The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown; Illustrated by Linda Bleck

I received this book in the post from Thomas Nelson publishers for a review. I have never read a Margaret Wise Brown book before. Author of over 100 children’s stories, including Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown died very young in 1952 at the age of 42. This story was found in an old trunk held together by rusty paper clips. 

I read this book to my five year old son Sam one evening for bed. The story is based on an old New England prayer God bless the moon and God bless me. The style is in a rhyming prose and begins in Holland with The Moon shines down and shed its beams, on a house with a stork where a dutch boy dreams, of tulip fields by quiet streams, in his flat Dutch land of cheese and creams. The book then goes around the world, to Switzerland, Asia, Mexico, France, Australia, Africa, England and Israel (the moon shone down on the Christ child). 

It was easy and fun to read, although once or twice the rhyming did not quite fit. However, Sam really enjoyed it and we used the story to pray for the children in all the countries mentioned. The illustrations are bright and vivid and fun and really enjoyable to look at. 

This is a fun and useful book to read to your child at night.

John Stott: A Global Minstry – The Later Years by Timoty Dudley Smith

I was a little disappointed in this second volume of Timothy Dudley Smith’s biography of John Stott. It focuses too much on his overseas traveling and reads more like an itinerary than a biography – which does become somewhat tedious. However, in saying that, this volume does show how John Stott’s ministry changed to a more wide reaching level. What does come across is the passion of Stott for the gospel, for his own discipline in his spiritual walk and his energy in preaching and teaching and writing as much as he did. John Stott is inded an inspiration to many and his writings will continue to have a far reaching legacy long after he is called home to be with his Lord.

Reading The Bible: Heart and Mind by Tremper Longman

This actually a very encouraging book to read. It is not ‘heavy’  - by which I mean laden with academic words – although it is thorough – and it is not just intellectual but encourages the reader to read the Bible with BOTH the heart and mind. The point is that the process of reading scripture should be a process of steady change, excitement at interacting with God’s word and coming to a real understanding which penetrates into our Spirit. Longman gives solid advice on how to study the Bible and goes through each genre of scripture explaining how to read it and handle it.

 

This is an ideal book for someone who has become a Christian and is desperate to get into the Bible. To give such a believer this book will help them as the get into scripture.

Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan

Charles Spurgeon read this book once a year . Bunyans Pilgrims Progress is the most read book in English bar the Bible. Since its publication in 1678 it has NEVER been out of print.

 

The bottom line is – if you have never read this book – read it. Buy it today and read it. It really is quite remarkable. I have read it numerous times and we have just finished reading it for our men’s breakfast book club. It has been fun to discuss Bunyans allegory – but it has also been both challenging and convicting.  A true, true classic.

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Atkien

Finished this biography today while Kitty and the kids were out doing some carol singing. Have never really read much about John Newton and his influence. This is a great, manageable biography to walk you through this remarkable life. From being pressed ganged into the Royal Navy in his teens – to being exchanged to the Merchant Navy because of his wild and foul behavior – to his being imprisoned for a year on a plantation in the Indies – to his spiritual experience during a storm in the Atlantic – to being an ordained minister in the Church of england to writing one of the most famous and incredible hymns EVER. Oh, as well as his integral role in the abolition of the slave trade. Aitken keeps the story moving – his chapters are not long – and is thorough. A solid piece of work.

John Stott – The Early Years by Timothy Dudley Smith

I am almost certain that I have sat next to Timothy Dudley-Smith for dinner. I am certain because when I was at Oak Hill Theological College I sat next to an Oak Hill Trustee who was a hymn writer – and Timothy Dudley-Smith was a trustee of Oak Hill!

 

That has no bearing on this biography, other than the fact he is both a close friend of John Stott and the author. John Stott is, and wil be remembered as one of the most important figures in Anglican Evangelicalism of the 20th century. It’s fitting then that this first volumne of John Stott runs to some 400 pages. It tackles the early years – his childhood, school days and early ministry. Stott was well eductaed – Rugby school and then Cambridge. But his conversion and subsequent sense of the call into ordained ministry not only challenged his relationship with his father but also, for a while, placed his integrity under scrunity. Stott felt a call to the priesthood in the middle of the Second World War and both his father and mother questioned whether Stott, a healthy young man should be pursuing the priesthood – surely he should be signing up to fight. In those days, a priest was not expected to be drafted.

 

But ordained he was and he went to All Souls Langham place – a place he was going to spend his entire ministry. The sudden death of his rector thrust a very young priest (29 years old) into the role of Rector of a large London Church.

 

The book is well written and informative, if not a little too obsessed with Stotts early camp days. Other than that this was a great read.

When People Are Big God is Small by Edward Welch

The title of this book sums up the books thesis: fear of man make people big and God small. And that is not a good thing!

 

The book provides seven steps to combat the fear of people:

1. Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.

2. Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by people in your past.

3. Identify where your fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.

4. Understand and grow in the fear of the Lord. The person who fears God will fear nothing else

5. Examine where your desires have been too big. Where we fear people, people are big, our desires are even bigger and God is small.

6. Rejoice that God has covered your shame, protected you from danger and accepted you. He has filled you with his love.

. Need other people less; love other people more. Out of obedience to Christ and as a response to his love towards you, pursue others in love.

 

This is a ‘must read’ book. The person who recommended it to me, requires his interns to read this book before they even begin the internship – a large paper responding to this book is also required! 

 

There is great gems of wisdom here. I’ll recount two of them.

 

Remembering a PTA meeting that he and his wife sat through, the school stated that bolstering self esteem was a ket goal of theirs. Welch writes:

 

“Doesn’t the teaching of self-esteem and its emphasis on self seem to make the problem worse? That was certainly my experience. When I tried to raise my own self-esteem, it just led to painful self-consciousness and further individualism. Even from a secular perspective the self-esteem teaching seems suspect. Don’t we do children a disservice by showering them with unearned approval? The self respect the schools are seeking to bestow comes only as a person develops a growing ability to meet difficult tasks, risk failure and overcome obstacles. You can’t simply confer self-esteem upon a another person. To assume that other people can control our view of ourselves is what creates low self-esteem in the first place!”

Boys Adrift by Leanard Sax

Dr Leonard Sax, a psychologist, writes an engaging book on why boys in our culture are unmotivated. For Dr Sax, there are five areas which are major contributors to the unmotivation of boys: 1. Video games are disengaging boys from real world pursuits; 2. Teaching methods are putting boys off school – the structure of kindergarten today is the equivalent of 1 st grade 20 years ago; 3. prescription drugs for attention deficit disorder are being given to liberally – they are only 5 yers old for crying out loud!! 4. Endorcine disrupters: Estrogens, possibly from plastic bottles and other food sources are lowering boys testosterone levels; 5. devaluation of masculinity – the shift in culture has changed the role models for men – is a mans role model today really Homer and Bart Simpson?

This is a provocative, informative and yet easy to read book which is packed with examples and stories.  A must read for all parents who have boys and for youth ministers.

Solomon Among The Postmoderns by Peter Leithart

Leithart tackles postmodernism through the eyes of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. His basic thesis is that Ecclesiates is postmodern – it agrees with much of the postmodern position. But Leithart argues that Solomon speaks the language of postmodernism not to affirm it but to emphasize that the world is built to force us to live by faith – that while the world may seem ‘confusing now’ there is a God who will make all things clear.

 

Much of the book is a critique of postmodern thought – which I find intensely boring (having read too many christian postmodern books) but Leithart’s connection of postmodernism to Solomon is interesting.

Young Restless and Reformed by Colin Hansen

OK, I admit it – I was a little disappointed in this book. However, I really can’t explain what I was expecting in reading it. Hansen, a Christianity Today Editor has traveled the country speaking to the major figures on Calvinism, as well as students and others, to find out WHY reformed theology is once again popular. The book speaks with John Piper, CJ Mahaney, Al Mohler, Joshua Harris and Mark Driscoll, while also explaining some theology behind  Calvinism. Young people are coming to understand and believe in the doctrines of Grace and making unlikely people their heros – I.E. John Piper, a grandfather, is becoming an icon figure for the new, young, calvinist!! Interesting interviews with some interesting people – but thats about it.

What Happened by Scott MCCellan

Scott McClellan was Bush’s press secretary from 2003-2006. He was press secretary through the CIA Operative leak as well as Katrina and obviously the Iraq war.

 

This book is a ‘set the record straight’ account. McClellan’s affection and loyalty to Bush does come across strongly. He believed in Bush – which was why he joined his staff when Bush was governor of Texas. There is a sense that for McClellan he had high ideals and hopes serving Bush. But this book shows that too often, Politics requires that you leave your ideals on the battlefield of compromise and disappointment. McClellan was forced to compromise his ideals in what he said to the press – his loyalty for Bush meaning that his own reputation and credibility was shredded in order to say what the White House wanted him to say.

 

This is not a stunning tell all book – but a measured account of why he did what he did. To some extent you get the impression that this is the explanation he wanted to give the press corps from the briefing room, but couldn’t. An interesting book.

Physicians of Souls by Peter Masters

The next installment from the writings of Dr Peter Masters, current pastor of The Metropolitan Tabernacle in South London. This book argues that the Church has lost the vital ministry of weekly evangelistic preaching. Dr Masters does NOT define weekly evangelistic preaching as the inclusion of the gospel in a message – he defines it as devoting a weekly sermon solely to an evangelistic sermon – that is 52 sermons a year devoted to a purely evangelistic message. The book is devoted to unpacking this view point – how does a preacher prepare such messages – what effect it has on a church (i.e. encouraging the church to be a working church – members inviting friends every week to hear an evangelistic sermon).

Not, I think, Dr Masters best book – but as usual it is provocative – and I certainly do think that regular, evangelistic sermons need to be preached in our churches, and I agree with Dr Masters that for members of the church to sit through 52 evangelistic sermons is not a bad thing – they will certainly understand the gospel message roughly.

Of course Dr Masters puts some important boundaries to this type of ministry. It is a gift to preach 52 different evangelistic sermons – different sermons which emphasizes different areas, and delivered in different ways.

Who Gets To Narrate The World by Robert Webber

We finished reading this book with our men’s Wednesday Morning Breakfast Book Club. I think that this is one of Webber’s last books before he passed away.

This is a small book which argues that Christianity has forgotten its narrative – not the ‘God saves me’ narrative but the wider, “God is for the world” narrative. He argues that the lack of a global focus means the world is now being narrated by others – and more dangerously for Webber – it is in danger of being narrated by Islam. Physically, Islam is out growing christianity – the birth rate for christians is 2.2 children and decreasing while the Muslim birth rate is 3.8 children per couple and increasing.

Webber argues strongly that we are in a post christian world and we as the church must rediscover our ‘grand’ narrative and engage the world with it – if we don’t another narrative will.

A useful book.

Martyn Lloyd Jones Vol2 by Iain Murray

This is vol 2 of Iain Murray’s biography of the late, great preacher (see review of vol 1 here.) This is a big volume – 850 pages, which means it is in-depth. There is a lot of quotations from ML-J’s sermons, letters and correspondence. Murray is thorough in his treatment of ML-J which means the reader needs to have some patience! But thats OK, because ultimately, what Murray does well, is paint a wonderful picture, not of a perfect man, or even a great man, but of a man who gave his life in service to God; who loved God and his word passionately; and who stood up for God’s truth publically.

For me, this was really an inspired read for me.

Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin

This is a superb book on worship. It is humble, biblical, wise and should really be read by ALL who lead worship. While there are other excellent and maybe more ‘theological’ books on this topic (such as David Peterson’s excellent Engaging With God and Recalling The Hope of Glory by Allen Ross) this book is profound while being easy to read. Also, it is written from one who is called to lead worship and so the author has been there, and taken the journey himself. The book is also powerfully personal, as Bob Kauflin shares his journey from worship leader who gloried in himself to a worship leader who gloried in Christ.

A MUST read and a MUST addition to all MUST read lists!!

The Lords Pattern For Prayer by Peter Masters

The installment from Dr Masters. Yes, I am wanting to read all his books – and I have to say this is one of the best treatments of the Lord’s Prayer I have ever read.

Dr Masters meticulously examines each phrase of this wonderful prayer, drawing out meaning and application, giving nine points on just the phrase “Our Father.” Dr Masters sees the Lord’s prayer as a pattern for our prayer life – not just to be recited – but a pattern to follow: 1) Adoration To God, 2)Affirmation, 3) Thanksgiving, 4) Intercession 5) Dedication, 6) Spiritual and Bodily needs, 7) Repentance, 8) Prayer for help in Holiness, 9) Submission and glorifying in the Lord and His Eternal Plan.

Added to this, the last three chapters tackle the topics, Do You Have A Ministry Of Intercession?, Long Term Praying & Remedies For Problems In Prayer.

A great book – one from which you learn much!

Not Like Any Other Book by Peter Masters

Dr Peter Masters, pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, has written this book on how to interpret the Bible. More specifically, he has written it because of the errors which have dogged the ‘modern’ approach to interpretation. What are these ‘modern’ approaches? In the second chapter Dr Masters makes a list of these errors:

1. That the sole task of the expositor is to understand the literal sense consciously intended by the original human author to be fully understood by his contemporary hearers. There is no other meaning to the text

2. Every passage of scripture has but a single sense or meaning and no other.

3. The interpreter must not bring to a passage any religious opinions, expectations or presuppositions

4. No biblical doctrine or other text may be allowed to throw light on a passage unless it was known to the original human author. (So the NT must not be used to throw light on the OT.)

5. The interpreter must never allegorize or spiritualize a passage for this is utterly reprehensible (poor Matthew Henry, or the Puritans!)

6. An Application for today must be derived strictly from the human author’s intended meaning.

These are the six errors being made today in terms of exegesis. The sentence following this list says:

Unbelievable as it may seem to many readers, this is what is being taught today from the leading textbooks on the subject used in many evangelical seminaries and Bible Colleges…

The rest of the book takes each error and shows the reader why it is an error and then what the reader should be doing instead. The final appendix is Dr Masters 21 steps for preparing a message (all of which I thoroughly agree with.)

Again, as with all of Dr Masters material, many of you will strongly disagree with him – and thats fine, but he will make you think – and this book is no exception. However, I would suggest that reading this book would not be a waste of time – but will challenge you to think through the steps of interpretation, some of which you may have used or accepted without any questioning. If you have read the list above and said to your self “No – I disagree with him” do you know WHY you have disagreed with him. Can you articulate the why?

If not, then read this book.

Anne Boleyn: One Short life That Changed the English Speaking World by Colin Hamer

For many, many years Anne Boleyn has had a bad image. Her legacy through history has been that she was the seductress who had an illicit affair, ruined Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon and became Queen of England. Then, through her own debauchery and even witchcraft, brought her own downfall, being beheaded in May of 1536 at the age of 36.

However, her image is being slowly changed through new scholarship. Recent books by Joanna Denny and Eric Ives (which I highly recommend) have painted a very different picture of Anne Boleyn. And this book, by Colin Hamer is a wonderfully concise, short (if you don’t want to read the 480 pages of Ives book) outline of why scholarship is changing regarding Anne Boleyn.

Far from being the scheming temptress, Denny, Ives and Hamer suggest she was in fact a strong christian believer who, having returned to England from her years in the French Court did so having read much of the new ‘religion’ by Martin Luther and early early reformers. Not only had she read them, but she had brought these books back with her (despite there being a ban on them by order of Henry himself). It is also argued (convincingly) that Anne refused Henry’s advances and that she only considered a relationship with him AFTER he had begun his separation from Catherine. Of course, we must also realize that the marriage Henry had with Catherine of Aragon had received a special dispensation from the Pope. Catherine had originally married Henry’s older brother, Arthur, who had died early in their marriage. Henry became heir to the throne at 11 years of age and was pledged to Catherine, his former sister-in-law in order to maintain the alliance with Spain. Hence, Henry’s later decision to seek an annulment (not a divorce) from the Pope came from some fairly strong foundations.

Anne’s influence in Henry’s life and more importantly, the early reformation is the main point of this new scholarship. Anne was instrumental in giving Henry books to read from the reformers, often spending the evenings talking through these new doctrines and ideas. While Henry remained largely catholic and used the Mass every day throughout his life, Anne’s influence on him allowed the reformation a foot hold in England.

Anne’s downfall was almost certainly related to this. Her repeated mis-carriages and failure to produce a male heir, alongside her influence upon Henry, led to her enemies attack on her. They fabricated (and the historical evidence is fairly clear on this now) her ‘affairs’ with Henry Percy, her brother George and others. They laid the seed of the charge of witchcraft or being under a curse, when her third child mis-carried and was discovered to be deformed.

Henry was, by now, obsessed with getting a male heir and was willing to do anything to achieve this. The hate campaign against Anne Boleyn was massive and successful. She was tried, convicted and executed.

Colin Hamer’s book is a great overview of all this – at 132 pages it is a wonderful introduction, entertaining and packed with further reading.

Worship In The Melting Pot by Peter Masters

Dr Peter Masters has been the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for the past 38 years. The Met Tab (as it is affectionally known) was the home of Charles Spurgeon in the 1800′s. It is a strict Baptist church which hold very strong calvinist doctrines and extremely traditional views on worship – but its preaching is very biblical and its book store (which I visited FAR too often) has the finest calvinist / reformed collection of books, commentaries and systematic theologies anywhere at the very cheapest prices!!

I like reading Dr Masters books because while I do not always agree with him his passion for the Lord Jesus and for the Gospel is unquestionable and he challenges me to think through why I believe something.

This book is Dr Masters treatise on the modern worship scene. Dr Masters view is that only certain hymns should be sung in church and that the current ‘modern’ worship scene is undignified and irrevarent to the Lord; that the raising of hands, or dancing or loud music, or bands are not biblical. Also, he argues that worship is about WORDS – and that music is not the core of worship, only a tool. He makes a case from scripture to that effect

While most of you will not agree with him, you should really engage with his exegesis – his view of 1 Corinthians 14 is fascinating – ultimately arguing that the call for everyone to give a prophecy or a psalm or a word etc is directed NOT to the whole congregation but to the Leadership team or ‘platform’ party.

This review is far too short but I am getting tired and Am off to bed shortly. So, I really enjoyed this book, although I cannot say that you will. However, I will continue to read Dr Masters books.

The Faith by Charles Colson

I must confess that I had NEVER intended to read a Charles Colson book. I had labelled him (in my own mind) as a popularist author, probably not with any depth, and so a waste of time. However, I had intended to read his book God and Government. I am reading some political stuff in the run up to the Presidential election. Anyways, I ordered the wrong book and got this instead. So this became my ‘bathroom’ reading. And I have to say Colson surprised the socks off me. This is a remarkably good introduction to Christianity. It is well written, orthodox and not superficial. There is indepth theology (and understanding) as Colson lays out the argument for the Christian faith. The first part of the book lays out the truths of Christianity and the second half becomes more practical, looking at the church, life as a believer etc.

This is a book I would happily give away to someone looking at Christianity. A very valuable and worthwhile book.

When Not To Build by Ray Bowman and Eddy Hall

This book is written by believers who are also architects who have built many church extensions / new buildings. You would think that this book would be damaging to their business, but in fact it is filled with some excellent wisdom. Of course, they do say there is a time to build, but to get to this point requires numerous stages, stages which the majority of churches who contemplate a building project fail to take, and then discover that the new space is not filled with new people!! The amount of stories in this book of churches who built because they THOUGHT they had run out of space – and then have never grown into the new space is frightening.

In fact, chapter two is entitled “Can Buildings Kill Church Growth”. The answer is YES it can! He argues (convincingly I think) that there are three false expectations in regards to church building projects: 1. Building will stimulate growth; 2. Building will improve members’ giving to ministry; 3. Building will motivate people to minister. As the authors say; “these three false expectations all have one thing in common: they all assume that buildings can meet non-building needs.”

Building projects too often shift the focus, and more importantly, the energy of a church from ministry to buildings – which for the authors is always a bad thing. Also, most churches who THINK they need to build because they are out of space, are not in fact, out of space. The authors, in their professional capacity often challenge churches to think about adding an extra service, combining or using classroom space more effectively, or even doing some interior building (adding or removing a wall, etc).

Their main point is this: churches need to think LONG and HARD about any building project. They need not only be out of space, but, just as importantly, the church needs to be able to afford the building project BEFORE they begin it. This reduces the ‘shift’ in focus and energy from ministry to buildings – instead of writing letters and doing appeals trying to raise the next payment, the church can continue to declare the gospel.

This is a valuable book – one that MUST be read by any leadership team before deciding to build!

Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore

This is not really a new biography anymore – written in the mid 90′s. I read this around ten years ago and having read the two volume autobiography of Spurgeon I wanted to read this again.

Dallimore is a wonderful writer. His master piece, two volume work on George Whitefield (Vol1 here & vol 2 here is incredible. However, I don’t think he is quite as good here with Spurgeon, despite the limited space. Spurgeon was an incredible, passionate, god focused, Christ centered man. His ministry was huge, his ability amazing and his drive unquenchable.

He was the pastor of the first modern ‘mega’ church. The Metropolitan Tabernacle in South London, the Church he built (physically) and pastured for the last 30 years of his ministry until his death, would be packed with over 5000 people every Sunday.

Spurgeon was converted at the age of 15 years of age almost by accident (if you can say that about a Calvinist!!). He was sent home from the boarding school he attended due to an outbreak of fever. While at home he attended a small Methodist Chapel one Sunday morning. No more than fifteen people were there due to a snow storm the previous evening. Dallimore, (quoting Spurgeon himself) writes:

“The minister did not come that morning: he was snowed up, I suppose. At last a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up to the pulpit to preach. Now it was well that preachers be instructed, but this man was really stupid. He was obliged to stick to his text, the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was – ‘Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the end s of the earth.’ He did not even pronounce the words rightly, but that did not matter. There was, I thought, a glimmer of hope for me in that text…….When he had managed to spin out about ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said “Young man, you look very miserable.” Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, “And you will always be miserable – miserable in life and miserable in death – if you don’t obey my text: but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.”….I saw at once the way of salvation…”

And hence the journey for Spurgeon began.

This book is a wonderful introduction to Spurgeon – and by reading it I hope you will be encouraged to read his sermons and his books.

C.H.Spurgeon Autobiography Vol 2

What can i say – an awesome read!! This second volume of Spurgeons life goes from the building of the Metropolitan Tabernacle (1861) to his death in 1891. Spurgeon was really the first mega church pastor – a consistent regular congregtion for nearly thirty years of 5000 plus – plus hundreds of thousands who read his sermons and magazine throughout the world.

A man of phenomenal energy who quite literally worked himself to death for gospel and ministry. He read 6 books PER WEEK and by the end of his life had preached to over 25 million people and written 140 books.

Great read!

A Short History of Christianity by Stephen Tomkins

Actually, a REALLY short history of Christianity. Tomkins manages to squeeze the entire history of the church in 242 pages – and he does as good a job as you can. Of course he skips huge areas and does not expand on some areas I thought he should have but overall you get the sense of how the Church and christianity progressed. Also, Tomkins style is very easy, which is a bonus when it comes to history!!

The weakness with the book is largely down to its size. There are some places where to skip chunks of info is more confusing – the chapters on the reformation are a little in adequate, as are the explanations for the west and east split in the 11th century. Also you are bombarded with a LOT of information which you are likely to forget.

With regards to its use to teach church history, I still think that if you are going to do a short course on Church History Mark Noll’s book Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity is ideal and the book I would (and have, for a 12 session course) use. Noll focuses upo the ten decisive turnin points – which give you a deeper, more profound understnding of the most vital aspects of Church History, which I think is more helpful. In any event, every student and believer should have a copy of The History of Christianity and / or Justo L. Gonzalez’s two volumes The Story of Christianity (volume 2) for reference.

But otherwise I really enjoyed Tomkins book.

What Is A Healthy Church Member by Thabiti Anyabwile

This would have been a ground breaking book for me if I had read it before November 2007. As it is, having read ReThink (check out my review HERE, HERE and HERE)
which I think is a step further and more theologically focused this book does not have the radical-ness for me that it might have had. In saying that, this is still a book to read to get your thinking around family based youth ministry and making parents a main foundation in youth ministry, both in terms of ministering TO and providing resources FOR and having them join IN youth group.

Family Based Youth Minstry by Mark Devries

This would have been a ground breaking book for me if I had read it before November 2007. As it is, having read ReThink .
which I think is a step further and more theologically focused this book does not have the radical-ness for me that it might have had. In saying that, this is still a book to read to get your thinking around family based youth ministry and making parents a main foundation in youth ministry, both in terms of ministering TO and providing resources FOR and having them join IN youth group.

The Shack by William Young

The Shack by William Young has become a huge best seller, as well as a source of controversy. You can read various reviews from Christians which are both very negative HERE some very positive HERE. I had no intention of reading this book until I received an emaiil from a friend and fellow youth minister, who asked me whether I had read it and I said no, but suggested we read it together and blog about it (check out his fine blog HERE).

I will post more in the coming days but these are my initial thoughts and reflections. The Shack is about a guy called Mac who now lives in the aftermarth of his young daughters murder. She was murdered in a shack by an evil person. Some years after the murder Mac is convinced that he has to go back to the shack for a weekend – he does not know why, but he goes and there discovers three people, who in fact are the Trinity. God the father is an African American woman, God the Son is white young man in jeans and the Holy Spirit is a woman who seems very artistic and ‘floaty’ (my term for a person who is constantly dancing around). Here in the shack Mac has a conversation with God. Much of the conversation revolves around his anger at why God would allow his daughter to die.

The book tackles two huge theological issues in a novel – the Trinitarian relationship and the problem of evil and God’s role in suffering.

Can a novel, a fictional story bring light to topics on which many scholarly books have been written? Of course, the author would say that is not the purpose of The Shack – but then again, he enters into these topics and dialogues from a ‘god’ perspective – which is to do and present theology. Whatever else is said – this is a theological book simply because of the topics he is tackling and by the fact he tries to explain them from God’s perspective (more on that in later posts).

My first reaction then, to this novel, is that it is heretical from the time that Mac meets God at the Shack. The author has all three members of the trinity at the shack and God the father as an Afican American woman.

Exodus 33:18-22 says: Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

No-one has seen God the Father – no-one CAN see God the father and live. Also it goes against the commandment to make an idol.

Yes, I know its a novel – but it claims to be Christian and it claims to be about the trinity. Having Jesus there is fine (the representation of the invisible God!!), even the Holy Spirit is fine – but not God the father.

In fact this is one of the biggest objections I have with Mormonism. They claim Joseph Smith was visited by the Father and the Son and when i object and say that would make Joseph Smith greater than Moses and that God himself has said no-one can see Him, they struggle – but thats another issue.

The Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

With the past few weeks being SO busy (Mystery trip to Florida – Camp Chaplian and speaker in Charleston for a week, VBS this week) I have had little time for reading. But I managed to finish this a week or so ago. That Hideous Strength is a wonderful read. My colleague here told me that its one of the most significant and prophetic books of the 20th century.

The story is set in a small english town around a university professor who is wanting to ‘get on’ in the world and make his mark. He gets involved with an organization called N.I.C.E. who recruit him and then slowly ask him to do some questionable things. Mark (the young professor) is lead to wrestle with his conscience. Meanwhile his wife has become friends with another group who realize that her recuring nightmares are actually prophetic. This is a plain old battle between the spiritual forces of good and evil. It also is a statement on how evil subtly gets into society and tries to turn it for its own purposes.

If you read some of the reviews on Amazon they don’t really get to the heart of what Lewis is saying in this book. Yes, Merlin makes an appearance but also see that Lewis is making a striking statement about the fact that we have demonic forces who will try and destroy what God is doing – but that God has his faithful people, who do not use the same methods but as they trust in God they will see ultimate victory.

The Silent Planet trilogy is not as well known as Narnia – but it should be!! A great set of books – go read them.

Why We’re Not Emergent by Two Guys Who Should Be by Kevin deYoung & Ted Kluck

Unlike DA Carson who did not read a whole lot on Emergent with his book, these guys have read 5000 pages of Emergent literature.

Their aim is not to try and denounce emergent, its leaders or those who claim to be emergent evil people, but they do, in the most thorough of ways, point out the immense errors that many in the emergent church leadership are advocating – errors which really place many of those who adhere to them outside the historic, and apostolic christian faith (i.e. questioning the virgin birth, the resurrection, the incarnation, the atonement, historic creeds, fundamental doctrines).

Their assessment is not new (largely because I agree with them and have already thought about these issues) but it is so well put together – so well written and so well argued that all in emergent should read it and engage with it.

Interestingly many of the big emergent guns (as far as i am aware) have not engaged with this book. Maybe its too close to the truth. Andrew Jones did a semi-serious, largely pot shot at the book on his blog (here) but was slightly rebuked by Scott McKnight of Jesus Creed:

Well, Andrew, you might be spoofing everyone but I read that book, talked with one of the authors, and I didn’t take away anything other than a serious critique of emergent. In fact, I’d say they are calling anything that smacks of liberal theology “emerging/emergent.”

This is a great book and should be read and digested by all who claim any affiliation with the emergent church – positive or negative.

Prelandra by C.S.Lewis

The second book in this creatively written fantasy novel by Lewis. Dr E Ransom, having returned to earth from his trip to Malacandra (Mars) Ransom is told by the elidil (angels) that he is to go on another trip. Perelandra is told from the perspective of Ransom after his return from this trip. The book is really an allegory of the Garden of eden – Ransom arrives on Perelandra, a world which is almst fluid – there is no fix land, just floating Islands. He meets a woman who is ‘young in knowledge – but growing every day’. She seems to grow and mature hourly. Then, all of a sudden another human being arrives in a space ship, (Dr Divine Weston). It becomes clear that soemthing supernatural is controlling him and he does his best to turn the woman away from following Maleldil (God). The story is a clever account of a human being fighting evil face to face. Ransom, once he realizes what is happening, physically fights Weston, but Weston has supernatural (possessed) strength. A number of times Ransom cries out to Maledil (God) asking how he, a mere mortal, could possibly fight this evil creature. But help does come!

Aliens, space travel, other worlds all sound very odd and yet Lewis’ brilliance keeps it from being corny.