Have you ever been in a position in your career when things were going just great and you wouldn’t change a thing? Your job as CEO is going well or your church where you pastor is growing in all the right ways as a result of God working through your faithfulness to His Word. What would you do or say if God told you to quit your plush job at your fortune 500 company for an entry level management position at a no name company because He wanted you to turn it around and be a witness to the other employees there? What would you do or say to God is He told you to resign from your senior pastorate position at a large growing church to start a church in the Arizona desert in a small no name town?
This is the kind of situation we find Jonah in. In his most recent book, Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life, Colin S. Smith takes us through the book of Jonah as we see how Jonah responded to God’s call in his life to leave his successful ministry among Israel in his hometown of Gath Hepher for a less than desirable ministry of evangelism in Ninevah among Israel’s most feared enemies. As Smith observes, Jonah “was living his dream until, one day, God interrupted his life” (p. 16).
It is this divine interruption that reveals the heart of Jonah towards God and others. Jonah was not pleased with God’s will for his life, and so much so, that he tried to run the other way from God. As the book of Jonah unfolds, we see a successful prophet of God acting like the very pagans God has sent him to minister to and call to repentance. As it turns out, Jonah had some repenting of his own that he needed to do. As God wanted to pursue the Ninevites through Jonah, God pursued Jonah as well.
Jonah, though a short commentary on a short book, is packed with exegetical, historical, practical and pastoral insight. Though it is easy to look at Jonah and say how could he act in such a way to God, careful and honest readers will quickly see that none of us are much different when put into the same situations in our own lives. The response of Jonah to God is a mirror into the depths of our own hearts and what it reveals is often not pretty
Jonahis an excellent book for personal or group devotions and will serve all Christians alike.
NOTE: I received this book from Christian Focus Publications and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words expressed in this review are my own.
HELP!: If you see anything that you think would fit into one of these categories then email it to me @ churst555@gmail.com and I will add it to next weeks list and cite you as the referral if I didn’t see it first!
If you wanted to learn more about a person how would you go about doing it? Depending on the person in question you might look their name up in a search engine like Google, or in a book if they would be listed and even search the popular social media sites for information. You also might try and talk to people who knew or know them personally. This would include friends, co-workers, family and even enemies.
When it comes to studying people from the distant past we are left with very few avenues in which to interview people who knew the person we are trying to obtain information about. Often times our study is relegated to reading literary material of various sorts and trying to piece together a coherent picture of the person. So if we were to study a person, say, like Jesus, then would we study him any differently?
Since Baker has made three short videos interviewing Christ Keith about the book I will use them in this review and add additional comments having read the book.
Structure & Utility
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As the Keith states, the book is broken into two sections: Jesus’ friends are discussed first and then His enemies. The two part outline of the book and the uniformity of the chapters gives the book a fluid read. While detailed, each chapter serves to introduce the reader to the character of each chapter providing material for further study.
In the introduction, Keith introduces the reader to Jesus Himself in the same fashion as the rest of the character of the book are discussed. Much attention is given to the apocryphal gospels, namely the Gospel of Thomas. Keith discusses the differences between these gospels the four Gospels of the New Testament. One of the unique differences between the Gospel of Thomas and the four Gospels of the NT is how they present Jesus. Keith explains:
The Christians responsible for the Gospel of Thomas present their image of Jesus in the form of a catalogue of His sayings. In contrast to the Gospel of Thomas, the canonical Gospels have narrators who tell the story of Jesus, characters who enliven the story of Jesus, settings that situate the story of Jesus, plots that direct the story of Jesus, and conflict that drives the story of Jesus to its resolution. (p. 17)
How the Gospel Narratives Portray Jesus
Following a brief introduction to each person(s) is a discussion of the relevant extra-biblical literature. For instance, in the chapter on John the Baptist, Michael Bird looks into the works of Josephus and the possible connections to the Qumran community. For the chapter on Judas Iscariot, Holly Carey examines the Gospel of Judas and the various legends that formed years after his death. Then the Gospels themselves are examined in order to draw out from them what they tell us about Jesus as he interacts with various people. Since the bulk of the material we have abut Jesus is the Gospels themselves, the bulk of each chapter deals with them. The narrative of each Gospel is traced and each contributor notes the points of similarity and dissimilarity in how each Gospel writer presents Jesus. Also apparent is the value in learning about Jesus from how He was misunderstood at so many points, even by His followers (note Peter).
The Historical Jesus
Here, the text of the Gospels is given a priority of voice in the quest for the historical Jesus. After all they are an eyewitness testimony. Keith & Hurtado interact with the two ideas of multiple attestation and dissimilarity in the discovery of the authenticity of the words and works of Jesus. The criteria of multiple attestation states that “the likelihood of a particular saying or action of Jesus being authentic increases if it appears in multiple, ideally independent, sources.” (p. 273 ) The criteria of dissimilarity states that “the likelihood of a particular saying or action of Jesus increases if it differs from Jesus’ first-century Jewish context on the one hand and from the early church on the other hand.” (p. 273) Keith & Hurtado discuss the rationale for each criteria and ultimately show why they are wanting.
Jesus Among Friends and Enemies is a great introduction to Jesus through the various people He interacts with through His life and ministry. There were several bits of insightful observations of both the Gospel texts and the extra biblical literature. There is a heavy emphasis on the reliability of the Gospels to provide us with accurate and trustworthy information about Jesus. Readers will walk away with a greater appreciation for what one can learn about Jesus from all four Gospels and the characters within them. This book will serve students, pastors and teachers as a serious intro to the various people studied and ultimately Jesus Himself.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Baker in exchange or a review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
HELP!: If you see anything that you think would fit into one of these categories then email it to me @ churst555@gmail.com and I will add it to next weeks list and cite you as the referral if I didn’t see it first!
Interpretation of Scripture, followed by right application, is the primary way that we are to be like God. This is not an issue of education. It’s an issue of imitation. (p. 23)
It has been the concern of many that the church has abandoned the task of serious Bible interpretation to the “ivory towers” of the academy and the PhD’s that dwell therein. This has resulted in an unhealthy and shallow church as well as a look of suspicion of the church upon the academy. For too long the church has relegated the task of interpreting Scripture to those with formal education while the church goes along reading their Bible’s simply at “face value”.
This is the current model of thinking for many Christians. But according to Curtis Allen, this should not be the case. To combat this wrongheaded thinking he has written Education or Imitation?: Bible Interpretation for Dummies Like You and Me. This is a challenging and thought provoking book that will shed new light on what it means for Christians to faithfully and fully imitate Jesus.
Allen’s central thesis is simple: the primary way in which Christians imitate Christ is by being faithful interpreters of Scripture. Initially, to many who read that statement, it will come across very odd, out of place and, well, seemingly down right wrong. After all, aren’t the churches two main responsibilities to evangelize and disciple the nations to the glory of God (Matt. 28:19-20)? For Allen, those two commands may be the beginning and end of the mission of the church but there is the middle to consider as well. Allen asks, “What are the means that produced the end?” (p. 19). The answer – “Interpretation of the Word of God, spoken and applied, is the primary means that Jesus used.” (p. 19)
If interpretation of God’s Words is the primary means of imitating Christ then there is a lot of bad imitation because there is a lot of bad interpretation going on within the world and the church. “Bad interpretation of one kind or another can be seen in all acts of disobedience to the Word of God. And like anything else in creation, bad interpretation had a beginning.” (p. 25) Starting with Adam and Eve, mankind has been an interpreter of God’s Word. In the garden, Adam and Eve had to interpret God’s instructions to them regarding the fruit on the various trees and the consequences for eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As we know from Genesis 3, Satan challenged both God’s Word and their interpretation of it. In the end, Adam & Eve accepted Satan’s misinterpretation of God’s word and correction of their interpretation resulting in their sin.
But Adam and Eve were just the beginning of a long line of bad interpreters of God’s Word. Some notable examples that Allen points out are Saul and Satan. In 1 Samuel 10-15 Saul misinterprets Samuel’s words to him concerning how God would mediate His blessing on Saul as king. Later, Satan enters the scene to tempt the 2nd Adam, Christ, while He is in the desert and misinterprets Scripture three times (Matt. 4). But not only does Christ have to correct the misinterpretation of Scripture by Saul and Satan, he has to with the Pharisees as well – the religious leaders of the day! Most of Christ’s interaction with these kinds of religious leaders was correcting their bad interpretations of Scripture.
Thankfully there is hope for bad interpreters like all of us. Jesus. Yes, Jesus is the answer to our bad interpretations of Scripture. Jesus is “the primary interpreter of Scripture because He is the primary object of Scripture.” (p. 43) So often we focus so much imitating Jesus in word and deed that we miss out on an equally important way in which Jesus lived out His ministry among people on earth – as the perfect interpreter of Scripture. Allen points out that “some of the most amazing things recorded in Scripture are not actually miracles but the instances when God explains His own Word to people and then shows them how to apply it….Interpretation and application of God’s Word is of the highest importance to Jesus.” (p. 43-44) Time and time again, Jesus was challenging the bad interpretations of the religious leaders of the day. Then moving from correcting their bad interpretations He corrects their bad applications stemming from their bad interpretations. This is what Jesus wants to do for us. He corrects our bad interpretations and applications so that we can better live for Him.
By following the example of the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if the words of the apostles were true (Acts 17:11), Christians are to be actively involved in interpreting Scripture for themselves and not just leaving it up to those educated in biblical studies. Allen is not saying we cannot learn from others. After all, God speaks through His Word to all believers. However, we are not to entirely depend on the interpretations of others (p. 69). Allen’s words are bold, “All believers should be able to interpret the Bible with little to no theological education.” (p. 72) Again, Allen is no discouraging formal theological education. In fact he encourages it for those who are able and gifted to do so. Rather, he is encouraging all Christians to realize that intentional, active and faithful interpretation on Scripture is a necessary part of imitating Christ. Therefore, all Christians need to take it seriously.
Allen’s proposal is right on the money and he should be applauded for his work here. There is only one thing I felt was missing from the book. Besides a few passing references to the Holy Spirit, there was no extended discussion of the role of the Holy Spirit as the believers helper in imitating Jesus as an interpreter of Scripture. In John 14, as Jesus tells the disciples that He will be leaving them soon, He encourages them with the coming of the Holy Spirit. In 14:26 He tells them that the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” It seems that the Holy Spirit would be the primary way in which believer can imitate Jesus as a Spirit led interpreter of Scripture.
Nevertheless, Education or Imitation? is definitely a challenge to much of the contemporary churches thinking on education as a requirement for interpretation and the, quite frankly, lackadaisical attitude that too many believers have towards interpreting Scripture for themselves. This is the kind of book I would want to put into the hands of everyone in my church and would pray that every Christian reads it. Allen’s book is spot on and his words need a wide hearing.
To be honest, I am often times skeptical about books on prayer. Whether right or wrong, this is how I approach these kinds of books. Too often their desire to offer anecdotal wisdom on prayer, specifically methodology, is rooted in the writers subjective experiences and is uncomfortably disjointed from Scripture itself. At times when it is related to Scripture I feel the connection is unduly stretched. I realize that because prayer is a very personal practice, it is likely that no two people will describe the experience the same. All the same though, we need more books on prayer that move from the text of Scripture, and the prayers it contains, to the prayer life of the believer.
While every chapter has something worth sharing I thought I would share one observation that stood out to me, that, had I read the two books separately with time between them I might not have noticed. In the first book, The Hidden Life of Prayer, M’Intyre discusses the role of confession of sin in prayer in chapter five. In the third section he answers the question, “Why deadness of heart?” He states:
That which impresses us as deadness of heart may be the operation of the Holy Spirit, convincing us of sins hitherto unnoticed. As one looks at some star-galaxy, and sees it only as a wreath of dimming mist, so one becomes conscious of innumerable unregarded sins, merely by the shadow which they fling upon the face of the heavens. But when one observes through a telescope the nebulous drift, it resolves itself into a cluster of stars, almost infinite in number. And when one examines in the secret place of communion the cloud which darkens the face of God, it is seen to scatter and break into a multitude of sins. It, then, in the hour of prayer we have no living communion with God, let us plead with the Psalmist, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see of there be any wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps. 139:23-24).’ …..He will bring up from the unexplored depths of our nature all that is contrary to the mind of Christ and reduce every thought and imagination to the obedience of His will. (p. 49)
These words just penetrated my heart and mind when I first read them and as I write them here they do it again. Though the sin of the believer in Christ does not change our position in Christ it does hinder and effect our prayers in Christ to the Father. But through our prayers the Holy Spirit works in us to expose our hidden sin in order to bring it to the light so we are drawn to confession and further into our communion with God in Christ.
But there is more to be said here. If we are hones with ourselves and God, the mere thought of our sin while we are praying can make it unbearable to even pray let alone allow the Holy Spirit to use that time to draw us to confession of it. Here, M’Intyre closes the chapter with some gospel encouragement:
But, on the other hand, the love of Christ at times so fills the heart that, though the remembrance of sin continues, the sense of sin is lost – swallowed up in a measureless ocean of peace and grace. Such high moments of visitation from the living God are surely a prelude to the joy of heaven. For the song of the redeemed in glory is unlike the praises of earth in this, that while it also celebrates the death of the Lamb of God there is in it no mention of sin. All the poisonous fruits of our iniquity have been killed; all the bitter consequences of our evil deeds have been blotted out. And the only relics of sin which are found in heaven are the scared feet and hands and side of the Redeemer. So, when the saved from earth recall their former transgressions, they look to Christ; and the remembrance of sin dies in the love of Him who wore the thorny-crown and endured the cross. (p. 51)
What I might have missed had I not read these books back to back is a comment made concerning Christ and sin in His prayers. In The Prayer-Life of Our Lord M’Intyre so insight-fully states:
In one Important particular, the prayers of the Lord were unlike those of other men. He who knew no sin, but always did the things that pleased the Father (2 Cor. 5:21; Jn. 8:29), had no confession of unworthiness to offer to God. His was ‘the only conscience without a scar.’ There could, therefore, be no bar to communion with the Holy One, no distance required to be surmounted, no way of access had to be devised and secured. At the close of His earthly life, He lifted up to the Father for acceptance the full tale of His sinless years, saying, ‘I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self’ (Jn. 17:4-5). (p. 82)
Did you catch the connection and difference there? Though because we are justified in Christ before God and have access into His presence, we still come to God in prayer with sin in our lives. However, Christ never prayed to our Father with sin in His life. He never made confession of sin. If He had, there would be no gospel. The gospel requires that Christ be sinless. Can you imagine prayer, communion with God, that is untainted by sin in our lives. Christ experienced it on earth and we will one day experience it with God in eternity when sin is finally removed!
Simply put, The Hidden Life of Prayer and The Prayer-Life of Our Lord are two books that I would highly recommend on prayer. They move from text to application as they are centered on Scripture and the gospels application to our experience of prayer. These books are must reads on prayer for all Christians.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Granted Ministries in exchange for a review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review and the words and opinions expressed in it are mine.
HELP!: If you see anything that you think would fit into one of these categories then email it to me @ churst555@gmail.com and I will add it to next weeks list and cite you as the referral if I didn’t see it first!
Do historical matters matter to faith? This is an intriguing question. Though the answer may seem obvious to many it is not so to others. To many evangelical Christians, Scripture, among many things, is an historical book that gives us a window into a time gone by in world history. There are events, places and people it gives an account of that only it gives us an account of. To those would answer no to the beginning question these historical discrepancies leave them questioning the historical accuracy of the text and sometimes abandoning it all together. To those who would answer yes, they either have to say Scripture is plain wrong or, as a historically reliable witness to these things, it is the only record we have of them and can be trusted as much as any other historical text as a single witness to the past. What are Bible believing Christians to make of this?
For decades, this discussion has been raging but it seems to have picked up more steam more recently with the work, among others, of Kenton Sparks and his book God’s Word in Human Words. In short, Sparks calls into question the inerrancy of Scripture in regards to its historical reliability. To Sparks, Scripture is no less authoritative in its theological assertions and worldview even if the historical references it makes are tied to those theological assertions. To many evangelical Christians who hold to the traditional understanding of Scriptures authority and inerrancy this is problematic.
In an effort to respond to Sparks work, and that of others, James K. Hoffmeier and Dennis R. Magary have edited a new book titled Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith?: A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture. This is an academic work that addresses the issues the authors see in the works of Kenton Sparks, Peter Enns, Donald McKim and others in regards to their view of inerrancy and subsequently their interwoven view of the historicity of Scripture.
To the contributors of this book their basic assessment is this:
Spark’s proposal and similar proposals have been frequently weighed and found wanting in the history of the Christian churches. Not only does his viewpoint depart from a traditional Christian understanding of Scripture’s truthfulness, but it likewise does not accord with Scripture’s self-attestation about its truthfulness or trustworthiness. (p. 17)
This is no small accusation but their desire to respond to and interact with Sparks and others shows the seriousness of the issue at hand when questioning the Bible’s accuracy when it comes to historical matters.
The book is broken into four major sections: Part One deals with biblical, systematic and historical considerations, Part Two deals with the Old Testament and historicity, Part Three deals with the New Testament and historicity and Part Four deals with the Old Testament and archeology.
Part One lays the foundation for ones understanding of the relationship between history and Scriptures account of it within the narrative. In the first chapter Thomas Mccall deals with the issue of knowledge as it relates to history. How can we know what happened in the past, how sure can we be that we are right in our knowledge of it and how does this effect or reliance of Scriptures attestation of the past? To be sure, these are important questions. Also related to the discussion is the place of critical biblical scholarship (CBS). CBS has traditionally seen itself and its method as authoritative and binding on all historians and historiography. Following C. Stephen Evans, McCall essentially concludes that while CBS provides some helpful guidelines for accurate historical method, they are just that – helpful guidelines that are not authoritatively binding on the method (p. 45-46).
In the second chapter Graham Cole addresses the issue we are faced if we have a “historyless systematic theology.” “Sensitivity to the historical dimension of Scripture is not an option. It is inescapable if justice is to be done to the Bible’s own content” (p. 57). If Christians are to rightly regard Scripture as an interpretation of history than surely, its accuracy on historical events matters to faith and its subsequent theology. Cole later argues that the actual happenings of history matter for systematic theology for three reasons: it is of valuable source for ancient cultural expressions such as weights and measurements, it is of value as a witness to God’s deeds in the past such as the Exodus and it is of greatest value is God’s breathed out Word as stated in 2 Tim. 3:14-17 (p. 66).
Perhaps the most accessible and helpful chapters in the Part One, and the book, are Mark Thompson’s chapter on the theological account of biblical inerrancy and James Hoffmeier’s chapter on the historicity of the Exodus as essential for theology. These two chapters alone are worth the book. Thompson gives five theological pillars of the doctrine of inerrancy which I have spelled out in an earlier post. As I have also discussed more fully in an earlier post, Hoffmeier uses the Exodus as a test case to show why it is necessary for theology and Christianity that the historical events recorded in Scripture actually took place.
Parts two and three address a number of historical accounts in Scripture in both testaments in order to show both why their historicity is a necessary part of the theological foundation for the text and that in fact the events, people and places recorded in the text can be assuredly trusted to have actually existed in the past. Many of these chapters take up the issues presented in various forms of critical reflections of the Biblical text such as form and literary criticism.
Part four deals with archeology and the Old Testament. The authors here show the relationship with and the role that archeology has in supporting the historicity of the Bible. John Monson’s chapter on the conquest of Canaan is a breath of fresh air as he removes the dirt and fog that CBS has tried to put on our Biblical reading glasses. Monson rightly contends, as do a number of the other contributors, that it is wrong to conclude that the absence of archeological evidence is evidence against something. There is more to providing reliable support for an event than archeological evidence. “Cumulative evidence that yields strong possibilities in favor of the biblical text is far more convincing than nonevidence (p. 456).
Do Historical Matter Matter to Faith? is evidence that the traditional view of the authority, reliability and inerrancy of Scripture is not without merit, evidence or a strong scholarly case. This is a scholarly and academic work that proves its case well. I recommend this book to every biblical student, pastor and teacher. The only drawback to the book is its lack of accessibility to the lay audience. Chapters like eight which deals with Word Distribution as an Indicator of Authorial Intention: A Study of Genesis 1:1-2:3 will be lost by even many Bible students and pastors unless they have a very good grasp of Hebrew and textual analysis.
Do historical matters matter to faith? The answer to this question is a water shed issue with very divergent conclusions. The contributors of the book believe they do for a number of reasons not the least of which is the trustworthiness of Scripture and God Himself who has spoken through it to us. The character of God, our relationship to Him and our theology depend, in part, on the historical accuracy and reliability of Scripture.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Crossway and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
“We live at a time in which Christians are more consumer driven than truth driven. We have unknowingly become apprentices to the blind guides of hedonism, naturalism, and pragmatism, and this is eroding our ability and motivation to communicate and embody the Word of God in this generation” (Preface)
In his groundbreaking book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll made one of the most devastating assessments of Evangelicalism when he said,”The Scandal of the Evangelical mind is that there is no Evangelical mind.” Since then, those words have haunted Evangelicalism and in many ways been the wake up call to a renewal for Christians to love God with their minds as well as hearts. For too long Christian thought retreated behind closed doors where it grew stale among dust and cobwebs.
There has however, been a spark of life in the Evangelical mind. There have been many who have rightly called Christians to reclaim the gift of the mind for the glory of God. Hopefully, Noll is less right than he was almost twenty years ago in regards to the absence of the Evangelical mind.
Following a long train of books calling Christians to love God with their minds, Jonathan Morrow has recently written a book urging Christians to apply their minds in a quest for applying God’s truth to contemporary culture. Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture is a balance between Christians taking their faith seriously in their own lives, the church and the world and then bringing God’s truth to bear on all of life before a watching world.
The Biblical Call for Engagement
If the Christian faith is to intersect with culture than there must be some sort of engagement with it. This is precisely what Morrow is seeking to explore. How does a thinking Christianity engage the culture? The Biblical impetus for this cultural engagement is found in Colossians 4:5-6:
Walk in Wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (ESV)
These words are written for all believers and all believers are in culture. All Christians live in culture but not all Christians actively engage culture with the mind to apply God’s truth to it. This is a responsibility for all Christians. Morrow helpfully gives four ways in which Christians relate to culture.
Condemning culture – In this regard, Christians condemn the sinful practices within culture such as porn, global slave trade, misuse of natural resources, rejection of the poor and abortion.
Critiquing culture – Here, Christians analyze cultural mediums such as art. This critique should not be condemning but should offer helpful ways in which to improve the form and think about its effects upon others.
Consuming culture – This would involve owning and using cultural products such as cell phones or computers. These are natural products of cultural advancement and growth. Christians should still think about their use of these products but they are not bad in themselves.
Copying culture – There are some products of culture that the church can use to advance the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Using media like the radio and t.v. have been staples for Christians. With the advent of social media, Christians have been able to get the gospel out to more and more people.
These four basic ways in which Christians engage culture show us that culture is not inherently evil. But neither is all of it good. Christians must think about their involvement and always evaluate their involvement with it according the the gospel.
A Foundation for Engagement
Since Christians are to engage culture, then we must be ready to do so. There is no excuse for sloppy thinking or haphazard approaches to fighting at the intersection of faith and culture. What Christians need to realize is that Christianity, because, rightly understood, it is based on God’s truth, speaks to all of live. It is a worldview that actually addresses every area of human existence and thought. It is a comprehensive worldview.
In order to bring the Christian worldview to bear on all of live through cultural engagement, Christians must have a handle on both the Christian worldview and the competing secular worldviews. Knowledge of competing worldviews makes for more honest assessment or it and more persuasive interaction with it. Knowing the thought process of your enemies is half the battle to defeating them. Similarly, Christians must know the ins and outs of their own worldview. There is nothing worse than an ill-prepared soldier. It is wrong to represent the gospel unprepared to show how it relates to the basic areas of life.
The greatest example loving and truthful cultural engagement is that of Jesus. Though Jesus said plenty about the future, he also said a lot that pertained to the present. During His 3 year earthly ministry He was always with people. He always knew what each person needed. Whether teaching, loving, rebuking or challenging, Jesus engaged the culture and its thinking with the truth of the gospel.
Areas of Engagement
Taking our call to engage the culture and prepare for it are not enough. We must actually do it. Morrow has given himself a tall order with this third section of the book as he succinctly presents and addresses a number of issues within the culture in which Christians have an answer and need to give it.These issues range from issues surrounding the Bible itself, sex, the media, global justice, politics and science and faith.
Morrow ably sets up the issues at hand and give clear, thoughtful, helpful and direct answers to how the Christian faith speaks to each issue he addresses. Though each chapter is short, and each issue could be addressed within the span of its own book, Morrow’s answers are not simplistic but rather pack a powerful punch that any Christian should be willing to claim as their own.
In my opinion, this third section of the book is the strongest section. Every Christian will learn from Morrows example of hos to think and apply Biblical truth to every area of culture. Morrow does not shy away from the hard issue and questions. He is decidedly against the Bible supporting homosexuality and yet he addresses the issue with sensitivity and love. He is against idolizing creation through our caring of it yet rightly states that humans are the pinnacle of God’s creation and not to be valued as less than it. He does not minimize the tension in our society and the church between science and faith and provides a thoughtful and honest evaluation of the current debate.
Think Christianly is a helpful book in many ways. It is both a short introduction to the concept of worldview, a short introduction to the Christian worldview and best of all it is a model for how the Christian worldview provides answers to the questions being asked and the issues being grappled with in our culture. I highly recommend this book!
NOTE: I received this book from Zondervan for free in exchange for a review and was under no obligation to provide a favorable one. The thoughts and words expressed in this review are my own.
Since the fall of man Satan has been attacking God’s word and planting doubt about its truthfulness (Gen. 3). Israel faced attacks on God’s word to them, Jesus faced attacks by his opponents concerning his words about himself (especially from the religious leaders) and since the first century to the present, Christians have faced attacks on what God has revealed to us in Scripture.
While there are many angels the attacks have come from, one of the most common is the assertion that within Scripture itself there are numerous contradictions in every book of the Bible. The accusation is that while Scripture may affirm one thing to be true in one place, it affirms something contradictory in another place. Thus, skeptics see these as clear contradictions and therefore question the trustworthiness of God and his word.
In seeking to respond to these accusations, Ken Ham, Bodie Hodge, Tim Chaffey and others have produced Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions, Vol. 2. This work follows what Ken Ham did in Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions, Vol. 1 but has utilized the help of others in answering the questions. While the word “demolishing” in the title may seem to go over board in both approach and actual delivery, the aim of the book is to provide clear, biblical and thoughtful answers to the 40 supposed Bible contradictions addressed in the book.
In the introduction, Bodie Hodge and David Wright contend that Christians do not need to be constantly on the defensive when it comes to answering the accusations of those who believe Scripture is fraught with contradictions. Rather, the Christian should turn the tables on the skeptic and, in light of the internal and external biblical evidence, ask them to defend their position that the text of Scripture has contradictions. Thus, as the intro title states, a good defense of a good offense. Also, it is good and right for the believer to ask questions of the skeptic in regards to their own religious and worldview beliefs.
Most of the questions in the book are answered within 2-4 pages. The supposed contradiction/problem is stated, the answer/solution is given and the chapter is concluded. The answers are clear and the text of Scripture is given the highest respect in regards to its inerrancy. Most of the answers are helpful though some may not be fully convinced of the particular answers given and may want to study further for more satisfactory answers.
Some of the supposed contradictions would not only be asked by biblical skeptics. In other words, if every Christian is honest about their reading of Scripture, they have and will come across passages of Scripture that seem to contradict each other. This does not mean the Christian believes there actually is a contradiction. Rather, because God inspired over 40 human authors across 1,500 years, each writer, in their time in history or context, may be looking at the same event from a different angle. Every honest reader of the text will struggle with reconciling certain passages with others. At the end of the day, though we may struggle to interpret certain passages of Scripture, we trust in the character of God that he has truthfully inspired the authors of Scripture in what they have written. God’s word can be trusted, its content can be harmonized and its message is unified.
Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions, Vol. 2 will serve as an introduction and quick reference guide for sorting out supposed Bible contradictions. This book would serve school age children well as an easy to understand guide that is not technical or academic as well as new believers. Laymen will also find this book helpful in their own study and in answering the challenges of unbelievers to the text of Scripture.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Master Books in return for a review and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
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