much "now" and not enough "not yet"). They argue for the value of boundaries, argue that preaching should not be thrown out, and highlight some of the contradictions and problems within popular emerging books. They defend the doctrine of penal substitution, which has been dismissed by some, as well as the doctrine of God's wrath. All of this and more. I really appreciated the way they engaged the theological issues within this book.

The epilogue of the book is a reflection on the letters to the churches in Revelation. "Emergent leaders need to celebrate all the strengths and shun the weaknesses of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 - and admit that Jesus' prescription for health is more than community, authenticity, and inclusion." The letters in Revelation speak to all churches, including, they argue, emerging ones.

In conclusion: I have to admit that I was nervous in picking up this book. The last thing we need is another critique that's well-meaning but sloppy, misguided, or mean. I'm no longer nervous. I'm sure not everyone will agree with or appreciate everything in this book, but we can all appreciate three things:

It provides greater understanding - This book will help those outside of the emerging church to understand the emerging church better, and vice versa.
It clarifies the issues - This book is a primer on what the issues are. It goes beyond some of the other critiques I've read that focus only on one or two writers or one or two issues.
It advances the "conversation" - I've always said that my emerging friends welcome critique when offered in the right way. I think this book qualifies. It may not change too many minds, but it may clarify some points of disagreement, and it may even lead to some discussion and correction.

I highly recommend this book. Still to come: an interview with the authors.

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George Whitefield Volume 1

2008-02-12T11:32:28Z

When everyone seemed to be blogging their favorite books at the end of 2007, I noticed an old book making a few of the lists: George Whitefield Volumes 1 and 2 by Arnold Dallimore. Dallimore was a pastor in my denomination who pastored a church just a few hours west of here. I've read his biography of Spurgeon before, and had always meant to get around to this one. Michael Haykin's recommendation was all the prompting I needed to finally put this volume at the top of my list.

George Whitefield is a name that is known to many who have dabbled in church history, but he is not as well known as others of his era like the Wesleys and Jonathan Edwards. Whitefield was in many ways the first celebrity preacher of North America. It was said that he could throw his listeners into paroxysms by merely pronouncing "Mesopotamia".

One unlettered man reports what it was like when Whitefield came to town to preach:

Now it pleased God to send mr whitefield into this land & ...i longed to see & hear him...& then one morning all in a Suding there came a messenger & said mr whitefield...is to preach...I dropt my tool that i had in my hand & run home and throu my house and bad my wife to get ready quick to go and hear mr whitefield preach at middletown...

i saw before me a cloud or fog i first thought of from ye great river but as i came nearer ye road i heard a noise something like a low rumbling thunder & i presently found out it was ye rumbling of horses feet coming down ye road & this Cloud was a Cloud of dust made by the running of horses...when we gat down to ye old meeting hous thare was a great multitude it was said to be 3 or 4000..when i see mr whitefield come up upon ye scaffold he looked almost angellical a young slim slender youth before thousands of people and with a bold undainted countenance & my hearing how god was with him everywhere as he came along it solemnized my mind and put me in a trembling fear...my old foundation was broken up & i see my righteousness would not save me.

This type of experience was repeated all over England and America as Whitefield came to preach.

George Whitefield was born in 1714 and lived a rather unremarkable childhood. He was friends with John and Charles Wesley, but little in his early life would lead us to expect how profoundly Whitefield would be used in adulthood.

Ordained in the Church of England, Whitefield began to preach in the open air when churches refused to admit him. He preached to thousands of people without amplification, and with great results. Whitefield eventually moved to America, preached to half of its population, and founded an orphanage in Georgia when it was still in its early days.

As you read Dallimore's book, you get a sense of how greatly God used this man. You also get a sense of the pressures that go along with a high profile ministry: jealousy, criticism, disagreements over theology, and the crushing weight of responsibility. At the end of volume 1, the stresses are still accumulating. Many seek greatness; it's good to be reminded that not many of us could handle it if we had it.

What I appreciate about this biography is that it is not hagiography. Whitefield makes mistakes and shows his immaturity. He pushes himself to extremes and devalues marriage. Yet he is also a man of incredible devotion and giftedness who was greatly used by God.

Biographies like these remind us how God has worked through ordinary people in the past, and remind us of the stress that comes with high-profile ministry. I can't wait to read the second volume.

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The Bruised Reed

2008-01-22T12:36:39Z

"Sibbes never wastes the student's time," wrote 19th century preacher C.H. Spurgeon, "he scatters pearls and diamonds with both hands." The Bruised Reed, written by Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) in 1630, lives up to Spurgeon's words. I can tell a lot about a book by how many pages I've dog-eared. In this 128-page book, I found it hard to go more than a few pages without marking a page for future reference.

The Bruised Reed is an exposition of Isaiah 42:1-3:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Sibbes outlines what it means to be a bruised reed, and the benefits of being bruised. A bruised reed represents us in our weakness. It's necessary to be bruised even after we have grown. "After conversion we need bruising so that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks." Christ is not at all impatient with our weaknesses. "He is a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken heart." "No sound, whole soul," after all, "shall ever enter into heaven."

Sibbes also describes what it is to be smoking flax. Smoking flax represents the mixture of grace and sinfulness that exists in all who love God. "In God's children, especially in their first conversion, there is but a little measure of grace, and that little mixed with much corruption, which, as smoke, is offensive; but...Christ will not quench this smoking flax." We should not be discouraged by our weakness. The reality is that even "the purest actions of the purest man need Christ to perfume them." But Christ does indeed perfume us, and a little grace is enough. "Nothing in the world is of so good use as the least grain of grace."

Humility allows us to understand ourselves rightly, and then magnify God's name that he loves us such as we are. It also helps us to understand others who are weak when we remember our own weakness. "The Holy Spirit," he writes, "is content to dwell in smokey, offensive souls."

Sibbes constantly drives our attention to Christ, who "bestows the best fruits of his love on persons who are mean in condition, weak in abilities, and offensive for infirmities, nay, for grosser falls." The strength of this book is that it clearly outlines our weakness, and then expounds the gospel in a way that meets our greatest needs and provides hope even as we continue to encounter more of our weakness.

Oh, what confusion this is to Satan, that he should labor to blow out a poor spark and yet should not be able to quench it; that a grain of mustard seed should be stronger than the gates of hell; that it should be able to remove mountains of oppositions and temptations cast up by Satan and our rebellious hearts between God and us...It must needs be a torment to Satan that a weak child, a woman, a decrepit old man should, by a spirit of faith, put him to flight.

One striking feature of this book: Sibbes often takes aim at "popery." If you have not read a book of this vintage recently, some of these quips will seem surprising, even if one agrees with Sibbes. The book is a product of a different day than ours. Such differences in older books are good, because they force us to think through the way we assume things should be.

I read this book as part of the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge. If the other books are half as good as this one, I'm in for a good year of reading. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, "The Bruised Reed...quietened, soothed, comforted, encouraged, and healed me." It just may do the same for you.

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The Living Church

2008-01-15T14:15:16Z

"I began this book with a preface which acknowledged that many people today are looking for a 'fresh expression' of the church," writes evangelical statesman John Stott. "My concern has been that in this legitimate process of exploration they will not forget, let alone abandon, certain biblical and history-proven marks of a living church."

John Stott, now in his eighties, has had a worldwide influence on evangelicalism through his writing and ministry at All Souls Church, Langham Place. Time magazine has recognized him as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." He has had a massive impact on evangelicalism. When I heard that Stott had recently written a book articulating his vision for the global church today, I knew I would have to read it.

Stott is no curmudgeon. He is surprisingly open to newer forms of churches. "It seems to me that traditional and 'emerging' churches need to listen attentively to one another, with a view to learning from one another...We could both afford to be less suspicious, less dismissive of each other."

Stott argues that we need more churches that are radically conservative - "conservative" in the sense that they conserve what Scripture plainly requires, but "radical in relational to that combination of tradition and convention which we call culture." He then outlines a number of characteristics that must be preserved within an authentic or living church.

The first of these characteristics is worship, which he calls "the church's preeminent duty." The glory of God drives the second characteristic of church: evangelism. Of all the forms of evangelism, local church evangelism is "the most normal, natural and productive method of spreading the gospel today." In order to be effective in its evangelism, the church must understand its double identity as people who are both called out of the world to worship God, and sent back into the world to witness and serve. It must also structure itself for evangelism, articulate the gospel in a way that is both faithful and relevant, and live as "God's new society, the living embodiment of the gospel, a sign of the kingdom of God, a demonstration of what human community looks like when it comes under his gracious rule."

Churches must also be characterized by every-member ministry. God calls all of his people to ministry. Churches must recognize that God calls people to different ministries, and allow pastors to be set free from unnecessary administration so the church can flourish.

Stott expounds fellowship, the next characteristic of church. Churches must divide into smaller groups or mini-churches to facilitate ministry to one another.

Churches must also be characterized by preaching, despite the contemporary world's unfriendly attitudes. "My task in this chapter...is to try to persuade preachers to persevere, because the life of the church depends on it...Churches live, grow, and flourish by God's word, but they languish and perish without it." Preaching must balance several tensions: it must be biblical and contemporary, authoritative and tentative, prophetic and pastoral, gifted and studied, and thoughtful and passionate.

Churches must also be giving and must have impact on society, working toward social improvement.

Stott concludes with an appeal for Timothy's in this new century. Echoing the apostle Paul, he writes: "There is such a thing as goodness: pursue it...There is such a thing as truth: fight for it. And there is such a thing as life: lay hold of it." Ministry must integrate doctrine, ethics, and experience.

The Living Church includes three appendices: a paper outlining Stott's reason for remaining within the Church of England; part of a sermon from 1974 outlining his dreams for a living church; and some reflections offered after his eightieth birthday.

The Living Church is not trendy. There is little in this book that will seem new. It is instead a call to the basics, offered with pastoral insight and wisdom. It is a call to turn away from quick fixes and instead focus on the basics of church life. It deserves careful reading and application by all who share Stott's dream of a living church.

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