"The Theology of the Reformers"

 Theology of the Reformers by Timothy George.

The Great Reformation changed the world and changed history and at its heart, the Reformation was a theological movement.  Rooted in deep theological convictions, Protestants took their stand against the Roman Catholic Church.  Being that it is theological, it is important to understand Protestant theology through the lens of the movement’s primary leaders.  Professor and historian Timothy George has written a book detailing the theology of four of the Protestant Reformation’s leaders: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and Menno Simons. 

The book is broken down into seven chapters centered on the four chapters of each leaders theology.  George begins by looking at pre-Reformation theology and spirituality.  One must understand that the theology of the Reformation did not happen in a vacuum.  Luther was seeking salvation and found it in justification by faith alone not by accident, but out of his frustration with Reformation soteriology.  George lays out the various approaches to theology and the Church.  Some granted the Pope and his court full authority, others made a separation between the Universal Church and the Roman Church, while others were beginning to fan the flame of Reformation (like John Wyclif and John Huss).  Furthermore, George lays out the new theological and academic approaches rising on the eve of the Reformation especially the contrast between scholasticism and humanism.  George gives the reader some detail into these two schools of thought and how they affected the Reformation and Reformation thought.

From there, George begins his venture into the theology of each of the Reformation’s four leaders.  He begins with Martin Luther who began his Reformation in Germany and predates the other three Reformers (and influenced each of them).  Throughout the chapter, the author weaves in biographical information on the reformer, but focuses most of the biographical information at the beginning.  However, the purpose of the biography is to illustrate Luther’s cry for reformation.  Luther craved grace from God and did not find it in Catholic soteriology.  It was in the context of a monastery that he discovered (or really re-discovered) the true gospel of sola fida.

George sees the heart of Luther’s theology in justification by faith alone and predestination, but as he shows, these two are really connected.  Predestination, and Luther’s “bondage of the will,” is rooted in his understanding of man’s depravity.  Such a desperate state of man demands an affirmation of sola fida.  George then goes on to show how the rediscovery of the gospel forced Luther to reexamine the doctrine of the Church and his understanding of Scripture.  Take Scripture for example.  Luther was not a big fan of James primarily because it failed to proclaim the cross like Paul.  To study Luther and to understand his theology is to enter into the depths of one man’s soul to find a God of both justice and love.  Luther found such grace in the message of the cross - the just shall live by their faith.

From there, George discusses Ulrich Zwingli.  Zwingli’s story is different than Luther’s though he was influenced by the German monk.  Zwingli’s Reformation was very much connected with politics and Zwingli rooted in his understanding of the Kingdom being external and affecting our whole lives even beyond religion and faith.  But George spends much of his time discussing the heated debate between Zwingli and Luther over the issue of the Lord’s Supper.  Luther held to consubstantiation while Zwingli saw the language of Jesus (“this is My body,” etc.) as symbolic.  The two were never reconciled even though efforts were made.  But regardless, George shows how Zwingli’s influence impacted his Reformation and the Reformation as a whole.

The third theologian was John Calvin who many believe was the greatest theologian of the period.  Although Luther and Zwingli wrote much on theology, neither of them wrote an entire, detailed systematic theology that shaped the thinking and theology of the Reformation.  George’s treatment of Calvin’s theology is different than the previous two.  The chapter on Calvin covers various, and the most important, aspects of his theology – Christology, harmitology, prayer, providence, etc. 

The final theologian is the Anabaptist leader Minno Simons.  In order to introduce the theology of Simons, one must understand the Radical Reformation and the birth of the Anabaptists.  George takes time laying out the historical and theological narrative of the re-baptizers.  Simons was very much part of this tradition.  Like with Zwingli, George discusses Simons’ understanding and theology of the ordinances and how they differ and like Luther, George discusses Simon’s understanding and theology of Scripture and how they differ with the Reformers.  Simon’s is perhaps the most neglected of these four theologians, but he is certainly no theological light weight.

Like many of his other books, George sums up the discussion by applying the historical and theological record to today’s relevance.  George sums up Reformation theology in a number of particular areas that connect the four theologians.  These areas include Scripture, worship, ethics, ecclesiology, and eschatology.  Overall, George offers his reader and introductory, yet thorough, theology of the Reformation through the lens of its four leading theologians.

George has presented a book that is a must read for all Reformed believers and those intrigued by the Reformation.  All Protestants can trace their theological lineage to the 16th Century theological movement that rediscovered the gospel.  Timothy George has once again revealed why he is among the most respected and widely read theological historians.  This book is one of his best.

What I found interesting about this book is the interesting interaction and the compare and contrast between these four men.  The disagreement between Luther and Zwingli is case in point.  Though the two agreed with one another in most everything (especially regarding the gospel) the two found themselves as almost enemies throwing accusations and angry slurs at one another over this issue.

But through the fog of name calling and theological accusations, George provides the reader with what was really at stake and what the debate was really about.  In his chapter on Zwingli, George shows how this was an issue over Christology, politics, and exegesis.  George’s survey and historical telling of the debate provides the reader with what the issue was really about preventing us from simply ignoring the debate as an unnecessary reality of history.  Many Reformed Protestants love both Zwingli and Luther but try to overlook this part of their theology and their vehement disagreement.  George not only prevents us from ignoring the debate, but draws us into why it was so central to the Reformers and why they took it so seriously.

Furthermore, this approach of laying out the individual theology of the Reformers likes this grants us insight into the debate over Baptism in which they very much disagreed.  George rightly connects the crux of this debate on the question of faith.  It is fascinating how Luther suggests that in some mysterious way the infant does have faith, while Zwingli began to develop the language of covenant and connected circumcision with baptism in ways that Luther hadn’t, while Simons rejected infant baptism outright and understood faith as a prerequisite for baptism.  It is fascinating how these men, though in agreement over most major theological issues, could be so different as something so fundamental as baptism.

In addition to baptism, one gains insight into how the Reformers understand Scripture.  Saying sola scriptura is one thing, but how each of them understood that is different.  Though Luther firmly believed in Scripture alone, he clearly had problems with books like James in which he though contradicted Paul.  Similarly, Simon’s believed that the apocryphal books should be included in the biblical canon.  So though the Reformers affirmed Scripture alone, each of them seemed to have a unique understanding of what that meant.  However, in spite of such a diversity, George is clear that the Reformers, though slightly differing on the subject, were firm in their convictions that Scripture only is inspired and should shape the church and that that fundamental understanding guided each man to his theological conclusions especially the gospel.

Another advantage of this approach to the study of the Reformation and its theology is that its draws the reader to understand and focus on the center of what made the Reformation so powerful and unstoppable. These were not just doctrines that academics debated, but real live issues that affected their culture and changed the world.  Theology is practical and George succeeds in showing where each man’s biography and theology impacted the world around them.

The one thing I found a little frustrating about the book was at times I found George to be distracted by issues that prevented him from developing the center on one’s theology more thoroughly and fully.  The Lord’s Supper controversy is an example of this.  Certainly the Lord’s Supper and how each Reformer understood and applied it, was extremely important to the Reformers (the debate between Luther and Zwingli is case in point), at times the length and careful treatment of the subject almost trumped the more central issues.  George used the largest ink on the Lord’s Supper in his chapter on Zwingli and as a result the reader was drawn away from Zwingli’s theology into an area of debate with another Reformer.  Though this critique is not very common in the book, it is real.  I thought that Zwingli, as a result, was somewhat short changed as a result of the in-depth look into the debate.  Though the discussion was interesting and well written, such distractions were unfortunate.

Overall, however, George has written a fine book on a fascinating book.  George is successful in laying out the theology of the Reformers and how it shaped, not only their own lives and nation but also the world.  George provides a book that is intriguing, accurate, and scholarly yet readable for most Christians.  The Reformation is central in the history of the Church as through it the gospel was rediscovered.  And it is that message of the gospel that changed the world and it is men like these four men that God used to call on men to repent as He did in the days of the apostles.

"The Audacity of Hope"

One of my favorite things to study is the Presidents including recent and current Presidents.  Since I know little (apart from political worldview, etc.) about current President Barack Obama, I sat down to read his second book The Audacity Of Hope - Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.  Whether one loves or finds themselves disappointed with the President, I find it important to understand the underlying political philosophy and biography of our President - Republican or Democrat.

At the outset, one must understand a few things about books like this.  First, the book was written before Obama was President or even a major Presidential candidate.  Don't forget, when Obama announced he was running for President, he was a long shot candidate as everyone had given the nomination to then Senator Hillary Clinton.  But this book was written while the President was a freshman Senator serving in his first term representing the state of Illinois.  There is little hint of wanting to be President or run for the presidency.  Instead, Obama writes from the persepective of a Senator, not a President or an executive.

Secondly, virtually all political books have a short shelf life.  By this I mean that since politics is always changing and the news changes everyday, most political books are outdated almost immediately.  Obama's book is just like that.  For example, Obama has the "audacity" to suggest that Iraq will not end in victory and would not turn around.  Clearly he does not have the advantage of history.  At the time of writing this book, Iraq looked like a mess.  Amazing how quickly things change!

With that said, my take on the book is that at times I was wondering if this book was written by the person who now occupies the White House.  Either Obama has changed tremendously since the penning of this book or he exaggerated and misled his readers and the American people on his beliefs.  In this book, Obama sounds like a rationale centrist who believes in the free market and freedom.  At times he seems to be against large, overgrown government, but when I turn on the news, I see a different person.  When one reads Obama's words in this book they are shocked to find that he has taken over health care, ran up the federal deficit (of which he criticizes President George W. Bush for doing), bought out car companies, took over student loans, ignored and appears incompetent to deal with a major environmental disaster, and nominate a Supreme Court Justice who many consider to be racist prefering her own Latino race over that of others.

I was shocked by this realization.  Is the person we see on TV everyday the same person that wrote this book?  Is this just the idealism of a Senator while we are witnessing the realities of a Presidency?  Grant it, things have changed, but it is hard to see the mass changes due to changes in economics and national security.

But I don't want to paint the President as a right winger, he is anything but that.  He is clear that he prefers to interpret the Constitution as a living document.  He is clearly progressive in this book and believes that government plays an important role.  He criticizes President Bush frequently and characterizes conservatives as impractical and failures.

The best part and most satisfying part of the book came near the end in his discussion of family and the importance of fatherhood especially.  Obama appears humble and dedicated to his family.  He clearly loves his wife and two girls and for that I applaud him.  Unfortunately, of all of the candidates on both parties for President in 2008, he was among the very few who had no sex scandal attached to him or his spouse or was divorced.  I loved Obama's language and and exhortations here. My problem was his progressive belief that government was the solution (but at least in this chapter he said little in this regards).  Since being elected, Obama has continued to sound the alarm about the importance of families and fatherhood, but I just fear that his policies has only led to the complete dismantle of the institution.

Overall, I am not surprised to find myself in complete disagreement with much that the President says here.  But I am concerned over the picture we were given of the President and how he has led the country since his inauguration.  Were we mislead?  I am afraid so.  This is why previous executive experience is so important.  One's history in leadership likely determines where they will lead us next.  We did not get that with Obama.

"Hard to Believe"

In recent months, I have been confronted with the reality that many in modern Evangelicalism have been given a false or no gospel and still baptized and considered redeemed.  Many in our congregation have had no functional understanding of the gospel.  Many believe that Jesus died and was resurrection, but do not understand why that is so significant.  Many love Jesus but have not actually repented from their sins (because they don't understand the doctrine of sin).

And no wonder.  The real gospel of self-denial, self-hatred, repentance, take-up-your-cross-and-follow-me is unpopular, and uncool.  The truth is, many ministers want numbers and an increase in church budgets more than they want to be biblical shepherds of God's sheep.  The gospel is hard to believe because it runs foul to all that we want.  We want to be in control.  We want to live how we want.  We want to be excused for our shortcomings.  We want to be loved.  We want mercy and forgiveness.  What we don't want is wrath.  What we don't want is impossible expectations.  What we don't want is a foolish message that the culture considers outdated and irrelevant.  And so we craft a gospel (sprinkled with some Jesus language) made in our image.

John MacArthur in his book Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus lays out the true gospel and why so many reject it.  MacArthur is concerned that most gospel messages being proclaimed on a regular basis are watered down and no gospel at all.  In response, MacArthur unashamedly explains how radical the gospel really is.  It is a call of abandonment, forsaking oneself, willing to die for the cause of Christ.  Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23).  Many want Jesus and the world, but Jesus demands that we leave the world and forsake all (even our own families) and follow Him.

MacArthur's book is an important one and one that we all need to take seriously and read regularly (this is my second time reviewing it and I have read it multiple times).  Christians need to remember and understand what the gospel is and abandon all other false gospels.  This is a must read for true Christians.  Can you imagine what the Church would be like today if we mimicked the cross instead of the culture?  Let us hope that we as believers begin to do so.


For more:
Reviews - "Hard to Believe" 

"Life After Death"

One of my favorite authors and Christian thinkers is Dinesh D'Souza whose books What's So Great about Christianity, Letters to a Young Conservative (The Art of Mentoring), and Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader have had a huge impact on my life and way of thinking.  Though I disagree with his affirmation in evolution, his ability to use secular arguments against secularists and atheists is profound and powerful.  His latest book Life After Death: The Evidence is no different.

D'Souza seeks prove the existence of life after death (in light of the atheist and materialist argument against such an idea) based on evidence from philosophy, science, psychology, and morality.  In other words, once again, D'Souza seeks to make a secular argument for life after death.  I have found this to be a powerful, though limited, approach for making a case for Christian theology.  However, one must admit that this case has its limits.  The Christian must refuse to only make a secular argument for any of its theology, philosphy, or morality.  Instead, a Christian must begin with the affirmation of revelation as the pure basis for our beliefs.  From there Christians can engage a secularists by knocking down their own arguments revealing the many holes of secularism.

This was one of the problems I had with D'Souza's book.  From the beginning he admits that he is making purely a secular argument.  This does not mean that D'Souza Divine Revelation, but that he has chosen to begin with the assumption of life after death and then defend it on secular grounds.  Though I find this to be a powerful argument, it raises a number of dangers.  One of the most serious dangers is the credibility it gives secularists and its many schools of psychology and moral relativism.

Furthermore, this approach forces D'Souza to grant some credibility to some worldviews that would have been best left alone.  Perhaps at the top of that list is his discussion of reincarnation.  The context of such a discussion is centered on near death experiences and the firm belief of many (and the supposed evidence of) reincarnation.  The motivation behind the discussion must be put into context as well.  If reincarnation can be granted credibility, then it proves that there is credible evidence for life after death.

The problem with this is that D'Souza is forced to discuss a theological argument that Christianity stands against.  Paul is clear that we die and are judged.  There is no soul sleep and there is no reincarnation.  We all live just one life.  I fear that by giving ideas like reincarnation credibility, he is hurting his own cause of defending the Christian belief of life after death.

But nonetheless D'Souza does make an argument for life after death.  He uses evolution, astronomy, psychology, neurology, philosophy, science, and morality as a basis for his argument.  Although D'Souza fails in proving life after death, he makes a serious case for it.  Some of his discussions leads the reader down a path he/she has never entered and finds themselves well unprepared to fully understand all that he is saying.  D'Souza has an ability to make very deep subjects understandable, but even he is forced to discuss things that for the average reader is difficult.  I love D'Souza and followed many of his arguments but found myself steps behind not quit understanding the depth at which D'Souza is forced to go.  So for the average reader, this perhaps isn't the best place to begin, but if your interested in a good argument for life after death outside of Scripture, D'Souza offers an excellent case.

But at the end of the day, we should realize that once again D'Souza creates a number of problems for the atheists, secular, and moral relativistic worldview.  When faced with its many implications and arguments such theologies and worldviews cannot stand up to scrutiny.  So though this is perhaps not D'Souza's best work, it is nonetheless an important one.

For more:

Reviews -D'Souza - Letters To A Young Conservative  

Reviews - D'Souza - What's So Great About Christianity?

Reviews -  D'Souza - Ronald Reagan 
Reviews - My Best of 2008 
Reviews - Mohler:  An Argument Against Atheists - Dinesh D'Souza on Christianity 

"Manhunt"

One of my favorite hobbies and things to study and read is the Presidents of the United States.  Near the top of my favorite Presidents is obviously Abraham Lincoln (I mean who in America doesn't like Lincoln?).  Recently I was able to read the fascinating and historical account of the search and hunt for Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators in James L. Swanson's book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (P.S.).

Swanson offers a thorough account of this fascinating story full of detail.  This is not boring history, but a riveting tail of how the worlds most notorious criminal of his day was captured.  I find Booth to be an interesting man engulfed in his acting career who was constantly in performance even when running for his life.  Booth was a man of the stage and was rarely out of character even to his last moments in life.

What is most interesting about the story for the hunt for Booth following the assassination of the President is how surprised he was that his goals were not fulfilled.  Booth considered Lincoln to be a tyrant and believed that if he were to assassinate the tyrant and others in his administration, the war for Southern independence would continue and the South would win.  But none of that took place.  Instead, Booth read in the nations newspapers that Booth had become the villain and the most hated man while Lincoln was awarded sainthood in the eyes of the public even in the South.

But Swanson makes this interesting suggestion at the end of his tale.  Perhaps Booth didn't completely loose everything after all.  Ford's Theater, the site of the infamous assassination, was eventually turned into a tourist attraction and millions of Americans visit the site each year.  What is interesting is that though the site is a place of remembrance of the last moments of Lincoln's life, the great President, the site has almost become a place more about Booth than Lincoln.  Swanson points out that the tourist can trace the steps of Booth and see original memorabilia from Booth and his race against the federal manhunters.  So though Booth didn't revive the South, his name does go on in memory as the actor had hoped it would.

This is a fascinating book and for any history or presidential buffs, I highly recommend it.  And for those who don't like to read or don't have the time, watch the History Channel special on the chase for Booth.  Its really good as well.

What I'm Reading - June 21, 2010

Here is this weeks list which is very similar to last weeks (and much shorter).

"The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"

In recent weeks I have read a lot of books on forgiveness. We just completed discussing the subject through the lens of the Sermon on the Mount focusing on Matthew 6:14-15 where Jesus makes it clear that the forgiven forgive.  The best book I read on the subject of forgiveness was without a doubt John MacArthur's book The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness.

MacArthur's goal is simple:  search the Scriptures and provide a theological and practice work on the subject.  MacArthur writes under the premise that all theology is practical and the theology of the gospel - especially the forgiveness of God in light of the cross and resurrection - is the most practical doctrine in the Christian faith.  That being said, MacArthur spends much time laying out the doctrine of forgiveness found in the gospel message.

MacArthur spares no space clearly laying out the gospel to his reader.  He discusses sin, God's holiness, imputation, penal substitution, repentance, and every aspect of the gospel.  This is the foundation for MacArthur's book.  To skip this major section is to completely miss MacArthur's argument.  He rightly affirms that the doctrine of forgiveness applies itself in our daily lives. Only those who understand forgiveness can truly forgive like God.  The forgiven forgive.

This foundation leads to its application.  Since we have been forgiven much, so too we ought to forgive other  much.  MacArthur always leads us back to that fundamental doctrine of forgiveness.  He applies it to our everyday lives and with pastoral care, answering all of the questions we raise when trying to live out this doctrine.

If you read one book on forgiveness, read this one.  This is the place to start and the place to return.  Christians must be characterized by their forgiving attitude and actions and MacArthur shows us why and how.  I highly recommend!


For more:
Reviews - "Amish Grace" 
Reviews - "How Good Do We Have to Be?" 

"Amish Grace"

What would you do if a deranged lunatic stormed a school house - your kids school house - had planned on raping all of the women and little girls and then proceed to kill them?  What would you do?  How would you respond?  Would forgiveness be at the top of your list?  It was for the Amish who suffered such a crime a few years ago.  Recently I sat down to read this riveting accounting in the book-turn-Lifetime-movie AMISH GRACE: HOW FORGIVENESS TRANSCENDED TRAGEDY by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher. 

The book begins by telling the story of the tragedy in all of its brutal detail.  From there the authors begin to analyze the response of the Amish, their reasoning for their forgiving the man who committed the heinous acts and his family, and how the culture has responded to the Amish's forgiveness.

The reason for their forgiveness is clear:  God said so.  That is a message that is powerful especially when put in the light of the gospel.  God has forgiven us mere maggots of much and adopted us as sons and daughters.  It is the least we can do is to forgive others in the same way.  Lets face it, if the Amish can forgive a murderer and his family, surely we can forgive others for the petty things we hold against them.  Especially is we remember the gospel.

What I found interesting in the book was their analysis of how the culture responded to the Amish's forgiveness.  Some argued that it was just a public relations attempt to make the Amish look positive.  I am left scratching my head.  Doesn't the fact that they are the victims here grant them public sympathy?  Furthermore, the Amish go out of their way to stay out of the public and especially from the media, so why concoct this whole scheme of appearing to be forgiving.  Furthermore, pretending to forgive when it was your daughter murdered would deserve an Oscar.  I know I couldn't act in forgiveness after my child was murdered unless it was genuine.

The book reads almost like a report from a number of researchers and this is a book where such a format is best.  The authors clearly did their research and spoke to the Amish themselves and seek to understand what the motivation was behind their amazing acts of forgiveness.  This is an important books for everyone (Christian or not) to read and consider.  Can you imagine how much better this world would be if we all forgave like this?

What I'm Reading - June 14, 2010

Here is just a few of the books that are on my to do list spanning from last week on into this week (since I forgot to post this last week).  Right now, as you will be able to tell, I have a lot on my plate.

"How Good Do We Have to Be?"

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner is probably a name many will recognize.  His most famous book is When Bad Things Happen to Good People in where he argues that God is good, but not all-powerful.  He is doing the best He can, but He just keeps falling short.  Kushner seeks to get God off the hook for all the evil that is in the world, but in the end leaves us hopeless and on our own.  A weaker God is not the God that we need.

Born out of that premise comes another one of Kushner's books How Good Do We Have to Be? A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness.  In this book Kushner seeks to offer the reader the assurance that this weaker God doesn't stand over us in judgment for every fault we commit, but instead understands the complexity of what it means to be a human and forgives us.  Again what Kushner seeks to offer is pastoral care, but in the end he offers nothing short of heresy.  Instead of answers of comfort, he offers despair.

There are three main problems that Kushner developes.  First, Kushner affirms evolution and this create a number of problems in his interpretion of the Bible and theology.  He doesn't see Adam and Eve as historical characters, but as the beginning of our modern understanding of homo saphiens:  moral animals.  Furthermore, he rejects Cain and Abel (and other aspects of the creation narrative) and interprets them as representing nomadic cultures against domestic farming cultures.  Also, this influence of evolution seeps in throughout the book as he relies heavily on men and practices like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin (arguing that we're moral animals, but still animals), psychology, sociology, etc.  This leads the author away from the biblical text, instead of towards it.

Secondly, Kushner has a serious problem with Genesis 3.  He argues that the typical interpretation is that we sinned, God judged, and we are living with the consequences of those actions.  As a result, we are born sinners (original sin, which he rejects), and God, who is holy, stands over us in judgment.  Kushner finds this depressing and so reinterprets it.  How convenient.  The interpretation he offers is rather far fetched and only makes God look weaker and more like us (thus making us look more like God).

Thirdly, Kushner rejects the doctrine of Original Sin.  Regardless of the Biblical record, Kushner goes out of his way to reject it.  He argues that such a doctrine makes us feel guilty all the time and he has already established that we're good just the way we are and that God believes in us.  If only we will accept ourselves.  Again, how convenient.

I must say I have no idea what this book has to do with forgiveness.  Guilt I understand what he is saying.  But forgiveness.  I am at lost.  The Christian understanding that we should forgive because we have been forgiven only makes sense in a belief of God's holiness, wrath, and love combined with Christ's propitiatory work on the cross which reconciled us with God through belief and repentance.  When we realize that we have been forgiven much, then we can honestly understand the power and scope of forgiveness towards others.

Kushner comes close to this twice.  First, the book begins and ends centered around the Jewish Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).  The author, however, misses the significance of this day.  This was the day where atonement is given for the purpose of forgivness of our sins.  Its an ancient ritual of the Jews that goes all the way back to Leviticus and the days of Moses and Aaron.  But Kushner completely misses this point.  Christians see the signifiance of this ritual in that Christ became the final atoning sacrifice by which our sins can be forgiven.

Secondly, Kushner laments that we are not good enough in a world where we have guilt.  When God is holy, just, judgmental, and powerful, guilt is natural.  We have sinned against God and He reserves the right to punish us.  Kushner is right in pointing out that in such a world, we cannot earn God's love and forgiveness.  He has no idea how close to the gospel he is.  The gospel says we can't, but Christ has.  We can't earn God's love.  As a result, salvation and forgiveness must be the result of grace; God's unmerited favor.

At the end of the day, this book, like his others, is nothing but heresy and instead of offering hope, it offers empty theology.  But at the same time it is a reminder of the power and necessity of the gospel.  If we want true forgiveness then come to the cross and leave modern, man-made theories behind.

"Losing Our Religion"

What is the largest driving force against Christianity (and religion in general) in our culture today?  Government?  Secularism?  Bigotry?  Atheism?  Islam?  Public schools?  No.  The mainstream media.  In her book Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity, author S. E. Cupp offers a critique and an attack against the mainstream media's bias against Christians.

Cupp argues that the media is overrun with secularists who despise the Christian faith and seek to eradicate it from the culture and politics.  The book is primarily broken down into ten main chapters reflecting the ten commandments.  For example, Thous Shalt Evolve and Thou Shalt Hate Prop 8. 

What I liked about the books was the multiple examples the author gave chronicling the clear bias from the media.  One cannot deny the clear bias in the mainstream media and Cupp shows the evidence for it.  One must wonder if the comments and "reporting" chronicled here were placed in a different context - say instead of Christians it was toward blacks or Jews - would the culture treat it as if it wasn't serious?  The double standard is appalling.

But what I didn't like about the book was the tone.  The books reads like a "lets go them them" type of book or a "we're under attack" type of book.  Certainly the bias of the mainstream media is a seriously threat, but one in which is slowly dying away.  The rise of conservative talk radio, Fox News, and other outlets has diminished the power of the left-leaning press.  This does not mean that they don't have any influence, but that their influence is dwindling.  Certainly they favored President Barack Obama over Sarah Palin and used their influence to demean her and deify the President, but that sort of influence is dwindling.  Cupp writes as if the martians are coming and their names are Katie Couric and Chris Matthews.

Overall, this is a fairly decent book.  It is helpful to see all of the clear evidence of media bias in one place.  The author even offers in an appendix more evidence of bias by directly quoting other people in the media.  The point is clear:  one book chronicling media bias isn't enough.  And certainly she is right.  Americans need to realize that when we turn on the news, we are rarely "getting the facts."  It is hard to separate one's worldview and bias from reporting.  That is simply fact.

"Lord, Teach Me to Pray"

John MacArthur is my favorite living pastor, preacher, author, and theologian.  At our church, we have been walking through the Sermon on the Mount and find ourselves in Matthew 6 discussing prayer.  One of the resources I have turned to as a helpful guide in understanding what the Bible teaches on prayer is MacArthur's little book Lord, Teach Me to Pray.

The author walks the reader throughout various aspects of prayer including confession, petition, and praise.  In addition, MacArthur discusses various hindrances and motivations to prayer.  Weaving throughout the book are examples of prayers given by the Prince of Preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon, and John MacArthur himself.  The purpose of these prayers is to illustrate to the reader how the principle and item discussed is applied to personal prayer.  This is not a dry theological treatment on the subject of prayer, but a theological, pastoral look at the subject.  MacArthur honestly wants the reader to know how to pray biblically.

Of all of the books I have read by MacArthur, this is one of the more unusual one's however.  The book looks and at times reads more like a gift book than the traditional book one is used to reading of MacArthur.  The book is small and rather skinny.  Each page is colored and designed much like a gift book would be.  From the surface, this seems like a little book strung together to get sales, but its content is quit impressive and thorough.  I at first hesitated to read the book due to its appearance (I know, don't just a book by its cover you say).  Though MacArthur does not go into all the detail we are used to hearing from him, it is nonetheless a thorough, yet brief, look at the subject.

I would recommend this book to those wanting an introduction to the subject.  Over the years I have read a number of books on prayer and many follow either the same pattern or fall for the same fallacy (like the The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life).  MacArthur offers a well written book covering many of the major portions and issues of prayer.  He honestly desires for his reader to not just be informed, but to pray - honestly pray to God.

I'm glad I sat down and read it.

"The Prayer of Jabez"

I currently find myself reading a lot about prayer as we continue to walk through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings at church.  Some good and some bad.  Some old and some new.  Some fadish and some classics.  When I was in high school, I worked at a Christian book store and outside of the Left Behind series, perhaps the most popular book we sold was on prayer:  The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life.  Though the book has faded, its influence remains as millions of people around the world has read Bruce Wilkinson's best-seller based on a little-known passage in Chronicles.

Though the book has faded, I found it necessary to review its content.  The book isn't a best seller for no reason.  The book itself is small and is under 100 pages.  Wilkinson (thankfully) doesn't beat around the bush or try to make the book longer than necessary.  The book discusses the prayer of Jabez (hence the name) which is only a few verses itself.

Here is my impression and concern.  Though Wilkinson tried to guard against it, one cannot deny that the book almost reads like a prosperity gospel book.  The author explicitly warns against this, but it is hard to deny that this is an impression one gets by reading it.  The author discusses expanding one's boundaries and blessings that to many readers, it is too easy to hear "I can get what I want from God."

My problem with focusing on prayers like this (as well as with the Lord's Prayer) is how we turn them into formulas to get what we want from God.  Many Christians are guilty of this.  How many of us have said the Lord's prayer before a ball game or some other event thinking that it had some magical powers (even if we wouldn't admit it)?  Likewise, many in my experience, have trusted that the prayer of Jabez is a secret formula that this obscure character from the Old Testament tapped into and the Bible gratefully has revealed that forumula to us.

This is dangerous thinking.  Certainly there is much to learn from prayers like Jabez's but we run into danger thinking that it is a secret formula and Wilkinson throughout the book perpetuated this idea.  He constantly was saying how he has been saying this prayer for decades and God has blessed him through it.  Likewise, the book includes numerous stories where similar people prayed the same prayer and God blessed them in abundance.  This can be dangerous and Christians should be careful when reading books like this.

Though the book is a decade old, its influence still remains.  Wilkinson continues to write and minister (not that that is a bad thing), and will always be remembered for this little book (and all of the other books that were added to the mix like the The Prayer of Jabez for Teens (Breakthrough Series), The Prayer of Jabez: Bible Study, The Prayer Of Jabez For Women, and so forth).

So though it was like going back to memory lane, don't plan on me falling for the trap that is the prayer of Jabez.

What I'm Reading - May 31, 2010

Here is this weeks installment on some of the things I'll be reading this week.  Some are repeats.