Books, Books, Books (2009 ed)

Once upon a time, it was my intention to write frequent book reviews. I haven't totally given up, but I have come up with a new plan: a brief year-end summary. While this is (at a minimum) for my own benefit, hopefully some of you, my faithful readers (who keep coming back even when I'm five weeks between posts), will find some good books to read as well.

This list will be limited to Christian non-fiction. While I enjoy reading other genres (fiction of various stripes, history, biography... ), this is the only genre that I carve regular time out to read during the course of the year [though perhaps grouping it all into a single genre is too broad].

How then shall I order them? Start with the best? End with the best? Alphabetical by title... or author? I'll just order them in the order I read them. [Note: * denotes a book I previously read]

This Momentary Marriage
By John Piper

While I can't claim to have read all of the best books on marriage, this is my favorite so far. So how can I briefly summarize just why I feel this way? I think it's important to note the subtitle: A Parable of Permanence. This book did more to shift my vision of marriage toward its Ephesians 5 Christ-and-the-church meaning than any other resource has. Not that Piper is in the clouds, far removed from real life and the day-to-day. On the contrary, it's his application of the parable of permanence to the momentary that makes the book particularly rich.

His two chapters on singleness (yes, in a book on marriage) are also the most helpful words I've read on that topic.

I already want to re-read it.

Rating: Must Read
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Why Small Groups?*
Edited by C.J. Mahaney

A book our church small groups went through together.

Previously reviewed.






Rating: Recommended
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Spectacular Sins
By John Piper
Challenging? Yes. But John Piper is interested in being Biblical -- not just challenging readers for its own sake. God is sovereign, and He will be glorified. So what do we make of the presence of evil -- not just generally, but even in specific, heinous sins? John Piper examines the most "spectacular" sins recorded in Scripture, from the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, in light of "their global purpose in the glory of Christ" (the subtitle).

Rating: Highly Recommended
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The Holiness of God
By R.C. Sproul

I finally read this book. And I intend to read it again.

Previously reviewed.






Rating: Must Read
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Just Do Something
By Kevin DeYoung

I really like a lot of what DeYoung has to say in this book. He addresses the fears that paralyzes so many young people about life decisions (big and small). The subtitle explains: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will OR How To Make Decisions without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. DeYoung follows through, untangling (or sometimes simply slicing right through) the questions that leave so many of use feeling all knotted up about what to do.

On the other hand, parts of the book left me frustrated: what then do (or should) Christians mean when they talk about "calling"? Some of his points I think he deliberately overstates. And again, he says a lot that many young people really need to hear. The book is short, easy to read, and provides plenty of challenging food for thought. (But don't just sit around thinking about reading it. Do something!)

Rating: Recommended
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Finally Alive
By John Piper
It's a thorough book on a topic that most Christians probably think they know everything about. It's also a book on a topic that most Christians should know much more deeply. Yes, regeneration is a deep topic, and wonderful to study. I'll have to stop there if I'm going to stop anytime soon.

Summarizing thought: I'll probably never know how much this book has impacted my thought and understanding. (Yes, that could be said of most good books, but particularly so here.)

Rating: Highly Recommended
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Don't Waste Your Life****
By John Piper

My favorite book. That's why I read it every year -- and will continue to do so until it ceases to convict me of falling prey to the American Dream.

Have I still not written a full review on this book? My, my.





Rating: Must Read
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The Great Exchange
By Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington

My sin for his righteousness. That's the subtitle of the book, and that's what every page of the book explores, unpacking Scripture after Scripture, starting with Old Testament passages that foreshadow Christ the Messiah, and continuing book by book through most of the New Testament. In this way, I found it to be a great companion book while reading through the New Testament this past fall.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." That verse is 2 Corinthians 5:21, but that message pervades the New Testament.

Rating: Recommended
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The Reason For God
By Tim Keller

A recent release that has been (seemingly) universally praised as a sort of 21st Century Mere Christianity, Tim Keller's The Reason for God addresses skeptics in a way that is both respectful and uncompromising.

At times, I felt as though Keller was beating around the bush. But on second look, I'd say that Keller said what he needed to say, when he needed to say it. He doesn't aim to give quick, easy answers. Instead, the first half of the book addresses common criticisms of the Christian faith, both through giving specific answers to questions and through unmasking the faith assumptions of the unbeliever's worldview. The second half of the book centers on making a reasoned approach toward faith in God as revealed in the Bible.

Rating: Recommended
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The Peacemaker
By Ken Sande

Do you experience interpersonal conflict? Unless you're a Tibetan monk (who somehow has internet access and found your way to my blog), I'll assume the answer is yes.

Ken Sande provides a thorough, Biblical guide on peacemaking -- written not for professional mediators, but for each one of us in our relationships. As someone who regularly experiences conflict (of which I am to blame for more than I'd like to admit), I'll be returning to this book often.

Rating: Must Read
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The Message of Ephesians
By John R.W. Stott

This is the second title I've read in "The Bible Speaks Today" commentary series, having previously read The Message of Acts. My summary? Solid, readable, pastoral, instructive. And a great resource to read in conjunction with an expository series at church.





Rating: Recommended
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What He Must Be To Marry My Daughter
By Voddie Baucham Jr.

[Disclaimer: As of this post, I'm actually a couple of chapters from finishing.] Why read a book written to fathers? Plenty of reasons: (a) if I'm going to be a father someday, it's never too early to start studying (b) I'm already a brother with five sisters to watch out for [maybe I should write the companion: What He Must Be To Marry My Sister] (c) to see how I need to grow (d) to find out if I should just quit now.

So far, I'd say that I agree with most of what Baucham says about men and marriage. There's a lot to think about and plenty of good topics for discussion.

On another note, the book was poorly edited. I expect better from Crossway. [And Jacob did not have to wait another seven years before marrying Rachel. A pastor should get that right.]

Rating: Recommended
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More on Ratings

Book Review: The Holiness of God

Let me be up front about this: I really don't know how to write this review. For me to attempt to explain all of the reasons why I am glad I read The Holiness of God would make this review way too long. To find reason to include one quote would be to find reason to include thirty.

Maybe I will find the time to spill some thoughts that have been stirred in another post. It should suffice to say that this book is on all of those "top books" lists for good reason, but I'll add the following:

You don't understand the holiness of God. I don't understand the holiness of God. R.C. Sproul doesn't understand the holiness of God. We are finite and sinful; God is infinite and holy. Still, reading this book and seeing Sproul do his utmost to unpack God's Word on the topic of God's holiness will give a you greater glimpse of what it means that God is holy.


Rating: Must Read

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Book Review: The Message of Acts

When our church began a series on the book of Acts last fall, our pastors ordered a number of copies of John Stott's commentary, The Message of Acts, and made them available in the church resource center. This provided a great opportunity to go deeper into the book, so I bought a copy and used it for a couple of months as part of my personal devotional time.

I found The Message of Acts to be a good combination of history, theology, and application. John Stott is a scholar, and is adept both at giving a feel for the historical settings and at expounding the theology found in the narrative. Additionally, while seeking to be true to the first century origins of the book of Acts, he faithfully writes with twenty-first century application in mind.

The whole book was well worth reading, yet two chapters stand out in my mind. The commentary on the conversion of Saul (Acts 9) was worth the price of the book. Saul's conversion has always fascinated me--both for the clear working of the sovereign hand of God and for the transformation that follows, as Saul the Persecutor becomes Paul the Apostle. John Stott digs deeper into Acts 9, drawing on Paul's own spoken testimony (Acts 26) and later writings (Romans 7) to expound on how God already had been working on Saul. Stott's paragraph on the how divine grace is a freeing grace (and not a trampling grace) is profound.

The chapter on Paul in Athens (Acts 17) also affected me personally. Here Stott explores both Paul's righteous jealosy for the glory of God's name and Paul's response: his evangelistic heart for each of his audiences, ably speaking "with equal facility to religious people in the synagogue, to casual passers-by in the city square, and to highly sophisticated philosophers." To each group, Paul preached in different ways, yet he always preached the same Gospel.

The Message of Acts is one of a series of commentaries in "The Bible Speaks Today" series, published by InterVarsity Press since the 1980s (with new titles still being added). Each commentary in the series, of which John Stott is the New Testament general editor, covers one to three books of the Bible. After having been exposed to the series through Stott's Acts commentary, I will definitely consider using other volumes as part of my book studies in the future.

Rating: Recommended

Book Review: Living the Cross Centered Life

Never move on from the Gospel. Keep the Gospel the main thing. Those two corollaries sum up the message of C.J. Mahaney's Living the Cross Centered Life, the combined and expanded result of two of Mahaney's previous works: Christ Our Mediator and The Cross Centered Life.

Looking to the New Testament writings of the Apostle Paul, Mahaney begins Living the Cross Centered Life by making a case for why the gospel should define our lives. He then spends several chapters reviewing Christ's final hours, leading up to and culminating in His atoning death on the cross, reminding us of the foundation for everything else in the book.

The latter half of the book examines how the gospel informs our view of suffering and is the foundation of our joy. He also looks at three specific dangerous tendencies in the lives of Christians--subjectivism, legalism, condemnation--and examines how the gospel speaks directly to each of these errors.

Mahaney also addresses the misperception that a Christians are saved by Christ's work on the cross, and then move on to other things like sanctification and fellowship. Mahaney counters by saying that, yes, things like sanctification and fellowship are necessary, but we are mistaken to think that we move on from the cross to these things: "[T]he 'more' you need as a follower of Christ won't be found apart from the cross. The gospel isn't one class among many that you'll attend during your life as a Christian--the gospel is the whole building where all the classes take place!"

This book, together with the Jerry Bridges books I have recently read (The Discipline of Grace and The Gospel for Real Life), has done much to open my eyes to the centrality of Christ's work on the cross in both our justification and our sanctification, and to encourage me in applying the gospel to my life each day. Having seen my own tendency to let my focus to drift toward other things, and having seen how clearly this book addresses and exhorts believers to never move on, I'm sure I will re-read it frequently--though the point is not merely to re-read.

In the book's final chapter, Mahaney says, "I won't mind if my book winds up in a forgotten corner of a bookshelf, collecting dust. But I do hope the message of this book is one you'll never put on a shelf. Never let the cross slide into second or third place in your life. Never lay it aside. Never move on."

Rating: Must Read

Book Review: The Gospel for Real Life

Jerry Bridges is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. Bridges writes with a firmly gospel-centered approach and an engaging style. His books are composed of doctrinal content, not glossy words; yet he has a gift for expressing the glorious truths of the Bible with both wonder at the simplicity and awe at the mystery. And I know that I am far from being the only one who has been fed through his writings. I thank God for Jerry Bridges, yet don't be mistaken and think that the point of this review is to make much of Jerry Bridges. Rather, it is to encourage you to read his writings and be freshly amazed at the the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In one of his previous works, The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges wrote a chapter on how to "preach the gospel to yourself," and spoke of the transforming effect that such a practice can have on a Christian's daily walk with Christ. As he explains in the preface, Bridges wrote The Gospel for Real Life to answer three questions. (1) What is the gospel we should preach to ourselves? (2) Why do we, who are already believers, need to preach it to ourselves? (3) How do we do it?

To a new Christian seeking to better understand the full scope of the Gospel, or for someone seeking to learn more about what it means to place faith in Christ, The Gospel for Real Life would be an excellent resource--probably the best one that I am aware of. Chapter by chapter, Bridges examines topics such as Christ's obedience, propitiation, expiation, ransom, reconciliation, justification, adoption, and many more. But his point isn't just to get people to recite definitions of these words, but, more importantly, to understand their them. For instance, after writing on expiation, Bridges writes, "It is not necessary in your Christian growth that you make expiation a part of your vocabulary, but it is necessary that you make the concept of sin's removal, symbolized by the scapegoat, a part of your thinking and theology. Only then... will you be freed from your guilt so that you can serve God effectively."

Yet, as I quoted above, The Gospel for Real Life was written specifically with those who are firm believers in mind. Indeed, for a believer who has followed Christ for a number of years and who has studied theology and doctrine, The Gospel for Real Life would make an excellent read. Whether to fight vagueness in doctrinal understanding or to combat the tendency to become familiar and unamazed, Bridges' simple presentation of profound truths effectively answers the three questions he set out to address.

Rating: Highly Recommended

Book Review: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit

Considering that the doctrine of the Trinity concerns God Himself, and that we will never come close to an exhaustive understanding of God, we would do well to seek a deeper Biblical understanding of trinitarian doctrine. If you agree, consider reading Bruce Ware's book Father, Son, & Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, & Relevance.

I believe I first became aware of Father, Son, & Holy Spirit after listening to a recording of a breakout session Dr. Ware gave at New Attitude 2006. Titled "Equal in Essence, Distinct in Function" (and available for free as an mp3 download), his sixty-minute lecture piqued my interest in further study on the subject, and I shortly learned that Dr. Ware had written a book on the Trinity. (The audio message is a terrific place to start, if you don't yet have time to read the book. It covers some of the material in the book, but obviously without the full breadth or detail.)

Dr. Ware opens the book by giving ten reasons for focusing on the wonder of the Trinity, and follows by providing a brief historical overview of the church's understanding (both orthodox and heretical) of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Chapters three through five examine the unique roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, respectively. Of course, because he is discussing One God in three Persons, it is not as though one chapter only talks about the Father, the next about the Son, the next about the Holy Spirit. The chapter about the Father examines the unique role of the Father in relationship with the Son and the Holy Spirit (and likewise for the chapters on the Son and Spirit).

One of the aspects of this book that I especially appreciated was that, in addition to all of the theology, Ware examines how the doctrine should affect our lives. (As an example, he discusses how from God the Father we can learn what true fatherhood is.)

One aspect touched on several times throughout the book is how the equality of essence and distinctness of function that we see in the Trinity should guide our understanding of Biblical manhood and womanhood. While this is a book focused on the Trinity, I also found it to be among the most helpful resources I've read regarding God-glorifying masculinity and femininity, seeing in the Trinity perfect examples of both authority and submission. Lest we think that submission equals inferiority (for a woman to her husband, for an employee to his employer, or any other example of submission you can think of), Dr. Ware reminds us that "Both authority and submission are good, for both are expressive of God himself."

This is a book that you should add to your reading list. It is relatively brief (well under 200 pages), and will also make you think (though it is by no means a chore to read).

Rating: Highly Recommended

Book Review: Why Small Groups?

What is the purpose of small groups? How do small groups serve in building strong local churches? How are small groups supposed to serve in strengthening biblical fellowship? For that matter, what is biblical fellowship?

If you find yourself asking these questions--or ones similar to them--you would benefit from reading Why Small Groups?, one of five books in the Pursuit of Godliness series published by PDI (now Sovereign Grace Ministries) in the mid 1990s. Edited by C.J. Mahaney, with contributions from six other pastors, Why Small Groups? casts a vision for active small group participation by all church members. Chapter topics include the purposes of (and hindrances to) fellowship, the role of the small group leader, and the practice of loving and caring correction, among others. (To view chapter titles, peruse the text, or even print it out to read it, check out the free PDF downloads.)


Rating: Recommended
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Book Review: The Cross of Christ

I've heard John Stott's The Cross of Christ recommended more times than I can remember. Now, having read it, I can say that it is so frequently recommended for good reason. The dilemma I now face pertains to how I am going to review it. I've come to the realization that including too much in a book review is likely to cause it to be skipped over, rather than making the recommendation more convincing. For that reason, I'll give a quick overview of the book, highlighting a couple the chapters that impacted me the most.

The Cross of Christ is divided into four sections. The first three chapters serve as an introduction. Stott begins by examining the centrality of the cross in New Testament theology, then addresses the age-old question, Why Did Jesus Die? The opening section concludes with an examination of the following question: "What was there about the crucifixion of Jesus which, in spite of its horror, shame and pain, makes it so important that God planned it in advance and Christ came to endure it?"

The second portion of The Cross of Christ covers the necessity of Christ's substitutionary death for the forgiveness of sins, from the gravity of sin and human moral responsibility, to the holiness and righteous wrath of God. In chapter five, Stott covers several historical perspectives on what it means that Christ's death provided "Satisfaction for Sin." Various theologians over the centuries have argued that Christ had to pay a ransom price to the Devil, or that the Law itself had to be satisfied in a mechanistic sense, or even that God's honor and justice must be defended. Stott stresses, however, that "Satisfaction is an appropriate word, providing we realize that it is [God] himself in his inner being who needs to be satisfied, and not something external to himself." I found this chapter to be especially well written, having seen how easy it is, especially in evangelistic conversations, to misrepresent the necessity of Christ's substitutionary death by trying to fit too neat of an analogy with a judge's responsibility to punish an offender of a civil law (which exists independently, and under which the judge himself must live).

Another theme in this section, which I have neither the space nor the ability to sufficiently recap for this review, is the crucial importance of the fact that it was God in Christ, fully God and fully man, who came as our substitute.

The third section of the book covers "the achievement of the cross," with chapters focusing on salvation, God's self-revelation, and the conquest of evil. These chapters are ones which I plan on returning to often for review. As an example, chapter seven, (which I have referenced in a previous post), provides a thoughtful examination of four words which together illustrate what the Bible means when it speaks of our salvation: propitiation, redemption, justification, and reconciliation. While we may be able to roughly define these words, looking at their full Biblical significance is well worth the time.

The fourth and final section of The Cross of Christ pertains to our response, as Christians, to the doctrines examined in the rest of the book. Topics range from contrasting Protestant and Catholic perspectives on what it means for us to sacrifice (in light of Christ's atoning sacrifice), to a Biblical understanding of the meaning of self-denial and self-acceptance.

The aspect of The Cross of Christ that I most appreciate is the combination of scholarly insight and genuine pastoral care with which Stott writes. Stott provides historical perspectives and careful Scriptural exegesis, but he also writes as a man who firmly believes in the One he writes about.


Rating: Highly Recommended
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Book Review: The Case for Christ

After seeing how long my last review grew, I realized it is of no benefit to go into great detail if the length of the review becomes prohibitive. Therefore, I have decided to try a briefer review. Don't hold your breath. (It won't be that short.)

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I'm often skeptical of Christian books that become quite popular. The best books don't usually make it to the shelves of the local Wal-Mart. For that matter, the best books are often not even those on the front displays at the local Christian bookstore. For one reason or another, I had figured The Case for Christ might be in this category.

Nonetheless, since I'd been looking for good apologetic resources, The Case for Christ intrigued me, and I decided to read it a couple of months ago. I found reading it to be enjoyable--and, more importantly, informative. I'll count this as a lesson learned in not judging a book it's primacy on the store bookshelf.

Lee Strobel, a former legal editor with the Chicago Tribune, traveled the country, interviewing thirteen expert Bible scholars over dozens of major question sceptics have regarding the accuracy and reliability of the Gospel as it is presented in the New Testament. The scholars--men such as Dr. Craig Blomberg, Dr. Bruce Metzger, and Dr. J.I. Packer--answered questions ranging from the historical reliability of the Four Gospels and the surety of their accurate preservation to how the Jesus we read about in the new testament fulfills the attributes of God.

I could go on listing the rest of the scholars and the questions posed to them, but rather than bore you with a complete table of contents, I will assure you that each chapter is both relevant and reaffirming of the Sciptures. While providing substantial evidence showing how the Biblical account stands up to scholarly scrutiny, Strobel affirms that, ultimately, one who believes in Christ must not only give intellectual assent, but must also place his faith in Jesus Christ.

At the end of each one of the interviews, after asking the expert's professional opinions regarding his expertise, Strobel asked how the evidence had personally affected the scholar's life. The responses demonstrated that these are men who do not view the truth with scholarly aloofness. Though brief, this short section of each chapter exemplified how the truth transforms not only minds, but hearts and lives as well.

Why read The Case for Christ? While being able to provide scholarly answers to all of the questions regarding the historicity of the Biblical account is not necessary for faith, it can and does strengthen our faith. We must not demand to be able to prove the New Testament according to human reason, yet we need not close our eyes or plug our ears when questions regarding the reliability of Scripture arise. If we are confident that God has given us the truth in the Bible, then we need not fear to research it historically. In so doing, we can become freshly amazed at God's goodness in providing and preserving the Scriptures, and we can be better prepared to give an answer for the hope that lies within us.

Rating: Recommended

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Book Review: The Knowledge of the Holy

"Whatever comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." With these words, A.W. Tozer begins his call for a people who think rightly about God--letting their view of God be shaped neither by the world nor by personal preference, but by the truth that God has revealed about Himself in the Scriptures.

While I have endeavored to provide a short summary of the book, I have included multiple direct quotations. The reasons for this are two-fold: first, because Tozer's words are far superior to my attempts at a paraphrase; second, so that you could have a taste of the insight he gives.

Reading this book encouraged me substantially in prayer. Going back to The Quest men's conference in January, the biggest thing that stood out to me from the session on prayer was the emphasis on praying by praising God for who He is, and by meditating on certain of His attributes. The Knowledge of the Holy is essentially a series of meditations on God's attributes: His self-existence, self-sufficiency, eternity, omniscience, justice, and mercy, just to name a few. I found that reading a chapter would then bring focus to my prayers. After reading the chapter on, for instance, His self-existence, my heart was all the more filled with awe inclined toward worship of the Uncreated One.

Though each chapter in The Knowledge of the Holy focuses on one of God's attributes, the book is more than a collection of meditations. Tozer emphasises how our knowledge of certain of God's attributes can help us to gain a fuller understanding of others of His attributes. For instance, he shares these thoughts in his chapter on the love of God: "From God's other attributes we may learn much about his love. We can know, for instance, that because God is self-existent, His love had no beginning; because He is eternal, His love can have no end; because He is infinite, it has no limit; because He is holy, it is the quintessence of all spotless purity; because He is immense, His love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea before which we kneel in joyful silence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed."

Woven through Tozer's meditations was one theme which particularly impacted me: the transcendence of God. As Tozer explains, The Knowledge of the Holy is an attempt to answer the question "What is God like?" Yet he is quick to acknowledge that "[God] is not exactly like anything or anybody." The Bible uses words that are familiar to us, that we might be able to understand the truth about God, but that does not mean that we can fully comprehend it. It uses automorphisms, as when it describes God as loving or wrathful. Love and wrath are seen in humans, but we cannot understand God's love or wrath as the same (but on a larger scale) as what we see in humans. Nor is God the most powerful being in the sense that He is merely more powerful than the next most powerful being. I love these words, which Tozer writes in the chapter specifically devoted to the topic of God's transcendence: "We must not think of God as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with the single cell and going on up from the fish to the bird to the animal to man to angel to cherub to God. This would be to grant God eminence, even pre-eminence, but that is not enough; we must grant Him transcendence in the fullest meaning of that word. Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above the archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alike created. They both belong in the category of that-which-is-not-God and are separated from God by infinitude itself."

Other key ideas, which I will not expound upon in the interest of brevity, include some of the following.

On attributes such as God's justice and His goodness: God's attributes are not opposing forces within God. He doesn't need to suspend one attribute to exercise another, for no attribute of His can be in conflict with another.

On the topic of the justice of God: God is just, and always acts justly. But it is not as though there is a moral law which exists apart from Him, under which He must submit Himself.

On how certain of God's attributes assist us in our understanding of others as well (in this example, His immutability): "One who can suffer any slightest degree of change is neither self-existent, self-sufficient, nor eternal, and so is not God."

The book is full of such thoughts, but it is neither possible for me to include all of them here, nor is it my purpose to do so. (If, by this point, you are not wanting on reading the book yourself, adding more quotes would make no difference.)

I found the large majority of The Knowledge of the Holy to be insightful. In the final chapter, on God's sovereignty, Tozer tries to be (in my opinion) too tidy with the mystery of divine sovereignty and man's responsibility. Tozer admits that his thoughts on the topic "may prove deficient" to those who find themselves more in agreement with either Jacobus Arminius or John Calvin. Tozer postulates that that God sovereignly decreed that man should make his own choices. "When [man] chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it." In my mind, this conflicts with his statement in his earlier chapter on God's omniscience, where he said that "God has never learned and cannot learn," for how could an all-knowing God not know which choice would be made, and how could an all-knowing and all-powerful God know the future without foreordaining it? That, however, is another topic. Though disappointed with this chapter, I do not think that one should discard the book because of it.

Perhaps hearing the title The Knowledge of the Holy causes you to say, "Oh yes, I'm told that it is a good book. It's one of those 'classics' that will forever be on my reading list." Or maybe you can't even claim that degree of familiarity: "Is that one of those books about God? I think I've heard it." Whatever the thoughts are that ran through your head after seeing the words "Book Review: The Knowledge of the Holy" above this post, I'm here to urge you to get the book off of your reading list. . . and into your hands.

Rating: Highly Recommended

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Book Review: What Jesus Demands from the World

Considering it has been the source of the last three quotes I posted, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that one books I recently read is John Piper's book What Jesus Demands from the World. It seems only fitting that, after quoting the book so many times, I take the time to review it.

Over the last few years, John Piper has become one of my favorite authors. Each of his books that I have read has helped me to better understand Scripture, taught me how to think Biblically, and drawn my focus to the Gospel. What Jesus Demands from the World is no exception. Nonetheless, it is a unique book, devoted solely to examining the commands of Jesus in the four gospels. He explains his approach in this way: "My method is to reflect on the meaning and motivation of Jesus' demands as they appear in the New Testament Gospels in the context of his person and work. I do not cite the rest of the New Testament for my understanding of Jesus in the Gospels. Citing the whole New Testament is a perfectly legitimate thing to do, and in my preaching I do not hesitate to bring Scriptures from anywhere to help make any text plain, provided I don't change the meaning of either text. But in this book I have given my rendering of Jesus almost entirely through the lens of his own words as recorded in the Gospels. One of my subordinate aims in this approach is to encourage confidence in the unity of the New Testament, because the upshot of this portrayal is so compatible with what other New Testament writers taught."

Beginning with commands such as "You Must Be Born Again," "Repent," "Come to Me," and "Believe in Me," Piper examines the essentials of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Throughout the remainder of the book, depending on how many different instances of a command appear in the Gospels and on how many aspects of a command Piper examines, a command may cover anywhere from one to four chapters. For instance, he has single chapters on "Rejoice and Leap for Joy" and "Worship God in Spirit and Truth," but spends four chapters (numbers twenty-eight to thirty-one) examining what it means to love our enemies: "Love Your Enemies--Lead Them to the Truth," based on Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28,32-34, and John 7:17; "Love Your Enemies--Pray for those Who Abuse You" takes a closer look at Matthew 5:44 and verses 28 and 32 from Luke 6; "Love Your Enemies--Do Good to those Who Hate You, Give to the One Who Asks" derives its content from Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 6:27, and Matthew 5:47; and "Love Your Enemies to Show that You Are Children of God" looks at Luke 6:29-30, 35, 36 and Matthew 5:44-45. In this way, Piper is able to give an in-depth examination of commands that have common themes but varying emphases, without passing over some aspects in favor of focusing solely on others. Other commands that he examined--and ones that particularly impacted me as I read them--were those pertaining to what it means to humble ourselves, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

What Jesus Demands from the World was well worth the time I spent reading it, and is a book that I hope to re-read in the future. While of a somewhat longer length (375 pages), the fifty chapters are each easy to read in a single sitting (as opposed to some books I've read that have thirty or forty page chapters). That being said, for books of this quality, the length of chapters should hardly be an issue. Reading a chapter just to get through it should not be the goal. I found myself several times returning to re-read chapters that were particularly thought-provoking.

Overall, what can I say about this book? Describing it as a good book is hardly surprising, considering the Biblical insight that is so typical of John Piper's writing. Really, I'd love to read all of Piper's books. (That he seems to be writing faster than I can read doesn't help, nor does the fact that he started publishing before I was born.) But I especially appreciated his focused look at the words of our Savior, and his willingness to examine even the most difficult commands (such as Jesus' words on marriage and divorce), submitting personal comfort level and preconceptions to the Scriptures.


Rating: Highly Recommended

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Book Reviews

Full Reviews

The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel
The Cross of Christ, John R.W. Stott
Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, Bruce Ware
Fifty Crucial Questions, John Piper & Wayne Grudem
The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges
The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul
The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer
Living the Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney
The Message of Acts, John R.W. Stott
What Jesus Demands from the World, John Piper
Why Small Groups?, C.J. Mahaney (editor)

Year-End (Mini) Reviews

Don't Wast Your Life, John Piper
Finally Alive, John Piper
The Great Exchange, Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington
Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung
The Message of Ephesians, John R.W. Stott
The Peacemaker, Ken Sande
The Reason for God, Tim Keller
Spectacular Sins, John Piper
This Momentary Marriage, John Piper
What He Must Be To Marry My Daughter, Voddie Baucham Jr


Last updated: 12/09

Book Review: 50 Crucial Questions

Well, I said a month and a half ago that my first book review was (hopefully) coming in the next week. I could talk about final exams and starting a new job, but. . . excuses, excuses. Here is (finally) an actual review, the first of what I hope to be many--several of which are currently in my drafts folder. Admittedly, the reason that I'm finishing this review before several others which I had already begun is that this book is, in comparison, easier to rev--wait a minute. I already wrote a piece on writing book reviews; I'd better just start reviewing.

What does it mean for a man to have headship? Why are women permitted to prophesy if they are not permitted to be pastors or elders? How can we as Christians come to clear and Biblical convictions on matters that many evangelical scholars disagree on? 50 Questions addresses these and other questions on the topic of Biblical manhood and womanhood, including foundational questions such as "Why do you regard the issue of male and female roles as important?" and "What do you mean when you call the husband 'head'?" (Questions 1 and 6) as well as matters ranging from whether women can prophesy in church to the connection between evangelical feminism and liberal views of homosexuality (Questions 23 and 41).

The best description of the book is its full title: 50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns About Manhood And Womanhood. At just over sixty pages, 50 Questions is a short, informative read. Written by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, editors of the much larger work Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, it provides concise yet insightful responses to fifty common questions regarding the complementarian view of manhood and womanhood. Piper and Grudem ably defend the Biblical model for humble male headship and church leadership, providing numerous Scriptural citations in every response to every question.

One answer that I found to be particularly helpful was that which addressed selective literalism. In answering the question "Aren't you guilty of selective literalism when you say some commands in a text are permanently valid and others, like 'Don't wear braided hair' or 'Do wear a head covering,' are culturally conditioned and not absolute?" Piper and Grudem give three keys for discerning whether or not a Biblical command is "culturally conditioned." As they explained,

"(1) we seek for clues in the context that this is so; (2) we compare other Scriptures relating to the same subject to see if we are dealing with limited application or with an abiding requirement; and (3) we try to show that the cultural specificity of the command is not rooted in the nature of God, the gospel, or the created order."

This excerpt also represents another valuable aspect of 50 Questions. Rather than trying to give lists of certain things that are permissible and others that aren't, they explain how they seek to exercise Biblical discernment in addressing the issue, and equip readers to do so as well. Overall, I enjoyed reading 50 Questions, and have found that I now have an increased interest in digging deeper into the issue of complementarity by reading Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

(The book is also available in a web-based format here.)

Rating: Recommended

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