179 pages.

 ★★★★★ 

Every now and then, a book comes along that will dramatically enrich your life. This was one of those books for me.

When Piper says that God is the gospel, what he means is that “the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gift would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment” (p. 13). In other words, the point of the gospel is not just that we’re justified, but that justification allows us to be restored to fellowship with God! That the gift of justification (or redemption or imputation or expiation etc.) is ultimately the gift of being enabled to fellowship with God himself who is the giver of all gifts and without whom no gift would be good.

Piper exposes the man-centredness of a gospel which exists to elevate man; which brings joy in the gifts of the gospel while paying little attention to the gift of the gospel—God. “We are willing to be God-centred, it seems, as long as God is man-centred” (pp. 12, 13).

The ups

First, this book glows with God-centred, gospel-saturated, joy-filled theology. It’s not shallow or sappy. It is rich and deep; theological and accessible; practical and devotional.

Second, if you’re not familiar with Piper’s theology and writing, this is probably an ideal introduction to his ideas. Though Desiring God is probably his defining work, it is fairly long and heavy. This book is quite accessible to the average layperson and will, I feel, give the reader a fairly good idea of what Piper believes. Chapter eleven could be viewed as a brief primer on Christian hedonism.

Third, this book helped me see clearly that the gospel is not the end, but rather the means to the end of glorifying God. It therefore helped me to understand more clearly how God and his gospel relate to each other and how to avoid preaching Christ’s gospel without preaching the Christ of the gospel.

Fourth, Piper exposes the hypocrisy of those who preach that the cross proves the value of man. He quotes Jonathan Edwards: “They are pleased in the highest degree, in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. So that their joy is really a joy in themselves, and not in God” (p. 137). Piper rebuts this Hillsong-style gospel decisively.

I could give a dozen more…

The downs

Honestly, I have few concerns with this book at all, hence the five star rating. However, I’ll point out a few minor things that raised questions for me.

First, there seems to be some confusion on p. 155 surrounding man’s creation in the image of God and the effect of the curse on that image. Piper seems to suggest that our growth into the image of Christ in sanctification is directly related to our creation in the image of God in Genesis 1. This seems to me to confuse two separate issues.

Second, Piper suggests in reference to 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 that “The glory of God shone in the historical, bodily face of Jesus” (p. 70). I tend to think the term “face” here is synecdoche.

I’d be hard pressed to find even a minor third down. Those who know me well recognise this as little short of miraculous as I tend to be a very critical reader. But Piper is precise and he has laid out his words carefully.

Conclusion

After reading the introduction to this book, I scribbled the following: “Breath-taking! Sweet water to a thirsty soul. Amen! Amen! Amen… Amen… Amen.”

I read this book with tears of delight. I hope you will do the same.

Grace to you.

This book supplied for review through BookSneeze®.

263 pages plus appendices.

 ★★★★½ 

A renowned critic suggested that only Shakespeare’s prose “is capable of surviving comparison with Tyndale’s.” Yet Tyndale lived his life—and performed his art—in exile.

This is no mere biography. It is, rather, a scholarly exposition, an historical work. Drawing on the writings of Tyndale and those around him, Teems presents Tyndale in a way that leaves you less confident of the things you thought you knew about him, but more familiar with the substance of William Tyndale as a person.

Chapters are devoted to the various stages of Tyndale’s life as well as to his translation work and his other writings. Significant space is given to providing the historical context of Tyndale’s work and to introducing the men—both friend and foe—who impacted Tyndale most.

The ups

First, this book is a rich source of historical information on the Reformation era. Significant portions are devoted to men such as Martin Luther, Sir Thomas More, Oliver Cromwell, Anne Boleyn, Desiderius Erasmus, Henry VIII, Thomas Wolsey, and many other figures whose lives intersected with the translator’s. The reader will gain rich insights from these encounters.

Second, the reader will come away from this book having read first hand excerpts from many of the letters and documents that shaped the world in which we live.

Third, Teems devotes much space to Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament and the impact it had. There is a helpful discussion on Tyndale’s philosophy of translation and a wealth of information about the history of our English Bible stemming from Wycliffe’s work and progressing through Tyndale’s work to that of his companion, Myles Coverdale, and others.

Fourth, Teems digs into Tyndale’s writings to catch a glimpse of Tyndale that is deeper than the normal focus on his translation work. He seeks to understand his thinking, his philosophy, his theology, and his passion. One highlight for me was learning that even though Tyndale’s translation was considered no little crime, it was for his crime of defending the “heresy” of sola fide (justification by faith alone) that he was condemned to die.

The downs

First, though Teems’ subtle humour provided me with many a good chuckle, his thoroughness borders at times on tedium. Still, it is some of the more pleasurable tedium you’re likely to encounter.

Second, this work is more academic than devotional. At times it is obtuse.

Third, The relationship between the author as a Christian and the author as a scholar is awkward at times. The author is ambiguous about where he stands regarding the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformers. On a few occasions, theologically liberal views are hinted at such as denial of the supernatural.

Fourth, though there are some helpful appendices, there is no subject index. This is disappointingly inconvenient for a work of this nature.

Conclusion

An excellent work. Well worth the read. Enjoyable. Enriching. Edifying.

Grace to you.

165 pages including appendices.

 ★★☆☆☆ 

There is little in this book that sets it apart from how a moderate fundamentalist might handle the subject of worldliness and separation. That is both a compliment and a criticism.

R. Kent Hughes sets the stage for his book by pointing out that if we had only the Old Testament account of Lot’s life, we wouldn’t suspect he was truly a believer, yet the New Testament tells us that Lot was a righteous man and was distressed by the sin of Sodom. Hughes concludes “though Lot was revolted by Sodom, Sodom was in his soul. It is possible, then, for a believer to be distressed by the world while wilfully clinging to the world” (13). Hughes draws a direct link from here to Lot’s lack of spiritual influence on those around him and introduces his main point: “A worldly church cannot and will not reach the world. The church must be distinct from the world to reach the world. We must set ourselves apart to God if we hope to reach the world. In a word, the only hope for us and the lost world is a holy church” (17).

In the chapters following the introduction, Set Apart addresses a series of areas in which the author feels the modern church is prone to worldliness: materialism, hedonism, viewing sensuality, violence and voyeurism, sexual conduct, modesty, pluralism, marriage, and church and the Lord’s Day. The high points in this discussion, in my view, are the chapters on materialism and pluralism. I would consider the chapters on violence and voyeurism and church and the Lord’s Day to be the low points of the book.

Hughes closes the book by emphasising that Christianity is not primarily about saying no over and over again, but is rather an “unending yes” to God.

The ups

Probably the biggest win for this book is that it attempts to address worldliness at a heart level rather than simply addressing a set of cultural taboos. In other words, it tries to focus on what you love instead of on what you do. The degree to which it succeeds in this pursuit is a matter for debate, but the intention is clear and commendable.

Another significant win for this book is its repeated warnings against “bootstrap moralism.” The author constantly seeks to bring Jesus Christ and his gospel into the picture.

Application would be a strong point in this book as well. If you are a new believer and have difficulty applying biblical principles to the areas addressed in this book, you’ll get a lot of helpful insight on application.

Kudos to the publishers for including a general topic index at the back of the book and for using chapter endnotes. While I prefer footnotes to endnotes, chapter endnotes are much preferred to having to flip to the back of the book to find a note.

The downs

This book tends to read like a manual for the Moral Majority political movement in the United States. Not only is it very ethnocentric (even quoting a British minister as if he referred to an American context), but at times it feels more conservative than Christian. There were too many moments when the writing was reminiscent of an elderly fundamentalist preacher talking about how bad the world is becoming. While this may be true in the context of the United States in the last century (note: “may”), it tends to be blind to the broader world context and to the broader historical context.

Additionally, and related to the previous point, this book seems to spend a lot of time on specific cultural applications. This may be a plus as noted earlier for new believers and is perhaps more helpful to the broader evangelical audience the author had in mind, but for Fundamentalists, it may feel like beating a dead horse.

Finally, the amount of weak and invalid logic in this book is not what I would have expected from this author or this publisher.

Conclusion

R. Kent Hughes offers a clear and convicting call to personal holiness. While this book probably has less value for some, particularly in the fundamentalist stream, it will certainly be helpful to others. If you are a new believer just learning personal separation, if you are a young fundamentalist trying to discern legalism from licence, or if you have doubt that a new evangelical can take personal separation seriously, then I would encourage you to read this book.

On one side of John Bunyan’s tomb in London, there is a portrayal of the pilgrim Christian, struggling with his burden.  The other side of the tomb shows Christian kneeling at the cross, with the burden rolled away.

That scene captures (for me) the most memorable part of Pilgrim’s Progress, where Christian finds salvation from his sins at the cross.

“He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.”

Have you ever read Pilgrim’s Progress?  Charles Spurgeon remarked, “Next to the Bible, the book that I value most is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.  I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times.”  I’ve never read any book a hundred times.  But in the handful of times I have read this book, I at least glimpse the value that Spurgeon understood.

Pilgrim’s Progress is valuable because the story is bursting with the Scriptures.  The overall tale reflects the Bible’s theme of God’s provision of salvation through Christ.  Characters like Evangelist and Interpreter explain and apply the Bible as Christian grows in faith, while enemies Giant Despair and Worldly Wiseman illustrate Christian’s struggle to persevere.  Objects and places reflect biblical teaching, such as the narrow gate, Christian’s sword of the Word, the key of Promise, Vanity Fair, and the Delectable Mountains.  The dialogue often includes direct quotations from Scripture, and there are helpful Bible references everywhere.

All of these elements serve to teach the Bible to our minds and to stir our emotions to treasure our lives in Christ all the more.

As a boy, I recall reading with fascination as Christian battled Apollyon.  I chuckled at some of his companions’ bumbling along the way.  I’ve pondered the insights from his conversations.  Perhaps you can remember similar experiences.

This story is accessible to all kinds of Christians, of all ages.  You can read it in the classic version, or a modern-language version, and in pictures.  (I’m currently looking for a good children’s edition.  Recommendations, anyone?)

I wince a little when Christians excitedly describe the Twilight books or latest movie or TV show, while being ignorant of a genuinely helpful classic like Pilgrim’s Progress.  If you haven’t read it yet, you should.  This is a book for your enjoyment and faith.

Perhaps some of you were interested in more information about this topic.

Let me recommend a book that may be a real help to you.

Steve and Robyn Bloem wrote a book called Broken Minds that tells their story of battling with mental illness.

As a young pastor just starting out in the ministry Steve was sidelined with crippling depression that at times required hospitalisation.

The book deals with the family’s journey through this severe trial. It is a burden they carry with them to this day.

These were not the only deep waters the Bloem’s were called to endure. On 11 September 2001 (that’s right), they lost their daughter (and unborn grandchild) in a horrific road accident.

Out of their intense suffering has come a rich counselling ministry to the mentally ill and the bereaved.

What I like about this book is the way the Bloem’s have embraced their burdens and turned them around for the blessing of many.

Steve also looks at the science of mental illness and also gives an insightful critique about current Christian philosophies of counselling.

The book has a chapter on how the Scriptures deal with mental illness as well as a chapter on how the puritans responded to what they called ‘melancholy’ (or as we put it these days ‘depression’).

There is also an extremely helpful section on the effectiveness for ministry of believers (including church leaders) who struggle with mental illness.

The author’s shepherds heart is evident as he ponders hard questions and brings to the table sound and biblical observations and conclusions.

I have given this book to quite a few people and they have all found it an extremely helpful resource. It has brought biblical clarity and grace to many who have needed a better understanding of mental health issues.

In his own words, Steve Bloem is a ‘wounded warrior’ and a ‘man of God on pills’. The Bloem’s humility, transparency and courage shine through in their book.

The body of Christ is much more the richer and better equipped to deal with the ravages of mental illness because of their ministry.

Links:

The Bloem’s ministry website
Amazon link to the book

Since I have quite a few spare copies of the book, I am happy to ship one to you at cost so send me an email if you are interested.

I once read a survey which listed top books recommended by evangelical leaders.  It was fascinating to discover which books had influenced the minds of great pastors and leaders.  Theological titles comprised most of the list, while some were biographical or fictional.

Have you ever considered what books have impacted you?

I browsed the bookshelves (using Delicious Library!) and recalled some titles here.  I haven’t included older works or fiction.

Teaching To Change Lives (Howard Hendricks): when I was a teen, this simple book helped me understand some basic teaching principles.  Hendricks’ conversational style is also engaging and easy to read.  If you are a beginning teacher or looking to refresh your teaching, there is helpful advice here.

Mere Christianity & Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis): Mere Christianity is Lewis’ classic apologetic work,  originally written as a series of English radio broadcasts during World War II.  As a former atheist and sympathetic toward Roman Catholicism, Lewis often demonstrated faulty views, such as his understanding of Christ’s atonement, justification, and his claim that God is able to save “those who have not explicitly accepted him in this life.”  These unorthodox views are also reflected in his children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia.  Despite his errors, Lewis also possessed a great ability to lucidly explain and describe truth in ways which speak powerfully both to children and adults, Christians and non-Christians.

Changed Into His Image (Jim Berg): one of the best discipleship tools you can use, for your own personal growth or for helping others.  With practical language and analogies, Berg clearly lays out the biblical way for making progress as a Christian.  Buy this book for yourself.

Decision Making and the Will of God (Gary Friessen): how can I know God’s will for my life decisions?  Well-meaning Christians have struggled with this question by looking to their circumstances or “inner peace” or “the Lord’s voice” in order to follow God’s blueprint for their lives.  Gary Friessen wrote this detailed, extensive work to critique problems with this approach, and he proposed a more accurate alternative which combines God’s moral will (revealed in the Bible), God’s sovereign will, and wisdom.  (read a great review here)  The book is long but it’s worth wrestling through the main concepts.

The Deliberate Church (Mark Dever): before Rouse Hill Bible Church was planted, I found that this book described the kind of church we want to see established: a church that lives on the Gospel.  The Deliberate Church is a handbook for churches, focusing on the biblical approach to church growth rather than using marketing, programs or business strategies.  Recommended for church leaders.

Australian Christian Life from 1788: An Introduction (Iain Murray): as the snooty food critic says in Ratatouille, “You know what I’m craving?  A little perspective.”  Church history gives a sense of perspective, showing God’s work in past generations and confirming His faithfulness to His church.  These stories of past Christians remind us that God has already been at work here, across Australia!  Convicting and inspirational.

Read any good books lately? (theological or not)  Share it with us…

Rather than assume the Bible is our most influential book (and move on to “more interesting” titles), we should stop and consider what parts of the Bible have influenced us.  In my early Christian years, I was guided by specific phrases or verses, often memorised in AWANA, church or school.  For example:

• “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9) As a child, I learned that salvation was given by God’s grace, not obtained by my works.
• “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”  (John 10:27-28) As a young man, I found assurance in Christ’s promise to keep me secure.
• “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”  (Isaiah 40:6) As a young adult, this verse helped me to value God’s Word over other interests that would not last.

In my twenties, I began benefiting more from whole passages, i.e. from the Psalms and the Epistles.  I also read through the Bible multiple times, tackling books I had never read before.  Books like Isaiah and Ecclesiastes opened new insights into the rich glory of God and the poor state of my own soul.

With help from teachers, I began seeing the Bible as one story with various genres, all pointing to Jesus Christ as the hero.  No other book reveals Jesus like the Bible does.  The Scriptures are also the light by which we discern all other influential books (and movies and TV shows!).

So as a Christian, you should be able to point to specific Bible verses, passages or books which have affected you by increasing your understanding, or correcting your sinful thinking / unbelief, or showing the right way ahead.  Here’s a quick test to ask yourself: in the past week, what specific Bible text has influenced you?  If the only sound in your mind is crickets chirping, then it’s time to open the Bible.

Writing notes in your Bible is a great way to record its influence in your life.  Assuming your Bible has space for notes, you could write down a helpful explanation during a sermon, or write how the verse may apply to you.  Over time, your Bible will look like a personal travel map, showing landmarks in your journey through the Word.

Next time, we’ll discuss about other influential books.  But the Bible is always the best place to start.

Matthias Media is a local evangelical publisher with a distinct focus:

“We’re not the slightest bit interested in adding to the already monumental pile of Christian books churned out each year by the Christian publishing industry. The world needs more Christian books like it needs more websites.

However, we are passionate about publishing resources that fuel, promote and support gospel growth. So our publishing criteria for any project is threefold:

» Does it meet a gospel ministry need?

» Is the content faithful to the Bible?

» Is the quality of a high standard?”

At church, we’ve found much of their material meets those criteria, including the well-known Two Ways To Live gospel tract / training course and small group Bible studies.  I appreciate that the contents are written by locals, as it can be difficult to adapt overseas material for local use.  Matthias Media also produces The Briefing, a leading Australian evangelical publication.

The Geneva Push is a new Australian church planting network, with the aim to “raise up a new generation of church planters dedicated to evangelising churches into existence across this great nation.”  They are a non-denominational support organisation, offering information to update pastors and leaders on church planting news and issues.  They also provide assessments and coaching for potential church planters.

I’ve learned that the ministry and mindset of church planting is very different to ministry in an established church.  Church planters need the kind of support which The Geneva Push is offering.  If you are interested in planting a church, bookmark this site.

This well-produced site is very informative, collecting Australian religious news and providing viewpoints on ministry and social issues.  It’s Anglican-centric, but you don’t have to be Anglican to benefit from it!

Wellsprings

Each quarter, north Queensland pastors Wally Jaworski and Tracy Minnick  publish a helpful collection of articles for pastors, for free.  Produced with independent Baptists in mind, Wellsprings usually includes biblical, theological or pastoral topics by various writers, as well as book reviews.

Have you found a helpful ministry site?  Share it with us!

First and foremost, you are investing in a workflow or a process for studying the Bible.  I strongly encourage you to test drive the software prior to making a decision.  Are you comfortable with the search process?  Are you willing to get more training on the advanced features and syntax?  Have you asked other users about the weaknesses in the software?  How will this software specifically enhance your study of the Bible?  Choosing software with the wrong workflow is like driving a Ferrari on the M2 during peak hour… you will get there – slowly.  Now let’s talk about some of your options:

Both the ESV Study Bible website and Biblegateway.com provide a simple searching interface and basic textual and commentary helps.  E-Sword is a robust tool for studying the Bible.  You owe it to yourself to download E-Sword to see if it suits your needs (and it’s free).

Bibleworks is the tool of choice for the ninja exegete.  The software specialises in the close study of the text with excellent lexical tools.  You need to be comfortable with the original languages to use this product.  There is a significant learning curve for the advanced syntax (is there any other way to become a ninja)?

Logos is more accessible for people without experience in the original languages and for accessing the wealth of theological resources in Christendom.  You should consider the Silver Scholar package or the Platinum package.  Without the NAC, the cheaper packages don’t have enough real-use value.  The Platinum package adds the NIGTC, the PNTC, and the excellent BECNT.  If you are considering Logos, also save some shekels for the MacArthur commentaries, the pricey NICOT/NICNT set, and the theological journals.

We’ve only had these tools for the past 15-20 years of human history.  Most of our favourite authors could only dream of having access to our wealth of resources.  If you’re going to buy it – use it!

1. Truth in Translation is a carefully crafted and scholarly work. BeDuhn brings a wealth of research and knowledge to the table.

2. The subtitle is “accuracy and bias in English translations of the New Testament.” BeDuhn’s work is a provocative challenge to mainstream evangelicalism’s assumption that just about any Bible translation will do. He argues that too often, even in mainstream translations, the translators make the subtle journey from translation to interpretation.

3. BeDuhn’s chapter The Work of Translation was very helpful. In it, he lays out the spectrum of translation philosophies from a) Interlinear to b) Formal Equivalence to c) Dynamic Equivalence to d) Paraphrase.

The most controversial aspect of this book is not just BeDuhn’s decision to include the JW New World Bible in his analysis, but his conclusion that in many passages the NW translation is less biased than mainstream translations such as the NIV or NASB.

Here are some of my concerns with the book:

1. I felt that BeDuhn’s understanding and awareness of the modern debate on translations, at least within Christian Fundamentalism, was lacking. This revealed itself in a lot of ways, but once in particular where he made a statement which seemed to indicate that he hadn’t studied the preface of the 1611 publication of the Authorised Version though trying to make a point about that edition.

2. BeDuhn seems to operate under the impression that he has avoided all bias in his analysis. At no point in the book does he reveal his own personal theological biases (not even to the point where you could confidently nail him as an evangelical). Yet I would argue that it is impossible for him not to have theological biases. He could have engendered a much higher level of trust with his readership had he admitted his position and biases early on in the book. If I had to peg him based on what little he gives away about himself, I would suspect he is a theological Liberal.

3. BeDuhn seems to work from a basis of absolute neutrality on basic fundamentals of the faith such as the deity of Jesus Christ. While he seems to view this as a virtue, particularly in the context of translation work, one has to question what kind of epistemology allows this type of writing. Isn’t failing to presuppose the deity of Christ in translation (which is inherently interpretive… see #4 and 5 below) the same as presupposing the non-deity of Christ? Can we really accurately translate the Scripture under the belief that we must not presuppose any theological conclusions?

4. BeDuhn readily recognised the necessity of understanding the a) linguistic context, b) literary context, and c) historical and cultural environment in translation. But is it not also necessary to understand the overall interpretive/theological context as well? Would we attempt a translation in any other setting which ignored interpretive context?

5. BeDuhn fails to recognise that all translation necessarily involves an element of interpretation. It is simply impossible to translate the entire NT with no interpretive bias. There are often many English words which can be used. Each time we choose one of those words, we have a whole range of linguistic, literary, cultural, historical, and interpretative (or contextual) arguments for why we feel that is the best English word to communicate the meaning and nuance of the Greek word.

6. BeDuhn’s selection of passages to consider demonstrates a certain bias. In chapter thirteen, BeDuhn says “The selection of passages has not been arbitrary. It has been driven mostly by an idea of where one is most likely to find bias, namely, those passages which are frequently cited as having great theological importance.” However, he deals almost exclusively (seven out of nine chapters) with passages surrounding the deity of Jesus Christ. Is this the only doctrine which might be subject to bias in Scripture? Further, several of the passages he cites are passages which are consistent with the deity of Christ, but would not be used to prove the deity of Christ.

7. BeDuhn fails to make a distinction between a passage which proves a particular point, and a passage which is merely consistent with a particular point. It is one thing to translate something interpretively in a way which is consistent with a particular theological bias (such as translating proskuneo as “worship” instead of “homage.” But it is another thing entirely to translate interpretively in a context which would then be used to prove a particular theological point. I feel that to treat these two on the same level obscures the complexities involved in translation.

8. BeDuhn develops a serious credibility leak in his dealing with several established Greek grammar rules. Particularly, he addresses Colwell’s Rule and the Granville Sharp rule. Instead of merely critiquing them and offering adjustments or developments to them, in both cases he simply says they are wrong and should be ignored. In one case, he actually argues that exceptions to the rule prove that it is not a rule at all. The folly of such a statement is obvious.

Conclusion

I wouldn’t claim to have done significant in-depth consideration of this book, but I did want to record my impressions after a quick perusal. Overall, I think the book has helped me to look at translation work more critically.

I would recommend the book to those who have already read fairly widely on the subject of texts and translations and who are very discerning. Otherwise, I would recommend reading at a more basic level first so that you can read this material more critically and knowledgeably. That said, this book is written at a level which would be accessible to a fairly broad range of believers.