Veritas et Lux

Release the Prisoners!

Andy Farmer, Trapped Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2016, 180 pp. $17.99

Thousands of Americans flock to Alcatraz, the penitentiary in San Francisco Bay. Of course, this intimidating fortress has since closed its doors to violent criminals and lawbreakers. Brave guests may choose to stand for a few moments in one of the tiny cells and imagine what it would be like to be locked up for years and possibly even serve a life sentence.

Imagine being incarcerated for a moment. Your freedoms would be severely curtailed. Your abilities would be stifled. Your options would be limited. Such is the life of an inmate.

While some may imagine the horror of being detained for an indefinite period of time, thousands of people experience this every day. A multitude of people live in a self-imposed prison – in bondage to eating disorders, pornography addiction, substance abuse and a host of other activities that leave them hopeless and discouraged.

Andy Farmer addresses the real problem of addiction in his new book, Trapped. The subtitle, Getting Free From People, Patterns, and Problems accurately describes the heart of this author as he offers hope and freedom to people who would otherwise continue to live in a prison house of sin and shame. Indeed, the purpose of the book is to point readers to a redemption story that can set them free.

The author presents several real life examples of people who face a self-imposed prison. He argues that redemption is possible; that hope is possible as people turn to Christ for deliverance.

Real redemption, Farmer suggests is:

Freedom from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13).
Freedom from slavery to sin (John 8:34).
Freedom from the sentence of death (Rom. 7:4-6).
Freedom from the guilt of our trespasses and sins (Eph. 1:7).
Freedom from the oppression of Satan (Heb. 2:15).
Freedom from the deceptive snares of the world (2 Peter 2:18-21).

Redemption, according to Farmer is “a holy freedom.” He adds, “The Bible gives us the wonderful news that we weren’t simply redeemed from sin, we were redeemed for God. We have been brought out of sin into the gracious and loving reign of our Redeemer King.” So true freedom is not a commitment to autonomy; rather true freedom delights in living for God and glorifying God!

This God-glorifying approach to life runs counter to the therapeutic model and secular approaches to counseling. The God-glorifying model in this book encourages weary travelers to embrace the grace of their freedom, embrace the identity in their freedom, and embrace their calling in their freedom.

Ultimately, the author seeks to lead imprisoned people out of their traps. The topic of addiction is addressed from a biblical perspective. Addiction is presented as a “full-bodied worship of an idol that controls and defines its subject.” Farmer shows how the “gospel of redemption is the only treatment that brings the power, change, and hope that can transform broken addicts into whole-hearted worshippers of God.”

Summary

There is much to commend here. At least three features make the book a necessary tool on every pastor’s shelf and every biblical counselor’s desk:

First, the book presents a realistic look at addiction from a seasoned pastor. Farmer acknowledges the pain of addiction, the guilt of addiction, and the bondage of addiction.

Second, the book includes a robust treatment that is Bible-saturated and gospel-centered from start to finish. When so many are rushing to the local counselor or therapist for worldly advice, Trapped offers real help that is grounded in godly wisdom.

Finally, the book is grace-enabled. The author is quick to point readers to the all-sufficient grace of God: “God promises that as you walk that way, he will give grace for change, light for the path, and mercy for stumbles along the way.”

My prayer is that Trapped will be an encouragement to many people; that they will experience the life-transforming effects of the gospel. May many prisoners find their freedom in Christ and be delivered from their bondage forever. So release the prisoners! “For freedom Christ has set us free …” (Gal. 5:1a).

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

Resting in Free Grace – Resisting the Free Grace Movement

Wayne Grudem, Free Grace Theology: How Free Grace Diminishes the Gospel. Wheaton: Crossway, 2016, 160 pp. $11.42

Theological disputes have a tendency of generating more heat than light. The controversy surrounding the so-called Free Grace movement is no exception. Ever since the landmark book by John MacArthur was published, The Gospel According to Jesus, competing camps have vigorously fought to maintain their ground. Indeed, both positions including the Free Grace view and the so-called Lordship position have fought as if their lives depended upon it.

But the debate did not find its genesis in the musings of John MacArthur. The debate is as old as the Protestant Reformation itself. The age-old questions remain: How does a sinful person stand in the presence of a holy God? On what basis is this sinner justified? What role (if any) do works play at the moment of justification? Is sanctification a necessary component of the Christian life? And, are works a necessary result of justification?

Disheartened, discouraged, and dismayed. These three terms do not adequately describe my thoughts about the initial reviews of Wayne Grudem’s new book, Free Grace Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel. One review observes, “Wayne Grudem is a Reformed Calvinist, so his views are skewed through Calvinist lenses.” The initial reviews fail to show any degree of constructive interaction with the book. One wonders if these early reviewers even bothered to read the book.

The Free Grace movement, whose primary tenets are found in Zane Hodges book, Absolutely Free. In that book, Hodges maintains,

… Lordship thought abandons the straightforward meaning of the word ‘believe’ and fills the concept of saving faith with illegitimate complications. The result is that the saving transaction is made much more complex than it actually is. But salvation really is simple and, in that sense, it is easy. After all, what could be simpler than to ‘take the water of life freely.’

The primary tenets of the Free Grace movement include:

A two-tiered discipleship, or two classes of believers, those who believe but do not follow Christ and those who believe and cast all their hope and future on Christ.
No calls to repentance in evangelism.
Giving assurance to people who are backslidden or have denounced the Christian faith.
Rejecting the notion that good works accompany justifying grace.

Dr. Grudem’s primary contention is that the New Testament clearly teaches two principles which stand in opposition to the Free Grace movement:

Repentance from sin (in the sense of remorse for sin and an internal resolve to forsake it) is necessary for saving faith.
Good works and continuing to believe necessarily follow from saving faith.

Grudem’s arguments against the Free Grace movement are summarized below:

First, the Free Grace movement misunderstands the doctrine of justification by faith alone and as a result, fails to truly teach the doctrine that Luther said, “is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls.”

Second, the Free Grace movement undermines the gospel by refusing to require repentance in the proclamation of the gospel.

Third, the Free Grace movement offers false assurance to people who make a profession of faith, but may in the final analysis not possess saving faith.

Fourth, the Free Grace movement fails to emphasize the fiducia component of faith, that is, a personal trust or adherence to Christ.

Fifth, the Free Grace movement embraces interpretations that are highly unlikely.

These arguments against the Free Grace movement are further explained in the five chapters of the book. My own view is that Dr. Grudem has succeeded in successfully refuting this movement. He should be commended for the gracious tone throughout this work. He does engage in rigorous polemic but does so without caricaturing his opponents. While he argues strenuously against the Free Grace movement, he admits it is not a false gospel. However, it is a diminished gospel.

Some may argue that the so-called Lordship controversy (a term that Grudem dislikes) is over. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The Free Grace movement continues to influence people and diminish the gospel. Wayne Grudem’s excellent work is a needed corrective and a gracious response to a troubling trend.

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

The Bride(zilla) of Christ

Ted Kluck & Ronnie Martin, The Bride(zilla) of Christ: What To Do When God’s People Hurt God’s People. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2016. 198 pp. $10.15

Anyone familiar with the writing of Ted Kluck knows that he’s an expert at keeping real, sharing from the heart, and applying the truth of the gospel to everyday living. In his new book, The Bride(Zilla) of Christ, Kluck teams up with Ronnie Martin to answer an important question that is also the not so subtle sub-title of the book: What To Do When God’s People Hurt God’s People.

Both authors have a fair amount of experience in the local church and have many stories to tell. Anyone who has been around the church for any length of time will no doubt, have similar stories to tell. Honest people will admit that some of these stories are bad ones: Church splits, gossip, adultery, division, and a host of other sins have a tendency to emerge in the church, just like any organization.

Kluck and Martin write from different perspectives – but are both settled in the fact that the gospel speaks to every hurt. It is the gospel that has the power to reconcile severed relationships. And most of all, the gospel reconciles a holy God with a sinful people.

Writing a fair and honest review is difficult for me because I have been a big fan of Ted Kluck for several years now. Having said that, I must admit that the book is written in a rather haphazard way. Perhaps the intent was to write a book from the heart that didn’t read like a theological treatise. If that’s the case, mission accomplished.

The “scattered feel” of the book does not, however, detract from the overall message. Kluck and Martin clearly describe some of the church hurts and heartaches but are quick to prescribe the healing balm of the gospel.

A few quotes made the book worth reading for me. My hope is that these citations will motivate readers to give the book at try:

“Every time we use our hurt as a reason to disconnect, isolate, disassociate, or abandon, we’ve not understood the forgiveness we have in Christ and how it needs to manifest itself to others.”

“Whenever we let our minds gravitate to the heart that’s been leveled at us, we are simultaneously forgetting the hope that Christ extended to us on the cross.”

“The shocking thing to come to grips with is that we’re not any better than the people who have hurt us, even when that hurt has been a one-way bullet fired right into our heart.”

What stands out in this work is the hope that Christ offers us in the gospel. Kluck and Martin should be commended for writing such a transparent book that has the power to encourage many people. Their book is recommended, especially for pastors who have endured a “dark night of the soul” or had the unpleasant experience of being beaten up by the sheep.

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

What Christians Ought to Believe – Michael Bird (2016)

Michael F. Bird. What Christians Ought to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Through the Apostles’ Creed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016. 237 pp. $18.99

What Christians Ought to Believe by Michael F. Bird examines the Apostles’ Creed and guides readers step-by-step through this important document.

In chapters 1 and 2, the author highlights the importance of creeds. He notes, “The creeds constitute an attempt to guide our reading of Scripture by setting out in advance the contents and concerns of Scripture itself. The creeds provide a kind of ‘Idiot’s Guide to Christianity’ by briefly laying out the story, unity, coherence, and major themes of the Christian faith. In that sense, a creedal faith is crucial for a biblical faith and vice versa!”

The author highly commends the Apostles’ Creed and notes that it contains the essential elements of the Christian faith: “If you ask me, the Apostles’ Creed is probably the best syllabus ever devised for teaching basic Christian beliefs … The Apostles’ Creed is basically a bullet-point summary of what Christians believe about God, Jesus, the church, and the life to come.”

Michael Bird brilliantly not only sets for the case for the Apostles’ Creed; he does so in a winsome and understandable way. The author teaches the Creed, line by line, drawing the attention of the learner to our final standard of truth – sacred Scripture.

While much of the book is encouraging and worthy of commendation, the chapter which unveils the atonement is disappointing. Bird rightly introduces readers to the various views of the atonement and provides a basic definition for each view. However, he stumbles by not advocating penal substitutionary atonement. Bird writes, “My exegetical-theological intuition is to gravitate toward the victory theory (Christus victor) as the integrative model for the atonement since it effectively combines the motifs of recapitulation, representation, ransom, sacrifice, and triumph.” I urge readers to study Pierced For Our Transgressions, edited by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach for a better look at this matter.

Overall, however, this work is a wonderful look at the Apostles’ Creed and should be welcomed by evangelicals. Teachers will find this resource to be a helpful tool in the classroom and parents are encouraged to use this book in discipleship for budding disciples.

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

Battling Discouragement in Pastoral Ministry – C.H. Spurgeon

C.H. Spurgeon. Autobiography, Volume 2: The Full Harvest, 1860-1892. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1973. 524 pp. $36.00

In his excellent piece, 21 Maxims for Discouraged Pastors, Douglas Wilson reminds us that discouragement is part and parcel of pastoral ministry. Here is a piece of advice for men in pastoral ministry. Whenever you face the fires of adversity, unjust criticism, or swim in the sea of discouragement – pick up something by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The Full Harvest: Volume 2 is no exception to this rule.

The second volume of C.H. Spurgeon’s autobiography chronicles his life and ministry from 1860-1892. This account is a revised edition which was originally compiled by the British pastor’s wife, Susannah and Joseph Harrald.

This volume contains the high’s and low’s of Spurgeon’s ministry and demonstrates that Spurgeon was no stranger to controversy and adversity. Here is a man who battled a myriad of maladies and was plagued by chronic depression. The book shows how the Prince of Preachers overcame these barriers and trusted in his Savior to carry him through.

Perhaps the most impressive feature is Spurgeon’s resilient mindset. He endured many hardships in his London pastorate. Yet his influence remains with us today – with thousands of sermons for us read and digest.

Spurgeon was deeply committed to the doctrines of grace:

I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.

Spurgeon’s rock-solid belief in the doctrines of grace is a testimony to the power of the gospel and the joyful journey which is promised to God’s elect.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance – Bruce A. Ware (2005)

Recent years of scholarship have surfaced some terrific books on the doctrine of the Trinity. Father, Son, & Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles & Relevance by Bruce A. Ware is among the best. Dr. Bruce Ware defines and defends the doctrine of the Trinity with biblical precision, Christ-exalting passion, and theological muscle.

Chapter one unfolds the importance of the doctrine. Ware draws the reader in by illustrating ten reasons to focus on the “wonder of the Trinity.” Readers are given a treasure-trove of ammunition that not only demonstrates the rationale of this doctrine; it shows the practical ramifications for marriage, career, and relationships in the local church.

Chapter two surveys the long history of the doctrine. The author shows why the early Christians accepted the Trinitarian formulation. His explanation is rooted in both Scripture and the writings of the church fathers.

Chapters 3-5 takes an in-depth look at the respective roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Dr. Ware makes it clear throughout his treatment that “every essential attribute of God’s nature is possessed by the Father, Son, and Spirit equally and fully.” Each chapter concludes with practical and powerful points of application. There is no abstraction here. Dr. Ware is concerned with linking truth with the affections and God-centered response.

Chapter six develops a theme that was originally explored by Christian thinkers like Augustine and Jonathan Edwards, namely – the Trinity as society or as Dr. Ware puts it, “in relational community.” Ten key principles are presented that need to be fully digested and applied in the real world.

Dr. Ware has done in invaluable service for the church in this book. He has unpacked the doctrine of the Trinity in a way that is clear and biblical. He has skillfully applied this essential doctrine in a way that can strengthen a Reformed spirituality among believers. And he has rightfully challenged the egalitarian movement with the biblical antidote that should define a new generation of Evangelicals.

Highly recommended!

5 stars

A Different Kind of Happiness – Larry Crabb

Larry Crabb. A Different Kind of Happiness. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016. 245 pp. $13.24

These days, happiness appear to be a hot topic. David Murray packaged several books about happiness under the title, A Bundle of Joy: Six Books on Christian Happiness. And Randy Alcorn made a very important contribution with his book, Happiness. Larry Crabb’s new book, A Different Kind of Happiness is a welcome addition and offers new insights which will encourage readers in their Christian journeys.

Crabb presents the purpose of the book at the outset: “To think through what it means to really love and to explore the truth that sets us free to relate closer to the way we wish we could, to love like Jesus.”

Four questions drive the book and help fulfill the purpose presented above:

Is there a kind of love, a better kind, that brings joy when it is given, not when it meets with a satisfying response from another?
Is there a kind of happiness that survives both the most damaging relational pain caused by another and the most discouraging and devastating of circumstances?
Is there a connection, a cause-effect relationship, between offering undistorted love and experiencing strong happiness?
Is Jesus-like happiness as a good feeling, or is it better known as a living and sustaining reality, an awareness of both loving life as it should be lived and a freedom to do so?

Crabb suggests two kinds of happiness:

“Second-thing happiness” is what we experience when life goes well. We feel blessed. We feel happy. Goals are achieved, spiritual disciplines are practiced. Ministry takes place. All these things lead to a feeling of happiness.

“First-thing happiness” is experiencing the joy of Jesus. It is the happiness that Jesus experienced during his earthly ministry. It is the joy that came as he freely gave of himself. We too, experience this kind of joy as we share the overflow of Jesus in our own lives.

A Different Kind of Happiness guides readers on the narrow path in pursuit of the kind of life that Jesus delights in giving his people. This is a weighty book, packed with personal reflection and pain. Crabb writes with a stunning degree of transparency, rarely found among Christian authors these days. He wrestles with doubt, loss, illness, adversity, and uncertainty.

Crabb is candid about the opposition he has received over the years. A few observations that may help critics, both in the past and the present include:

An emphasis on the gospel that is unapologetic.
An alignment with the New England Puritans.
A radically God-centered orientation.
A repudiation of the secular counseling model.

These observations should go a long way in appeasing Crabb’s critics and invite a new audience of readers that may have been frightened away by any negative reviews.

I don’t agree with everything Larry Crabb writes. But one thing he does: he makes me think. He makes me ponder. He asks difficult questions. This book is no exception. I invite readers to read Dr. Crabb’s latest work. Some quiet reflection and time to ponder the principles here will prompt deep encouragement and lead to a different kind of happiness.

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

The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, In All of Life, With All of Our Heart – Vern Poythress

Vern Poythress. The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, In All of Life, With All of Our Heart. Wheaton: Crossway
Books, 2016. 224 pp. $14.49

The Dutch statesman, Abraham Kuyper famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine.’” Such is the theme of the recent book by Vern Poythress, The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, In All of Life, with All of Our Heart.

Poythress attempts to show readers that the Lordship of Christ extends to every area of life, including politics, science, art, the future, education, and work. Nothing is excluded.

The author sets the stage by making the crucial assertion that the lordship of Christ extends to believers and unbelievers alike. No one is excluded. Every atheist, agnostic, neo-pagan, gnostic, new ager, evolutionist, and every Christian is subject to the lordship of Christ. The general tone of the book is to help readers understand the implications of living in a world where Christ is Lord over all.

Poythress carefully establishes the basis for a Christian worldview which is grounded in absolute surrender to Jesus Christ: “To confess Jesus to be Lord is to confess him to be God, the same God who is the God of Israel and who created the world.” Poythress continues, “Jesus is therefore worthy of absolute allegiance. In giving allegiance to Jesus we are at the same time giving allegiance to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, because the three persons are God.”

At the end of the day, every person who stands under Christ’s lordship also recognizes that glorifying him brings the highest measure of satisfaction. Poythress observes, “We find our deepest satisfaction and the deepest fulfillment of who we are – who we were created to be – when we serve God: ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’”

One of the most helpful aspects of this book is a basic repackaging of Cornelius Van Til’s apologetic method. Standing with Van Til, Poythress demonstrates the principle of antithesis (which was also popularized by Francis A. Schaeffer). The author demonstrates how knowledge is always derived from God and is therefore, never autonomous: “We must not seek knowledge autonomously, in independence from or isolation from God’s words. That is a form of rebellion, which dishonors God’s way of living. When there seems to be a tension between God’s word in Scripture and what we are learning from other sources, Scripture has the priority because it is the word of God.”

Some books are meant to be nibbled at; others are meant to be devoured. The Lordship of Christ is of the later sort. This is a serious book for anyone who is serious about pursuing Christ and glorifying him in every arena of life. College students and Seminarians should devour this wonderful book and find great freedom in living under the authority and lordship of Jesus.

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

John Gregorious – Still Voice

John Gregorious. Still Voice. Spotted Peccary, 2016. $9.49

He was the best guitar teacher I ever had. Those were the days when I wanted to learn rock scales and riffs. “Teach me the tricks,” I would say. He was always gracious and taught me exactly what I wanted to learn. That was nearly thirty years ago. If I could press the reset button, I would ask my teacher to school me in the ways of ambient guitar.

His new album is called Still Voice. His name is John Gregorious. The record is seasoned and mature. The disc is filled with beautiful harmonies, layered with stunning background vocals that send chills up the unsuspecting spine. The album contains elements that are uniquely haunting; others elements inspire with rich texture and joyful notes.

Gregorious is a tremendous talent that needs to be heard and celebrated. Fans of Phil Keaggy will be impressed with the beautiful phrasing and will no doubt be begging for more. Still Voice is an album that is worthy of an army of listeners. 46 minutes of soul-storing music will capture the attention of music lovers everywhere. Purchase the album today!

Eyes Wide Open: Miracles and Mistakes on My Way Back to KoRn

Brian “Head” Welch. With My Eyes Wide Open: Miracles & Mistakes on My Way Back to KoRn. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016. 214 pp. $16.36

With My Eyes Wide Open is the biographical account by Brian “Head” Welch, guitarist for the popular metal band, KoRn. Welch describes his conversion to the Christian faith, his departure from KoRn, and the days of bitter pain which followed. After several years away from the band, Welch tells the tale of his journey back into KoRn and some of the more recent events which mark his life. The author invites readers into his world – days that were marked by betrayal, loneliness, questioning, doubt, and a rebellious daughter to boot.

Welch writes with a level of transparency that is difficult to find these days. He does not shy away from sharing the painful details of his life, even as a Christian. The author is quick to point out how God’s grace transformed his life but also shares the low points of his Christian journey.

I have written nearly five hundred book reviews over the past few years. My aim is to honestly review books, commending the good and warning what may be antithetical to historic Christianity. This book is no exception. While the story presented here is inspiring and heart-warming, there are some troubling signs that need to be addressed in an honest review. I present these critiques as if Brian Welch and I had the privilege of enjoying a cup of coffee together. Perhaps one day we can make that a reality! In the meantime, I would encourage the author to three commitments:

Be driven and motivated by God’s Word, not emotions or feelings. Throughout the book, Welch refers repeatedly to “signs” which inform many of his decisions. Feelings certainly have a role to play in the Christian life, but should follow the principles of God’s Word not dictate God’s Word.
Get grounded in biblical and systematic theology. Read solid works by men like R.C. Sproul, John Piper, and Wayne Grudem. Such an approach will require breaking free from extreme charismatic groups that focus on mystical experience and downplay doctrine.
Recognize that God generally works in the realm of the ordinary. He uses the ordinary means of grace found in the local church, namely – the faithful preaching of God’s Word and the administering of the ordinances for the building up of the body of Christ. Yes, God works in the realm of the extraordinary and continues to perform miracles and mighty acts that display his power. But the ordinary means of grace are no less powerful that a visible miracle.

It would be easy to cast aside these doctrinal concerns and focus on the redemptive aspects of the biographical tale. But setting aside doctrine is tantamount to compromise and must be avoided at all costs.

This is a book I wanted to like and pass along to music lovers. While “Head’s” conversion to the Christian faith is exciting, the doctrinal problems associated with the charismatic movement make it difficult swallow and even more difficult to endorse. In addition, the affiliation with the recent documentary, Holy Ghost raises deep concerns and should give discerning readers pause. Then and only then will the eyes of the readers have eyes wide open.

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