Book Reviews

The jacket cover reads, “The Bible is a big book about a big God who keeps a big promise!” The Big Picture Story Bible delivers exactly that message. A great story Bible to read with young children, this Crossway publication gives the story of redemptive history in a way you and your children will love.

The illustrations are amazing – simple, yet filled with symbolism. Scrolls depicting pictures of Christ throughout biblical history illustrate the section entitled, “God’s Promise is explained.” Although this volume paints the big picture, great attention is given to detail in both the telling of the stories and the drawings for each. This story Bible will greatly enhance your family devotion time as you and your children worship our covenant making and keeping God.

As a professor in Christian Education in South Africa I am most concerned about the growing rate of biblical illiteracy. It is growing faster than the pastors I talk with are willing even to admit.

Fallout of this lack of Bible knowledge is, in part, the weakening of our Christian families. The “experts” tell us that the rising generation, as well as the previous generation or two, seek one thing above all else in life – a sense of intimacy. Children grow up longing to be part of a family. Since so many families in our country today are falling apart, even children in stable homes feel the same sense of uncertainty about their own family’s welfare.

As a Church we need to put a much greater stress on developing, strengthening and growing our families. There is no way that we can have strong churches if we have weak families. God ordained the family long before He called Israel or the Church. The Church is called a family for a reason – it is made up of families and is to be looked at as an extended family (which is why we call each other brother and sister).

One way to help build intimacy within our churches is to understand how each of us came to be made part of the church – we were ALL adopted! This is not just some nice phrase; it is a term God used in both the OT as well as the NT.

Peterson gives us a great work in Adopted by God, in that he takes us back into every reference to the subject throughout the Bible. But this is not a theological textbook, it is a book about relationships – relationships forged by the One who took us out of the horrible situation we were in with our “birth-family,” where Satan was our father, and He has lovingly adopted us into a new family. This new family, of course, is the Church.

In this book we are allowed to look into the lives of many people who have discovered not only the cognitive meaning of adoption, but also how it has changed their lives and world view as they have, for the first time, come to understand more about God as their Father.

So many in our churches today do not know what it is to have grown up with a loving caring father. It is only through understanding our adoption, and the One who adopted us, that we can come to appreciate how He chose us in Christ, how He chose us in love, and also how He disciplines us with a view to making us more like the Lord Jesus.

There is a wealth of sermon material here that will build up every individual in your church as well as every family. Peterson deals with how this change in family relationship also explains how we are no longer slaves to sin (as we are no longer part of our old family), but we are now free to say no to sin. He explains how each member of the Trinity is involved in our adoption process, and how we can have assurance of our salvation by understanding what it meant when God signed the official papers making us legally part of His family (justification). It is quite amazing when you come to understand how all the parts of salvation are further understood by studying adoption.

My wife and I have four adopted children from three countries. They were adopted at the ages of 17, 7, 16 and 14, so we know first hand what it is like to think through everything involved when we come to Christ. When the children just lived with us (as the last two did for six years) they always had the fear that we would kick them out. Once the judge signed the final papers that fear instantly went away! Even their teachers commented on the change in their whole demeanour.

If you want a whole new, different and refreshing way to present the Gospel to people, as well as a way to strengthen the people already in your church, then I highly recommend Adopted by God. It will change the way you look at God – and the Gospel as well.

Here is a resource book that every pastor ought to have in his library. As the title indicates, it contains quotes from the writings of Geerhardus Vos, who has been referred to by some as the “father of Reformed biblical theology.”

Vos taught biblical theology for 39 years at Princeton Seminary. Among some of his better writings are: Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation (still in print), The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church, (available), The Self-Disclosure of Jesus (available), and Eschatology and the Old Testament (available).

I am grateful to Danny Olinger, Executive Secretary of Christian Education in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, for compiling this present volume. Having recently written Making Kingdom Disciples, I can say that Vos, along with Abraham Kuyper, had profound influence on my understanding of the topic. Though I found his section “Kingdom of God, and the Church” a bit difficult to read, it was well worth the effort. Olinger has drawn from Vos’ books, reviews, articles, sermons and poems. He placed topics in alphabetical order making the hundreds of topics easily accessible.

When I think of those who have worked within the Calvinistic tradition, men such as Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, John Murray, Ned Stonehouse, J. Gresham Machen, and Cornelius Van Til, I cannot leave Geerhardus Vos off this list. Once when asked a question regarding the topics in the Westminster Confession of Faith, I said, “If the WCF had been written after Geerhardus Vos’ works, there would definitely be a chapter on the Kingdom of God.”

If there is one thing addressed by Olinger that stands out about Vos, it would be his belief that “liberal Christianity and historic Christianity could not exist side by side,” and a compromise can not be reached between the two. Like the other men mentioned above, Vos was a true defender of the faith and contributed more than any other to the historic, redemptive understanding of the Bible. As Olinger highlights, Vos was unflinching in maintaining that the Christian life could only stand on communion with Christ. Olinger writes, “He sought to point believers to the Scriptures that they might see their life there in the text and in their God, that God might receive the honor and glory, and they might be built up in the faith.”

Need more be said to convince you to buy this book and use it often in study, teaching, and preaching, as well as devotionally?

I was having lunch with a group of youth workers who meet on consistent basis and we were discussing the updated version of The Youth Builder by Jim Burns and Mike DeVries. In this version a chapter was added to the Foundation section of the book. The chapter was called “Family-Based Youth Ministry.” It was very general, short and did not have a lot of depth to it. I didn’t understand why they added such a brief and general chapter until I saw their book Partnering With Parents in Youth Ministry. They simply touched on the subject in The Youth Builder because they devoted a whole book to the topic of partnering with parents in youth ministry.

The purpose of the book is to develop a “mind-set shift that moves into every aspect of our ministry. If we limit family-based youth ministry to putting out a newsletter or have a quarterly parent event, we have missed the essence of what family based is all about— partnering with parents to help them assume their God-given role for spiritual influence in the lives of their children.”

The book is divided into two major sections: The Strategy and The Application of partnering with parents in the whole youth ministry arena.

The Strategy section deals with the biblical philosophy behind looking at parents as teammates, not opponents in youth ministry. As mentioned in the quote above, it does not stress a deep program-centered emphasis but rather a mind-set that is carried into ministry to and with students.

The authors include a helpful chapter on how the family, in general, has developed and changed over time. The chapter helps us to better understand everyone in the family, not just the students.

Burns and DeVries also value the extended Christian family (the church) and see Christians within the church in a complementary fashion instead of a competitor in ministering to youth.

The second section of the book on Application gives great ideas on how to bring about a youth ministry that truly honors Christ and honestly partners with parents to have a strong spiritual impact in the lives of students.

The resources noted at the end of the book can be used as a tremendous springboard into further discussion on family friendly youth ministry and the impact it can have on both students and their families.

Partnering With Parents In Youth Ministry is a book that all youth workers, session members and youth ministry leadership teams should read. This strong, biblically healthy view of helping students and their families come to know Christ and grow in Christ could help churches across the country.

This is a strategic book. If I could, I would send a copy to every teaching elder in the PCA. It so clearly explains one of the main reasons why I wrote Making Kingdom Disciples, A New Framework. Robert Wuthnow of Princeton University describes Soul Searching as extremely important and “the most ambitious study ever conducted among American teenagers about their religious and spiritual lives.” Donald E. Miller says, “this book is a landmark study of the religious attitudes and practices of American teenagers.”

Christian Smith, Professor of Sociology at University of North Carolina, is one of the rising stars in the field of academia and he is also connected with the PCA. His earlier books have demonstrated his expertise as a respected scholar, researcher and Christian.

Earlier this year we reviewed the book Hurt by Chap Clark, which was an assessment of many studies and conclusions about the rising generation. Early in 2004 we reviewed a book by George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions. They basically concur in their conclusions. We are failing the rising generation, at least within the church. This book by Smith, representing four years of research, study and evaluation of teenagers between ages thirteen and seventeen over a four year period, funded by the Lilly Foundation, not only verifies the earlier books but adds another dimension.

Soul Searching deals with the place of religion in the life of the teenager. Of the 3,350 teenagers studied from across the country, they found that teenagers were not anti-religious nor did they have to be taken to church against their will. During the teen years, they were interested in religion but not too much of it. They believe in a creator God. They also believe that God is there to help in time of crisis but does not get involved in their day-to-day lives. They believe in right and wrong but do not know how to make that determination.

They found that the people having the greatest influence and impact in the teenagers’ lives were their parents. Teens generally copied the lifestyle of their parents. That was a second nuance of importance, along with their interest in religion. When asked where they learned their faith and the things they believe, teenager after teenager said, “from my parents.” Some even mentioned the influence of the church in their lives.

The study included the following statistics, “three quarters of U. S. teens between 13-17 years old are Christians…about half Protestant and one-fourth are Catholic.” “Christianity, in other words, still very much dominates American religion numerically at the level of teenage affiliation.” The study even revealed, “many nonreligious U. S. teens believe in God, attend church, and pray.” Another interesting finding was that most teenagers do not mix or match their religion, that is they affiliate with one religion or no religion.

They found that among the different groups studied, Mormons were most likely to hold to the religious beliefs of their parents with conservative Protestants second, followed by mainline Protestant Catholics and black Protestant teens. Jewish teenagers ranked fifth though a majority do “lean strongly toward their parents.” This means, says Smith, contrary to much opinion, teenagers are not flocking in droves to alternative religions, though some are moving towards paganism and Wicca. Presently Muslim teens represent one-half of one percent of U. S. teens and Buddhists less that one-third of one percent.

As you read Soul Searching you begin to get a good feeling about teenagers and start making some course corrections in your understanding of teens and their religious attitudes; that is until you hear Smith’s conclusion. Even with all the data about teens and religion, Christianity and the church, the bottom line is Smith describes them as moralistic, therapeutic Deists. They believe in God but not a God who has much to do with their daily lives; however, he is there in time of great need, or a crisis. They also believe in the idea of right and wrong but are not always clear as how to determine the difference. They believe that God wants them to live good lives because good people are happy and go to heaven.

If you asked Smith where teens get this moralistic, therapeutic deism he would quickly remind you that his study reveales that the parents were the greatest influence in their life. They have taught this to their children. They want them to be religious because those teens interested in religion are less likely to get involved in drugs and other destructive things and they do better in school.

As I read this challenging book, I immediately thought of Barna’s and Clark’s books mentioned above. Barna said parents are not helping their children develop a biblical worldview and the church is not helping the parents know how to do that. Clark says similar things about the parents, who according to the younger generation are abandoning them in the sense of not helping them to know how to understand life and reality. Of course they are giving their children the best of others things but are not taking the time to help them have a biblical framework for life. So many say that their parents are leaving those things up to teens and not trying to push them in the area of religion.

Smith states that the church is one of the few remaining social institutions in which adolescents participate together with fellow believers of all ages and life stages. This gives the church a great opportunity to disciple young people. However, if moralistic, therapeutic deist is an accurate description of today’s teens, then we have to conclude with Barna that both the church and the home are not shaping the solid biblical foundations for the youth.

Smith says in conclusion this book is intended to be “among other things, a stimulus for soul-searching conversations among adults in various communities and organizations about the place and importance of adolescents in our lives and, in particular, the significance of the religious and spiritual lives of teenagers today.” He further concludes, “To provide a bit of initial input to those discussions, in this brief unscientific postscript we step out of our normal sociological roles-with more than a little trepidation-to try to imagine some of the book’s possible prescriptive implications for communities of faith. To be perfectly clear about our purpose here; we are academic sociologists, not religious ministry consultants or promoters. Nevertheless, detailed knowledge and understanding of the social world often raises real questions about cultural and institutional practices and commitments that can make real differences in people’s lives.”

Need we say more? Let this book challenge you as parents and church leaders to evaluation what you are teaching the rising generation. More importantly, let it challenge you to examine your beliefs and practices and the teaching of the church.

Unless you have been a Rip Van Winkle, you know that we are living in an extremely complex culture, particularly in western North American culture. Our society is dominated by the ideology of pluralism and beliefs that “ideas do have consequences.” There have never been more choices on the religion assembly line. In the U.S. there are more than 150 organized religions. When we add all kinds of other religious groups or movements, the number mushrooms even higher.

Paul Chamberlain, a teacher of apologetics and ethics at Trinity Western University, is well aware of this dynamic. He understands that we are being pressured more and more to keep our religion to ourselves and not attempt to impose it on others, to buy into the idea that one religion is as good as the next and no one actually exclusively represents the truth. Chamberlain correctly assesses that bringing up either religion or politics in public is a risky business – in most cases we are told that it is simply not politically correct. It may suggest that I am right and you are wrong and that conclusion does not win friends. We simply have to learn to be tolerant of other people’s views.

You’ve heard that statement, “We simply have to learn to be tolerant of other people’s views,” however, tolerance is a concept that has undergone much transition today. Early on tolerance represented the idea that though you differ with me, I am willing to tolerate your ideas. And, although you may tolerate one another’s differing ideas, it was acceptable to attempt to persuade them to your side. Today, to be tolerant and remain politically correct has come to mean that I cannot assume that you are wrong and I am right – we simply have different views and I must approve your views regardless of whether they are right or wrong.

Chamberlain uses a dialogue between “Michael” and “Isaac” throughout the book. Isaac represents a new member of a university fraternity house, a traditionalist, and a moral thinker. Michael is seasoned member of the fraternity and speaks with Isaac on the day following 9/11. Michael challenges Isaac to reconsider whether good and evil are real categories and, if they are, are they merely determined by one’s culture? Maybe morality is simply a personal matter, which if so, should not be assumed to apply to others universally. Then there is the question about God. And what about evil? Is there a universal concept of God or evil?

Chamberlain demonstrates there are those who insist on being “politically correct” and tolerant, who believe there are no universal concepts applicable to all – except for one qualification. The one universal absolute that does transcend cultures, individuals and societies is that “tolerance is the supreme moral virtue.” That is true for everyone. It is a bit like the relativist insisting there are not absolutes except that there are no absolutes. Michael challenges Isaac’s right to impose his moral values on others. Isaac responds with the certain need for a point of reference, which Michael challenges.

Chamberlain expands this idea to talk about how new technological developments have brought great dilemma to the scene. If the definition of tolerance and political correctness are in vogue, then who’s to say that embryonic stem cell research is wrong, or euthanasia or abortion? On what basis can we say that lethal injection is wrong to end a person’s suffering? Therefore, Chamberlain says that our society is morally confused. With all the conflicting viewpoints, how can we reach real conclusions about these or any other topics?

Throughout this book, as issues are raised and Isaac is challenged to rethink his traditional moral approach to things, one begins to feel a sense of frustration, even hopelessness, to be quiet and live our lives, hold our beliefs and allow others to do the same. However, Chamberlain believes that it is possible for us to make a difference in this moral morass. The final chapter has several suggestions that we can apply in an attempt to challenge a person’s moral values while respecting their right to hold to them. He uses examples from history to point to people who have stood firmly in their beliefs and made a great difference. To do so does requires “careful strategy”.

The bottom line is that we should not hesitate, if we are well-informed and aware that we cannot force our views on others, to be social activists, fighting for what we believe to be right and not capitulating to those views that we believe are wrong and destructive. Adults should read this book. Students should carefully read it, and study groups can benefit from working through the eight chapters.