The Mingling Of Souls

Song of Solomon has always been one of the most difficult to understand books of the Bible for me. Why is it in the Bible? Is it a “love story?” Is it allegory? How does it relate to and apply to my life? All of these are questions that I have had (and continue to have) about the book of Song of Solomon. Odds are, so have you.

Well, one author and popular pastor, Matt Chandler, has written a new book on love and marriage based on the book of Song of Solomon, and attempts to give the reader some answers to their questions. The title of the book is The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, & Redemption. 

I have to confess — When I first saw this book, I thought, “Oh, no. Another book on dating, relationships, and marriage. And this one is going to use Song of Solomon as the ‘blueprint’ or ‘guide’ for the relationship advice.” Thankfully, Chandler makes it crystal clear in the introduction that he does not see Song of Solomon as a “Christian guide to dating.” Rather, he says that “it is clear from the book that there is a wise way to approach the opposite sex and that there is a foolish way. What we see in the Song is saturated with wisdom, and the believer in Christ will be reminded of the nurturing, patient, steadfast love of our Savior” (18-19).

What about the title? What does the “mingling of souls” mean? Chandler gets the title from the meaning of one of the Hebrew words for love — dod. This sort of “love” refers specifically to sexual love and is better translated as “lovemaking,” Chandler says. He quotes Paul House by saying that the word carries the meaning of “two souls mingling together.” That’s quite a word-picture, isn’t it? He goes on: “God’s plan is for a man and a woman in the bond of the marriage covenant to have their souls — not just their bodies — become one” (17). God’s plan is for them to have their souls mingled together.

Content

So what are the topics that Chandler addresses in the book? Well, that is one of the strengths of the book. Chandler focuses on a wide array of topics, beginning with the attraction that leads to wanting to pursue a relationship in the first place, to the dating process, courtship, the wedding, the consummation of said wedding, fighting fair, kindling romance, and commitment in the face of hardship. He really covers the whole relationship-process from beginning to end.

Dating

My favorite chapters in the book were on dating and courtship. Probably because of my role as a youth pastor and my time spent with so many teenagers, I have seen as much misconceptions in this area of dating within the Christian life as just about anything else. He hits the nail on the head when he says: “Dating becomes a lot about hiding who you really are, hiding your imperfections, and in many cases, unfortunately, displaying and making primary what ought to be reserved only for marriage” (51). That is — sex. And on this topic of sex and dating, he says:

“If sex is what God says it is, then there are few things as damaging to the human soul as casual sexual encounters. The hookup culture is yet another symptom of a confused and broken society that has elevated the role of physical gratification and sex beyond the biblical norms and wasted them, sacrificing contentment and joy on the altar of momentary pleasure — leaving only brokenness and regret (52).”

Throughout this chapter on dating, he gives several parameters to think through before pursuing a dating relationship as a Christian. And after giving these helpful parameters, he moves onto the chapter on courtship, which is where he argues (rightly so) that true Christian dating should have a specific trajectory in mind — marriage. And if that trajectory is not desired or clearly not going to happen, then the dating relationship should end. Clear and simple.

Who Is The Book For?

I think that this book should appeal to a wide array of readers. For the teenager or college student, the chapters on attraction, dating, and courtship are extremely helpful. For the engaged couple, the chapter on marriage will be a great source of help. For the married couple, whether for a couple of years or a couple of decades, the chapters on fighting fair and commitment to the end are incredibly useful for any marriage. Honestly, no matter where you are in life, at least one of the chapters in the book will be directly applicable and helpful to you. But the strength of the book is its comprehensiveness from the beginning to the end of a relationship — from the attraction between man and woman in the beginning to the commitment between husband and wife to the end.

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Admittedly, Matt Chandler is one of my favorite communicators. He has the rare ability to engage the reader (or listener) in a very real and fresh way, while at the same time committing to solid, conservative, evangelical, truth. This book is yet another example of that. Chandler does not waver for one second in his commitment to the definition of marriage, the biblical role between husband and wife, the purpose of dating for the Christian, etc. Rather, he makes it clear, from the book of Song of Solomon and the rest of Scripture, what God’s design truly is for love, marriage, sex, and redemption. And that is a message that we all need to hear and be reminded of, both inside and outside of the church, particularly in the culture of sex that we find ourselves in today.

Click here to read an interview that Matt Chandler did with The Gospel Coalition on the book.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank David C Cook Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Imagine you had the opportunity to sit down with a theologian and ask him any question you had about the topics of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. That would be a great opportunity, wouldn’t it?

Well, though we may not have that exact opportunity, a new book by John Hammett gives us the next best thing. The book is 40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and in it, John Hammett, professor of Systematic Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, answers 40 of the most important and most asked questions related to these two ordinances of the church.

Structure

The book is divided into 4 main parts

1. General Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
2. Questions about Baptism
3. Questions about the Lord’s Supper
4. Concluding Questions

The first part deals with questions concerning whether these two things should be called sacraments or ordinances, who can administer them, and are they reserved exclusively for churches?

The next two parts are identical in structure, with the first related to baptism and the second to the Lord’s Supper. Each part has 4 subsections:

(A) Introductory Questions. In this section are questions such as “Why was Jesus baptized” and “What is the meaning of the Lord’s Supper?”

(B) Denominational Views. In both the sections on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, there are five main views laid out for the reader: (1) Roman Catholic, (2) Lutheran, (3) Reformed, (4) Baptist, and (5) Other Traditions.

(C) Theological Issues – This section contains some of the most asked and most debated questions around the two doctrines. A few of the questions are: “Should infants be baptized?”, “Is there a proper mode of baptism?”, and “Who may properly partake of the Lord’s Supper?”

(D) Practical Aspects – Finally, there are some practical questions that many of us ask, especially if you are in any form of leadership in the church. Some of the practical aspects that are addressed in this book are, “When should a child be baptized?” and “How often should the Lord’s Supper be observed?”

Who Is The Book For?

This is probably not a book that you are going to sit down and read cover to cover (though you certainly could). Rather, it seems best to function as a reference tool, a quick guide to some of the most commonly asked and debated questions over the very important topics of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Personally, I found the volume very helpful and trust that I will likely pull it down from my shelf time and time again to refresh my memory on a particular question, or gain some guidance from the many helpful footnotes that Hammett includes to point me to a more extensive treatment of a particular issue.

Now I probably found the volume so helpful because, by and large, I agree with the author on most of the questions that he addresses. But you may not. Hammett approaches the doctrines as a committed baptist, decidedly against infant baptism, and seems to lean to a “closed communion” view. If that is you, then you, too, will find the volume helpful as a quick guide or reference tool. Or maybe that’s not you, but you’re interested in learning why baptists believe the way they do about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This would be a great start for you as you wade into those waters. Or maybe you are just confused and not quite sure what to believe about all of these debates on these two ordinances. Again, this book would be an excellent beginning for you on your journey for clarification about what the Bible teaches on these topics.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the book to be very helpful, well written, concise, and informative. I would recommend the book to anyone that wants further clarification or answers on the topics of baptism or the Lord’s Supper.

You can buy the book by clicking here

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Kregel Publishers for providing me a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Gaining By Losing

Gaining by losing … now that’s a foreign concept in our culture today, is it not? How do I gain if I lose something? It’s a foreign concept in the church as well. The American church, by and large, is all about attracting people to its building, building up a church and a big ministry, and growing, growing, growing. But what if that’s not the model that Scripture actually gives us? What if Jesus teaches us that there’s actually a different mindset we should have when thinking about advancing the Kingdom of God?

J.D. Greear, Pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, NC, argues just this. In his new book, Gaining By Losing: Why The Future Belongs To Churches That Send, Greear argues that churches should not be focused primarily on their numbers and in growing bigger and bigger, but should be focused on discipling, equipping, and sending out their members for the greater work of the ministry. Oftentimes this means sending out a large group of some of your most valuable members in order to help start a church plant across town, or even across the country. That’s the “losing” that we’re talking about. But as Greear makes abundantly clear, though it may seem that that particular church has “lost” those members, an even greater “gain” has occurred for the kingdom of God in the neighborhood, city, country, and world.

An Illustration

Greear likens it to the Middle school math illustration where students are asked to choose between receiving $10,000 a day for 30 days, or getting $0.01 doubled each day for the same period of time. Almost all Middle schoolers opt for the $10,000 per day because it seems like the greater amount, and offers the most immediate satisfaction. However, with this choice, the student will have $300,000 at the end of the 30 days, whereas the student who opts for the penny doubled every day would end the month with over $10.7 million!!

The point is this: Many churches and leaders opt for the “$10,000 a day” model. You tell Pastor “X” that you have a strategy that will grow his church by 1,000 per month for a year, or a strategy that will enable him to disciple 1 person per week, who in turn will disciple 1 person a week, and so on for a year, odds are he will choose the 1,000 per month growth strategy. Why? Because it feels much more gratifying. It has more immediate and tangible results. However, we as churches and pastors need to get over the “short view” of ministry, only looking to what God would do in our church and through our ministry in the here and now, and adopt a “long view” of ministry. As Greear argues, “If we take the long view of ministry, growing and sending out disciples will take priority” (33).

And that is the goal of the book — to help the reader gain a long-term view of ministry, a view of ministry that God has given us, rather than one that we come up with. Greear says that his hope for this book is that it “helps you to see that your greatest kingdom potential lies not in your ability to gather and inspire your people at a weekly worship meeting, but in your capacity to equip them and send them out as seeds into the kingdom of God” (17).

“The question is not if we’re called to pour our lives out for the mission, only where and how” (47)

The Structure

So how does he help the reader see this? Honestly, this rubs against so much of modern-day church culture and growth strategy … so how does he convince the reader that this is biblical and the better strategy for every church to adopt?

After the introduction, he begins the book by laying the framework. He does so with a very helpful illustration, comparing the church to 3 different boats.

Many people, he says, see the church as a cruise liner. In this understanding, the church offers Christian luxuries to the whole family, catering to their needs and entertaining them. And if their church ever ceases to cater to an individual’s preferences, well then there are plenty of other cruise liners out there. This would be the model of many “mega-Churches.”

Others see the church more like a battleship. The church is made for the mission and fights for this mission with all its might. Now this is certainly better than the “cruise liner” model, but its problem is that it sees the church institution and staff as being the primary battle-fighters.

A better, model, Greear suggests, is that the church is like an aircraft carrier. Like battleships, aircraft carriers engage in battle, but in a different way. Aircraft carriers equip planes to carry the battle elsewhere. This is the way the church should function: equipping and sending (see pages 27-28).

Following the laying of the framework, Greear shares his own (painful) journey toward being a leader and a church that is primarily focused on sending, not gathering. This chapter was a very interesting, honest, and humble account of some of the things he saw in his own heart, and in the heart of his church, and how he went about correcting those things.

Following these two chapters are ten chapters with ten “plumb lines” that serve as directional markers for building the ministries of the Summit Church. He suggests that by adopting these ten “plumb lines,” and evaluating in light of them, your ministry can become one that is focused on sending and equipping rather than gathering and growing. Below are these Ten “Plumb Lines”

1. The Gospel is not just the diving board, it is the pool
2. Everyone is called
3. The week is as important as the weekend
4. A church is not a group of people gathered around a leader, but a leadership factory
5. The church makes visible the invisible Christ
6. The point of everything is to make disciples
7. Every pastor is our missions pastor
8. We seek to live multicultural lives, not just host multicultural events
9. Risk is right
10. When you’re sick of saying it, they’ve just heard it

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it quite helpful. I admit that my own heart gets sucked into thinking with the “gather and grow” mindset rather than the “equip and send.” Books like this are very helpful and needed correctives to these ways of thinking. I am very thankful for Greear’s ministry, his writing, and his honesty and humility to help pastors across the nation and the world learn from his mistakes and struggles in order to better equip, disciple, and send those in our churches out for the work of the ministry. I am confident that this book will stretch, challenge, and equip you to adopt this mindset as well.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Zondervan Publishers and Cross Focused Reviews for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Daring Mission of William Tyndale

As I hold my English Bible right now, it doesn’t seem that dangerous to me to do so. In fact, as I look around my office, I have multiple copies of Scripture, in various translations, in the English language. My guess is that the same is true for you. Who would think that they would be persecuted, hunted, and eventually killed for having an English copy of the Scriptures.

Well that is just what happened to the English Reformer, William Tyndale, as he sought to translate the Scriptures into the native tongue of the English people. In his book on Tyndale, The Daring Mission of William Tyndale, Steven Lawson chronicles the life and ministry of this man as he embarked on a daring mission — to translate the Scriptures from the Greek and Hebrew into the every-day language of the common people.

“The calling of God upon Tyndall’s heart became a burning passion to see commoners read God’s unadulterated Word. Unfortunately, most people have never heard of this man and his vast contribution has been greatly undervalued through the centuries” (164).

Who Was William Tyndale?

Often overshadowed by the much more popular Reformers such as Luther and Calvin, Tyndale was a giant of a man in bringing the Reformation to England. Known as “The Father of the English Bible,” William Tyndale did something in the early 1500s that no man had done before — translated the Bible into the English language from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. Tyndale’s Bible was not the first English Bible, but it was the first to be translated from the Hebrew and Greek rather than the Latin Vulgate. As such, it was a monumental feat, and one that certainly did not come without its cost.

Throughout his task, Tyndale faced outright opposition from bishops and cardinals, was chased around Europe by officials sent by high nobles with a price on his head, was tricked and conned into friendships that eventually resulted in his death, and was labeled as a heretic of the worst sorts, with names such as “a hell-hound in the kennel of the devil,” “a new Judas,” and “an idolater and devil-worshipper” (18).

The leaders of the English Church and country sought to squash Tyndale’s mission with everything they had, yet to no avail. Tyndale was utterly convinced that the people of England needed the Word of God in a language they could read and understand, not just in the Latin of the nobles who could then “tell” them what the Word said. He gave his life to completing this mission, and God blessed it. Though Tyndale was martyred for his work, his translation of the New Testament from the Greek, and most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew, became the basis for the King James Version, and every subsequent English translation that we are blessed with today.

“We want again Tyndales to tenaciously face the insurmountable obstacles before them and overcome them with zealous resolve for the glory of God. We need Tyndales who translate the Bible into the languages of forgotten people groups around the world. We need Tyndales to proclaim the gospel through the written page in the face of imminent danger. We need Tyndales who passionately love the Word of God to fill every pulpit, every seminary, every Sunday School class, every lectern” (164-165).

The Book

In his book, Lawson does a wonderful job of giving the reader an in-depth, interesting, and exciting look at the life and work of William Tyndale. He addresses questions such as “What steps did this chief architect of the English Bible take in order to produce his magnificent translation from the original languages?” and “What challenges did he have to overcome in order to present this extraordinary gift to the English-speaking world?”

If you have not heard of William Tyndale, or even if you have but know very little of his life and his work, I would 100% heartily recommend this volume to you. You will walk away with a greater appreciation of the man William Tyndale, but more importantly, a greater appreciation for the price paid for you to hold that copy of the Bible in your native language. And what better gift could Tyndale give us than that?

In the words of Steven Lawson, “May there be a renewed commitment to the sufficiency and exclusivity of this bloodstained Book” (28).

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Reformation Trust publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Pastor’s Ministry

Pastoral ministry is a unique calling in many ways. It definitely has its own demands, responsibilities, frustrations, challenges, and  joys that are really not shared by any other vocation. As such, the pastor is particularly subject to getting off course or off track in his pastoral ministry. Appointments, counseling, and home visits can quickly take away from sufficient study time, prayer, and leadership development. And vice versa. Pastors are called to be shepherds of the flock that God has given them … but what exactly does that look like?

A new book by Brian Croft, The Pastor’s Ministry, helps to add some clarification to just what exactly that looks like. What is a pastor supposed to be doing? How is his time supposed to be spent? What are the foundational things that the pastor should be focused on in seeking to fulfill God’s purpose on him as a shepherd? In this book, Croft makes it clear that in order for a pastor to remain steadfast in his life and in his ministry, he must know what exactly it is that God has called him to do — and then do it!

The guiding exhortation of the book comes from 1 Peter 5:2-4, and is summarized by Croft in a single sentence – “Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care until the Chief Shepherd appears” (15).

Working off of that summary of 1 Peter 5, Croft focuses on 10 key priorities that should be at the heart of every pastor’s ministry:

1. Guard The Truth – A pastor much be committed to teaching the Word of God, willing to preach, teach, and defend its truth even when it is contrary to the culture
2. Preach The Word – A pastor must faithfully preach the whole counsel of God, carefully explaining and applying the text to his hearers
3. Pray For The Flock – A pastor must be a faithful intercessor for his flock, constantly bringing the needs of his church before God
4. Set An Example – A pastor must be an example to his flock, modeling righteous behavior, confession, and repentance
5. Visit The Sick – A pastor should be one who visits those who are sick and in need of care and encouragement, modeling and training his congregation to do the same
6. Comfort The Grieving – A pastor should be one who comforts those grieving in the face of death, reminding them of the hope of the Gospel
7. Care For Widows – A pastor is responsible to lead the congregation to provide care for the widows of the church
8. Confront Sin – A pastor needs to confront sin and lead the church to exercise church discipline where needed, with the goal of repentance and reconciliation
9. Encourage The Weaker Sheep – A pastor needs to model patience and persevering hope by working with those who are difficult, despairing, and challenging
10. Identify And Train Leaders – A pastor is called to identify, train, and affirm leaders in the church, actively seeking out the next generation of leaders.

Each chapter in the book corresponds to one of these “10 Key Priorities.” Each chapter is clear, concise, and very helpful to anyone in pastoral ministry, or in any form of leadership in the church. At the end of the book, Croft also pays careful attention to drawing out the fact that the pastor must not only keep a close watch over his flock, but he must also keep a close watch over himself — over his own life. If a pastor focuses all of his attention on doing the “work” of the ministry, without giving careful attention to his own walk with the Lord, his marriage, and his family, his ministry may have the appearance of a strong ministry, but it will be just that — an appearance. Paul tells us very clearly to keep a close watch both on ourselves and on the flock (Acts 20:28). We must not neglect either!

I would strongly recommend this book if you are interested in understanding what it means for a pastor to faithful shepherd his flock. The book is certainly most helpful to pastors — to understand (or re-focus on) the key things that he should be focused on as a pastor. The book is also helpful to anyone in lay-leadership in the church, as he seeks to understand the pastoral ministry better. The book is helpful to any church member who wonders exactly what their pastor is, or should be, doing. Misconceptions concerning what a pastor should be doing abound to no end. This book will help put an end to some of those misconceptions and show the reader what a faithful, biblical, well-balanced pastoral ministry should look like.

If you fall under any of the above categories, I would absolutely recommend you get a copy of this book today by clicking here!

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Zondervan for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

On Guard

Some books you just don’t want to read, but you sincerely need to. Deepak Reju’s new book on child abuse was such a book for me. On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church is a book that few will necessarily want to read or enjoy reading, but one that should be required reading for anyone in any level of ministry in the local church.

Deepak Reju is the Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Family Ministry at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, where Mark Dever serves as the senior pastor. He has been a contributing author to a few books on the topic of biblical counseling, but this is the first book that he has been the sole author of (other than a children’s book on the kings in the Bible). And it is a much needed one.

As you read the book, you will become quickly aware that the church is a very vulnerable place, and child abusers attack that vulnerability. Sadly, but truly, many churches hear about child abuse cases throughout the nation, even in churches, but still think, “It could never happen at my church.” Sadly, it’s just not true. It can. It most certainly can.

“Sexual offenders are not dumb. They are deliberate and calculating. The very thing Christians see as strengths — love for others, a trusting disposition — perpetrators see as weaknesses on which they can prey … Why do you think that sexual offenders try to infiltrate churches? Because many know that most churches don’t even bother checking criminal records. They’re too busy. They’re small enough that they feel they know everyone. They don’t think that convicted sexual offenders will come to their church. Why bother checking criminal records when the person is a nice, respectable guy?” (9).

The Structure

So how is the book structured? There are three sections in the book. In Section 1, Reju lays out the nature of the problem, the incredible responsibility that we as parents, pastors, and leaders have to protect our children, some of the false assumptions we make, etc. In short, the first part is just laying the foundation, showing the reader that this is a problem in our world, and this is a danger for our churches. We must not take this lightly. We must not think it couldn’t happen to us. The minute that we think that is the minute that we are at our most vulnerable.

In Section 2, the author offers 8 strategies for protecting against child abuse. This is the meat of the book, in that it helps churches take concrete, practical steps in making their church a safer place for children. The 8 strategies that Reju offers are:

1. Creating and Implementing a Child Protection Policy
2. A Check-In and Checkout Process
3. Membership
4. Screening and Verification
5. Building Design
6. Training Your Staff and Volunteers
7. Preparing Church Leaders, Parents, Children, and Teens Before Abuse Happens
8. Getting to Know the People and Resources in Your Community

Finally, Part 3 offers the church 3 strategies for responding to child abuse. The simple fact of the matter is that as churches, we can (and should) do absolutely everything that we can to prevent against child abuse; however, with the sinful world that we live in, we will never be able to protect perfectly. So the church needs to know what to do and how to respond if a case a child abuse were to happen. And how does the church counsel and help the congregation as a whole and the victims in particular in the wake of a case of child abuse? All of these things are covered in Part 3.

Then at the very end of the book, the author offers some very helpful appendices with guides and examples related to the 8 strategies offered in part 2. These include a guide to writing a child protection policy and an example of a screening application. These will serve as some helpful, practical tools for a church to begin to implement some of the strategies laid out in the book.

Conclusion

The topic of child abuse is one that disturbs me, as it should. as I was reading this book this last week, I came across the video below, which you may have already seen, that even further brought the need for this book home to me. Now this is not in the context of a church, but it is an illustration of just how easily it is for our kids to be lured away by predators

Honestly, this book disturbed me. It was hard for me to read. But it was incredibly good for me to read. As someone who is about to become a parent here in the next week or two, it terrifies me to think about this sort of abuse potentially happening in my church. I have to admit: I would be among those that would (wrongly) think, “I know it happens … but not in my church.” This book definitely opened my eyes to be a better informed and alert parent and pastor. And for that, I am incredibly thankful for this book. Thankfully, we have quite a few of the strategies that the author recommends in place at our church. But that does not mean we are perfect, and we need to constantly be on guard to make sure that we are protecting our children at our church as we are called to do. And so do you.

I would encourage you, if you are a pastor or ministry leader of any kind, to not only get a copy of this book for yourself, but for your whole pastoral and leadership team. This is a serious matter, and one that we cannot (and should not) put off for one more day. We have been given an incredible and weighty responsibility to protect our children. This book will be a great resource for you as you seek to do just that.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank New Growth Press for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Bitesize Biographies: Ulrich Zwingli

Martin Luther — That’s a name that I’m sure you are familiar with, and I’m sure you know something of the central role he played in the Reformation.

And John Calvin. Well I’m sure you know a bit about him as well.

But what about Ulrich Zwingli? What do you know about him? Anything? Odds are, you’ve probably never heard of him. And if you have, it’s more than likely only been in relation to your study of the Lord’s Supper and how Zwingli’s view differed from that of both Calvin & Luther.

Well, if that’s you, and you have either never heard of Zwingli or know very little about him, let me encourage you to check out a new book by William Boekestein called, Bitesize Biographies: Ulrich Zwingli. The “Bitesize Biographies” series is a great new series, edited by one of my former SBTS professors, Dr. Michael Haykin, which sets out to provide readable, accessible biographies on a variety of heroes of the Christian faith.

To date, there are 24 biographies published in this series, covering many men that you have certainly heard of — Martyn Lloyd-Jones, George Whitefield, & John Newton — as well as many others who you most certainly have not heard of — Adolphe Monod, Augustus Toplady, & Girolamo Savonarola.

In this most recent addition to the series, the author lays out a very readable and engaging biography of the primary player in the Swiss Reformation — Ulrich Zwingli. The reader will learn about a man who, born just 1 week after Martin Luther, played a central role in the Reformation’s spread to Switzerland and beyond. You will learn of Zwingli’s early education and foundations that shaped his life, the influence that Erasmus played in his life, as well as his clash with the Anabaptists in the early 1500s. And in just 150 total pages, you will learn much more of Zwingli’s life and theology.

Will you agree with everything about Zwingli’s life and theology? Probably not. And that’s okay. But as you read this biography, you will see a man who loved the church, cherished the Gospel, was serious about the Bible, and had a whole-hearted zeal for loving the Lord. And surely we can all learn a thing or two from a man like that.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Cross Focused Reviews and EP Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Pastor’s Kid

Pastor’s kids are a unique breed, and a group that often gets a bad rap, having to deal with a whole slew of things that “ordinary” kids don’t. I did not grow up as a pastor’s kid, but I will soon have a pastor’s kid. As someone in ministry, my son that is due in 1 month is about to enter into this world as a member of this unique breed, and I want to do all that I can to adequately prepare him and equip him for the challenges, frustrations, temptations, and peculiarities that accompany the pastor’s kid.

Because of my wish to prepare my son for this, I was excited to see this new book by Barnabas Piper, son of John Piper, titled, The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity. Referring to the unique challenges that PKs face, Piper says:

“I have found that there is a uniqueness to the challenges PKs face. The reality of being a sinner on display in a ministry family creates quite the spiritual and emotional Molotov cocktail” (16).

Barnabas Piper wrote this book for a few reasons:

(1) He says that he wrote the book to speak for PKs — not as an expert observer or master on the subject, but simply as one of them. He writes with honesty, humility, and clarity on behalf of the many pastor’s kids out there that have felt the same challenges and frustrations that he has over the last 30 years.

(2) The second reason that Barnabas writes the book is to speak to pastors. Many pastors are unaware, to a full extent, of the challenging position that their kids find themselves in. Therefore, the book serves as a wake-up call to pastors to better shepherd their children. He says:

“For some pastors this will be a harsh wake-up call, a bucket of ice water in your sleeping face. And that’s good. If you’re sleeping, you need it” (16).

(3) The last reason he wrote the book was to speak to the church. Too often, the church has fostered the sort of culture that puts enormous pressure on the PK. Oftentimes, the people in the church are the reasons for much of the burden that the PK caries. Therefore, the book serves as a plea to the church to take their responsibility to the PK seriously.

“PKs are so often getting it from all sides that even the well-meaning pastor-parent needs to realize that what is needed most is extreme grace and powerful expressions of love while de-emphasizing the significance of behavior as the gold standard. Behavior does matter. Obedience to God and parents matters, but this kind of grace counteracts the pressure to be defined by behavior that PKs so often feel. We need an extra measure of grace to overcome the lack of grace we find in so many areas of life” (50-51).

That is the three-fold reason that Piper wrote this book. So what is his desire for the book? What does he hope that it accomplishes? In his words:

“So as you forge ahead, know my heart in this book. I desire to see the hearts of fathers turned to their children and children to their fathers (and mothers, but being a good PK, I had to use the biblical phrasing). I long for burdens to be lifted and cast off, ones that have been carried since childhood. And I desire to point to Jesus as the turner of hearts and the lifter of all burdens” (16).

Throughout the book, Barnabas shares many heart-wrenching and eye-opening stories, both from his own experience and from the experiences of PKs all around the world. The tone is honest and clear, humorous at times, and heart-breaking at others. Overall, though, I think that the purpose of the book was accomplished.

I hope, and I pray, that through reading this book, I will better be able to prepare myself, my ministry, and my church as I prepare to be a father to my PK. I am certain that, as a redeemed sinner, I will make mistakes. But I pray that, by the Lord’s grace, I will make fewer of them thanks to this book. If you are a PK, are a parent-pastor of a PK, or will be one day, I would encourage you to get a copy of this book.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank David C. Cook publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hidden In The Gospel

Preach the Gospel to yourself!

Is that something that you’ve ever been told to do? Maybe you’ve heard a preacher say it, read it in a book somewhere, or heard it on the radio. Maybe you’ve never heard it in your life and you’re not quite sure what it means. What does it mean to “preach the Gospel to yourself,” how would you go about doing it, and what would be the benefits of doing so.

The answer to these questions is the subject of William P. Farley’s new book, Hidden in the Gospel: Truths You Forget to Tell Yourself Every Day. Farley says of his new book: “This is a book about basic Christian doctrines, with an emphasis on practical application” (5). This idea that Farley writes about, “Preaching the Gospel to Yourself,” is not a new concept, and Farley freely recognizes that. He is unapologetic about building on the likes of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Jack Miller, and Jerry Bridges. Where his book differs, though, is that it not only speaks of what it means to preach the Gospel to yourself, but functions as a “tutorial” on how to actually going about doing it.

Definitions

So what is “Preaching the Gospel to yourself”? Farley allows Jerry Bridges to answer:

“To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you” (11).

So, in essence, it is to remind yourself — through the good and the bad, the blessed times and the tragic times, the successes and failures — what the Gospel is and how it applies to your own, personal, life.

What exactly is the “Gospel” though? That, in itself, has been the source of quite a bit of discussion, debate, and full-length books. Well I agree completely with Farley here. He is not limiting the Gospel to refer only to Jesus’ death & resurrection, with an exclusive emphasis on His substitutionary atonement. It is that, for sure. But the Good-News, the Gospel, is much more. Farley is using “The Gospel” to speak about what he refers to as the “wide-angle” Gospel. He says:

“The gospel is good news about all that God has done in Christ to save sinners and redeem the cosmos from the effects of sin. It includes our election before the foundation of the world, Christ’s incarnation, his active obedience, his substitutionary death, his resurrection and ascension, Pentecost, and the final judgment. It also includes the hope of a new creation purged of sin and infused with the active presence of God” (12).

Amen! The Gospel is all of that. It is all that God has done in Christ to save sinners and redeem the cosmos.

Structure

So what does the structure of the book look like? Each chapter looks at a crucial aspect of the Gospel. The 8 crucial aspects of the Gospel that Farley looks like are:

1. Election
2. Incarnation
3. Active Obedience
4. Penal Substitutionary Death
5. Resurrection
6. Ascension
7. Return & Final Judgment
8. New Creation

After explaining the particular aspect of the Gospel, Farley moves to answer the question, “So What?” How does this particular aspect of the Gospel impact and affect my life? How does preaching this aspect of the Gospel to myself benefit me and help me?

Next, each chapter concludes with an example of what it would look like to preach that aspect of the Gospel to yourself. Finally, the end of each chapter has some discussion questions that could be used to facilitate a small group study.

Benefits

So why should you read this book? Why is it important for you to cultivate this discipline of preaching the Gospel to yourself? Farley offers 7 incredibly important reasons (14-17):

1. It regularly and repetitively exposes us to the glory of God.
2. It will help you grow in humility
3. You will be the most likely to gain deliverance from that three-headed monster — guilt, inferiority, and low self-image
4. It will accelerate your sanctification
5. You will be increasingly “abounding in thanksgiving” (Col 2:6)
6. You will be increasingly hopeful
7. It will culminate itself in worship

Conclusion

This is an excellent book, and one that I would absolutely recommend you getting for yourself and/or for those around you that you are able to minister to. From a pastoral perspective, I think that Don Whitney puts it best when he says of this book: “Pastors would have to engage in very little counseling if Christians prioritized what Bill Farley exhorts his readers to do … [and this] would transform the lives of Christians, their homes, and their churches.” Amen! Grab a copy today and being preaching the Gospel to yourself today.

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank P&R Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Prayer

What is prayer? And how are we, as Christians, to pray? At a basic level, these are two questions that can be answered quickly and simply. But on a much deeper level, these are two very loaded questions, and two massively important ones.

Tim Keller, NYC pastor and prolific author, noticed a gaping hole in the world of Christian literature when trying to find a book that offered Biblical and comprehensive answers to these two questions. Sure, there are many books on defining what prayer is, without much emphasis on the practical outworking, the how, of prayer. On the other hand, there are good books out there on some of the practical things of prayer, without much focus on defining what prayer actually is. And then there are some older books, particularly from the Puritans, that are great combinations of the two, but are written with archaic and inaccessible language to the ordinary church-goer wanting to grow in his or her prayer life.

It was this burden of not having one, comprehensive book on prayer to give to someone who wanted to understand and practice Christian prayer that led Keller to write his new book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. In this book, it is Keller’s goal to show the reader that “prayer is both conversation and encounter with God” (5). Pushing back against both extremes seen in the Evangelical world today — cold, distant, rote prayer on the one hand, and mystical, Eastern-influenced rituals on the other hand — Keller offers a biblical and balanced understanding of prayer, as well as incredibly helpful, practical considerations for the Christian to grow in his or her prayer life.

The book is split into five parts:

1. Desiring Prayer
2. Understanding Prayer
3. Learning Prayer
4. Deepening Prayer
5. Doing Prayer

What It “Is”

The first two of these five parts discuss what prayer is and is not. Keller discusses the confusing landscape that the Christian will encounter today concerning prayer, particularly with the influx of Eastern mysticism influence on much of the popular Evangelical works on prayer. After discussing the confusing landscape, Keller offers a biblically balanced definition of prayer: “Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him” (48). He continues:

“We know who we are praying to only if we first learn it in the Bible. And we know how we should be praying only by getting our vocabulary from the Bible…If the goal of prayer is a real, personal connection with God, then it is only by immersion in the language of the Bible that we will learn to pray, perhaps just as slowly as a child learns to speak” (54-55).

Later in the same chapter, Keller reminds the reader of this great truth:

“Without immersion in God’s words, our prayers may not be merely limited and shallow but also untethered from reality. We may be responding not to the real God but to what we wish God and life to be like” (62).

And a page later, after recounting the famous story of George Whitfield having supposed “divine assurance” and “revelation” that he should name his son John because he would be a preacher of the Gospel, only then to suffer the agony of his son dying at just four-months old, Keller reminds us:

“The lesson here is not that God never guides our thoughts or prompts us to choose wise courses of action, but that we cannot be sure he is speaking to us unless we read it in the Scripture” (63).

The first two parts that describe what prayer is take up 80 pages of the book, and Keller gives the reader many good insights and reminders in those pages. I hope that what I have shared has sufficed to give you a taste of Keller’s commitment to prayer biblically defined, and to the primacy of the Word of God as it relates to prayer and God speaking to His people.

“How” To Do It

The rest of the book, then, deals with the practical side of prayer. With a correct understanding of what prayer is, the question that begs to be answered is, “How, then, are we to pray?” There is a ton of good stuff here in these chapters, including a look at letters and articles from Church History from the likes of Augustine, Luther, & Calvin, as well as a phrase by phrase exposition of the Lord’s Prayer, or the “Prayer of Prayers,” in Part 3. Keller also looks at what it means that prayer is a “conversation” with God as well as an “encounter” with God in Part 4. And finally, in Part 5, he looks at how we are to “do” prayer by identifying the three basic kinds of prayer to God:

1. Upward Prayer – Praise and thanksgiving that focuses on God himself.
2. Inward Prayer – Self-examination and confession
3. Outward Prayer – Supplication and intercession

Finally, Keller includes a wonderfully helpful chapter titled, “Practice: Daily Prayer,” in which he discusses how the Christian should structure his daily prayer by looking both to Biblical examples and Church History. What I sincerely appreciated in this chapter (and really throughout the entire book) was the continued emphasis on the primary role that the Word of God plays in our prayer life. I have encountered far too many teachers and/or books on prayer that speak of all kinds of practices and techniques, but which glaringly omit the primary role that the Word should play in kindling and guiding our prayers. Keller did an excellent job at drawing that out.

Conclusion

I was greatly encouraged and helped by Keller’s book on prayer. As I think about my own prayer life, and the times that I have had the honor and challenge of teaching on prayer, I greatly resonated with Keller in the opening chapter of the book:

“Prayer is nonetheless an exceedingly difficult subject to write about. That is not primarily because it is so indefinable but because, before it, we feel so small and helpless. Lloyd-Jones once said that he had never written on prayer because of a sense of personal inadequacy in this area” (18).

I, too, have often had that same feeling. But thanks be to God that our authority as to what prayer is and how we are to pray does not come from me, nor from Tim Keller, nor anyone else, but from the Word of God. And it is upon this Word that Keller stands in this book on prayer. This will absolutely be my go-to book on prayer for some time to come. I would encourage you to grab a copy for yourself, because I have the feeling that you will walk away saying the exact same thing.

For some additional helpful reviews and interviews on this book, check out the following:

• Tim Challies’ Review
• Desiring God Interview with Keller
• TGC Interview with Keller

In accordance with FTC regulations, I would like to thank Dutton Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.