"Every Man's Battle"

I have heard a lot concerning Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker's "Every Man's Battle." Since I try to stray away from pop-Christianity, I had not ran to my local bookstore to read it. Well, after seeing a deal that I couldn't pass, I decided to buy it and give it a read.

Over all, I was impressed. One of the things that people have always told me was how explicit it was. This was a concern for me since I feel that painting a picture is just as dangerous as seeing the picture when it comes to the issue of lust. For the most part, the authors did not commit this fallacy. However, they did not beat around the bush.

"Every Man's Battle," is a book helping men deal with sexual sin such as lust, masturbation, pornography, etc. These are issues that very few are willing to deal with, and these authors do it without embarrassment. The authors, throughout the entire book, offer personal stories of how they struggled and how they overcame their struggles and sins.

Furthermore, the authors are concerned with what the Biblical text has to say concerning these subjects. Throughout the book, they gain their application and exhortations straight from the text. At one point, the authors include over 3 pages worth of biblical texts defending their arguments!

Also, the application is phenomenal in the book. This isn't a book that says, "Stop it!" and that's it, but rather the authors say, "here's how you can achieve victory." In addition, this isn't a self-help book where the authors are encouraging and rooting on their readers. I can't stand those books. Rather, the authors understand human nature, they understand men, and they walk the reader through how to be sexually pure.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the fact that they spent time giving the reader the benefits of sexual purity: better sex with your wife. They have a compelling argument that every man wants. After reading their words, the reader leaves desiring this better relationship with their wives. In fact, much of the sexual sin men commit are, at times, in pursuit of this very thing. The authors show, however, that sexual purity leads to better sex within marriage, just as God promised.

Finally, after almost every chapter, the authors provide the reader with the female perspective. This is eye opening to the men reading the book, and gives them a better understanding of the female mind.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. At the very least, it needs to be taken seriously. And every man, whether married or not, need to heed their words and practice sexual purity. It is what god demands, and it will save many marriages, and many Christian witnesses.

Here is a trailer for "Every Young Men's Battle"

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The authors have set up a website with more helpful resources on how to overcome sexual temptations and sin.

"The Case For The Real Jesus"

Out of all of Lee Strobel's "Case For..." books, I would have to say that "The Case For the Real Jesus," is his best. My initial reaction to it was, "Great, another one." But after reading it, I was greatly impressed and glad that I had read it.

Strobel deals with several issues in the West's debate over Christ. These issues include textual critisism, other "gospels," Jewish objections to Christ, postmodernism's definition of Christ, and many others. In each issue, Strobel interviews the best in the field in seeking out the truth.

Strobel begins his book by presenting the case from those who reject the biblical Christ. It is clear that he has read their books, heard their arguments, and has given them their say. I must admit that I had my doubts that these objections could be countered. That is how good Strobel is. Of all of the writers I have read, Strobel seems to be the most objectable.

Another thing Strobel achieves is not giving the persons he interviews a pass. He would not simply say, "Good point, moving on." But rather would bring up objection after objection trying to prove them wrong. Why? Because he was searching for the truth. If anything in the Bible is wrong about Christ, or if history or postmodernism disproves Scripture's claims concerning Christ, Christianity falls.

I highly recommend that everyone reads this book. For believers, it will strengthen your faith. For unbelievers, it will challenge your faith (or the lack there-of).

Here is a promo for Strobel's book:

Limbaugh: The Case For The Real Jesus

David Limbaugh, brother of Rush Limbaugh, has written an interesting review on Lee Strobel's new book, "The Case for the Real Jesus." I have read it as well, and hope to post a review on it soon. In the mean time, here is Limbaugh's review:

It's interesting that many who dismiss the Bible and certain essential Christian claims -- saying they believe there is scant evidence to support them -- are able to readily embrace rival belief systems and their texts, which are far less reliable.

Former atheist Lee Strobel has used his formidable journalistic and legal background as legal editor of the Chicago Tribune to research and write a number of bestselling books in defense of the Christian faith. His recently released "The Case for the Real Jesus" goes beyond the traditional apologetic to address some of the current attacks on the identity of Jesus Christ, typified by the heretical storyline in the popular The Da Vinci Code.

I strongly recommend this book this Christmas season because it compellingly debunks many of the most recent mythical challenges to Christianity. It is perfect for believers whose perceived spiritual security could be threatened by the crop of fantastic notions now circulating and for nonbelievers who are open to the evidence.
Strobel correctly observes that ideas have consequences and, particularly, what we believe about Jesus will have profound consequences for us individually. Since modern theories directly attack what Christians believe about the very identity of Jesus, Strobel wanted to examine their validity to determine whether the Christian idea of Christ could survive rigorous inquiry.

Having begun as a smug nonbeliever and converting only after subjecting Christianity's historical and doctrinal claims to scrupulous investigation, Strobel was unafraid to put his faith to the test once again. Are we, believers and nonbelievers alike, similarly unafraid?

Strobel asks, "Are you willing to set aside your preconceptions and let the evidence take you wherever it will? ... I had to honestly ask myself that question when I was an atheist and decided to investigate the identity of Jesus. And more recently, this time as a Christian, I had to face that issue squarely once again when I was confronted by six potent challenges that could undermine everything I had come to believe about him."

Strobel points out that while the heretical ideas about Jesus achieved a new level of prominence in The Da Vinci Code, they have been around for years and have even been circulated widely in modern times preceding that story.

In the 1990s, Christian debunkers received a boost from a group of liberal Christian scholars known as the "Jesus Seminar." These professors examined the words and deeds of Jesus and, using colored beads to cast their votes, pronounced that fewer than 20 percent of the statements attributed to Jesus in the Bible were actually uttered by him.

What made the Jesus Seminar unique, says Strobel, was not its liberal "scholarship" purporting to discredit Biblical accounts of Jesus but that it bypassed the usual academic channels to enthusiastically make its findings public. In case you haven't noticed, the recent "evangelistic" fervor against Christianity didn't begin with Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. They have just built on what the Jesus Seminar proselytizing debunkers started.

Strobel says that six major challenges are leaving many Christians scratching their heads and confusing seekers looking for the truth about Christ. He began his research on these challenges conceding to himself that if any were true, they "could change everything" about his beliefs. But, "for the sake of my own intellectual integrity, I needed answers." He then proceeded to investigate, by studying the evidence and interviewing the premiere scholars on each of these issues:

1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the Four Gospels, 2. The Bible's portrait of Jesus can't be trusted because the Church tampered with the text, 3. New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection, 4. Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions, 5. Jesus was an impostor who failed to fulfill the messianic prophecies, and 6. People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus.

I love Lee Strobel's ministry, maybe in large part because I began my spiritual journey as quite the skeptic as well, but also because I believe he has the unique skills, intellectual curiosity and personal integrity that position him to stand on the front lines defending Christ against today's puffed-up assailants.

Will you take Strobel's challenge and read the results of his study? As he says, "In the end, we'll discover together whether the Jesus of historic Christianity manages to emerge intact from the crucible of twenty-first-century skepticism."

"One Minute After You Die"

Erwin Lutzer came to Southern Seminary last semester and did one of the best impersonations of Dr. Billy Graham I have ever heard. Since then, I have gone back and looked at some of what he has written, and read "One Minute After You Die." It was a good book that deals with a lot of issues surrounding death.

First, he dealt with some of the cultural issues such as reincarnation, witchcraft, hauntings, talking to the dead, etc. He deals with each thing froma Biblical perspective. Personally, I thought he could have gone in more detail on each topic. He sort of describes them, and then explains what Scripture tells about it.

Secondly, he deals with near death experiences. He notes that no one has peaked behind the curtain and then come back to life except one person: Christ. From there, he begins to describe what is behind the curtain of death, and looks at Luke 16 concerning the Rich Man and Lazarus.

Thirdly, he deals with hell. I thought his treatment on the subject was thorough and dead on. He begins by looking at the Biblical doctrine of hell. What does the Bible say concerning hell and how does it describe it? He begins by looking at "Sheol" and the Old Testament, and the moves on to the New Testaments description of it. He is honest and careful in his conclusions, but overall, it was very well done. He even discussed some of the difficult issues surrounding hell such as how could a God of love send someone to hell?, etc.

Next, he discusses heaven. There are so many myths and misunderstandings of what heaven will be like that it is hard to figure out what is fact and what is fiction. Lutzer shows us by, again, taking us to the Scriptures. He paints a picture of heaven that makes the reader long for it even more. Although I think he makes some assumptions that the text doesn't give us, overall, it is a fair treatment of the Bible's teaching on the subject as a whole.

Finally, Lutzer gives a final call of repentance. He wants his reader to experience heaven rather than hell, and so leads them through the gospel. I can only hope and pray that many have heeded his call to repentance so that one minute after they die, they will wake up to "Well Done," and not "Depart from me" coming from the lips of God.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Perhaps the thing I like best outside of his careful exegesis of the text was his pastoral concern for the reader. One could tell that Lutzer was a pastor with a lot of experience with death and dealing with families that go through tragedies. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, but at the same time, provides some pastoral advice along the way.

"The God Who Is There" - Francis A. Schaeffer

I have been wanting to get into Francis Schaeffer for sometime now. He is the inspiration behind a lot of my favorite authors and cultural commentators, including Nancy Pearcy, Charles Colson, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., and many others. I was given a copy of "The God Who Is There," about a year ago by a friend that was giving away a lot of their books. And, so I finally decided to read it.

The book is fairly straightforward and isn't very long. In it, Schaeffer traces some of the philosophical trends since the enlightenment to where we are now. He discusses philosophers like Hegel, Kierkegaard, and others to show us how we have come this far, in what he calls, "The Line of Despair."

From there, Schaeffer looks at related issues revealing this trend in the arts: movies, art, music, etc. He does this by showing how this trend of going below the line of despair has appeared in the culture. He gives specific examples and quotes from leaders of the arts to illustrate this point.

This was my least favorite part of the book. I thought he spent more time on the arts than he should have, and not enough time on philosophers and trends. Nonetheless, it was a helpful exercise in understanding our culture.

My most favorite part of the book comes in the closing sections. Here, Schaeffer takes the discussion and applies it to Christianity and evangelism. This reminds the reader that the past 100 pages weren't in vain. Schaeffer's goal is to reach the lost, and for that I am grateful. Too many Christian philosophers and thinkers today want to win an argument, not win a soul for Christ. Schaeffer's heart is in soul winning, and training Christians to be soul winners.

He does this by educating Christians about the culture in which they live in. This is a passion of mine. Christians need to stop being so wimpy and get on it. There is a lost world out there, and we couldn't tell you the first 5 books of the Bible, let alone know how to change our culture and understand it.

Overall, Schaeffer's work is pretty good. Though it isn't exactly a fun read for those not willing to think or that don't like philosophy. But for those willing to think hard and apply these truths in our quest to lead others to Christ, this is a great read. And I recommend it.

"Wild At Heart"

I want to point you over to the Theology section. I have posted a review by Dr. Randy Stinson concerning the book "Wild At Heart," by John Eldridge. Stinson makes some good points relating to this book and the theology behind it.

Again, I applaud what Eldridge is trying to do in this book, but the underlying theology is dangerous.

"Shepherds After My Own Heart"

Timothy S. Laniak has written the most thorough treatment on the metaphor of the Shepherd in Scripture I have ever read or come across in his book, "Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions And Leadership in the Bible". Never before have I realized just has vast and how often Scripture uses this metaphor to describe God, Christ, and even human leaders.

Laniak begins his book by discussing the interpretation and hermeneutics of metaphors and the role they play in Scripture. From there, he looks at a broader understanding of pastoral metaphors in extra-biblical writings and context. The author gives a brief synopsis and provides the readers with specific examples of how nations in the Ancient Near East used the metaphor in their own religion and culture. This is a helpful backdrop that allows us to better understand what Scripture means and how it uses the metaphor of the Shepherd.

From there, and throughout the rest of the book, Laniak walks us through all of Scripture covering both testaments. Beginning in the Pentatuech, and going all the way through Revelation, the author discusses and applies how the metaphor is treated. He points out how God is a shepherd, how human leaders are a type of shepherd, and how we (as God's children) and the led are like flock.

Laniak's walk through Scripture is almost exhaustive. He virtually leaves no stone uncovered as it relates to Shepherding. He deals with the original language when necessary and exegetes each text very well. This is a helpful resource in understanding the various illustrations of the shepherd.

Finally, Laniak finishes with a conslusion that virtually takes everything he had discussed throughout the book, and summs it up. It comes to various conclusions that are the result of his biblical exegesis. This brings the reader back home for why he picked the book up in the first place.

Overall, this is a good read, but a hard read. Anyone not familiar with the Old Testament, Ancient Near Eastern culture, the orignial languages, the use of metaphors in Scripture, the historical backdrop of the Old and New Testament, etc. will find this to be a difficult and even boring read. Laniak's goal is not to entertain, but to inform, and he accomplishes that goal.

For pastors, and leaders in general, that want to understand various leaders and how they had lead in Scripture, and how to mimick the Good Shepherd (cf. Jon 19), this is an excellent place to turn to.

"3:16: The Numbers of Hope"

I've never been a big fan of Max Lucado. It isn't that I don't like him or that I disagree with him theologically, but rather that he fits a mold in which I'm not a big fan of. I am tired of baby Christianity. I am tired of spoon feeding Christians. I have always felt that Lucado was one of those authors that was never willing to dive into difficult issues, confront the culture, defend the faith, etc.

But nonetheless, I was interested on his treatment on the infamous verse, John 3:16, and I must say that I was impressed. Lucado did an excellent job with this text.

First, I appreciated his willingness to deal with context in which this verse is found. The beginning of book details the story of Jesus' conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus. The author was willing to give us the background necesary for 3:16 to make sense. Too often today, Christians have no idea who Jesus was talking to or why He said it. In fact, many probably couldn't tell you where the book of John is and what testament it can be found in!

Lucado doesn't just deal with the immediate context in the first chapter, but references it throughout the book. This, again, is critical to understanding any verse in Scripture. His best discussion was on Jesus' words concerning the snake in the desert during Jesus' time. Christians today are so biblically illederate that they don't even think about asking what in the world Jesus was referring to. This doesn't stop Lucado, he stops and takes the time needed to explain the story, what it meant, what Jesus meant by referencing it, and how it applies to 3:16.

Secondly, I appreciate his reverance for the original language. He frequently uses the Greek language in order to explain what is meant by the text (he does use the Hebrew language when referencing the Old Testament as well or when doing a word study). As a result, Lucado opens a well full of things that are critical for us to understand Jesus' words. Why did Jesus use this word and not another? These sorts of questions help us to better understand the original meaning of the text.

Too many authors and pastors today are scared to reference the original language because it might be too difficult for them to understand. Lucado proves that that is a myth. All it takes is a basic understanding of the language, and communication skills to get it across to those in the pew. In other words, laziness makes it confusing, hard work and study allows you to present it to your congregation in an understandable way, and it opens the door to a better understanding of the text.

Third, Lucado was willing to discuss difficult topics like hell without blushing. He makes it clear that in our soceity, this is an unpopular topic, but unless one grasps the concept of hell and it's necessity and truth. I was a bit surprised that he was willing to quote some difficult passages and deal with some difficult questions regarding hell and eternal damnation. This is critical to understanding the gospel. One that will not be punished, will not be saved. Why would they? You can't be saved unless you know your loss.

There is a lot of other good things about the book including his reformed understanding of the gospel being justification by faith alone. I encourage everyone, even those who aren't Lucado fans, to read this book. John 3:16 has been a favorite of Christians for centuries, and Lucado shows us exactly why. There is no more important issue than the gospel.

Here's a trailer for the book:

What's So Great About Christianity?

Without a doubt, Dinesh D'Souza's book, "What's So Great About Christianity?" is one of the best books I have ever read. The answer to the books title is everything: everything! Without Christianity, modern society and culture would be radically different. Christianity gave birth to philosophy, science, morality, politics, etc.

This book answers many of the attacks put forth by the great atheists of our day including Richard Dawkins and others. D'Souza manages to deal with each "problem," thoughtfully and honestly, and always provides Biblical answers showing that Christianity trumps all other theories. D'Souza takes us behind the mindset and worldview of the atheist. He debunks many of their own claims, and puts forth the better ideas of Christianity.

AN ARGUMENT FOR DESIGN

D'Souza manages to put forth an honest assessment and argument for intelligent design. And he does so by using the very words of the atheist. He points out that much that science has "discovered," does not debunk the Bible, but rather supports it. Throughout it's pages, D'Souza manages to make intelligent design the direct result of scientific research. Which is something that many Christians are lacking in this debate.

There is one problem that I have with his treatment of origins, and that is that he is a old-earth Creationist. That is, he believes that the earth is billions of years old. The only problem with that view is that the Bible does not support an old earth. Rather, the Bible suggests that the earth is no more than 10,000 years old.

To make this argument, which is typical, he essentially takes the meaning of "day" in Genesis as figurative (which no one ever does in any language, or elsewhere in the Bible) to mean an unspecified amount of time. Therefore, "day" could mean billions of years. Therefore, Day 1 in creation could be 500 millions years. As a result of this argument, he allows a lot of room for evolution.

Although now is not the time to deal with this issue, let me just say that it creates a lot of problems. First, evolution implies death whenever the Bible is clear that death didn't occur until after the fall (cf. Genesis 3). Secondly, how could God say that creation was "very good" whenever there had been billions of years of death and "survival of the fittest?" Finally, there remains much evidence to support a young earth, but it is so "out of date," that no one wants to research it and seek to prove it.

Nevertheless, D'Souza does a good job in handling this difficult issue, and he does so by exposing the faults of the atheists and secularist and uplifts a God of great powers and creativity.

SUFFERING

D'Souza does not deal with the issue of evil and suffering the way most would. In fact, he barely scratches the surface. Rather, what he does is deal with the objection raised by atheist and unbelievers that Christianity has led to the greatest massacres and wars in history. More people have been killed in the name of religion (including Christianity) than any other reason. They always point to things like the Crusades, Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, etc.

D'Souza does not minimize these events and the millions that were killed. However, he puts them in their proper context and the historical background needed to understand them. There is no excuse for some of the things that people have done in the name of God, but D'Souza shows that much of what leading atheist thinkers are saying are historically inaccurate.

One of the many myths that he debunks here is the numbers game. For example, many assume that hundreds were murdered in the Salem Witch trials. When the truth is that less than 25 were killed. Neither the author nor myself, are downplaying those deaths, for even 1 is too many, but you can notice how much atheist and unbelievers have exaggerated the claims of death and murder in religion. Most of the things they say concerning this issue is simply wrong.

And then the author does something that really drives his point home. He shows that there have been, by far, more people killed and massacred in the name of atheism than religion. One paragraph reads:

"Religion-inspired killing simply cannot compete with the murders perpetrated by atheist regimes. I recognize that population levels were much lower in the past, and that it's much easier to kill people today with sophisticated weapons than it was in previous centuries with swords and arrows. Even taking higher population levels into account, atheist violence surpasses religious violence by staggering proportions. here is a rough calculation. The worlds population rose from around 500 million in 1450 AD to 2.5 billion in 1950, a fivefold increase. Taken together, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the witch burnings killed approximately 200,000 people. Adjusting for the increase in population, that the equivalent of one million deaths today. Even so, these deaths caused by Christian rulers over five-hundred-year period amount to only 1 percent of the deaths caused by Stalin, Hitler, and Mao in the space of a few decades."

This is a staggering figure to say the least! And the calculation above is only considering those killed under 3 atheist dictators, not all of them! The statistics of those killed in the name of Christianity doesn't even compare the number killed by atheists.

Therefore, the argument that Christianity and religion only kills and causes useless wars must never be made again because history has revealed that the most dangerous ideology isn't Christianity or religion, but the lack-thereof. Atheism has killed more people in the past 100 years that Christianity in the past 1,000 years!

MORALITY

Let's face it, what drives the atheist to be moral? Absolutely nothing. Frederick Nietzsche, an atheist himself, realized this. Whenever you take God out of the picture, there is no motivation to be morale. We become nothing more than animals trying to survive.

This creates a problem for the Darwinian. As D'Souza points out at the beginning of the book, evolution cannot explain man's desire for religion. Religion goes against the doctrines of evolution. Evolution says to live for yourself and do whatever it takes to survive and to continue your race. Religion, on the other hand, does the opposite. Religion encourages selflessness, not selfishness. Religion encourages morality, not survival of the fittest. Religion teaches marriage, commitment, and family. All of these things are rejected by evolution. Therefore, we must ask, how can evolution explain religion? Simply put, it can't.

Finally, in this section, D'Souza returns to the issue of suffering. Only this time, he continues to question the claims and practicality of atheism. Whenever bad things happen, such as 9/11, etc., people turn to religions like Christianity, not atheism. Why? Because atheism cannot comfort people in their time of need. Atheism simply says, "sucks to be you," whereas religion offers hope, comfort, and answers. An answer like, "God is on His throne and will bring glory to His name somehow," (the Christian worldview) is much better than, "there's no purpose or meaning to anything, you have to deal with what your dealt. Good luck!"

CONCLUSION

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the issues the author brings up in this book. However, this should provide a good idea of some of the points he makes and how thoughtful and helpful this book is. I have read several books on dealing with the culture from a Christian worldview, including "How Now Shall We Live?" by Charles Colson and "Total Truth," by Nancy Pearcy. And though both of those were very good, neither of them compare to D'Souza's work.

So anyone interested in knowing how to combat atheism and secularism in our culture, just read this book. What's so great about Christianity? Everything. And the author proves it!