Tom Schwanda and Ian Maddock, George Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2025), 207 pp.
One of the most pivotal figures of the 18th century was the British evangelist, George Whitefield. Born in 1714, this man faithfully preached the gospel and evangelized nations. He preached over 18,000 sermons during his short life and impacted countless people for the sake of the kingdom.
Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God by Tom Schwanda and Ian Maddock is a riveting read. The authors introduce Whitefield in clear terms and engaging prose. Whitefield is portrayed as a man who valued both the head and the heart.
Schwann and Maddock do not leave any “stone unturned.” They not only focus on the noteworthy aspects of Whitefield’s life and ministry; they also wrestle with some of the more controversial themes, especially his perspective on slavery, which held a death grip on colonial America.
Whitefield is rightly portrayed as a man who refused to compromise the truth. He delivered the truth with power and passion. Another biographer, Arnold Dallimore, writes about the God-centered stature of George Whitefield: “And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace.” Oh, that Christians in this age would model the Whitefield approach. May their hearts be consumed with nothing but the greatness of God. May the sovereign Savior draw people from every tribe and nation.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
It has been said that one of the greatest problems that plague contemporary people is unresolved guilt. Sin squeezes the life out of unwitting victims. Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of regret, neglect, fear, ungodly anger, broken relationships, and insubordination pose a massive threat to the well-being of well-meaning people.
Everyone is included in this sinful parade. We have all committed sin. We are sinners by nature and by choice – and as a result, guilt rears its ugly head. Sometimes the guilt waits to surface until we’re all alone. For some of us, guilt is a constant note on the musical scoresheet of our lives. For others, the only time we feel guilt is when we hear a preacher reminds us about our sin.
Here is the problem: Apart from the grace of God, we all stand before the bar of God’s justice – and we stand condemned. Apart from the grace of God, we are guilty.
The sound of the gavel is unmistakable in a courtroom setting. When the judge slams the gavel, it reminds us that a verdict has been reached. It announces the guilt or innocence of the defendant.
In 1 John 2, the apostle John ushers us into the celestial courtroom and answers the question, “What is the greatest need of sinners when the gavel falls?” As we enter the heavenly tribunal, I invite you to encounter the divine standard and the divine representative.
THE DIVINE STANDARD
If you ever have the opportunity to attend a trial in a courtroom, one of the first memories you will have is when the Judge enters the courtroom. The bailiff announces, “All rise!” John the apostle introduces the presiding Judge of the universe in 1 John 1:5. He writes, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
The Presiding Judge of the Divine Standard
He is the majestic God of the universe. The psalmist proclaims, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Ps. 8:1, ESV). Moses says, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exod. 15:11).
He is the transcendent God of the universe. “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isa. 57:15).
He is the sovereign God of the universe. The psalmist reminds us, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3,). Daniel 4:34-35 says, “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””
And he is the holy God of the universe. “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The psalmists adds, “But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness” (Psalm 9:7–8). The heavenly Judge has the authority to issue the particulars of the divine standard. This is the divine standard we turn our attention to.
The Particulars of the Divine Standard
John gives his readers an inside look at the motivation for his writing: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin …” (v. 1). John calls his readers to live holy lives, what he refers to as “walking in the light.” Notice the particulars, then, of this divine standard.
First, the call to holiness began in eternity past. Scripture reveals God chose his people before the creation of the cosmos: “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him …” (Eph. 1:4).
Second, we are called out of darkness to proclaim the excellencies of God. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Third, we are called to conduct ourselves in a holy manner. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy”” (1 Pet. 1:14–16).
The heart of the apostle John is to communicate the divine standard to Christians: “so that you may not sin.” Indeed, this is God’s standard – this is the divine standard. But there is a problem we must acknowledge: we do sin (1 John 1:5-10).
To sin means to miss the mark, specifically in our relationship with God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law God.”1 “Sin is disobedience to God’s revealed law,” writes Martyn Lloyd-Jones.2 And John Piper summarizes, “What does not come from satisfaction in God, and through the guidance of God, and for the glory of God, is God-less – it is sin.” 3
Since we fail to the divine standard in every respect, John introduces the Divine Representative.
THE DIVINE REPRESENTATIVE
The apostle John presents three marks of the Divine Representative: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
First, Jesus is righteous. The author of Hebrews helps us understand that the Divine Representative is sinless: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Jesus is without sin. Jesus is righteous.
Second, Jesus stands face-to-face with the Father. In the Gospel of John, in the book that bears his name, the apostle writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The preposition translated “with” comes from the Greek term prós which means “face-to-face.” From all eternity, Jesus has been with the Father.
Third, Jesus is our Advocate. An advocate is a helper or an intercessor. An advocate acts as a representative for someone. In this case, the advocate stands before the Father and represents sinners like you and me. This Advocate stands in our defense. He pleads our case. Lloyd-Jones adds, “Unlike a defense attorney who may argue that his client is innocent of all charges, this defense attorney recognizes your guilt before God. The Advocate turns to the Father and says, ‘… I am here just to remind You that the law has been fulfilled, that the death has died, the punishment has been enacted; they are free because I died for them.”4
And so we cannot meet the divine standard. The Divine Representative stands in our defense. All these things clear the path for the divine accomplishment, which John unfolds in 1 John 2:2 – “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
When the gavel falls, a verdict will be rendered. Will you bear the weight of your sin and thus endure 10,000 degrees of white-hot wrath? Or will you trust Jesus to stand in your defense? When the gavel falls, will you stand condemned or will Christ’s sacrificial death pardon you, grant peace (Rom. 5:1), and welcome you into his presence where you will enjoy the pleasures of God forever (Ps. 16:11)?
One of the last things my aunt, who served at HCJB, told me before she went to be with the Lord was this: “Never neglect Christian biographies.” Those words always stuck with me. I heeded that advice and have never looked back. Christian biographies have led me to the jungles of Ecuador with Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, the shores of China with Hudson Taylor, the heat of theological controversy with Athanasius, the flames of martyrdom with Ridley and Latimer, and journeys across the Atlantic with George Whitefield.
My Life as a Prof by J. Carl Laney is an inside look at the life of a seminary professor. This book is a precious jewel that should not be overlooked, especially for pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders.
Dr. Laney’s book guides readers on a journey that reaches back to celebrate a forty-year teaching tenure at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. The great strength of this work is Carl’s transparency. He reveals everything he experienced on his journey as a seminary professor – from triumph to tragedy, and everything in between.
The book also ventures outside the classroom, providing readers with a deeper understanding of Dr. Laney’s heart for discipleship and evangelism as he shares his experiences leading students in the “outdoor classroom” on wilderness expeditions and his numerous trips to Israel, accompanied by students. Also included are encouraging stories that flow out of Dr. Laney’s experience as a pastor and author.
My Life as a Prof is packed with God-centered inspiration and challenges. It was deeply encouraging for me to read about a seasoned theologian, professor, pastor, mentor, husband, father, and grandfather – a man who puts Jesus Christ above all and jealously guards the glory of God.
Open the morning newspaper. Watch the evening news. Pay careful attention to the culture that surrounds us. The culture that surrounds us will prompt you to protest. You will be cajoled to complain. You will feel the steady pull of pundits who invite you to join their campaign. Emotions will range from fear to frustration. Anger dominates much of the time. When anger doesn’t reign, anxiety is sure to take its place.
Followers of Jesus Christ have a higher calling. We must be discerning and live distinctly Christian lives (1 Pet. 1:14-17). A little phrase is tucked away in Romans 5:11 that helps refocus our attention on what really matters:
“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
“We also rejoice in God.” This is exactly the opposite of what our culture demands. Rejoicing in God, then, is countercultural. God also commands it!
Paul’s argument in this unit of thought in Romans chapter 5 ends on a high note. The guilty have been pardoned (v. 9). The condemned have been saved (v. 9). Enemies have been reconciled (v. 10). The posture of rebellion has turned to a posture of joy!
Do you want to impact lives? Would you like your life to mirror God’s image? Do you want to glorify the great God of the universe? Refuse to bow down to the idols of the age. Refuse to get caught up in the pettiness that characterizes our day. Choose today to rejoice in God!
John Piper, Providence (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2021), 710 pp.
2020-2021 were years of pain, suffering, and anguish. COVID-19 impacted countless lives, crushed the economy, overwhelmed our health care system, and influenced the presidential election. By mid-December, the virus claimed over 300,000 lives in the United States alone. We were told what is classified as “essential” and what is not deemed “essential.” Stay-home-stay orders, social distancing, and wearing masks became a normal part of daily lives.
The lockdowns had a devastating effect on thousands of people. Businesses were permanently closed, many churches stood at a standstill, and hopelessness ruled in many hearts. One report suggested that suicide rates among young adults skyrocketed due to the pandemic.
In the midst of this crushing heartache, John Piper released his newest book, Providence. I received an advance copy and began diligently reading this massive book, weighing in at over 700 pages.
Dr. Piper lures in readers with a four-fold invitation:
An invitation into a biblical world of counterintuitive wonders.
An invitation to penetrate through words into reality. While the term “providence” is not found in Scripture, the reality of providence occurs on every page of the Bible.
An invitation into a God-entranced world.
An invitation to know God in a more intimate way.
Once readers become aware of the theological terrain that lies ahead, the 700 pages to follow are much less daunting.
The book is arranged in three parts. Part one explores a definition and a difficulty. The difficulty wrestles with the notion of divine self-exaltation. Piper discusses the typical negative creaturely response to a God who finds pleasure in exalting himself. The author demonstrates that anyone who resists the idea of a self-exalting God has fallen prey to a sinister mindset. Indeed, “The idea that God is unattractive to us because he acts for his own glory cloaks a deeper resistance: he is unattractive because he is God.”
Part two focuses on the ultimate goal of providence. Three areas are discussed which include:
God’s ultimate goal in providence before creation and in creation.
The ultimate goal of providence in the history of Israel.
The ultimate goal of providence in the design and enactment of the New Covenant
The great benefit of part two is delighting in the big picture of God’s providence. From before creation, to the cross, and the final glorification of the elect, we find God orchestrating every detail for his glory and for our good. As Piper writes, “God is supremely committed to the display of his glory for the admiration and enjoyment of all who will have it as their supreme treasure.”
Part three reveals the nature and extent of providence. The author skillfully demonstrates how God’s providence reigns over all things including the weather, world leaders, circumstances, and the demonic realm. Piper shows how God’s providence superintends over sin and triumphs in conversion.
In the end, Piper gloriously describes the final achievement of providence in the return of Christ, the glorification of his elect, and his reign on the New Earth. He writes, “The great goal of providence is the shining forth of the glory of God in the holiness and happiness of his people through Jesus Christ.”
My own experience as I neared the end of Providence was a keen sense of disappointment that the book was drawing to a close. Frankly, Providence helped me maintain a God-centered perspective, even in the midst of a tumultuous year.
Providence is a theological tour de force. It is heart-warming, mind-riveting, and soul-shaping. My hope is that Piper’s great accomplishment, dare I say his magnum opus, will have a similar impact on countless people around the world. There is no question that John Piper’s Providence will be one of the most read and treasured books of 2021.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2025), 354 pp.
A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation by Dr. Matthew Bingham is a book for our times. Bingham defines spiritual formation as “the conscious process by which we seek to heighten and satisfy our Spirit-given thirst for God through divinely appointed means and with a view toward working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” Tragically, many churches have few resources that point parishioners in a God-Centered direction. A Heart Aflame is a step in the right direction.
The author begins by constructing a foundation that will help orient Christians to growing spiritually. At the heart of this foundation is the Bible’s command to “keep the heart.” Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Puritan authors are utilized to drive home the importance of keeping the heart. This involves an intense battle with sin, but also entails fighting for joy. In the end, this activity is designed to push us toward Christian maturity and godliness, or sanctification.
The five solas of the Reformation are reflected upon that serve both the head and the heart. Bingham writes, “If we believe that the Reformation got the gospel right, then we should be equally attentive to the way a Reformation vision of spiritual formation follows from that same understanding of the gospel.”
There is no pitting of the head and the heart in this work, which proves to be one of its greatest strengths. Indeed, as Bingham notes, “the affections of regenerate Christians are primarily stirred through reflecting on God’s truth as revealed in his word.” Thus, we find a marriage of both the head and the heart, which is in keeping with the thought of the New England Puritans.
Bingham carefully unpacks the crucial spiritual practices that God’s Word sets forth for his people to grow in godliness, namely – Bible intake (hearing from God), meditation (reflecting on God), and prayer (responding to God). A chapter for each discipline (which Bingham refers to as the Reformation Triangle) is included that educates and inspires.
A Heart Aflame for God is a much-needed balm for the soul, a book that is sure to warm hearts and ignite minds for the great cause of the gospel.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
After Saul’s miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, the church continued to experience explosive growth.
The Proclamation of the Truth (Acts 9:20-22)
Dr. Luke reports Saul’s passion for the truth: “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’” (Acts 9:20). This man was committed to preaching God’s Word, a practice that he would employ on his missionary journeys.
The Opposition to the Truth (Acts 9:23-30)
As soon as his ministry was launched, Saul experienced opposition to the truth. Luke indicates that unbelievers intend to take his life. The Greek term is translated as “murder.” It’s interesting to note that the same murderous intent was pumping in Saul’s veins before he was saved by grace. The persecutor has become the preacher! The murderer has become the man on mission.
Saul also experienced opposition from followers of Christ. “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple (Acts 9:26). The Christians in the early church were scared to death of this man, the one who oversaw the stoning of Stephen. Simply put, they did not believe the testimony of the former “persecutor in chief.” Thankfully, Barnabas came to his aid and confirmed that he indeed had been miraculously converted; that he has seen the Lord and preached boldly in the name of Jesus (vv. 27-28).
The Triumph of the Truth
The newly convinced Christ-followers in Jerusalem brought Saul to Caesarea and then sent him off to Tarsus when his life was on the line. In the midst of all this chaos, the church does not decline. The church does not flounder. The church thrives! Luke reveals how the truth triumphed in the early church:
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31, ESV)
First, the church was a peaceful community of faith. Peace (εἰρήνη) means “harmonious relations and freedom from disputes; a state of peace that is a blessing or favor from God.” The early church experienced peace with God and peace with one another. Instead of provoking and envying one another, they were in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25-26).
Second, the church was a built-up community of faith. Built up comes from the Greek word that means “to be strengthened, encouraged, and edified.” The apostle Paul highlighted the importance of this kind of community in his letter to the church at Ephesus:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Eph. 4:11–14, ESV)
A built-up church is a unified church. A built-up church is one that is unified around the knowledge of the Son of God, which means she is grounded theologically. A built-up church is growing in maturity – relational maturity, biblical maturity, theological maturity, and ministry maturity. A built-up church is a discerning church, one that is not swept away by the winds and waves of false teaching.
Finally, the church was a thriving community of faith. Whenever a church walks in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, she can’t do anything but three. This is a church that is experiencing the blessing of God in their midst. Is this not what our Savior promised the disciples in Acts 1?
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8, ESV)
This is the church triumphant! What is preventing you from experiencing this kind of peace? Is there an unforgiving spirit that is preventing you from experiencing God’s peace? Are you resisting God in any way that creates roadblocks for you and prevents you from experiencing his peace?
What is preventing you from being built up like the early church in Acts 9? Are you downplaying theology? Are you minimizing the need for theological education? Are you neglecting time in God’s Word?
The truth triumphed in the first century church? Are you a person of the truth? Are you proclaiming the truth? Delighting in the truth? Defending the truth? May the truth triumph daily in your life!
Aaron Menikoff & Harshit Singh, Prioritizing Missions in the Church (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2025), 220 pp.
Prioritizing Missions in the Church is a part of the 9Marks Church-Centered Missions series. This important work challenges Christians to reorder their personal lives around the purposes of the Great Commission.
The authors, Aaron Menikoff and Harshit Singh are both seasoned pastors who share a mutual love for the church, church planting, and global missions. They write:
A mission-centered church takes the Great Commission seriously. Such a church doesn’t simply pay lip service to Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations … This kind of disciple-making is at the very heart of being a Christian, which means it should be at the very heart of every church.
Prioritizing Missions in the Church alerts readers to the need for global missions, urges Christians to play a strategic role in the process, and provides practical guidelines for churches to initiate, lead, nurture, equip, and send qualified leaders to carry out the Great Commission to the nations. This book is the perfect blend of encouragement, inspiration, and challenge, sure to make a lasting difference in many lives.
Soli Deo gloria!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
There is a gaping chasm in the evangelical church. This chasm is a result of compromise and capitulation. It is the result of lazy thinking and lethargic living. This chasm has been produced by years of theological neglect, educational apathy, and lackadaisical leadership. The ungodly leaders that have emerged from the church have spawned a new generation of pragmatists which breeds a brand of progressive Christianity that helps no one.
We need more Christians like John Calvin – people whose gaze is Godward. We are in desperate need of leaders who are humble, contrite, and tremble before the Word of God. This is their holy pursuit. We need more Christian leaders like Calvin who trod faithfully on the path the leads to the Celestial City.
I Offer My Heart to God as a Sacrifice
In many respects, we are far removed from Calvin’s day. In April 1538, Calvin was driven out of Geneva when he refused to compromise his biblical convictions, which concerned the administration of the Lord’s Supper. Just over two years later, in October 1540, Calvin was invited back to Geneva by his friend, William Farel. The prospect of returning to this place caused fear to rise within his soul: “There is no place under heaven that I am more afraid of – I would submit to death a hundred times rather than to that cross on which I had to die daily a thousand deaths.”
In a letter addressed to Peter Viret, Calvin refers to Geneva as “that place of torture.” Yet, this godly Reformer was determined to obey God and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. His response to Farel vividly shows the mixture of fear and reverence that consumed him: “If I had any choice I would rather do anything than give in to you in this matter, but since I remember that I no longer belong to myself, I offer my heart to God as a sacrifice.”
As Calvin packed his bags and make his way back to Geneva, he penned these words to Farel: “And for myself, I protest that I have no other desire than that, setting aside all consideration of me, they may look only to what is most for the glory of God and the advantage of the Church.” Calvin chose to boldly walk the path of obedience instead of treading on the convenient path of pragmatism. He writes, “Therefore I submit my will and my affections, subdued and held fast, to the obedience of God; and whenever I am at a loss for counsel of my own, I submit myself to those by whom I hope that the Lord himself will speak to me.”
This is exactly what we need in the church today. We need men and women of courage and conviction. We need people of character. We need people who say what they mean and mean what they say. We need nothing less than people who willingly and joyfully submit to the authority of God and his Word. We need more Christians like John Calvin.
In a stirring letter to William Farel dated October 24, 1538, Calvin points his dear friend, Godward: “But since the truth of the Lord remains firm and unshaken, let us stand resolutely upon the watchtower even to the end, until the kingdom of Christ, which is now hidden and obscured, may shine forth.”
We need more Christians like Calvin because his desire was to be Christ-like. Scripture tells us of the single-minded resolve of the Lord Jesus Christ: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).
More Alive Than Ever Before
Today is the 461st anniversary of John Calvin’s death. On May 27, 1564, Calvin breathed his last breath. They buried him in a common grave, a final act of humility, fulfilling one of Calvin’s last requests. The earthly life of the Genevan Reformer came to an end. But Calvin’s death only signified the beginning of a new life with his Savior in his heavenly home. D. L. Moody reminds us that death is not the final chapter for a follower of Jesus Christ: “Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don’t believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before.”
David W. Hall beautifully summarizes the life of the French reformer. He writes of Calvin: “A single man with heart aflame changed the world.” Calvin’s influence began in Geneva as he faithfully exercised the gifts God bestowed upon him. He taught God’s Word, preached God’s Word, counseled with God’s Word, and shepherded the flock with great care and patience. His pastoral ministry soon spread to the corners of Europe and eventually made its way around the world. His ultimate aim had nothing to do with building his platform or attracting the eye of men. Rather, the aim of Calvin was to glorify the great God of the universe.
A Godward Gaze
John Calvin was a man whose gaze was Godward. His gaze was fixated upon his heavenly home. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25). Calvin’s life echoed the words of the psalmist as he gazed heavenward.
Calvin riveted his gaze upon his Savior. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26). For much of his adult life, Calvin battled poor health. Yet, he continued to gaze upon his Savior. There was no wavering in this man. His faith in Jesus was solid until the end. This man fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith. And when he entered into his heavenly rest, his gaze was Godward.
Oh, that we would follow the lead of this godly man. May our lives be marked by humility, contrition, and trembling before God’s Word. Then, and only then, will our gaze be Godward.
Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa Jr. Ed., Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2025), 243 pp.
The internet has changed life as we know it for the foreseeable future. Despite the benefits of recent technological tools, we are experiencing a phenomenon that should be of grave concern to pastors, parents, and Christian leaders. Some notable authors have highlighted how technological advances are hindering learning and even re-wiring the brain.
Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa continue the discussion in their recent book, Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age. The editors of this fine book lock arms with a formidable team of pastors and Christian thinkers who are committed to offering biblical solutions in a world that is being manipulated by technological pirates, through artificial intelligence and algorithms.
The book draws some of its most potent material from Neil Postman’s book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, first published in 1985. Postman’s warning was à propos at the end of the twentieth century. It is even more serious now. Scrolling Ourselves to Death begins by focusing on Postman’s insights. Patrick Miller writes insightfully, “Your phone is a digital syringe. It’s a gateway to lifelong, brain-altering, relationship-destroying addiction.” Such a warning should readers to pause and reflect, leading them to the next section.
The book continues by noting some practical challenges that face Christian communicators. Matters of apologetics, epistemology, and theology are explored, all subjects that make good use of Postman’s timely observations. Thaddeus Williams makes the keen observation that “Christianity scratches humanity’s deepest existential itches for relationship, freedom, mystery, beauty, awe, hope, and more.” This powerful reality is seen throughout the book and serves as a testament to the authority of God’s word.
The book concludes with a section that provides insight on how the church can minister to a “scrolling death” world. Technological advances are not cast aside here; rather, their use is encouraged with the caveat of caution. In an especially illuminating chapter, Read Mercer Schuchardt never repudiates the use of technology or media. But he admonishes readers to embrace their mission. He writes:
Go touch grass. Put down the phone, give up the screen, and initiate: no matter your age, stop scrolling and start your life. You need only ten thousand hours of deliberate practice to get good at something worth doing, and you’ve got that in spades if you give up the 10.85 hours per day currently devoted to media. That’s just 749 days to get really good at your skill, art, trade, or craft; that’s just two years, which is half the time it takes to acquire a college education.
Scrolling Ourselves to Death is a much-needed work. The authors pick up where Postman left off and offer readers a smorgasbord of practice tools for moving into the future with an eye on the gospel and a heart for the kingdom of God.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
Veritas et Lux 