Book Reviews

As we have encouraged our readers to keep an awareness of what is going on in today’s world, so have we also attempted to underscore the importance of understanding the past. Church history is one of those topics that Christians should have high on their list for study and comprehension. So many things going on in the church and world today are not entirely new. Understanding the past can help us assess and determine the importance of today’s circumstances.

This little volume is small in size only. It is one of thirteen books in the Pocket Dictionary series published by Inter-Varsity Press. There are over 300 terms defined in this book. It is a quick reference to key people in church history such as Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and a host of other major players.

You can get a bird’s-eye view without having to do long and arduous research. You can read about significant events such as the Crusades of the eleventh century or the Azusa Street Revivals and the birth of modern Pentecostalism in the early twentieth century. The church councils that were so instrumental in developing the doctrines upon which the church stands are included, as well as many of the terms that have come to us down through the years. For example, you’ve heard about the social gospel. This book contains a good brief definition. Covenant theology and rule of faith are other familiar terms briefly defined here.

This Church History edition of the series stands alongside other topics such as Hebrew and Greek, Apologetics, North American Denominations, and the History of Theology. These books are affordable and to one who teaches, they are a handy quick reference.

We do not normally review children’s books, but once in a while one comes along that deserves special mention. Emmett Cooper (PCA) is a master at developing ways to help people remember, and this book has many such helps.

Emmett visited our office years ago to introduce us to his HoneyWord system. The book had drawings from the Gospel stories, and each gospel writer was represented by an animal (Lion = Luke). There were also ways to remember the chapter number and even the verses. He showed us the system and then demonstrated how it worked in a few pictures. After the discussion went on for a time he opened to a new page and told us to figure out what the story was about and where it was located in the Bible – which we all did. We passed, and so did his system.

Well, I am happy to say that Emmett has once again put his God-given abilities to work; this time in the form of a one-year devotional for 6-10 year olds. Once you teach your children how the book works, it really makes the devotions fun, memorable, and applicable. If you use the book over the next year, you can have your child tell you the story as he or she figures it out from the helps. You can challenge yourself to see what you remember (you know your kids will), and you can even work on your older children and make it work for them.

This is really the kind of book I enjoy endorsing. Get it for your whole family.

Here is a book that I would like to see serious minded Christians own, read, and study. I would like to see Sunday school classes and other small groups work through this book because the layout lends itself to that type of study. Richard Ramsay, a PCA teaching elder with a variety of experiences and ministries, has given us a primer on apologetics that is reader friendly.

I had the privilege of reading the manuscript prior to publication and told the publishers, “This would be a must print book.” I realize that most Christians will not think much about apologetics and defending the faith unless challenged and taught to do so by pastors and teachers, but it is a crucial topic. Peter says that we must be able to give a reason for why we believe what we believe (I Peter 3:15), and we must be able to help others whom we disciple to do the same.

While I have been using some other books as I work to make kingdom disciples, this book will now be high on my priority list. Although an obvious presuppositionalist in his approach, Ramsay writes about a variety of apologetic methods that are applicable to many different situations. I especially appreciated his clear distinction between God-centered reasoning and reasoning that is not.

The first part of the book deals with “Uncertainty in Non-Christian Thought” and makes the case for doing apologetics in that setting. Part two deals with “Certainty in Christian Apologetics” and gives us a summary of fifteen men from Augustine to John Frame to R.C. Sproul and how they dealt with apologetics. As a primer type book, it is far from simplistic.

Each chapter concludes with good review questions and a group exercise that enhances its use as a study book. It is a good practical book that covers much material. Through and through we are reminded that our final authority is God speaking to us in His Word. He writes:

“The Christian alternative is to accept God as the judge and source of truth. When you keep backing up a Christian to his ‘final answer,’ it should be that ‘God says so.’ It is true because God says so. How do I know God says so? Because He says so! As a Christian, I cannot back up any further than God Himself; I cannot elevate something above Him. If I appeal to an authority superior to God, I have just contradicted my own worldview and destroyed the foundation underneath me.”

This of course is in contrast, as Ramsay points out, to the non-Christian who “essentially makes himself the judge of what is true and false and right and wrong.”

Ramsay concludes the book with what he calls the three most challenging questions for apologetics: Evolution, hell, and the problem of evil. This book will help you to be better equipped to know how to challenge non-Christians to rethink their belief system, reminding us of Francis Schaeffer’s methodology.

David F. Wells, professor at Gordon Conwell Seminary, has given us several dynamic and relevant books in the past. This book takes the best of those books and combines them into one. Wells even says that because so much as been footnoted in his earlier books, he draws from them in this volume and does not include them. If you have read his earlier books and then read this one, you will understand what he means.

Wells has the gift of being insightful, intuitive, and wise in his understanding of Christianity and how it relates or does not relate to the present culture. For example, in The Courage to Be Protestant, Wells focuses on what is happening in the evangelical world; and to say the least, he is not encouraged nor is he encouraging. With all the talk and writing about the emergents, postmodernists, and post-conservatives, Wells demonstrates how it is producing a kind of Protestantism, or even an evangelicalism, that is not standing firmly on a Scriptural foundation. This is resulting in those who are attempting to redefine Christianity, even within evangelical circles, and are not following Scripture or unaware of the Scripture’s authority in the process. Among many things, the movement causes Christianity to be viewed as something that has to be marketed, conformed to this world, and adapted to the culture in order to make it palatable.

When the author says that it takes courage to live in today’s context, he is referring to being a Protestant, evangelical Christian who takes his beginning point from God and His Word. Following trends and marketing strategy, which was somewhat foreign to an earlier approach, has now infiltrated the church, generally under the guise of “how do we reach this new generation?”

You can begin to understand Wells’ concerns, as well as plea, for Christianity to return to its message without allowing the habits and trends of culture to redefine its meaning. The Christian Century has said that Wells’ book is “a bombshell” intended to awaken evangelical leaders to what is happening and give them some cogent details of why. That’s not too difficult to understand, as Wells says, with 54% of those calling themselves born-again rejecting the idea of original sin. He calls this issue a deliberate “endocrinal key to success” for those committed to a pragmatic philosophy and methodology. Do whatever it takes to reach the culture, even if it means redefining Christianity from an unbiblical and poor theological perspective.

There is so much more that could and should be said about this book. I am fearful that I have said too little to challenge you with the importance of The Courage to Be Protestant for today’s church and kingdom. I believe that God is going to hold the church accountable for failing to disciple its members with an understanding of the Word and how we are to see the world through the grid of Scripture. Wells says there are two things that have caused evangelicalism to be flawed today; the inclination to allow its biblical core to shrink and the church becoming so parachurch that it is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Wells observes that so much of evangelicalism today has become separate from the church. He reminds those who speak of the church’s insignificance that if the church is irrelevant, why does the Bible say so much about the church’s important role and ministry? You will want to devour this book, especially chapter seven on the church.

I could only wish that Wells more specifically addressed the kingdom as well.

Though you may have to deal with challenges and discomfort from its message, you will not regret reading The Courage to Be Protestant.

If you are a regular reader of Equip to Disciple, you are aware that the Christian Education and Publications ministry is oriented to a kingdom perspective materializing in a Christian world and life view. Understanding the kingdom, a world and life view, and the role of the church is crucial to the present and future effectiveness of Christianity. It is apparent that we have been conditioned to think dualistically about life, i.e. life is comprised of the secular part and the sacred, faith and fact are two different things, the spiritual and the material are not connected, etc. Such thinking has permeated Western Christianity, as a number of people have suggested, even though it is antithetical to biblical Christianity.

We have attempted to encourage our readers and constituents to work towards the goal of changing the way we think by not being conformed to this world but rather by thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Michael Goheen and Craig Bartholomew have given us a book directed to that very end. Living at the Crossroads is actually a follow-up to an earlier book by these authors. Their previous book, The Drama of Scripture: Finding our Place in the Biblical Story, takes a holistic look at Scripture from a kingdom world and life view perspective, a single great story with many parts.

While we are living at a “crossroads” moment in history, we need to have the right understanding of life and reality in order to navigate the diverse and often not so friendly waters of our time. I have come more and more to the conclusion that it is cruel for Christian parents and local churches to fail to help their covenant children understand, embrace, and apply a Christian world and life view and understand what it means to have a total view of Christianity in all things.

We cannot continue to be silent to the dualistic teaching that allows us to look at areas of life from a non-Christian perspective. Whether we are dealing with the arts, medicine, sports and recreation, history, education, politics, or business, if we are going to be more than Sunday Christians we must have a foundational view of what Paul means that in all things Christ the King is preeminent.

The authors are committed to the task of doing what many good books on a Christian worldview fail to do, something that we believe is absolutely critical to the world and life view – keeping it connected with the kingdom of God. While they agree that Christianity involves “a healthy life of prayer and meditation, immersion in Scripture as the true story of the world, and hearty participation in the life of the congregation; it is here that the life of the kingdom is known, experienced, and shared.” They further state, “And God’s people need to be equipped for their tasks, perhaps by meeting and struggling together with other Christians who share their task-for example, a group of Christian lawyers might meet to discuss how best to bring a kingdom vision to their vocational setting.” The book gives a good overall concept of an approach to Christian discipleship from a kingdom perspective.

Most Christians upon their own admission do not understand how reality works nor are they prepared to live in their culture in a way that enables them to serve Christ in all of life; hence Christianity is simply one thing among many that we do instead of being the basis for everythingwe do. At best, we simply learn to blend our Christianity with the teachings and ideas of the world, when in reality they do not mix and we end up compromising the biblical world and life view process.

I have to appreciate the authors’ kingdom framework, a natural outcome for one who has studied men like Abraham Kuyper. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the kingdom and the message that Jesus came to proclaim is the kingdom of God, which according to the authors means no less than God “restoring his rule over all human life in Jesus and by the Spirit.” The authors are correct in observing that evangelicals often serve the enemy rather than Christ because they do not see the totality or wholeness of their faith. But for those who do, an interest in all things seems to develop and Christianity is not excluded from any area of life.

This is a great book to read, study, and discuss in the family and Christian community. Though it is called an introduction, it actually covers the waterfront, not merely from a theoretical, abstract level but in a way that actually helps you know how to apply the entire process. Living at the Crossroads has now become one of the five books we use and recommend in developing a kingdom perspective on discipleship. This book assists us with our commitment to bring the gospel of the kingdom to bear on all of life, realizing that the kingdom is both now and not yet, as we look forward to the final consummation of history.

It is a very special treat for me to introduce you to this book. It is a shame it was not written years ago. I say this because as I read this book I could hear Dr. Reymond teaching these very words and ideas. There was no course I took at Covenant Seminary that changed my life more than Dr. Reymond’s on the doctrine of God. Humanly speaking, I owe my Reformed theology to him as he patiently answered all my typical Arminian questions.

What is so helpful about this book is that it follows the pattern set out by J. Oliver Buswell in his systematics, explaining God by using the fourth question of the Shorter Catechism. Point by point you will see God clearer and clearer for who He is.

Even though this book is not set up for study classes, I used it to teach my college and career class. They too appreciated the depths of truth and Dr. Reymond’s ability to make deep things understandable and applicable.