Editor

Within the past couple of months, I noticed in a stack a books one with which I was not personally familiar though some of our staff was. I also noticed that the stack kept dwindling. Finally I asked about it and given the background of how we added it to inventory. I immediately picked up a copy and started reading it. Not only was it an easy read, even with my often underlining and writing in the margin. I could not put it down.

Since that time I have recommended it to use in tandem with my book Making Kingdom Disciples a New Framework. Let me tell why I feel so strongly about the book. First, I noticed some of the people who wrote endorsements for it — people like Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, Albert Mohler to name a few. I was further encouraged by the brief biographies of the authors. And then the table of content made a positive impression.

Second, as I began to read, I realized several things. The main one was how the book developed some of our emphasis in Making Kingdom Disciples, especially their understanding of the church’s role and assignment in that process. Their analogy of the trellis and the vine illustrates how the church often fails to do the vine work because it is focusing on the trellis work. No doubt about it! The church’s major role and assignment is to make disciples. And with that in place the authors begin to develop that assignment in what actually becomes a new paradigm for most churches, even those who are convinced they are doing discipleship training.

The authors contend that because the church can be so involved and busy doing other things, making disciples as a priority, gets shoved into some lesser place. Churches that are involved in what has been called the missionary mandate, sending people into the entire world, can be blind sided into believing that in doing that, they are fulfilling the Great Commission.

Here is their paradigm! The pastor is the key person to initiate the discipleship program by identifying some key people. Start a small group with whom he begins discipling dealing with everything from how to read the Bible, how to share the faith, how to talk to others about Christianity, etc. They are discipled in a way that equips them to disciple others which is the heart of the trellis and vine concept. This is not a new concept. There are a few PCA churches that are using something like it. However, for most churches we have worked with, the idea of discipleship has been present but not the mind set, not a change in paradigm that impacts the whole of the church’s ministry. And where is discipleship done? Generally, it is done by teaching in class or study vs. doing discipleship relationally with on the job training approach, so to speak. Helping the people in the church to understand the discipleship making paradigm not only involves casting the vision for that paradigm but develop a strategy to implement it throughout the church. Church leaders and people alike must understand this model of ministry for your church.

In this paradigm we understand that training and pastoral ministry must come alongside the preaching of the Word in a coordinated way where all the parts are focused on that objective, whether they be Sunday school classes, small group Bible study, fellowship, one on one This model involves guarding the truth upon which disciples are made and multiplying the ministry. This of course decentralizes discipleship in that it does not focus simply on the pastor but involves the entire church. This requires not only making disciples but as the authors say, “make disciple-making disciples.”

The book suggests that making disciples is training them in conviction, character, and competence. In the process the pastor’s role is to feed the sheep, all of them. While there are other things involved in pastoral ministry, feeding and caring for the sheep is paramount.

In consulting with several churches regarding their ministry focus, we suggest that following the discipleship model they use this book along with Making Kingdom Disciples to develop their paradigm of discipleship. After getting that framework firmly of the kingdom model, we are encouraging them to then use Trellis and the Vine to implement that paradigm throughout all the church. The book also suggests specific areas of focus on this kind of training and there are resources available from CEP to help in that task. Equipping God’s people to use their gifts in the local church is what it is all about. Sounds a little bit like the “priesthood of all believers.”

While I am obviously very positive about this book and the role that it can play along with the kingdom discipleship model, I am aware of several weaknesses. For example: though not totally absent is the kingdom focus of disciple making with a concomitant world and life view. It tends to separate evangelism from discipleship rather than seeing it as a part of the discipleship paradigm. Their comments on page 139 are somewhat shortsighted regarding the world and life view paradigm of making disciples and serving the Lord. We may offer another definition of “calling.”

Those things can be dealt with if you have the kingdom perspective in focus. The practical suggestions in this book are a starting of the training and disciple making process. It can then be broadened, expanded, to more consistently fit the kingdom model.

If we were to identify someone who has had great impact, if not the most, on our Reformed and Evangelical world, and particularly our PCA denomination, two names immediately rise to the top of the list, J. Gresham Machen and Francis Schaeffer. God called and equipped both these men to lead the charge in making Reformed and Evangelical theology known not only in North America but the world.

This book is about Francis Schaeffer. It is probably the best book I have read and could recommend to anyone wanting to know more about Schaeffer. It is concise and to the point. It is written by Schaeffer’s sons-in-law, along with Jerram Barrs and Dick Keyes. We have said from time to time in our writing, reviews, and teaching that Schaeffer is one of those men that you do not want to neglect. His life is a testimony to God’s grace and gifts to a man who was God’s man for the 20^th century but is continually to be one of God’s men for the 21^st century.

In contrast to a review in the last issue of Equip to Disciple of a book dedicated to J. I Packer which Packer said he was a teacher of adults and certainly more effective than with children, Schaeffer’s life reflects the unique ability to communicate with all ages. From the “children’s evangelism” ministry started by him and his wife Edith, to the lecture halls at Cambridge, to the fireside teaching at L’Abri, to talking one on one, Schaeffer was able to connect with that cross section. Another outstanding characteristic of Schaeffer was his love for people, humanity.

The book tells of times when Schaeffer would be late for a university lecture, because he was sharing the Gospel with a hotel clerk. It tells of his unique relationship with Bishop Pike with whom he had dialogue. Schaeffer had strong disagreement with Pike’s liberal theology; however, they developed a friendship that modeled Schaeffer’s caring and compassionate spirit.

Though Schaeffer is known as one of the outstanding apologetics of modern times, Jerram Barrs writes that Schaeffer always maintained he was an evangelist. Barrs says quoting Schaffer, “If I have one hour to spend would someone, I would spend 55 minutes asking questions finding out what was troubling the individual and then the last five minutes answering those questions.”

Those who knew him best and were the closet agree that his compassion and caring more than anything else marked him for the great man that he was. One paragraph penned by his son-in-law Udo Middleman best describes him as we knew him. “He had no master plan for ministry, no curriculum for teaching. He talked with people, preached, and lectured about things that interested him or that arose from the discussions. He also did not mentor disciples. He resisted the pressure for growth, fame, and multiplication. He prepared his material for studies, lectures, and discussion around spontaneous questions.”

I have always been impressed with Schaeffer’s ability to listen in order to better enable him to respond to whatever legitimate questions were asked and from time to time even his ability to help someone ask the right questions.

This is a delightful little book that I would encourage you read. Even if you already know Schaeffer, it will refresh and remind you of someone that we could say without hesitation, imitate him and he imitated Christ.

Dr. Cornelis Van Dam, professor of Old Testament at the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has written a very helpful and informative work entitled The Elder. This book will serve professors, students, pastors, and laymen well in their understanding and application of what it means to be a servant leader elder in the Church of Jesus Christ. Admittedly, the range from professor to laymen is a wide one, but Van Dam’s style, reliance on Scripture, and clarity help him pull this off.

As I read the book I found it exceptionally helpful in a number of ways. Therefore allow me to take a few of the most salient points I discovered in this work and exposit them briefly. Van Dam’s work is divided into five major parts or sections: An Introduction, the Old Testament origins of elders, the concept of continuity and transformation between the testaments, the elders as preservers and nurturers of life in the covenant community, and what it means to maintain and build on this heritage. The sub-title of the book gives us extra insight into the scope and intent of the author: “Today’s Ministry Rooted in All of Scripture.” Again, Van Dam delivers what he promises in that he demonstrates how the office of elder is truly found throughout the scriptures.

By way of general comment, I’ll begin by saying that this book will be an exceedingly valuable tool for all who are serious about the ordinary means of grace ministry described and prescribed in Scripture. Van Dam clearly and cogently delineates the duties of a biblical elder as well as his importance for the proper and decent functioning of a biblical congregation. But he does far more than this. For example, he engages the reader regarding the nature of an “ecclesiastical office,” which is a subject that is in dire need of thorough biblical examination in the twenty-first century Church. There exists a lack of understanding regarding the nature of the office of an ecclesiastical office bearer and, as often as not, the biblical elder is not treated with the respect his office demands.

After the author has laid the groundwork of the nature of the office, he moves to an exposition of the “shepherd” and his flock, including an explanation of what it entails to be under-shepherds of the “Good Shepherd.” What significantly bolsters Van Dam’s case is that he writes this book in concert with Scripture. The reader discovers a treasure trove of scriptural references throughout the work. His exegesis is solid and the texts cited are always pertinent and germane. In other words, what Van Dam gives the reader is not his opinion, but rather he opens the riches of Scripture for us and points us to the treasures and benefits that accrue to believers from the God of the covenant of grace. He makes it patently clear that elders are not merely a New Testament phenomenon, but that they have deep roots in the Old Testament economy.

In the second part of the book, the author devotes quite a bit of time discussing elders as “leaders” and “judges” in the Old Testament and how that played out in the lives of God’s people. He explains their tasks and how they rose to positions of leadership from among the tribes and clans of Israel.This Old Testament background, should not, according to Van Dam, be viewed as discontinuous, but rather should be viewed as the Older Covenant counterpart to the New Testament reality of elders. In other words, Van Dam asserts that within covenant theology there is a strong strand of continuity that gives an overarching unity to Holy Scripture.

Part 3, Chapter 6 is particularly insightful as it treats the distinction between Teaching and Ruling elders as well as some of the most salient of the practical/spiritual consequences of this distinction. He is well versed in this difference and provides a very helpful and informative chapter on the subject. Of particular importance is the emphasis placed on the mutual respect and good working relationship between Teaching and Ruling elders. In the modern Church, this harmonious relationship is not always the case. Younger pastors and church planters will benefit from this clarification and it will provide them with a strong foundation when they go to their respective congregations. It is heartening to find Van Dam spending time on this feature since it is not often discussed in much detail in his Reformed church affiliation. It is more than gratifying to note how truly knowledgeable he is on matters outside of his own ecclesiastical circles.

Chapter 7 contains a discussion that far too many do not understand and apply today: The place of elders in the administration of the “keys of the kingdom.” Because the biblical concept of the keys of the kingdom is rarely discussed, few today have given ample serious consideration to how this plays out in a local congregation. The book will be invaluable to those people and to those who simply need to refresh their memories on what Jesus meant when he gave the keys of the kingdom to the Church. Van Dam’s account is both clear and concise. He accurately delineates how the exercise of the keys of the kingdom functions within a local covenant community (congregation). Understanding the place and importance of the keys of the kingdom is a highly valuable tool for local congregations as it teaches them about true, biblical submission to their respective elected elders.

Also in Part 3 the author devotes a section explaining precisely what biblical ordination is and particularly what the “laying on of hands” at ordination signifies. He provides the Old Testament background for the practice, which also puts it into the New Testament perspective. Before he concludes Part 3, Van Dam takes the time to tie the section together by sketching the relationship among elders, the keys of the kingdom, and the congregation.

Part 4 aims at more application of what has been discussed and described previously, thus functioning as a building block in erecting his biblical argument. The focus in this part is on elders as “preservers” and “nurturers” of the congregation’s spiritual life and development. This is highly important for a number of reasons, but two immediately come to mind. First, elders should be at the forefront as those who preserve the scriptural and confessional tradition of the congregational members. Second, the elder should be prepared to nurture the congregation scripturally and confessionally in order to aid them in their spiritual growth and maturity. The author opens with a chapter directed at what it means concretely to rule and to have authority in the congregation. First and foremost, Van Dam explains that ruling well entails loving leadership. This, too, is an indispensable characteristic of an elder, since he needs to be empathetic with those entrusted into his care and patient with them in their spiritual development. Closely following upon this requirement is the recognition by elders that they are “stewards” of God’s house. In addition, they have been entrusted with the gospel for the edification of God’s covenant people. The upshot of Van Dam’s statements is that “office bearers are essentially dealing with family members, as a father deals with his children.” (140.) Thankfully, Van Dam has touched on the notion of stewardship because it, too, is not often mentioned either in terms of the Christian life generally or the role of biblical elders specifically.

Chapter 9 changes the spotlight’s direction and concentrates on the elders’ “self-watch.” He derives this concept from Acts 20:28. Certainly, keeping watch over his own life and spiritual development is an essential aspect of the elder’s calling. Knowing that he will be “targeted” by the forces of evil, he must ensure that he makes regular and frequent use of the ordinary means of grace provided by God and then passes those benefits on to God’s people. Van Dam draws two fundamental and basic recognitions from the Acts 20 text: “First, elders will do everything without their power to make sure that their lives are focused on Christ.” In other words, he calls elders to a consistent spiritual walk themselves.

Second, he states, “the realization of their own limitations will make elders sensitive to the struggles of those in their charge.” (161.) Biblical elders are not meant to be figureheads or mere “appointees,” but rather they are called to be empathetic towards those under their loving care. Van Dam proceeds from the premise that biblical elders will be elected by the congregation and not appointed by the pastor to serve as a cadre of “yes men.”

In summary,elders should lead, gather, and nurture the flock with which they have been entrusted in a very conscious, deliberate manner. They are to point God’s people to Scripture and patiently provide positive encouragement to the congregation in its walk of faith.

Part 5 is entitled “Maintaining and Building on the Heritage.” Here Van Dam touches on two “hot button” topics, namely female elders and the issue of elders for life. He is aware that “Our present egalitarian culture has asked why women cannot be elders.” (207.) The question is asked whether the texts in Scripture prohibiting women to be elders and ecclesiastical leaders are not culturally bound. Moreover, “Does not limiting the eldership to males unjustifiably exclude the use of the gifts that women have to offer the church?” (Ibid.) Certainly, these are questions that are alive and well in the modern Church. There are many services a woman may render and perform in the local congregation, but serving as an elder is not one of them. Van Dam states that while the cultural context is an important matter in these discussions, more important still is “what Scripture itself tells us about changing contexts and the unchanging demands of God.” (208.) To make his case against ordaining females as elders, Van Dam takes the reader on a brief excursion through 1 Timothy 2:11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, and 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35. His arguments are convincing and succinct. Therefore, he concludes that even though a woman might serve as a CEO/CFO in a business, she is prohibited by the Word of God from serving as an elder-either Teaching or Ruling.

It is not as if, however, Van Dam’s treatment of this subject is purely negative. The exact opposite is the case. He devotes an entire sub-section dealing with “The Participation of Women in the Church.” Nevertheless, the author’s conclusion is that “Scripture teaches and requires a male eldership.” (217.)

After this, Van Dam tackles the question of the “tenure” of elected elders: Should it be Definite or Indefinite tenure? In other words, is the concept of elders for life a correct one? Here the author walks us through a very interesting history of the question going back to Scotland and The First Book of Discipline (1560) and moving forward from there. His explanation is both worthy of note and informative regarding the question of elders for life. In terms of the experience on the continent in dealing with this matter, Van Dam points out that “the Provincial Synod of Utrecht declared in 1612 that it was desirable for elders to be chosen for life although the synod recognized that this was no longer possible and thus accepted the established practice of eldership for a definite term. However, in the province of Groningen elders were chosen for life until the end of the eighteenth century.” (220.) At the end of the discussion, however, Van Dam is forced to conclude that “there is no clear biblical instruction that the eldership must have an indefinite term” (224) and that “one must be careful not to force the issue and insist that an eldership of indefinite tenure is the only right way.” (225.)

The final chapter deals with the matter of “The Privilege of the Eldership.” This privilege is twofold: First, there is the privilege of being an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ and second, there is also the privilege that a congregation has to have elders. (227.)

The Elder also contains a series of discussion questions in the back of the book on each chapter making it suitable for study in small groups or in Session/Consistory meetings. It also contains a list of other resources dealing with the elder for further study.

In conclusion, let me unequivocally state that I am convinced that this book should be read and re-read simply because there is so much biblical helpful information contained in it. Moreover, I highly recommend this to pastors, church planters, students, and the man and woman in the pew. I recommend that those teaching pastoral theology add this book to their required reading list. Dr. Van Dam has performed a great service to the Church of Jesus Christ with this excellent book.

Anthony B. Bradley has done what I thought needed to be done since I first read some things by James Cone. The late Harvie Conn and several others have written effectively on liberation theology demonstrating its Marxist underpinnings but when the most recent political campaign was in full swing and people such as Jeremiah Wright came to the forefront, I was reminded that liberation theology is still alive in the black community. Bradley did his doctoral work at Westminster Theological Seminary Philadelphia and now has become one of the outstanding voices among young African Americans committed to the Reformed faith and Kingdom world and life view.

He was the obvious one to write this book. Wy Plummer of the PCA Mission to North America was right on when he said that Bradley unapologetically maintains a biblical, orthodox perspective while at the same time had some sympathy for the issues and concerns raised by black liberation theology. He has taught at Covenant Theological Seminary and presently professor of theology at Kings College in New York City.

There are so many outstanding things in this book that I hardly know which to highlight to encourage you to read this book. With the things going on in the United States today politically, as well as theologically, this book is needed to help not only black America but each of us to know how to think, assess, and conclude with an understanding of biblical Christianity and the orthodox faith. (Notice I said “orthodox” not “neo-orthodox.”) So much of black liberation theology is a reflection of Neo Orthodox theology combined with the Marxist socialistic foundation. Bradley is to be commended for taking on this topic and fairly dealing with it.

His focus on the real problems in that line of thinking is most perceptive, descriptive, and prescriptive. His understanding, explanation, and results of the “victimization” philosophy of that theology and how it has permeated so much our present culture are outstanding. For example, Bradley says while black theology affirms blackness, that theology should not be construed as an antiwhite reactionary theology…It is not merely a reference to skin color but rather a symbol of oppression that can be applied to all persons who have a history of oppression such as homosexuals. From oppression as the starting point, Bradley explains how from that starting point, the theology is formulated.

One of the observations is that in dealing with black’s circumstances and trying to apply the Neo-Orthodox/ liberal Marxist scenario, the problems are simply proliferated because it ultimately addresses the wrong issues today. Again an example is how the focus of victimization actually keeps racism alive today and hinders any real working together with the white community.

Bradley not only critiques that theology, he offers some prescriptive ideas necessary for black theology to be reconstructed. He mentions the following as presuppositions for a new black theology: the absolute triune God as the starting point, the absolute primacy of biblical authority, human dignity grounded in the image of God, rediscovering a biblical doctrine of sin, personal and social justice in line with the redemptive mission of God. Bradley points out that any right understanding of justice must be built on man in God’s image and the redemption required to reverse the fall into sin. The concluding paragraph in this book sums it up. “All true liberation, biblically speaking, flows from the sovereign God of redemptive history, incarnate in Jesus Christ, so that humanity and creation conform to the will and glory of God revealed in Scriptures.”Read this book and encourage others to do the same.

Over the past decade we have heard and read about the emerging church movement’s dissatisfaction with the traditional church. And in return, those of us who are in the traditional mainstream question how far the “emerging church” will push the bounds of orthodoxy? Jim Belcher, in his award winning book, Deep Church, seeks to define the issues separating the emerging from the traditional and then to chart a third way embracing the best from both camps.

As a self confessed insider/outsider, Belcher begins with his own story of discontent with traditional evangelicalism. He and his friends were put off by what they saw as weaknesses in the traditional church such as: a narrow view of salvation, belief before belonging, ineffective preaching, and weak ecclesiology. In his search for a more “authentic Christianity,” Belcher became friends with a number of the leaders of the emerging church so he understands the what and why of the movement. As an outsider, he has embraced reformed theology and ecclesiology as a PCA pastor and church planter.

Given Belcher’s perspective, Deep Church is an excellent survey and tutorial of the issues dividing the emerging church and the traditional church. To his credit, he does not lump all emerging church practitioners into one camp, but follows Southern Baptist Missiologist, Ed Stetzer’s sub-division of the emergent church into the relevants (eg. Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball), the reconstructinists (eg. Alan Hirsch, George Barna), and the revisionists (eg. McLaren, Pagitt). Belchers’ greater concern is with the latter two sub-camps pushing the bounds of orthodoxy.

Part 2 is the meat of the book where he defines the positives and negatives of the two camps and charts a more irenic third way to travel which he calls, Deep Church, taken from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.Belcher writes in a gracious, winsome, pastoral style and draws you in to his desire to find common ground between the two camps. We can learn much from his approach to those with whom we may disagree. However, is there really a third way, or is it a call to return to Biblical Christianity and it’s passion for Jesus Christ, his Church, and Kingdom?

By calling us back to the Great Tradition (the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed) as common ground for his third way, Belcher avoids the emergent’s objection to Reformation theology as being captive to “enlightenment rationalism.” But in doing so, he looses the Reformers anchor in the authority of Scripture and their clear definition of the Gospel of Grace in the doctrine of Justification.

In writing Deep Church, Jim Belcher has given us a primer on the ongoing and growing divide between the traditional church and the emerging church. It is a good starting point for the necessary dialogue between confessed brothers.