Month: November 2012

Christmas Uncut–Book Review

/ jimmyreagan / 3 Comments

The subtitle of this book by Carl Laferton and published by The Good Book Company nicely explains what we are getting: “What really happened and why it matters….” It’s a book for our families and might be used as well for those not familiar with Christianity.

The focusing on what really happened is helpful. He relates how our knowledge of the Christmas story comes more from Nativity Pageants than the Bible. I’ve always been amazed at the facts that are commonly wrong. Here the details are given, the misunderstandings addressed, and all given in a way anyone can comprehend.

He writes to hold attention with timely and helpful illustrations, again with younger folks in mind. For example, he brings the shepherds to life. He takes the highly romanticized view of them back to reality. He shows they are as looked down on as one of the lowest professions. You might think differently the next time you sing about shepherds watching their flocks by night!

The better part is why it is important. It’s more than a good story. It’s about a Savior. The manager is only important as it relates to a cross. The book ends answering questions younger folks, or even non-Christians, might ask. I pray this helps turn folks to Christ. It may because of the warm feelings Christmas stirs in many. This book is worth having and passing along.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

Books On How To Study The Bible

/ jimmyreagan / 8 Comments

Since I just finished teaching a class on “How To Study The Bible” that I found personally rewarding, I’d like to share about the books I consulted on this important topic. Collectively, Christians seem to be ever sliding backward on personal Bible study. We are starting to reap a disaster in Christianity as Christians know little of what the Bible says. Whether the preacher in the pulpit, the teacher in the classroom, or the Christian at home, we need help.

Here are the books that I found most helpful:

1. Interpreting The Bible by A. Berkeley Mickelsen

The best all-round volume that covers all the bases well. It’s scholarly, yet the reasoning can be easily followed. It’s especially helpful on specialized topics like parables and figures of speech. Begins with a good section on the history of interpretation. If I could only have one volume on the subject, this would be it.

2. Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy Zuck

More focused and to the point than many, yet it contains sufficient depth. Dr. Tim Jayne, who has taught the Bible for many years, actually gave this book when he was telling me that it was most effective for students to his mind. Mr. Zuck is a solid teacher from Dallas Theological Seminary. Although he finds dispensationalism in every shadow, I highly recommend this title for the real help it gives. (Logos is now offering this title here)

3. Principles of Expository Preaching by Merrill Unger

The title is misleading in that this book is not about preaching, but Bible interpretation. In that good preaching springs from right interpretation, this book will help any Bible student. A worthy addition to your library.

4. Understanding and Applying The Bible by Robert McQuilkin

A popular, helpful tool for the Bible student trying to gain principles to study the Bible. A different approach from Mickelsen, Zuck, and Unger, but he sheds real light.

5. Biblical Interpretation by W. Randolph Tate

A volume well respected in the scholarly world and helpful to we Bible students. A little deeper than the aforementioned titles, but I’d grab a copy if I could.

6. Bible Explorers Guide by John Phillips

This well-beloved Bible teacher has really given us a worthwhile volume. Pitched at the S.S. teacher/layman level, it really brings concepts alive that some of the more scholarly volumes just can’t give us–at least not as passionately. Not the last word on the subject, but I would hate to be without it!

7. Not Like Any Other Book by Peter Masters

Not as well known as other volumes on the subject, but a timely expose on ridiculous ideas that have infested Biblical scholarship and renders them unable to grasp the riches of God’s Word. I love this book!

Other Volumes

You might grab: Biblical Hermeneutics by Terry (old, large, and mined by later writers), Hermeneutics by Virkler (old, but shorter), Protestant Biblical Interpretation (influential, but not as helpful as some to a Bible student), and Toward An Exegetical Theology by Walter Kaiser (Popular and helpful).

Books to encourage doing Bible study: How To Master The English Bible by James Gray, Methods of Bible Study by W. H. Griffith-Thomas, and How To Study The Bible by R. A Torrey. J. Vernon McGee, I.M. Haldeman, and Arthur Pink have written on this as well.

Books more geared toward personal Bible study: Independent Bible Study by Irving Jensen (Inductive Method), How To Study The Bible by Braga, Dynamic Personal Bible Study by Cyril Barber, How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart, How To Study The Bible For Yourself by Lahaye, Creative Bible Study by Richards, How To Understand Your Bible by Alan Stibbs, The Joy of Discovery by Oletta Wald, How To Enjoy Studying The Bible by Joseph Gettys, Principles of Bible Hermeneutics by Haritt (fine, but lacks perspective), Methodical Bible Study by Traina, Knowing the Scriptures by A.T. Pierson (unique), Enjoy  Your Bible and Simply Understanding The Bible both by Irving Jensen, Understanding the Bible by John Stott, Interpreting God’s Word Today by Kistemaker, and How To Get the Most From God’s Word by John MacArthur all might prove helpful.

Happy studying!

Here’s something similar on Bible Atlas books. Just click:

Bible Atlas

If I Were God

/ jimmyreagan / Leave a comment

Ever have the thought cross your mind “If I were God…”? Did you think “Here’s what I would do…”? I’ll do it because it should be done! You know what I speak of. Some person does some despicable thing and his life seems undisturbed. Someone else having done comparatively little or nothing seems to have a truck load of trouble dump on them.

Why do those who legalize abortion get away with it? Why do those who abuse or molest children get to go on their merry little way? And on and on we go.

The Bible addresses this subject on a few occasions, but this just recently jumped off the page at me. 1 Timothy 5:23-24 says:

Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

There’s a great explanation for us. The Lord tells us to expect that some men’s sin blow up in their faces almost immediately while others may never in their lives face many obvious results. They do experience consequences, just not those dramatic, out-in-the-open ones that we so love to see. I mean some Nazi tormentors were brought to justice in 1945 while others are dying of old age with new identities in beautiful locales around the globe. How haunted they have lived, however, or how much time they spend jumping at every shadow, we have no clue.

Some of us have our sins knock us over before we leave the scene of the crime while others spend their lives being chased by their sins. The lesson is the same: sin is devastating and we must run to Jesus Christ.

You may be glad to have Christ’s forgiveness, but have something stuck in your craw about some who are “getting away with it.” What we are really questioning is the justice of God. Does He hand out unfair judgments in His world? In our more sane moments we know our God is just and even explains that He will not “be mocked” (Galatians 6:7).

So our two issues really are:

1. Appearances—The Lord is not making the judgment as apparent as we would like.

2. Timing—The Lord is not acting as quickly as we would like.

Besides the issue of it just being all about our likes and dislikes, we forget that the Lord lives in eternity while we live in time. Yes, my life is passing, but His is not. I may have occasion to get in a hurry as I may run out of time, but He never has reason to get in a rush. The problem is that I view the finish line as my time here while He has time until His Kingdom is brought to completion.

Verse 25 tells me more. The positive side is true as well. Some have their good honored here while others die unsung. Remember no martyr ever gets to read the glowing accounts of his or her sacrifice. Sometimes in life little recognition comes while others receive multiple accolades.

The Lord will catch all of that up, too. Remember He has eternity to work in. All accounts will be settled and not one shred of injustice will survive eternity.

20130723-201729.jpg

I originally wrote this for Partners For The Gospel.

You Had Better Not Read This Book!

/ jimmyreagan / 6 Comments

I thought that would get your attention. But in truth, you might not be able to handle this volume called “Accidental Pharisees” by Larry Osborne and published by Zondervan. I say this not because it isn’t good, but because it is so good! It tackles many preconceived notions with, of all things, what the Bible actually said. Novel approach? Well, you might not like it when you realize you have believed something yourself that the Bible doesn’t say.

I’ve reviewed several books at this point, yet I barely know what to say. There is so much challenge here, so much to consider, so much to answer for. By the way, don’t assume that you know what he is going to say since he speaks of Pharisees. It’s not just an attack on legalism as you expect, but an expose of the Pharisee that lurks somewhere down inside us all.

I loved every chapter, except when I hated it because it seemed to me that he pegged me exactly. You may seem filleted, but then again, it will be refreshing as you can’t help but believe that it is exactly what Christ would want you to think. I can only hit a few highlights though deep insights fly off of every page.

He describes Pharisaism as an overzealous faith. It’s a faith with a good beginning, as were the Pharisee’s dedication, that somewhere goes awry. He shows the depths of our dark hearts in our desire to make Christianity more exclusive, or with the bar raised ever higher, to lift ourselves up. He calls it “thinning the herd”, and shows how that becomes bigger to us than the mission Christ actually gave us. Putting litmus tests to distinguish the inferior Christians from me is part of it too. This is all part and parcel of being a Pharisee and Jesus fought it at every turn. If He didn’t like it then, He doesn’t like it in me.

He shows how extra rules are used to distinguish Christians even farther. Not clear Bible commands, but extra rules to make us even better is what he speaks of. Something could make us better than what God said? It all really is absurd. The worst of it is that it throws mercy along the wayside–you know, that mercy that so defines our God!

I love how He discusses what Jesus actually said. He attacks head on our stated interpretations that can actually run contrary to what was actually said. This is, to my mind, the most challenging part of the book. Do we derive our beliefs from  Scriptures themselves, or spotty interpretation from the past? If our goal is to follow God’s Word, this should in no way make us afraid. Watch him look freshly at the Early Church in Acts.

Then he explains how we’ve high jacked the Biblical admonition of unity and replaced with the much inferior uniformity. Uniformity kills unity. It’s this idea that unity must be based on thinking exactly like me. That doesn’t exactly sound like unity, does it? Then he shames us for taking this uniformity to the extreme of picking our own favorite teacher or demonination as the standard. That leaves no place for the Lord and His Word, does it? Ouch.

Finally he talks about gift projection. That’s where I make my gift the essential one and judge every Christian on that one criteria. He’s right–that’s wrong and it makes no sense to do it.

The book isn’t perfect. You will not agree with every detail. You likely will be mad here and there. At times when he tells us to be easier on struggling Christians, he could almost sound like great dedication isn’t important. I’m sure that is not what he meant, but he waxes eloquent at times. Still, he provokes thought, real thought down avenues you might never have thought of before. What more could a book give us?

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 . 

Headline For Tomorrow Morning After The Election

/ jimmyreagan / 5 Comments

Let the Reagan Review get the scoop on news media and give you a headline for tomorrow morning right now. Many major newspapers probably have two ready but aren’t for sure which one they will be using late tonight. We are ready here at the Reagan Review! Here it is:

Christ Is Still Seated On The Throne On The Universe

My friends that is true everyday, but really has a bearing on this election. I would go so far as to say it is the most key fact of all.

I know you thought I would announce Romney or Obama. On Facebook I predicted Romney would win based on what I imagined would happen after watching politics all my life. Of course, I may miss it by a mile, but that is just a guess. I want to report hard fact, or real news, here.

Here’s a verse I studied for last Sunday and this season of all our lives.

Psalms 110:1 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

If you are a Bible student, you know that we are privy here to a private conversation between the Father and Christ, Who is the King. No wonder this is the most-quoted Psalm in the NT as we are always subject to so much from those who rule over us in this world.

Do you notice that Christ the Lord sits on the throne? He sits because He is there to stay. He sits because He has already won. He sits because His work is finished. He sits because He is calm. He sits because His enemies are so powerless against Him. He sits because His throne is eternal, stable, and victorious!

In fact, while we quiver in fear at world events Psalm 2:1-5 paints a far different scene in Heaven. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh” when these leaders in their vain imaginations suppose to have the world in their control.

It’s true that enemies to Christ still exist and that world leaders violently oppose His ways, but He still sits on that throne. His plan is on schedule. The election won’t change it one iota either.

I used to put more stock in politics than I now do. When I was a 10-year-old boy Ronald Reagan was running for President, and since I am Jimmy Reagan, my choice was easy. (By that same logic I picked Jimmy Carter when I was 6). I also became a Christian in that year. Within a few years I was an avid supporter of President Reagan as his platform matched my Christian beliefs very well. I also loved the man, still think he was sincere, and a real believer in Christ. I probably have 10 or more biographies of him and fought back tears when I watched his funeral on TV.

But here’s the truth. For all the good he did, he couldn’t do so much of what I, or I think even himself, would have wanted done. My friends, if Ronald Reagan couldn’t stop abortion, no other President can. That is the cold, hard facts. The answer, as so many have said, is truly not in politics.

Don’t take me wrong. I’ll vote today. I really think you should too. I’ll probably stay up far too late watching the election returns. I’ll even be bummed if the results don’t go my way. But my hope is not in this election. Even if the election goes completely my way, the trouble my beloved country is in won’t simply float away.

Even if it goes the wrong way, my real King, the One to Whom I’ve sworn the ultimate allegiance, will be in full control. My King won’t worry at all about the election. He won’t call a special meeting of the Godhead to asses the situation. No, His Kingdom will just keep marching on.

I do wish, however, that my country could see Who is really in control and humbly turn to Him. I wish they could see that He has woven the law of sowing and reaping into His Universe and there is no way around it. I wish my country could see that He allows us to make choices, but He does not let us define consequences.

But whatever happens in beloved country today, my real King is still in control. You can take that to the bank and can write it in ink right now:

Christ Is Still Seated On The Throne On The Universe

(This is the third entry for this election season. The first 2 are:

It Is An Evil Time 

The Two Biggest, Seldom-Mention Issues Of the Election )