The Life of God in the Soul of Man - Review

365: day 265
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The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal (1650-1678, bio)

What can someone who barely lived to see his 28th birthday in 1678 have to say? Enough that George Whitefield said he never really understood what true religion was till he had digested Scougal's treatise (from ccef.org).

Found off of a friend's recommended book list, I loved this book. Loved it. I was reading it with other people, and while they didn't like it, I kept enjoying it more and more.

The language is old and the sentences are long, but there is great reward in sorting through this treasure.

In describing the divine life:

It is a real participation of his nature, it is a beam of the eternal light, a drop of that infinite ocean of goodness; and they who are endowed with it may be said to have “God dwelling in their souls, and Christ formed within them.”

The Rise of Christianity - review

The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark is a sociologist's look at why Christianity grew in the few centuries following the death and resurrection of Christ.

Stark addresses how Christianity advanced by looking at several factors: class distinction, the mission to the Jews, epidemics, social networks, elevation of the status of women, urban outreach, ancient urban structure and culture, martyrs, and virtues held by the believers.

On the one hand, this is an aggravating book for me. Stark is not looking at the growth of the church as a work of the Sovereign Lord. He sees the growth of the church in purely horizontal (read: human relationships) terms.

On the other hand, this is a profound book. The contrast in the lives, actions, and community of the believers to the pagan culture they lived in was incredible. The Christians stayed during the plagues, they valued women, they had tight community that was deep and thick. Believers gladly went to their deaths in the face of persecution.

Stark's bibliography is long and he frequently references primary sources. His presentation is rather powerful even if there are portions that I disagree with. Given some caveats, this was a great and encouraging read.

The Jesus Storybook Bible - review

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones is a children's Bible. But it is more than that. Not only retells certain portions, but it points us to where these portions are heading. It is great book for anyone (any age!) who wants to understand the Bible and how it points to Christ. I can't read certain parts without getting choked up. I thought it was amazing.

For example, take the ending of the story of Abraham after he was about to sacrifice Isaac (p 69):

"One day Someone will be born into your family," God promised them. "And he will bring happiness to the world."

God was getting ready to give the whole world a wonderful present. It would be God's way to tell his people, "I love you."

Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his Father asked. He wouldn't struggle or run away.

Who was he? God's Son, his only Son - the Son he loved.

The Lamb of God.

History Makers - review

St Mary's at Night
Originally uploaded by Lochinvar1.

History Makers, edited by Paul Hostetler and Grazyna Kozusznik (translated from Polish), is compilation of essays about church planting in Poland. Each of the articles is an autobiographical sketch of the church planter and the church plant.

These accounts seem to be quite honest and humble, yet expecting God to do great things. Many of the ministries have very small churches, have gone through difficult transitions, but have a deep love for Christ and His people.

I got this book from a missionary to Poland and was very intrigued. Carrie and I have both done church planting work in Poland so I was eager to see if I knew anyone. And I did, Piotr Zaremba from Poznan. I took this book with me when I taught at Seaside Missionary Training Center in Odessa and two of the Polish students were related to church planters in the book.

If you can find it, it is worth obtaining. It is real - failures and successes both are given in the book. It can stir the heart.

Not Under Bondage: Biblical Divorce for Abuse. Adultery & Desertion - review

Not Under Bondage: Biblical Divorce for Abuse. Adultery & Desertion by Barbara Roberts is a defense of biblical divorce for marital abuse, immorality, and abandonment. For full-disclosure, Roberts states upfront that she has been the victim of abuse and eventually divorced.

Roberts is quite clear that she is arguing for a distinction between "disciplinary divorce" - divorce because of abuse, adultery, and desertion which allows for the offended party to biblically remarry, and "treacherous divorce" - unbiblical divorce. She defines abuse, what the church and people involved should do in a situation of marital abuse, and provides a biblically-based defense of abuse as a sanctioned reason by Paul. Roberts spends most of the book on the issue of abuse since adultery and desertion have been well-served other places.

Most of her case centers around 1 Corinthians 7, where Paul allows a Christian to let an unbelieving spouse leave. Roberts argues that an abuser has become like an unbeliever and the believer can recognize that the offending spouse has already left. While Roberts gives a good argument and opened my eyes on a few passages, I feel her argument from 1 Corinthians 7 is wanting.

Roberts is quite thorough in her argumentation, similar in depth as to what one might find in Feinberg and Feinberg. She analyzes most of the important passages and gives some detailed commentary for them. Aesthetically, the print in this book is small and goes to the margins, so the text is a bit irritating to look at. That being said, this is a good volume to have if you'd like some interaction on what you think about biblical divorce and remarriage.

Teaching Cross-Culturally - review

Teaching Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Learning and Teaching by Sherwood Lingenfelter and Judith Lingenfelter is to help the western-trained Christian educator to work well in a non-western or multicultural educational setting.

The authors take a look at many things a westerner might assume when teaching. This is then contrasted with learning styles, cultural expectations, and how the various roles in the teaching process are understood.

As I first read this book it initially seemed like blah, blah, blah. But it really is a gem. Great insight for teaching, whether in a western setting or not.

Deep Church - review

Deep Church by Jim Belcher

Well.

Everyone seems to love Belcher's clarity on the issue of emerging/Emergent/traditional churches. His endorsement list is rather unbelievable. Most that are in the know regarding emerging church issues, feel that Belcher has really pegged the history and the current situation. The question is does his third way, his "Deep Church," provide common ground?

Sheepishly, I don't feel like I can give a good answer.

As an audio book, I have mixed feelings. It was great in the parts where Belcher was recounting some of the backdrop for some of the current emerging church debates. It is not good (as an audio book) where you need to stop and chew on something. Many good things have been said about this book and I remember enjoying it, but I can't hardly tell you what some of the author's thoughts are on a way forward for a church. With the audio book, I had a bit of trouble getting a larger sense of where we were going.

Buy the book to really chew on Belcher's third way, unless you just want a good listen on the dynamics of emerging, Emergent, contemporary, or confessional churches and related debates.

Unless you are a better listener than me. If given truth serum, my wife might put a good 98% of the human population in that category. So there you are.

For some good reviews of the book, try here (positive) and here (negative)

Have a Little Faith - review

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom is about the lives of three individuals:

*Albert Lewis, a rabbi who was dying and asked the prodigal congregant Mitch to do his eulogy.

*Henry Covington, an ex-con, former drug-addict/dealer that came to Christ and began preaching and addressing social needs in Detroit.

*Mitch Albom, a journalist that is going through the struggles of performing this eulogy and reckoning his own spiritual life. He tells the story of these two men.

Mitch is a good writer, very easy and entertaining to read. And this is a feel-good book. I got this book free for doing a review in return. While I have been out of country and not feeling well, I was hesitant as to what to say about this book. There is a tension that this book does not resolve concerning faith - what about truth? There is a sense of "we are all OK" but it isn't brought to full blossom. In fact I imagine that Mitch might be the only character (if any) pushing for that position. It seems that the important thing is to believe, without much regard as to it's object.

The stories of these two people (and Mitch) are superbly told. It is heart-warming, but incomplete as a treatise on faith. I'd probably enjoy Tuesdays With Maurie.