Month: January 2016

I Will by Thom Rainer

/ jimmyreagan / 1 Comment

iwill

Here’s a needed book for pastors and church members alike. Pastors need to know what church members are really thinking these days. At the same time, church members would do well to recognize how the culture has affected us all and turned us into church consumers who only view church in terms of what benefits it can give. Lost in the shuffle is service, which clearly is a bedrock of Christianity.

Rainer is the perfect author for this subject. He’s been studying churches and pastors for years. He challenges us to break out of the straitjacket of an inward focus. It is, as he writes here, a matter of the will.

As we have shifted to a preference-driven mentality, he diagnoses our real problem: the focus of our worship is not on God. He encourages us to say “I will” to corporate worship. He also encourages us to grow together with others rather than in isolation. His chapters on serving and going would likely revitalize any church whose members put it in practice. He wonderfully discussed the oft avoided subject of giving too.

The final three chapters on determining not to be a church dropout, avoiding the traps of churchianity, and deciding to make a difference are a challenge to every individual Christian. As a pastor, I wish  church members everywhere would read it.

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 .

Ready To Return by Ken Ham

/ jimmyreagan / 1 Comment

return

Ken Ham returns to a subject that he has written on before–our losing the younger generation from the faith. As you would expect from this famous creationist, he sees the denial of the historicity of the Genesis account as part of it. Still, he and co-author Jeff Kinley, assisted by researcher Britt Beemer, probe deeper to all aspects of moral relativism and an insufficient view of God’s Word that have brought on this problem.

The research is at once fascinating and heartbreaking. His assessments of why we are where we are seem spot on. When he shares that children being raised in Sunday School are leaving churches and the faith at a higher rate than those who weren’t, we get the greatest shock of all. His explanation that how we teach Bible “stories” is adding to the problem gets one thinking.

The book is excellent, the analysis keen. The only downside is there is a bit of repetition at times. Still, he looked at issues from several vantage points. Public school was shown to statistically predict a bad turnout for children. He well showed differences in only borrowing someone else’s faith. The chart on page 99 showing “renters” versus “owners” well illustrated the problem.

Chapter 9 was the best as he gave a plan that used the Bible as the basis for our raising our kids with results different than these dismal statistics he shared. His analysis of current trends nationally shared in appendixes was helpful. This book is a fine resource!

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 .

More Books On Revival

/ jimmyreagan / Leave a comment

photoSince I have had revival on my mind for a year,  I have been reading newly discovered titles and looking anew at books read long ago. Here are some more books on the subject if you too have been thinking about it.

1. Jonathan Edwards On Revival

This volume published by Banner of Truth combines three of Edward’s smaller works–A Narrative of Surprising Conversions, The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Two are historical accounts, the other a theological evaluation of the revivals Edwards personally witnessed. This book carries weight because  Edwards is such a respected scholar and theologian. He lives up to that respect by hiding nothing negative or excessive he saw in the revivals. Despite those anonomlies, he concludes God was mightily involved in the revivals he saw. It, then, is an encouragement to believe the Lord sends revival.

2. An Endless Line of Splendor by Earle E. Cairns

This book is simply historical, yet it gives a great overview of revivals from the Great Awakening to the 1980s. The thing that jumps off the page is that the Lord has sent revival as often as He has. While you might not agree with some things he includes, the book is excellent for what it is.

3. The Welsh Revival of 1904 by Eifion Evans

This volume is a mature look at revival in the context of the famous Welsh Revival in 1904. He faces the failings head on and yet a true picture of revival emerges. This book must be included in any in-depth look at revival.

4. We Can Have Revival Now! by John R. Rice

This is not as well known as other titles by this prolific Baptist author, but it is one of his best. While he can confuse revival with mass crusades or even soul winning, he still gives us a passionate plea for revival. He could perhaps go to far, and like Finney, make revival sound automatic if certain procedures are followed. Still, I leave that book reminded we are not past the days of possible revival. On that level, the book is a home run.

5. How To Have a Revival, compiled by John R. Rice and Robert Wells

This long out-of-print title is probably hard to find. The contributors are all successful evangelists from the 1920s-1940s.  Some of the chapters are out of date and unhelpful, so I only read the ones that I felt still applied. Those chapters were highly challenging and helpful. You will enjoy it, if you can find it.

 

For other titles previously recommended and some thoughts I had on revival, click here.

The Message of Esther (BST) by Firth

/ jimmyreagan / 2 Comments

esther

The Bible Speaks Today series by IVP continues its high standard of excellence in this fine volume on Esther by David G. Firth. Firth is emerging as a preeminent commentator on the historical books of the OT. He writes with quality, consistency, and a conservative outlook that pastors or teachers will love and scholars will respect.

The Introduction is short, but succinct in getting you going on studying Esther. He explains the options out there on genre for the Book of Esther and he concludes it is “an historical work”. His assessment of purpose makes much sense. He devotes the largest portion of the Introduction to the main characters of the book. That was an effective approach that i enjoyed.

The commentary itself was outstanding. He kept the flow, saw the forest along with the necessary trees, and gave many valuable insights along the way. I highly recommend this volume.

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.

Christian Mission In The Modern World by Stott and Wright

/ jimmyreagan / Leave a comment

stott

This Stott classic has been ably updated and expanded by Christopher J. H. Wright. In fact, this volume is double the size of the old edition as Wright follows each Stott chapter with one of his own. Not only were Stott and Wright colleagues and friends, but Stott was something of a mentor to Wright. They share many specialities including the subject of this book. Stott is known as the master expositor, and Wright follows him in that way too with several fine, medium-length commentaries if his own. 

Stott does not give us another how-to-do-missions books, but looks deeply as what missions even is, what it entails, and what qualifies as God’s idea of missions. He wrestles with what part social work has in missions, but balances with a critique of the picture of a traditional missionary. There is exceptional exposition in places–like on page 60ff where he unwraps the meaning of evangelism (“euangelizomai”). I loved how he explained it is never defined in terms of results.

This book also clears up a false accusation against Stott that I remember hearing. He was charged with capitulating to pluralism. That is most certainly not the case. See page 178 where Wright clarifies that Stott believed that salvation was exclusively in Christ. What Stott said that some twisted is that who can say about people who respond to God with the light they were given. That does not mean, say, they can respond to Mohammad and get to a God. His discussion makes sense to me.

This is top flight title on Christian Mission and I recommend it. 

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.