Veritas et Lux

What Does the Bible Teach About Lust? – Owen Strachan & Gavin Peacock (2020)

Owen Strachan & Gavin Peacock, What Does the Bible Teach About Lust? (Geanies House, Fear, Ross-shire: Christian Focus Publication, 2020), 155 pp.

“Sex sells and the whole world is buying,” according to the 2001 Creed song, Signs. Almost twenty years later, things have not improved. In fact, with the rise of internet pornography, sexual sin continues to escalate at an alarming rate. This troubling trend not only plagues contemporary culture; it has also exploded in the church.

There was a time when Christians could conveniently bury their heads in the sand and ignore the rampant sexual sin in their midst. But now we have reached a critical point where sin must be addressed swiftly and biblically.

Paul admonished the believers in Ephesus, “But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints” (Eph. 5:3, CSB). Owen Strachan and Gavin Peacock address the matter of sexual sin and lust in particular in their new book, What Does the Bible Teach Us About Lust?

The book chronicles the ongoing battle with lust and provides several examples of how this sin is crippling our culture and weakening the local church. The authors do not mince their words. Lust is a sin that must be dealt with decisively.

Once the groundwork is sufficiently laid, however, the authors explore the resources that all believers have in Christ and his gospel. Rather than focusing on sinful behavior, the authors labor to explain what lies within. In other words, the heart must be exposed and motives uncovered in order for victory to be achieved.

Strachan and Peacock clearly explain the victory that every believer possesses in Christ. The writing is clear, biblical, and practical. Readers who absorb this book will walk away with practical tools for battling sin in general and lust in particular.

What Does the Bible Teach About Lust? is a breath of fresh air that offers real hope for anyone who has been ensnared by sexual sin.

Highly recommended.

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

Lincoln’s Battle With God: A President’s Struggle With Faith and What It Meant For America (2012)

lin Stephen Mansfield, Lincoln’s Battle With God: A President’s Struggle With Faith and What It Meant For America Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012, 254 pp. $13.31

The sixteenth president of the United States is dearly beloved by conservatives and liberals alike. He is known for his exemplary leadership, uncompromising character, and love for liberty. Yet his approach to God and the Christian life is something that is either assumed or neglected altogether. Either option shows a certain amount of naivety and must be challenged. Stephen Mansfield’s book, Lincoln’s Battle With God: A President’s Struggle With Faith and What it Meant for America addresses this matter in a way that is educational and inspiring.

Mansfield presents Lincoln as one who was raised in a strict Calvinistic home which was discarded during his teenage years. During his legislative years in Illinois, he was referred to by friends and associates as the “infidel.” One friend spoke candidly about Lincoln’s early rejection of the Christian faith: “Lincoln denies that Jesus was the son of God as understood and maintained by the Christian world.”

Yet, when Lincoln began his bid for the White House, his antipathy toward historic Christianity appears to cool. In his earlier days, some considered him to be an atheist, yet as he progressed in politics, his worldview begins to shift. He is a man who as Mansfield writes, “believes in a God who exerts some degree of sovereign rule in human affairs … whatever the case, he appears to have emerged from his season of ‘infidelity’ and moved toward a less skeptical view of Christian truth.”

Pastor James D. Smith may have played an important role in Lincoln’s view of religion. Smith was a scholar in his own right and was welcomed by Lincoln for his rational approach to Scripture. He stood head and shoulders about some of the revivalists who were excessive in their methodology, not to mention their theological foibles. Whatever the case, Smith was convinced that Lincoln was converted under his ministry. “It is a very easy matter to prove,” writes Smith, “that while I was Pastor of the 1st Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Mr. Lincoln did avow his belief in the Divine Authority and Inspiration of the Scriptures.” Considerable debate has taken place and continues to this day whether or not Lincoln put his faith in Christ at this point.

But in 1850, Lincoln son Eddie grew ill and eventually died on February 1. Most agree that significant change in Lincoln’s worldview occurred during this time. Mansfield writes, “Had Lincoln become a Christian? We cannot know definitively. We do have reason to suspect, though, that something had changed in his ongoing battle with God … A process of spiritual broadening had clearly begun.”

The author continues to document the ongoing theological development in Lincoln and argues convincingly that a work of grace had likely taken place. Later speeches and letters force one to conclude that at the very least, Lincoln had turned a theological corner; at the very best, a true conversion had taken place. Much of Lincoln’s correspondence and especially his speeches give evidence of a truly converted man.

Lincoln’s Battle With God is an illuminating look at one of the most influential leaders in American history. Mansfield writes objectively and provides a depth of research that guides readers into the inner recesses of our 16th president’s heart. I commend Steven Mansfield for offering such a heartfelt book and encourage many to enjoy the fruit of his labor.

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy With God – Timothy Keller (2014)

Over the past twenty-five years, I have read books on prayer by the Puritans and Reformers, the Quakers and the contemplative writers, the Desert Fathers, and even some living authors who think they have something unique to contribute to the discussion.

Timothy Keller’s newest work, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy With God is quite frankly the best book I’ve ever read on prayer. This short review will only touch the tip of the iceberg; so I encourage readers of Veritas et Lux to read this incredible book for themselves.

Keller’s work is divided into five parts:

Desiring Prayer
Understanding Prayer
Learning Prayer
Deepening Prayer
Doing Prayer

The book aims to show that “prayer is both conversation and encounter with God” and demonstrates that prayer is both “awe and intimacy, struggle and reality.”

Keller rightly notes, “A book on the essentials of prayer should contain three components: the theological, experiential, and methodological.” The author succeeds in presenting a lucid theological framework for understanding prayer. He presents the experiential side of prayer by citing numerous Scriptural examples and drawing on the work of many Christ-followers in Church history. And he sets forth a workable methodology, which in the final analysis includes many different forms that may appeal to different kinds of people.” Keller’s book is biblical, engaging, God-centered, gospel-centered, and Spirit-fueled.

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy With God will confront readers with the God-centeredness of Jonathan Edwards, the earthiness and practicality of Martin Luther, and the theological precision of John Calvin. This work will undoubtedly be used by God to encourage faithful prayer, enlist new prayer warriors, and revitalize a church that has neglected the important discipline of prayer.

5 stars

Compel Them to Come In: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel – Donald Macleod (2020)

Donald Macleod, Compel Them to Come In: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel (Geanies House, Fern, Ross-shire: Christian Focus Publications, 2020), 155 pp.

C.H. Spurgeon was well-known for pleading with sinners to come to the foot of the cross for salvation. “Fly to Christ,” Spurgeon would say. Yet, far too many pastors fall short in the gospel appeals. Donald Macleod’s Compel Them to Come In: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel offers a necessary antidote for the contemporary pulpit.

Macleod responds systematically to the prevailing arguments that seek to undermine the biblical imperative to invite sinners to turn from their sin and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. The primary arguments that militate against the free offer of the gospel concern the spiritual bondage of sinners, the doctrine of predestination, definite atonement, and God’s sincerity. The author is gracious in his presentation of these arguments but responds with the full force of Scripture.

With stunning clarity, Macleod explains how God utilizes both means and ends, which in the final analysis, leaves the hyper-Calvinist with nothing left to argue. For instance:

For from waiting for sovereign grace or some special providence to awaken the sleeping souls in front of him, he has to engage in an awakening ministry. He knows full well, of course, that conviction of sin, and the creation of a broken and contrite heart, is something that in the last analysis only God the Holy Spirit can accomplish; and sometimes, as in the case of the Philippians Jailer, He does it without any human agency. He sends an earthquake. But His usual way is to awaken sinners through His Word …

Macleod drives his point home by demonstrating our responsibility to plead with sinners: “The more we believe that only awakened sinners will seek a Savior, the more we should strive to awaken them … We need to be as free with the call to repentance as with the call to faith.”

The book concludes with practical counsel for anyone who is prepared to offer the gospel freely and indiscriminately.

Compel Them to Come is a much-needed book, especially for Reformed preachers. Such preachers do not have a good track record when it comes to the free and indiscriminate offer of the gospel.

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

Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning

grudem Wayne Grudem, Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2018), 1212 pp.

Wayne Grudem has become a household name in evangelical circles over the years. His landmark book, Systematic Theology, is used in Bible Colleges and Seminaries around the world. I have personally taught through his excellent book at least six times. As a result, hundreds of men and women have been equipped and edified in the Christian faith.

Dr. Grudem’s newest offering, Christian Ethics: An Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning is a wonderful companion to Systematic Theology. The book weighs in at over 1,200 pages and will likely turn some readers away. But walking away from Grudem’s book would be like gazing at a massive treasure chest and refusing to open it for lack of time or desire. Both responses would be tantamount to foolishness.

The introduction alone is worth the price of the book as the author establishes the foundation for Christian ethics by grounding his discussion in the holy character of God and sacred Scripture. Indeed, the essence of Christian ethics is living Coram Deo, and to the glory of God.

The remainder of the book is organized around the Ten Commandments. The basic outline is as follows:

Protecting God’s Honor
Protecting Human Authority
Protecting Human Life
Protecting Life
Protecting Property
Protecting Purity of Heart

Grudem does not leave any stone unturned here. Every ethical topic imaginable is explored. Each topic, of course, is subjected to uncompromising biblical standards.

Christian Ethics is a breath of fresh air that will embolden followers of Jesus Christ and challenge them to live with God-centered resolve in a postmodern ethos that has forgotten God. It is not only a response to the zeitgeist that surrounds us; it is a rally-cry for faithful Christians to live in a way that pleases the triune God!

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

Abortion, Euthanasia, and End-of-Life Medical Decisions – Wayne Grudem (2020)

Wayne Grudem, Abortion, Euthanasia, and End-of-Life Medical Decisions (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2020), 79 pp.

Wayne Grudem has never steered clear from controversial subjects. Instead of avoiding controversy, he addresses with biblical wisdom and clear argumentation. Such is the case in his new book, What the Bible Says About Abortion, Euthanasia, and End-of-Life Medical Decisions.

The book tackles with each subject in a forthright and sensitive way. Grudem presents biblical and practical arguments to each topic in a way that generates more light than heat. Readers who oppose his viewpoint will be impressed with the measure of humility and graciousness that he offers. The arguments that the author presents are winsome and accurately reflect the teaching of Scripture.

The great strength of this book is its brevity. This is a tool that nearly anyone could pick up and devour in less than two hours. Certainly, other more comprehensive resources are available but Grudem’s accessible work is solid, short, and packs a powerful punch!

Highly recommended!

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

The Leadership Challenge – James Kouzes and Barry Posner (2007 Revised)

The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner assists people in furthering their abilities to lead others in order to get extraordinary things done. Every person has the capacity to develop the necessary skills and character qualities to reach a level of measurable leadership effectiveness. Leadership is defined at the outset as “the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations.”

The central thesis of the book is that leaders are at their best when they participate at a heart level in five key areas. Each chapter deals with these areas on a philosophical level and proceed to give practical suggestions on how to implement these principles. Further, embedded in the five fundamental practices of effective leadership are behaviors that serve as the basis for learning to lead. The authors call these the Ten Commitments. These five fundamental areas of effective leaders as well as the Ten Commitments are spelled out below.

First, leaders are at their best when they challenge the process. Kouzes and Posner suggest that effective leaders constantly challenge the status quo. They are never satisfied and consistently monitor progress; they push for excellence. Leaders are change agents who do not change merely for the sake of change but for the purpose of propelling the organization into the future. “So leaders must challenge the process precisely because any system will unconsciously conspire to maintain the status quo and prevent change” write Kouzes and Posner.

Second, leaders are at their best when they inspire a shared vision. Vision is defined as “an ideal and unique image of the future.” The two Commitments that help leaders accomplish the above are envisioning an uplifting and ennobling future and enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams.

The third essential quality of leadership is enabling others to act. The central idea is to promote cooperative goals, seek integrative solutions and build trusting relationships. It follows then, that the two Commitments that enhance this quality is fostering collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. as well as strengthening people by empowering them.

The fourth plank in the book is modeling the way. DWYSYWD is an essential step in this process: “Do What You Say You Will Do.” Three ideas saturate this section. They include, 1) Clarify personal values and beliefs and those of others, 2) Unify constituents around shared values and 3) Pay attention constantly to how self and others are living the values. The two Commitments that drive this important aspect of the leadership challenge include setting the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values and achieving small wins that promote consistent progress which builds commitment.

Fifth, effective leaders encourage the heart of constituents. These leaders make a practice of building self-confidence through high expectations, connect performance and rewards and carry a positive attitude throughout the day. The last two Commitments that enhance this process include recognizing individual contributions and regularly celebrating team accomplishments.

The final chapter crystallizes the content of the book by reviewing the central propositions and by proposing practical application. While the first twelve chapters make for excellent reading, chapter thirteen is worth the price of the book. Kouzes and Posner present a matrix that serves to help leaders grow in their abilities. The matrix suggests that leaders grow in three significant ways: First, they grow through a process of trial and error. They experience hardships, job experience and job assignments that help them develop as leaders. Here they learn new skill sets in the school of hard knocks. Second, they grow educationally. Effective leaders engage in formal training and education to enhance their leadership abilities. It is recommended that leaders spend a minimum of fifty hours annually on personal and professional development. Third, they grow by observation. They develop key relationships and learn from personal mentors. They also learn by observing bad examples, i.e. other people in the organization that exhibit poor behavior, a lack of integrity, etc.

The Leadership Challenge is a tremendous book. Every pastor pursuing kingdom purposes should read this book. While the material is written from a secular perspective, many of the principles are transferable to the local church context. The book is highly readable, practical and encouraging. The broad research base that is utilized in the book add to its credibility.

I plan on visiting The Leadership Challenge again and again. I anticipate utilizing the principles in ministry and sharing them with other leaders and pastors. My ministry will only be stronger by studying this book!

Maturity: Growing Up and Going on in the Christian Life – Sinclair Ferguson

mat Sinclair B. Ferguson, Maturity: Growing Up and Going On in the Christian Life (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2019), 231 pp.

In a style that Christians have grown fond of, Sinclair Ferguson gifts the church with Maturity: Growing Up and Going On in the Christian Life. Originally penned in 1980 and distributed with the title, Add to Your Faith, and in 1981 as Taking the Christian Life Seriously in the United States. To refer to this short work as a treasure would be an understatement as Dr. Ferguson presents the high points of the Christian life.

The high points are set forth in five sections, namely, growing up, standing firm, facing difficulties, pressing on, and maturity. At the heart of Ferguson’s work is the Pauline mandate for Christ-followers to be mature in Christ: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Ferguson adds, “The mature Christian has been finely shaped by the Holy Spirit and has been ‘filled out’ in a character which showed the fruit of the Spirit. Mature Christians possess the qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, because he alone has exhibited them perfectly. This is maturity.” As such, we are not only “bound to the example of Christ, we are under the lordship of Christ.”

Each of the five sections assumes that readers desire to grow in Christian maturity. With the divine standard in place, the author carefully explains how maturity develops throughout the course of our lives. The various themes that emerge in these sections are deeply biblical and profoundly practical. Christians at all stages of maturity will benefit from Ferguson’s sound exegesis and practical application.

Maturity: Growing Up and Going On in the Christian Life truly lives up to its calling and invites readers to press and continue the sanctification process that was initiated at the point of conversion.

Highly recommended.

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

For more information in Banner of Truth titles, please visit https://banneroftruth.org/us/

The Christian Mind – Harry Blamires (1963)

My uncle Dwight gave me this book almost twenty 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

Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcey (2015)

Finding Truth, by Nancy Pearcey is another fine contribution that 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:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.