Tag: Christian Living Page 10 of 14

On May 9, 2021

Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College

by Michael J. Kruger

Paperback, 241 pg.
Crossway, 2021

Read: April 18-25, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Surviving Religion 101 About?

The book is structured as sixteen letters to Kruger’s daughter, a college freshman at UNC (his own alma mater). Kruger remembers the challenges he had to deal with at the school in terms of faith and knows that things haven’t gotten easier for college students in the years since then.

These letters are written as encouragements for her regarding some specific challenges he expects that she will have to deal with because of things professors or peers will say—directly or indirectly—that will challenge her thinking and faith. As well as he may have tried to prepare her before she left for college, it’s different when it’s no longer a matter of preparation, but of daily experience.

Kruger’s aim is to help Emma—and other readers—know that there are intellectually satisfying defenses to the challenges thrown her way. Believing isn’t about shutting down the mind to thinking, rather, it’s about loving God with our mind.

…I am not under the impression that merely reading this book will answer every possible question a college student may have. Nor do I think any single book (or even many books) could prepare students to go toe-to-toe with their college professor. No, the intent here is much more modest. Like any complex task, eventually, you have to take the first step, even if it’s a little one. This volume is designed to be that first step, an initial orientation for Christian students about the challenges they face and (hopefully) a reason for them to be confident that there are answers to their questions, even if they don’t yet have them.

Or as the title suggests, this book is about surviving—with faith intact—one’s university experience. Now, that may seem like a strange goal, perhaps one that is far too modest. Don’t we, as Christians, want to do more than survive? Don’t we want to make an impact and change the world while in college? Sure, but that’s not where one starts. Instead, you start by not stopping. By not giving up. By surviving. You can’t “change the world” for Christ if you no longer believe in Christ or walk with Christ.

He deals with things like belief in miracles (in particular, the Resurrection), the so-called problem of evil, the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian sexual ethics, pitting science versus religion, the reliability of the New Testament (in light of Bart Ehrman’s position at UNC, this is of particular importance). Kruger sets out to show that yes, Christians have been answering these/similar challenges for centuries, these are not things that need to shipwreck a believer’s faith but can be faced head-on.

Highlights and Concerns

I thought every chapter in the book was solid and helpful—there’s not a disappointing one in the bunch. Kruger is good to show both the thinking behind the challenge to the faith represented by the various topics and the answers (or at least the beginning or answers) needed to push back. But he shows why the challenge is important, why it matters what the Christian response is (first to the believer dealing with the objection/challenge, and then to the one outside the faith), and offers encouragement to persevere in light of the issue.

I did think that Kruger perhaps focused too much on the reliability of the Scriptures and similar topics—given that three chapters when everything else gets one. Still, given Kruger’s specialty in textual and canon studies, it makes sense—particularly when you add in the importance of the topic, and the lack of exposure most Christians (of all ages) have to these ideas.

At the end of the day, however, for this reader, it all comes down to the Postscript, “What Do I Do If It Feels Like Christianity Just Isn’t Working for Me?” Setting aside the focus on the mind, he turns to the affections, concentrating on the affections the believer has for the person of Christ first and foremost, with the details of all the other issues covered in the book before this point (and more) coming in second.

Here is where many believers miss the point of the Christian life. Some are part of the church because they are excited about being involved in a “good cause” or because they love helping people or because they resonate with the idea of Christianity. But in the end, that’s not the heart of the faith. We are not Christians so that we can be part of a cause; we are Christians so that we can know a person: Jesus Christ. Don’t forget, he’s a real person, not just a concept And it is only our affection, our love, our adoration for him as a person that will keep us faithful to the end. If we are concerned only about a cause, that will fade as soon as difficulty and suffering come. Causes come and go. Jesus is forever.

So, what did I think about Surviving Religion 101?

When I left high school for college in the last century, I remember getting a couple of books along these lines and saw them all the time, too. How to secure your child’s faith during college, how to help them avoid the moral failings the surround them, etc. Memorize these facts (in a very Josh McDowell-esque fashion), stay away from booze and sex, and you might end up ushering in a revival at your college. Kruger’s approach is more of a, “it’s okay, let’s talk and help you deal with these.” Not to emerge victorious, but to emerge intact and ready to try again the next day.

There’s no fear in these pages, instead, there’s a quiet confidence, a trusting in the acre of the Father—encouragement to keep on keeping on and a reminder that the Son has redeemed his people, and they should live with humble boldness ready for with answer for the hope that liest within.

I recommend this book, and encourage readers of the right age (or beyond) give this a shot.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

The Word Became Fresh by Dale Ralph Davis: Principles for Old Testament Reading “For Fun and Profit”

On May 2, 2021

The Word Became Fresh:
How to Preach from Old
Testament Narrative Texts

by Dale Ralph Davis

Kindle Edition, 154 pg.
Mentor, 2012

Read: April 11-18, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Dale Ralph Davis is one of those authors I’ve meant to read for ages now, I’ve seen him quoted and referred to for as long as I can remember and I just hadn’t gotten around to reading any of his work. This book seemed like a decent place to start.

What’s The Word Became Fresh About?

In the preface, Davis sets out the impetus for the book—too many Christians see the Old Testament as unimportant, or too complicated to understand—it’s good for a couple of morality lessons or the occasional Psalm, but that’s about it.

I still believe that traditional Old Testament criticism has had the effect of killing the Old Testament for the church. This little tome can hardly reverse that, but it is meant as an exercise in reading the Old Testament for fun and profit. As my mother- in- law used to say, ‘It’s different anyway.’ And maybe it will help.

While yes, the book is intended as a help for preachers*, these tools can and should be used by the laity in their personal reading.

* Maybe I’m just a snob, but if preachers don’t have the tools to handle the Old Testament passages at this level already, perhaps they skimped on their training.

Davis describes and then illustrates several principles to be used when approaching (primarily narrative) Old Testament texts to help the reader focus on the main ideas and themes of the passages without getting bogged down in the minutiae. The illustrations are plentiful and insightful—and are probably the best part of the book—taken from all over the Old Testament to help illustrate how useful they are for a variety of texts.

So, what did I think about The Word Became Fresh?

The writing is warm, approachable, and engaging—I can see why so many people have quoted Davis in the various things I’ve read—and I can see myself quoting him in the future (and reading more of him to get those quotations).

While I found the principles and tools he lays out to be helpful, I’m not sure I needed any of them. I’ve been exposed to—and using—most of them (generally without knowing I was using a hermeneutical tool, which should’ve been obvious to me).

What I found most helpful is his illustrations, seeing this stuff at work—and the conclusions (both exhortations and assurances) that he draws from his examples. These turn each chapter into a collection of sermonettes for handy use.

I’m not sure I learned a lot from this book, but I really appreciated the time I spent in the book and the gems I was able to collect from Davis. This won’t be my last book by him.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Grace and Glory by Geerhardus Vos (Banner of Truth Edition): A Fantastic Sermon Collection

On April 25, 2021

Grace and Glory

by Geerhardus Vos

Hardover, 291 pg.
Banner of Truth, 2020

Read: January 3-April 18, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Oops

Back in 2019, I went shopping for a copy of these sermons by Vos and found a handful of editions. I picked one purely based on price. It looked like a decent quality version, but nothing fancy. Sure, the Hardcover published by the Banner of Truth would be nicer, but I didn’t need the fancy cloth binding.

What I learned later was that the Banner edition included ten additional sermons. So passing that over to save a couple of bucks was not the brightest move I’ve ever made.

I’ve mixed in what I posted about the shorter version with the rest of this post, in case someone’s in the mood to get all persnickety about plagiarism.

Christ’s work for us extends even farther than the restoration of what sin has destroyed. If Christ placed us back there where Adam stood in his rectitude, without sins and without death, this would be unspeakable grace indeed, more than enough to make the gospel a blessed word. But grace exceeds sin far more abundantly than all this: besides wiping out the last vestige of sin and its consequences, it opens up for us that higher world to whose threshold even the first Adam had not yet apprehended. And this is not a mere matter of degrees in blessedness, it is a difference between two modes of life; as heaven is high above the earth, by so much the condition of our future state will transcend those of the paradise of old.

What’s Grace and Glory?

For most people (who’ve heard of him), Geerhardus Vos is known as a theologian—one of the Twentieth Century’s brightest stars, the man who showed that the academic discipline known as Biblical Theology wasn’t the domain solely of Theological Liberalism, but that a robust, Bible-believing thinker could (and should) contribute to the field.

But before he was a theologian or professor, Vos was a preacher. And this small collection of sermons shows how capable he must have been.

Yes, there’s rich theology behind these sermons, but they’re primarily expositions and applications of the texts for the hearers. And, yes, the audiences of these sermons were students at Princeton Theological Seminary (before the downgrade that led to the creation of Westminster Theological Seminary), but these were not airy, academic addresses. Sure, as the initial hearers were largely future ministers, there are portions that are more applicable to preachers than to laity. But there’s not a lot of that, and even in the midst of one of those sections, there’s still a lot of gold to be mined.

The first person to whom he showed himself alive after the resurrection was a weeping woman who had no greater claim upon him than any simple penitent sinner has. No eye except that of the angels had as yet rested upon his form. The time was as solemn and majestic as that of the first creation when light burst out of chaos and darkness. Heaven and earth were concerned in this event; it was the turning-point of the ages. Nor was this merely objectively so: Jesus felt himself the central figure in this newborn universe; he tasted the exquisite joy of one who had just entered upon an endless life in the possession of new powers and faculties such as human nature had never known before. Would it have been unnatural had he sought some quiet place to spend the opening hour of this new unexplored state in communion with the Father? Can there be any room in his mind for the humble ministry of consolation required by Mary? He answers these questions himself. Among all the voices that hailed his triumph no voice appealed to him like this voice of weeping in the garden. The first appearance of the risen Lord was given to Mary for no other reason than that she needed him first and needed him most. And what more appropriate beginning could have been set for his ministry of glory than this very act? Nothing could better convince us that in his exalted state he retains for us the same tender sympathy, the same individual affection as he showed during the days of his flesh.

So, what did I think about Grace and Glory?

When I wrote about the original edition, I stated that: I don’t think it was by design, but the second, fourth, and sixth sermons were the ones that I appreciated most—my notes weren’t really that helpful, especially now. All I wrote about #2 “Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness” was “Wow! Fantastic.” True, but that’s not really helpful—Vos opens up the idea about how Christ uses the believer’s faith (hungering and thirsting) to fill and bless them. The sermon “‘Rabboni'” (about Mary’s encounter with the risen Christ near the tomb) is less than twenty pages long, but was better than Richard Sibbes’ sermon series (184 pages in the Banner of Truth edition) on the same passage—I can’t do it justice here, so I won’t try. And the last sermon? It’s worth more than the purchase price of the whole book.

I also said that I fully expected when I re-read this book in 2021 or so, I’d say something just as strong about the odd-numbered sermons and wonder what I was talking about now. That’s wasn’t the case, in retrospect, but I would put “Rabboni” ahead of “Heavenly-Mindedness” (which was still worth the purchase price of the paperback). J. Gresham Machen called “Rabboni” “one of the finest expository sermons I have ever heard.” It’s definitely one of the finest I’ve ever read.

I was a little less taken with the additional material than I wanted to be—nothing was bad, mind you, but I think the original compilation was stronger. Naturally, there were a couple of exceptions, “The Eternal Christ” and “The Gracious Provision,” were just as strong as any of the first group.

As Scott Clark mentions in his forward to the Solid Ground Publication edition, Vos was a poet (particularly in retirement, but before then, too). And you can see that in some of these sermons—they practically sing. I can only imagine how captivating these were hearing them, they’re stirring just reading them.

Either edition qualifies as one of the best collections of sermons I’ve ever read. My only complaint is that there were only six, until I found the additional material—now my only complaint is that there’s only one volume of these. Get this one.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Rejoice and Tremble by Michael Reeves: Gospel Fear

On March 21, 2021

Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good
News of the Fear of the Lord

by Michael Reeves
Series: Union

Hardcover, 168 pg.
Crossway, 2021

Read: March 7-14, 2021

What’s Rejoice and Tremble About?

The Publisher’s Description:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” —Proverbs 1:7

Fear is one of the strongest human emotions—and one that often baffles Christians. In the Bible the picture can seem equally confusing: Is fear a good thing or a bad thing? And what does it mean to “fear the Lord”?

In Rejoice and Tremble, Michael Reeves clears the clouds of confusion and shows that the fear of the Lord is not a negative thing at all, but an intensely delighted wondering at God, our Creator and Redeemer.

The High Point of the Book

There was one chapter that made the time I spent reading the book as a whole absolutely worth it. It’s called “How to Grow in This Fear.” The focus of the chapter is on how both Scripture and faith work in a believer’s heart and life to increase Godly Fear. I found it inspiring and convicting.

The Series Design and How This Book Deals with It

According to the Series Preface, this is the first book in a series called Union, “an attempt to express and share” certain values. “[W]e long to grow and support men and women who will delight in God, grow in Christ, serve the church, and bless the world.”

All well and good, but later it states,

Each exploration of a subject in the Union series will appear in two versions: a full volume and a concise one. The idea is that church leaders can read the full treatment, such as this one and so delve into each topic while making the more accessible concise version widely available to their congregations.

This not-concise book is 168 pages, the other version is 80—so I guess it’s not as full. But 168 pages of pretty easy reading isn’t what I’d think of as the domain of leaders. If this was the accessible, short version of a 4-500 academic text, I wouldn’t complain (and I’d be interested in that other volume, too). But this? This doesn’t need a simpler, shorter version.

So, what did I think about Rejoice and Tremble?

I truly think this is a better book than I give it credit for. But it didn’t do a whole lot for me.

I think it wasn’t the right time for me to read this—I’m not sure when a better time might be, but I didn’t connect with most of the material. I saw what he was doing (usually), but didn’t find it terribly compelling. I give both the topic and Reeves more credit than that, so I assume it was me.

I also think I was put off by the idea that this was intended to be an inaccessible volume for those who aren’t leaders in the church—there was nothing in this book that my seventeen-year-old couldn’t have handled. I really think reading that Series Preface put me off. If I pick this up again in a couple of years, I’m going to work harder on ignoring that.

It’s a decent read, it’s a good reminder of the place that a Biblical Fear of the Lord should hold in the Christian life. I cautiously recommend it. My guess is that most readers will get more out of it than I did.

3 Stars

Every Day Matters: A Biblical Approach to Productivity by Brandon D. Crowe: Biblical Foundation, Sage Advice, and Helpful Examples

On May 10, 2020

Every Day Matters: A Biblical Approach to Productivity

by Brandon D. Crowe

Paperback, 129 pg.
Lexham Press, 2020

Read: February 2-23, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

I should begin by stating upfront that my take on this book is very different than the other Christian Productivity book I read back in 2015. It’s entirely possible that this makes me a hypocrite. I don’t think so, but I’m not going to go back and re-read the other one. I remember the starting point of that one being different than this, and it makes all the difference to me.

* N.B.: Crowe cites it positively at one point. Do with that what you will.

In Part I, Crowe outlines the need for believers to think about their personal productivity. Then he uses Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to show the foundation of Biblical productivity. Then he further expands on that material by looking at Paul’s teaching about focus, diligence, and self-control. This was my favorite section, and I could’ve easily read something twice as long had Crowe decided to expand on these points.

Part II focuses on Principles. He builds on the Biblical material with a mixture of experience, research into productivity, and application of Christian teaching to help the reader concentrate on responsibility, goal setting, the role of family, the importance of rest and health.

The rubber meets the road in Part III, “Practices.” He discusses spiritual disciplines, organization methods and some pitfalls to avoid. He gives a lot of tips here, illustrated from his own experience (but he also discusses some things he doesn’t personally use). There’s a lot of “this worked for me, give it a shot” kind of writing here. There’s also a handy little appendix on the strategic use of email.

I think Crowe’s use of both the Wisdom Literature and Pauline texts are incredibly helpful; his principles section demonstrates both wisdom and insight; and his application his helpful. Best of all is the general approach, essentially: This is what I’ve learned, you should be able to learn something from it. The important thing is that you think about this kind of thing and find the most effective way for you to serve God and your fellow man (starting with your family). It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

That’s exactly the kind of thing I needed to read.

Sure, it’s “only” a 3 1/2 Star book. I know some people see that as a bad thing. The majority of what I read and like is 3 Star. But I’m not the kind of guy who is ever going to give more than that to a productivity book (unless it really makes me laugh or something—it’ll be the writing, not the method that wins me over). I liked this, it provoked some thought and reflection and I’ve applied some of what Crowe has said—and am looking for ways to do more of that. I think that says good things about the book.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Everyday Prayer with John Calvin by Donald K. McKim: A helpful, but not overly-interesting devotional

On March 29, 2020

Everyday Prayer with John Calvin

by Donald K. McKim

Hardcover, 117 pg.
P&R Publishing, 2019

Read: March 1-8, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Let’s get this out of the way at the beginning: I do not like devotionals. Morning and Evening, Our Daily Bread, Ligonier’s Tabletalk…or any number of other daily helps that millions find helpful. They’re too brief, too…I don’t want to say shallow, but introductory, I guess. The instant they get near depth, they have to wrap up because they’re about to get too long for the format. And I understand why, but I just find them frustrating.

Which is just to say that I should never have bought this book. And so you know that my lack of enthusiasm isn’t necessarily a criticism. This was never going to be a book I really liked.

The term devotional shows up nowhere in the blurb, title, anywhere—”Everyday” was the only clue I overlooked (but I thought the term suggested “ordinary,” “regular,” non-pulpit prayer).

Prayer is central to the Christian life, which is why John Calvin spends more time on prayer than on any other topic in his Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Drawing from the Institutes and Calvin’s Old and New Testament commentaries, Donald K. McKim comments on Calvin’s biblical insights on prayer and intersperses his short readings with Calvin’s own prayers. Reflection questions and prayer points help you to meditate on Scripture, understand Calvin’s teaching, and strengthen your own prayer life.

The ninety readings start with a scripture reference, give a paragraph or so of introduction to the topic, a quotation from one of Calvin’s commentaries or the Institutes—the quotation will be a sentence fragment to a paragraph or so—then some application, a reflection question or a particular thing to pray about. There was nothing wrong in the readings, but they….lacked any real depth or insight. I think it could be helpful for some people, or maybe a useful review of some ideas.

These readings are separated by the occasional longer prayer from a commentary. which are just great—the best part of the book.

It’s based on Calvin—there’s good stuff throughout. But you’re better off reading the source material (the section from the Institutes on Prayer alone is better than this book, never mind the helpful things referred to in the commentaries). If you like devotionals, you may find this of some help. At the least, it’s worth a look.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Quick Takes: God, You, & Sex by David White; Entering God’s Rest by Ken Golden; Redemptive Reversals by G. K. Beale; Grace and Glory by Geerhardus Vos

On December 22, 2019

The point of these quick takes post to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.
—

God, You, & Sex: A Profound Mystery

by David White
Paperback, 240 pg.
New Growth Press, 2019
Read: November 3, 2019
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Okay, I’ve read Ephesians 5:32 and Solomon’s Song—I know there’s much to be learned about the relationship between Christ and the Church from human marriage (and vice versa), but…I still feel squeamish about aspects of that. Nothing against Mr. White, but he’s not Solomon, and I couldn’t really get behind much of what he said on that topic (not that he was wrong, necessarily, I just couldn’t agree with him).

But beyond that—it was refreshing to read actual positive teaching about human sexuality from a Christian perspective and not just a list of “No”s, “Don’t Do That”s, and so on. Yes, the positive teaching necessitates some of the “Nope”s, and I have no problem with that, but it just seems that all the conservative Protestant world can come up with are the anti-whatever books.

In the end, I quite liked most of this and got something out of it.
3 Stars

Entering God’s Rest: The Sabbath from Genesis to Revelation—And What It Means for You

by Ken Golden
Kindle Edition, 112 pg.
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 2018
Read: November 17, 2019
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
This is a really good book to cut your teeth with on the subject of the Christian Sabbath/The Lord’s Day. Golden does a decent job in tracing the doctrine of the Sabbath through the Scriptures, gives some good principles for modern observance of the Christian Sabbath and how we ought to think of it—and those who disagree with us.

In the end, he gives some examples of ways one might put those principles to use. Honestly, this last chapter is the weakest, and it seems to me that he wasn’t consistent in his application of his own principles, and ended up with suggestions that were pretty weak (and maybe a compromise?)

Ignoring the last chapter, it was a decent, quick and easy read. But I’d recommend Ryan McGraw’s The Day of Worship: Reassessing the Christian Life in Light of the Sabbath, Joseph A. Pipa’s The Lord’s Day, or Nicholas Bownd’s The True Doctrine of the Sabbath instead (ranked by increasing length, depth, and complexity).
3 Stars

Redemptive Reversals and the Ironic Overturning of Human Wisdom

by G. K. Beale
Series: Short Studies in Biblical Theology
Paperback, 189 pg.
Crossway, 2019
Read: November 10, 2019
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
I’m not really certain what it was that I expected this book to be, but I didn’t get it. What Beale gave us are looks at various topics in Scripture, showing how the way God has/is working is both counter to the ways of the world as well as human intuition.

It was a pretty approachable book, almost deceptive in its simplicity—most of what he says is worth more thought and meditation than your initial impressions might lead you to think. There’s also a lot of rich application for both thought and life—I didn’t expect a book about irony to give me things to do.

I’m not convinced that I walked away from this having learned anything, but Beale did make me think of things that I knew in a different way, with ideas on how to approach similar Scriptural topics/themes in a similar fashion in my own study.
3.5 Stars

Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached in the Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary

by Geerhardus Vos
Paperback, 155 pg.
Solid Ground Christian Books, 2007
Read: December 8-15, 2019
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
For most people (who’ve heard of him), Geerhardus Vos is known as a theologian—one of the Twentieth Century’s brightest stars, the man who showed that the academic discipline known as Biblical Theology wasn’t the domain solely of Theological Liberalism, but that a robust, Bible-believing thinker could (and should) contribute to the field.

But before he was a theologian or professor, Vos was a preacher. And this small collection of sermons shows how capable he must have been.

I don’t think it was by design, it just worked out this way, but the second, fourth and sixth sermons were the ones that I appreciated most—my notes weren’t really that helpful, especially now. All I wrote about #2 “Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness” was “Wow! Fantastic.” True, but that’s not really helpful—Vos opens up the idea about how Christ uses the believer’s faith (hungering and thirsting) to fill and bless them. The sermon “‘Rabboni'” (about Mary’s encounter with the risen Christ near the tomb) is less than twenty pages long, but was better than Richard Sibbes’ sermon series (184 pages in the Banner of Truth edition) on the same passage—I can’t do it justice here, so I won’t try. And the last sermon? It’s worth more than the purchase price of the whole book.

(I fully expect when I re-read this book in 2021 or so, I’ll say something just as strong about the odd-numbered sermons and wonder what I was talking about now.)

As Scott Clark mentions in his forward, Vos was a poet (particularly in retirement, but before then, too). And you can see that in some of these sermons—they practically sing. I can only imagine how captivating these were hearing them, they’re stirring just reading them.

One of the best collections of sermons I’ve ever read. My only complaint is that there were only six. Get this one.
5 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Quick Takes: Grace Defined & Defended by Kevin DeYoung, Josiah’s Reformation by Richard Sibbes, The Future of Everything by William Boekestein

On October 13, 2019

Read the Official Synopsis here.

One or two of these didn’t end up being as “quick” as I’d intended, but I still don’t think of them as full-fledged posts, I think I’d need another 3-6 paragraphs each before I’d think of them as done. Oh well, what’s important (to me) is that they’re done and I can move on to the next books under consideration.
—

Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God

by Kevin DeYoung

Hardcover, 95 pg.
Crossway, 2019

Read: May 5, 2019

At their very heart, the Canons of Dort are about the nature of grace—supernatural, unilateral, sovereign, effecting, redeeming, resurrecting grace, with all of its angularity all of its offense to human pride, and all of its comfort for the weary soul. That’s what Dort wanted to settle. That’s what they were jealous to protect. Some words are worth the most careful definitions, just as some truths are too precious not to defend.

This is the second book about the Canons of Dort I’ve read in this 400th Anniversary year, and it’s (not surprisingly) a handy little book.

DeYoung starts off with an introduction sketching the theological and historical context for the Canons of Dort, and explains why we should care about them today. It’s called “In Praise of Precision” and sets the tone for the whole book (the above paragraph is from it).

Then he moves into an examination of each Main Point of Doctrine (what most translations call “Heads of Doctrine”), one chapter for every Point. DeYoung covers them concisely, but thoroughly (well, as thoroughly as you can while being concise). It’s polemical as it has to be, but no further. Honestly, DeYoung saves his most pointed words for those who (on paper, anyway) agree with the Canons, but don’t share the spirit of them.

I’d prefer something deeper, but that’s never what you’re going to get from a DeYoung book, I know it. So that’s not something I hold against it. Really, my only complaint is that there’s no conclusion. The book screams for one, if nothing else, just a couple of pages tying the Points back to the introduction. But other than that, I don’t think I have a bad thing to say about it.

It’s succinct, accessible, full of DeYoung’s typical charm and focused on the precision those assembled at Dort. It’s an entry point to the Canons of Dort, but there are more in-depth studies that readers should pursue (e.g., this)—but this will get you started in the right direction. I should add that it’d be a decent enough examination of them if you’re not curious enough to read more (but you totally should).
3 Stars

Josiah’s Reformation

by Richard Sibbes

Kindle Edition, 176 pg.
Banner of Truth Trust, 2011

Read: May 19-26, 2019

Read the Official Synopsis here.

For the longest time, Richard Sibbes has been my go-to Puritan. His writing taps right into my heart. The doctrine is strong, the application wise, but throughout it all he’s convicting and assuring (in the best way). This collection, sadly, just missed for me.

This is a collection of four sermons from 2 Chronicles describing the work of Josiah. It’s a call to sincerity in the faith, of killing hypocrisy within, of the change that the preaching of free grace can make in the heart which spills into our lives. First and foremost, the goal isn’t the benefits of Christ and desiring them, but to desire Him, to love Him—which will protect from hypocrisy and surface holiness by driving us to something deeper and truer. He then preaches about the art of self-humbling and mourning for our sin. The final sermon focuses on the true desire of the renewed heart—being gathered to Christ. Who doesn’t need to hear/read this message?

It was probably me coming to it when I did, and nothing off in Sibbes’ work. I can’t point to a problem with the book, I just never connected with it. I can see the encouragement, the comfort, the urging to pursue holiness—it’s all on-target, Biblical and well-written. But it left me feeling disappointed. Again, it’s probably really good, and in a couple of years when I try it again, I won’t understand my reaction.
3 Stars

The Future of Everything: Essential Truths about the End Times

by William Boekestein

Paperback, 135 pg.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2019

Read: April 7, 2019

Read the Official Synopsis here.

This is a great primer on Eschatology—it covers all the major points, develops them pretty well and shows how one can continue in the study of them as well as how they connect to the other points of the study of the End without losing sight of the rest of life and doctrine.

After setting the stage with a discussion of what Eschatology entails and how we can best understand prophecy, Boekestein moves on to Personal Eschatology—the death that awaits everyone (barring Christ’s return) and then what happens between that death and The End.

Then he moves on to General Eschatology (the End for everyone as a whole), with chapters on Christ’s Return, the meaning of the millennium, the general Resurrection, final Judgement, Hell and the New Heavens and Earth.

The last two chapters involve applying Eschatology to the New Covenant and Missions. How are we to act, think, and live in light of the coming End? These are things that are too often ignored when it comes to the study of Eschatology and it’s wonderful when they’re focused on.

One thing I really appreciated about this was that with the majority (possibly all, but I didn’t take notes on it) of the references to the Psalms that he made, Boekestein quoted/footnoted the Trinity Psalter Hymnal that the URCNA and OPC published last year. It’s a great way to get those metrical versions of the Psalms into your head, and hopefully into your heart (and vice versa).

One other thought I had while reading this is that there’s no need for my pastor to write a book on Eschatology. From his frequently cited sources, his perspectives, and even some of his phrasing, this could easily have had my pastor’s name on it. This doesn’t help any of you, but it is something I couldn’t stop thinking about.

I do wish his coverage of Postmillennialism was a bit more nuanced (and positive). I’m not a card-carrying post-mill anymore, but I still know the position isn’t quite as deficient and problematic as he makes it out to be.

This would a great introduction to Reformed eschatology—I want to stress the Reformed part, because the tradition is rich in its eschatological vision. Not in a focus on the end of the world, the timing of it, and how that’ll look, etc., etc. But how everything since the Ascension has been moving toward this point under the Kingship of Jesus Christ. It’s an assuring book, a helpful book, a great starting point (or refresher) for anyone studying Eschatology. Particularly for those who have no interest in starting such a confusing and volatile subject.
4 Stars

Finding God in the Ordinary by Pierce Taylor Hibbs: Essays to Inspire Devotion

On September 1, 2019