Transformational Discipleship - Book Review

There seems to be a definite proclivity for a number of Christian authors to title their books with multisyllabic adjectival words. I’m not sure of the motive or origin of such verbosity, but it sure does catch one’s eye.

Such is the case of Transformational Discipleship: how people really grow.

The book is a product of three authors who work minister for LifeWay Christian Resources. Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley and Philip Nation all have had varied ministry backgrounds so there is no question concerning their credentials. It is also the product of an extensive research project by LifeWay Research. Thus there are some references and statistics included, however, the authors do a good job to keep this to a minimum.

(Transformational Discipleship follows on the heels of Transformational Church (2010) by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer also of LifeWay.)

TD is aimed primarily at pastors and church leaders who desire to stimulate Christians to become transformed and committed believers who live to serve Christ as opposed to uninspired believers who pay their one hour per week dues every Sunday. The goal and motivation of TD is admirable. Unfortunately much of the material is not new or unique; it is repackaged inside of a different verbal format.

A couple of thoughts struck me as I read this volume.

1.    Chapter 1, “Deficient Discipleship,” and Chapter 2, “Disciple to Win,” read like sermons. If they were not originally, they would be excellent. (Perhaps even Chapter 3 also.)

2.    This volume is motivational in content with limited practical advice. Like I mentioned, a lot of it reads like a previously preached sermon.

With that being said, there are spiritual golf nuggets to be found in the mine. I found Chapter 6, “The Discipline Lens,” to contain some pointed practical information concerning spiritual discipline which is key to producing transformed disciples.

The final word is this: If you’re a new pastor or just stepping into  a leadership role in the church, TD will serve you well. You’ll gain some motivation insight and practical application.

 

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by B&H Publishing Group for a fair and forthright review.

A History of Christianity - Book Review

Every Christian, absolutely every Christian, should have some basic knowledge of the history of his faith. He does not need to be a historical scholar, but rather an informed believer. The question becomes from where does one draw that knowledge?

You could scour the internet and peruse a countless number of websites trying to piece together a cognitive history of the faith. But that would be time consuming and surely a bit frustrating. Not to mention who would you trust?

Or you could get into your possession this book: A History of Christianity: An Introductory Survey by Joseph Early Jr. Dr. Early is associate professor of religion in the School of Theology at Campbellsville University. He has a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has dedicated his scholarly research to the field of Christian history.

Dr. Early has provided a concise (if you consider 504 pages concise) history of the Christian faith that includes, within the 504 pages, endnotes, an invaluable bibliography for further research, a name index and a subject index. It is all a believer needs to get a grasp on the history of his faith.

A History of Christianity is a time travel experience from the time Jesus was born right up to the 21^st century. Early begins with a chapter entitled “Jesus and the World into Which He Was Born” that starts us off at day one. He then guides us to the Reformation providing insight into how the Catholic Church gradually distorted the true faith. Three chapters then direct us through the development of the Reformation focusing on the major personalities. Dr. Early steers us through the next 500 plus years right to the 21^st century.

This book serves two primary purposes. First it provides the believer with the basics of Christian history and second it should certainly whet the appetite of the historically inclined to do further reading on the subject.

The volume is a masterpiece of succinct history and should be in the library of every Christian. It is a must read for every Christian.

 

Disclosure: This book was provided to me by B&H Academic Publishing for a fair and honest review.

W.L. Craig Says 50% of Evangelical Pastors are an Embarrassment

I discovered a video recently from January 26, 2014 in which esteemed apologist and intellectual thinker Dr. William H. Craig states that over 50% of evangelical pastors believe in a young earth and are an embarrassment to Christianity. You can go here to listen to the insult.

 

Well, here’s a quick FYI for you, Dr. Craig. I do not apologize for being one of those pastors. Just as you have your scientific reasons for believing in an aged earth, I have my Biblical reasons for believing in a young earth. The debate will go on until the New Heavens and the New Earth.

But what is more important, and indeed quite disturbing, is your lack of tact and a pointed effort to create disunity in the Body of Christ. With this single statement you have become within the Body of Christ what you accuse over 50% of being – an embarrassment.

For the future here’s a couple of suggestions:

§  If you decide to insult over 50% of the pastors in the evangelical word, think twice and then keep your mouth shut.

§  Since the name of your ministry is Reasonable Faith I would suggest that you begin to place more emphasis on the first word – be reasonable.

§  Try to step down once in a while from your ivory tower and your world of endless debates and get your hands dirty.

The majority of evangelical pastors would be most grateful.

God of the Big Bang - Book Review

Let’s face it almost everyone would like an answer to the question of how we got here. An elementary answer would state either creation or evolution. An answer with a little bit more stickiness to it would say “a little bit of both.”

God of the Big Bang: HowModern Science Affirms the Creator took me a bit by surprise. I expected a treatise on creation ex nihilo from a conservative point of view. I received the ex nihilo but not the conservative.

God of the Big Bang written by Leslie Wickman, Ph.D. is a further affirmation that faith and science are not at odds. Dr. Wickman, a former Lockheed Martin corporate astronaut, certainly has her hand on science. She is literally a rocket scientist, but more importantly she is a Christian. With this in mind she should be able to provide us with a unique perspective on faith and science.

God of the Big Bang is filled with science so if you’re the science type, you will enjoy this volume. And if you’re the faith type, you will probably enjoy it also.

But here’s the cautionary note: My deduction is that Dr. Wickman is not a literal creationist. Rather she fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes that she presents in Chapter 6: “Genesis and Origins: A Spectrum of Views.” On one end of the spectrum are the strict evolutionists spurred on by Charles Darwin and at the other end are Christian apologists like Dr. Henry Morris (Institute for Creation Research). Thus, the truth falls somewhere in the middle.

So, here’s my recommendation: If you’re interested in a definitive answer to the Big Bang you won’t find it here. If you’re interested in a little research into the compatibility of faith and science, read this volume. If you’re not sure what you believe, you will probably be swayed to some position involving theistic evolution. If you are already a literal creationist, you will most likely not be impressed.

 

Disclaimer: I was provided this book by Worthy Publishing for purposes of an honest review.

Freedom of Religion Challenged

The name of this blog is “Eye on Christianity.” And while we usually like to keep a close eye on events that are happening within the born-again believer world, we also feel it necessary to observe those events happening outside of Christianity that can or could affect how believers walk in the world. The following is one of those.

If you care about freedom of religion and the right to live out your faith in the market place, you should put this on-going situation at the top of your reading list and then the top of your prayer list. It’s all about a grandmother who is being persecuted by the state of Washington.

You can also get a Southern Baptist perspective on the state of affairs at this link.

The most disturbing element is the statement made by the judge. The Seattle Times reported that Judge Ekstrom determined that “while religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren’t necessarily protected.”

These two previous links are the background to this sad, ongoing  saga. You can go here to get an update and view an interview from The Kelly File:

This situation is truly disturbing. It should genuinely upsetting regardless of one’s religious or political affiliation. This is the slippery slope that will erode religious freedom in the United States.

 

 

 

The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs & Symbols - Book Review

In a world of Biblical literature that is overflowing with reference books, you would think it would be a monumental task to produce a volume that is unique, informative, practical and just plain fun to hold in your hands and peruse. But not so with The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs & Symbols; Understanding their Meaning and Significance by Neil Wilson and Nancy Ryken Taylor and published by Baker Books.

Wilson and Taylor have endeavored to catalogue and explain 131 signs and symbols found within the sixty-six books of the Bible. All 131 are arranged alphabetically for ease of access. (Thus the lack of need for an index.) The book is printed on glossy paper with illustrations included for every entry.

Entries range from Altar to Zion/Jerusalem with items like Fire, Light and Salt sprinkled in between. Each entry also contains a short practical application/devotional just to get you thinking. There are even several “numbers” – forty, one, seven – that are included.

Sure they may have omitted one or two of your favorites but they do not claim the list to be exhaustive. This volume is not written for an ivory tower inhabitant who dabbles in the minutia of this fascinating topic, but rather for the busy pastor or the die-hard Bible student who seeks to glean all he or she can out of scripture.

And a note about format: You’ll want to get this is the paperback style. Baker Books is very adept at producing glossy books with great illustrations – Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary/Dictionary/Handbook. This one you’ll want to hold in your hands to more easily enjoy the layout of the book and the illustrations.

The end of the matter is this: if you are at all serious about Bible study, this book will enrich your endeavors.

What's Worse?

Here’s the What’s Worse question for today based on some news from yesterday.

Here are your two “What’s Worse” choices:

Christian bakers have been determined to be in violation of discriminatory laws in Oregon after they refused to bake a cake for a lesbian couple. That, according to an Oregon administrative judge, is blatant discrimination based on sexual orientation. You can read about the legal goings-on at this link - baker faker.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams admitted yesterday that the story he’s been telling about being shot down in a helicopter is a fabrication – alright, it’s a bold-face lie. Williams finally fessed up when America’s true heroes confronted him on his recollection of the facts. Be aware that Williams provides so much crap in his excuse that you’ll probably have to read the piece with hip boots on. Here’s a link for some more info on the story - news faker.

 

So now you choose.

 

Who are we going to put into the stocks in the village square a then pelt with rotten fruit?

 

A. Will it be the Christian bakers in Oregon who were simply standing up for their religious beliefs or

 

B. Will it be the famous newsman with the foggy memory who lied in the face of our heroes and nation?

Think hard. Pray Hard. It’s a tough choice.