Book Reviews

I have thought this for a long time and am generally hesitant to mention it because it could be taken as a sign of spiritual pride. I do not mean it that way but I have wondered for many years, why more and more Christians do not embrace Reformed theology as a framework for their understanding God’s truth, the Christian life, his Kingdom, and a world and life view. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me…” Could it possibly be one of the spiritual gifts which is not given to everyone? Like the Corinthian experience, spiritual gifts caused great conflict and schism in that church and has since. But the Reformed faith is not listed among those gifts in the Bible or is it? Could embracing the Reformed faith possibly be connected with the gift of discernment? Like the other gifts listed, gifts are to glorify God and build up the body but as we learn in the New Testament, sometimes gifts can be misused, misunderstood, and can cause problems in the family of Christ. We understand that. But why write this which may or may not have any validity? Simply because after reading through this book, Glory Road, I asked the same question over and over that I asked above. Why are more Christians not Reformed in their theology?

This is a most encouraging book, one that warmed my heart, not only because I know some of the contributors personally and others less intimately but because of what they are writing about. As the editor Anthony Carter writes in the preface, this book is about ten African-American Christians who have hearts for biblical theology and the desire to proclaim the Reformed faith among African-Americans. Carter is also one of the contributors. As the sub-title says, this book contains the testimony of 10 African-America Christians, preachers and teachers of how God brought them to embrace the Reformed faith, its doctrines of grace and biblical theology as well.

Ken Jones, one of the contributors who wrote the introduction has said that this volume is about contemporary Christians who are not ashamed to embrace Reformational Christianity which he said is not only rare for American Christians today, but it is twice as rare for an African-American Christian.

He continues to say that so many African- American Christians are Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, quasi-Pentecostal, or into the Prosperity or Social Gospel. From that Jones lays out a good three point outline on Reformed theology. He says that so much of African-American Christianity has been caught up in a type of liberation theology that is simplistic, superficial, and shortsighted. (At this point we recommend reading Anthony Bradley’s Liberation Theology reviewed in the last edition of Equip to Disciple). By the way Anthony Bradley is one of the ten contributors. Bradley, who has taught at Covenant Theological Seminary and now is at Kings College in New York, has spoken at a number of our CEP conferences on training youth leaders and discipleship.

Jones closes his introduction with a good word with which I agree, having read the testimonies, “I must hasten to add that this book is not just “a black thing” with no relevance or bearing outside the black church.”

Buy this book!. Read it joyfully and thankfully for what God is doing among these brothers and their ministries. With all the chaotic cacophonous things being taught in the name of religion and Christianity, pray that God will challenge and use all who identify with biblically Reformed Christianity to make his truth known throughout all the earth.

Editor’s note: This book review was written by Brook Breed, member of the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee (WASC).

By Jerram Barrs, founder and resident scholar of the Francis Schaeffer Institute and professor of Christian Studies and Contemporary Culture at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO – Reviewed by WASC member Brook Breed

Jerram Barrs is a masterful storyteller, bringing the lives and times of different biblical women alive to the reader. In each chapter, Jerram relates the historical setting and cultural practices to present-day practices to help the reader identify more closely with the biblical women. He makes practical application from their lives that match our mindset and temptations today. Showing how God used these women in spite of their fears, manipulations, sinfulness, and faithlessness. God’s grace and redemptive plan are revealed through the lives of these women. Of Tamar Jerram writes: “God gave her this place in his grace and love, despite her sin, and honored her as one who was more righteous than Judah, as one who was faithful to her sense of obligation. We are not asked by the Word of God to approve of her deception, her disguise, her acting the part of a prostitute; but we are asked by the Word of God to honor her faithfulness, her readiness to fulfill her obligations, her righteousness.” (page 84)

I felt like I was on a journey looking at the lives of biblical women-those we know by name (as Eve) and those we don’t (“the woman of noble character”). The final chapter, “…we reflect on the image by which God chooses to describe his church-the bride of Christ-and rejoice in the honor that God shows to all women with this title.” (page 11) We see how Jesus ministered and treated the women of His time, setting an example for all to follow. Jerram writes: “He never patronized women or looked down on them; he never regarded them as inferior or spoke slightly of them; instead he showed respect, honor, and grace to women in all his dealings with them.” (page 315).

I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in a personal or group study of key women in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. For those of you who attended the 2010 Women’s Leadership Training Conference, this book is a continuation of the rich biblical teaching we received from Professor Barrs!

** For more on Francis Schaeffer, read Charles Dunahoo’s recent book review, Francis Schaeffer, A Mind and Heart for God.

Hoping for Something Better, by Nancy Guthrie

Review by Jean Bronson

On a Saturday morning in October I sent this email to the ladies serving as discussion leaders in our church. The subject line read a revival in my kitchen.

Hi Girls –

Bill’s at the men’s retreat and I’ve been sitting in my kitchen alone, in the quiet, working on this week’s lesson. This morning it’s just been Hebrews 8-10, Nancy Guthrie’s questions, and me. I know all of you don’t have quiet kitchens, especially on Saturday mornings. (You will. That day will come soon enough and you’ll be sad when it does.) But I want to encourage you to take time this week to linger in the lesson,not because you’ll be a better leader as a result of it, but because you’ll love Jesus more.

That’s all for now.

Jean Bronson

Coordinator of Women’s Ministries & Assimilation

The Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church

That email pretty much sums up my feelings for that particular week’s study as well as the other nine.

It should be easy, but most of the time, unfortunately, it’s not. I’m speaking of finding good Bible study curriculum, the kind that has questions that guide women deeper into the Word allowing them greater understanding of our magnificent Lord, a study that includes commentary that speaks the truth and touches the heart. So when you find one, you feel like you’ve unearthed a treasure.

This year it’s been our privilege at Kirk of the Hills to discover Nancy Guthrie’s book, Hoping for Something Better, and I think it’s been one of our most successful years. How do I measure success when I can’t look into a heart and see what Jesus is doing? I measure it this way: more women attending Bible study, more lessons prepared, more in-depth conversation, more transparency, more consistent attendance, more ladies bringing friends – even taking a risk by inviting unchurched friends!

To be quite frank I’m a little concerned about Bible studies to follow – will these 125 women who have been attending be content with our next choice of Bible study curriculum? Will they be as engaged? Will they hang in there? Will we see “success” again? I shared that with a friend who sweetly reminded me not to worry because she’s never been to a real Bible study where Jesus hasn’t shown up (and I muttered to myself . . . “Whoops!”). I guess I needed to be reminded.

Go to:
Seminars designed especially for women attending GA…

Wednesday’s and Thursday’s program speaker’s bios…

PCA Bookstore meet and greet schedule…

An introduction to Nancy Guthrie, Thursday’s speaker…

The newest SHOW ME JESUS curriculum support from Great Commission Publications is a 300+ page Bible coloring book. However it is much, much more than a coloring book. Along with the 158 reproducible Bible pictures for coloring are 158 pages filled with activities and classroom helps for teaching the story depicted on the coloring page.

Wait! There’s more. The last six pages is an index assigning every lesson in the Toddler, Preschool, and Early Elementary to the suitable picture(s) for that lesson. The last page of the index has all of the Old and New Testament Bible stories listed in alphabetical order giving the page number for the appropriate picture. This is a children’s teacher or parent’s dream. Whether you are using the SHOW ME JESUS curriculum or not these coloring pages will aid you in your Bible instruction for children.

On the actual coloring page there is a scripture verse or phrase explaining the picture along with the Bible reference. Sending this coloring page home will give the parent an opportunity to look up the passage and read the story to their child again. But, if you choose to copy both sides of the paper, you are sending home wonderful family devotional material that will help train parents in teaching Bible truths to children.

What is on the back of the coloring page? Here’s an example from the picture entitled “The disciples saw Jesus return to heaven.”

Let’s Talk:

Ask: Who are the men in the picture? What are they doing?

Say: When it was time for Jesus to return… (full story given)

Ask: How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus returned to his

Father in heaven?

Say: The disciples were joyful! They… (Answer continued)

Let’s Rhyme (activity given)

Let’s Do (activities described)

Let’s Pray (Leader prayer with children responding “Help us trust in you.”)

A full page of story, song, rhyme, movement, and prayer activity is provided for every coloring page.

I will be suggesting this book as a help for:

1. Sunday school teachers who may need one or two extra classroom activities,

2. Parents who want (need) to have interactive family devotions,

3. A new idea for children’s church – start at the beginning and go straight

through the Bible in 3 years,

4. Home school Bible curriculum for multiple ages of small children,

5. Christian school teachers who need fresh ideas for teaching the Bible, and

6. Grandmothers like me who want to take every opportunity to tell their

grandchildren the Jesus story.

Thanks GCP, for a great new resource to reinforce the good news of the gospel as we disciple the next generation!

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.