Book Review – “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness” by Tim Keller

Remember. We are told to remember many things. Our parents told us to remember to brush out teeth before bed, remember to clean up our room, remember to finish our lunch at school, etc. God tells Israel to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8) and to remember the day when they left the land of Egypt (Deut. 5:15). Remember.

Forget. We are told to forget many things as well. If we receive new training on the job we may be told to forget everything we thought we knew about how we did our job previously. While encouraging us in our Christian life Paul tells us, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Phil. 3:14). He also encourages us to forget about ourselves. Really?

This is exactly what Tim Keller brings out of Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 3:21-4:7 in his new book the Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. The primary verses in this section are as follows:

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Cor. 4:3-5)

In addressing the many divisions that were in the church of Corinth “Paul shows that the root cause of the division is pride and boasting” (p. 8). It is pride and boasting that shows we have a high view of self. But lest we think we can just think lowly of ourselves and be getting it right Keller reminds us, “A person who keeps saying they are a nobody is actually a self-obsessed person” (p. 32).

If we are not to think too highly of ourselves or to lowly either, then how are we to think of ourselves? We are to be self-forgetful. How does this work? Keller explains:

A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a gospel-humble person. The truly gospel-humble person is a self-forgetful person whose ego is just like his or her toes. It just works. It does not draw attention to itself. The toes just work; the ego just works. Neither draws attention to itself. (p. 33)

So Paul will not be judged by others, but neither will he judge himself. It is only the Lord that judges. And here is where the freedom of self-forgetfulness comes in. “But Paul is saying that in Christianity, the verdict leads to performance. It is not the performance that leads to the verdict” (p. 39). The deal is that before we can even perform any of the good works we were created for (Eph. 2:10), we have been declared righteous in Christ at the moment of our salvation. It is then out of this declaration of being found righteous in Christ that we can and do perform these good and righteous works. This is the freedom of self-forgetfulness!

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness was truly a joy to read as well as a reality check as it exposed the depths of pride in my heart. I read the whole thing in one sitting which is best but I encourage readers to read it all the way through several days in a row. The further you read the more the point becomes clear. Just when I thought I had an idea of what gospel-humility was I read this book and realized I still had no idea. This is a must read for any Christian living in the self-absorbed culture of our day that has crept its way into the pews of our churches and the seats of our homes.

NOTE: I received this book for free from 10ofthose.com in return for a review and I was under no obligation to provide a favorable one.

 

Book Review – “Die Young: Burying Yourself in Christ” by Hayley & Michael DiMarco

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dig your own grave? For real though. We use the phrase ‘Your going to dig your own grave if you_____’ metaphorically all the time. I suspect there have been some throughout history who have literally had to dig their own grave six feet in the ground at gun point. How often do we consider the fact that in a way this is what Christ is asking us to do at the moment we trust him as savior and each day we live as a redeemed child of God?

In their new book, Die Young: Burying Yourself in Christ, seasoned authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco are calling all Christians to die young and bury themselves in Christ. This is a book about living as dead to sin and alive to Christ. Black may be the new pink and 40 maybe the new 30 but for the Christian death is the new life. “People bury themselves in things they hope will save them, but the only one who can truly be saved is the one who is buried in Christ (p. 18).”

Die Young is all about self-denial. Not in a monastic asceticism sort of way by removing yourself from society and the comforts of life. “Die Young is about that kind of death, the dying-to-self kind of death, the ‘living sacrifice’ that Paul wrote to the Romans about in Romans 12. This ability to deny yourself so that you don’t serve your desires over his (p. 13).”

Through a series of seven chapters that present implications of the gospel in the life of the believer, the DiMarco’s present aspects of the Christian life in the form of statements that reverse how we might naturally think about things. This seven fold picture begins with the reality that for life in Christ to begin we must first die to ourselves. Death is the new life. Christ died to sin (our sin) and rose again to new life. When we respond to his gospel invitation in faith we make a decision to die to ourselves and are buried with Christ in His death to our sin and we are given the new life that He accomplished in His resurrection. Christ’s death and life become our death and life.

Chapters two through six cover five more areas in which the gospel reverses how we might naturally think about things in this life. Down is the new Up deals with concept of living humbly before God and others. “It’s from a lowly position of self-awareness and sin that we are saved because God reaches down and touches us in our need (p. 45).” Less is the new More deals with our desire for stuff and our hearts desire to make idols out of it – even the good stuff God blesses us with. Everything we have comes from God but we can ask from it what it cannot give us (and only God can) when we turn it into an idol. Our hearts desire should be to give from what we have been given instead of hoarding and wasting it. By giving more we are dying to our desire to keep what we have. “It is the deep desire within us to get more that giving is mean to kill (p. 91).” Weak is the new Strong is a recognition that we cannot do life on our own and that we cannot even die to sin on our own. Once we recognize that we are weak then God can show us his strength. In Slavery is the new Freedom we see that being a slave to Christ is what brings us true freedom in this life and allows us to enjoy it in the life to come. When we become free in Christ we become free from the death (separation from God) that slavery to sin brings. Slavery to Christ brings with it freedom from the condemnation of God when we were in our sins (Rom. 8:1). “This is the freedom that slavery (to Christ) brings, freedom from the condemnation that ought to come from sin but doesn’t because of the blood of Christ (p. 123).” When we are slaves to sin we receive the result death brings (separation from God) which is a lack of freedom from God’s judgment on our lives. Finally, in Confession is the new Innocence we are comforted in the reality that when we sin we have an advocate with the Father in Christ so that when we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive because we have been united with Christ’s death and burial to sin and share in the new life His resurrection brings. We need to confess our sin at the time we respond to the gospel and daily as we walk with Christ. Confession is the cure to the guilt that sin brings with it.

Whether or not the DiMarco’s intended to do so, the final chapter, Red is the new White, offers both a conclusion to the book of counterintuitive statements about the Christian life but also a complementary statement to the first – death is the new life. Throughout Scripture there is a consistent witness to the reality that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (ESV – Heb. 9:22).” Red is the new White demonstrates for us that when we are covered in the blood of Christ we are made white as snow (Isa. 1:18). With Christ’s death there is shed blood. In Christ we are covered in it and we have new life in Him. Thus, “the blood is our bleach (p. 170).” Death is the new life and red is the new white are complimentary statements that serve as fitting book ends to this encouraging book.

There are two things that were really helpful in this book. First, it is evident page after page that this is a book deeply grounded in Scripture. Almost every page not only cites Scripture but quotes verse after verse. The words of the authors and Scripture are woven almost seamlessly together. Second, each chapter has a number of short stories from the lives of Hayley and Michael about how they have struggled with and applied the truths of each chapter. These are not superficial stories but are very transparent and readers will find it very refreshing to read. At times they seem to chop up sections of the chapters and you are not sure if you should read them and then move on or finish the paragraph in the text and then go back and read them. Nevertheless they are helpful.

Die Young is a great book that will refresh your soul. The author’s honesty is most helpful. The chapter titles are catchy and thus easy to remember allowing you to return to reflection on their content. So pick up your shovels and dig your grave. Because death is the new life and red is the new white. Dig your grave where you will bury yourself in Christ, die to sin and live under the blood of Christ that makes you white as snow and free in Christ.

NOTE: I received this book from Crossway for free and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

 

Book Review – “Jesus + Nothing = Everything” by Tullian Tchividjian

Jesus + Nothing  = Everything. Its a simple equation really. Similar to the mathematical equation 1 +1 = 2. But as simple as it looks and sounds it is so hard to live out. This is what Tullian Tchividjian discovered in his first year as senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Tchividjian begins by explaining the inner struggle he had over his own identity during his first year at Coral Ridge:

I’d never realized before how dependent I’d become on human approval and acceptance until so much of it was taken away in the rolling controversy at Coral Ridge. Before, in every church I’d been a part of, I was widely accepted and approved an appreciated. Now, for the first time, I found myself in the uncomfortable position of being deeply disliked and distrusted, and by more than a few people. Now I realized just how much I’d been relying on something other than – something more than – the approval and acceptance and love that were already mine in Jesus (p. 22).”

What Tchividjian recounts for the reader here is not something unique to him. No, desire for the approval, acceptance and appreciation of others is something that strikes at the heart of everyone. We have an addiction to being liked and we desire what he hope others think about us more than what we have in Christ. We have a gospel problem.

The solution to this problem is found in the gospel and for Tchividjian much of this gospel truth was found in the book of Colossians. It is here that Tchividjian discovered the gospel truth that Jesus + nothing else  = everything because everything we have in Christ is all we need to shape and find our identity. The growing truth that is set forth in this book is that though we need to gospel to get saved we need it just as much after we are saved. The gospel not only “ignites the Christian life” but is also “the fuel that keeps it going (p. 37).” This is a book about helping us to find and remove the idols in our lives that our hearts seek to build our identity around.

The greatest threat to the believer finding satisfaction in their identity is Christ is legalism. “Legalism happens when what we need to do, not what Jesus has already done, becomes the end game (p. 46).” It is because these self-imposed structures seem so right that makes them so dangerous. “Our rules become our substitute savior, and keeping those rules becomes our self-salvation project (p. 48).” It “preserves our illusion that we can do this (p. 49).” This legalism is a double edged sword and so cuts both ways. First, there is “front-door legalism.” This says that “I can find freedom and fullness of life if I keep the rules (p. 51).” Second, there is “back-door legalism.” This says that “I can find freedom and fullness if I break all the rules (p. 51).” But both sides of the coin mean I am trying to save myself and neither is the gospel.

The freeing message of the gospel from legalism is that in Christ we are free from the law and its desire to enslave us to the double edged sword of legalism. We need to bask in the reality that Christ has freed us from the demands of the law for he has met them because we cannot. Our self-imposed legalism cannot help us fulfill the law. We were never intended to and God does not expect us to. Our attempts are displeasing to him and they diminish the law fulfilling work of Christ that has already been accomplished on the cross.

Page after page Tchividjian lays out for us the freeing truth of the gospel. It is this gospel truth that we need to run to everyday. It is this gospel truth that keeps us day by day. It is the gospel truth of what Christ has already done for us in Christ that enables us to stand before almighty God because he has freed us from sin and covered us in himself.

This is a book that every believer needs to read and digest. This is probably the most encouraging book I have read all year and one I will return to for years to come. Jesus + Nothing = Everything is a freeing gospel truth!

 

Book Review – “King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex and Power” by Philip Graham Ryken

What if you were offered anything you wanted? What would you choose? Fast cars, money, a nice job, friends, a big house or a big boat. There was one man who was offered anything he wanted and he didn’t pick any of those things. In fact, in not picking those things he ended up with most of them anyways. His name is King Solomon. Solomon didn’t ask for anything that most people ask genies for. Solomon asked for wisdom. “So give your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil (I Kings 3:5a).” To many it would seem that in making such a wise request Solomon would have been successful until the day he died. Unfortunately, as I Kings records that is not the case.

King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex and Power is a devotional walk through the book of 1 Kings as it pertains to the live and reign of King Solomon. Ryken presents the reader with the highs and lows of Solomon’s life as king of Israel. We see first hand Solomon’s successes and failures. Chapter by chapter we are brought face to face with how much our hearts are like Solomon’s. How much we are tempted with the same vices of money, sex and power.

Ryken contends that Solomon’s life represents that of the literary type of ‘tragedy’ (p. 171). Solomon started off on making the right decisions but ended his life as the result of making bad decisions.

Solomon’s Right Decision

Early on in 1 Kings God approaches Solomon and offers to give him anything he asks for (1 Kings 3:9-13). Solomon makes a wise choice and chooses wisdom. As a reward for his wise choice, God promises to give him “riches and honor (1 Kings 3:13-14).” Solomon would not only be the wisest man of his time but he would also be the richest and most sought after person.

Immediately following the reception of this God given wisdom we see Solomon using it to judge Israel. When Israel hears “of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer judgment (I Kings 3:28).” God’s divine gift of wisdom to Solomon is evident to all and God is glorified in it. We have to stop and ask ourselves, “Is God glorified in the gifts He has given me?”

Though Solomon requested wisdom to judge the people God gave him much more than that. God gave Solomon riches beyond imagination. Unfortunately, Solomon’s decision to ask for wisdom did not mean he always made the wisest choices.

The Temptation of Money

As it was with the rich young ruler that Jesus encountered in the NT so it was with Solomon. Solomon was enamored with riches and possessions. Though he was obedient and built the temple he also built a house for himself that was far beyond the expense of the temple. In the royal safe he had hundreds of gold shields and in his house he had the windows plated in gold. In fact, near the end of Solomon’s rule 1 Kings 10:14 records for us how much money Solomon took in each year in gold alone: “The weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents.” Later in the text we see that Solomon amassed  ships in which he brought home different kinds of exotic animals to have for himself (1 Kings 10:22). It was not the mere possession of these things that was sinful but rather that Solomon allowed them to turn his heart away from trusting God to trusting them.

The Temptation of Sex

Many people believe that Solomon did not have a problem with women until the end of his rule. This is definitely not the case. In fact, Solomon began his rule with women problems. In chapter 3 we see Solomon starting off his rule by marrying the daughter of Pharaoh king of  Egypt. At the end of his rule in chapter 11 we see Solomon holding nothing back when it came to his desire for women and sex.  The first three verses reveal for us how sinful Solomon’s heart and actions were:

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart (1 Kings 11:1-3).

As wise as Solomon was he played the fool when it came to women. Ironically, it was his lust for women that eventually turned his heart away from God and brought God’s judgment on him.

The Temptation of Power

In conjunction with Solomon’s desire for women was his desire for power. Many of the marriages Solomon had were primarily attempts at political alliances that would have no doubt brought Solomon protection and power. Not only did Solomon have political power but he had military power. 1 Kings 10: 26 tells us that Solomon had “1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”

The life and rule of Solomon is truly a tragedy. One could only wonder if God’s people would ever have a godly king that would follows God all of his life. Thankfully a better king was to come. In fact, the next king of Israel to come on the scene is the final promised king – King Jesus! Jesus is the true and better king of Israel!

Aren’t you glad that Jesus is a better Solomon? That God’s kingdom is not dependent upon a failing earthly human king but a dependable heavenly saving king Jesus Christ! The temporary kingdom Solomon built is a picture of the eternal kingdom God was going to build with Jesus Christ as its king. Solomon’s successes give us a glimpse into the kingdom of God and his failures show us how much better Jesus will be as our king in God’s kingdom.

King Solomon is a humbling reminder that we can all succumb to the temptations of power, sex and money. That an earthly king will always fail to meet the perfect demands of God and that Jesus is the only true king who is ruling at the right had of the Father waiting to consummate his rule over the whole world.

NOTE: I received this book for free and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

 

Book Review – “Dictionary of Christian Spirituality”

Within the last ten years or so it has been the habit of publishers to make books in dictionary form that are dedicated to a particular subject, person or idea that has within it a multitude of words, concepts and ideas. Some of these are broad like the Old Testament and others are more specific like Paul. Since many of these dictionaries deal with subjects like hermeneutics, theology or backgrounds they naturally carry with them a more academic feel though the layperson can greatly benefit from them.

The Dictionary of Christian Spirituality is the newest in a long line of needed and useful dictionaries. As a book that centers on Christian spirituality, and therefore the Christian life, it is a book that will benefit a broad range of believers beyond the pastor, student and theologian. This is a book that every Christian can benefit from both in their knowledge of Christian spirituality and in their growth as a Christian.

As the title indicates this is a book about spirituality within the Christian tradition. As such there is plenty of material not covered on the topic of spirituality. This is by no means a downfall as the book is seeking to service Christians in their walk with the true and living God.

Before this book even gets to the dictionary part for which it was made it deals with a number of necessary introductory issues. The idea and Biblical basis for Christian spirituality are laid out. The various methods of Christian spirituality are presented with pros and cons. Two chapters deal with spirituality in both testaments. Several chapters deal with the triune nature of God and the role each member of the trinity plays in the Christians life. A number of chapters provide a brief overview of the history and development of Christian spirituality beginning with the early church to the present. Many of the key aspects of the spiritual life are discussed such as the role of prayer, experience, music and the arts and church liturgy.

Borrowing from Aumann, John Coe sets forth the following as a definition of Spiritual theology:

Spiritual theology is that part of theology that brings together (1) a study of the truths of Scripture with (2) a study of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the experience of human beings (3) in dependence on the illuminating work of the indwelling Christ, in order to (a) define the nature of this spiritual life in Christ, (b) explain the process of growth by which persons advance from he beginning of the spiritual life to its full perfection in the next life, and (c) formulate directives for spiritual growth and development (38).

Setting up this definition Coe offers four implications for the study of Christian spirituality. First, despite the often esoteric, mythical and subjective idea of spirituality as found in many religions, Christian spirituality stems from a revealed faith. God defines Christian spirituality and not man. Second, Christianity derives its theology of spirituality and the spiritual life from a revealed base – namely, Scripture. As such, the nature and outworkings of Christian spirituality are not left to the person themselves but are grounded in and guided by the revealed word of God in Scripture. Third, inherent in the word spiritual is reference to the Spirit of God Himself. Spirituality for the Christian is an interest in the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. In this sense, the only true spirituality is Christian spirituality. Finally, foundational to the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer is the Spirit’s preparing of a persons heart and mind for the work of the Word in bringing spiritual growth. This preparing starts with initial salvation and continues in the life of the believer as they grow in their spiritual walk.

The Dictionary of Christian Spirituality is a great addition to ones personal library of spiritual works. It is a broadly evangelical work not just by the wide range of denominational representatives who contributed but it also seeks to tie in the contribution of Christians outside North America. The first 240 pages provide the reader with much needed and useful information and enriching discussion on the multifaceted nature of Christian spirituality. One stand out aspect of this work is that it draws on and connects Christian spirituality with many of the major doctrines of Scripture such as the doctrine of man, sin, the church and the end times. Most fundamentally is the relating of Christian spirituality with the triune nature of God. Simon Chan contends that “spiritual theology may be understood as the exploration of the nature of life in relation to the Trinitarian economy (p. 53).” Thus, the spiritual life is the exploration of the persons “relation to the distinct works of the persons of the Trinity (53).”

The dictionary portion of the book itself includes entries that fall under a number of categories:

1. Christians known for their work on spiritual theology like Francis of Assisi and Jonathan Edwards.
2. Spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation and reading.
3. Christian denominational spiritualities like Fundamentalist Spirituality and Reformed (Calvinist) Spirituality.
4. Spiritualities of other religions such as Hindu Spirituality and Nature Mysticism.

It was Lovelace who coined the term “the sanctification gap” which as Coe defines it is “a gap that exists in the minds of many believers between what they know to be the goal of sanctification and growth, the spiritual ideal clearly set forth in the Bible, and where they actually know they are in their lives (p. 37).” It is an effort to aid the church in filing this gap that the Dictionary of Christian Spirituality exists. At the end of each chapter in the beginning of the book is a list of books for further study on the given subject. These suggestions will greatly aid the reader in gaining a better grasp of the spiritual life as defined by the Christian faith.

NOTE: I received this book for free and am under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

 

Book Review – “Walking in the Spirit” by Kenneth Berding

Have you ever seen couple that has been married for many years? You may have one in your neighborhood or at church. You may see them take walks together in the park, hold hands and sit on a park bench while reminiscing about the past and what they would do if they had another 50 years together. You know the couple I am describing. You could characterize them as having a unified mind and spirit about their lives together. They are walking in step with one another. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took their entire marriage to get to this point.

This picture of a unified mind and spirit as the result of a long fruitful marriage is a good description of the kind of relationship Christians should have with God as they walk in the Spirit. In his new book, Walking in the Spirit, Kenneth Berding takes us through Romans 8:1-27 and helps us to gain a better understanding of what Paul means when he tells us to “walk according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4).”

This is not a book offering 7 steps to a new walk with God by next week. Berding is quick to point out that a life of walking/living in the spirit is the result of a life of walking/living with the spirit. “There is no shortcut to learning how to keep in step with the Spirit (p. 19).” There is much to learn about walking in the Spirit but it must be learned as we actually do it. Walking in the Spirit is an active act of obedience. It is not a hands off approach to the Christian life.

In Walking in the Spirit, Berding presents seven principles of living life in the Spirit:

1. Walk in the Spirit.
2. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit.
3. Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.
4. Be led by the Spirit.
5. Know the fatherhood of God by the Spirit.
6. Hope in the Spirit.
7. Pray in the Spirit.

As a happy marriage of fifty years takes time so it is with the Christian life that is characterized by walking in the Spirit. “The Spirit-ual walk is the sum total of a lot of little steps taken in submission to God’s Holy Spirit (p. 23).” These many little steps over time help to build a strong walk in the Spirit. We must continually set our mind on the things of the Spirit. We must continually say no to sin when tempted. We must continually allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit by following the Spirit when He leads us in one direction or another. Our hope in the redeeming and sin freeing work of Christ as applied to us by the Spirit must remain daily in our hearts and minds. We must never give up on praying for steadfastness in our walk with the Spirit.

There is only one issue I would take with Berding. In his discussion on the leading of the Spirit and how God accomplishes that today he rightly argues that God leads all believers broadly in many of the same ways but also specifically according to His plan to each person. I agree with this 100%! However, he goes on to state that “the Holy Spirit sometimes puts forward more direct communication in various ways, as the Bible records again and again (p. 57).” Some examples he cites are God verbally calling Abraham in Gen. 12:1, Elijah in I Kings 18:1 or Cornelius in Acts 10:5. He also cites references “when God puts something into their hearts or minds to do something” like Nehemiah 2:12 or Paul in Acts 20:22 (p. 58). In response to those who believe that these are special cases for a certain time in redemptive history Berding states, “I believe that God can and does still lead in these ways today, though I don’t know of anywhere in the Bible where the claim is made that God will always do so for every decision we make (p. 58).” I think this is missing the point though and is arguing against a claim that someone like myself is not making. God’s verbally speaking to the saints of old the way He did was necessary in order to communicate His will for their lives because there was no written revelation from God to direct them in those cases. For the New Testament Christian, Hebrews 1:1-4 is clear that though God spoke to the prophets and fathers in many ways “in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son.” What I disagree with is that God still verbally speaks to us today (which seems to be what Berding is implying) as he did to Abraham in Ur, Moses in the wilderness and Paul on the road to Damascus. Christ is the final prophet and is the very word of God. He has given His word to us in Scripture which the Holy Spirit leads us into understanding (John 14:15-31). It is interesting that in all of the personal examples that Berding gives of the Spirit leading his decisions they all fit into the category of God directing his heart or mind and none in the category of God verbally speaking to him.

Despite this small quibble Walking in the Spirit is a good book for any Christian. Berding’s many personal examples as well as those of others he has worked with on this issue are very helpful towards seeing the concept of walking in the spirit more clearly. I would especially recommend this book to a new believer or a more seasoned Christian who is feeling discouraged about their walk with God because of sin in their lives. The book is written in a devotional style and has study questions at the end making itself easy to use in a small group setting.

NOTE: I received this book for free and am under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

 

Book Review – “The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion” by Tim Challies

Do you own your technology or does your technology own you? This is a deeply probing and provocative question. “Am I giving up control of my life? Is it possible that these technologies are changing me? Am I becoming a tool of the very tools that are supposed to serve me (p. 11)?” Answering these questions put Tim Challies on a quest which resulted in his recent book The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion.

Whether we want to be or not we are all plugged into technology. Some of us more than others by choice or by profession. Some of us are plugged in as little as possible and resist the technology pull every step of the way. Still others are plugged in more than they realize and are unwilling to admit it. Whoever you are and how ever much or little you are engaged in technology today, you are affected by it and you need to read The Next Story.

Since technology is here to stay and we all take part in using it (even the resisters) Challies offers a description of engagement called disciplined discernment. This disciplined discernment is when

A Christian looks carefully at the new realities, weighs and evaluates them, and educates himself, thinking deeply about the potential consequences and effects of suing this kind of technology……he relies on the Holy Spirit, who speaks his wisdom through the Bible, to learn how he can live with virtue in this new digital world (p. 17).

Part 1 of the book deals with a theology of technology, the theory of technology and our experience(s) with technology. Challies takes the above approach to technology, versus total rejection of it, because he sees technology as the natural result of mankind fulfilling the cultural mandate in Genesis. God is creative and he created us to be creative. Technology is thus the result of our God given creative ability (p. 22-23).

With the theory of technology, Challies offers several angles to help us better understand how our use of technology can effect us. It involves risk and opportunity, each medium carries with it a message when used, it shifts the balance of power and has biological effects. Borrowing from Marshall McLuhan, Challies gives us four questions to ask ourselves before we involve ourselves in the newest technology in order to “identify the deep-rooted nature – and possible impact – of a new technology (p. 41):

1. What human trait, sense, or experience is enhanced by this new technology?
2. What existing technology is made obsolete by this new one?
3. What old, abandoned technology does this technology bring back to mind?
4. What unintended opposite effects might this technology have?

Asking and thoughtfully answering these questions will help us to become better disciplined discerners when it comes to our use of technology.

The final aspect of technology Challies considers is our experience with it over time. He provides a fascinating and sweeping digital history starting with Samuel Morse in 1844 with the invention of the telegraph and running right up to today with the invention of the computer and cell phone.

Before moving to part 2 Challies asks us to consider four more questions we need to ask of our technology before we use or don’t use them (p. 61-64).

1. Why were you created? – For business or entertainment?
2. What is the problem to which you are a solution, and whose problem is it? – Is the ‘problem’ this technology addressing even real and if so is it my problem?
3. What new problems will it bring? – Will the negative effects of using this technology outweigh the good?
4. What are you doing to my heart? – Is this technology going to become an idol of my heart or is it going to be an avenue through which I will fall deeper into an already existing idol?

Part 2 addresses a number of important aspects of technology, how they shape our lives through our experience with them and how we need to respond with disciplined discernment. Throughout part 2 Challies tries to weave the aspects of theology, theory and experience as he discusses everything from technology as communication, mediation/identity, distraction, information, truth/authority and visibility/privacy. At the end of each chapter Challies recaps the theological, theoretical and experiential issues he discussed, offers some suggestions on how to think about our technology in light of them and then provides some probing questions to answer to help us think about and evaluate our use of technology.

An Obejctor

While I love this book I did have some objections or concerns with some of Challies theological points. It seems there is a disconnect between Challies theology of technology in part 1 and how he applies it later in the book. Due to space I will only address one of them.

In the chapter on mediation Challies defines a medium as “something that stands between (p. 91)” Fair enough. Applied to technology “a digital medium is a device or tool or technology that delivers some kind of data or information. It stands between the one who creates sounds or images and the one who receives them (p. 91).” Were still ok up to this point. Where I think Challies becomes inconsistent or at least tries to draw a false comparison is when he looks at God’s mediation with us through Christ because of our sin and our use of mediation with others through our technology. Challies writes,

The best relationships we can have are not those that rely on mediation, but rather the ones that allow for unmediated contact and communication. This becomes apparent as we examine God’s intention for us as people made in his image. What type of relational interaction were we made for, and hwy is a mediator now necessary for us to experience relational intimacy? The Bible does, in fact, teach us that mediation is necessary for us to know God fully and love one another, but as we will see, this mediated communication is a concession from God and a consequence of man’s sin. Face-to-face contact between human beings is inherently richer and better than any mediated contact (p. 92).

First, it is a false comparison to say that because God used mediation through Christ to bring us to himself because of sin, this makes all mediatorial things inferior to unmediated contact.

Second, following that, this is inconsistent with Challies theology of technology as the natural result of mans creative ability as endowed to him by God at creation. If technology is a result of mankind fulfilling the creation mandate, and it is by definition mediatorial, then how can it be that it is inherently inferior? Would technology not have a mediatorial aspect if sin had never entered the picture? Would we not be using emails or phones to speak to people from around the world? After all God commanded Adam and Eve to form and fill the earth. It seems that mediated communication would be necessary even in a world without sin. Further, when heaven and earth are brought together and sin is removed how will technology be changed? Will God remove all mediated technology? I think this is an issue and these are some questions that we need to think through before adopting this view of mediation and technology.

Many Praises

Despite the faults I find in the book, there are well more good contributions this book brings to the table when it comes to the intersection between faith and technology.

First, while I am not a techie junkie, this is the only book of its kind that attempts to bring theology to bear on technology.

Second, Challies asks the penetrating questions and really identifies with his readers and fellow technology users with them. He asks the good hard questions of us because he has first asked them of himself.

Third, Challies does not make us feel dirty for using technology even though it is used for some pretty sinful stuff. He brings a balance and even-handed approach to it.

I think this is a book that is long overdo but probably could not have been written even 3 years ago. This is a book that only a hand full of people could have written and Challies is certainly qualified. I think every Christian needs to read this book. I do wonder how well many people will be able to make the necessary adjustments in their lives when it comes to their use of technology. I am by no means heavily entrenched in technology (maybe I am and just don’t see it yet) but I found myself walking away with many things I need to think about and have already begun the process of evaluating my own use of technology – changes will be made.

 

Book Suggestion – “Christians Get Depressed” Too by David Murray

On my to-read list for this year is a book called Christians Get Depressed Too by David Murray which Westminster Books has on sale for only $5! The very mention of the word depression can be rather off putting to many – especially Christians. You might ask, “How can a Christian be depressed?” What many Christians don’t realize is that a number of famous Christians battled with depression like Martyn Lloyd Jones and according to a recent study about 70% of pastors struggle with is as well.

This book is not about clinical depression (which is another issue) but spiritual depression. The kind of depression that more Christians get than want to admit to both by those who experience it and those who don’t.

This book can really be read by any Christian whether or not you have or are experiencing spiritual depression.

Here are some endorsements for Christians Get Depressed Too:

“David Murray has written the most helpful, concise, and pastoral Christian treatment of this subject that I have encountered. If you have friends or family members who have experienced depression; if you have experienced depression; or if you want to know how to minister effectively to those who have, then you need to read this book.”
— Guy Waters, Associate Professor of New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi; Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America

“If I felt depressed, Christians Get Depressed Too is the first place I would turn. If I had a family or church member fighting depression, it is the first book I would hand out… If you fight depression, read and re-read this usable, balanced, and timely book; if you don’t fight depression, read it to be informed how to relate to your friends that do, and give a copy to each of them.”— Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Westminster Books has this on sale for only $5!

 

Gossip: It Destroys Churches…..and Pastors

I saw this post Monday from noted and respected Greek scholar Bill Mounce. It deals with gossip in the church and its devastating effects on churches and pastors alike.

Bill states:

A friend of mine just left the ministry. This is a young man who felt the call of the Lord, and committed his undergraduate education to Biblical Studies. His wife and he made an additional commitment to go to seminary, a decision that involved major sacrifice on their part. It was interesting, they said, to live with all the hookers in their town. But the rent was cheap.

And when his young wife’s health continued to deteriorate, they move to another seminary to finish his education.

The point of all this is that we are looking at about six years of significant sacrifice. Six years. Perhaps more.

And then the time comes; they graduate, and move to their first pastorate. He lasted about four years, and when he and his wife couldn’t take it any longer, he resigned and is going into some other area of work, and the church is robbed of a bright and passionate young man who deeply loves the Lord and wants to serve the people.

And what was the cause of this man’s and woman’s loss of a dream? Gossip…….

I am totally convinced that the church visible it its greatest enemy. I am confident that the prophecy of Acts 20:29-30 is paradigmatic of how Satan works.

And what is at stake? The lives of our young ministers? Much more than that. The very mission of the church is that we are to so love each other that those outside the church will see our love and be convinced thatGod the Father sent his Son into the world to make for himself a people of his own possession. It was Jesus’ one prayer for you and for me (John 17).

And yet the evil and the sin persists. The critical backbiting and slander just don’t stop. The sin is relentless.

When will we learn?

Read the whole thing here.

 

Book Review – “The Greener Grass Conspiracy” by Stephen Altrogge

Some people love a good conspiracy. Others avoid them like the plague. Stephen Altrogge believes that whether we like it or not we are all part of one big conspiracy. This is not a conspiracy like Area 51 or Lee Harvey Oswald. It is bigger and more sinister than that – it is a cosmic conspiracy.

In his new book, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence, Altrogge explains this cosmic conspiracy we are all part of:

It’s a conspiracy between the world, my heart, and Satan to steal my happiness. These three are plotting and scheming together to make me perpetually discontent. They’re stubbornly determined to poison the joy I have in God and to deceive me into believing that I can find happiness somewhere other than God. They want me to dishonor God by gorging on the unsatisfying pleasures of the world instead of finding true joy and satisfaction in Christ (p. 12).

The Cause of Discontentment

So what is this conspiracy trying to perpetuate in our lives? Discontentment. Discontentment with what God has given us in Christ.

Where does this discontentment come from? My circumstances or others around me? No – it comes from me. In referencing Mark 7:21-23, Altrogge points out that “the problem is me. I am my own worst enemy. The raging, covetous, discontented desires come from within. They’re not the product of my circumstances, and the desires won’t be satisfied when circumstances change (p. 17).”

Throughout Scripture we see that God is the center of the universe and its activities. That means I am not. God made me for Himself (Isa. 43:6-7). “Discontentment begins when I start trying to be God….when I attempt to displace God from his rightful place at the center of the universe (p. 24).”

Discontentment is the symptom of a greater problem – idolatry. “Discontentment is the result of misplaced worship. It’s the result of giving our heart to someone or something that should never have it (p. 37).” We were made to worship God and not the misplaced desires of our hearts.

But this idolatry has its own cause. Our hearts idolize things when we buy into the lies that Satan has fed us. Satan wants us to think that God is withholding good things from us (p. 51). He wants us to think that God owes us something (p. 53). He wants us to believe that if we get what we want then we will be happy (p. 55). Further, Satan wants us to believe the lie that we know what is best for ourselves (p. 56). But Satan is wrong on all accounts. God gives us everything we need in Christ (p. 52). God owes us nothing because He is our creator. Only God can satisfy and not the things we want. And I do not know what is best for myself.

The Cure for Discontentment

“Contentment is a disposition of the heart that freely and joyfully submits to God’s will, whatever that will may be (p. 28).” It is not an asceticism that rejects all of the good things of life that God has given us to enjoy. It is a self-denial of what I want for myself and a humble submission to what God wants for my life. A truly content person rests their lives in the sovereign will and hand of God.

If the root of discontentment is idolatry then how do we root it out? We do so by putting off these idolatrous desires. We put them off and live in light of the new creatures in Christ that we now are. We do it in the power of the Holy Spirit (p. 43).

But this putting off of idolatry can only come when we bathe ourselves in bloody contentment. That it is bloody refers to the fact that true contentment in life stems from first being content in Christ’s work on the cross. Altrogge explains,

Forgiveness of sins and power to change is possible only because of an exchange far greater than our idolatrous exchange of God’s glory for created things. This exchange is a three-way transaction between God the Father, God the Son and humble sinners who throw themselves on the mercy of God (p. 60).

At the cross Jesus took our idolatry on Himself and the wrathful punishment for our sins from God the Father. As idol worshipers we can be restored to fellowship with God because “our wicked exchange is swallowed up in the greatness of the divine exchange (p. 63).”

The net result of this divine exchange is that we now have what we need to be content despite our circumstances – “God himself. The gospel of Christ makes it possible for us to dwell with and be truly satisfied in God (p. 66).” It is the gospel of Christ that “is the fountainhead of contentment (p. 70).”

The Process of Contentment

So if contentment is found in God through the gospel of Jesus Christ and we have this now, then shouldn’t contentment be immediate? Not so says Altrogge. If anyone knows the painful process of learning to be content despite the circumstances it is the Apostle Paul. Paul was stoned, beaten and shipwrecked numerous times for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet Paul could come on the other side of it and say, “I have learned that whatever situation I am in to be content (Phil. 4:11).”

If Paul were to find his contentment in his circumstances then he would have been an emotional roller coaster. Rather, “the unbearable weight of Paul’s circumstances forced him to find strength and contentment in God (p. 81).” It was in the thickness of horrible circumstances that Paul could open his famous words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).” Altrogge aptly states, “In the midst of trials we never expected, God wants to give us grace that we never expected (p. 82).”

So how do we draw on this grace that we never expected? First, we claim the promises of God. This is not a promotion of name-it-and-claim-it theology. This is a call to claim the promises God has clearly given to us in His Word – promises we are given in Christ. Again Paul states, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).” Second, we go to God in prayer. A content person prays for God’s will to be done and not our own (p. 95). Finally, we find strength in people. “Our growth in contentment will only happen in connection with other Christians. We cannot grow in contentment apart from the body of Christ (p. 97).”

Lest we think that we cannot persevere through the tough circumstances we need only look to Christ. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Jesus was a “man of sorrows”. He endured the greatest injustice and yet was content because He had everything in His Father. Because Jesus endured suffering so can we. Because Jesus was content with what He had in the Father so can we.

The Contentment Thief

Can a Christian be robbed of their contentment in Christ? Altrogge suggests, yes. Just like Israel complained to the Lord in the wilderness in the face of His provision for them, so we can complain despite God’s gracious provision in our lives. “Complaining proves that discontentment is nearby. It is a slap in the face of God. When we complain, we’re saying that God hasn’t been god to us (p. 103).”

So how do we fight complaining? We count our blessings. We need to thank God continuously for what He has given us. If we always think about what we don’t have and play the “what if” game then we will always be discontent with what God has given us and it will never be enough.

The Promise of Eternal Relief

When we look at the first chapters of Genesis we see that God made a good creation. We see that man enjoyed fellowship with God. Then we see that fellowship broken by sin – our sin of idolatrous discontentment with what God has given us. Man had fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden and then he lost it. This fellowship is restored through Christ in an introductory manner. Salvation has been inaugurated in Christ and we now get a taste of its eternal glories. One day when Christ returns we will have full fellowship with God as sin will no longer be in the picture. We will enjoy God forever in heaven as we experience “consistent, constant, guilt-free pleasure (p. 137).”

Discontentment is a sin we all struggle with. Stephen Altrogge shows us how to navigate through its idolatrous roots so that we might turn to our heavenly riches in the gospel of Christ. I recommend this book for everyone!