Veritas et Lux

THE WALK: Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus – Stephen Smallman (2009)

When I coached tennis in college I placed a tremendous amount of stress on fundamentals. My players were filled with chagrin when I told them to leave their racquets at home. The reason: We would devote ourselves to fundamentals of good tennis before we ever stepped onto the court.

Understanding the fundamentals are important in any endeavor including the Christian life. Stephen Smallman concentrates on the fundamentals of Christianity in his book, The Walk.

PART ONE: THE BASICS

In part one, Smallman generally defines a disciple as “one who is devoted to learning the ways and following the example of a teacher or master.” However, he specifically states, “A disciple of Jesus is one who has heard the call of Jesus and has responded by repenting, believing the gospel, and following Jesus.” He rightly describes true conversion as “faith and repentance” (or two sides of the same coin).

The author boldly promotes the notion that there is “no distinction between a disciple and a Christian.” How often have you heard someone say, “My buddy is a Christian but he is not yet a disciple.” Or, “My uncle has not made Jesus, lord of his life.” Smallman repudiates these erroneous beliefs with clear, gracious language and biblical arguments.

The big story of Scripture is explained, namely, Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Additionally, the author includes a helpful discussion on the authority of Scripture and the importance it plays in the life of a disciple.

PART TWO: DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH THE GOSPEL

Part two includes four important components of discipleship:

Know the gospel itself
Know how you came to believe the gospel
Know the benefits of believing the gospel, i.e. doctrine
Live a life that flows from the gospel, i.e. gospel obedience

PART THREE: FOLLOWING JESUS ON HIS MISSION

The book concludes with a practical section on disciples making disciples. The author continues to drive home the point concerning discipleship, that is, “The call to salvation is also a call to follow Jesus as his disciple … Discipleship involves a total surrender to become ‘living sacrifices’ … Following Jesus on his mission also means that his disciples are now participating in the plan of God to bring all nations into the light of the gospel.”

Justin Taylor rightly remarks, “Stephen Smallman has given us a great gift with this book.” The book is written with new believers in mind. It is simple without being simplistic. It is relentless in its presentation of the gospel. All the arguments are linked to the cross of Christ.

This book includes helpful and practical assignments at the end of each chapter. Use The Walk with new believers and those in need of renewal. It is sure to be a valuable discipleship tool for years to come.

4 stars

THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD: How the Trinity Changes Everything – Fred Sanders (2010)

The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything by Fred Sanders is not the best book I’ve read on the Trinity. However, it is among one of the more interesting.

The title grabbed my attention as so many Christian books tend to focus on the trivial. There is nothing trivial about Sanders’ work. He sounds the alarm and calls evangelicals to return to their Trinitarian roots and experience the deep truths concerning God.

The author cites B.B. Warfield which serves as an effective launching point: “The religious terrain is full of the graves of good words which have died from lack of care … and these good words are still dying all around us. There is that good word “Evangelical.” It is certainly moribund, if not already dead. Nobody any longer seems to know what it means.” Sober words from a theologian who has been dead for almost ninety years!

Sanders does not waste any time developing his thesis. He states it early in the book: “The central argument of this book is that the doctrine of the Trinity inherently belongs to the gospel itself.” His goal is to demonstrate that “the gospel is Trinitarian, and the Trinity is the gospel.” And he pounds this theme at every conceivable angle for 239 pages.

The introduction rightly responds negatively to the typical anti-intellectual and reductionist tendencies among evangelicals. Sanders writes, “When emphatic evangelicalism degenerates into reductionist evangelicalism, it is always because it has lost touch with the all-encompassing truth of its Trinitarian theology.”

One strategy the author utilizes is to call forth witnesses to testify on behalf of Trinitarian theology. Those who testify are a diverse group: everyone from C.S. Lewis, J.I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, Billy Graham, Oswald Chambers, and Susannah Wesley.

Sanders introduces readers to the self-sufficiency of God in what he calls “the happy land of the Trinity.” In other words, God, from all eternity has always been happy and complete. There has been perfect fellowship among the members of the godhead from all eternity and there will continue to be perfect fellowship in eternity future. The author continually returns to the main theme, namely, “The main practical reason for learning how to think well about the eternal life of the Trinity is that it is the background for the gospel.”

Sanders continues to link the doctrine of the Trinity to gospel truth: “Everything in the Christian faith should be connected, clearly and directly, to the one central thing, the gospel of salvation in Christ.” As such, the author does brief exposition of Ephesians 1 and borrows the insight of Henry Scougal to bolster his thesis.

Readers become familiarized with the various roles that the members of the godhead perform which ultimately ushers them into “the saving life of Christ.” Here, Sanders leans heavily on the insight of Francis Schaeffer: “When I accept Christ as my Savior, my guilt is gone, I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and I am in communication with the Father and the Son, as well as the Holy Spirit – the entire Trinity.”

I can recommend The Deep Things of God to folks who have wrestled through some of the implications of the Trinitarian formulations. For those who are unfamiliar with how the doctrine unfolded in church history and how it is developed in Scripture – this is probably not the best place to start. I would turn first to Bruce A. Ware’s excellent work, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Robert Letham’s, The Holy Trinity and James White’s, The Forgotten Trinity.

We would do well to remember the words of Dr. South concerning the Trinity, cited in William Shedd’s Introduction to Augustine’s De Trinitate:

“As he that denies this fundamental article of the Christian religion may lose his soul, so he that much strives to understand it may lose his wits.”

3.5 stars

BIBLICAL ELDERSHIP: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership – Alexander Strauch (1995)

I cannot say enough about Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. The subtitle is an appropriate description of this book – An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership. Helpful in so many ways, Strauch sets forth the definition of a leader, defends his position theologically and exegetically and also does a magnificent job at expositing texts that bolster his case.

In part one, Strauch lays the foundation for biblical eldership. An elder is a shepherd, one that leads, feeds, protects the flock of God. The shepherd elder has a heart for the people of God. Strauch writes, “The secret to caring for the sheep is love. A good shepherd loves sheep and loves to be with them.”

Early in the book, the author clears up any misunderstanding by defining biblical eldership: “A true biblical eldership is not a businesslike committee. It’s a biblically qualified council of men that jointly pastors the local church. The men who shepherd the people of God functions as a team. That is to say, there are no lone rangers in ministry. Plurality of leadership is the model set forth in the New Testament. “By definition, the elder structure of government is a collective form of leadership in which each elder shares equally the position, authority, and responsibility of the office.”

Strauch clearly delineates that elders in the church must be male. While men and women are equal in personhood, dignity, and value – God’s Word establishes different roles for men and women. The author discusses the model of male leadership in the New Testament and carefully outlines the meaning of headship. He rightly adds, “Ultimately the abdication of male headship is a refusal to submit to Christ’s Word and Lordship.”

Biblical elders must be qualified. So the author carefully unpacks the biblical qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. He outlines the moral and spiritual character qualities that must be found in a prospective elder. And he discusses the abilities of a prospective elder.

Biblical elders must be servant-minded. The author reminds, “Elders are to be servant leaders, not rulers or dictators.” He rightly reacts to an authoritarian mindset; one that leads in a heavy-handed way. He cites J.I. Packer with approval: “Authoritarianism is evil, and anti-social, anti-human and ultimately anti-God (for self-deifying pride is at its heart), and I have nothing to say in its favor.”

In part two, Strauch defends biblical eldership. He shows how the New Testament church was governed – always a plurality of leadership. Again, “New Testament … elders are not mere representatives of the people; they are … spiritually qualified shepherds who protect, lead, and teach the people. They provide spiritual care for the entire flock. They are the official shepherds of the church.”

Part three is devoted to the exposition of Scripture. Here, the author focuses on key New Testament passages, especially Acts 14:23 and 20:17-38. This section is the “meat and potatoes” of the book. The writing is clear and the exegesis is sound. Numerous word studies are presented. And the mission of the local church is expounded: “The church’s mission is to safeguard and proclaim the gospel of Christ. Every local church is to be a gospel lighthouse, missionary agency, and gospel school … The conduct of the believing community, therefore, must speak well of the gospel and of Jesus Christ.”

Biblical Eldership is a classic in its own right. Over the years, nothing has helped me better understand the role, mission, responsibilities, and qualifications of a biblical elder. First published in 1995, this work will be used for years to come and will serve as a helpful “staff” for shepherds who take their work seriously.

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:1-3, ESV).

77’s – Ping Pong Over the Abyss (1983)

The 77’s first album was originally released in 1983. So why review an album that is almost thirty years old? For starters, Michael Roe decided to make the album available on iTunes a few weeks ago. So anyone that has an old crusty cassette and nothing to play it on should be very excited. Also, the iTunes release gives many listeners a chance to hear these unbelievable notes for the first time.

Ping Pong Over the Abyss engages with worldview themes in a way that is uncommon in Christian circles. If King Solomon wrote lyrics to a rock album, this is what it would be like. The album tackles several worldviews in a very straightforward way. A Different Kind of Light questions the notion of finding “truth within.”

They talk about a light inside you
I hope I never get that blind
I don’t want to take my chances
On joining the collective unconscious
I’m waiting for the clouds to break
I’m looking for the road to take
Don’t want the usual merchandise
Recycled in a new disguise

I’m following a different Light
A different kind of light
A different kind of light

It’s So Sad lays bare the worldly philosophy of hedonism and refuses to embrace the lies of Hinduism:

Trying to buy heaven
Right here on earth
The cost will always end up
More than it’s worth
You ponder living
You wonder why
No matter what you do
You’re still going to die

Falling Down a Hole wrestles with a host of worldviews including Buddhism, Islam, Spiritualism, Fatalism, Humanism, Evolution, and Witchcraft:

Humanism
Is a tired old line
The logos is sleeping
Just give it some time
Evolution is preaching
“From monkey to divine”

Renaissance Man is a frontal assault on atheistic evolution and is a powerful musical apologetic:

It’s from “star stuff” that he’s made
It’s the cosmos that gave him life
How does that help him feed the poor
How does that help him love his wife

A renaissance man
Tearing himself from The Rock
A renaissance man
Tearing himself from The Rock

He’s cast away all thoughts of heaven
His science is full of preconceptions
His answers make me ask more questions
How many can wait on evolution

He needs to live
On the sides of the north
In the city of Reformation
That’s where he’ll find his life

This album is definitely not a typical Christian rock album. The themes are sobering and tap into the meaningless of man apart from Christ. A severe blow is delivered to nihilism, humanism, and hedonism. Something tells me these guys were reading Francis Schaeffer in the late 70’s!

If you like your music raw and realistic and don’t mind a trip back to the 80’s, Ping Pong Over the Abyss is for you.

GUARDING THE DEPOSIT: A WORLDVIEW WARNING

Charles Hodge rightly said, “History in all its details, even the most minute, is but the evolution of the eternal purposes of God.” Hodge understood the biblical reality that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). Yet, we live in an eroding culture; one that is hostile to this fundamental truth. We live in a culture where God is discounted, his truths are marginalized, and human autonomy appears to triumph.

One worldview that is diametrically opposed to the Christian worldview is deism. This worldview held a dominant position in France and England from the late seventeenth century to the first half of the 18^th century. But make no mistake. Deism is still alive. It has yet to go the way of the dinosaur.

Noah Webster defines deism: “The belief that God exists and created the world but thereafter assume no control over it or the lives of people.” The Enlightenment (1660-1798) provided the philosophical soil for deism to flourish. Adherents of the Enlightenment rejected the belief that faith depends on received or religious doctrines. They did not emphasize a personal relationship with God. Rather they believed in an impersonal Creator and embraced the idea that nature tells us everything we need to know about him.

Notice a few components of deism. First, the deist maintains that God is not involved with creation. The God of deism is seen as one who creates but is only a “clockmaker” who steps aside after his creative work. Walter Isaacson describes the modified deism of Benjamin Franklin: “He no longer believed in the received dogmas of his Puritan upbringing, which taught that man could achieve salvation only through God’s grace rather than through good works.”

Second, deism elevates the role of reason. Whenever reason is elevated, there is a danger of neglecting revelation, which is precisely what occurs in a deistic worldview. A writer representing this view says, “In deism, there is no need for a preacher, priest, or rabbi. All one needs in deism is their own common sense and the creation to contemplate.” In this scheme, propositional truth is either downplayed or discarded because reason is seen as the superior way to know God; albeit a God who is not personal. Consequently, “Nature is a closed system,” writes W. Andrew Hoffecker, “and humans cannot know anything beyond the natural realm.”

Third, it follows that deism rejects special revelation. Herein lies the reason for Thomas Jefferson’s irresponsible act of taking a razor blade to all the New Testament references to Jesus’ miracles, his Virgin birth, and any reference to deity.

But for now, ask yourself where deism emerges in our culture. Ask if you have subtlety succumbed to this pernicious worldview. For when we discount the miraculous, we become practical deists. When reason replaces revelation, we become practical deists. When general revelation replaces special revelation, we become practical deists.

Hodge was right on target. “History in all its details, even the most minute, is but the evolution of the eternal purposes of God.” May we pay careful attention to Paul’s admonition to Timothy: “… Guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have swerved from the faith” (1 Tim. 6:20-21). May our thinking and affections be aligned to God’s Word and may we passionately plead with culture to turn their attention to the all-wise work of God!

A deistic worldview essentially presents a neutralized deity. He is stripped bare of his attributes. Jesus is rendered useless and powerless. The cross becomes unnecessary. Prayer becomes random and meaningless. The net result of deism is a caricature of the Christian faith that fails to honor God and refuses to give him the glory he rightly deserves. See if you can detect the deism that emerges in Albert Einstein’s worldview:

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.”

Deism poses significant problems for people:

In a Deistic Worldview, People are Unable to Make Significant Decisions

James Sire writes, “Human beings are what they are; they have little hope of becoming anything different or anything more.” Since deism maintains that God has not revealed himself, it follows that an ethical framework is untenable. Meaningful decisions are rendered void.

In a Deistic Worldview, Humans are Merely a Part of Nature

W. Andrew Hoffecker adds, “Unlike Christian thought, which teaches that man is specially made in the image of his creator and is thereby capable of a unique, personal relationship with God, deists conclude that man is simply locked into the closed system of nature. People cannot have a direct relationship with God … Man and God are thus essentially disengaged.”

In a Deistic Worldview, Humans Have No Hope, No Help, and No Purpose

Deism is, in the final analysis a hopeless worldview where salvation is not only impossible; it is entirely unnecessary.

The verdict concerning deism is in. God is personal (Isa. 40:10-11; 41:8-10). God is immanent (Isa. 57:15). God has spoken (Heb. 1:1-2). And God is intimately involved with the affairs of people and nations. Spurgeon helps us understand God’s meticulous Providence: “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes – that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens – that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence – the fall of … leaves from a popular is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.”

May we constantly turn our affections to God who has revealed himself in nature (Ps. 19:1-6), in his Son (Heb.1:1-2), and in Scripture (Ps. 19:7-11; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16). And let us remember the admonition that Paul gave Timothy as we contend for the truth in a culture that is hostile to the gospel: “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have swerved from the faith” (2 Tim. 6:20-21).

Soli Deo Gloria!

CONNECTED CHRISTIANITY: Engaging Culture Without Compromise – Art G. Arzurdia

Connected Christianity is a refreshing look at the responsibility before Christ-followers in godless culture. Art Arzurdia writes with the patience of a tender-hearted pastor and the depth and breadth of a well-grounded Reformed theologian.

He addresses the mission of every Christian, namely to stand as a bright light and offer the purifying saltiness of a biblically informed disciple. Arzurdia is clear concerning the mandate: “To remain in this world for the express purpose of declaring to it the saving benefits secured by the conquest of Jesus Christ … His clarion call for them [disciples] was to a worldly Christianity.”

Some readers might jump to an unwarranted critical conclusion of Arzurdia’s choice of words. However, the criticism would be premature and wrong-headed. Arzurdia argues that Christians must be both theologically grounded and missional in their approach to contemporary culture. And he carefully balances his assertion with biblical insight: “And so, while we cannot be missional without being theological, we must never be theological without being missional … we cannot hope to be authentically Christian without being meaningfully worldly.”

The author roots his admonition in Jesus’ high priestly prayer. Consider some of the high points of our Lord’s prayer:

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15, ESV).
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).

Arzurdia acknowledges that the world is the playing field where believers carry out their divine mission. He warns against two barriers to effectiveness: “cultural gluttony” or “cultural anorexia.” Cultural gluttony is friendship with the world; a carnal fascination with the ideology of the world’s system. It is the “consequence of being missional without being theological.” Cultural anorexia is the classic Christian tendency to withdraw from the world and the propensity to retreat into a “Christian sub-culture.” Cultural anorexia is “the consequence of being theological without being missional.”

Arzurdia continues to unfold his argument by stressing the need for holiness of life. He poses the question, “How can we engage the world meaningfully without compromising the integrity of our Christianity?” The answer is found on Jesus’ lips in John 17:17. “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17). So the truth is the means that God uses to accomplish the objective he sets forth: “The Scriptures are the criteria, the standard, the reference point by which everything else is to be measured. And here, in this context, they are defined particularly as the instrument of sanctification …”

The remainder of the book directs the attention of the reader to Christ. Arzurdia includes an excellent treatment of Christ’s redemption that is particular in nature. Jesus is presented as our Great High Priest who is supreme above all, uniquely qualified, and perfectly compassionate; One who will enable his people to fulfill the his mandate.

Connected Christianity is a good book. It will undoubtedly get people talking. Azurdia’s assertions are biblically grounded and challenging. He has effectively navigated the chasm between license and legalism and carefully guides the reader on the correct path that engages the culture without compromise.

4 stars

WHEN I AM AFRAID – Edward T. Welch (2010)

When I Am Afraid by Edward T. Welch is a short book. It is also a very powerful book. The author sets forth his intended goals at the beginning of the book.

You want to hone your spiritual instincts so that you turn to Christ when anxious thoughts arise.
You want to know what Jesus says because when you turn to him in this way his words go deep.
You want to be less fearful and anxious and more content and hopeful.
You want to be more confident that God’s communication to you in the Bible speaks meaningfully to all the struggles of life.

Welch tackles fear and anxiety at the outset. He admits, “to be human is to be afraid.” Therefore, the responsibility of the reader is to recognize and isolate fear and anxiety. He affirms, “So sometimes you will see that your fears mean you are trusting yourself rather than the Lord. But you will always find that fear and worry are opportunities to hear God, to either turn toward him or to keep facing him and grow in trusting him.”

In chapter two, the author continues to focus on the need to trust God. He sets forth some practical principles that point to God’s promise to deliver his people:

We trust in God not because he delivers us from every fearful situation, but because he alone is King.
He will always be with us in fearful situations.
He will deliver his people, but at times his deliverance will be more sophisticated than we can understand.
God will give you grace when you need it.

Chapter three discusses the relationship between fear and money. Welch writes, “When you turn away from securing your own kingdom, which teeters on bankruptcy anyway, you get the true kingdom.”

Chapter four summarizes the fear many people have concerning death. Chapter five contains practical counsel for dealing with the fear of man: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe” (Prov. 29:25).

Welch goes to the core of the matter in chapter six with a good discussion regarding the promises of God: “God is not passive in his nearness. When God says he is present, it means he is doing something on your behalf. He is giving you manna. He is keeping promises and giving grace when you need it. God is never passive, and certainly he is never powerless.”

Chapter seven makes an appeal to Psalm 46 and leads the reader to the redemptive work of Christ: “With the Cross of Jesus proclaiming that your sins have been paid for, and with his resurrection assuring you that he is now the reigning King, you can trust him for the future and focus on today.”

When I Am Afraid is worth reading. Edward Welch steers readers away from the precipice of selfishness and directs them toward the work of Christ. He clearly articulates the biblical reality that “love expels fear.” Built into the book are a series of thought-provoking questions and space for biblical meditation and response. When I Am Afraid would be best utilized in a small group Bible study or a one on one discipleship.

THE GOD WHO IS THERE: Finding Your Place in God’s Story – D.A. Carson (2010)

This year I have been teaching my kids the game of baseball. When one stops to consider, there are a lot of rules in this game: three outs, nine innings, four balls, fly outs, tag outs, force outs, relief pitchers, pitch hitters, singles, doubles, triples, home runs, infield fly rule, ad infinitum.

For years I have also been teaching my kids about a much more important subject, namely, the Bible. The Bible is a little bit like baseball. Again consider, there is an awful lot of information in the Book! Commandments and covenants, warnings and worship, promises and parables, sacrifices and substitution, prophets and predestination, tabernacles and temples. You get the idea. A little bit intimidating for a rookie Bible reader.

D.A. Carson invites readers to “Spring Training” in his newest book, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story. He assumes that many readers will “step up to the plate” with little or no knowledge of the Bible. So unlike most of Carson’s other books, this little gem is designed specifically for new believers and folks who have never been to the “ball park”; folks who are new to the content of the Bible.

Carson begins where the Bible begins – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” His first pitch may be difficult for postmodern people to handle. God made everything. He is the Creator. He is the first cause. In many ways, the first chapter is one of the most (or perhaps the most important) chapter in the book. Carson carefully and gently refutes evolutionary theory. And he shares some simple and undeniable truths about God:

God simply is
God made everything that is non-God
There is only one of him
God is a talking God
Everything God makes is good – very good
God comes to an end of his creative works, and he rests
The creation proclaims his greatness and his glory

Carson continues by contrasting the Creator with the creature:

We are made in the image of God
We were made male and female
The man and his wife were innocent

The author clearly delineates the Creator-creator distinction and continues to articulate a biblical anthropology in chapter two. Man has fallen and has rebelled against a good God. He makes it clear that sin is more than merely “breaking rules.” Carson writes, “What is at stake here is something deeper, bigger, sadder, uglier, more heinous. It is a revolution. It makes me god and thus de-gods God.”

Sinful man has been separated from God. Therefore his greatest need is reconciliation and forgiveness. We need someone to save us from our sins. The rest of the book unfolds how God saves sinful people. Carson skillfully weaves his way through Scripture to demonstrate how God keeps his promise in Genesis 3 and Genesis 12. The chapter titles give a general idea of the book’s flow:

The God Who Made Everything
The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels
The God Who Writes His Own Agreements
The God Who Legislates
The God Who Reigns
The God Who is Unfathomably Wise
The God Who Becomes a Human Being
The God Who Grants the New Birth
The God Who Loves
The God Who Dies – and Lives Again
The God Who Declares the Guilty Just
The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People
The God Who Is Very Angry
The God Who Triumphs

This book has many strengths worth discussing. But the chief strength is the author’s ability to present the biblical meta-narrative and make sense of the puzzle pieces that emerge in Scripture. Carson make a compelling case for the Christian worldview and accurately describes the flow of redemptive history.

The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story is a book that can be utilized at multiple levels. Most importantly, the book should be utilized in personal evangelism and small groups. Video content may be downloaded at http://www.thegospelcoalition.org.

Readers who have never “been to the park” should check out D.A. Carson’s book. It truly is an invitation to the “big game.”

4.5 stars

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault On Mind, Morals, and Meaning – Nancy Pearcey (2010)

Nancy Pearcey has done it again. Her book Total Truth captured the attention of thousands and helped equip a new generation of thinking Christians. While some consider the term “thinking Christian” somewhat of an oxymoron (think, “military intelligence,” or “jumbo shrimp”), nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, clear thinking and warm-hearted devotion are crucial characteristics for anyone who professes faith in Christ. Anyone who rejects the notion of a “thinking Christian” should pause and consider the thought process generated in order to make the claim!

Pearcey’s newest masterpiece, Saving Leonardo is as the subtitle suggests a call to resist the secular assault on mind, morals, and meaning. The primary assertion: “The only hope lies in a worldview that is rationally defensible, life affirming, and rooted in creation itself.”

THE THREAT OF GLOBAL SECULARISM

In part one, the author clearly articulates the necessity of a Christ-informed worldview. She challenges readers: “Do you have the tools to detect the ideas competing for your allegiance in movies, school textbooks, news broadcasts, and even Saturday morning cartoons?”

Pearcey reveals the goal of the book at the outset: “The goal of this book is to equip you to detect, decipher, and defeat the monolithic secularism that is spreading rapidly and imposing its values on your family and hometown.” As such, she calls Christians to abandon the “fortress mentality” that has been prominent for years; a mentality that gravitates to isolation from the world. Rather, Christ followers ought to become familiar with their audience and engage with them on a worldview level. “The first step,” writes Pearcey, “is to identify and counter the key strategies uses to advance the global secular worldview.”

Next, Christians must understand how secularism views the nature of truth. Pearcey demonstrates how empiricism has spawned what we know today as the fact/value split. This divided concept of truth is the most important feature of a secular approach to epistemology and is “the key to unlocking the history of the Western mind.” The author is quick to explain the biblical concept of truth; a notion that was the theme of Total Truth: “Because all things were created by a single divine mind, all truth forms a single, coherent, mutually consistent system. Truth is unified and universal.”

The fact/value dichotomy finds values in the so-called upper story (a scheme developed by Francis Schaeffer). These values are private, subjective, and relative. Values include religious claims and personal preferences. Fact are found in the lower story. These facts are public, objective and universal. The author gives numerous examples of how the fact/value dichotomy is diametrically opposed to the biblical view of truth. For instance:

“Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Science yields facts but not ‘value judgments’; religion expresses values but cannot ‘speak facts.'” – Albert Einstein

Clearly, values posed in the fact/value dichotomy are never considered to be true. Rather they are expressions of an opinionated individual; i.e. a so-called “bigoted Christian.”

TWO PATHS TO SECULARISM

Part two uncovers two paths to secularism, namely, the Enlightenment and Romantic movements respectively. The Enlightenment (or Analytic Tradition) is fixated on reason and relies on the scientific method. Immanuel Kant plays a central role here with his nature/freedom dichotomy. Various worldviews have been spawned as a result of Enlightenment thought including empiricism, rationalism, Darwinism, logical positivism, linguistic analysis, utilitarianism, and materialism.

The Romantic stream (or Continental Tradition) relies on story and is fascinated by myth and imagination. Again, various worldviews have resulted including idealism, Marxism, deconstruction, phenomenology, existentialism, pantheism, and postmodernism. Both streams are reductionistic and the author is careful to bring this point home repeatedly.

Pearcey dissects both streams carefully and skillfully. Her depth and insight is very helpful and encouraging. The final two chapters are the most helpful and practical. The author prompts readers to give up the typical Christian fortress mentality: “Christians must go beyond criticizing the degradation of American culture, roll up their sleeves, and get to work on positive solutions. The only way to drive out bad culture is with good culture.”

The author reminds Christian parents that they cannot protect their children from unbiblical worldviews. But they can “help them develop resistance skills, by giving them the tools to recognize false ideas and counter them with a solid grasp of biblical concepts … Christians are responsible for evaluating everything against the plumb line of Scriptural truth.”

Nancy Pearcey is picking up where Francis Scheaffer left off. And she gives Schaeffer the last word on the subject: “One of the greatest injustice we do our young people is to ask them to be conservative. Christianity is not conservative, but revolutionary … We must teach the young to be revolutionaries, revolutionaries against the status quo.”

INSTRUMENTS IN THE REDEEMER’S HANDS – Paul David Tripp (2002)

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp is a superb introduction to biblical counseling. However, Tripp’s book should not be confined to a mere counseling resource. Rather, his work is about the simplicity of personal ministry. It is call to live a life that is rooted in the reality of God’s Word. Additionally, the book is “rooted in the belief that God has called and positioned all of his children to live as ambassadors.”

The core truths of an ambassador summarize the primary tenets of the book:

1. We need God and his truth to live as we were meant to live.

2. Each of us has been called by God to be his instruments of change in the lives of others.

3. Our behavior is rooted in the thoughts and motives of our hearts.

4. Christ has called us to be his ambassadors, following his message, methods, and character.

5. Being an instrument of change involves incarnating the love of Christ by sharing in people’s struggles.

6. Being an instrument of change means seeking to know people by guarding against false assumptions, asking good questions, and interpreting information in a distinctly biblical way.

7. Being an instrument of change means speaking the truth in love.

8. Being an instrument of change means helping people do what God call them to do by clarifying responsibility, offering loving accountability, and reminding them of their identity in Christ.

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands is an important resource. First and most importantly, Tripp’s work is biblical. This book is drowning in a sea of biblical truth! The book is practical and offers many practical tools to enable ministers to help and encourage hurting people. And the book is intensely personal. Indeed, the emphasis on personal ministry (ministry that can be done by any Christ-follower) is one of the greatest strengths of the book: “In personal ministry we call people to exercise faith in new and deeper ways – to forsake things they have done for years and do things they have never done before. We call them to new motives, purposes, and goals … We call them to give up things that have been precious, and to do all these things not just once, but with long-term commitment and perseverance.”

4.5 stars