The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God – David S. Schrock

David S. Schrock, The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2022), 199 pp.

The Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, published by Crossway Books includes a series of accessible books designed for the non-specialist. The books are basic enough for anyone to grasp but are also invaluable tools for pastors. As a veteran pastor, I have been greatly encouraged by this series.

The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God by David S. Schrock is the most recent book in the series. This book traces the history of God’s royal priesthood which begins in Eden and cultivates in new Jerusalem.

The Royal Priesthood begins in Eden as God commissions Adam to glorify him by reflecting the greatness of his worth in the Garden. Adam is charged with an important stewardship in the Garden – he must work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15) and thus serve the Lord.

The author traces the various movements of the priesthood through redemptive history, which culminates with the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ. The book concludes with these fitting words:

This way of life is the one that brings glory to God and extends Jesus’s blessing to the ends of the earth. Because of Christ’s priesthood, heaven and earth have been united in Christ. And one day soon, as Psalm 110 foretells, all Christ’s enemies will be put under his feet.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Christian Mind – Harry Blamires

My uncle Dwight gave me this book almost thirty years ago.  I’ll never forget what he said when he handed it to me: “Only real men can read this book.”  Whether it was meant to motivate or amuse, I read it with a vengeance.  This is my third time through.

Blamires thesis is clear throughout the book: “There is no longer a  Christian mind.”  An interesting proposal, given the original publishing date of 1963.  But the facts outweigh any contrary argument.  The author notes, “And we have emptied our brains of Christian vocabulary, Christian concepts, in advance, just to make sure that we should get fully into touch.  Thus we have stepped mentally into secularism.”  We live in a post-Christian era.  This much is certain.  The frightening reality is that some Christians understood this in the 1960’s.  Many Christians today simply have no comprehension of the Christian mind.

In part two, the author suggests  what the Christian mind should look like.  He delineates six marks of the Christian mind which include:

1. A supernatural orientation.

2. An awareness of evil.

3. A conception of truth

4. Accepts the notion of authority

5. Has a concern for the person

6. Has a passion to live life to the glory of God.

The Christian Mind should be celebrated for its analysis of culture and its allegiance to the Word of God.  Like Francis Schaeffer, Blamires is in touch with the barriers to Christian thinking.  While his concerns originated in 1963, they continue to reverberate almost fifty years later.

The point my Uncle was trying to make is this: Real men think Christianly.  Real men live according to truth.

“The Christian mind is the prerequisite of Christian thinking.  And Christian thinking is the prerequisite of Christian action.”

Harry Blamires

Why is My Teenager Feeling Like This? A Guide for Helping Teens Through Anxiety & Depression – David Murray

David Murray, Why Is My Teenager Feeling Like This? A Guide for Helping Teens Through Anxiety & Depression (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 140 pp.

David Murray’s newest book, Why is My Teenager Feeling Like This? A Guide for Helping Teens Through Anxiety & Depression could not have come at a better time. The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a corresponding mental health crisis, especially among young people. Many of the struggles existed prior to the pandemic but simply lay dormant. COVID-19 merely surfaced the mental and spiritual battles that exist in teenagers.

Anyone familiar with David Murray knows that he is a thoughtful and caring writer. What is more, his books are always saturated with biblical wisdom and encouragement. This book is no exception.

The introduction of Murray’s work helps readers understand the root causes of anxiety and depression. He provides an assurance upfront that there is help for anyone who struggles with a wide range of ailments.

The book addresses a myriad of mental health issues that utilize a case study approach. After describing an example of a person who is struggling with anxiety, depression, loneliness, workaholism, negativity, rebellion, etc. the author provides a brief prescription for offering help. Each chapter concludes with a section that offers real-life application. Generally, there is a verse to memorize, some practical questions, and a prayer.

In addition, David Murray has written a second book specifically designed for teens. I recommend these fantastic resources for both parents and teens and trust that God will use them to encourage young people during these troubling times.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

God’s Love: Better Than Unconditional – David Powlison

0875526861_bHow many times have you uttered the words, “God’s love is unconditional?”  Yet the term is strangely absent from Scripture.  One might argue that other terms are absent as well, like “Trinity” and “hypostatic union.”   Of course, the terms are missing but the truth of the Trinity and the hypostatic union are clearly taught.

So what does one make of the notion of God’s “unconditional love.”  David Powlison tackles this important subject in his book, God’s Love: Better Than Unconditional.  Here’s his proposal: “God’s love is much different and better than unconditional … God cares too much to be unconditional in his love.”

Powlison is not the only one who resists the notion of God’s unconditional love.  R.C. Sproul adds, “I can think of no more pernicious lie to destroy people’s souls than this, which some preachers are spreading around the world: God loves you unconditionally.  No, he does not.  If we do not meet the conditions that he established for us in creation, then God will send us to hell forever” (Truths We Confess, Vol. I, 216).

Powlison grounds his argument with four “unconditional truths.”

1. It is true that “conditional love” is a bad thing.

2. It is true that God’s love is patient.

3. It is true that true love is God’s gift.

4. It is true that God receives people just as they are.

The author admits that the phrase “unconditional” has a “noble theological lineage in describing the grace of God.”  But the term is fraught with difficulties.  He suggests four biblical improvements:

1. There are more biblical and vivid ways to capture each of the four truths just stated.  The Bible provides much richer descriptions of God’s love than “unconditional.”

2. It is clear that unmerited grace is not strictly unconditional.  While it is true that God’s love does not depend upon what you do, it very much depends on what Christ did for you.  In that sense, it is highly conditional.

3. God’s grace is something more than unconditional in that it is intended to change the people who receive it.

4. “Unconditional love” is filled with cultural assumptions.  Such a term implies the minimizing or even elimination of expectations on the one receiving the love.

Powlison urges readers to consider the notion of “contraconditional love.”  He continues, “God has blessed me because his Son fulfilled conditions I could never achieve.  Contrary to what I deserve, he loves me.  And now I can begin to change not because I can earn his love, but because I’ve already received it.”

I commend God’s Love: Better Than Unconditional to fellow pilgrims.  It contains the biblical answer to the questions in regards to the love of God.  Readers concerned with Powlison’s thesis will be quickly persuaded and encouraged to pursue God with greater obedience and passion – an overflow of the love received from the sovereign and loving God of the universe.

5 stars

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.

Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcey

Finding Truth, by Nancy Pearcey is another fine contribution thataa deserves to be read.  The author maintains with Romans 1 that all people have access to general revelation. As such:

  • We all have access to evidence for God through creation.
  • We all suppress the evidence for God from creation.
  • We all create idols to take the place of God.
  • God gives us up to the consequences of our idols to a “debased” mind.
  • God gives us up to the consequences of our idols – to “dishonorable” behavior.

Pearcey builds upon her earlier works, both of which are best sellers.  Total Truth argued for a unified view of truth and the obliteration of sacred/secular split.   Saving Leonardo   sought to help people develop skills in critical thinking.  Finding Truth introduces readers to five principles that help make sense of competing worldviews and make a positive case for historic Christianity.  The five strategic principles are summarized below:

  1. Identify the Idol.  Anything which is presented as eternal and unchanging is an idol.  This principle helps us get to the heart of mankind’s propensity to erect idols and bow down to them.  By way of contrast, Christianity refuses to begin with creation and an epistemological starting point.  Rather, the beginning of knowledge rests in a transcendent Creator who is sovereign over all things.
  2. Identify the Idol’s Reductionism.  Pearcey notes, “The link is that idols always lead to a lower view of human life … When one part of creation becomes deified, the other part will be denigrated.”  Reductionism, is, therefore, a fool’s errand as the creation is elevated to a status that God never intends.
  3. Test the Idol: Does it Contradict What We Know About the World?  Since idols always fail to satisfy, people will begin to realize that they cannot live according to the logic of their presuppositions.  They are either forced to live in the real world – which is to oppose their worldview or they live in accordance with their worldview which contradicts reality.
  4. Test the Idol: Does it Contradict Itself?  The competing worldview, at this point, becomes self-defeating.  The author notes, “Everyone who proposes a reductionist worldview must make a tacit exception for his own thinking – at least, at the moment he is stating his claims.  But that too creates a logical inconsistency.”  Thus the worldview fails.
  5. Replace the Idol: Make a Case for Historic Christianity.  As it becomes apparent that a competing worldview fails, the apologist must make a strong case for the viability and truthfulness of the Christian worldview.  “By identifying the points where non-Christians are free-loading, we can be confident that we are addressing areas where they sense the need for something more.”

Finding Truth is an essential toolbox for thinking Christians.  Pearcey does a dual service for readers as she not only instructs them to analyze and demolish competing worldviews (2 Cor. 10:5); she encourages readers to go deeper in the Christian faith which is informed by biblical reality and rock-solid facts.   A more accurate description, however, would be a treasure chest.  This is required reading which will only enrich one’s Christian life and effectiveness in the marketplace of ideas!

I received this book free from the publisher.   I was not required to write a positive review. 

When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan – Peggy Noonan (2001)

A number of years ago, I began devouring books about my favorite president.  When Character Was King by Peggy Noonan emerges as one of the most thoughtful and inspiring books about the former president.

Noonan paints a compelling portrait of President Reagan; a portrait that is an exceedingly human portrayal of a man who feared God, loved his country, and cherished freedom.  The author writes, “As president, Ronald Reagan believed without question that tyranny is temporary, and the hope of freedom is universal and permanent; that our nation has unique goodness, and must remain uniquely strong; that God takes the side of justice, because all our rights are His own gifts.”

Reagan opposed the godless ideology that held millions of Russians hostage from 1917 to 1991.  Lenin said in 1920, “We repudiate all morality that proceeds from supernatural ideas that are outside class conceptions. Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests of class war. Everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of the old exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat.”  In contrast, Reagan knew that virtue and morality are directly related to one’s relationship with God.

A few quotes reveal the man we know as President Reagan:

“We had strayed a great distance from our Founding Fathers’ vision of America.  They regarded the central government’s responsibility as that of providing national security, protecting our democratic freedoms, and limiting the government’s intrusion in our lives – in sum, the protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  They never envisioned vast agencies in Washington telling our farmers what to plant, our teachers what to teach, our industries what to build.”

“Don’t give up your ideals.  Don’t compromise.  Don’t turn to expediency.  And don’t for heaven’s sake, having seen the inner workings of the watch, don’t get cynical.”

“All of these things – learning to control the government, limiting the amount of money it can take from us, protecting our country through a strong defense – all of these things revolve around one word, and that word is ‘freedom.'”

President Reagan was and continues to be a breath of fresh air in an increasingly pessimistic political climate.  He was unafraid to stare evil in the face.  He courageously stood for the cause of freedom.  Indeed, he was jealous to see the flag of freedom fly in every land.  He opposed despotism, communism, and socialism.  He promoted free enterprise.  President Reagan refused to capitulate in the face of adversity.

The End of Creation: Soli Deo Gloria

The Sum of the Matter

The first verse in the Bible is a monumental statement that reverberates with earth-shattering implications for the formation of a Christian worldview: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1, ESV). Do not miss the magnitude of this statement. Do not downplay the significance of this vital piece of revelation. And be careful to embrace what the Scriptures affirm. Ignoring the clear revelation of God’s truth, in the final analysis, proves to be a costly mistake that will have consequences that extend into eternity.

The German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, accepted biblical revelation and understood the importance of giving credit where credit is due: “The chief aim of all investigations of the external world should be to discover the rational order and harmony which has been imposed on it by God.”1To do any less would be tantamount to theological treason. So Kepler does not minimize God’s creative activity; he magnifies it. He does not marginalize the miracle of creation; he marvels at it!

A Tragic Turn

Tragically, some thinkers have not followed Kepler’s lead. These skeptics have discounted Genesis 1:1 and cast the revelation of God into the cosmic rubbish bin. Charles Darwin, who popularized the notion of “natural selection” in his book, Origin of Species also rejected the clear account of creation. Ironically, he is buried in Westminster Abbey. Darwin may be gone but his atheistic ideology continues to dominate the thoughts of many minds, especially in the university.

Carl Sagan, who was a great champion of Darwinian evolutionary theory penned these well-known words: “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us – there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.”2 He continues, “Evolution is a fact, not a theory.”3 Such banter may appeal to the itching ears of evolutionists but fails to hold up when scrutinized at the tribunal of truth.

Or consider Richard Dawkins, another defender of Darwin’s evolutionary theory. His rejection of the creation account leads him to a view of God which is blasphemous at best: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”4 The Word of God offers a stern rebuke to this kind of unbelieving thought.

A Rational Christian Response

It doesn’t take long to discern some of the catastrophic consequences of giving God’s revelation a vote of “no-confidence.” Francis Schaeffer understood the vast importance of Genesis 1:1. He understood that if we set aside the reality of creation, our worldview collapses. He writes, “Unless our epistemology is right, everything is going to be wrong.”5 The discipline of epistemology addresses the matter of knowledge. That is, it helps unpack what we know about what we know. Schaeffer continues, “The infinite-person God is there, but also he is not silent; that changes the whole world.”6Schaeffer helps us understand that God exists and he has revealed himself, that is, he has spoken. Or to use Schaeffer’s words, “He is not silent.”

The End for Which God Created the World

That fact that God not only exists but has also revealed himself is a massive reality that every person must come to terms with. This stunning truth should find us on our knees with outstretched arms. It should prompt a humble offer thanksgiving to the living God. But there’s more – Jonathan Edwards understands the motive behind God’s act of creation. He argues that the end for which God created the world was self-communication: ”Seeing that Christ created the world only to communicate his excellency and happiness, hence we learn, that all the excellency, virtue and happiness of the godly is wrought in them by Jesus Christ.”7 The implication of this Edwardian vision of creation are far-reaching and have important practical implications.

So the end of creation is uniquely focused upon God. That is, creation is Godward. Creation is God-centered. In one of his greatest literary achievements, A Dissertation Concerning the End For Which God Created the World, Jonathan Edwards demonstrates this God-centeredness: “What God says in his word, naturally leads us to suppose, that the way in which he makes himself his end in his work or works, which he does for his own sake, is in making his glory his end … God communicates himself to the understanding of the creature, in giving him the knowledge of his glory; and to the will of the creature, in giving him holiness, consisting primarily in the love of God; and in giving the creature happiness, chiefly consisting in joy in God. These are the sum of that emanation of divine fulness called in Scripture, the glory of God.8

Consider three important implications of discounting the biblical creation account:

First, discounting the reality of biblical creation leads to a skewed epistemology. And a skewed epistemology, will by definition, influence the way we think about everything else. When God is taken out of the picture or removed from the marketplace, we are left wandering in a wasteland in search of answers. “If God does not exist,” writes Dostoevsky, “then everything is permitted.” The eclipse of God leaves us helpless, hopeless, and lost in a quagmire of meaninglessness.

Second, discounting the reality of biblical creation impugns the character and trustworthiness of God. Scripture is clear about the creation account:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16–17, ESV)

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 104:30, ESV)

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, (Job 38:4–6, ESV)

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 104:30, ESV)

Anyone who discards what God has made plain calls God’s character into question and heaps a great insult upon the worth of his name. Anyone who dares impugn the character of God stands on the precipice of eternal judgment.

Third, discounting the reality of biblical creation fails to glorify God, which is the end of creation. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Think about the tragic irony of rejecting the creation account. The creature who was created to glorify God stands in defiance and mocks the One who gave him breath.

The glory of God is the end of creation. The heavens declare his glory (Ps. 19:1). Is it any wonder that sinful men seek to distort what God has made plain in Scripture?

Soli Deo Gloria!

  1. Johannes Kepler, Cited in Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1999), 51. ↩
  2. Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Ballantine Books Trade, 1980), 1. ↩
  3. Ibid, 27. ↩
  4. Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006), 31. ↩
  5. Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview, Volume One, A Christian View of Philosophy and Culture (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1982), 275-276. ↩
  6. Ibid, 276. ↩
  7. Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 13, The “Miscellanies,” ed. Thomas A. Schaefer, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994), 277. ↩
  8. The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 1, A Dissertation Concerning the End For Which God Created the World, ed. Edward Hickman (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth, 1834), 107, 119. ↩

No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions – Matt Rhodes

Matt Rhodes, No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2022), 270 pp.

The mandate to proclaim the gospel to the nations is clearly set forth in Scripture. A plethora of mission boards and organizations have been launched in an effort to obey the Great Commission. Matt Rhodes’ book, No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions provides an excellent overview of world missions, including critiques of some prevailing strategies. But the greater thrust of the book is to provide a path forward that will enable missionaries to faithfully execute their charge to carry out the Great Commission.

The two organizations that are under the microscope in Rhodes’ book are Disciple Making Movement (DMM) and Church Planting Movement (CPM). The author provides a thorough evaluation of these organizations, citing both strengths and weaknesses. Readers unfamiliar with these movements will be encouraged to see how the gospel has progressed but will receive a fair warning about some of the questionable strategies that are being employed on the field.

The overall thrust of the book is positive and reminds readers that missions take much time, effort, prayer, discipline, strategy, education, and persistence.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

Unified – Tim Scott & Trey Gowdy

unifiedTim Scott & Trey Gowdy, Unified  (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2018), 220 pp.

We may live in one of the most divided times in American history. The cultural climate is rising without any hope of resolution in sight. Senator Tim Scott and Congressman, Trey Goudy recognize the problems in our land. Yet, they both have a realistic outlook, which is laced with optimism. Their book, Unified invites readers to pursue racial reconciliation and restoration, which will strengthen the fabric of our fractured nation.

Unified is a very basic book that reads like a conversation between two lawmakers. These conservative thinkers, who have become the best of friends, bring their unique conservative perspectives to the table. Their mutual love and respect for one another are apparent from the outset. These two men, who are both committed Christ-followers model what friendship can and should look like.

Senator Scott and Congressman Gowdy steer clear of politics, however. Their aim is to promote an optimistic vision of hope for the future of our nation:

“We believe that our nation can be united and transformed by conversations and friendships that lead to reconciliation and understanding. As Americans, we must uphold the ideals of freedom, equality, justice, and opportunity, even as we continue to work together to make those ideals a reality for all. We must come together, find solutions, and get to a point where we can see that our strength as a nation is rooted in all that is good in our world.”

There are no quick fixes here. The authors understand and acknowledge that legislation will not cure the illness in American culture. True and lasting change must take place in the lives of people. In what may prove to be the most important insight in the book, Senator Scott writes, “We will change the nation only by changing the condition of the human heart.” This change, undergirded by the gospel of grace has the power to change individuals and families. Then and only then, will our nation see a renewal.

Unified is a worthy read by two men of integrity; men who are striving to make America a better place. This is the first of many steps but it is a step in the right direction.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.