Book Review - Questions Jesus Asks: Where Divinity Meets Humanity by Israel Wayne

On the surface this book doesn’t appear to be a book on apologetics, but the basic question regarding the omniscience of Jesus is well handled in the introduction and the appendix. The author does a nice job of sorting out the Historic Christian views on the perplexing question of the divinity and humanity of Christ. Continuing in each of 20 chapters, a defense of historic Christian perspectives on very common questions regarding faith is competently handled.

The very thought that Jesus would ask a question seems odd considering that we usually think of God as knowing all things.  So right away the author deals with a question of his own: “Was Jesus, in His incarnate state as a man on earth, omniscient?” He answers this question by breaking it down into a series of questions which unfolds his understanding of the mystery of God’s human and divine nature. He concludes that Jesus was not asking questions for his benefit, but for ours, to help us search our hearts.

In each of the 20 chapters Israel Wayne does a very nice job of carefully defining terms which helps us to understand the question being asked by Jesus. Much scripture is quoted to support his conclusions as well as quotes from well-known and respected Christians. In the process of examining the questions that Jesus asked people, Israel Wayne discusses a number of topics including Christology, the Virgin Birth, family, discipleship, money, healing, counseling, fear, demonology, servanthood, government, forgiveness, apologetics, prayer love and suffering.

I received this book from New Leaf Press in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review - A Well-Ordered Church: Laying a Foundation for a Vibrant Church by William Boekestein and Daniel Hyde

If you are looking for a good book to use in Elder Training on the nature and function of the church and order in the Church, than your search stops here.

If you are new to the church and wondering how it is all supposed to work, then this book would be an excellent pace to start.

The book is divided into four parts: Identity, Authority, Ecumenicity, and Activity.  Each chapter concludes with questions relevant to the material in the chapter and suggestions for further reading. Reference is frequently made to scripture and includes material from both the Westminster Standards and the Continental Standards. There is a helpful Appendix summarizing foundational principles of Reformed Church government.

Identity: The author rightly point out that how we view our identity has a big impact on the decision we make in living as a community of faith. Here it is made clear that Christ owns the church, is head of the church and is the basis for unity in the church.

Authority: In this section Divine Revelation and Office Bearers are discussed as they relate to authority for living as church members.

Ecumenicity: In this section the question of how we related to churches both inside and outside our denomination is discussed. The question “How do we appropriately express the catholicity of the church?” is answered.

Activity: This section is the longest of the sections and covers a number of questions that have risen a number of times in my experience with each of the churches I have been a member of. What really is the central mission of the church? How does the mission of the church relate to the particular mission of individual Christians? Are we spending our individual and corporate resources of time and money in the right places? In separate chapters what it means to be a worshiping church and a witnessing church is paired with chapters on the practice of each characteristic. Two other important topics covered are what it means to be a teaching church and what it means to be a repenting church.

These sections are followed by a concluding chapter on the need for God-glorifying Church governance.

Michael Horton provides a concluding word which is an extended commendation of the scriptural approach the authors made in presenting the ecclesiology outlined in the book.

I received this book from Evangelical Press via Cross Focused Reviews and was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review - Marie Durand by Simonetta Carr

This is one of those books that is a pleasure to read aloud with someone else. There is a variety of original artwork mixed with photographs, drawings and illustrations.

The story of Marie Durand’s imprisonment is supplemented with an Epilogue containing relevant history of France and the Protestant movement after Marie Durand’s death. There is also a useful timeline, pronunciation key, additional facts in an interesting “Did You Know” section and a reproduction of a wonderful handwritten letter from Marie to her Niece, Anne.

This book is not a quick read, set aside kind of book. The variety of formats requires engagement with the book and I found myself going back to reread and ponder the person and the history, wondering what response I would have had in similar situations.  History tied to a person is much more memorable than straight facts. For this reason this makes an excellent book for teaching history to young children.

 

This book is part of the “Christian Biographies For Young Readers Series”. 

I received this book for free from Reformation Heritage Books via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review – Passing Through: Pilgrim Life in The Wilderness by Jeremy Walker

As if Jeremy Walker could anticipate the recent monumental Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling and my reading his book, he begins the book with the poem “Passing Through” by Horatius Bonar, which aptly describes the way I increasingly feel about living in this world, but yearning for the Kingdom.  In true Puritan like fashion, Jeremy Walker gives extended precise theological grounding and extended sound practical suggestions for living in this world but not being of the world.

The book begins with the key observation that your sense of identity determines your modes of activity and that both need to be examined in the light of scripture. The rest of the book then proceeds to draw this out primarily from scripture but also with numerous references to Reformed Christian thought.

I loved the format of the book. Each chapter takes a look at one aspect of being a Pilgrim. Within each chapter there are four sections: introductory remarks, the scriptural framework, summary thoughts, and specific counsels. Within these sections main points are italicized. So while for the modern reader the book may seem a little precise and nuanced, the form makes it easier to read.

This book is a very encouraging read. I found the chapters on understanding the environment, knowing the enemy, fighting the battles and respecting the authorities most relevant to living in today’s culture and world. I was reminded that I too easily dismiss our enemy the devil as if he did not exist or had little power. I was instructed on the importance of respecting the authorities while being able to stand firm, without being offensive, on those things which are non-negotiable.

A timely and helpful book.

I received this book for free from Reformation Heritage Books via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review -- Bitesize Biographies Ulrich Zwingli by William Boekestein

This is not an easy book to read for one unfamiliar with European geography and church and civil government during the sixteenth century. Words such as Diet, canton, burgomaster and “biblical humanist” were used without explanation, making it hard for me to follow much of the detail in the earlier part of the book. This is not a criticism of the author as much as a warning for those expecting to find this book a simple read.

The author, William Boekestein, has done a tremendous job in documenting the life and times of Ulrich Zwingli during the Swiss Reformation.  The author deals straightforwardly with the struggles Zwingli had with his own sin, with the Anabaptists, with the Roman Catholic Church and chronologically explains the reforms Zwingli instituted in Zurich and the differences he had with Martin Luther.  This book is a worthwhile read and a good introduction to a most influential, but lesser read reformer.  The quality of the writing and research is what you would expect from William Boekestein, who also co-authored Why Christ Came: 31 meditations on the incarnation.

I received this book for free from Evangelical Press via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review

Book Review -- Living Without Worry by Timothy Lane

Here is a book that provides insights to overcome or lessen worry.  The first part of the book states the case for overcoming worry and carefully describes it; what it is and what it is not.  Worry’s connection to fear and to things we love more than God is carefully described. 

Chapters three through six takes a look at worry past, present and future with comparisons and contrasts on how biblical characters dealt with worry and how Jesus meets the need. Timothy Lane provides suggestions for the way out of worry for anxiety that has its origins in each of these time periods.

Chapters seven through nine are filled will much practical advice on how to start to change, a presentation of truths to help counter your worry and advice on how to cast your cares onto Christ.  In these chapters Timothy Lane draws parallels between the call to wisdom in Proverbs and the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. In both places there is the call to trust God to really experience life free from fear and harm.  On page 92 he says, “Until you are able to draw a line from your behavior and what is driving it, you can’t call out to God for grace to enable you to turn away from what you are living for and find the grace of Christ you need to start changing.”

Chapter ten is a look at the advice to Paul about his worry.

The conclusion wraps up the book with a reminder about God’s command to not worry, the tenderness with which God makes this command and the promise He makes about giving us the Kingdom which reassures us that we have everything we need for this life and the life to come.

The author does a good job of giving clarity about what worry is and how to begin to grow away from worry, replacing it with peace.  Although I consider Edward T. Welch’s book Running Scared: Fear, Worry and The God of Rest most helpful, Timothy Lane’s book comes a close second, providing different biblical illustrations and entry points for beginning to get a grip on worry.

Book Review – Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When it’s Tough by Rico Tice

Honest Evangelism is a book that recognizes that changes in the culture call for changes in the way we communicate the Gospel to the nations. Gone are the days when people come to church to learn about God and gone are the days when most people know Bible basics. Rico Tice acknowledges we are in a culture of growing hostility toward Christianity and his advice to us in being faithful witnesses to Christ are grounded in this reality.

Setting the stage: In the first two chapters Rico Tice explains his own experience of becoming a new Christian, the excitement around sharing the gospel, and the reality of the opposition he experienced in sharing it.

Understanding why we often don’t evangelize: In chapter 3 he gives two reasons we often don’t evangelize. The first is that we plain get discouraged by the opposition and lack of enthusiastic response to our sharing the Gospel. The second is a misplaced love, where what we treasure prevents us from sharing the Gospel. For Rico Tice, it was the approval he wanted from his family more than the pain of rejection he might have to endure by sharing the gospel with his dying grandmother.

Motivations to evangelize: In chapter 4 Rico Tice says remembering three things transformed his willingness and practice of sharing the Gospel: God’s sovereignty, God’s grace and God’s power.

How we do it: In chapters 5-8 we have some real encouragement and very practical help in getting started sharing the Gospel or restarting this practice. Chapter 5 talks about necessary life skills, such as knowing what to say and “chatting your faith”. Engaging someone in conversation about the Gospel Tice says, is being yourself with the gifts God has given you and bringing naturally into the conversation what it was like becoming a Christian: What was I like before? What did Christ do for me? and What difference does he make?  The conversation can be taken further by reflecting on how you are growing in this relationship and what the cross and resurrection mean to you now.

The book ends with a listing by category of some very useful resources to use in more study, resources for sharing and one-on-one bible reading.

I did not find a whole lot new in this book, but I was very much encouraged by it. It is short, concise, quite readable but not trivial and with specific helps. I think the way Tice framed the issue, shared his own struggles and laid out some very practical advice reminded me in a powerful way of the great privilege and responsibility that is ours to testify to what God did and is doing, and to have courage to speak of the danger of not believing. My tendency is to share hard cold facts of who Christ is and what He has done. This book reminded me to be personal and share with others how God is redeeming my brokenness and that he can rescue them from the reality of hell to a life of eternal bliss, just as He is doing for me.