John Piper. Risk Is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013. 64pp. $7.99.
If you have listened to John Piper, or read his earlier works like Don’t Waste Your Life, you will quickly grasp the heart behind this short and direct little book (pretty much a reworking of a chapter from Don’t Waste Your Life in long form). Piper calls on believers in Christ to let go of the mirage of safety in order to attempt the kind of gospel work that might result in glorious success.
While Piper understands that some risks are foolish and obviously wrong, putting yourself at risk of danger or hardship for the sake of the gospel is right. Piper shows us through brief looks at history, the Old Testament, and the New Testament that it has always been the part of believers to put their lives or their comforts on the line in order to see the will of God accomplished.
This little book is simple and encouraging. I would certainly recommend it to anyone thinking about the dangers of missions or the potential hardships of stepping out in faith and sharing the gospel.
I received a free audio copy of this book through ChristianAudio.com’s reviewers’ program. Though I actually read most of this book in the free PDF that Desiring God offers, I did listen to enough of the audio recording to know that this work meets ChristianAudio.com’s high standards.
Dangerous Calling – A Review
Paul David Tripp. Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 240 pp. $14.17.
Dangerous Calling is the best book that I read in 2012. I didn’t’ expect that. Paul Tripp has done the ministry a great service by writing a book that should be read by pastors, those entering ministry, and those who care about pastors or those entering ministry.
To summarize this book would be to diminish the work it does. Chapter by chapter, Tripp is open, honest, real, hard-hitting, and gracious as he challenges those connected to ministry to guard their hearts and souls as they serve the Lord. Tripp’s advice is practical, his insights piercing, his stories relevant, his theology sound, his challenges strong, his humility clear, and his counsel solid.
I found this book to be so helpful that I immediately recommended that our church planting network purchase copies of Dangerous Calling for its planters and for the students being trained in church planting. Pastoral staffs could benefit by reading this together. Deacons could learn to better love and help their pastors by reading this book. As I recently said to a friend of mine about this book, “It’s just that good.”
I received a free audio copy of this book from ChristianAudio.com as part of their reviewers program. The book is clearly and well read by Maurice England.
Because He Loves Me – A Review
Elyse M. Fitzpatrick. Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 224 pp. $10.87.
We know the gospel. We love the gospel. But, sometimes, if we are not careful, we will fail to connect the truths of the gospel to our day-to-day life. Elyse Fitzpatrick, wonderful author, speaker, and biblical counselor, offers us a sweet reminder of just how important it is to keep the gospel front and center in all that we are. Fitzpatrick offers excellent and practical counsel to us that stems from solid theology.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Fitzpatrick’s work is the way that she applies deep theology to our daily lives. For example, the author shows us how a proper grasp of the atoning work of Christ deeply impacts our motivation for obedience. Fitzpatrick shows us that, when we grasp that Christ has been punished fully for the sins of God’s children, we who know him do not have to perform some sort of penance in order to receive his approval. In another instance, Fitzpatrick shows how a focus on the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus can help us to walk through a variety of life issues.
I would highly recommend Because he Loves Me to any believer. This book has much to offer with theological depth and practical application. We all need a little more gospel in our lives, and Fitzpatrick does well to help us make that happen.
I received a free audio version of this book to review from ChristianAudio.com as part of their reviewers program. The narration by Renee Raudman was absolutely outstanding. She makes the book a joy to listen to with her great inflections and clarity.
Finding God in the Hobbit – A Review
Jim Ware. Finding God in the Hobbit. Carol Stream, IL: SaltRiver (Tyndale House), 2006. 208 pp. $13.81.
When ChristianAudio offered me the opportunity to review Finding God in the Hobbit, I nearly declined. I’m not a particularly big fan of this type of work. After reading the book, I have to say that, in general, I am still not a fan of this kind of book. However, there are certainly things about this book that made it nice to read.
Jim Ware has clearly put a lot of thought into Tolkien’s works, and has done a good job of finding important moral principles in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. For a mom or dad who is reading these books with his or her kids, Ware’s work could be an excellent source of conversation that goes deeper than the books’ plots.
On the other hand, some of Ware’s findings are, even according to Ware, admittedly beyond Tolkien’s intent. I would argue that we need to be very careful in finding principles or hints toward God that are outside of what the author of the work wanted us to find.
Overall, I was glad to have a chance to read Ware’s work and to think about The Hobbit in a deeper way. However, my recommendation of this book would be limited to those who are eager to read exactly this kind of work and not to the general public.
The recording of this book that I received from ChristianAudio in exchange for an honest review was excellently read by Simon Vance. His voice and inflections brought to life a work that I might not have finished had it not been read well.
Bringing the Gospel Home – A Review
Randy Newman. Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 224 pp. $12.26.
Christians know that it is our job to share Jesus with others. I think we also grasp that sharing the gospel with those who are closest to us can actually be hardest. Whether it is because they know us best, can hurt us easiest, or simply because we care for them most deeply, witnessing to relatives and close friends is hard work.
We should be grateful to God for Randy Newman’s work on the difficult task of evangelism in the family. In Bringing the Gospel Home, Newman offers sweet and simple advice for us to follow as we try to share with our households, regardless of how healthy or broken they have been.
I was particularly fond of the commonsense things that Newman shares with us in his book. For example, I was sweetly challenged to remember that everyone with whom we share the gospel is not miserable, acknowledging a God-shaped hole in their hearts. Some people feel quite happy with their lives and content with their circumstances. Newman suggests that we help those people see that God’s common grace is what allows our happiness by writing, “What a contrast to many of our efforts to first convince people how miserable they are. Paul made sure to point to how happy they were” (56). Newman goes on to say, “Why not start with joy-based apologetics instead? Why not talk to people about the good things in life that we enjoy so much—food, friends, beauty, etc., and try to see if we can point them to the Giver of such good gifts” (57).
In his book, Newman is wise to challenge us to be more systematic in our approach to sharing with relatives. He would argue that we do not need to attempt to turn every conversation into a complete gospel conversation including invitation. Instead, we need to love our families, start with them where they are, and communicate truth to them based on where they are beginning. Newman writes about Paul’s pattern of sharing, “He begins with a basic primer on theology, moves on to offer insight about human nature, and then talks about Jesus. We would do well to emulate his sequence and flow of thought” (81).
Newman’s work, while sweet, is also challenging. He does not compromise the gospel or ignore the importance of repentance. The author is willing to call sin what it is, and would not ask us to avoid such topics with our loved ones. However, Newman also understands that we must be wise about where, when, and how we call out others’ failings. Perhaps the Thanksgiving dinner-table conversation is not the best setting for a religious debate with an atheistic uncle.
While Newman’s work does not cover every base, it is an easy read, full of encouraging true stories, which challenges me to share my faith with greater wisdom and clarity. I would recommend it to others who want to receive the same encouraging challenge.
40 Questions about Elders and Deacons – A Review
Benjamin L. Merkle. 40 Questions about Elders and Deacons. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2007. 272 pp. $12.85.
The topic of church structure seems to be gaining in popularity as more and more pastors and seminary students ask important questions about polity. Ben Merkle has contributed well to this discussion with this entry to the 40 Questions series. Merkle combines scholarly insight with brevity and readability to help Christians to see the value of a plurality of elders leading a church without losing all the benefits of congregationalism.
Positives
In general, I find myself agreeing with Merkle’s answers to the important questions about deacons and elders. I agree that the biblical model is that there are 2 offices in the church—elder (also called overseer or pastor) and deacon—and that a church should have a plurality of elders. I also agree that the office of elder is rightly biblically restricted to men, though such a restriction is in no way a claim of male superiority.
I appreciate very much Merkle’s handling of the qualifications of elders and deacons. In those chapters, as in much of the rest of the book, the author has thoughtfully organized his material in a way that would greatly benefit a church looking into these issues. I found his discussion of the phrase “husband of one wife” to be solid and helpful. Personally (and perhaps a bit on the self-congratulatory side), I was excited to see Merkle make an argument against polygamy as the only meaning behind “husband of one wife” that I had often thought but had never seen in print (see chapter 16).
Negatives
The 40 questions format, while great for reference and readability, necessarily limits the author’s ability to discuss certain issues in depth. For example, in a discussion of women in ministry, Merkle makes a sweeping statement about the gift of prophecy, “Wayne Grudem has convincingly demonstrated that prophecy was a spontaneous utterance and thus distinct from teaching or preaching” (143). Full volumes are written in an attempt to convincingly argue the meaning of New Testament prophecy. Thus, to put in the word “convincingly” in a single sentence on the topic is not sufficient. Of course I recognize that Merkle was not intending to write on the issue of prophecy, and he was limited by the brevity of his chapters, but these explanations for the weakness do not make the weakness not present.
I also know that not all readers will find Merkle convincing on the more controversial issues regarding elders and deacons. Such issues may include discussions of women as deacons or of parity of elders. I think that I would enjoy reading Merkle on these topics in a larger format so that he could make a more convincing argument for his position.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Though the book has strengths and weaknesses, I would highly recommend 40 Questions about Elders and Deacons as a solid resource for churches that are looking into biblical church structure. If your church is considering a move to elders, or if you are curious about the issue in more than a cursory way, you will benefit strongly from reading through Merkle’s introduction of the important issues.
A Display of God’s Glory – A Review
Mark Dever. A Display of God’s Glory. Washington, DC: 9 Marks, 2001. 84 pp. $6.00.
Mark Dever has preached and practiced proper polity for many years. As pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church and author of multiple books, Dever has often argued that proper church structure is more than an issue of preference. In A Display of God’s Glory, we find one of Dever’s simplest works dealing with issues of elders, deacons, congregationalism, and church membership
Positives
This book is short, simple, and to-the-point. Dever argues clearly that churches should have a plurality of elders who oversee a congregational church government structure. He clearly articulates that the office of deacon is an office of service rather than authority. Dever also helps us to see why it is important that individuals take church membership seriously.
A few quotes might help to show some of the solid teaching that Dever shares in this tiny work. Dever argues that deacons are to be supporters and defenders of church unity when he writes:
Edifying and uniting the church is especially the ministry of the deacons as we see it in Acts 6. Therefore, we cannot have people serve us well as deacons who are unhappy with the church. The deacons are not those in the church who are complaining the loudest or jarring the church with their actions or attitudes. Quite the opposite! The deacons are to be the mufflers, the shock-absorbers (14).
Dever points to the role of elders in a church as one of both teaching and character by stating, “It seems that the role of the elders is fundamentally to lead God’s people by teaching God’s Word. This teaching must be by the public handling of God’s Word and also by the exemplary lives they lead” (25). Unlike some who present elders in a church and exclude congregationalism, Dever argues that the congregation is the final earthly protector of the gospel when he asks, “Could it be that the gospel itself is so simple and clear, and the relationship that we have with God by the Holy Spirit’s action in giving us the new birth is so real that the collection of those who believe the gospel and who know God are simply the best guardians of that gospel” (42)? And the author challenges churches to avoid false messages and confusion by taking membership very seriously when he writes, “Uninvolved “members” confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. And we “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church; for membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation” (58).
Negatives
The weaknesses of this book are attributable to the shortness of the work. The author simply does not have enough pages in this book to prove every point he wants to make. He also makes at least one weak argument by failing to go deep in his addressing of the question of whether or not a body of elders should have one lead pastor over it. Dever addresses that point, but, he cannot make a satisfactory argument around it.
Conclusion
I wholeheartedly recommend A Display of God’s Glory to any church member interested in how the church should be structured. This would be a great starting point for churches that are considering eldership, biblical deacon roles, or membership issues. It is short, clear, and highly readable besides being solid in what it presents.
The Hole in Our Holiness – A Review
Kevin DeYoung. The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 160 pp. $9.28.
Kevin DeYoung is a pastor, author, blogger, and solid thinker whose stuff I love to read. His book Just Do Something is one of my favorites on the topic of discerning God’s will. Now DeYoung has once again penned a solid, rich, and helpful work in The Hole in Our Holiness.
I heard Kevin DeYoung speak at Together for the Gospel 2012, and found his message wonderfully convicting. He challenged us to love grace, but to not forget that God’s word also calls us to take action, to obey God, as part of our own sanctification. So, when DeYoung published a book explaining and expounding on this concept, I was extremely glad to get a chance to read it. I had high hopes. I was not disappointed.
DeYoung teaches with clarity and depth on the topic of sanctification, our growth in Christ. His premise is, as stated above, that God calls his children to obey him and to join him in the work of sanctification. Of course DeYoung understands that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone; however, he also knows that the New Testament is full of commands from our Lord for his followers. The simple truth being communicated here is that we are saved by grace alone, but we obey as an outworking of that salvation for God’s glory and our good.
If the book has a weakness—and one is not easy to find—it would be that the language or the content can get heavier than light readers might want. DeYoung has put together some pretty long lists of commands or Christian attributes that God calls us to. Those who are looking for a fluffy piece on strengthening their faith might find such heavy-lifting difficult. DeYoung also quotes puritans, which can lead to convicting thoughts delivered in stilted prose. But, honestly, I cannot call either of these things a weakness.
DeYoung’s book is simply a good piece of work reminding us that, as believers, we do not continue in sin simply because we are under grace. There is no call for us to stop trying and just assume God will make us stronger. God commands our obedience, and works in and through us to accomplish it; yet we must take action and be disciplined.
I happily recommend DeYoung’s book, and the excellent Christian Audio recording read by Adam Verner, one of my favorite Christian Audio narrators. I received a free audio copy of this work to review as part of ChristianAudio.com’s reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.
Impact My Life – A Review
Mentoring is not complicated, but it is totally biblical and amazingly powerful. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool to help you get hold of some simple ideas and principles for helping others grow deeper in the faith? Wouldn’t’ it be great if those tools did not make you feel like you need a seminary degree to work through? Well, if you are a lady who wants to mentor other ladies, Elisa Pulliam has put together such a tool in her new book, Impact My Life.
I was pointed to Elisa’s new project by Tyanne Perry, a sweet friend of Mitzi’s and of mine who is blogging on godly womanhood herself. Elisa was gracious enough to let me take a peek at her book before it was published if I would write an honest review of her work. I was very happy communicating with Elisa, even offering a suggestion or two that she implemented into the finished product. Now that the book is available, let me tell you a couple of quick things.
The best thing that I learned while reading Impact My Life is that mentoring someone else is not rocket science. To be a mentor means that you are willing to open up your life, and maybe your home, to others in order to help them be what God has called them to be. It does not require mystical insight. It does not require a multi-year training course. It does not require that you have everything together in your own life. No, mentoring someone else involves you being willing to stop keeping the good things that God has done in your life to yourself. Mentoring means that you open your heart to others, and you help them walk the Christian life with you.
Elisa has done a great job in this little work showing women that helping other women to follow Christ is something that is possible for any growing Christian lady. If you love Jesus and are making progress in your life, you can help somebody else make progress too. Elisa offers very simple and practical ways for you to get into the process of mentoring someone, especially if you have always been too frightened to do so in the past.
Elisa’s work is not perfect, no books ever are, but she has proved to me that she is learning, growing, and helping others. When I responded to her with questions, she responded back to me with a gracious spirit and a teachable attitude. One example of this sweet spirit is when I was not fond of some of the resource suggestions that she had placed in her original manuscript. She was willing to understand my objections, changing some of the suggestions and placing a disclaimer before others. Elisa understands that not every resource that is out there will perfectly match who she is or what she wants to teach. Her heart is, however, to do what she can to resource women to help them to impact the lives of others for the glory of God.
If you would like a nice, short, sweet, challenging read on how women can mentor other women, I am happy to recommend Elisa’s book. Let me forewarn you, however, that reading this book will challenge you to step out, stop making excuses, and get into the work of making disciples as our Lord commanded.
Adam Hamilton’s Forgiveness – A Review
Adam Hamilton. Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012. 160 pp. $12.42.
It is impossible to walk through this life without hurting someone or being hurt by someone. God, of course, knows this fact, which explains why he chose to teach us in his word about forgiveness. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas and author of several books, has taken a stab at the important topic of helping Christians understand forgiveness in simple terms in his book appropriately titled Forgiveness.
Positives
Hamilton’s work is sweet, simple, and full of application. He illustrates often, depicting carrying the burden of anger like a backpack full of stones. Nothing in this work is too complex for believers to easily grasp and immediately apply.
One example of the helpful counsel the author offers is in the acronym R.A.P. Whenever we find ourselves offended by something that another person does that is not really significant, Hamilton suggest we (R) remember that we have probably done something similar in our own lives, (A) assume the best about the person who offended us, and (P) pray for the person who has offended us. IF we will practice this simple plan, we will find it much easier to let go of simple annoyances before they become big problems.
Hamilton also does a fine job with his explanation of the concept of repentance. The author grasps that repentance is more than mere change. Instead, he presents the truly biblical understanding of repentance as a change of mind which leads to sorrow and a change of action.
Negatives
I found that the book may have relied a bit more heavily on psychological theory than I would have preferred. An example of this comes in the premise that we forgive in order to free ourselves of burdens, regardless of the actions of others. The author does not back this teaching with a solidly biblical foundation, thus leaving it open to question whether this principle is truly in Scripture or merely in modern therapy. Understand that I’m not arguing that the author is wrong here (it is often experientially true that we feel a release when we forgive and there is also an appropriate way in which we let go of our anger against others before God that is clearly biblical), but simply that I would have liked a more Scripture-driven approach rather than an approach founded in psychology. Since the need to forgive has been present since Adam and Eve, the authors of Scripture and the God who inspired it obviously knew the topic well. Why, then, can we not find letting go for one’s own emotional release as a Scriptural motivation for forgiveness? This leaves me wondering if there is not something missing.
Similarly, the author points out that it is often important to confront those who have sinned against us. However, he does not share with us much about when we can then complete the transaction of forgiveness. I would have liked to find more in this work about the hard question of what to do when a person sins against another and yet refuses to acknowledge it or repent.
Conclusion
Hamilton’s work is a nice, short, and easy read on a topic that is of great importance to Christians. In many ways, the book is helpful. Obviously, a book of this size will not be able to cover every contingency and will not be an exhaustive theological look at the topic. For those looking for a quick peek at the topic of forgiveness, this book has points to recommend it. However, in general I would send readers elsewhere if they really want to dig into the topic. Specifically, I would recommend Chris Brauns, Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).
Audio
As part of their reviewers program, I received a free audio version of this book from ChristianAudio.com in exchange for an honest review. The audio quality of this work, like all the products from this company, was quite solid.
Pastor Travis Peterson 