Tag: Christian Living Page 2 of 15

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press    
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 216 pg.
Read Date: May 12-19, 2024

I set out to spend a few years studying ancient religions in general and Roman religion in particular, and I came to a clear conclusion: by and large, early Christians were weird and were dangerous to many, and yet clearly some found this religion attractive and compelling.

This book is not a handbook for how to be Christian today or how to create a “weird” church. Largely, I see the work I have done as descriptive—these are the first Christians, warts and all. They were not bucking conventions and pop religion to be special or different. In their best and most genuine moments, they were simply following Jesus, like mice blindly chasing after the pied piper. As they did so, they deviated from the norm of religion, and, whether they were intend. ing to or not, they stood out in society. This deviation from the norm is one way of defining what it means to be “weird. Another way is simply to say that “weird” things belong in another category. l am hoping that an extended investigation of the belies, practices, and ethos of the early Christians will clarify their origins and foundations, and provide insight into authentic Christianity today.

What’s Strange Religion About?

Gupta’s observation/conclusion is that early Christians were strange or weird when compared to others in their culture—thanks to their beliefs, ways of acting, and ways they wouldn’t act (for starters). They didn’t set out to be strange, to rebel against the culture, or anything like that. Actually, their goals involved being good citizens and living quiet lives—but their religious convictions set them outside the norm, and they stayed there for a good long time.

While Gupta doesn’t shy away from the occasional application to the contemporary Western (particularly American) Church, by and large, this is a descriptive book. He just talks about Roman culture in certain areas and then talks about how Christians were oddballs in the midst of all that. As he says above—this isn’t an attempt to make Christianity weird again, or anything like that—just to remind us how out of touch with the culture we were at one point.

Some of the areas he covers are: how the Romans of the first couple of centuries saw Christianity as a superstition; some early Christian beliefs—like believing they were possessed by God’s Spirit, their reckoning of the meaning of Time, and wanting to be associated with a horrible criminal in the first place (only the worst of the worst were crucified, who’d want to be associated with someone like that?); worship practices; family practices; and the way they treated others.

Belief

Romans sometimes argued about the gods—not over personal “beliefs” but over what they thought was true of the gods, But the Christians took their views to a whole other level, “believing” things that seemed absurd, disturbing, and even impossible. This may be one reason that Christians originally referred to themselves as “believers.” Today, we take for granted that religion is all about “faith” and “belief.” We have “faith” statements, “faith” traditions, and “interfaith” dialogue. But in the ancient world, there wasn’t this natural association between religion and faith language.

This is one of the biggest differences—one that shapes a lot of the rest. The book as a whole comes from Gupta’s students asking, why early Christians called themselves “believers,” what did the other followers of other religions call themselves? And well, one of Gupta’s findings was that Christians were more than a little strange by focusing on faith and belief. It was just foreign to the status quo.

The priests of public Roman religion were not chosen for their piety. They were expected to be experts in performing rituals. In fact, they had to be masters of religious arts so as to maintain the pax deorum*. It was a bit like being a professional bomb-disposal expert. It really doesn’t matter what you believe about government, law enforcement, or justice as long as you are good at defusing bombs. French historian and archaeologist Robert Turcan refers to Roman ritual worship as “Taylorism”—a form of scientific management. Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) developed a theory of management that was meant to produce efficient and effective workflow. Taylor offered a kind of mathematical formula to get the most out of human and industrial resources. Turcan argues that this was the mentality of the Romans—efficient and “successful” ritual performance to keep the gods content and happy. Roman priests and other cultic personnel had to provide meticulous observance of time-honored rituals.

He goes further:

There was a pervasive Roman understanding that persona beliefs, best intentions, and heartfelt emotion did not enhance religion. What mattered was what the gods actually called for—sacrifice and compliance. The early Christians had ther own practices and rituals, of course…But one thing we learn when we read the New Testament is that these Jesus people were absolutely obsessed with belief.

Now, Gupta spends twenty pages making that case, I just gave a brief overview—but even here, you can get an idea of how he goes about talking about each topic addressed.

* “Keeping Peace with the Gods.” Gupta describes the function of the sacrifices and rituals as maintaining this peace. It’s most of the content of the first chapter, and the basis for most of the rest of the book.

Pobody’s Nerfect

The last chapter* is entitled “The Christians Were Not Perfect”—some of this covers similar ideas as Nadya Williams’ book, Cultural Christians in the Early Church, but not all of it.

I really appreciated this chapter for a couple of reasons: 1. It’d be easy to take Gupta’s material and walk away with the idea that the early Christians had it all together (something that Williams and Gupta really wanted to counter), and 2. Gupta hits on some things that a lot of people don’t cover along these lines.

That said, it’s not a perfect chapter—and maybe it’s the most obviously imperfect chapter—I’m not sure I’m willing to buy into all of his examples from the Scriptures showing those imperfections (actually, there are some I’m sure I don’t buy).

But the chapter as a whole is a nice, refreshing reminder about the feet of clay that even the best of us possess.

* There is a conclusion following it, but it’s not long enough (or something) to be considered a chapter—at least not a numbered one. I wanted to stress that because I’ve complained recently about too many books not having a conclusion.

So, what did I think about Strange Religion?

One thing I haven’t talked about yet is that one of the things that Gupta focuses on is that despite—or maybe because of—the strangeness of Christianity to the Romans of the first and second centuries is that it was attractive to them. The “freaks” kept drawing more and more people to them, converting them to the weirdness. Again—not because they were strange, but because following Jesus Christ made them that way.

As a reader, not only did I appreciate the material, but the way that Gupta presented it. He built his arguments carefully and clearly (and one assumes accurately). Throughout all of this Gupta’s sense of humor shines through—keeping the text engaging as it educates. I’m always going to say good things about a book that does that (as long as the humor doesn’t detract from the serious material), and Gupta got this part right.

This is really one of the better books that I’ve read this year. From the thesis to the conclusion, and most points in between, Gupta painted a much-needed picture of early Christianity and Christians and how they related to the culture around them. It’s encouraging to remember that’s the natural state of the Church and one that we shouldn’t find ourselves overly-worried to be in again. I encourage Christians and those curious about our early history to give it a read.

I know that my wife has another book by Gupta on her shelves, I’m probably going to have to borrow it soon.

4 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, the opinions expressed are my own.
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The Hope in Our Scars by Aimee Byrd: A Plea for Help

By HCNewton

On June 2, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Hope in Our Scars:
Finding the Bride of Christ in the
Underground of Disillusionment

by Aimee Byrd

DETAILS:
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 206 pg.
Read Date: May 19-26, 2024

What’s The Hope in Our Scars About?

There are three strands of thought in this book (although two are pretty related, but they struck me as separate).

The first centers on Byrd and her family as they search for a new church home after the events that led to them leaving their long-time church.

The second deals with others—some by name, some more abstract and in a collective sense—who are dealing with disillusionment about the Church today—due to Spiritual abuse, sexual misconduct, financial fraud, coverups of all of the above, and so on. Some of this disillusionment leads to people wandering in a wilderness, looking for a local congregation to call home—others will wander far from the fold.

The third—and most important—discusses the way that the woman/the bride in the Song of Songs longs for her love/her husband. Individual believers should find themselves in that same situation—longing for the presence of our Lord in the place He promised to meet with us—as part of His Bride.

Song of Songs

As with her 2022 book, The Sexual Reformation, the primary portion of Scripture that Byrd focuses on is the Song of Songs. She rejects more contemporary approaches to the text in favor of an allegorical understanding. I really wish we’d get an entire book from her just on the song.

She’s not (as far as I know) a Hebrew scholar, so I’m not looking for a commentary. But Byrd’s a well-read layperson, and largely an autodidact, too—not the type for a technical work, but she has all the tools to provide a great reader’s guide or something along those lines.

So, what did I think about The Hope in Our Scars?

I really don’t know. I really didn’t get the organization—I’m assuming there was one, but I didn’t see it. It really felt to me while reading it that Byrd was just meandering around bouncing from one idea to another, picking up and dropping one of those strands every so often. It’s probably best to think of this as a series of mini-essays loosely connected by themes.

That said—I really appreciated a lot of what she said while pinballing all over. There was a lot of gold there—particularly in the Song of Songs discussion. But beyond that, she just expressed so well struggles so many of us go through. For example, when Byrd just discussed some of the challenges believers go through, how discouraging, how isolating, how alienating it is when we can’t be open with our brothers and sisters to talk about it—either because they refuse to listen, or can’t understand.

This is not her best work—but it might be Byrd at her most heartfelt. She’s definitely pointing to problems the Evangelical and Reformed expressions of the Church in the U.S. need to deal with, both for organizational health and the well-being of the members—more importantly to our witness to a lost and dying world. She’s light on solutions, or proposed solutions (which is probably for the best, as frustrating as it might be while reading). I hope she gets a hearing and that others who are pointing to the same issues do as well.

3 Stars

Grandpappy’s Corner: Tiny Hands Hymns, Tiny Hands Prayers, and Tiny Hands Promises edited by Hannah Duguid Estes, illustrated by Jessica Hiatt: A Great Set of Starter Devotional Reads

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2024

In Grandpappy's Corner, Theology/Christian Living, YA/MG/Children's Books

Tiny Hands Hymns

Tiny Hands Prayers

and

Tiny Hands Promises

edited by Hannah Duguid Estes, illustrated by Jessica Hiatt

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: October 25, 2023
Format: Board Book
Length: 16 pg. (each)
Read Date: April 27, 2024

What are the Tiny Hands About?

These are little board books that serve as beginning devotional materials—training wheels for young worshippers, if you will.

Tiny Hands Hymns

These are the first stanzas/verses of some of the best hymns around (and easiest to learn, too): “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Be Thou My Vision,” “Amazing Grace,” “This Is My Father’s World,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” and Thomas Ken’s doxology.

On the opposite pages are fitting illustrations, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

Tiny Hands Prayers

These are a selection of prayers—translated by Iain Duguid (Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary), from various portions of Scripture to serve as models of prayer.

They include: Mary’s prayer from Luke 1, Hannah’s from 1 Samuel 2, a prayer based on Daniel’s Prayer from Daniel 9:4-19, a prayer based on Ephesians 3:14-19, David’s prayer from Psalm 130, The Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6, and the prayer of the saints from Revelation 19, and the Aaronic benediction from Numbers 6.

Again, opposite each is an appropriate illustration, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

Tiny Hands Promises

This is a collection of covenant promises from the Old and New Testaments to introduce and remind even the littlest members of the covenant of what God has promised them. These, too, are translated by Iain Duguid.

They are Isaiah 43:1-3; John 10:27-28; Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:5; 1 John 1:9, 7*; Philippians 1:6; and Revelation 21:3-5.

*I’m not sure I get why he ordered them this way.

Yet again, opposite each is an appropriate illustration, with some accent illustrations on the pages with text.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

I’ve apparently appreciated Hiatt’s work as a cover designer on a few books (The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck, Things Unseen by J. Gresham Machen, and Struck Down but Not Destroyed by Pierce Taylor Hibbs), but illustrating board books calls for a slightly different skill set. Still, the illustrations remind me of those covers.

I think these are great. Bright and cheerful, without being cartoonish or silly (I have nothing against those kinds of illustrations, but they’re not fitting for the subjects).

How are they to Read Aloud?

They’re fine—although I can’t imagine that anyone, even those who can’t carry a tune, not singing the hymns instead of reading them.

The translations (I’d be tempted to call them paraphrases, but the books say translations—and I don’t know enough to contradict that) are foreign-feeling for people who are familiar with/have memorized the relevant portions from the AV, ESV, NASB, etc. Once you get past that feeling, there’s nothing about the text that’s difficult or odd to read—and they seem easy enough for young children to comprehend (to some degree).

What did the Little Critter think of Them?

Okay, I haven’t had the chance to read these with him, but his Momma has. She reports that he likes Tiny Hands Hymns, because she sings them, and he really responds well to singing. He doesn’t really seem to care about the others one way or another. That fits his personality—but doesn’t really reflect on the books, if you ask me.

So, what did I think about the Tiny Hands books?

I think they’re a great idea—and overall, I am pleased with the execution. I do recommend them without hesitation.

I have some questions about some of the technical bits of translation, verse choices, and whatnot—not so much that I have a problem with the books, I’d just like someone good with the original languages to sit down with me and walk through these.

But for a young child? I think they’re well done and would be great resources for regular use.

4 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, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Cultural Christians in the Early Church by Nadya Williams: Same Song, Older Verses

By HCNewton

On April 21, 2024

In History, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

It’s done. It’s not good—or what I wanted it to be—but it’s done. Finally.

Cultural Christians in the Early Church:
A Historical and Practical Introduction
to Christians in the Greco-Roman World

by Nadya Williams

DETAILS:
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 207 pg.
Read Date: January 7-14, 2024

What’s Cultural Christians in the Early Church About?

First, let’s define “Cultural Christian”—for Williams, they’re “individuals who self-identify as Christians, but whose outward behavior, and, to the extent that we can tell, inward thoughts and motivations are largely influenced by the surrounding culture rather than by their Christian faith and teachings of Jesus.” It’s easy to find examples of these types of Christians today—and many ministers will talk about the struggle to minister in some areas (like the Bible Belt) because of this phenomenon. But clearly, from the title of this book, Williams holds they were present in the Early Church.

She has three reasons for writing (or reading) this book—the first is to combat the idea that the Early Church was too spiritual and correct to have to deal with these individuals—and because of that we can have some problematic ideas about the Church today. Secondly, because of our historical ignorance, we can fail to see how the Early Church was influenced by the culture around them. Third, if we see how the Early Church is susceptible to this, and that we are, too—we can more easily see the need to push beyond Cultural Christianity to the genuine article.

To pursue these aims, Williams considers Early Church History (the first five centuries A.D.) in three eras:

“Part 1 focuses on cultural Christians in the New Testament era and considers sins resulting from Christians’ culturally inspired treatment of property, food and drink, and sexuality.”

“Part 2 moves past the New Testament period and considers apostasy, the gendered nature of sin, and the sin of self-care among cultural Christians in the second and third centuries CE.”

“part 3 looks at the shifts that occurred after Constantine’s conversion, when Christianity went from being a persecuted minority to a privileged minority, and eventually, a privileged majority religion in the empire. How did the conversion of Constantine change the story of cultural Christianity in the church? The answer, we will see, is the rise of new forms of cultural Christianity, which were not possible when the Christians were a persecuted minority.”

Average Believers

Most books that I’ve read on or around these years in Church History focus on the heavyweight theologians and Church Leaders of the time—those people whose names we still recognize, who played significant roles in the development of Creeds and Dogmas, etc. And yes, Williams does cite and discuss some of them.

But her focus is on average believers—people like you (probably) and me. People who will never be cited in a history text, people that few will know existed 10 years after we die. But people who leave records, or who will be talked about (at least in aggregate) by others.

Again, this is not to say that the “big names” of history are ignored—for one thing, it’s frequently through them that we have records of, and access to, the average person. But to get a real flavor of what life is like we don’t just need the theological tracts and creeds, we need to know what people ate, wore, did for a living, and so on.

So, what did I think about Cultural Christians in the Early Church?

I absolutely loved this book and have brought it up in casual conversation a lot over the last couple of months (and repeatedly tossed out drafts of this post because I didn’t like it enough).

Because this book isn’t just a history, it’s about the current Church, too. How we are susceptible to the same—or similar—foibles. Frequently, the reader can see this just by reading the historical portions and reflecting (it usually doesn’t take deep reflection). But Williams will also focus on parallels, or draw out clear lines of comparison. This is a call to the reader to think about their own beliefs and practices and to examine them—are they based on Scripture or are they based on the culture around us?

While we may think that we are removed from the world of the early church, the nature of human sinfulness has not changed. The stories of these early Christians, therefore, are surprisingly familiar and convicting, if only we look closely. While it is at times jarring to admit, their stories are our stories too.

We have the same feet of clay as our forefathers did—and the same challenges to overcome. Thankfully, we have the same Savior. This book helps us to remember that—and I encourage everyone to pick this up (and not just so you don’t have to hear me do it in person).

4 Stars

Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity by Carl R. Trueman: Why The Church Needs Creeds

By HCNewton

On April 14, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Crisis of Confidence:
Reclaiming the Historic Faith
in a Culture Consumed
with Individualism and Identity

by Carl R. Trueman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Length: 173
Read Date: March 17-25, 2024

What’s Crisis of Confidence About?

This is a new and slightly updated version of Trueman’s 2012 book, The Creedal Imperative. The updates don’t change the overall thesis of the book, but a new nuance or two are added. The first edition focused on contrasting the point of view of “No creed but the Bible” with the Protestant traditions that embrace the Ecumenical Creeds and Confessions of Faith. This time, the focus is on maintaining Ecclesiastical positions and individual convictions via the Creeds/Confessions in a rapidly changing culture—particularly in light of what Trueman calls “expressive individualism.”

The book begins with a chapter arguing against Creeds and Confessions, which is followed by a chapter providing the Scriptural basis for their creation and use. We then get two chapters looking at the history of them in the Church—one chapter for the development of the Ecumenical Creeds in the first few centuries of the Church, and one looking at the development of Confessions during the Protestant Reformation (with some discussion of non-Reformed Confessions as well).

Trueman wraps up with a chapter on the use of Creeds/Confessions in the worship of the church—to form and frame it, their use in a church’s worship, and how they serve an integral role in both. From there he offers a final chapter with a non-exhaustive list of ways creedal material is useful for particular congregations, denominations, and individuals.

So, what did I think about Crisis of Confidence?

Now, I’d intended on re-reading The Creedal Imperative back in January, but the time got away from me and then this dropped in my lap quite unexpectedly—so I was able to tackle that re-read, in a sense. For that, I’m glad I read this.

I’m not sure it was worth the new edition—and the minor updates didn’t add that much to the book as a whole. It was probably a good move from a publishing/selling point of view—the design makes it fit with Trueman’s last couple of books, and the new focus fits those, too. This is a good way to get people who’ve only read his last two books to read his older material (especially because those books are likely to have been attractive to people who wouldn’t be interested in a book about Creeds/Confessions without that connection).

Did that new material and the updates hurt the book? Nope. It’s still a strong apologetic for the use of them—not just that creedal documents are allowed by the Scriptures, but Trueman argues that they’re necessary, even expected for the Church (and shows indications that the First Century Church employed them). In the anti-Creedal cultures (both secular and ecclesiastical) that the Western Church finds itself in, we need as many of these defenses and arguments for that as we can get.

Trueman delivers those in his typical learned, engaging, and clear style. He doesn’t come out swinging as he does in some contexts—but you don’t walk away wondering what he really thinks about something, either.

I recommend this book and encourage you to read it if you haven’t read the original. if you have—it’s not a bad idea to read this (or just re-read the original), who doesn’t need a refresher on topics like this from time to time?

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: Prayer by Ole Hallsby

By HCNewton

On April 7, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

1. Yes, I’m doing too many of these lately. But I had a good reason for not finishing the post for today. 2. I really wanted to edit this, but I don’t have the time, so please be gracious to some sentences that need help. 3. I really needed to revisit this book and just reading my post about it helped me remember a lot of what I needed to see. So I’m chalking this up as something for me, and I’ll try to have something fresh for the next Lord’s Day.

Prayer

by Ole Hallesby

Papberback, 176 pg.
1994 (originally 1931), Augsburg Fortress

Read: September 3 – 10, 2017

The section from Calvin’s Institutes on prayer is fantastic, Wistsius’ book is incredibly helpful, Luther’s little A Simple Way is pretty good, as is Matthew Henry’s Method, but none of them have been as much help as this little book by Norweign Lutheran Ole Hallesby (at least that’s my guess, I’ve had years to chew on those others, only a couple of weeks for Hallesby). I heard of the book briefly on an episode of Christ the Center this summer, and then they devoted an entire episode to it later — I was halfway through the book when that second episode was posted, thankfully, they didn’t say anything that spoiled the ending. If not for those podcast episodes, I probably would’ve gone my whole life without ever hearing of this book. That would’ve been a shame.

He doesn’t set out to write a comprehensive book on the subject, or a systematized theology of prayer, but to present “a few simple rules for the benefit of souls who are fainting at prayer.” It’s not much of a rule book, thankfully, as much as it wants to be — more like a collection of helpful suggestions.

Hallesby describes two things that make up the attitude of prayer — helplessness and faith. Faith that Jesus can and will answer our prayers and a realization that we are helpless and need him to even pray. What he writes about helplessness is worth the price of the book alone. I think it’s changed the way I pray already. I would quote a bit of it here — and I started to, but I wasn’t sure where I’d stop. So let me just encourage you to grab the book.

I also really appreciated his discussion of how we “think we must help God to fulfill our prayer,” by giving Him lists of suggestions for how to and times when He can answer us. Instead, we are to faithfully pour out our need to Him, and then trust that He will answer as He sees best. I’d really never thought of it in those terms but we really can end up trying to tell God the best way to go about helping us — which flies in the face of our admitted helplessness in a given situation.

Hallesby covers the work of prayer, the struggles we may have in it, some suggestions for how to learn to pray better, as well as giving some answers to common questions about prayer (that seem to be the same questions I hear others having almost 100 years after this book was written, probably questions believers had 100 years before that, too). Throughout the book, you get a strong sense of a pastoral heart behind the words and advice, which makes it all much easier to heed.

It’s not a perfect book by any means — most of my problems have to do with the fact that I’m not a Lutheran, nor a Pietist. So, anything that leans too heavily on those traditions/characteristics are obviously going to at least raise my eyebrows, but on the whole those aspects of the book are quibbles. For example, his definition of prayer involves letting God help us, or his aversion to pre-written prayers (that one has many allies in my own tradition, so it is more of a note than anything). More substantial concerns are his utter lack of reference to — much less use of — the Psalms or the Lord’s Prayer. A book on prayer that doesn’t even touch on those is mind-boggling. None of these concerns or quibbles detract too much from the book — and they’re certainly outweighed by the help the book gives.

Pound-for-pound, the best book on the subject I’ve read. Easy to read, encouraging, convicting and insightful. Highly recommended.

—–

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ by Bruce A. Ware

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Well, this is what I get for having the hubris to say that things were getting back to normal yesterday Thanks to Daylight Saving kicking in this morning, I didn’t have enough time last night to finish a post. So, let’s jump back 10 years ago to see what I was talking about…

The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ

by Bruce A. Ware
Kindle Edition, 160 pg.
Crossway, 2012
Read: March 9, 2014

One of Ware’s presuppositions — repeated throughout this book — is that evangelical Christians today have a good understanding of and embrace the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ, but their understanding of his humanity is wanting — enter this book. Without dipping a toe into Nestorianism, Ware wants his readers to understand the humanity of Jesus. He explains this so with a constant eye to His divinity — and how that divinity is expressed in the life of the God-man.

One of his main interests is for his readers to understand the dependency of Jesus on the Spirit — His indwelling, guidance and empowering. Without that indwelling, it would be impossible for Jesus to carry out His father’s will. If we grasp that, we see the limitations of the divine nature of Christ to his earthly work, which may seem paradoxical, but isn’t as Ware will explain.

The application portions to every chapter keep this book from being merely theoretical (however great that theory is) to helping readers put shoe leather to this teaching — as every teaching ought. It’s just easier when the author goes out of his way to help us start that on our own.

I really appreciated the chapter “Resisting Temptation,” Ware’s reflections on Hebrews 4:15 and the idea of Jesus being tempted to sin in general. He surveys some of the leading theories before suggesting his own idea how the idea of the impeccable theanthropos being tempted without sinning. He put into words an idea or two that had been floating around in my own head for a few years, and

I was surprised that Ware had to devote an entire chapter defending the masculinity of the God-man, although I shouldn’t have been. Sadly, this was a pretty boring chapter. Ware really beat this horse far beyond the point of its flatline. Sadly, he probably needed to be as through given today’s thinking.

Deep enough to discourage a casual read, but friendly enough that this should be able to be read by thoughtful laity.

—–

4 Stars

The Two Kingdoms: A Guide for the Perplexed by W. Bradford Littlejohn: A Handy Intro (that maybe could’ve used a little more detail)

By HCNewton

On March 3, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Two Kingdoms:
A Guide for
the Perplexed

by W. Bradford Littlejohn

DETAILS:
Series: Davenant Guides 
Publisher: Davenant Press
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Format: eBook
Length: 120 pg.
Read Date: TEXT

We are simul justus et peccator, at the same time free lords and dutiful servants, at the same time alive with Christ in the heavenly places and toiling in murky paths here below, and even as we enjoy the liberty of a conscience set free by grace, we live under the laws (natural and civil) that regulate our lives with one another as human creatures. To confuse these two rules is to risk libertinism or legalism, triumphalism or despair.

What’s The Two Kingdoms About?

The Publisher describes it better than I could:

What does it mean to say Christ reigns in two kingdoms?

What does it mean to live as citizens of this world and of the world-to-come? How can we render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s? In recent years, fresh controversy has erupted over these age-old questions, and especially over the meaning and relevance of the Reformation’s “two-kingdoms” doctrine. At stake in such debates is not simply the shape of Christian politics, but the meaning of the church, the nature of human and divine authority, and the scope of Christian discipleship.

In this concise guide, Reformation scholar and Christian ethicist Bradford Littlejohn first sketches the history of the doctrine and clears away common misunderstandings. He then shows that the two-kingdoms doctrine can offer a valuable framework for thinking about pastoring, politics, and even financial stewardship.

Littlejohn gives us three chapters tracing the development of the concept starting with Luther and going through the early seventeenth century, looking at the “implications for political theology, ecclesiology, and Christian life.”

Then he offers “a creative appropriation of the doctrine today in the three key spheres of church, state, and marketplace, suggesting how it can shed fresh light on seemingly sterile disputes over how to live out the lordship of Christ in the 21st century.”

Throughout this, he will draw distinctions from his view of the Two Kingdoms to the “R2K” views (defined as “radical Two Kingdoms” or “Reformed Two Kingdoms”, depending who you ask) as well as a neo-Calvinist view, a Theonomistic view, or some others.

A Positive and A Negative

This is an introductory volume—and one that is only 120 pages long. So we’re only going to get a cursory look at all these ideas, ideas that are inherently complex just from a positive point of view—as he also offers critiques as well, that really doesn’t give Littlejohn a lot of time for explanation or depth.

This is a strength because he gives you a quick lay of the land, a look at Two Kingdom theology from 10,000 feet.

But it’s a weakness because that’s all we get—there aren’t even a plethora of footnotes. So we get assertion after assertion—but not a lot of reason to do more than take his word for it. It’s hard to swallow when he says something along the lines of, “I’m right about what Calvin said, unlike this other guy.” I don’t think he slips into the fallacy of ipse dixit, but he can see it from his front porch.

So, what did I think about The Two Kingdoms?

The two- kingdoms doctrine was a rebuke to our eagerness to call Christ down from heaven, seeing his hand in our own works and hearing his voice in our own words. It was an eschatological reminder that we live in a time between the times of Christ’s coming, that regardless of our duty to witness to the reign of the Son of Man, that reign remains hidden behind the “masks” that God has ordained to do his will in history.

I have, honestly, stayed as far away as I could from the topics of Christianity and politics/political theory/etc. for several years now. And really have only looked at it a little now because of some prodding by others, most of whom strongly recommended this book and cite it often.

Despite my misgivings (see above) about Littlejohn not really proving his assertions, I did find this helpful for giving a lay of the land, for drawing lines between his view and the R2K proponents (and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and agree he’s closer to the first few generations of Protestants than the R2Kers are).

I found a lot of wisdom in the chapters about the State and Market, and found the chapter “Two Kingdoms in The Church” to be provocative.

As with any good introduction, I was left with more questions than answers—but I think I know the directions to look for some of those answers. I do wish the book was 80 pages or so longer—it still would’ve been able to stick to its foundational nature but it could’ve put a little meat the bones to help with some of those details.

I recommend this with some caveats, just know that when you’re only getting the beginning of an idea about the Two Kingdoms.

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, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Water and the Blood by Kevin P. Emmert: Sacraments and Identity for In-Christ Persons

By HCNewton

On February 25, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Water and the Blood:
How the Sacraments
Shape Christian Identity

by Kevin P. Emmert

DETAILS:
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 213
Read Date: January 21-February 11, 2024

Every now and then I come across a book that leaves me as close to speechless as I get when it comes to time to blog about it—I just can’t express things concisely about a book. Give me a couple of weeks to write and about 20-30 pages, and I might get somewhere. Although, that somewhere is pretty much just going to be an extended abstract of the book.

I think in the past, I’ve talked about wanting to just post the back-of-the-book blurb, say “GO READ IT,” and call it a day.

Obviously, this is one of those books (or it’d be mighty insulting to start the post this way). I’m not going to allow myself to do the extended abstract, and I’m going to try to say a little more than the second option. But that’s pretty attractive. And frankly, if you get into my first section and I’m not being clear enough for you, just click on one of the links above to read the description and then GO READ IT.

Let’s see if I can do a little better than that, eh?

If our morality and sense of identity—which mutually reinforce one another—are shaped so profoundly by aesthetics, then Christians need to not just participate more frequently in the sacraments but also reflect more deeply on their nature, meaning, and power. When rightly understood, rightly administered, and received with faith, baptism and Communion have the power to shape our self-understanding and moral vision. This is because they connect us to the greatest and most powerful story of all time—the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, the sacraments exhibit the historic church’s core beliefs and practices in an attractive and appealing, though certainly ordinary, manner. In baptism and Communion, we find a direct connection between beauty, orthodoxy, and orthopraxy that catechizes the people of God with a greater understanding of the gospel and how they fit into that larger reality as persons in Christ.

What’s The Water and the Blood About?

This is a confessional and theological look at the sacraments and their role in teaching Christians about Christ and forming their character and lives in Him. Unlike almost every book I’ve ever read about the Sacraments (either considered individually or together), there’s no polemics, no debate, nothing along those lines. It’s just careful encouragement, instruction, and guidance.

The book starts by talking about the dependence of the Sacraments on the Word, then moves to a look at the nature of the Sacraments and how they function generally to form Christians. The next two chapters look at each Sacrament specifically—what they tell us about those “who have been immersed into Christ and who commune with Him.” The last two chapters apply all this, how the Sacraments form and inform Christian morality and then how they equip and guide believers into the work of ministry in a variety of settings.

In-Christ Persons

At the core of the statement that the Christian’s identity is in Christ is the biblical truth that our very existence as Christians is constituted in and determined by the living, active, and present Christ. The Christian self is a self in Christ. Put differently, being in Christ is our primary identity as Christians.

From the beginning, Emmert’s clear that his book isn’t just about the Sacraments shaping Christian Identity, it’s about Union with Christ. The Sacraments are an important and essential part of reinforcing that unity, in causing us to meditate on it, in shaping us more and more into the image of Christ—and are effectual and beneficial to us only because of this union (as is the case with all blessings enjoyed by Christians).

To help emphasize that union, Emmert frequently refers to believers as “in-Christ persons.” This is both a nice phrase and a reminder that this is the core, the source of all our benefits—it’s our primary identity. This was the core of John Calvin’s teaching (no matter what you might have heard), drawing on the work of theologians and teachers before him, and is his major contribution to those that follow. Emmert is standing on Calvin’s shoulders here, and the book is better for it.

From that Union, he can then proceed to consider the sacraments.

As visible and tangible confirmations of God’s work in Christ, the sacraments therefore give flesh and bones to the statement that the Christian’s identity is in Christ… Stated differently, baptism and Communion are identity-forming rituals that teach us in touchable and accessible ways what it means to be persons in Christ.

Broadly Protestant

Anytime you see a book citing The Three Forms of Unity, The Thirty-nine Articles of Anglicanism, the Westminster Standards, and the London Baptist Confession of 1689 (and other confessional statements) in a way that those statements support each other—and not to show weaknesses with the latter—you know you’re looking at something of a unicorn in theological books. This is one of the emphases of this book, however. Emmert says in the preface that he’s not interested (in this book) in polemics about proper administration, proper recipients, etc., but about what the sacraments mean in the lives and identity of those in-Christ.

But it’s not just about being Protestant—Emmert’s also looking at what Christians have said since the beginning about these ideas, showing that Protestantism stands in the same continuity as the Early Church and beyond.

So, what did I think about The Water and the Blood?

I was going to quote a passage from the Conclusion to start this section of the post, but I couldn’t pick a portion that satisfied me—it was either all four pages or nothing. So I opted for nothing. But it’s that kind of a book—you can’t just quote a little bit, you want to keep going. Incidentally, all the quotations above are from the Introduction. If I let myself cite from particular chapters…well, see what I said in the opening paragraph.

It sort of feels like I’ve been waiting for decades for someone to write this book—I don’t know that Emmert breaks a lot of new ground here—in fact, he probably hopes he doesn’t. But I think the way he combines statements and positions from a variety of Protestant Confessions and traditions and weaves them together is fantastic. He excels at reminding us of what we all agree on, and what (to be true to our own tradition) we should be saying/thinking/teaching about the Sacraments and our Identity in Christ.

Particularly in the last century and a half (give or take), American Protestants have shied away from talking about Baptism and The Lord’s Supper as anything but rites and rituals—things that talk about our faith and remembering events from Redemptive History. But that’s largely due to anti-supernaturalism, the impact of the (so-called) Second Great Awakening, and a fear of looking/sounding like Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy.* This is a deviation from historic Protestantism, and we need to recover the language and points of view of our predecessors. Not because we like history and want to be consistent with that history—but because the early Protestants held to these things because they’re Biblical, and Christians have been speaking in these/similar ways since the First Century.

* That’s awfully reductionistic, and not as nuanced and detailed—or extensive—as it should be. I’m aware of that, I’m also not writing a detailed work on the idea here, so that’s as good as you’re going to get.

Emmert has done us all a service in reminding us of this heritage, calling us to dust off our understanding of it, and to start acting in line of it. Even better is the way that he ties in our identity in Christ—the doctrine of Union with Christ—and how the sacraments shape us into better living out that identity.

A few weeks ago, a few of us were supposed to skim this for a chat about the book as kind of an overview before we dove in. I could not skim it. I just couldn’t, because I wasn’t even halfway through the ten-page introduction before I could tell that this was one of those books I had to marinate in, skimming was not an option.

The book is geared to scholars, preachers, and leaders—theoretically, at least. But this isn’t a message just for them—it’s for everyone in the Church and should be read that way. Sure, leaders and teachers will be able to do more with it, than the rest of us—but that’s true of every theologically-inclined book. Laity shouldn’t feel like this isn’t a book for us.

In case I haven’t been clear so far The Water and the Blood is one of the more helpful and educational books I’ve read in ages. I strongly recommend it to you.

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, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Lord Bless You and Keep You by Michael J. Glodo: It’s More than Just a Signal that the Pastor is Done

By HCNewton

On February 11, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Lord Bless You and Keep You:
The Promise of the Gospel
in the Aaronic Blessing

by Michael J. Glodo

DETAILS: 
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 174 pg.
Read Date: December 3-17, 2023

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

What’s The Lord Bless You and Keep You About?

This book is a reflection on, study of, and application of the Aaronic benediction (above), “possibly the most frequently heard passage of Scripture in Christian worship”.

Luther called the Psalms “a little Bible” since each psalm sets out in brief form all that is taught in the rest of Scripture. I am suggesting the same observation is true of the Aaronic blessing. By exploring the blessing’s background, central elements, spiritual meaning in Israel, and realization in Christ, we will grasp the comprehensive nature of the theme of God’s face and be enabled to stand more fully in its light. We will see that God made us with faces so that his could shine on ours and that the Aaronic blessing could be to us not only a “little Bible,” but a “little gospel.”

The book is essentially broken into two sections—the first three chapters examined the context of the Aaronic blessing’s introduction, the content of the blessing itself, and then looked at it in the light of the New Testament. The second section is more practical—the consequences of the blessing both for ourselves and the way we treat others, and the pastoral use of the blessing.

A Question of Timing

I would’ve appreciated a version of this book written in 2019. Too often, Glodo, sounded to me like he was trying to re-fight the battle over masks from 2020-2021 with a theological veneer in the latter chapters (and the introduction). A version of those chapters without reference to that would’ve been more helpful—and less potentially off-putting—and might have prepared the reader to come to their own informed conclusions on that issue if a similar pandemic occurs again.

Maybe I’d have been happier if he took a firm pro-/con- mask position, because the mentions of the practice with just a negative tone (or so I took it), was unsatisfactory. (if only because it was so vague it’s hard to interact with)

So, what did I think about The Lord Bless You and Keep You?

I was very excited to hear that someone was giving us an entire book on the Aaronic benediction—and overall, I was pleased with what we got. Personally—I wanted chapters 1-2 to be longer, more detailed and a little more developed, especially 2. I think three could’ve probably used the same treatment, but I didn’t write that in my notes (unlike with the other two). The chapters on the consequences of the blessing were fine. I also anticipated that the book would’ve featured a lot more of what the chapter on pastoral use and application gave us—and would’ve liked more of that.

That said, I’m not complaining that Glodo didn’t write the book I wanted/expected—but it would’ve been nice. (I’m not sure we needed the appendix, but, eh—it’s an appendix, so…who cares?)

I really do think that this is a good contribution and will be helpful to readers. I do recommend reading this—particularly the first half.

4 Stars