Musings of a Former Fundamentalist (IFB) Renewed by Reformed Theology
Free book alert! You can get the entire “Crucial Questions” series of booklets by R.C. Sproul today on Kindle for free. There are 17 books in all, averaging 60+ pages each. I’m sure this deal is for a limited time only.
Here is a list of all the books with info from Ligonier Ministries, and here is a link to an Amazon search with all 17 books listed. The books are also available free for Logos, or direct from the Ligonier Ministries website.
In the weeks before Easter, I usually try to find a good devotional book to contemplate afresh the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. A new book from Thabiti Anyabwile is just what I was looking for this year.
Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection (Reformation Heritage, 2014) takes the reader on a look at the last few days of Christ’s passion. Anyabwile follows five different questions asked in Scripture’s teaching concerning Christ’s death and resurrection, and uses these questions as food for thought and contemplation.
- Is There No Other Way?
- Why Have You Forsaken Me?
- Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?
- Why Do You Seek the Living among the Dead?
- Do You Not Know These Things?
This book was born from a series of sermons, that its author preached. Anyabwile is an engaging speaker and his writing was just as warm and personal as his speaking. He displays a pastor’s heart as he applies lessons from Christ’s suffering to the problem and pain that so many of us face. He is a bold evangelist in this book too, calling the reader to repent and believe the gospel. Often Anyabwile quotes from Scripture and occasionally he draws on the lyrics from age-old hymns or even, a new Christian rap song. His analogies and illustrations always help drive the point of the chapter home.
Much of the material falls in the “helpful reminder” category. Christians know this, and have learned this — but do we live it? Some of Anyabwile’s insights are refreshingly new and quite helpful. I particularly enjoyed how he showed that in most of the post-Resurrection appearances, merely seeing the physical Jesus was not enough. The minds and eyes of the disciples had to be opened, again and again, in order for them to comprehend that this indeed was Jesus. His conclusion from this is worth repeating here:
In order to recognize and accept Jesus for who He is, we must be born again. The Spirit of God must give us a new heart and new eyes of faith so that we can understand the things of God and the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. The Father must open our eyes so we can see Jesus. Until God opens our eyes to who He really is in Christ, we remain blind to ultimate truth.
Has God opened your eyes yet? Do you see with the sight that He alone can give? How would you know that you see and recognize Jesus for who He is? (p. 87)
I included the second paragraph in the except above to illustrate why this book may not be for you. His direct appeals might unnerve some of us. Or they may prod us to where we need to be! Perhaps this Easter is a good time for you to explore anew the suffering and death, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. The questions for reflection after each of the five small chapters in this little book, will aid in personal examination or group study. The brevity of the book will prevent even the weakest of readers from the excuse that they don’t have time for this book. It is less than 100 pages, but well worth your time. May God use it to rekindle a love for Christ and the Bible in all of us!
Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: Amazon, Westminster Bookstore, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Reformation Heritage.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.
One of the more important books that I’ve received recently, is Preparing Your Teens for College: Faith, Friends, Finances, and Much More by Alex Chediak (Tyndale House, 2014). This book is carefully designed and filled with practical resources for parents and their teenagers. In the areas of character, faith, relationships, finances, academics and ultimately the college decision, the book lays out 11 conversations that parents should have with their children. The book builds on Alex’s other book, Thriving at College (for teens). You can read my review of that earlier title, as well as his excellent little book on marriage.
Preparing Your Teens for College releases this week, and I wanted to point out this excellent resource which I hope to review more fully in the near future. You don’t have to take my word for how excellent this book is, I’m including some of the 16 glowing endorsements that grace the book’s first few pages.
“Preparing Your Teens for College is an outstanding book about preparing teens for adulthood whether or not they go to college. Every parent who wants his or her teen to make a successful transition to young adulthood will profit from this book.
—Jerry Bridges, Author, The Pursuit of Holiness“Alex proposes a wide-ranging series of conversations for parents to have with their teens: conversations about being responsible, forming good friendships, understanding faith, living as a Christian in ways that are wise and gracious, being smart with money, maintaining personal purity, living from convictions, discerning talents, working diligently unto the Lord, and many other topics. Parents who engage their teens in the ways Alex recommends will accomplish things that cannot be achieved through any exercise of parental authority…I am happy to recommend this book as a sharp tool for Preparing Your Teens for College.”
—Tedd Tripp, Author of Shepherding a Child’s Heart“Packed with biblical insight and practical wisdom. Should be required reading for all parents in preparation for the “bittersweet sorrow” of seeing our children in the rear view mirror as we drive away from the college campus.”
—Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church“This book helps calm parents’ fears in sending their children to college. With tremendous insight and wisdom, Dr. Chediak helps to prepare parents to prepare their children for college. I know of no other book that deals with many of the hard questions this book helps to answer.”
—Burk Parsons, Co-pastor, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Editor, Tabletalk magazine“This book does more than show parents that they can prepare their children for college. It offers specific, practical, wise advice on the larger task of raising teenagers, including topics that often prove most daunting for parents: instilling sexual morality, forming positive friendships, dealing with peer pressure, handling social media, and internalizing their faith. In addition to useful tips for helping sons and daughters choose and succeed in higher education, whether at a university or a trade school, this book can function as a guide for Christian families in one of the most important tasks of parenthood: teaching children how to be adults.”
—Gene Edward Veith, Professor of Literature and Provost of Patrick Henry College
Consider picking up the book at Amazon, Westminster Bookstore, Christianbook.com, or direct through Tyndale House. To learn more about the book, check out the author’s website where you can read all the endorsements as well as a book excerpt.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Tyndale House. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
America has long considered herself a Christian nation. She is the “city on a hill” and a “light to the nations.” Presidents have repeatedly framed America’s national missions as Christian ventures. We are fighting the darkness and standing against evil powers.
Most Christians can see through the rhetoric, and understand that policitcal candidates and leaders are using such language to gain acceptance for their ideas. But still, many American Christians do mix patriotism with Christianity. There is a deeply rooted bias to trust American government and American military actions as being somehow divinely favored. God smiles on America, and our wars are His wars.
I have spoken out against this idea, trying to remind us that the Church has no country. Christianity is and always has been, a global reality. See my post America — A Pagan Nation?
With the recent Sochi Olympic games and the American outcry over Russia’s anti-gay propaganda bill, I wonder if the tide is changing. Could Russia actually be the new Christian Nation? Their public stand for biblical morals is greater than America’s at least on this particular issue. And then we have statements like the following, from a piece by David Brooks on Putin and his driving philosophy. This statement comes from one of Putin’s favorite Russian philosophers.
“The West exported this anti-Christian virus to Russia,” Ilyin wrote, “Having lost our bond with God and the Christian tradition, mankind has been morally blinded, gripped by materialism, irrationalism and nihilism.”
Add to this, a new article from Christianity Today: The 160-Year Christian History Behind What’s Happening in Ukraine. Could Russia actually be standing up for Christian values more than America today?
One extra thought. Russia, a neighboring country of Ukraine, has a long history in the Crimean region. America is positioned thousands of miles from that part of the world, yet we feel we can dictate to those countries on how to handle their dispute? Who’s the bully here? It is in the best interests of America for Russia to remain weak and marginalized. That is much less threatening to our safety and security. But what about Russia’s own interests? I bring this up because too often, American Christians don’t think through matters of global politics from a neutral, Christian perspective. We side with our country’s view and advocate anything that protects our own riches. What about the good of all of God’s children?
Now, I will be the first to champion America’s track record on a host of humanitarian and political causes which are in lock-step with a Christian perspective. Often our coutnry aids the oppressed and marginalized victims of dictators. But America is not above scrutiny, and American Christians need to learn to distinguish between devotion to the American Flag, and our Bibles.
Book Details:
• Author: Joel Tetreau
• Category: Church and Ministry
• Book Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers (2013)
• Page Count: 212
• Format: softcover
• ISBN: 9781620326367
• List Price: $23.00
• Rating: Must Read
Blurbs:
“You are holding a great handbook on decision-making for every local church. I commend Joel’s insights into biblical decision-making — here are some profound new insights into how it should be done.”
—Hans Finzel, author of The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
“Joel’s book is both needed and refreshing. It is needed because church leadership needs clear exegetical direction, and it is refreshing because Joel puts truth into usable shoe leather for today’s church.”
—Daniel Davey, President and Professor of Biblical Exposition, Virginia Beach Theological Seminary
“Dr. Tetreau’s approach is theologically rich, exegetically sound, biblically shaped, and eminently practical for both the teaching-shepherd and the people of God in the body of Christ. I have every confidence that his seminal work in this book will benefit multiples of ministries.”
—Doug McLachlan, former President of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Minneapolis, MN
Overview:
Much has been written on how to do church. Church should be purposeful, simple, deliberate or missional. The building must be inviting and the service disarming. Or the answer might be: we need to major on small groups or a downplayed doctrine. The answers and strategies are as varied as they are plentiful, and the books keep coming as fast as the presses can run. All this attention is not without some merit. There have been some excellent books published and taking time to think through how we do church is certainly time well spent. But of all the books I have seen on the subject of how to do ministry, not a single one is devoted strictly to how decisions should be made in a local church. This important ministry “how to” gets a full Scriptural treatment in Joel Tetreau’s book The Pyramid and the Box: The Decision-Making Process in a Local New Testament Church.
Twenty years of pastoral ministry stand behind this book. It was written in part “to shed light on the destructive power of poor decision-making” (p. xi). The book gets its title from two versions of an “institutional” church: “The Pyramid” illustrates the “power-hungry” pastor, who is like “an Egyptian pharaoh, sitting on top of his own pyramid… his own domain” (p. 8). “The Box” illustrates an institutional church consumed more with its “budget, buildings and reputation” than with its people. With both of these approaches to ministry, churches are “acting like cut-throat corporations” who are “willing to discard families or use up individuals” (p. 9). In contrast, “the family church is willing to ‘sell the farm’ if necessary for the sake of its members” (p. 8).
The book is well designed and carefully laid out with key chapter principles summarized at the beginning of each chapter, and a clear and helpful outline. The book spells out in very practical ways, all the considerations that need to go into decision-making in the context of the local church. After setting the stage for how vital decision-making is, Tetreau presents a biblical theology of decision-making in his first main chapter. Next he examines the different levels of decision-making made by the various members of the church: the decision-making role of the senior pastor, the elders, the deacons, the congregation and then each church member. The book then turns to how to recover from bad decisions and concludes with a summary of the principles that should inform decision-making in the local church.
At the beginning of the book, Tetreau explains that the leadership principles for decision-making that he finds in Scripture “can give concrete help, no matter what form of polity a local church prefers” (p. 12). An honest read of this book will benefit pastors and congregations from a variety of different backgrounds. Tetreau prefers a model with a senior pastor who is the “first among equals” with respect to a plural body of elders. Deacons play a role as well, as does the congregation and its authority. The balance of power and responsibility will vary among different church models: some will not have an elder board, some will not prefer the idea of a senior pastor, but the principles in this book truly will be a benefit to all kinds of churches.
Quotable:
The following excerpt illustrates the problem with “the Pyramid” approach to decision-making.
The pyramid approach places one man at the top of the pyramid. He directs many resources to a project in order to achieve the goals he has in his mind quickly. In some cases, this one man is the senior pastor; in other cases, he is the chairman of the deacon board. IN a few confused situations, these two may fight for the top position within the pyramid, straining the entire structure. In any case, the strict pyramid approach identifies one man as the only person who can make the final decision on just about everything. This leader may become such a CEO that he loses touch with the shepherding side of ministry altogether. These ministries and organizations display very centralized leadership.
The pyramid approach may lead to ecclesiastical demagoguery on the part of the leader. Everyone assumes that all decisions must have one individual’s approval before they can be implemented. Too often, the assumption is that the chairman or the pastor always knows best, even when the item falls outside the leader’s area of expertise. These leaders can display a harsh and unloving demeanor. While a godly leader might be forceful or show strong emotion, he is to have that energy checked by a personal code of conduct and character that is consistent with 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. (p. 87)
Evaluation:
Tetreau lays out a biblical vision for a vibrant local church ministry with each member playing their part and applying the Scripture to areas where they have decision-making authority. His years of pastoral experience inform and illustrate the work, providing humor and caution, and wisdom. He pieces together helpful quotes and critiques opposing leadership models. And throughout the book, he turns to a careful exegetical focus on the text. The book doesn’t provide all the answers for every question. He doesn’t explore the question of women’s ministry in a church in too great a detail, and his chapter on deacon ministry doesn’t fully address their particular role and how they should or could serve in churches today. But he does take time to address so many other practical areas. He discusses how and when not to defend your self; when it is best to stay in a church and push for growth, and when it is best to leave—and how exactly to go about leaving. His bent toward practical applications brings him to address the “worship-wars” and the problem of emphasizing each and every doctrinal position as being fundamental in nature. He spares no punches in opposing a legalistic spirit that is lurking in some fundamental churches, and tries to push for a focus on discipleship and servant-leadership rather than a ministry-first mindset.
Recommendation:
This book is a handbook for church leaders and a blueprint for a healthy New Testament church. Tetreau’s contribution offers the next generation of church leaders a steady compass from which to chart a sure course for fruitful ministry.
About the Author:
Joel Tetreau (M.Div, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary; D.Min, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Minneapolis), is Senior Pastor of Southeast Valley Baptist Church in Gilbert, AZ. He is Regional Coordinator for the Institute for Biblical Leadership (West), and has over twenty years of ministry experience. Joel has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels and serves on the boards of several parachurch ministries.
Where to Buy:
• Amazon
• Christianbook.com
• Direct from Wipf and Stock
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by the author. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.