Radical

"Radical" (David Platt) - I'm not sure who the audience for this book is.  It proposes that many Christians are caught up in the American dream and that we need to live more radical lives for Christ.  He proposes several steps:

• praying for the entire world
• reading through the entire Word
• sacrificing our money for a specific purpose
• spending time in another context (specifically - spending a week in missions)
• committing to a multiplying community

First, these don't seem that radical to me.  Most Christians know they need to read through the Bible - they're either working on a one year plan (even if it takes 2), or they know they should.  Similarly, prayer - I think we all would say we should do more.

The Shepherd as Leader

"The Shepherd as Leader" (John MacArthur, ed.) - this is a collection of twelve sermons from various Shepherd's Conferences.  It is part of a set of three books.

All the sermons will be convicting and edifying for anyone who is a pastor, or would like to be one.

The Masculine Mandate

"The Masculine Mandate" (Richard Phillips) - This is a short book themed on "working and keeping" (Genesis 2:15).  Nothing you haven't heard before, but a good devotional to focus and remind.

Lincoln's Battle with God

"Lincoln's Battle with God" (Stephen Mansfield) - This is a biography of Lincoln focusing on his religious life.  I found it rather frustrating, but I think that is the nature of this area of historiography more than any lacking in the author.

As the author states in his conclusion: we want a clear story; with a beginning, middle, and end.  An aisle walked, a bold profession.  But life is messier than that, and the life of the President during what is likely the messiest time in America is messy.

Perhaps the greatest revelation of Lincoln's journey is from his last public proclamation: "The Almighty has His own purposes."

Now, on the face of it, this seems a pretty abstract statement.  However, as we look at Lincoln's life as a whole, we can see that he struggled most with the sovereignty of God and the hardship of life (the problem of evil).

Lincoln was born into an ostensibly Christian culture, that showed much of the shallowness and hypocrisy we see today.  His father was some sort of hyper-Calvinist - refusing to bring his son up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and showing little Christian behavior.  His mother seems to have been more faithful, and likely instilled a lasting binding to the Word which Lincoln would hold to even in his lowest moments.

It's easy to see how such an environment could lead to his atheist phase.  There was a surge of secular and atheistic writing at the time, and they were far more consistent than the Christians he had encountered.

But atheism has no lasting strength, and Lincoln needed that.  He faced death almost continuously: losing siblings, parents, friends, and later children (not to mention the horrors of war).  He needed answers, and he kept looking.

It would seem he found those answers.  He remained wary of organized religion, but he seems to have come to know God in Jesus and to trust Him.

His wife, Mary (who was no strong Christian, dabbling in mysticism and spiritualism), says his last words were "We will visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footsteps of the Savior.  There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem."

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

"The Martyrdom of Polycarp" (translated by Roberts and Donaldson).  Available online.

Some oddities:

• "were no longer men, but had already become angels" - I guess it does go back further than "It's a Wonderful Life" :)
• There's a fair amount of anti-semitism (especially in chapter 13).  Hard to tell how much of that is post-70, and how much was added by later authors.
• No explicit definition of the Gospel

And the good points:

• "we do not commend those who give themselves up [to suffering], seeing the gospel does not teach so to do"
• "the churches throughout the world" (churches - plural)
• "the blameless one for sinners"

End on a good note :)

Thoughts for Young Men

"Thoughts for Young Me" (J.C. Ryle) - This is a short book (89 pages).  It has only one goal - to motivate young men to godliness.  It does it well.

When Sinners Say "I Do"

"When Sinners Say 'I Do'" (Dave Harvey) - This book is part of an adult Sunday school class at church.  Another member asked, "Are you enjoying the book?".  I had to answer, "No, but it is good for me".  This book will exhort you to improve your marriage.  It won't pull punches or tickle your ear with nice sayings.  But, if you take it seriously, it will work.

Morning and Evening

"Morning and Evening" C. H. Spurgeon (audio) - This is a devotional, with two sections per day for a whole year.  I was surprised how metaphorical it often was, but if you look at it more as a reflection than as a Bible study it is very pleasant.

Who Am I?

"Who Am I? Identity in Christ" (Jerry Bridges)(audio) - This book seemed rather short (hard to tell in audio format), but it was encouraging.

It starts with a look at who we are in Christ, and how that is our basis for everything.

It ends with this encouragement:
"For every look you take at your sanctification, take two looks at your justification."

How Should We Then Live

"How Should We Then Live" (Francis Schaeffer)(audio) - This book really surprised me.

First, the title made me think that it would be on orthopraxy (right living).  It is actually a short survey of history from the Fall of Rome to "modern" day (1976).

Second, Schaeffer always struck me as somewhat liberal.  But his analysis is strictly orthodox.

Third, I was surprised how succinct he was, and how accurately he could sense the flow of the spirit of the age (and predict what would come over the next 38 years).

This is a book I will need to go over again...

Trusting God

"Trusting God" (Jerry Bridges) (audio) - This book starts with a discussion of the attributes of God, and progresses from there to show why it is possible and indeed necessary for us to trust God.

This Momentary Marriage

"This Momentary Marriage" (John Piper) - I like reading John Piper.  His love for God is evident, his passion flows off the page.  And his beliefs are similar to mine, but not identical - so I am always looking for how he comes to the positions he does.

This book is an overview of how marriage glorifies God.  It covers many topics, and is intended to help a couple think about what they are committing to.

And it's number one focus is on the glory of God :)

Knowing God

"Knowing God" (J. I. Packer) (audio) - I don't like doing heavy books via audio, but this book was very comforting to listen to in crazy traffic.  I will need to do it again, because I'm sure I missed stuff.

It is an overview and surface introduction to theology proper (the study of God).

The Sacred Search

"The Sacred Search" (Gary Thomas) - This book was recommend by Focus on the Family, and I find them to be a little moralistic and light on the Gospel oftentimes.  This book is representative of that, but it does have some good principles and reminders of what is important (the kingdom of God), and what is not important (our emotions).

Slave

"Slave" (John Macarthur) - Who is a Christian?  Is it just whoever says they are?  Is there anything one must believe or do?

One failing of most English translations (including the King James) is the word doulos.  This goes back at least to Tyndale, and does not appear to be any sort of systematic attack.  It seems the word "slave" (which is the closest English word) did not hold much meaning to people at that time.

Yet, today, we have people who claim that Jesus can be Savior, without being Lord (the Lordship salvation controversy).

Is it any surprise we have people making their own way?  Past evangelists have emphasized a "personal relationship" with Christ, and that is certainly necessary.  But it is the relationship of a master and slave!

John Macarthur (as always) brings deep exegesis to the subject, and brings to bear all of Scripture on this vital topic.  Even if you are convinced of the need to have Jesus as Lord, you will be encouraged, exhorted, and educated on every aspect of this personal relationship.

Erasing Hell

"Erasing Hell" (Francis Chan) - Francis Chan is no Frank Turk.

When you're wrong, Frank Turk will slap you and say "What are you doing?"  It's probably for the best that there is only one Frank :)

Chan has a much more irenic approach.  He is pleading, and cajoling.  I am probably not in the audience he is targeting, but I know there are a lot of people who are there.

This book is short, but very well researched and argued.  If you are at all in doubt on the doctrine of Hell, and not able to take a helpful slap, this might be the book you need.

For those who are familiar with the doctrine of Hell, most of the arguments Chan presents will be familiar as well.  I did learn that the notion that Gehenna is a burning trash dump is actually a medieval invention.

The Tallest Watchtower

This was a very short book (it showed as six pages in my e-reader).  It consists of a very short story, and a short story.

I should start by saying that short fiction is a very difficult medium to work in, and it can be very hit or miss. Some people will resonate with a story, while others will not get it at all. There is little time for characterization, but you can present a powerful image or argument (without having to deal with wrap up or continuing consequences).

With that disclaimer, I must say I was not very impressed with either story in this book.

The first story was very moving, but very predictable. Adoption is a powerful picture in Christianity, but the author failed to bring everything together and present a clear message. Similarly, as Christians, we do not mourn death in the same way as unbelievers, but there are still some emotional consequences (which were not respected here).

The second story was also very predictable, and the message is a little odd (from a Christian point of view). It felt a lot like "Ghost Dad" or something like that.

On top of these things, the editing left a lot to be desired.  I noticed several grammatical errors, and the language was stilted in places.

Sherman

"Sherman: The Ruthless Victor" (Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin) - This was a short book at 115 pages.  Before becoming a Christian, I was never much interested in biographies.  Now, I am finding them really intriguing.  I do enjoy those that use more first hand accounts, but that does tend to drive up the book size.  This book uses more second and third hand accounts, and works as a good overview of the life of Sherman.

I also like to evaluate the theological angle of these accounts, but it seems pretty clear that Sherman was an atheist (he certainly lived his life that way).  He was also a pretty unlikeable guy, and it makes for an unpleasant experience just reading a description of him.  That is no slight on the authors, it's who he was.


Sherman is famous for saying "War is Hell".  What few people realize, is that he was one of the people instrumental in bringing about the Hell of total war.  I will leave further discussion of that for another post.


What I found most interesting was that Sherman nearly became a banker.  After that failed, he was a teacher at an army academy, which ended in the run up to the Civil War (the school was nationalized by the South, and Sherman returned to the North in preparation for returning to the Army).

His performance in the war was actually pretty unimpressive.  He did a lot of damage, but didn't face a whole lot of actual combat.

I think the clearest revelation of Sherman's character comes from how he treats others.

The press was initially critical of him, and he of them.  Later in life, he became famous and he warmed to the coverage then.  He also sought to manipulate the media.

General Grant clearly thought well of him, and went out of his way to protect Sherman's position and reputation (not in a combat sense).

How does Sherman repay him?  By belittling the man in his private notes (p 94).


Overall, a good book about a wicked man.


This does make me want to read about Grant...

More and Frith

I wanted to give an in depth example from the life of Thomas More.

Shakespeare came after all this, but when he said "life is a stage, and we are actors upon it" - that would resonate with the people of England at this time.  More's life and death had this idea of display (nothing wrong with that, we are telling the story written by God, if you will).

What is surprising is the lack of introspection; the comparison of what is happening to the climax of the story - the death of Jesus.

John Frith was the student of William Tyndale.  He had fled England, but was convinced to return, as the king was showing Protestant (or "Lutheran") tendencies.

However, his return was too soon.  The king was looking to break from Rome, but was still looking to be seen as "Catholic".  Frith was captured, imprisoned in the tower, and executed.

What was More's role in all this (p 333)?

"One of More's informants, probably a member of the network which had flourished during his chancellorship, obtained a copy of one of these works [by Frith, on the "new faith"] and brought it to Chelsea [More's primary home]"

So, More had spies who would betray men.

More's reaction to reading Frith's work was (pardon the old English):
"his treatise 'sholde cost hym the beste bloude in hys body'"

Now, More had retired at this point, so his charges were not legally binding.  However, that is precisely what happened.  More's response:
"'I fere me sore that Cryst wyll kyndle a fyre of fagottees for hym, & make hym theirin swete the bloude out of hys body here, and strayte frome hense send hys soule for euer into the fyre of hell'"


It's remarkable that no one gave any pause in all this.  "Hey, here we are paying 30 pieces of silver to traitorous men to put to death those who challenge our traditions - doesn't this remind anyone of some other story?"

The Life of Thomas More

"The Life of Thomas More" (Peter Ackroyd) - I touched previously on why this was a painful book to read.

But the most painful part was extracting the theology of the thing.

The facts are pretty clear cut:

1. Henry VIII declared the independence of the Church of England (following the Pope's refusal to grant him an annulment with Catherine)
2. There followed an edict to swear an oath of loyalty to the King as the head of the Church of England - which More refused to sign (claiming it was contrary to his conscience)
3. More was eventually tried for treason, and executed for the same

It's easy to read this into a context of martyrdom - executed for refusing to act contrary to one's conscience.

But, things are not so cut and dried.  Is Servetus a martyr because he was executed for his beliefs?  He denied the Trinity, which most would interpret (via 2 John) that he did not know the right Christ and did not have the Father.

So, the question is - did More die for the right thing?  And, if he died for the wrong reasons, was this a simple error on his part ("dying a stupid death" as might be said), or was it worse - the final act of the self-righteous?

What worries me is the proclamation - what are we saying.  The best is to die for the proclamation that Jesus Christ paid the price for sin, that we can be made right with God through trusting in Him and what He did.  That we will turn from sin and forsake it.

Ackroyd sums up More's life on page 400:

"He embodied law all his life, and he died for it."

Where is the Gospel?  Where is the forgiveness of sins?  Where is the finished work of Christ?

On page 402 (regarding the disposition of his items):

"He gave into [his wife] Alice More's keeping his hair shirt and scourge"

More wore a hair shirt nearly continuously his adult life.  It served to chafe and aggravate his skin.  I don't think anyone today does such a thing - it is entirely foreign to our thinking (similarly, the scourge was for whipping himself).

Could this be done in a godly fashion?  Maybe.  The problem is, it detracts from the finished work of Christ.  It can be seen as "I must pay the price".


That's the overview.  I will cover at least one more topic later.