Monthly Archives: May 2013

BOOK BLURBS

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I am grateful for the kind blurbs scholars and writers have given to my books.  I do think there are some overused phrases and descriptions which should be put to rest.  Here are a few I’ve collected:

Tour de force

Essential reading

Must read or the more emphatic, “truly, a must read”

If you read only one book this year, this should be it

Seminal

Couldn’t put it down

Chapter three was worth the price of the book

The definitive work

I wish I had written it!

It repays a careful read

Vintage Piper

Judicious use of sources

The standard by which all others will be judged

Slim, but weighty volume

The best book I’ve read on this topic

 

 

WHO DEFINES REALITY?

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If there is no God, we Christians are truly most to be pitied.
We missed out on so much potential for worldly success.
Our silly beliefs shackled us to a stupid fear that we were wasting our time making loads of money.
Go on You Tube and watch people like Tony Robbins.  Seems a lot happier than many
Christians I know.  Perhaps he is right…
Pretty depressing, huh?

 

We need to be discerning who we listen to and why.  Too many assume that the one with the microphone is the expert.  Americans have had a love affair with celebrity that goes back at least to the Jacksonian period.  Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about it in the 1830s.

Perhaps there are quieter voices who don’t have a microphone, but have loads of wisdom to impart…if we will just be less enamored with the dreadful din of celebrity.

 

DALLAS WILLARD

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Many of you know by now that Dallas Willard died this past Wednesday.

Willard’s influence on American Christianity was both deep and wide.

It was my privilege to interview him for an entire hour on two separate occasions.  The first book of his I read was Spirit of the Disciplines.  It was the late 1980s and I was going through it with a new staff member of Cru at Stanford.  It remains my favorite Willard book.

There are many laudatory things being said about Dallas Willard.  John Ortberg’s piece is worth reading:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/may-web-only/man-from-another-time-zone.html?start=1

IS AMERICA A CHRISTIAN NATION?

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John Fea’s excellent blog (http://www.philipvickersfithian.com) directed me to helpful critiques of “Christian America” by Wheaton history professor, Tracy McKenzie.  McKenzie’s blog which is new, can be found at: http://faithandamericanhistory.wordpress.com.  The two posts address Francis Schaeffer’s misguided take on “Christian America” along with pointing out weaknesses in the wildly popular, The Light and the Glory, by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.  The dates for the posts are April 23 and 30.

Good material for growing in one’s understanding of the past and knowing how to live more wisely in the present.

 http://faithandamericanhistory.wordpress.com/

HATE THE COVER, LOVE THE BOOK!

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Sensing Jesus

Okay, let me get something off my chest.  I want lots of people to read this book.  And I know it is written with pastors in mind, but any Christian who desires honest and hopeful growth will benefit greatly by reading it.  But there is a slight problem…

Sensing Jesus by Zack Eswine is truly a terrific book, but you would not think so judging by its cover.  I am on record saying another Crossway book (Why Cities Matter?) has a terrific cover and thereby heaped my praise publicly on the graphic designer.   I don’t know what happened with this cover, but I guess everyone has a bad day.  The cover for Sensing Jesus looks like a Shroud of Turin wannabe.

Covers and titles matter because they form the initial impression people have of a book.  I would love to see many buy Eswine’s book, but the title with the cover design are confusing and frankly, a bit cheesy.  Note to Crossway: redesign and retitle.

This truly is an important book which is geared for pastors, but contains much wisdom any Christian will benefit from.  Among other things, it will help non pastors better understand the peculiar challenges of pastoral ministry.

Eswine is a gifted writer who writes out of his own brokenness.  He could have easily fallen prey to self indulgence, but Eswine keeps God front and center.  Broken and vulnerable humanity is kept wonderfully tethered to the God of all hope.

The creative folks at Crossway need to get brainstorming a new title AND design!  And please do it before the next print run!

The present subtitle is good, so I say keep it as it is: “Life and Ministry as a Human Being.”

 

TEACHING WELL: SEVEN C’s

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During a time of reflection, six C’s came to me as representing effective, Christian teaching.  Our dear friend, Karen Debenport, reminded me of one I have always included, but failed to add.  See the first two replies:

Christ-centered

Curiosity of teacher.  He or she is always learning.

Creative presentation

Clarity of thought

Charity toward those who disagree.

Compassion/true Christian care for everyone.

Compelling delivery.  The teacher really believes what they are talking about and not just going through the motions.

I love how Andrew Delbanco reminds us (College: What It Was, Is, And Should Be, p. 63-64) that great teaching will always be in vogue.

Any other C’s you might add?

WAITING ON GOD

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Several years back I read a terrific book by Ben Patterson.  His title, Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent, gives you a good idea of what Patterson is writing about.

Three of my takeaways from the book were:

*Waiting on God looks foolish, even to many Christians.

*The lack of knowing how long we will have to wait for further clarity can be brutal.

*Waiting does not mean passively doing nothing (though it may for a season!), but it can be challenging to know what to do while we wait for greater clarity.

Among other things, it is wise to get counsel from godly Christians during seasons of waiting on God.

 

LET’S FIGHT!

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It is sad how much Christians fight over doctrines which are not essential.  We typically call these secondary teachings.  From which mode of baptism is biblical to head coverings to predestination, there are all kinds of ways Christians choose to fight amongst themselves.

I came up with a question for those who believe the Bible speaks clearly on one of these non essential doctrines: How do you explain that equally learned and devoted Christians disagree on this issue?  Some dodge the force of the question and simply say, “But the Bible clearly teaches God created in six, twenty-four hour days.”  At this point I will try to get the person to appreciate that they are saying, even if not explicitly, that the other side is either not as scholarly, not as devoted to God, or perhaps both.  If the person does not seem to appreciate these things, my experience has taught me to move on to another subject!

Did you know I wanted to be an interior decorator?  Only a few remain interested in fighting with me.

 

 

THE MARRIAGE OF SCOT McKNIGHT AND JUSTIN TAYLOR

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Scot’s “Jesus Creed” has posted some of my writing.  My book, The Last Men’s Book You’ll Ever Need, was featured on Justin’s, “Between Two Worlds” and Crossway regularly sends me books for review.

Scot and Justin are fine men whom I have corresponded with from time to time.

“Jesus Creed” and “Between Two Worlds” are indispensable reads.  For the record, I don’t list my favorite blogs on “Moore Engaging.”  I have too many so it would eat up precious space.

I greatly appreciate what both Scot and Justin bring to the body of Christ, but it seems I must be in the minority.  I have noticed if a blogger lists Scot’s blog, they predictably leave off Justin’s.  And vice versa.

I did notice Trevin Wax’s blogroll lists the blogs of Scot and Justin.  Trevin has a “Gospel Coalition” blog, but it does not keep him from declaring his admiration for both John Piper and N.T. Wright.  Trevin continues in this vein:

“Both are men of God who have a deep love for the Scriptures. Both have devoted their lives to the service of the kingdom. Both men are scholars who are simultaneously devoted to the Church…I began reading John Piper and N.T. Wright at about the same time (2003). I have benefited greatly from both of these men’s works. It has been theologically sharpening for me to have read extensively from both sides of this debate.”

(“Kingdom People” blog, “Future of Justification 1: Some Preliminary Thoughts,” Nov. 29, 2007.)

So here is my proposal (no pun intended):  More than a truce, let there be a marriage of sorts between Scot and Justin’s considerable followers.  Like all good marriages, I am not advocating some bland and therefore bogus agreement.  This would be a healthy marriage where fights are fair, love is tangibly displayed, and the real Enemy acknowledged as the only enemy.