Book Reviews

While I doubt that this is a complete book of life’s questions, I agree that many of life’s questions are responded to in this book. This makes it a helpful book for individuals, parents, and church libraries to have available. You will find answers related to the 343 questions. The answers are brief and to the point but not generally simplistic.

Following are some examples of topics and questions associated with each topic. Blame: Why do we blame others? What should I do when others blame me? What should I do when I feel like blaming someone else? What can I do to live a blameless life? Contentment: How can I find contentment, regardless of life’s circumstances? Are there any risks of being content? Heaven: Is there really a heaven? What is heaven like? How can I be sure I will go to heaven? How does my knowing about heaven affect my life now? Repentance: What is repentance? Why does God want me to repent? Why is repentance necessary? Is repentance a one-time event or do I need to repent each time I sin? I’ve done too many horrible things. Could God possible forgive me?

The authors say that the book was ten years in the making and born out of frustrations of being asked a lot of questions about God, life, and the Bible, and not having good answers and not knowing where to find them. Ronald Beers is the Bible editor for Tyndale House Publishers and Gilbert was editorial director for David C. Cook before becoming a full-time author, writing more than 150 books.

Parents will find this extremely helpful in discipling their covenant children. Teachers and counselors as well as pastors and leaders will also find this volume of topics a handy reference book.

Editor’s note: We reviewed this book in the original title in 1999. With this new edition and title we felt that it would be important to call it to your attention. There will be only minor changes to the original review.

Breaking the Idols of Your Heart is a unique approach to an important Bible book. We want to encourage our readers to read and study Ecclesiastes. It is a world and life view book that enables us to understand the importance of a biblically Reformed world view and how to distinguish non-Christian thinking “under the sun,” to Christian thinking “above the sun.”

This book possesses high quality, depth, and practicality, as do Allender and Longman’s other writings. I am impressed with its sound biblical approach, its contemporary handling of Scripture, and its faithfulness in interpreting and applying the Word. Both writers have unusual insights into the postmodern mind because of their sound biblical and theological ability to bring the Scripture to bear on our setting.

Breaking the Idols of Your Heart has a message for each of the generations in our culture, but especially for the busters (and the younger boomers and older millennials who border each end of the buster generation). We have seen the younger generations, especially since the 1960s, chase one thing after another to try to bring meaning to very frustrated, confused, and lonely lives. They chase after power and control, but come up empty. They chase after relationships, but are not satisfied. They chase after pleasure, but find meaninglessness. They chase after spirituality (as the younger generation is definitely doing),and finally after immortality. The problem is that chasing after these things is like chasing after the wind. “Hey, that sounds familiar,” you say. Indeed, it is the message of Ecclesiastes.

Breaking the Idols of Your Heart is actually a topical study of Ecclesiastes set in a contemporary narrative. Noah Adamson, the main character, is a young businessman who is chasing after the wrong things to find meaning and to deal with problems that have followed him into adulthood. His wife, Joan, while more passive, is also searching for meaning. Though they profess to be Christians their lives are generally empty because they are pursuing things that cannot fulfill. Through each episode in the book, the reader will identify with the feelings and experiences of the characters.

Like Acts 17 in the New Testament, Ecclesiastes is one of the most contemporary books in the Bible. Pagans are not the only ones who seek meaning through vain pursuits; Christians fall into the same trap. We chase after relationships and find that, while we are relational, relationships wrongly sought after leave us empty. God intends us to exercise self-control, but trying to be in total control doesn’t satisfy either. He made us to work, but work motivated by envy becomes an idol and also leaves us unfulfilled. The message of Ecclesiastes, illustrated so powerfully in this book, speaks to good and necessary things in life that can actually cause us deep emptiness and meaninglessness when we elevate them above their rightful place. Today, few people-even Christians-understand how to keep things in their rightful place.

Breaking the Idols of Your Heart helps us see that if we replace God’s purpose with any other purpose we will not be satisfied. The only way to experience meaning and fulfillment is to seek a life with God through Jesus Christ at the center. The message of Ecclesiastes and consequently Breaking the Idols of Your Heart is that we can live “under the sun” with a sinfully shortsighted perspective, or we can live “above the sun” and see how God is the answer to all that we long for in life. This book reminds us of the reality that St. Augustine expressed: our hearts are restless until they find rest in God. I am intrigued by the authors’ development of that message and challenged to work out a strategy to teach this to rising generations.

Buy, read, discuss, and teach this book. Follow carefully the development of a Christian mind with a world and life view perspective and you will be blessed far beyond your expectations.

Richard Mouw is the professor of Christian philosophy and president of Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written a number of books that we have recommended to our readers. I like to read Mouw not because I always agree, but because he is a thinker and he challenges me to think, even a bit outside the box. This can be both challenging and risky. I have said many times, tongue in cheek, “if we only think what we always have thought, then what we think is what we have thought.” My point is that we need to think beyond what we always have.

Having said that, I debated about commenting on Praying at Burger King because there are some things Mouw says that cause me some concern, like praying to Mary, as do the Roman Catholics. But what I like about this book, as with his other writings, such as Calvinism at the Las Vegas Airport reviewed in January/February of 2005, is that he wants to communicate biblical truth in the Reformed tradition but also in a way that communicates with his audience today. As I was debating whether to include this review in this edition, I read a review in Modern Reformation magazine and was encouraged by the reviewers’ comments, for example: “You will probably not agree with all of his conclusions, but then who is to say that every one of us will work out wisdom in the same way? At the very least most of his essays will get you thinking about what you would do in the situation and in the process you find that you too are ‘doing wisdom,'” Mark Traphagen.

Praying at Burger King is a collection of brief, thought-provoking essays that are written for the purpose of challenging us to think how we can apply our Christian faith and witness in everyday situations. What he actually does is challenge us to think about our Christianity within the Kingdom perspective of everyday life 24/7.You will find these essays challenging, some a bit amusing, and others definitely thought-provoking. Here are some highlights:

“This [grace] is important to keep in mind as we attempt to understand what it means to have a Christian character that can sustain us in good times and in bad times. If I had to choose one word that captures the essence of Christian character it would be integrity. To have integrity is to be whole, in the sense that all of your parts-all of the elements that make you up-are properly in place and working together in a harmonious fashion.”

“Work is an important part of what the Creator meant for us to be and do. But we weren’t designed to have it permeate all of our lives. Play, sleep, relaxed conversation, courtship, the marital bedroom, cultivating friendships, simply ‘wasting time’-all of these are important elements in the rhythms of healthy living. This emphasis on integrated living is actually at the heart of ‘the Protestant ethic’….”

“Jesus is Lord over books, term papers, quizzes, laptops, dissertations, and class discussions. He is Lord over all of the other ‘stuff’ in our lives as well. He is the Lord of these things even when his Lordship is not acknowledged. When a group of professed atheists write learned papers about topics in molecular biology, they are dealing with ‘the things of the Lord’…”

One other quote addresses another important topic that you will need to read the book to see how this quote fits: “We are probably safe to let the operators of bowling alleys worry about all the folks who are bowling alone these days. But the habit of eating alone ought to concern us all.”

These examples underscore Mouw’s desire that we think Christianly about all of life. So read this little book and use it for yourself and to help you encourage others to live a connected Christian life.

What is described in this book is extremely important for church leaders. Thom Rainer, the new president of LifeWay Christian Resources for the Southern Baptist Convention, and Eric Geiger, executive pastor in Miami, Fla., have done some valuable research that could prove vital, as well as invigorating, for local churches. We have recommended several of Rainer’s book in the past, stating that he does credible research which challenges us to think about what we are doing, whether it is in ministering to the rising generation or church life in general.

Simple Church is the result of valuable research done with hundreds of congregations, not just in the SBC, which reflects phase one, but with hundreds of other evangelical churches in phase two of their study. The book explains the methods used for surveying, consulting, and for drawing the conclusion outlined in the book (Survey development, sample identification, and data collection).

While Rainer and Geiger acknowledge that the growth of the church is ultimately the result of God, they found a correlation between a church’s vitality and growth and the church’s design. They found that the churches that are demonstrating growth and vitality are churches that are simple in design and are clearly focused on what they are attempting to do in their local church.

What I like about this book is that it focuses on transformational discipleship. That’s what the church is all about, not programs or schedules, but being intentional in every phase of the church’s life in its objective. Like CE&P’s Making Kingdom Disciples framework, this book is not about programs. It is not suggesting a new church model. The authors claim that no new program is being pushed but rather an attempt to design church ministry that reflects “the simple process of discipleship in your church,” regardless of the model or framework chosen.

The common threads found in their data in those churches growing and seeing spiritual transformation were fourfold: clarity (people understanding what the church is all about), movement (moving people to greater commitment), alignment (arrangement of all the ministries and staff around the same simple process), and focus (doing only those things that contribute to ministry objective). The authors claim it is focus that gives the energy and power to the clarity, movement, and alignment.

They also conclude that the process of developing that kind of discipleship focus moves in a specific direction: first, church attendance, where attachment is developed; second, small groups; and third, the ministry that follows the first two steps. Here is their statement: “A simple church (vs. a complex church) is designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through stages of spiritual growth. The leadership and the church are clear about the process (clarity) and are committed to executing it. The process flows logically (movement) and is implemented in each area of the church (alignment). The church abandons everything that is not in the process (focus).”

The authors’ contrast of the pastor of a complex church vs. the simple church will be challenging and refreshing. The data in Simple Church will underscore the authors’ conclusions. Far from being simplistic in their conclusion, life transformation happens best not with the kind of complexity that most churches struggling to grow and be vital experience, but simply by focusing on the mission and knowing how to say no to everything that distracts or impairs that focus.

I have enjoyed John Piper’s character studies immensely. This one is no exception. Amazing Grace is a book that every Christian should read. It is an easy read that captures the heart and mind of the William Wilberforce, who led Great Britain to finally make buying, selling, and owning slaves illegal.

After seeing the film, I immediately read this book to check the score for accuracy. There are other books on Wilberforce’s life that I have particularly appreciated, but Piper captures the highlights in a heartwarming way. As you read, you will see the characteristics of a great and persistent leader among God’s flock.

One of the points that is so clear as you read is Wilberforce’s insistence that Christian morals cannot be separated from Christian doctrines. His criticism of Britain at that time was just that. People were trying to separate or dichotomize their morals and doctrines, which does not work. He personified a Christian with a distinct biblical world and life view. He could not practice the dualistic philosophy that separated the sacred from the secular.

Wilberforce was greatly impacted by the life and testimony of John Newton, a former slave trader whom God transformed into a preacher of the Gospel. Wilberforce referred to him as “old Newton,” a mentor and a friend.

In the introduction, Jonathan Aitken said, “So if the question is asked, who planted the first seed of the Christian faith in the heart and mind of William Wilberforce, John Newton would be the most likely nomination.” Newton challenged Wilberforce not to give up in his attempt to abolish slavery and effect doctrinally sound morality in England. I like one of Piper’s paragraph headings calling Wilberforce, “a politician with a passion for pure doctrine.” One incident highlighted in the book is critical. At one point in Wilberforce’s life, he was entertaining the notion of leaving Parliament and entering the ministry. In sharing that with his old friend Newton, the response was, “It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of the nation.” Piper’s comments describing this incident are powerful: “When one thinks what hung in the balance in that moment of counsel, one marvels at the magnitude of some small occasions in view of what Wilberforce would accomplish for the cause of abolition.” Wilberforce was obviously a cultural reformer because he was committed to a kingdom perspective. He wrote in his diary on October 28, 1787, “God Almighty has placed before me two great Objects, the Suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners [morals].”

While this book is an easy read, it is powerfully challenging. It will bless your soul and encourage you not to give up on the things that God has placed on your heart.

In the forward of Hearts and Minds, Chuck Colson gives a simple yet profound statement that describes this book,”…Ken and John give parents the basic tools they need to shape the way a child sees God, the world, and their place in the world…”This is an excellent discipling resource for parents to use in helping their children develop a biblical world and life view. Too often, according the authors, parents spend so much time trying to shape their children’s behavior that they forget that is not the most important task. They define the most important task as shaping a child’s heart and mind. And we concur!

The book contains four parts divided into twelve total chapters: Part 1: The High Cost of Parenting; Part 2: What We Believe; Part 3: What We Value; and Part 4: What We Do. Hearts and Minds aims at helping parents concentrate on making godly children, not simply “good” children. The authors write, “Each time a baby is born, the parents have a choice: Will we pass the torch of faith to this child, or will we allow darkness to claim another generation? Unless we parents teach our children about God and pass on a Christian worldview to them, the problems of our society will continue. We can turn the tide if we will courageously take back the responsibility that has been ours all along.”

The chapter dealing with “faith development” is particularly helpful as the authors outline the different stages of faith that leads to maturity and Christlikeness. Ultimately, they maintain that we want our children to own their faith, for it to really be a part of their lives, determining their entire worldview.

This book is a valuable tool because it does not bypass doctrines, philosophy, and theology of the Christian faith, and it is rich in what parents must do to clearly communicate those things to their children. The chapter on the five “w’s” is helpful: Who am I? What is Christianity? Where is God at work? When will God make everything right? Why does any of this matter? Children learn by asking questions and parents need to allow them the privilege of asking and then they need to be prepared to help them with the answers.

One of the valuable things about this book is the authors’ insights into parenting and the needs of children. They write, “Your kids don’t need you to be their buddy, their teacher, or their coach. They probably don’t want you to treat them as peers or involve them in every decision you make. In survey after survey, kids say that what they want from their parents is some parenting. In other words, your kids want you to be the grown-up. Someone’s got to be the grown-up in your house, and it should probably be you.” Both this book and the one above by Colson are a must for parents, youth workers, and teachers. I have three children and seven living grandchildren. I have ordered a copy of both books for those three families. You might consider the same for yourself and others who parent.