Book Reviews

This is a much-needed book in the realm of youth ministry. With youth workers staying in ministry less then three years on average, this is a strong book to help those called by God to work with students, whether paid or volunteer, stay involved in youth ministry long-term.

Very few books in the past decade match the depth and openness regarding youth ministry that Matt Brinkley brings to this book. Matt, a PCA youth minister with over twenty-five years of youth ministry experience, writes clear and probing chapters that youth workers will find both encouraging and extremely challenging as well. I found myself regarding Matt Brinkley more and more as a “kindred spirit” as I read the book, even though we have already known each other for years. Do I agree with every youth ministry application and every bit of youth ministry philosophy that Matt makes reference to in the book? Not necessarily, but I do deeply agree with the principles he stresses throughout the book in order to “stay the course”.

I was spiritually strengthened and emotionally encouraged in my own call to youth ministry by the Lord working through Matt’s deep passion for Christ, excitement for His word, and strong desire to help both students and leaders of students.

Pastors, whether senior pastors, associates, or assistants, will also find this book helpful. Seeing the mind and heart of a youth pastor will help them be able to relate to, or at least understand, the church’s youth workers in a better way. Matt also talks about issues that many pastors wrestle with in a similar way. They will find great comfort and encouragement by God working through this book and through the Scriptures presented.

The personal reflection segments at the end of most chapters are very helpful to anyone seeking to do youth ministry for the long haul. May the Lord truly work in and through this book to help scores and scores of youth workers “stay the course of youth ministry.”

Harold Best has written a thought-provoking book on worship that will challenge the reader’s thinking and behavior. He writes, “We are, every one of us, unceasing worshipers and will remain so forever, for eternity is an infinite extrapolation of one of two conditions; a surrender to the sinfulness of sin unto infinite loss or the commitment of personal righteousness unto infinite gain.”

His definition of worship is “… a continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do and all that I can become in light of a chosen or choosing God.” Here is what I mean: “God is the eternally Continuous Outpourer. Eternally he pours himself out to his triune self-the Father to the Son to the Spirit to the Son to the Father in unending love, adoration, sworn purpose, holiness, self-revelation and sovereign glory. God created us in his image. We are thus continuous outpourers-finite to be sure, but continuous outpourers… When we come to Christ by faith, we do not start to worship. Rather our fallen, creature-based worship is washed in the blood of the Lamb and turned right-side up. Now our outpouring, driven by faith, hope and love, is back directed where it was intended to be: to God through Christ by the power of the Spirit.”

Best teaches that authentic worship is continuous and not limited to a time and place. He sees the arts not as tools which are to do a job on us or manipulate us by thinking that God is nearer during singing or praying. In an interview he said that the arts have power and we respond to their power, but God’s power takes precedence and is not to be confused by artistic power. Arts are an expression of our faith, not the cause of our faith. His concern is that worship is being compressed not to just Sunday, but even to “music” which in some cases believers are worshipping worship or even worshipping music. That becomes our own kind of golden calf.

I found reading Harold Best almost like reading the late Francis Schaffer. I would find myself saying, “Wow, what a provocative thought!” The ninth chapter, “The Peculiarity Of Music And Its Unique Role” will give the reader much food for thought. There is one caveat at the end of chapter 11 where he refers to icons and wants to “celebrate and encourage their presence…” but he also warns against their being used to mediate the presence of God or stand in his place. That becomes idolatry. One could wish that Best had given some examples of the difference for the reader. It would also have been good if he had developed more of his ideas on how the various arts besides music could be used in corporate times of continuing worship with brothers and sisters. This book should be read and re-read by pastors, music directors, and music/worship leaders as well as elders.

Here is a book on one of the intellectual giants of the 20^th century, C. S. Lewis. Some would say that Lewis was the most influential Christian writer of his day. His repertoire of writings ranged from children’s materials, to imaginative literature, to Christian apologetics and theology. I was given his Mere Christianity as a young Christian, which sparked my interest in philosophy as a university student.

Large numbers have read his Chronicles of Narnia, imaginative stories, with delight and some of us, not particularly oriented to the fantasy genre have struggled to understand the imagery. In another book reviewed here Chuck Colson speaks of how influential Mere Christianity was upon him and his conversion.

While I have not always agreed with everything I have read by Lewis, I have recognized his genius and ability to make a person think. While that is often painful, it is necessary for spiritual and intellectual growth and development.

Being very much interested in cultural apologetics, I have read him with eagerness to understand, because he says what I have been attempting to communicate for years. In his apologetic, God in the Dock he says, “You must translate every bit of your Theology into the vernacular. This is very troublesome and it means you can say very little in half an hour, but it is essential. It is also the greatest service to your own thought. I have come to the conviction that if you cannot translate your thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts were confused.” I have been challenged by that thought for many years and have committed myself to doing just that.

For those who’ve been intimidated, but would like to read Lewis, this new volume may be just for you. This book is easy to read and not overwhelming. Patricia Klein has put together a year’s worth of daily readings from more than thirty Lewis’ books. It could be Lewis in “bite size”. Overall, it is a good compendium of some of Lewis’s thoughts.

Though it is a daily reading, not meant to take the place of your Scripture reading, it could be read as part of your daily thoughts and reflections. The following from the 17^th of April will show you what I mean about thought provoking. In A Grief Observed, a little book written after the death of his wife, Joy, Lewis says, “Keeping promises to the dead, or to anyone else, is very well. But, I begin to see that ‘respect for the wishes of the dead’ is a trap.” You can read the rest of the comments on that day. Klein selected from Lewis’ most important works in this volume.

This is a challenging book because it takes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to think outside the traditional boundaries of evangelism and disciple making. While it aims at a traditional understanding of a person’s relationship with the Lord and his people, it suggests a different approach to that end.

Kallenberg, a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Dayton, Ohio, challenges us to realize that Christians are missionaries today. Our culture is not oriented to or always friendly toward Christianity. Our role is to make disciples in our postmodern culture. This means that we need to have some understanding of postmodernism, as far as this is possible. If we totally reject that philosophy and fail to hear its thrust and even its plea, we will miss opportunities to do effectively missionary work.

Kallenberg challenges us to be willing “to sing the gospel story in a postmodern key…while not suggesting that postmodernism is not without its own dangers.” For example, modernism was the philosophy of western culture until the mid-20^th century that focused on words, logic, reason, individualism, and skepticism. Ministering to a modern person required certain ways of communicating truth. The prevailing postmodern philosophy requires that we know that philosophy and the culture it is producing for the sake of winning some to Christ. While modernism put the individual before the group, postmodernism focuses more on the group.

Postmodernism demands a more relational approach to disciplemaking than did modernism with its emphasis on propositions. To be effective in ministry to a postmodern world, we need to know how to blend relations and propositions together. We cannot assume, for example, that talking about God in the traditional way will be understood because there are different categories today that were not significant then.

We talk about meeting people where they are in order to lead them to where we want them to be. This book gives several illustrations of that process. It also revisits the concept of conversion. Some Reformed theologians have written about two kinds of conversion. One type is an instantaneous conversion after deep conviction by the law. The other type is an evangelical conversion that comes as a part of the Christian education process of making disciples. (See the lead article by Bob Palmer and the “In Case You’re Asked” page). Kallenberg talks about conversion both as something that happens to the individual but also has social implications. Conversion not only connects us with God but with the covenant community as well. Conversion also gives us a new focus and understanding of the world around us. As covenant people, we have tended to neglect the significance of the covenant, which encompasses both vertical and horizontal relations in our Christian lives.

Today, making disciples requires showing the reality of Christ and the Gospel in our lives as never before. People, especially younger people, are looking for the difference that being a Christian makes in a person’s life. Unless they see that, they are not drawn toward it. And, we must be able to explain how one belief interfaces with another belief in what is called a web of beliefs. Yet, we must not attempt to explain all the mystery surrounding the Christian faith.

While some would say Kallenberg endorses use of the world’s methods, I think he would maintain that we not use the world’s methods but rather that our approach must reflect and understanding of the world around us in order to communicate in the most meaningful way. When a missionary, in the traditional sense, goes to the mission field, he or she has to learn something about the culture in order build a relation and understanding of the people to whom they are to minister. The same is true for us.

If you read this book carefully and thoughtfully, you will be challenged in new ways to understand and practice disciple making. As Kallenberg points out, there is no one way that always works in evangelism and disciple making. And relating to those educated prior to 1970 as well as after will require some adjustments. One example in conclusion: Kallenberg asks a legitimate question: “How can we convey the universal truth claims of Jesus to an audience that instinctively rejects universal claims?” One way is by making the church, a showcase of Christianity as well as the pillar of truth.

This is a book for and about the Church living in a postmodern, post-Christian culture. It is book that should be read and discussed by pastors and all officers who are called to serve the Body of Christ. Philip Ryken has written another fine book calling the church to practice the biblical pattern of ministry.

The book is written around the theme of Acts 2:42-47 and 4:34, 35. Ryken sets forth with great clarity and conviction what it means to be a teaching, worshiping, caring, and growing church. He diagnoses the two sins of relativism, and narcissism as major problems facing the church. He describes how the church should defeat these problems by asking what the Bible teaches about the ministry, not by asking what do people want or what the culture says is relevant.

In the chapter on worship he reminds the reader that worship is for God and not for some other purpose, however noble. With regard to music Ryken says, “Although all good music has an entertaining quality, its primary function is not to entertain, but to glorify God, and as it does so, to teach.” He also makes the point that worship is not primarily for the benefit of non-Christians. He quotes Marva Dawn that some worship leaders “confuse worship with evangelism and evangelism with marketing.”

Elders should take care to read the chapter on “Shepherding God’s Flock.” He points out that the pattern for biblical leadership is not hierarchical, but collegial. “A Christian church has a team of shepherds who provide loving pastoral care for every member of the church family.”

Deacons likewise should give attention to the chapter entitled “Serving with Compassion.” His handling of the text in Matt. 25 about the parable of the sheep and goats is essential reading for all deacons. Ryken writes about the six acts of charity, and shows how they are not the cause or basis of salvation, but are the way of showing one has been saved by God’s grace. As a matter of fact, Christians will have to give an account of their works before the Lord. He also describes how these six acts of charity describe six aspects of salvation. Go and read for your edification.

The chapters on fellowship and small groups, and thinking and acting biblically regarding discipleship are rich in application for biblical patterns. The book has an action guide in the back that leaders can use for discussion, evaluation, and finding other resources. Philip Ryken is setting a great pattern of writing books on the church that are much needed in this twenty-first century. Leaders should not let these go unread.

A.W. Pink is not unknown to most of you. He has written extensively both topical books and commentaries. He writes as a 20th century Puritan. His most famous work, The Sovereignty of God, continues to sell. He is also known for his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Whether or not you are familiar with Pink, this is a good introduction to or reminder of his ability to communicate the doctrines of grace.

The book is a collection of articles written by the author in numerous publications and as usual, he focuses on God in reminding us that it is not about us but about him. You will delight in each of the ten chapters especially beginning with ‘The Design of the Atonement.’ That chapter centers on the atonement, which was designed to bring honor and glory to the triune God by the redeemed, God’s elect. He also reminds us that the intent and design of the atonement was intended to provide complete satisfaction to God for our sins thus bringing us into his presence and fellowship with him.

He also has some unique thoughts on the coming of the Holy Spirit and the role of the third person of the trinity in God’s plan. Pink says that the coming of the Holy Spirit is second in importance only to the coming of Christ. He is also quick to say, as he does with the coming of Christ, the coming of the Spirit is the fulfillment of prophecy.

Pink also has some interesting thoughts on the topic and location of adoption within God’s plan of redemption. Usually we place adoption after justication in the Ordo Salutis but Pink suggests that we have to be adopted and then regenerated. His point is that we are not made children of God by the new birth. We were not made children of God by Christ’s death on the cross. We were children of God from before the foundation of the world by his electing grace. Regeneration simply gives the children of God “a nature suited to their relation.”

His treatment of the necessity of spiritual growth is worth the price of the book. While he reminds us that although we are to make spiritual progress or grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord, our growth does not make God loves us any more than he always does. However, without spiritual growth we will not experience the fullness of all that God has prepared for those who love him. Pink is also clear that God does not fill our lives with assurance of our salvation without “carefulness and diligence.” Pink actually includes two chapters on this topic. What he wants us to remember is that spiritual growth requires the inner working of the Holy Spirit plus a desire on our part to grow in grace.

He also addresses the topic of ‘progressive sanctification” which has troubled many Christians over the years. He makes clear the right and wrong use of that idea. In principle, we are fully sanctified already in Christ but our experience of that is progressive and dependent on our obedience. Of course in Pink’s fashion, he makes it clear that spiritual growth is not optional.

You might also find his chapter on the law, where he clearly distinguished the law of Moses from the Ten Commandments, a helpful read. Pink says that while the law of Moses was required for all Jews and Gentile proselytes, the ten commandments are universally binding on all men for all times and peoples. (A good thought in light of some current debates about the public display of the Ten Commandments.) This will be a good book for personal reading, family study, or even a Sunday school class.