Guest Review: Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

[This per-release review by Jared Jenkins originally appeared on www.EntrustedWithTheGospel.com and is re-published here in conjunction with the partnership with Entrusted With The Gospel.] 

Matt Wilder in Unveiling Grace is quoted as saying he “prefer[s] to dwell on the positive aspects that brought [him] closer to Christ rather than the negative things that drew [him] away from Mormonism.  But for [him] to fully come to Christ, [he] first had to realize and accept that [he] had been deceived” (220).  The balance between learning positive Christian truth and seeing lifelong deception is the knife-edge that must be walked when anyone comes to Christ out of Mormonism.  To keep this scale from teetering too far in either direction it takes the master plan of a sovereign God working through His “Dancer of grace” (314) and speaking through His Word the Bible.  Lynn Wilder has written a tremendous testimony of God’s power to do exactly that; save her and her family, extended family, and friends out of the deception of Mormonism by the Blood of Christ as revealed in the Bible.  This book is Lynn’s personal testimony of the way in which God has kept the scale in balance, unveiling truth through his word where needed and opening Lynn’s eyes to deception when appropriate; all this over a five year process of coming out of Mormonism to a saving faith in Christ.

As I (Jared Jenkins) began Lynn’s book, I was skeptical of where it might go or what her message might be.  Many books about Mormonism tend to land very heavily in the apologetics side of the scale, leaving the reader with a negative, almost sterile feeling in their heart about the way people are saved from Mormonism.  In fact, after reading most books concerning Mormonism, all you want to do is just stay away from its deception at all costs!  Lynn however has been able to skillfully reveal apologetic differences between Mormonism and Christianity by weaving what she learned into her story of salvation.  Instead of pages and pages of information on the differences between Mormonism and Christianity the reader gets the story of a person fully living Mormonism and little by little coming to believe in the God of the Bible.  As this story unfolds Lynn teaches about Mormon and Christian belief throughout in a way that is personal and heartfelt.  Readers get a great picture of real Mormonism; a culturally enmeshed belief system that leaves little room for critical thought stranding its adherents in Zion, blissfully blind.  Readers also get a real picture of the one true God found in Christianity; able to save anyone out of their situation through the truth about Christ found in the Bible as revealed to individuals by the “Dancer of grace” (314).

Particularly, I like Lynn’s radical focus on the ability of God to speak through His word.  Over and over again Lynn credits God speaking through His word the Bible for bringing her and her family to a saving knowledge in Christ.  Lynn’s message is a great challenge for the Mormon that may read this book to pick up their New Testament and read and see if God does not speak to them about truth and the real Biblical Christ.  In addition, it is a good challenge to Christians.  So often Christians discount God’s ability to speak through His Word.  Lynn challenges Christians to know their Bible and know it well because this is the only place anyone will find a way to truth, life, and Christ.  God speaking through His word not only saved Lynn and her family, but it has also safeguarded them from error and provided a sure guide for the future.  Praise be to the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob that still speaks to us through His Word!

Another very important aspect of Lynn’s book is the way in which she draws a very strong distinction between Mormonism and Christianity through terminology.  She repeated uses phrases like “the God of Mormonism” (49) set against “the God of the Bible” (214), or explaining the differences between the Mormon “Holy Ghost” (323) and the “Holy Spirit of the Bible” (324), and in continually referring to the “the Mormon Jesus” or the “Biblical Jesus” (329).  The reader will undoubtedly clearly see that Mormonism and Biblical Christianity are not compatible.  In fact, Lynn includes a great quote from a former LDS prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, which boils the differences between Mormons and Christians down to a fundamental point; we don’t believe in the same Jesus!  Hinckley says, “The traditional Christ of whom they [Christians] speak is not the Christ of whom I speak” (315).  To draw these distinctions between Mormonism and Christianity is so important today when the world and many armchair theologians are claiming these two faiths are the same.  I challenge anyone that has thought Mormonism to be Christian to read Lynn’s work.

Finally, Lynn invents a term to describe the deception that Mormonism uses to suck people into its fold that I really like.  I live, work, and minister in Salt Lake City as a Christian pastor and people are always asking me, “How do I effectively ministry to my Mormon friends and neighbors?”  Of course the first piece of advice I give people for effectively ministering to Mormons is to love them as people in a pattern after Christ’s love for all sinners, and the second piece of advice is to define theological terms when you talk with your Mormon friends.  Questions like, Who is Jesus? Who is God?  Lynn masterfully redefines what the Mormons do with Christian terms by giving it a new name, “twistiology” (217). Twistiology in Lynn’s words means “Mormonism takes elements of truth and twists them into something very confusing” (219).  In fact Lynn goes further to point out that because there is so much discontinuity within Mormon scriptures themselves, Mormons are able to argue both sides of the same theological issue (219)!  This can be very confusing if you are ministering to a Mormon friend.  Lynn calls us to know what we believe from the Bible and to measure Mormon beliefs against what the Bible says.  Lynn has included at the end of her book a short, helpful guide to Mormon terminology, a quick doctrinal comparison between Mormonism and Christianity, and a list of ministries that minister particularly to Mormons for further study.  These guides are concise, easy to read, hitting a perfect balance in Lynn’s book focusing on the positive truths of Christ while adequately revealing deception inherent to Mormonism.

Critical theological readers may take exception to some of the seemingly folk theological pieces of Lynn’s conversion that came by the “Dancer of grace” through dreams, impressions, and seemingly coincidental encounters.  But Lynn has not placed her faith in these things or flighty emotion; rather she shows how she has learned to “test feelings [and spiritual experiences] against a true source that [she] trust[s] – the Bible” (321-322).   Through testing her experiences against the Bible she is able to see what was truly from the “Dancer of grace” and what was from the father of lies.  I only wish that many of my own congregants could learn to do the same.  Lynn’s conversion as it unfolds in UnveilingGrace, is a great reminder to extend mercy and grace to our friends, family, and neighbors as they are finding Christ.  Lynn at times believes wrongly (judging by Christian standards) and at other times is being both Mormon and Christian at the same time.  Lynn’s testimony helps the reader to place their trust in God’s ability to save someone, which gives them the freedom to extend people grace while they walk the path of salvation. 

Unveiling Grace is not just about Mormon and Christian Doctrine.  It is the story of a BYU professor and her LDS high priest husband and family leaving the LDS church because God revealed the Biblical Christ to them through his Word and saved them.  This book is personal and shows the battle, the carnage, and the joys of coming out of a cult and finding real truth.  I was deeply moved by Lynn’s work to renew my commitment to pray for and engage my Mormon friends and neighbors with the Gospel.  This book will become the first book I encourage people to read if they want to learn about Mormonism because of the way it presents doctrine in the context of life and experience.  I highly encourage Mormons, Christians, and pagans alike to read this book and hear about just how great the God of the Bible is.

Lynn witnesses to the fact that He can even save you.

Lynn K. Wilder, Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of The Mormon Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013. 367pp. $15.99. 

Lynn’s book is not yet published and will go on sale 8/20/2103.  I highly encourage you to pre-order a copy from Amazon HERE.  Page numbers and quotes above may change by the time of printing.

Several weeks ago Bryan Catherman of Salty Believer and I were priviledged to do an interview on our podcast Salty Believer Unscripted with Lynn concerning her book and ministry to Mormons.  Our interview with Lynn far exceeded our expectations and I highly encourage you to listen.  You can read Bryan’s review of our conversation HERE and listen to the podcasts below.

Listen to an Interview with Unveiling Grace 
author Lynn K. Wilder

-Unveiling Grace (Part 1) audio

-Unveiling Grace (Part 2) audio

Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

My friend and colleague, Jared Jenkins was sent a review copy of the book Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (Zondervan, 2013).  Additionally, we had the opportunity to interview the book's author, Lynn K. Wilder.  Lynn is articulate and sharp.  It's enjoyable to hear her speak about her story as well as her practical, experience-tested ways to converse with your Mormon neighbors.  And I must say, it was one of the best podcasts we've had on Salty Believer Unscripted.

Lynn was a professor at BYU and both she and her husband were highly involved in the LDS church; that is, until God got her attention.  She's written a book about her testimony as well as the testimonies of 11 other former LDS people. She was on the road with the band Adam's Road when we interviewed her by phone.

You can listen to the podcast interviews here:
Unveiling Grace with Lynn K. Wilder 
-- Unveiling Grace (Part 1) audio
-- Unveiling Grace (Part 2) audio

Walk on the Wilder Side: Another Discussion with Lynn Wilder  
-- Walk on the Wilder Side (Part 1) audio
-- Walk on the Wilder Side (Part 2) audio

Here's the book trailer:

After conducting the interview with Lynn, hearing from Jared, and watching this trailer, I'm curious about the book and will likely read it soon.

Subscribe to the Salty Believer Unscripted Podcasts:
iTunes  | Non iTunes


* I have no connection to this book, financial or otherwise nor did I receive anything in exchange for the discussion of this book on SaltyBeliever.com 

The Role of the Pastor, Seen 'Through Working the Angles'

Early in my season of seminary, I was assigned the book, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity by Eugene Peterson.  Like every other book I was required to read in seminary, I was also required to write a critique of the work.  You can read that, in part, here.

While in school, I rushed through the book and had very little experience to run alongside what I was reading.  The concepts were convicting and I believe I began to shape a solid idea of how a pastor operates in the pastorate.  However, as I entered the pastorate, the demands of "keeping shop" as Peterson describes were more intense than I had anticipated.  Over the duration of my first year in ministry, the concepts of Peterson's book and the convictions I held started slipping away.  So I picked up the book again and invited Jared Jenkins to read it with me. 

Actually, I had started reading the book and suggested we discuss it on our podcast, Salty Believer Unscripted.  Jared hadn't picked up a copy but I pressed him (and threatened--on the podcast--not to speak a word to him until he read the book).  So using the Peterson's framework, we discussed the book.  Afterwards, we decided to make it a short series. 

The Role of the Pastor (A.K.A. Working the Angles)
-- Working the Angles Part 1: Introduction audio
-- Working the Angles Part 2: Prayer audio
-- Working the Angles Part 3: Scripture audio
-- Working the Angles Part 4: Spiritual Direction audio   

The primary objection to this book (and our series) often comes in the form of an ill-informed excuse.  "But I'm not a pastor," objectors say, "why would I want or need to read this book?" Jared and I address this in our podcast series but that won't help you if this objection keeps you from listening.  Why should you read this book?  Because if you are a Christian, you pastor someone.  (Little p pastor-- you minister, tend to, shepherd, care for, or love someone, if not many someones.)  A second reason, is Peterson is right, is to better understand how your pastor should be encouraged to operate.  For these two reasons alone, you at least aught to listen to the podcasts, if not read the book.


* Triangle photo is licensed in under a creative commons license.  The book cover is used informatively for review purposes.  
** Jared Jenkins nor I have any connection to this book, material or otherwise.

Review: Credo House Member's Area

I know. You may be asking, "You're reviewing a coffee shop?" No.  While I harbor hopes of someday road-tripping from Salt Lake City, Utah to Edmond, Oklahoma, podcasting for Salty Believer Unscripted along the entire excursion, I confess that I have never been to the Credo House.  I have no idea if their coffee is any good.  Luther Latte? Nope; no idea.  Calvin Cappuccino? No clue.  They sound nice, as does the atmosphere at the Credo House, but neither the drinks or Heretic's Corner are the subject of this review. 

Instead, I've examined Credo House Ministries, and more specifically the Credo House Members Area.  And it is the Credo House Members Area that will be the subject of this review. For obvious reasons, this review will be slightly different than the many book reviews offered on SaltyBeliever.com.

The Credo House Members Area is fairly new, but the Credo House is not.  Its history has roots as deep at 2001 when Michael Patton taught a class at Stonebriar Church in Frisco, Texas. Within a year, that single class was formalized into The Theology Program, a 6-class journey with each of the classes consisting of 10 hours of lecture, workbooks, and assigned reading.  (Of course, today, you can travel through this program online or on DVD at any level of commitment with which you're comfortable.)  Another year later Bible.org started posting these class on their website.   By 2006, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries was incorporated.  (This is when I was introduced to Reclaiming the Mind Ministries and trekked through the Theology Program online. I also started listening to Michael Patton's podcast, Theology Unplugged.)  The Credo House was built in 2009, but not before Patton started a popular blog called Pen and Parchment and Reclaiming the Mind Ministries started shifting from just the mind to reclaiming the heart, soul, and mind.  In 2010, Tim Kimberly was brought on to Credo House Ministries, which was a fantastic addition.  Together, these two men grew the podcast (which now also features Sam Storms and J. J. Sied), built up what I hear is a remarkable coffee house, and added the Discipleship Program and some Boot Camps to accompany the Theology Program on the shelf of training materials.  And only recently, they've created the Credo House Members Area where all of these resources are assembled and available online for an annual or monthly subscription. 

When you enter the Credo House Members Area, you will find a large collection of videos, organized by program and subject.  They have the Discipleship Program, which is a 10 video overview of what every believer should know and live as a Christian.  It's great for new believers.  You will also find the Boot Camps.  These are short, compressed classes to give the student a good crash course on a specific topic.  At the time of this review, these Boot Camps include Church History, Essentials of Faith, and How to Study the Bible. The Theology Program is also available in the Members Area.  There's weekly video of the Theology Unplugged podcast and many additional videos on various topics, sometimes including scholars or other guests.  

The Credo House Members Area also includes the ability to find other members and build groups or chat forums, although these features have yet to really take off.  It also seems that more features are being added regularly.  The most recent feature is a certificate system for the Discipleship Program, Boot Camps, and The Theology Program.  The certificate requires the videos be watched and there's a short test at the end of each session.  

At the time of this review, the Credo House Members Area is $25 per month for individuals (which includes a Credo House T-shirt) or $250 for an individual annual membership.  A church membership that includes up to 100 memberships and one T-shirt is $50 per month or $500 per year.  There are hundreds of hours of material and downloadable workbooks available in the Credo House Members Area.  For some perspective, just the Theology Program on DVD with workbooks is $459.

While the Credo House has been endorsed by the likes of Charles Swindoll, JP Moreland, Roger Olsen, and Dan Wallace, this is not an endorsement but a critical review specifically of the Credo House Members Area.

I signed up Risen Life Church under the annual church membership because we are blessed to have a good number of men and women with a desire to learn and grow beyond what we offer on Sunday morning or through our various other ministries.  Some of them appear to have a calling into the professional ministry.  We are in the process of developing additional training and hands-on opportunities, but in the meantime, the Credo House Members Area has been an excellent tool in the building up and equipping the saints for ministry.  And the people taking advantage of it are excited about it and seem to be consuming the material with joy and fervor.  As a pastor charged with equipping the saints and directly working with these individuals, I'm thrilled that the Credo House is a para-church organization that appears to actually operate accordingly (a rare thing to find these days).  The material in the Credo House Members Area is the training that wouldn't typically be preached from a pulpit or taught in a Bible study (although it does come out in small doses as necessary to teach God's Word from week to week).  The Credo House Members Area videos are truly that para information that is so necessary to know and so helpful in the work of the ministry--items like theological methodology, Church history, and study methods. 

I am also thrilled about the quality and style of the material being taught.  It is of a fairly high quality but not presented in a stiff or staunchy way.  It's fun and accessible, which makes it really good for the lay person just getting started in more formal training for ministry.  I remember how valuable The Theology Program was for me in 2006 when I was starting to think about full-time ministry and seminary.  After finishing the program, I was really excited about ministry and seminary, a result unlike what some training programs produce.  And the Credo House has come along way since the filming of The Theology Program, in both quality and accessibility.

All that being said, I do wonder if the cost is worth it once the videos have been watched?  What is to keep a person coming back?  I also find the cheeky language that this is, "Seminary for the Rest of Us" a bit misleading.  While this information and training is very good, it is nothing like my seminary experience.  I suspect that the same would be true of Dallas Theological Seminary which has a heavy influence upon the Credo House.  I am concerned that those going through the various training programs and boot camps may get a wrong impression of seminary and may develop an overly-inflated view of what they are learning. (Sadly, I know this was the case for me.)  While seminary has the ability to produce arrogant individuals, more often than not it tends to produce learned people who realize how large and vast a topic really is.  They learn how much they don't know and then function humbly inside this reality.  The Credo House Members Area on the other hand may leave students thinking they've got it all.  In his book, Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Morland, makes and argument that on occasion the preacher should preach a sermon to the upper-third of the congregation to challenge them, but also to "motivate those in the lower two-thirds to work to catch up!" (194, NavPress 1997).  I think the Credo House could benefit from this approach because it would remind the student that the topic is so much larger than the 40 minute video.  (Theology Unplugged does a nice job of this from time to time, which is probably why Sam Storms in on the podcast!)

That being said, I still very much endorse the Credo House Members Area.  I believe it is a fantastic resource and hope more churches and individuals sign up.  (I regularly pray more members at my church contact me about signing up!) I believe it is doing much good as it is helping the Church equip the saints for the work of ministry. I personally own Michael Patton and Tim Kimberly my thanks.  Sam Storms too.  The Theology Program was what gave me that little nudge to seriously look at seminary.  Theology Unplugged is the format we follow for Salt Believer Unscripted (although we are very much less equipped with sound gear, but that's okay), and I have 'borrowed' many of the teaching illustrations from videos I've watched in the Credo House Members Area.  I highly recommend it!   

And if you were looking for a review of the coffee, or the atmosphere of the Credo House, or their library, or their staff, I'm sorry to disappoint.  I would indeed be happy to offer a review of such things if I had a sponsor to cover the cost of gas for me and my Salty Believer Unscripted co-hosts. And who knows, maybe we could have Michael Patton and Tim Kimberly on as our guests!


*While I coordinated Risen Life Church's Credo House Members Area membership, and have paid the fees to join, I have no other material connection to the Credo House.  I was not given any gift, financial or otherwise in exchange for this review. 
** All photos used in this review are property of the Credo House, are found on their website at www.reclaimingthemind.org, and are used here to for review purposes.

The Sovereignity of Grace by Arthur C. Custance

Custance, Arthur C. The Sovereignty of Grace. Grand Rapids, Mich: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co. with Baker Book House, 1979 [2nd ed., on-line. Corrected, edited, and reformatted.] 

Arthur Custance (1910-1985) was a name foreign to me until only recently.  None of his books were required reading in seminary; never did his name appear in a citation.  While The Sovereignty of Grace is now available to read for free on-line, it appears in few public libraries, if any.  It's basically out of print and out of circulation.  Yet, when a respected friend told me Custance was among his favorite authors and he had two copies of this particular book but couldn't bring himself to read it for fear of being convinced of his argument, my interest in Custance was born. 

As it turns out, Author Custance has written a few books on a wide range of topics.  Some of his other titles include Two Men Called Adam, Seed of the Woman, Without Form and Void, Journey Out of Time, and Mysterious Matter of Mind.  The Doorway Papers is a 10-volume collection of other scholarly writings on science and religion.  Redeemer University College is home to the Arthur Custance Centre and a website, www.custance.org is dedicated to preserving his memory and selling his books.  Some are available to be read on-line, which is how I journeyed through The Sovereignty of Grace.

While many of Custance's titles appear to hold a strong scientific-theological marriage, The Sovereignty of Grace is far from that relationship.  Instead, Custance explores the theological topic of the order of salvation through a historical and biblical trek, the likes few have of done so thoroughly.  Rather than beginning from a foundation of the more recent 'Armenianism v. Calvinism' debates, he begins with Scripture.  Then he revisits Scripture with serious examination and the theology associated with it through a historical path starting with Paul, moving through the ideas of Augustin, and then on by way of many, many theologians, eventually getting to John Calvin.  By the time Calvin is reached, one is left with the impression that Calvinism is mistakenly credited to the wrong man.

The Sovereignty of Grace Abstract opens with the line, "In this study ELECTION and PREDESTINATION are not cold, austere doctrines but the vibrant heart of the Gospel."[1] Everything that follows stands in complete agreement with this opening proclamation.  While many who disagree with Custance's detailed argument may find offense and the mastery of his thesis and the bold stand which he takes upon his convictions of Scripture, there is nothing in Custance's words that intentionally attack his opponents themselves or demonstrate a lack of respect.  His target remains keenly focused on the theological matter before him and his convictions are clearly demonstrated.  Yet, even I who agree with his argument on the order of salvation and understanding of election and predestination at one point felt offended by his boldness, feeling sympathy for my Christian brothers and sisters holding the very theological position being utterly destroyed by the evidence.  However, as I continued to read and grew even more convinced by Scripture, I began to wonder why we don't feel this same sympathy for those to stand with Pelagius and works-based salvation, or for those who claim that Jesus is but one way to salvation? (Rather than the only way.)  It is a complicated matter, but through Custance thorough handling of Scripture as well as his research though history, I believe it is okay to take a stand against what Custance argues is an unbiblical position, without being mean or disrespectful to those who hold the position.  After all, Custance's overarching point of the entire book is that we must depend upon God's Word to dictate the truth rather than our desired outcomes driven from deep within our hope to hold on to misunderstood 'freedoms.'

Custance structures his book in six parts although Part VI is really more of a single-chapter conclusion and could have been set up as such, like the introduction was. Part I is an extensive journey from the New Testament writing to the Reformation.  Chapter-after-chapter this section is loaded with Scripture and lengthy quotes from the Church Fathers, philosophers, and various theologians.  The reader should greatly appreciate the size of the quotes, leaving the reader feeling that the primary matter was not taken out of context.  Some block quotes ran for an entire page or more.  Additionally, Custance did not shy away from the Scriptures that could be used to argue against his thesis or an examination of how these biblical passages have been understood throughout pre-reformation and reformation history.  His historical starting point is informative and enjoyable, but it also helps provide remarkable background before he ever introduces the infamous "TULIP."  And while it wasn't actually Calvin that articulated this acronym he did articulated the theological position as he saw it in the Bible.  That being said, it is clear that the doctrine was articulated long before Calvin, and had not Calvin been the front-man, Custance's historical survey makes it obvious that surely there would have been another championing this doctrine.  Part I, in and of itself is so convincing, one may not need to venture into Part II.  

Part II is a lengthy examination of the theology of grace.  It works through TULIP in structure but most points get multiple chapters.  While Part I likely could have been a stand-alone monogram, surely Part II would have been more than sufficient to stand alone as a book on the shelf.  It is extremely detailed, sometimes getting too bogged down in the minutia of the human condition, sin, and theological philosophy.  Part II is equally as loaded with Scripture as Part I, if not more so; and it may be that the extensive material was included for those who found doubt in what Custance so clearly presented from Scripture.  Custance is clear but gracious as he works through each of the 5-points of Calvinism.  He concedes the more difficult areas and confesses that the point of limited atonement depends less on Scripture than do the other points (although he does argue that with the Scripture of the other points, logic suggests that the atonement of Christ must be limited).    Parts I and II together could rival any book of the many I have on my shelf that cover this topic, some from very respected theologians.  By the conclusion of Part II, Custance's brilliance and wisdom clearly shine.

Parts III, IV, and V run a little shorter in length but serve to answer the practical questions that logically must come after Parts I and II.  Part III deals with the practical life application of this doctrine.  Significantly, one should find comfort in understanding this doctrine and see God's grace even more magnificently in light of it.  What then becomes or responsibility?  Custance dedicates and entire chapter to this question.  He also examines how we are to understand our Spiritual gifts within the Church in light of God's will.  Part V tackles the sticky questions of election and evangelism.  While Custance quotes extensively from J. I. Packer's little book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, I feel Custance answered this question better than Packer, and in greater detail (although he may have also used more pages to do so).  Part V deals with the fate of the non-elect.  In three chapters, Custance deals with hell and punishment.

My greatest criticism of The Sovereignty of Grace is Part V.  Custance concedes that he had very little conviction in this area and was still working it out himself.  As a result however, a book that stands so firmly on Scripture and bold proclamation all but concludes something that almost nearly explains away an eternal hell and punishment with the use of lexicons rather than Scripture.  What should catch the reader's attention immediately is how little Scripture appears in Part V compared to the previous four parts.  It was almost as if some biblical texts were intentionally avoided.  While I deeply respect Custance's desire to work this out, I am disappointed by Part V based on what I read in the previous four parts.  It should have been entirely left out of the work until Custance could stand as firmly on his argument and as boldly on his convictions as he does with the rest of the book, even if he would have come to positions and convictions I might disagree with.  (It is not his soft conclusions I am disappointed with, but the fact that he did not work through Part V with the same methodology as he did in the remainder of the work.)

A second criticism I have has nothing to do with Custance, but with the delivery method and marketing of the "out of print" work.  It can be purchased on the website and even read and quasi-downloaded for reading electronically, yet is is hidden away in a dusty corner of the internet and available in antiquated technology.  Had it not been for the caliber and wisdom of the man who introduced me to Aurthur Custance, I would not have searched him out and I certainly would not have got through the effort to read this book electronically as I did.  As easy and cheap as print-on-demand is today, as well as it's availability, this book should, no, this book must be made available by these means and maybe available on Kindle too.

This is a remarkable book and well worth the read if you can get your hands on a hard copy.  I highly recommend it!     



_____
1. The abnormal way this book was made available on-line makes it difficult to cite properly. Therefore, the reference may only point the reader to the 2001 edition of the on-line material title heading.

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals

Piper, John. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Nashville, Tenn: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.

John Piper has penned more than 50 books to include, Desiring God, Don't  Waste Your Life, and The Future of Justification.  He is the pastor of preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church, served as the a professor of Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is the founder of Desiring God Ministries.  He holds a Doctorate of Theology from the University of Munich and is presently the chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary.  Often called 'A pastor to pastors' Piper has re-released his 2002 publication, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, now updated and expanded. 

John Piper discusses the re-release of Brothers, We Are Not Professionals:

In addition to some revisions, Piper added six more chapters.  Chapter 4, 'Brothers, God Does Make Much of Us,' and Chapter 6, 'Brothers, God Is the Gospel' were added for theological reasons. In his pursuit of being a better preacher, he added Chapter 13, 'Brothers, Be Bible-Oriented--Not Entertainment Oriented Preachers' and Chapter 18, 'Brothers, Pursue the Tone of the Text.'  For family reasons relating to his sanctification, he added Chapter 22, 'Brothers, Help Them Act the Miracle.'  And for personal reasons, he added Chapter 27, 'Brothers, Bodily Training is of Some Value' (xi). 

Piper opens with a charge against today's pastorate: "[...] the pressure to 'professionalize' the pastorate has morphed and strengthened" (ix).  He goes on to ask, 

"Is there professional praying? Professional musing on the depths of revelation? Professional treasuring the riches of Christ? Professional walking by the Spirit? Professional exercise of spiritual gifts? Professional dealing with demons? Professional pleading with backsliders? Professional perseverance in a hard marriage? Professional playing with children? Professional courage in the face of persecution? Professional patience with everyone?" (ix-x)

His questions are good.  Ministry does, he argues, have a side of professionalism, but these are in "areas of competency where the life of faith and the life of unbelief overlap" (x).  Professionalism in other areas need not be compartmentalized.  "These are not marginal activities in the pastoral life;" writes Piper, "They are central.  They are the essence" (x).   Therefore, Piper sets out to make two primary arguments with this book.  The first is, "professionalism should always be marginal, not central; optional, not crucial" (x).  The second is like it.  "The pursuit of professionalism" he argues, "will push the supernatural center more and more into the corner while ministry becomes a set of secular competencies with a religious veneer" (x).  Thirty-six short chapters follow to fill out the details of his thesis. 

Most pastors today are likely dealing with the very issues Piper sets out to reshape.  That being the case, this book is a helpful tool for pastors.  One gets the feeling while reading Brothers, We are Not Professionals, that Piper is simply putting all the aspects of ministry that interest him on paper to help the next generation.  But this is not to say that this book is limited to pastors alone, or just for brothers for that matter.  Many (but not all) the chapters have great application for the Christian life.  Those in positions like worship leaders, teachers, small group hosts, or other ministry areas will benefit from this book.  Men leading in their homes will find this book compelling.  And women will have just as many areas of application as the men, although Chapter 35, 'Brothers, Love Your Wife' may need some adaptation. 

Piper is honest about his own walk in ministry, which is most likely why this book is as compelling as it is.  There is not one single word that is not backed by his emotion, passion, and service to the Kingdom.

One criticism however, might be that a small selection of the chapters are 'Piper specific,' that is, rather specific to his ministry.   For example, "Brothers, Sever the Root of Racism" and "Brothers, Blow the Trumpet for the Unborn."  While both of these issues are extremely important and obviously a passion of Piper's, they provide very little instruction for issues to which other pastors may be called in other times, cultures, and places. Racism and abortion must be ended, but what about those serving to eradicate issues of poverty, the sex-trade, illiteracy, child labor, violence, drug addiction, or many other ills in our fallen world today? While I appreciate Piper's call to the two above mentioned issues, understanding better tools to fulfill other passionate callings may have been helpful for those in circumstances where additional matters must be addressed.

Apart from this fairly insignificant criticism,  Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, is a fantastic work and well worth the time to read.  It is a must read for pastors and I also highly recommend it to those not serving in the paid pastorate.

ATTENTION: In partnership with B&H Publishing Group, Salty Believer Unscripted, our podcast, is giving away a copy of this book.  Here's more info. 

For other book recommendations, please visit the SaltyBeliever.com resource page. 

* A copy of this book was provided in exchange for a review; however, the content and quality of the review were completely as my discretion.

Two More Book Recommendations

It's my preference to offer more comprehensive book reviews; however, on occasion all I can do is provide a recommendation due to time constraints or my lack of availability to the physical copy of the book.   Today, I'd like to recommend R. C. Sproul's Holiness of God and Dallas Willard's Hearing God.

Sproul, R. C. The Holiness of God. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 1985. 

Willard, Dallas. Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1999. 

I listened to both of these great books in a narrated audio version while  conducting other tasks.  The upside to listening to books is how the book can be enjoyed at times when reading would not normally be possible.  The downside is being unable to return to the book later for additional study or for the purposes writing a review.   (I've encountered this audio book issue before when I recommended Piper's Don't Waste Your Life.)

I enjoyed both of these book enough to order hard copies for future study and so I can lend them to others. 

R. C. Sproul looks at how remarkable and holy our God really is in his rapidly-becoming-a-classic, The Holiness of God.  His work, much like Piper's Desiring God or J.I. Packer's Knowing God takes the reader through an enjoyable tour of something so present but often so overlooked.  There is no "how to" aspect of this book, yet it is practical in its teaching and accessible to those with little to no theological background.  That being said, even the educated theologian will benefit from Sproul's observations.   I highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to see God in a life changing way and be transformed by knowing God better and loving him more.

Dallas Willard on the other hand, offers a practical book on how to converse better with God.  Are your prayers one-way?  Do you spend your time talking at God but give no time to hearing from him?  Do you long to hear from God?  How would having a conversational relationship with the Creator of the Universe change the way you live?  Willard deals with these questions and so much more in his book Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.  In this book, Willard guides his reads through some easy and realistic ways to develop ears to hear from God.  This book, if put into practice, will change lives as well as relationships with God, that that, I believe, will change the world.  I highly recommend it.

I picked up both of these book as well as a few others from ChristianAudio.com.  If you're looking for audio books, ChristianAudio.com is worth checking out.  Their prices are good and they run specials often.  In addition, if you create a free account, you will be eligible to download their free monthly offering (where, I admit, I got both of these great books). Most books come in many different audio formats and the downloading and purchasing process is easy.  ChristianAudio.com comes highly recommended too.


*I have no connection, material or otherwise to any of the books recommend in this post.  I receive no financial gain or special gifts by mentioning ChristianAudio.com. 

The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

Chandler, Matt.  The Explicit Gospel.  Weaton, Illi: Crossway, 2012.

In his book, The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler asks the question, "How can you grow up going to church every week and not hear the gospel?" (12)  He was haunted by this question after watching a series of baptism testimonies that fallow the lines of, "I grew up in the church but. . ." or "No one ever taught me the gospel."  This, it seems, has prompted Chandler to write a book specifically outlining the gospel.

Unlike many academic books that journey through the gospel, The Explicit Gospel is penned by a practicing pastor who understands the personal nature of the gospel.  However, unlike many pastoral books on the gospel, Chandler does not simply stay rooted in the dirty interpersonal aspects of the gospel.  He rightly sees the gospel from two distinct perspectives--the gospel on the ground and the gospel in the air.  The ground and air views are how he creatively describes these two perspectives.

The gospel on the ground is the stuff in the everyday life of people.  It's what we most often hear from the counseling, pastoral ministers and leaders.  The gospel on the ground is about God's relationship with man, man's brokenness, Christ's atonement and his love for us, and our repentance and response to Christ.  This is the very personal gospel story that we often hear from personal perspectives, and it is very much the gospel of the Bible.

On the other hand, Chandler also addresses the gospel in the air.  Rather than the view on the ground, on the pavement with with people, this is the 30,000 foot view.  This is the gospel we often hear about from professors and teachers and the more big-picture driven pastors and leaders.  It is not so much dependent upon the personal relationship as it is about the story of the history of God's redemption.  This is the gospel that starts with creation and is broken by the fall.  Then reconciliation between the created and their Creator through and by Christ leads to the beautiful consummation.  And this too is the gospel of the Bible.

Chandler does a fantastic job and presenting the gospel from both of these perspectives.  His journey takes detailed steps through the Bible, going to great lengths to explain and express the story of the Bible in simple to understand terms.  In addition, he has a section in the book that discusses the dangers of staying only on the ground or remaining only in the air and it is spot on.  His argument beyond the reality that Christians must know the gospel is that we must also find balance.

This is a wonderful book, although a learned student of the Bible may find some sections a little boring and prefer to turn to the Bible itself.  That being the case, the sections on the gospel on the ground and the gospel in the air, as well as the latter chapters on the dangers of a lack of balance are extremely insightful and valuable.  In addition, the very purpose of this book is to communicate to those who do not know and understand the gospel.  Inversely, those with little to no knowledge should read this book and will probably find it extremely enjoyable.

*Jared Jenkins, Adam Madden, and I recorded a podcast centered around the gospel on the ground and the gospel in the air as presented by Chandler.  You can listen to it here or subscribe to Salty Believer Unscripted on iTunes.

The ESV Study Bible

I've said it before, but I believe that at the time of this post, the ESV Study Bible is the best study Bible on the market.  On my shelves are a number of study Bibles and with the exception of the HCSB Study Bible (which takes a distant second place), the ESV Study Bible is far superior to the rest.  The ESV Study Bible does a fantastic job of providing a great mediating translation (The English Standard Version) of the Bible partnered with the wonderful resources, maps, charts, articles, and commentary of the Study Bible.  

But really, you don't have to take my word for it; others highly recommend and endorse the ESV Study Bible too. Some of these leaders include Tullian Tchividjian, Al Mohler Jr., Joshua Harris, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, and many others.

Here, Tullian Tchividjian takes us through a great look at what the ESV has to offer you, a student of the Bible.

J. I. Packer, Theological Editor for the ESV Study Bible, discusses the ESV Study Bible from his unique perspective.

If it's not obvious by now, I highly recommend the ESV Study Bible and believe everybody should have a copy.  I might suggest however, that you make a little more of an investment and get the leather or imitation leather bound copy because the hardback version seems to have issues with its binding. 


* I have no material or financial connection to the ESV Bible other than my use of it in my pastoral and writing ministries. 

The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee

Nee, Watchman.  The Release of the Spirit. New York, NY: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 2000.

I do not recall ever having heard the name Watchman Nee in seminary.  Nee, I've since learned after a friend recommend The Release of the Spirit and other Nee works, was a Christian in China who was jailed for his faith in 1952 where he remained until his death in 1972.  According to watchmannee.org, Nee was uniquely gifted by God as a "Seer of the Divine Revelation."  Nee authored many books to include The Release of the Spirit. [1]

The Release of the Spirit was originally a series of sermons or lessons delivered in Foochow, South China between May 25th and 28th, 1948.  The book was first published in 1955 and the first English edition in 1965.

In this particular work, Nee suggests that man must ultimately be broken if his is to be an effective agent for God, and in fact God cannot use a servant who has not has a release of his inter spirit.  The flesh serves as an impenetrable capsule like an alabaster box.  Once this box is broken, life may come forth (14).  Nee argues that the Holy Spirit orchestrates the breaking, writing, "He makes sure one event after another and one difficulty after another come to us.  These break our outward man so that our inward man may come through" (15).  Most people however, try to avoid being broken not realizing the necessity of the outerman to crack and free the innerman.  "Let us remember," states Nee, "that the one reason for all misunderstandings, all fretfulness, all disappointments, is that we secretly love ourselves.  Hence, we plan a way whereby we can rescue ourselves.  Many times problems arise due to our seeking a way of escape--an escape from the working of the cross" (19).

While the overall point of of The Release of the Spirit is valuable, there is some difficulty with the its starting point.  Nee take a position of trichotomy, that is that man is made up of three parts--body, soul, and spirit.  Even for one who is a dichotomist (like this reviewer), typical arguments from a trichomists position tend to remain within biblical tension.  Nee however, identifies the soul and spirit with definitions that press upon this tension with some force that may be problematic for the dichotomist.  According to Nee, the body is the physical body, the flesh.  The soul is the intellect, thought, emotion, and intangible aspects of personality and being, and the spirit is something different.  "When God comes to indwell us by His Spirit with His life and power," states Nee, "He comes into our spirit at the time when we are born again" (12).  The body is defined by Nee as the outermost man, the soul is the outerman, and the spirit is the innerman.   Therefore, the indwelling by God seems only to be found in the spirit of man and the outerman and outermost man actually inhibit man's spirit fused with the Holy Spirit to come forth.

Nee's presentation flirts with a mystic argument and possibly dabbles in gnosticism.  Rather than God transforming and sanctifying the entirety of the man who is called to love God with all of his heart, soul, strength, and mind, it seems that Nee believes that these parts of man can only hold God back until they are broken and the inner spirit may come forth.  For example, Nee writes,

"Our only hope is that the Lord may blaze a way out of us, breaking our outward man--breaking it to such a degree that the inward man may come out and be seen.  This is precious!  This is the way for those who serve the Lord.  Only by this process can we serve the Lord, and only by this procedure can we lead men to the Lord.  All else is limited in its value.  Doctrinal and theological knowledge does not have that much usefulness.  What is the use of mere mental knowledge of the Bible if the outward man remains unbroken?  Only the person through whom God and come forth is useful" (20-21). 

The tone throughout the book is that emotions, intellect, and the other aspects of the soul are bad or negative and that something else emerges to do the Lord's work.  It is as if the spirit is the only thing infused with the Holy Spirit and the spirit somehow is no longer deprived while the rest of the man is still in a cage.  The soul and body are bad and not useful to God unless controlled by man's spirit.  The counterargument to such a position is that man's body, mind, strength, emotion, intellect, and so-on are given over to the control and transformation of the Holy Spirit and then the entirety of man may be used to pursue God's glory.

An additional difficulty throughout The Release of the Spirit is found in the language choices regarding God's sovereignty.   Or if it is not simply the choice of English words, then it must be the view.  Nee appears to have a small idea or view of God and a large view of man.  It seems God cannot function without us rather than the other way around.  Sinful man appears to hold a great deal over God.   For example Nee says, "It would seem the Lord usually spends several years upon most of us before He can accomplish this work of breaking" (17, italics added for emphasis).  Another example is found only a paragraph later: "But if we do not know how to use our spirit, the Spirit of God cannot touch people through us" (17, italics added for emphasis).

I have come to realize that if this matter is simply about the language choices and translation, than there is less problem than it would seem on the surface.  In addition, had Nee argued that God can and may use you broken or not but it is much better to be used broken, much of this review would have been different.  God used Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Judas for his purposes but they were hardened, not broken.  However, we should certainly prefer to be used well by God, willingly as his servant, and this requires first that we are broken.  I realize this perspective comes from my reformed theology which may not be the theology of Nee. 

Because of the theological difficulties I encountered throughout The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee, I cannot recommend it without some kind of caveat tailored to the individual.  Admittedly, I found Nee's work theologically troubling even though it appears he had the best of intentions and his over-arching point is good.  That being said, this was an interesting introduction to Watchman Nee and I am thankful for it. 
 

1. "Watchman Nee," http://www.watchmannee.org/index.html [Accessed June 28th, 2012].

The Bible: English Standard Version (ESV)

I can't express how thankful I am that we live in a time where so many different translations of the Bible exist.

The Bible was written over the span of about 1,600 years by over 40 different divinely inspired authors.  The Old Testament was written primary in Hebrew.  If you were even fortunate enough to know how to read at all, you would have had to have read Hebrew.  As Alexander the Great expanded his empire, he made an effort to unify the language.  Many people started speaking Greek but that language was simplified as it spread further away from Greece and become a common man's Greek, called Koine Greek.  

Before the time of Christ, translators embarked on an effort to translate the Hebrew Old Testament into Koine Greek because so many more peoples and nations spoke this language as the language of business.  That first translation from Hebrew to Greek is called the Septuagint, often indicated by LXX.  A while after the canonization of the New Testament (originally written in Koine Greek), Jerome translated both the Old and New Testaments into Latin.  This late Forth Century or early Fifth Century translation is called the Vulgate. (There was also an early Syriac translation called the Peshitta, but we'll reserve the discussion on this translation for another time.)

Sadly, the only way many people could read the Bible (if they knew how to read) was in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin.  Around the time of the Protestant Reformation and slightly before, efforts began to provide a Bible in the language of the people.  Martin Luther, provided a translation in German. Guys like William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, John Rogers, and John Waycliff worked on various English translations.  It was around this time that the world got the King James Version of the Bible as well as the Geneva Bible, Bishop's Bible, and the Douay-Rheims Bible.

Moving forward a few Centuries we now find over 200 English translations as well as hundreds of non-English language translations of the Bible and an even greater variety of translations of select parts of the Bible. In the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, with the aid of greater archeological efforts, disciplined academic pursuits, and computer technology, many of the translations in English are outstanding!  Of course not every translation is as careful as others and some translations carry with them troubling theological issues or politically motivated choices.

As I examine the many options, I've found that the English Standard Version or ESV is one of the best translations for readability, devotion, study, and preaching.  It is a well-rounded mediating translation of the Bible.  (If you would like more information and videos comparing the 2011 NIV, HCSB, and the ESV, check out "Translating the Bible, NIV11, ESV, and HCSB.") But really, you don't have to take my word for it; others highly recommend and endorse the ESV translation of the Bible, too. Some of these leaders include Wayne Grudem, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, David Platt, Kevin DeYoung, Matt Chandler, Darrin Patrick, John McArther,  Francis Chan, Tullian Tchividjian, and many others.

Here's a better look at the ESV Bible.

While it's extremely obvious throughout this post, I highly recommend the ESV Bible for both personal and church use.  It's a great translation that is widely accessible and affordable.

* I have no material or financial connection to the ESV Bible other than my use of it in my pastoral and writing ministries. 

The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

Buchanan, Mark.  The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath.  Nashville, Tenn: W Publishing Group, 2006. 

As Mark Buchanan was venturing through a much needed sabbatical, he came up with the idea that he should write about his experience of seeking and finding rest.  What resulted was a book full of interesting arguments about man's need for rest, rejuvenation, and play.  Few would disagree with Buchanan--man does need rest, rejuvenation, and play.  However, Buchanan takes his argument a step further and twists in the thread of Sabbath.  The Rest of God seeks to encourage readers to rest as well as understand Sabbath a little differently.  

The book opens with an assumption that the reader holds either one of two positions: a legalistic view of Sabbath or no understanding of Sabbath what-so-ever.  From this assumption, Buchanan sets out to move the reader away from either position.  In order to better make his argument, each chapter concludes with a section he calls Liturgy.  He recognizes that the word liturgy comes with images of "robes and candles and prayer books and lectionaries"; however, Buchanan defines liturgy as "gestures by which we honor transcendent reality" (8).  He argues that the low church has its liturgy too, even if it does not look like what we are accustomed to.  Liturgy of the low church is found in its austerity, spontaneity, and informality (8).  "It helps us give concrete expression to deepest convictions" writes Buchanan of liturgy, "It gives us choreography for the things unseen and and allows us to brush heaven among the shades of earth" (8).  

Each chapter is filled with examples and illustrations as well as attempts to tie his points to biblical concepts. But Buchanan did not set out to write a book about burnout, rest, or productivity--he set out to write a book that teaches his readers to restore Sabbath so they will restore their soul.  "The argument of this book," writes Buchanan, "is that we uniquely take up his invitation by keeping Sabbath, both as a day and as an attitude" (18).  Buchanan fell short of this goal. 

While I absolutely agree that we need rest, recreation, and play, Buchanan's biblical foundation of Sabbath is somewhat weak.  Rather than building a foundation of Sabbath by spending some time early in his book dealing with the variety of times we see sabbath practiced in the Old and New Testaments as well as how Jesus dealt with Sabbath, he uses a large number of examples and illustrations about the importance of resting and slowing down.  Instead of breaking down God's instruction on sabbath so we better understand it, we read stories of sleeping cats and busy author/pastors and guys pushing the danger envelope to jump off bridges and feel alive.  The picture painted by Buchanan is that Sabbath is not a thing to be obeyed but a thing to be done so we get something in return--rest.  Rather than a day of Sabbath or an attitude of Sabbath as something to draw us closer to God, it becomes something only to restore us so we can get back to the work of God and our own happiness.  It even seems at times that there is a hint of finding our strength within ourselves and going to a source of rest in order to be recharged rather that finding it all from God.  His idea appears to be that Sabbath is "a command given to save us from ourselves" (115).  So he argues that Sabbath is doing something different than we do on the other six days; only, he does not seem to stress that even while we are doing this different thing,  Sabbath is really about bringing glory to God and seeking God's face in a rest provided only by God. 

Chapter Nine, for example, is a story of Buchanan and a guy named Nathan.  Nathan takes Buchanan swimming where they spend the day jumping of high bridges and cliffs into rapid water. At one point Buchanan feels like he's going to die.  The result is that he feels alive.  He enjoys life. It's a taste of heaven he says.  His argument in this chapter is that play is necessary to life, which few would argue against.  He says that play shows us what it is to have fun. Who would disagree?  Play interrupts our working routine.  Yes.  But then Buchanan says that "Sabbath is for play" (140).  This is extremely challenging if by play he means a joy found in ourselves and our own adventures apart from God.  "Play and Sabbath are joined at the hip," he writes, "and sometimes we rest best when we play hardest.  Whether it's more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten, you can never make up your mind" (142).  But there's a huge glaring problem.  Buchanan writes the entire chapter, all of Chapter Nine, without mention of God.  He makes no connection between Sabbath and the Creator of Sabbath.  Instead, he offers a definition of Sabbath that has no need of God.  With this definition of Sabbath, an atheist could strictly keep Sabbath.  By this understanding, the snow and dirt worshipers of Utah and Colorado are doing a fine job of finding "the rest of God" without God.  This is a problem and it is not a biblical picture of Sabbath. 

I also find it somewhat ironic that during his time of rest and desire to seek Sabbath, the author of other books produced a book on the topic of rest and Sabbath.  This does not seem like much of a sabbatical to seek rest, but instead an opportunity to continue working within his normal routine of authoring books.

On the other hand, had Buchanan written this book apart from his attempts to define Sabbath and his use of Scripture, he could have written a very good secular book on the need for rest in our rest-work cycles.  If it were not for a godless picture of Sabbath presented in its pages, I would have no problem recommending Buchanan's book to work-alcoholics everywhere.


*I have no material connection to this book, financial or otherwise.  However, this book was recommended to me as part of my ordination process.  

The Jesus Storybook Bible & Curriculum Kit

Oh how unfortunate it is that so many children's Bibles are loaded with colorful pictures and moralistic stories but fail to tell the story of God's redemption!  Through these Bibles, many children learn about the people of the Bible but often fail to see how they are intertwined in one great story, The Story.  These children's books miss how all of the stories point to the salvation brought only by Christ.  Even more tragic is the reality that for many children, a bridge is never built to take them from a book of moralistic, colorful stories to an understanding of The Story.  Instead, they are stuck with memories of tales that tell them very little about Christ.  Even worse, they may only be able to conjure up images of cucumber and tomato characters when they think of the God's Word, the Bible.  Then as teens, they mentally push aside the Bible along with their other children's books.  Finally, as adults, they don't know the Bible and remember it only as a book of disconnected stories or even rules about life.  As parents and Bible teachers we must combat this tragedy.

Choosing a good children's Bible is a great start.  The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones is a well illustrated children's Bible that tells of one interconnected story (made up of 44 selected "chapters") that is constantly pointing to Jesus.  Lloyd-Jones writes every event with Jesus at the center, not a moralist principle or other misguided focus.  It's about Jesus, just as the Bible is.  Each individual chapter is written on two or three pages and can be read to a child in three to four minutes.  The illustrations are memorable and fun.  It's perfect for Bible reading at breakfast with the kids or for bedtime stories or any other time you can read to your children.  In addition, the story is organized in chronological order and every chapter comes with a Scripture reference so an adult can explore the passage in greater detail in an adult Bible. 

My wife and I (but mostly my wife)  read the Jesus Storybook Bible to our children every morning at the breakfast table.  It's fun and easy, but more significant is seeing how my boys (3 and 6) are able to articulate the larger story of Jesus.  They see Jesus in every story.  And having gone through it a couple times now, my oldest is no longer regurgitating the story but actually demonstrating great comprehension of his understanding of God's story of redemption.

But the Jesus Storybook Bible is not just for kids.  As a pastor at Risen Life Church, I've recommend this Bible to many adults.  Some of the people I meet are approaching the Bible for the first time (or maybe coming back to it with only warped pictures of their not-so-great childhood Bible lodged in their memory).  Or they, like many Christians, have never read the Bible in chronological order and fail to see how it all fits together.  I always encourage getting a chronological reading list and start reading; but I also like to recommend that students of the Bible read the Jesus Storybook Bible first. This offers a quick read with a great overview of God's story of redemption.  "Every story whispers his name," Lloyd-Jones correctly writes.  And this is not limited to non-believers and new Christians.  I came around the corner one morning to find my wife sobbing as she was trying to read "The Servant King" story to my boys.  She'd read the biblical narrative many times but there was something in the simplicity of the Jesus Storybook Bible that tapped into the her child-like faith.  God stirred her heart through the pages of a children's Bible! 

The Jesus Storybook Bible is great for children and adults alike.  I highly recommend it.  But a word of caution: just because this is a great children's Bible does not mean that children (and adults for that matter) should not be graduated up to other age appropriate Bibles as they grow in their walk with Christ and their understanding of God's Word increases.  The Jesus Storybook Bible is most appropriate for children in early to middle elementary school. 

The Jesus Storybook Bible has been discussed before on SaltyBeliever.com as well as in the podcast, "Salty Believer Unscripted"; therefore, it should be no surprise that I highly recommend it.  But there's more!

The Jesus Storybook Bible now comes complete with curriculum.  Sally Lloyd-Jones (the author of many children's books) has teamed up with Sam Shammas (who works at Redeemer Presbyterian Church and has co-written other curriculum with Timothy Keller).  These two ladies have taken the wonderful illustrations by Jago and the theatrical audio recordings by David Suchet and developed 44 lesson plans (50 weeks of lessons) for children to pair with the 44 individual stories of the Jesus Storybook Bible.  These lessons include three to five-minute animated videos of The Jesus Storybook Bible as well as incredible print curriculum.

Before I continue this review, I should share that I was intrigued by the idea of the videos and curriculum for adults, even if that is not the intended purpose of the material.  As I pastor adults and am always seeking ways to better teach the Bible, I am most often looking for ways to get the Bible in front of busy grownups (even it they use reading to their kids as an excuse).  The Jesus Storybook Bible works well for this purpose; so I wondered, How much more might the videos and curriculum work to this end?  I requested a reviewer copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit in exchange for a review and was granted my request.  (Thanks Sally; you are a blessing!  But honestly, had I been able to purchase the kit, I would have been discussing it on SaltyBeliever.com anyway.  It's too interesting not to talk about!)  In addition, unaware of my exploration Kerryn Talbot, the children's pastor at Risen Life Church has selected The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum for our children's church.

The Curriculum Kit includes one copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible, three CDs of the audio recordings by David Suchet, and a DVD that includes 44 animated videos and curriculum for print.  The print curriculum includes some promotional material, a guide on teaching the material, and the curriculum itself.  I'm not a children's pastor, but I am impressed with the curriculum.  It's designed so nearly anybody can teach a children's class.  There is a guide for leading a class with detailed instructions and information about the biblical text.  A game or activity is included as well as a memory verse and a colorful lesson handout.  At the bottom of the handout, there are further tips for parents so they may continue teaching the material throughout the week.  It really couldn't be easier.  But this is not to say that the material is lite; it's solid and teaches the Bible.  Even the memory verse has additional tools for learning because under the verse is a line with about five books of the Bible in canonical order.  The book where the verse is found is bold and in the center of the other books.  Even this will help children (and adults) learn the books of the Bible and where they are in the story.  (It might be nice to also have a timeline of The Story but that might be a little advanced for children.) 

The videos are remarkable.  Fancy they are not, but the quality of the audio recording and artwork makes them mesmerizing.  The videos are not flashy but simple, keeping the focus on the narrative.  Jago's art for the videos comes straight out of the artwork from the book so children will have a greater connection and reinforcement as they see the video, hear the words, and read the story.  The audio CDs can be used in the car  on the move to further reinforce God's Story with kids. (You can see a sample video of "The Servant King" without the title package above.)

Unfortunately, it is in the area of the videos where I have criticism.  Every video starts with a 45 second title introduction to give credit the publisher (ZonderKidz), author (Sally Lloyd-Jones), and the reader (David Suchet).  While I greatly appreciate the work of these individuals and I realize they should receive credit, it is troubling to think that a three or four minute video needs this much introduction. I could see it if the video were longer, but consuming 23% of a four minute video with this material is unfortunate.  As I imagine the teacher in the classroom--trying to keep things moving along smoothy--I see a man or woman in the room early setting up the DVD player in advance in order to bypass the title piece so the kids can get right into the video.  Why create this additional step?  The curriculum kit has already been purchased and the credits are on the box, the curriculum, and the DVD packaging.  Why continue to push the publisher and credits in ways that distract from the teaching of the material in the classroom?  I am also a little disappointed that there is not a "play all" feature for the videos.  It was my hope that I could have new believers over to my home with their kids and we could watch a movie of The Jesus Storybook Bible.  As the DVD presently works, a new video would need to be selected every three to four minutes and a 45-second title piece would need to be forwarded over every time.  This seems extremely distracting.  If I were to make a single suggestion, it would be a "play all" feature where after the first title package, no more are shown.  This would create a wonderful 2-hour movie of God's Story of redemption that few adults would want to miss.

Apart from my minor criticism of the way the videos are presented, I find The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit extremely useful to teach the Bible.  The Curriculum Kit is a fresh and exciting approach to a timeless story and it works extremely well with The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's my hope--for the sake of children who will grow up to be Bible-knowing, Bible-believing, God-loving adults--that churches take a good look at The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit and parents invest in a copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible for their kids (and for themselves!).  If you are still unclear about how The Story all fits together and how it all points to Jesus, or you just want to see the Bible through child-like eyes The Jesus Storybook Bible is for you!

*Zondervan provided this reviewer a free copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible for review purposes.  While it was done in exchange for a review, the free gift influenced the content of this review very little.
** Photos and videos are shared for the purposes of providing samples and examples and are not intended to serve solely as marketing for The Jesus Storybook Bible.

11 Innovations in the Local Church by Towns, Stetzer, and Bird

Towns, Elmer L., Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird. 11 Innovations in the Local Church: How Today's Leaders Can Learn, Discern and Move into the Future. Ventura, Cali: Regal Books, 2007.


Too often, what one thinks is happening on the cutting edge of the local church (if there really is such a thing) is tinted by the colors reflected off the churches in close proximity to us.  Or our perceptions could be influenced by those methods and efforts attracting the attention of media, bloggers, conferences, or critics.  It can become rather difficult for the average pastor or lay leader to keep abreast of innovations surfacing among local churches. However, Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird—men in a position to be more aware of what is happening in the Church around the world make an effort to spread the word. It may have been rare for churches to broadcast their sermons online in a podcast format when Mars Hill in Seattle was doing so, but as the word spread, many churches were also able to take advantage of this innovation. These three men understand the importance of sharing information on innovation and want to share what they see. In an effort to help busy pastors and leaders, Towns, Stetzer, and Bird, offer us there their book, 11 Innovations in the Local Church: How today’s leaders can learn, discern and move into the Future.

11 Innovations in the Local Church is really what it claims to be, with an introduction and conclusion serving as bookends to eleven chapters dealing with specific innovations these three men feel are on the cutting edge. The first and most obvious questions many will ask of this book is, “Why is a book about church innovations necessary; isn’t the gospel message enough?” The authors respond saying, “Most churches need to change because they’re showing little or no statistical growth (numerical, spiritual or otherwise) and minimal impact on the surrounding culture. Too many are struggling just to keep their doors open, and yet they tend to keep replaying what they did ‘last year’” (14).  Many churches, faithfully teaching and preaching the gospel, seem to be left behind because they have failed to see the need to be innovative in the way they reach their communities.

 Stetzer opens with a story about a slightly older church that was dying. He sent them out to see what other churches were doing and their response was, “Preacher, the church changed, and nobody told us!” (13). The church must, in some areas change too—although this is not to suggest that they change the message, just how the gospel message is delivered. We must look at our methods. “When methods no longer work,” they write, “don’t blame the harvest as being unreachable; instead ask God if it’s time to change your methods!” (16). The challenge then becomes understanding how to innovate, what needs to be changes, and where the right balance might be found. Towns, Stetzer, and Bird warn, “We need to constantly ask, ‘Will God be pleased with our innovations?’ Life isn’t about what we can do—it’s about obeying what God wants us to do. We must make sure our actions are right in His eyes” (17). After outlining why change may be necessary the authors move to explaining what they have found to be the 11 biggest (or most interesting) innovations in the North American Church. And while they could look at innovations from all around the world, they keep their focus on North America pointing out, “Today, the only continent where Christianity is not growing is North America” (15).

In the chapters that follow, Towns, Stetzer, and Bird address churches identified as organic house, recovery, multi-site, ancient-future, city-reaching, community transformation, cyber-enhanced, Nickelodeon-style children-focused, intentionally multicultural, decision-journey, and attractional. Each of these identified innovations receives a chapter. Towns, Stetzer, and Bird first describe the innovation for the benefit of the reader who has no knowledge of the specific innovation. Then they offer examples and a discussion from their insights; often, these insights also provide a caution as well as what the typical church can learn and adapt from the specific innovation.

As they conclude their book on innovation, they argue the importance of critically examining how we do church. They write, “After 50 years of sprucing up our churches and spicing up our worship, the culture is less reaches and those who go to churches are less committed” (237). Therefore, we must examine what we are doing and how we, as church leaders might also be able to use these innovations to advance the kingdom in North America. This does not simply mean however, that we adopt the innovation. Towns, Stetzer, and Bird warn, “Always keep your focus on the gospel message. Don’t change it, and don’t let anyone else change it for you. But when they sing the gospel message by a different instrument, if you don’t like it, at least pray for those who sing it, and grow in Christ because of it” (245). This they say, is what we, the readers, should learn from 11 Innovations of in the Local Church.

It is good to take some time to be aware of what is happening within the Church. It could be viewed that the epistles to other churches helped keep the various First Century churches abreast of what was happening. It is also helpful to have Towns, Stetzer, and Bird visit and examine churches practicing newer innovations and then summarize the innovations. A pastor or church leader really does not have the time or resources to visit and examine churches all over the country, but if he sees something that may be good for his local context, he can look into it more and then maybe make a visit. The challenge however with a book like 11 innovations in the Local Church is that these three men selected the innovations. There could be other things on the cutting edge that they are not aware of or it may be that the book could be called 21 Innovations. One must remain open to the reality that this book only deals with what the authors selected to deal with (and it should be appreciated that the authors shared these 11 innovations). The temptation is to assume that these 11 innovations are the only innovations on the cutting edge or that there is not already 11 other innovations making their way to the forward edge.

Another challenge with a book such as this one is how timely it is. For a short time, this book may be extremely valuable, but as these innovations become more mainstream and others are surfacing, the value of the book diminishes. In chapter 7, Cyber-Enhanced Churches, the authors point out how far behind local churches are on the Internet compared to other businesses and organizations. As time passes, people will read this book and decide to get on board with what they think is an innovation, when in reality, they are still behind. Many in the church think they are on the cutting edge when they read books like this one, even if they really are behind as the book claims. This book might better serve the church if it were a regular magazine column, publishing every month without end. Many businesses keep abreast of industry changes via magazines rather than books. Just as many local churches are lagging behind when it comes to the use of the Internet, many pastors may be lagging behind when it comes to advancing the Kingdom in communities of changing culture. This may well be why one congregation proclaimed, “Preacher, they church changed, and nobody told us!” (13).

Placing the issues of timeliness aside, the value of a book like 11 Innovations in the Local Church is how much it promotes passion and creative thinking in our methods to promote the gospel. The advantage in having Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird write it is all the years of experience these men bring to the discussion. We should not reinvent the wheel, but when some points out some good wheels, we should at least stop to take a look.


*I have no material connection to this book.  This review was originally written as a partial fulfillment toward an M.Div at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.  It has been redacted from its original form. 

Translating the Bible, NIV11, ESV, and HCSB

As God revealed himself to his creation, things were written down.  These writings are history, poetry, prophecy, letters, and the like.  We call these duel-authored writings the Canon, Scripture, or the Bible.  (More on the duel nature of Scripture may be read here.) This revelation from God was to a real culture in a specific time period and in an actual location.  Its authorship spans over 1,600 years and about 40 authors. Therefore, the languages in which the Bible was originally written were Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  Most of us however, do not read Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek; and even of those who do, many  are not fluent enough read the Bible well in its original languages.

Enter translation.

English readers need to be able to read the Bible in English.  This requires that the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek be translated into English and that demands a great deal of work, study, discussion, and decision.  Different languages often function differently.  Dictionaries between languages never seem to parallel exactly.  So before a translation may be made, the translator (or translation team) must choose a translational theory.

Will each word be translated into its best English equivalent with no regard to sentence construction?  This is called inter-linear translational theory and these sentences become extremely difficult to read because of the awkward word order or missing words which are often required to smooth out a sentence or thought when translated into English.  In addition, a choice must still be made about which English word best represents the original language word.  Sometimes this is easy but often it is not.

Or how about translating  each word (or near word combination) as closely as possible with only minimum adjustments to sentence construction to meet English grammar requirements? If so, this is called formal equivalence.  If the strictest formal equivalence is used, the translation reads fairly clunky but is still grammatically correct in English.  Examples are the RSV, NASB and KJV.  The ESV also falls within this category but is slightly less strict to formal equivalence theory and therefore is less clunky as say, the NASB.  Bibles that use this translational theory make a good selection for a Bible used for study.   Where the original is ambiguous, these translations tend to remain ambiguous.  The idea is to get to the closest to word-for-word (although an interlinear is closer to a word-for-word translation).  The disadvantage of these translations is found in how difficult it can become to read large amounts of text for devotional reading.  Another disadvantage may be found in how these Bibles communicate a complete idea or thought to the average reader today.  Often, these Bibles take a little more work on the part of the reader to get to the meaning of the passage.  

Could it be possible that we translate thoughts expressed by the original audience into well communicated thoughts in English?  How about a thought-for-thought or an idea-for-idea translation.  This translation theory is often called dynamic or functional equivalence.  The theory is to translate the entire idea or thought as a complete unit.  The strictest of translations that uses this translational theory are sometimes called mediating translations.  The 1984 NIV falls into this category, as does the HCSB and at times the ESV.  The idea of phrases are translated into phrases, however great care is still given to the meaning of each word (most of the time).  Mediating translations are good for devotional reading.  They also make good translations to preach from.  Less work is necessary to get the idea.  A problem that surfaces at times is when gaps are filled in.  A specific word may intentionality leave some ambiguity but is smoothed over as an entire thought is translated.  The translators are well meaning, but when they start to fill in the gaps they are making even more choices for us as they translate (although any translation requires some choices and these choices are often biases by theology).

The loosest use of functional equivalence is sometimes called a paraphrase.  Paraphrases tend to translate paragraph-to-paragraph, less attention is given to the meaning of individual words, and often the intention is to communicate by the same means as most English readers read and speakers.  The Message is a good example of a paraphrase.  The NLT resides somewhere between the mediating translation and the paraphrase, leaving us simply to call it a functional translation.

As scholars come together in their best efforts to translate the Bible, decisions must be made.  Sometimes translational choices are driven by a theological outlook, bias, or by the understanding of changing English words.  The translation theory itself also drives the decisions.

The video below demonstrates the process of translation on the ESV team when difficult words or ideas are being translated.  In trying to determine the best word choice for the English Standard Bible (ESV), a team including Peter Williams, Gordon Wenham, Jack Collins, Wayne Grudem, and Paul House discuss and debate the differences between the words "slave," "servant," and "bond-servant."  According to Dr. Grudem, the discussion took nearly 4 hours.  The BBC boiled it down to 4 minutes.

In 2011, Liberty University hosted a biblical studies symposium asking the question, "Which Bible translation should I use?"  Dr. Douglas Moo represented the NIV11 (a revision to the TNIV, which was a rejected revision to the NIV 1984).  Dr. Wayne Grudem represented the ESV.  And Dr. Ray Clendenen represented the HCSB.  Each speaker was a part of the translation team of the Bible that he defended at the symposium and had about 40 minutes to argue for his translation over the other 2 represented at the symposium.  Following the 3 speakers, a rebuttal and question and answer session concluded the evening.

Listening to each of these speakers will offer you a better understanding of what it is to translate the Bible.  We should all be thankful for the hard work and dedication of these scholars to bring us the Bible in English.  And we should recognized how blessed we are to have so many English options.

Video 1: Dr. Ray Clendenen and the Holman Christian Standard Bible

Video 2: Dr. Wayne Grudem and the English Standard Version

Video 3: Dr. Doug Moo and the New International Version

Video 4: Responses and Q and A

After reading this post and watching these videos, can you answer the question, "Which Bible translation should I use?"  I might suggest that you use any translation that teaches and proclaims Christ in a way that brings about salvation and a transformed life in you.  I might also recommend using using a different translation for your study and devotional reading.  This may offer you some perspective that would go missed by strictly remaining with one translation.

Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putnam

Stetzer, Ed, and David Putman. Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman & Holman, 2006.

In their book, Breaking the Missional Code: Your church can become a missionary in your Community, Ed Stetzer and David Putman ask the question, “Why are some churches and pastors so effective and others are not?” (1). By effective, they seem to mean churches that are “experiencing explosive growth because they are learning to connect with their communities” and seeing people responding to “biblically faithful and culturally relevant outreach” (1). Those pastors and churches that are reaching into their communities and finding success are code breakers according to Stetzer and Putnam. They argue, “the way you do things does impact your ability to reach your community effectively;” and therefore, they claim, “This book will assist you in being able to think through your context, apply universal principles in your mission setting, and then identify and apply strategies that will make you more effective in your context” (1-2). While it is extremely difficult to determine if they have achieved their stated goal without actually seeing effectiveness in the communities where pastors and churches put to practice the concepts discussed in this book, Stetzer and Putnam do find success in providing greater thought and understanding in the areas of context, missional principles, and various approaches for doing church.

“You cannot grow a biblically faithful church,” write Stetzer and Putnam, “without loving people and preaching the gospel. But loving people means understanding and communicating with them” (15). In an effort to help their readers find ways to communicate and understand people, Stetzer and Putnam open with a chapter on the major changes occurring throughout the world. They caution the reader however, about taking the characteristics of one community and blindly applying them to another. In one of many “Breaking the code. . . ” statements, they write, “Breaking the code is the recognition that there are visible and invisible characteristics within a community that will make its people resistant to or responsive to the church and its gospel message” (5). The key for code breakers is first learning how to exegete a community. One must understand the various things that influence the community, and as the argument goes, the code breaker needs to get in the world, even though he is not of the world. He needs to deeply understand the community long before ever determining what church model to use or what methods to deploy. The code breaker must also understand the biblical mandate for reaching the world with the gospel as well as his calling and special talents and giftings. This calling to a specific people in a specific context may mean code breakers are not in their preferred community, but they are where they will be effective. “Our churches often struggle,” states Stetzer and Putnam, “because we put our preferences over our call—our preferences over our mission” (36). Therefore, code breakers must not allow preferences to be idols—they must be put their preferences to death. “Before anything that is truly of God can be born, your own preferences have to die” (215).
After examining a number of common traits held by pastors who Stetzer and Putnam have identified as code breakers, they shift to developing a greater missional understanding and creating a thoughtful way to think about a number of code breaking strategies. This makes up the latter half of the book, with Chapter 15 serving as something of a culmination of all the previously presented material in one systematic action-planning tool. The outline of this chapter mirrors the two primary foci of the entire book—understanding self and understanding community.

The excellence of Breaking the Missional Code is found in its appeal not to take any specific ideas promoted within the book and apply them with no time invested in thought or a lack of exegesis of the community. Instead, Stetzer and Putnam write, “The key to breaking the code of a community is to have the heart of the Father for that community. The only way to do that is by spending serious amounts of time with the one who loved Jerusalem deeply enough to weep over it” (22). Unlike many books on the topic of reaching communities or planting churches, this one sees something beyond a formula, system, or turnkey plan that should work in all places for all people. This book makes a strong effort to teach a principal of reading the community and then engaging wisely through effectively designing the most appropriate strategy for that specific community.

Another strength is the style and tone of authors. It is as if they are saying, “You can do it, you just need a little coaching and a pat on the shoulder.” The book is loaded with examples, many coming from their own observations. The tone seems to exude authority on the subject, which should not be a shock considering that both of these men have a reputation of church planting work and a strong dedication to the advancement of the gospel.

A difficult aspect of Stetzer and Putnam’s approach has to do with the churches they view as code breaking examples and the criteria of how they measure code breaking aspects of reaching a community. These example churches tend to be large mega-churches with popular author-pastors. Mark Driscoll serves as one example; however, before Driscoll’s church was as large as it is at the time of this post, he was selling books and speaking at emergent/emerging church conferences. No discussion appears in the book regarding the author life of the code breaker. The same is true of Rick Warnen, another example of a code breaker author. While selling books might not be critical of being a code breaker, many of the examples do come with a seasoning of flavorful publishing popularity and conference speaking.

Also, larger congregations do matter it seems when looking for examples of code breakers. Examples from this book, suggest it's really about size.  Yet, while we all desire to see large numbers, there may be more ways to see and measure the success of a code breaker. It is one thing if the large church is spiritually healthy, but it is quite another if the code breaker simply knows how to draw a crowd. What is better, a church of 2,500 with 10% of its people actively serving and spiritually growing or a church of 400 with 80% of its people in a healthy place with Jesus? But even this question is subjective. It might be fruitful if a determination of what is good and what is not is provided along with a definition of the measurement standard. In addition, a code breaker today may be building and equipping a church that has a much deeper reach into the next two generations over the church that has a large attendance but will fall by the wayside when the charismatic code breaker is no longer the super star pastor.  Sometimes the success is due to years of prayer and laboring to lay the right foundation, long before the fruit of numbers is ever seen (and we should be able to call this period success too).

Despite the negative aspects of the examples of code breakers, Breaking the Missional Code is a valuable work. Stetzer and Putnam address a number of issues that have typically gone unmentioned by other authors on the same topic. They seem to recognize that there is no single perfect model so the successfully attempt to present the book on how to develop the model for a specific area, in a specific time, reached by a specific pastor. For this reason, this book should be read by all those in a position to influence how a church functions as well as those called to plant churches.

A New Kind of Church by Abrey Malphurs

Malphurs, Aubrey. A New Kind of Church: Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007.

Aubrey Malphurs has provided A New Kind of Church: Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century as a discussion of both new and old model churches and how effectively these models may (or may not) reach lost and unchurched people. More specifically, Malphurs argues, “[This book] will help lead pastors who are church planters and revitalizers and their teams [to] think through what they are doing as they wrestle with and develop their church models” (10). Interestingly, Malphurs spends little to no ink writing words that deal with specific models; but rather, his focus is on the paradigms that shape how churches function in their efforts to reach the communities to which they have been called, and he addresses the epistemology behind church model creation and development. In order to start the conversation, Malphurs opens Part 1 by discussing the changing times. Part 2 deals with the changing church.

“Churches are changing,” writes Malphurs, “but not necessarily for the better” (17). While one might think this would be the way the author opens Part 2 of this book, it is actually in the opening of Part 1—the Changing Times. The issue at hand is that churches must change as the times change, and that is really the reason for this book. Many long existing churches, however, are not changing. Instead, they are moving through the church life cycle of birth, growth, plateau, decline, and death (18-19.) Without some kind of church change in the changing times of cultural thinking, decline and death comes more rapidly.

Like most books on evangelism and church planting written for an American or Western audience, Malphurs deals with the disheartening numbers. In the 24-year span between 1975 and 1999, the number of young people in ministry has dropped from 24% to only 7% (19). Something close to 30,000 congregations in America ceased to exist in the 1980’s (19). The number of unchurched people is on the rise. The numbers differ slightly among region, but they are still not encouraging figures. Different generations show different levels of unchurched people with only a slight slowing and change recently; nonetheless, the figures are bleak. Cults and other faith systems are on the rise while Christianity in America is struggling (22-26). More and more people are walking away from the Church or never entering it in the first place. People are thinking differently today than they did only one generation ago and church models that saw great success with previous generations are seeing little progress today. “While there is nothing wrong with being an older congregation,” argues Malphurs, “far too many think and act as if they are still living before World War II” (30). America is becoming a multi-cultural world like never before. In addition, the advancement of cable television, travel, and the Internet has created a way for people to see and experience many different ways of thinking, introducing new and changing worldviews (30-31). Even more complex is the growing idea that faith is no longer tied to a church or community of people. “Why?” Malphurs rhetorically asks. Because the Church is not answering the questions people are asking, or at least not in a way that communicates the message well to the people. He writes, “It’s imperative that today’s churches give good answers to the younger generation’s question, not just, What’s good enough for us is good enough for you! or We’ve always done it that way!” (32).

Also, like other books on evangelism and church planting, Malphurs deals with the lack of evangelism as well as gifted, trained leaders among American Christians. Using the Bible, he spends an entire chapter reminding his readers of the Biblical mission and mandate of disciple making. He tackles belief, evangelism, teaching and safeguarding the gospel message, and living a lifestyle dictated by Christ. It is also here that the author lays the groundwork for how believers are to constructively evaluate what other church models are attempting to do. Once this foundation is firmly in place, Malphurs moves to Part 2—the Changing Church.

Five of the seven chapters contained in the second part of Malphurs book are a teaching of what the Bible has to say about the Church. He deals with how we are to read the Bible, understand the Church, the local church, culture, and servant hood. He even deals with what he calls the ‘Theology of Change.’ “A church’s view of change will have a major impact on its ability to minister,” Malphurs argues, “Those that remain resistant to change will not likely survive” (75). It is here that he identifies the non-negotiable principles of the gospel that should not change as well as the methods and practices that should be open to change because they are not biblically mandated in orthopraxy. “We must not assume, however, that the churches in the first century and throughout history didn’t have to deal with change,” Malphurs states in an effort to build his theology of change; “Read the book of Acts and church history and you’ll discover that this is not the case” (76). The Church must hold to a doctrine or theology of change according to Malphurs, with exception to those unchanging, non-negotiable, and timeless principles of the Bible.

Finally, Malphurs—resting in the teaching of the previous five chapters and assuming that the reader has come to see the same implications—deals with how to think about differing new church models. Again, he addresses the essentials and non-essentials of the faith and implores those critiquing new models to start with an examination of how the model approaches these items. Are they within the essentials? Next, he presents his ideas of the most important functions of the church and some defense of those who might disagree with his views. Is Scripture being proclaimed? What is the focus of the church gatherings? What is the motivation of the model? Is the model legitimately reaching the lost and making disciples? And finally, what are the goals of the new model? He concludes with a discussion of how to develop a model that centers on the same questions used to critique the model. In the end however, he has not deviated from his original purpose to examine the epistemology of church models.

CRITIQUE

Malphus suggests that his book is for pastors trying to examine new or different ways to do church, but more so, it is for congregations. “It can help them understand what is happening;” states Maplhus,” Consequently, this book is must reading for those congregations that are going through church renewal or church planting” (11). At one point, he even suggests pastors should provide a copy of this book for their congregations so the pastors do not have to spend as much time explaining the new direction of their churches (11). This statement seems almost to counter his further discussion on organization and leadership in an effort to sell more books, in that the leader should be able to lead and guide his congregation rather than simply allowing Maphurs’ book to do the work. If, however, those individuals not in the planning and leading of a new-model church are indeed the target audience, than maybe this book is an informative contribution. In addition, Maplhus states that this book is for “seminarians and others who are preparing for ministry” (11). The reason he feels those headed into ministry should read this book is so “they know why they are doing what they’re doing and can and the very least articulate the reasons they minister in the context of a particular model, whether it is contemporary” (11-12). The assumption here is that these readers do not have an idea what they are doing and are struggling in articulate their bumbling efforts. On the surface, it seems this book would be more helpful for those only trying to discover the direction they are headed instead of those already in the ‘doing’ phase of their model; however, Malphurs likely knows his audience better than this reviewer. Therefore, in light of Malphurs’ stated audience and his stated approach, Malphurs may have achieved his goal of thinking about the epistemology of new church models. On the other hand, he fell grossly short the subtitle goal of, “Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century.”

A New Kind of Church could be a book simply about church models, in nearly any time of church decline, and any area of the world where the church is declining. While Malphurs identified the specific problem of the declining Church in American, Christians ignoring their mission, and a changing culture, he did nothing to address methods of reaching these specific problems, in this specific location and culture, in this specific time. He simply demonstrated ways to take the temperature of the local church in a changing world. Malphurs’ few instructions did include such things are remaining relevant to the culture (111-112), contextualizing the gospel (105-107), and recognize that not all churches will reach all people (110-111); however, there is nothing specific to the 21st Century in these ideas. He exegeted the biblical mandates and made a strong argument for the needs of the people only then to ignore specifics for this generation or the next in America.

Malphurs work may have been more helpful if he had dedicated a chapter to define new and old models with examples. How is one to know what is a new model or an old model if not to simply draw upon his or her experience and assumptions? Could it be that what one reader has in mind for an older model is actually a newer model in the view of Malphurs? For example, Malphurs (in 2007) saw Willow Creek Community Church and its seeker model as a newer model for ministry while younger readers in 2012 (who may not have experienced church outside of the seeker model) may view it as an old model. This reader may view the seeker model with a high focus on the purpose driven church differently than Malphurs because he or she may be viewing the seeker model through the lens a house church model now gaining some popularity. At the same time, for some readers, the seeker model may still be seen as extremely new (even in 2012). And still others, who may come from a much older, more formal church model are still seeing the church model movements of the 1970s as the new model and are all but unaware of Willow Creek Community Church and the seeker model. Without a greater explanation of what Malphurs understands as new or old, the discussion must depend upon assumptions if we are to see his argument in light of the 21st Century.

That being said, this book does provide some helpful information. Examining how one views church models in general is indeed extremely helpful. Understanding the life-cycle of the church helps a pastor continually evaluate where his church may be and seek ways to revitalize the church if necessary. Being reminded of the essentials and non-essentials should help the reader be less critical of different models in different communities. Understanding how to take the temperature of a specific culture teaches the reader how to use culture to contextualize the timeless message of the gospel. And finally, the section on developing new church models (although too short considering the purpose of the book) provides a good starting point for hopeful 21st Century church planters.

*I have no material connection to this book, monetarily or otherwise. 
** This review was taken from part of a paper submitted in partial fulfillment toward an MDiv at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

I've spoke of The Jesus Storybook Bible here before, but now I can show you.

The above video is only a small sample, but it provides a great example of this children's Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago. (I believe the audio recording in the above video clip is by David Suchet who does the audio narration for the CD version of this children's Bible.)

My wife and I have been reading it to my boys and they get the story, and at many points they can re-tell it with ease.  The illustrations are fun and memorable.  The perspective is really good.  But most important is that this Bible tells one story.  It's God's Story with the theme of redemption just as the Bible should be read.  In other words, rather than being simply a collection of stories with a moral point, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the story of Christ from start to finish.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this Bible for your kids.  Or if you're an adult who has never read the entire Bible in chronological order and sometimes has trouble seeing the big picture, get this Bible and read it.  I've even recommend it to new believers and the response has been extremely positive.  The Jesus Storybook Bible is a great resource to have on your bookshelf, regardless of your age or longevity as a believer.

Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper

It's normally my habit to provide book reviews which are more academic in nature.  They include quotes from the material and citations.   This review of Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper will be slightly different.  Think of it more as a reflection.

The reason for the change for this particular review is due to how I read, or rather, listened to Don't Waste Your Life.  My wonderful wife gave me the audiobook version of this work for Christmas.  I listened to it each week on my day off as I drove to the ski resort and returned home.  Listening to an audiobook makes it rather difficult to return to highlighted lines and notes in the margins in order to write a review.  Quoting directly becomes extremely difficult; and ultimately, I feel as if I need to keep the entire book in my head at once as I write a reflection of my thoughts of this book. On the other hand, there is something great about listening to books while I drive, especially this one.

John Piper is the preaching pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church and the author of more than 40 books.  (His sermons and materials are quoted often and may be found at www.desiringGod.org.)  So it is no surprise that Don't Waste Your Life is written much like an extended sermon series.  Piper is passionate about the material he discusses and writes as if he deeply believes the words he has penned.   They seem to have first shaped his own life before he ever decided to write this book, rather than having shaped his life while writing the book.  The value in this is the reality that Piper's credibility is extremely high and his life appears to be one of the best examples of his thesis.

The easiest explanation of Piper's purpose for this book, as for much of his life it seems, is that he is calling his readers to find true joy by making much of Christ.  He tells a story of an article he read about a retired American couple who now spend the latter part of their days living in a large beach house and collecting shells.  In his imaginative way, Piper paints a picture of this couple standing before God and saying, "Look at our shells God, aren't they great."  This, he argues, is a wasted life.

The book is conversational but does not lack for convicting words and powerful chapters that drive home significant points.  As I would make my way to the ski slopes, two chapters would accompany me on my drive.  Scripture fills each page and Piper argues his points well.  After shutting off the car and suiting up, I would find myself lost in reflection.  Every ride up the lift would allow my mind to circle around and around in the material presented by Piper, always followed by an serious examination of my own life.  But this was not simply the byproduct of a day in the sunshine on the mountain.  Two more chapters would join me for the drive home.  Once home, I would again find myself reflecting on Piper's words, Scripture, and a critique of my own life.  I could not escape it; in fact, I welcomed it.

It is difficult to read this book and not feel as if something should be done about the wasteful parts of life.  We all typically want to look back on our life and know that we used it well and Piper gives a charge of how to do that and do it for the Kingdom.  After listening to specific chapters, there was a few times when I discovered that a life course correction was needed.  Pastor Jared Jenkins, a friend, explained that it was after reading this book and discussing it with another pastor that he felt he should go to seminary!  This is the kind of book that can't be read without some kind of conviction.  Reading it will bring the risk of change but it's well worth the risk.

I realize that I have done little to explain the contents of the book.  The reality however, is that this is not an easy book to explain.  It is a continual explanation of Scripture, nearly always resulting in a picture of finding our joy by making much of Christ.  There are two chapters that provide the reader with a glimpse into Piper's pre-pastoral life and calling.  Even though these early chapters were rather different than the rest of the book, they were extremely enjoyable.  The story-telling fashion and sermonized writing kept this book both informative, challenging, and accessible. The remainder of the chapters were compelling.  Piper supported his thesis extremely well, but that is typically for Piper.  The book is well written and I should say the audio version was nicely produced and read well too. 

In the end, all I can do is encourage you to read it.  You won't be disappointed.

*I have no material connection to John Piper or this book.

HBLT and MWGYW Teaching and Preaching Methods

INTRODUCTION

Not all classes are equal; not all sermons are the same.

Even if the biblical text is identical and the exegetical work done with equally careful execution, and even if the speakers are identically gifted in elocution, there is something that sets apart one sermon from others, one class above all the rest. That one thing is not the amount of preparation, although preparation is important. It is not the seminary where the pastor trained. It is not even the amount of years one has been preaching or teaching—in fact—a first time preacher may actually succeed above a pastor of twenty or thirty years, but not if this one thing is not right. That one thing is the Holy Spirit and his involvement within the sermon or class. He may use the best or the worst sermon to bring about remarkable transformation by the very Word of God. This however, does not mean that a preacher or teacher should not prepare well. In addition, preachers and teachers should layout their discussion well.

Apart from the Holy Spirit, the approach may be the next key to success in the actual preaching and teaching once the preparation is complete. The pastor or teacher must select a good outline or model from which to use to navigate the audience through the material. Among many approaches, two outstanding models are the Hook, Book, Look, Took (HBLT) model offered by Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt and the Me, We, God, You, We (MWGYM) model argued for by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones. While there are many approaches, the remainder of this post will examine the strengths and weaknesses of these teaching models and conclude with a personal reflection having used both.

HBLT

Richards and Bredfeldt suggest that the Apostle Paul taught with an approach similar to HBLT, if not exactly the same. First, they say, Paul would interact in the world of his audience in such a way as to get them interested in his topic. He would hook them. Then he would engage in exploring the truth together with is listeners. Once a solid understanding of God and God’s Word was established, Paul would encourage application in the lives of his audience and then he would conclude with a decision point of reflection (Richards and Bredfelt 153-154). This, in essence is HBLT. In more practical terms, Hook represents the creative opening that gets the class or audience interested in learning more. Richards and Bredfeldt suggest using a movie clip or something from the common culture of the audience. Book represents a turn to God’s Word, the Bible. This is where the primary teaching starts. Look is the word used to represent the personal application. This is where the Biblical material is applied to the personal life in theory. Then, Took is where the lesson is lived out in reality, this is where the faith is worked out. Took is the required life response. Looking at HBLT in another way, the Hook applies to the present, Book to the past, Look is a return to the present, and Took is about the future (Ibid., 160).

The strength of HBTL is also its weakness. HBLT is easy to use and is a format that many people are accustomed to in church; however, it is not very personal. There is little need for a connection between the teacher or preacher and the learners. The material is out in front and the instructor stands behind it. The advantage of this model is when the audience is not known, like in guest preaching or teaching situation. There is little risk when a personal connection is not important. The material is everything. Another advantage is that different teachers can teach the same lesson with little need for adaptation. In fact, it seems that many teaching guides and Bible study programs written for the Church use the HBLT approach. This however, is also the major disadvantage of HBLT. With the HBLT model, the personal connection can be lost in the material. It may not always be the case, the model does not have a very high level of personal connection built into it. While this may be okay for the one-time preacher or teacher, often teachers and preachers desire to build a stronger rapport with their class or audience. The HLBT model may not be the fasted or most effective way to build this relationship.

MWGYW

Stanley and Jones offer an alternative to the HBLT model they call MWGYW. This model takes a single primary idea and builds everything around it in such a way that it demands personal reflection and a connection between the teacher and the class. MWGYW starts with an opener that is personal to the speaker. Me essentially puts the speaker in a position to be vulnerable because he or she is the hook. On the surface, this may not seem very engaging, but it seems when a preacher starts to tell a story about himself, people perk up and listen. Therefore, if the preacher can open with an engaging though he has had, he may be able to get the audience to ask the same question—a question that has to be answered. The We is all about getting the audience engaged and desiring to move to the actual instruction portion. In addition, getting the audience involved personally tends to keep their attention. Once everybody is connected, the teaching really begins and the goal is to answer that one big question. At the conclusion of the teaching, Stanley and Jones argue that the audience needs to be compelled to look at their own life; but then they are not alone, because the conclusion encourages the entire group, including the teacher or preacher to look at the future if this personal application has a positive outcome (Stanley and Jones 48-49).

There are two primary advantages of the MWGYW model. The first is that the model encourages that the lesson or sermon focus on only one major idea. If this were the big idea, there would be little reason to fill a sermon with other forgettable material. When everything works with one idea, each section of the lesson or sermon is fairly focused and easy to remember. The second advantage is that in the personal sections (M, W, Y, and W), a preacher or teacher can speak from memory easily because the stories, questions, and conviction pushes are conversational. These conversational stories, spoken from memory, often leave the audience feeling connected with the speaker. As the section on God begins, that is, the teaching from the Word, it is easier to memorize the road map and then lead the audience through the learning journey because there is primarily only one major idea.

The disadvantage of the MWGYW model is the higher risk in making the lesson too personal or all about the teacher rather than all about the biblical material. Another disadvantage is that if the audience cannot relate to the speaker in the Me section, they will not be with the speaker in the We, and subsequently not with the lesson or sermon at all. A story is shared in Stanley and Jone’s book Communicating for a Change where the speaker had some technical difficulties with his microphone and he ended up rushing through his Me section and all but dropped the We section. As it turns out, everything else fell flat (Ibid., 122-123). A great disadvantage of the MWGYW (which is also a part of the advantage) is so much is dependant upon the personal connection.

COMPARISON

Often the most memorable classes and sermons are the ones where the speaker is able to engage the class or congregation on a personal level. When the audience is drawn in personally as individuals and as a group with the speaker or teacher into the material, they seem to remain more engaged and the material seems to have more significance. It is for this reason that the MWGYW appears to have the greater advantage over the HBLT. However, this is only an advantage if the preacher or speaker utilizes MWGYW well. The great difficulty with the MWGYW comes when it is not utilized well. This is not as much of a problem for the HBLT method. Even when the H of the HBLT is only fair, the model may still go forward and find success. Not so with MWGYW.

In addition, the HBLT seems easier to learn for the new teacher or preacher while the MWGYW seems easier to deliver. HBLT is simple and allows the material to drive the lesson while the MWGYW requires a personal touch. The MWGYW needs more thoughtful preparation but it is easier to memorize the material and deliver it in an extremely personal style. One method should not be selected over the other in a permanent sense, however. The effective teacher or preacher should view each of these teaching and preaching methods as a tool, each to be used when most appropriate for the situation. Both the HBLT and the MWGYW have tremendous potential for preaching and teaching and neither should be cast to the dusty back part of the shelf.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

This author has recently had the opportunity to use both the HBLT and the MWGYW methods in classes and in preaching. In a class I teach regularly, we are journeying through the synoptic gospels. From week to week we open our Bibles and work through a small section of the text. The class typically uses a handout with questions. The class often simply expects to open the Bible and jump right in; however, a Hook or Me is often needed to compel the students to desire to answer pressing questions they had not yet thought through prior to entering the classroom. With some material recently, it seems that learning the material and forming a sound base with the biblical information was extremely important. In this case the HBLT was a great approach. The material lead the discussion and lesson with little need to drive the individual into the material until the end when the Look and Took of the application was necessary. The following week however, the MWGYW approach was used. I waded out into the water and then invited the class in prior to starting with the biblical material. I allowed myself as the teacher to be more vulnerable in order to connect with the class a little more than the Hook typically allows. As I did this, the class naturally waded out into the water with me. As we journeyed into the biblical content, it was clear that we were journeying in from the start; therefore, at the point of application (You and We), it was the most natural place the class was headed. In this instance, the conversation easily flowed into personal reflection so much more so than the previous class with the HBLT method. Both worked well together and both were necessary given the need of the material and my desire for the direction of the class.

In preaching however, I have found that the MWGYW approach is a better fit for my preaching style. The Book and the God section of each approach tends to be the same, but the Me, We, You, and We sections are so much more conversational and personal. I have found it easier to drive the Word of God into my own life and then into the lives of the congregation with the MWGYW approach because this approach so naturally lends itself to personal application. As I preached on a part of the conversation of the last Supper in John, I could easily paint of picture of the meal conversation and then place myself and the congregation there. I could ask how we might respond, or even how the listener might respond. And I preached the forty minute sermon with no notes. (You may listen to this particular sermon here.)  Personally, I enjoy the MWGYW method more in preaching, but just as in teaching, I will continue to keep both methods in my pastor’s tool box.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Richards, Larry, and Gary J. Bredfeldt. Creative Bible Teaching. Chicago, Mich: Moody Press,
1998.


Stanley, Andy, and Lane Jones. Communicating for a Change. Sisters, Oreg: Multnomah
Publishers, 2006.