Book Reviews

I have appreciated David F. Wells for many years. We have reviewed many of his books in our publication. When I received a copy of Turning to God, I began with interest to read about a topic that I believe is not as understood, emphasized, and appreciated that the Christian faith requires. Turning to God deals with conversion. Wells’ emphasis centers around the reality that when a person is converted to Christ, there is not simply one part of his or her life that is converted. Conversion, as we have taught, impacts every area of life, though that is not often understood or highlighted as it should be. As a result we fail to see the results in people’s lives that we should.

S. Douglas Birdsall, of the Lausanne Movement, wrote in the foreward, “Many books have been written about conversion. However, David Wells’s work, Turning to God, is unmatched in terms of its theological scope and richness, its cultural-anthropological perspectives, and its well-informed psychological insights.” He is right! As we have focused our ministry on “making Kingdom disciples” we have focused on transformation and have regularly underscored that if we really understand conversion, transformation really underscores what happens with conversion. As a result of failing to understand conversion and its transforming results, we have quite a number of people who profess to be Christians but whose lives do not reflect real spiritual and life changing results.

Wells points out that within evangelicalism today there is such a distaste for doctrinal understanding, appreciation for the place of the local church, and for seeing and understanding biblical norms and absolutes, change is not evident among so many. It seems to be harder and harder to distinguish professing Christians from non-professing ones. This is while there seems to be a new spirituality movement especially in North America but lacking a biblical understanding of what it means to be truly spiritual. If Wells is right, and we believe he is, that while conversion is supernatural, if those claiming to be converted are not being transformed, then what are they really experiencing?

Wells underscores that true conversion is a movement towards God that expresses itself in growing in Christ, growing is biblical understanding, and knowing how to discern truth from error. You will find the author’s treatment of the “insider” conversion, those within the Christian community, the covenant community as we say, and the “outsider” conversion, those coming from other than a Christian context.

Wells reminds us that while conversion is a supernatural experience, how that comes to expression and experience in people’s lives will differ, as with the insiders and outsiders. Some may experience an instantaneous conversion while others may grow into conversion as they are discipled early on in their lives. I remember my own conversion, the night, time, and place where I turned to the Lord, but then I realized that much had gone on in my life before I came to that turning point.

So while, as Wells observes, the church’s teaching on conversion has not been exactly the same in every generation and we can see the results of what the church has taught, there has to be an awareness in one’s life, that he or she has turned to God.He refers to what he calls St. Augustine’s intellectual conversion, followed by a moral conversion.But such was not complete for him until he experienced an ecclesiastical conversion. Augustine wrote, of the last part of conversion, “We were baptized and all the anxiety as to our past life fled away.”Up until this ecclesiastical conversion, he believed that the other parts of his conversion were not complete.When that was coupled with Augustine’s understanding that conversion was seen as a totality of God’s sovereign initiating grace through faith working through those other aspects mentioned above, he received a more wholistic picture of what conversion is really all about.

In concluding his writing, Wells underscores that we need to see conversion as a deep and all-encompassing work of God that involves the whole person. “What happens then, in a biblical view of conversion is that faith comes to life in the mind as the reality of the truths about Christ, read or heard, begin to take life and to be felt” (page 174). What that basically means, he explains, is “the test of conversion is a life of convertedness.” That is, he says, “the only way faith is evidenced is in the presence of works. The test of conversion, then, is whether a sinner continues to see sin as displeasing to God and continues to turn from it, continues to seek Christ and trust him for life, forgiveness, grace and guidance. It is whether believing in Christ leads to following him by denying ourselves and daily taking up our cross and following him” (page 177). You will be blessed by your reading and application of the truth of this book. Read it, teach it, and share with your friends.

While we had intended to review this book in the previous issue, it fits nicely into the section in this issue especially because it will lead into a book that the author is publishing which will be available September 2012. We have read the manuscript and will comment on it. But this little book which is one of those dynamite kind of books, coming in small packages, is a new edition of an earlier edition. The content contains lectures given in 1999 by Trueman, at a conference at the Evangelical Theological College in Wales. Since that time, he has taken up residence at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, teaching church history, and serving in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In Trueman’s engaging style, he takes the basic topics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and traces how they impact us today, but he also sounds the challenge to take the truth of yesterday, build upon it today, and prepare for tomorrow.

Trueman has the unique ability to take Reformational truths and communicate them today in a way that suggests to those who might question their value and demonstrates their relevancy and challenge to the church to build on that solid biblically Reformed Christianity. His emphasis is not to simply build on that foundation from an academic position but in a life changing way. He has a unique way of communicating that the truths of the Reformers are as relevant today as they were in those earlier times of the sixteenth century.

He clearly expresses what the Reformation was all about. It was, he says, “a move to place God as He has revealed Himself in Christ at the centre of the church’s life and thought.” While that would set the tone for this book, he applies it to the person and work of Christ and Him crucified, the centrality of Scripture and the teachings on salvation. Trueman reminds us that the usefulness of the Reformation theology was not merely an academic exercise but a challenge to put the emphasis upon God and he does so in a manner that challenges us to ask and answer, if God has the same centrality and emphasis in our churches today. He challenges us to think about who and what is central in our worship of God today, even in the personal testimonies which are more often about us than about him.

Reminding us that “the reformed church is always in need of reforming,” he suggests ways in which by God’s grace we continue that “reforming” process. Reforming is an ongoing process that never ceases until we are with the Lord in the new heavens and earth. In true fashion, Trueman reminds us “the heritage of the Reformation is more than just the doctrine of justification by faith, it is also the theology of the cross…” As a good professor and teacher of church history, Trueman reminds us of things such as the preacher’s responsibility, the preacher’s training, the place of systematic theology, and the preacher’s task in the “reforming process.” His challenging in all of this is to focus on the triune God through His Word.

His closing challenge is not to look backwards with regard to our foundation, but to look forward in our orientation. His closing words are fitting, “we have a gracious and trustworthy God; the Reformers reminded the world of that fact; let us place Him once again at the centre of our lives and worship.”

While Trueman reminds us of the above, he also underscores the value and place of confessions and creeds in the life of God’s people, the church. Therefore, he will speak to that in the next book in our review.

A number of years ago, we reviewed Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem. Here are some comments that were included in the review. “This systematic theology follows a period of drought on the subject… while good theology must reflect a biblical faithfulness and a historic perspective regarding what has done before us, we must use our theology disciplines to communicate God’s truth to our generation. The author has done just that.” We pointed out thatthe book reflects his intentional faithfulness to Scripture and historic theology but expressed with a contemporary freshness that models for us how to communicate biblically reformed theology today. I have referred to it many times since its publication in 1994.

Gregg R. Allison has written a companion to Grudem’s systematics. Allison deals with the formulation and development of 32 major doctrines of the Christian faith. Grudem in his forward best describes the book, “Every chapter provides a fascinating story that is hard to put down because it shows how God has worked in Christians’ lives over the centuries to allow one heresy after another to challenge the church, then to raise up courageous, wise teachers and writers to respond to the wrong teaching with a new and deeper understanding, resulting in even stronger faith in God and his Word.” He then reminds us of two mistakes that are often made regarding church history. One is to ignore it and another is to idolize it.

In my own schedule I try to regularly read church history. It is the story of how God has lead the church over the centuries to both understand and apply biblical truth and the mistakes, errors, and heresies that have arisen because of the lack of understanding. Often we forget that while God’s special revelation has ceased with the last verse of Revelation, God has continued to work in the life of his creation and redemptive community to accomplish his purpose.

We are reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the church at Ephesus that because of lack of doctrinal knowledge and understanding, people can be and are tossed about by every wind of doctrine. And if the church needs to come to grips with biblical truth, today is that day when almost anything is acceptable.

As reflected in the table of contents, and as stated by the author, “unlike the vast majority of other historical theology and church history books, which are organized chronologically, my book is organized topically.” At least first it is a topical arrangement and then chronological, as much as is possible. My contention and experience as a pastor and Christian educator, one of the best ways to teach our people good sound doctrine is to help them understand how and why this or that is a “major” doctrine vitally important to the Christian faith, as well as our own lives. This is really the heart of the discipleship assigned to the church, “…teaching to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded,” said Jesus.

I remember a conversation with Dr. Robert Rayburn, then president of Covenant Theological Seminary about worship. He said, regarding the Apostles’ Creed, “Do people realize that expressing our faith through the Apostles’ Creed, that we are standing with the church through all the ages in confessing those major doctrines?” He asked a good question. Christianity is no fly-by-night religion, nor is it one that is built on whatever we want to believe. God has revealed his truth and has given us the Holy Spirit, as John wrote down Jesus’ words, to lead us into all truth.

While we usually think of theology and especially something like systematics as an academic exercise, and while that thinking, taken out of context, has greatly weakened the church’s commitment to biblical authority, we must heed God’s instruction to teach the truth, that which is in accord with sound doctrine. And, we must do that clearly, unapologetically, and with passion. After all, Peter did instruct us to be able to give a reason for why we believe what we believe. This includes being able to distinguish truth from heresy. Churches, pastors and teachers must not shy away from such instruction. While our Westminster Confession of Faith reminds us that our final authority for all truth is Scripture, the late Kenneth Kanzter, well known to evangelicals has said something to the effect that while studying church history and its development of doctrines are not infallible, they do and can reflect God’s guidance in the study, understanding, and application of God’s truth throughout history.

As far as truth is concerned, we are not free to believe whatever we may choose, if we want to please God. He is the truth and determiner of truth. And truth is about God. Using this book along with Grudem’s Systematic Theology will serve you well in your preaching, teaching, and application of God’s truth.

I have often asked my classes what the image of God is. The typical answer is we are both spirit.

When God told Adam it was not good for him to be alone, He was giving Adam one of those teachable moments, when he would be taught something new about himself and his God. Instead of giving Eve to Adam right away, He instead sends the animals to him to name. Why? So Adam could observe that with every animal species there were male and female. Adam would soon discover he was alone, except for God.

The Scripture is clear that God only needs one thing – Himself – the Trinity. They live in perfect harmony with each other. God created within man the same desire for community. It was not good for him to be alone because he was created in the image of the Trinitarian God.

Wally builds on the three fundamental aspects of relating discovered from his analysis of the Trinitarian relationships between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: knowledge of one another, access to one another and delight in one another. Incorporating these three Trinitarian elements into our relationships with God, then our family, our church and the world is the thrust of his book.

What helped me as I worked through this book was its practical emphasis – taking us from the theoretical to seeing how it works in real life. To do this, Wally takes us through the life of Kevin, a man struggling with God, his family, and beyond, and how Wally was able to walk with him through how understanding the Trinity teaches us how to improve our relationships with the people in our lives.

This book could be described as John Piper’s Desiring God on steroids. Both emphasize delighting in God, but Wally puts it on a much more workable foundation, especially as we get to see it blossom in Kevin’s life.

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Wally at General Assembly. I got to hear his heart for God’s church, and the families in it that are hurting because they do no know God or understand the fundamentals of His working in and through relationships.

This book is for personal study, and it can be used in groups. My hope is you will use it both ways.

In 1978 the Council on Biblical Inerrancy made up of evangelicals from across the church’s spectrum concluded by adopting the ICBI statement regarding the inerrancy of Scripture. J.I. Packer states, “belief in inerrancy determines the basic attitudes and procedures of exegetes as they do their detailed work, and so exercises a formative and stabilizing influence on the faith of the church.” That was the intent of the Council and especially as they adopted a historical statement, or maybe we could call it a restatement, on the topic of biblical inerrancy. But why was that council needed at that particular time?

There were many reasons, but they all focused around the topic of inerrancy. Up until that time you had the orthodox view of Scripture, the Liberal higher critical view, and the Neo-Orthodox view. Evangelical Protestants in the Reformed and Evangelical churches were generally united in holding to the doctrine of the complete, unlimited inerrancy. The Bible is the very word of God. For example, both the longer and shorter version of the ICBI statement say, “God, who is Himself the truth and speaks truth only, has inspired the Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.”

This book is important today because there is confusion, disagreement, and contradictions within the evangelical world on the Orthodox view of inerrancy. It contains three parts. The first deals with the ‘History of the Inerrancy Controversy’ which includes why the ICBI Chicago Statement on Inerrancy was adopted. Basically two views of inerrancy had developed, limited and unlimited. The ICBI and this book believe that the unlimited view of inerrancy is the right one.

Part two deals with the ‘Recent Challenges to Inerrancy,’ mind you not by liberals or neo-orthodox, but within evangelicalism. The authors’ critique in part two, eight well known men they seek to demonstrate, maintains a limited view of inerrancy. That is a section worth the price of the book.

Part three focuses on the ‘Reexamination of Inerrancy’ which reviews that topic in its historical and orthodox setting. If the Bible is true, is it only true in matters of redemption, the limited view, or is it true in all of its parts? Who would have thought among Reformed and evangelicals that such things as the ICBI Statement, even this book, would be a needed resource? Of course we know that the Scripture is and will always be under attack; therefore, as Christians, we are responsible to be able to defend the inerrancy of Scripture with those who challenge that position. For example: after reading this book I asked several people if they were aware of the difference within evangelicalism regarding limited and unlimited inerrancy. Some had read the ICBI Statement but were not aware of the two positions. I certainly commend this book to our church leaders and anyone who needs a good course or refresher course on inspiration and inerrancy.

Within the PCA, we believe our Westminster Confessional position is clear on this matter. With growing interest and commitment to theistic evolution by evangelicals, this book will also be a resource and challenge for dealing with that topic, at least biblically and philosophically.

Note: We will review Inerrancy and Worldview, Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible, by Vern Poythress, in the next edition of Equip to Disciple.

The Creedal Imperative is a book for our time. With attempts to challenge the authority of the church, which also includes the authority of Scripture, this book sets forth the case of the necessary and rightful place of authority. Carl Trueman, a theologian and historian who has a good grasp on our culture, is uniquely qualified to write this book. His ability to communicate makes this an extremely important and timely book. Being in our postmodern culture, people struggle with the concept of authority, and many end with a conclusion that I am my own authority, though it may differ from others. Where this leaves us is that we determine what we believe, what is true, and whatever else we choose to add to the mix.

Trueman, standing firmly on a biblical foundation, has done an outstanding job of demonstrating, not only the need for solid authority, but for creeds and confessions. While we profess to believe that no Scripture is of private interpretation, with creeds and confessions as our boundaries and guidelines, it is easy to slip into the trap our own private interpretation of the Bible, theology, and reality itself.

This book seeks to underscore the truth that creeds and confessions are not only needed as checkpoints, not only to enable us to express our beliefs, but also to keep us from misunderstanding God’s truth in our day. Properly used, creeds and confessions, under the authority of God’s Word enable us to hear God’s voice who from the earliest in, Genesis 1, has revealed Himself and the God who speaks and enables us, in His image, to have speaking ability.

While Trueman makes it clear that ultimate allegiance is to the Word of God, creeds and confessions are our way of speaking what we understand God has spoken to us in Scripture. This is important, but there have been those in the past, as well as today, who have tried to “piously” say, “we have no creed or confession, but the Bible.” Trueman challenges that from both church history and finally the Word itself.

For those who understand the importance and place of creeds and confessions in the life of the Christian faith and church, this book is also a must read as an encourager to hold strongly to that position. It all boils down to understanding God’s truth. Using clear and careful exegesis of Scripture, sound Reformed theology, and the context of understanding church history, as well as demonstrating a good understanding of the times in which we live, Trueman has given us a usable resource and tool to encourage us to study, appreciate and benefit the creeds and confessions that have not been privately nor individually written without the accountability and input of the broader church.

Those of us who belong to a creedal and confessional church realize that they are not only summaries of what the Bible teaches on things like kingdom, grace, eschatology, ecclesiology, etc., they are safeguards of accountability that we are on the right track with our understanding of those things. Trueman reminds us that our ultimate authority is the Word of God but the creeds and confessions have been compiled and written to help us better understand his Word and to do so by coming alongside one another and testing our understandings. Given what we are seeing in the church today, generally, it should be clear that our present and future well-being of the church is at stake. In many places truth is up for grabs and people are hearing all manner of things in churches today under the umbrella of truth that have not stood the test of time and they are not discipled to discern the difference.

Another thing that you will appreciate about this book, in making his case for the imperative of creeds and confessions, Trueman exposes those who profess to believe that “it is only the Bible” and shows that even from that position they use other sources to teach and therefore not only are not honest with themselves but actually hold to an untenable position. For example, he writes, “I do want to make the point here that Christians are not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who do not; rather, they are divided between those who have public creeds and confessions that are written down and exist as public documents, subject to public scrutiny, evaluation, and critique, and those who have private creeds and confessions that are often impoverished, unwritten, and thus not open to public scrutiny, not susceptible to evaluation and , crucially and ironically not subject to testing by Scripture to see whether they are true.”

One other comment which I hope will convince you to read this book and encourage other church leaders and teachers and members to read this book that while creeds and confessions have divided Christians over various topics throughout church history, they have also provided a strong sense of connectionalism and enabled us to stand together with others as a witness to the truth of God’s Word, his kingdom and the church’s mission. While some have shunned tradition within fundamentalists and evangelical circles, and while there is a wrong tradition that positions itself above the Word, following Calvin and the early reformers, we have a great respect and appreciation for tradition. Trueman makes that point.

While he writes as one who is committed to a confessional church, namely the Westminster Standards, he writes not simply for those of us who are within that tradition, he writes for the broader evangelical Christian church. I hope this book will have inroads beyond our Presbyterian and Reformed churches.

If you are not convinced of the importance of this book by now, I conclude with a final quote from the author, “The fact remains that respect for the creeds and confessions which churches adopt must become an important part of our contemporary Christian lives if we are to be truly biblical. That society tells us to distrust traditional authority, to doubt all leaders, and to dismiss the past is of little relevance to applying biblical principles to our churches.”