Review of The Psalter Reclaimed

My two-year-old daughter loves  spaghetti. She will pound down an entire plate of the stuff. That is, if we cut the noodles up for her. It’s not that she’s too young to eat the noodles without choking--she’s got the slurping action mastered. But if all she has to deal with are really long noodles she will exhaust herself before she finishes her plate. So we cut the noodles up and she tears into them.

Some books are like chopping up spaghetti for a two-year-old. They are really good but might be a little exhausting for the average reader. It’s not that you’ll choke on it and not be able to understand it, it’s just that you might get so exhausted that you don’t get the full benefit of the book. More experienced readers need to read these types of books and know how to “chop them up” for others to enjoy. The Psalter Reclaimed is one of those books.

Gordon Wenham is a well-respected Old Testament scholar. What we have in The Psalter reclaimed is a collection of various lectures that Wenham gave from 1997-2010. Wenham looks at reading the Psalms canonically as well as messianically. There are also more practical chapters such as his chapter on praying the Psalms. Wenham also doesn’t shy away from the difficult imprecatory Psalms, devoting an entire chapter to thinking about how we ought to read them and use them in our day. Though tipping it’s hat to it’s more scholarly audience, the blurb on the back of the book summarizes it nicely:

[The Psalter Reclaimed] provides hermeneutical guidelines for interpreting the book—making accessible to us the transforming messages of the Psalms.

You can tell from the use of the phrase “hermeneutical guidelines” that the ‘us’ is probably a reference to more theologically experienced readers. Most of the chapters reflect the audiences in which they were given; namely, scholars and divinity students. It is not surprising then that a reader would need to be vaguely familiar with Old Testament scholarship.

Yet, this book does not read like a dry seminary lecture. It is a passionate plea for churches to recover the Psalms and use them for their original intent, as prayers to God. For that reason it is a book that needs to be read by everyone. Either chopped up by a seasoned reader or swallowed whole.

I should mention as well that Wenham’s treatment of the imprecatory Psalms is very helpful. For me that section would be worth the cost of the book. There are many gems throughout this book that the church needs to hear.

You can buy your copy here.

Review of Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey

I saw a movie once—or maybe it was a dream that I had—where a bunch of people had been given a treasure map. This treasure map, like almost all treasure maps, was to help them find buried treasure. Each thought that they had the whole map. But as the movie—or my dream—unfolded everyone realized that they only had a piece of the map. They needed to combine all the pieces in order to find the treasure map.

Am I a loon? Isn’t there a movie with that plot? Maybe it’s about 4 movies combined into one awesome movie that only shows in the theater of my mind. Either way there is a book that makes a similar point. That book is Faithmapping by Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper.

Cosper and Montgomery believe that “we are navigating the Christian life with fragments of a map—bits and pieces of the good news—rather than the whole picture”. Faithmapping is an attempt to “put those map fragments together”. They argue that we ought to think of the gospel in a tri-perspectival manner. Rather than emphasizing the kingdom, the cross, or grace we ought to bring these all together into a whole gospel.

The churches identity and mission flow out the gospel. “…the gospel, the church, and our mission are a coherent, organic, interrelated whole, rather than distinct independent ideas”. That is why the authorial intention of this book is to map a “whole gospel for the whole church on mission in the whole world”.

The book is structured around these themes. First, the whole gospel is outlined. One chapter is given to each of the perspectives (kingdom, cross, grace) and then and argument is made that we need the whole gospel. The gospel informs the churches identity. The second section outlines these five aspects of “gospel-informed identity”. These five might sound familiar: worship, family, servants, disciples, and witnesses. The last section, only one chapter, makes the argument that it is within the whole world that the church lives out their “gospel-transformed lives”.

The book is well written. Jessica Thompson is correct when she says “it is theologically profound and yet very easy to read”. Though it may feel a little like being entered into the middle of a theological discussion, I do believe that the average lay person would have no problem navigating their way through this book. In the same vein a well seasoned theologian would not be bored.

With all of the focus these days on gospel-centered books I believe this book is a welcome addition. I appreciate that Cosmer and Montgomery tie together friends that are often treated as enemies; namely the gospel as kingdom and the gospel of the cross. I also believe every disciple would greatly benefit from a thorough exploration of the second section of this book. The Map It section at the end of each chapter would make this book pretty easily adaptable for a small group gathering.

Personally, I found myself convicted, challenged, and confessing as I read through this book. It helped me as a pastor to articulate points better. But even more than that it helped me as a disciple to be a more holistic follower of Christ.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Get it here.

Review of The Joy of Calvinism

Calvinism.

What comes to your mind when you hear that word? Some hear that word and start foaming at the mouth. For many this word elicits debate. Many think of a cold and stale religion. Others think of doctrines of grace that need to be vigorously defended. Some think of TULIP’s and formulas to be defended.

When Greg Forster think of Calvinism the first word that comes to his mind is “joy”. He believes that “real Calvinism is all about joy”. It is to prove this point that he has written The Joy of Calvinism.

It is not his intention to say that those that are not Calvinists have no joy. In fact Forster believes that “all the major traditions confess the same doctrines that are central to Calvinism”. The only difference is that Calvinists “preserve these doctrinal commitments more purely and follows them more consistently than other traditions do”.

After taking a brief detour to explain and defend Calvinism, Forster tackles some of those hard to swallow doctrines and shows how they are consistent with evangelical commitments and actually leads to further joy. The author attempts throughout to show how such sticky doctrines as limited atonement, unconditional election, and irresistible grace are actually just more consistent with the core of Christian belief.

First, he argues that Calvinists are more consistent in saying that God loves you personally. For every other tradition the “work of Jesus is creating a system of salvation. All it does is create the system…” but none can consistently say that Jesus died to save them personally. Save for those who hold to the Calvinistic tradition. Limited atonement teaches that Jesus actually died for actual people.

Secondly, Forster argues that adopting anything other than unconditional election leaves one in a difficult position of prioritizing systems over people. Only the Calvinist can consistently say that “God loves you so much that he will utterly demolish all obstacles in order to save you”.

He also compellingly argues that God’s love for us irresistible and unbreakable. In the new birth God completely transforms a sinners heart. Yes, contrary to their fallen wills, he gives us a new heart. As Forster explains:

God changes our natural systems of thinking, feeling, and willing not by working within the framework of our natural system, like a counselor, but by cutting out our natural system and transplanting a new one, like a surgeon.

In some ways his fourth chapter seems almost unnecessary. If God has went through such depths to save us isn’t it only logical that he would go through an equally great length to keep us. He concludes by restating his overall thesis that Calvinism does indeed help in our quest for joy in God. A lengthy appendix that attempts to answer various questions posed of Calvinism is also attached for the readers help.

My Take

I doubt I will hand this book to my non-Calvinist friends. I should restate that. I doubt I will hand this book to my settled non-Calvinistic friends. If someone is in a neutral position or wanting to learn more I believe they would benefit from this book. But if someone is a convinced non-Calvinist I doubt this book will change their minds. Not that it is isn’t good. It is. But I think his audience isn’t to a convinced non-Calvinist. His audience seems to be those of a Calvinistic persuasion that need a kick in their worship. And also to defend Calvinism to those that have only heard wrong stereotypes.

For me personally there were times when I had to put the book down and just marvel at the goodness of God. Forster is right, this doctrine ought to cause worship and profound joy. It even sparked my prayer life and gave me even more confidence that God can save anyone. Furthermore, it gave a boost in my evangelistic preaching. After reading Forster’s third chapter I put together a passionate sermon for our teenagers, opening up for them how much God actually overcomes in saving us. In it was an appeal to unbelievers as well. At least in my heart this book has done what it set out to do; give me more joy in Christ.

Should You Buy It?

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are genuinely curious about what Calvinist believe then I think this book might serve as a really helpful introduction. Or if you are a Calvinist looking to grow in your worship, at least in my experience this book will assist in that. It’s probably not a book for everybody but for those that it is written for you will be immensely blessed.

You can buy it here.

Review of Sensing Jesus by Zack Eswine

What does it say about the way we’re approaching the ministry if we who have been trained for it do not know how to follow Jesus when we have our pajamas on? –Sensing Jesus, page 286

That quote encapsulates what Zack Eswine’s book, Sensing Jesus, is all about. His desire is that we learn how to do life and ministry as human beings. Eswine is real about his own humanity and the humanity of many of our ministry heroes (noting at one point that Jonathan Edwards passed gas).

Eswine believes that “the stale waters of celebrity, consumerism, and immediate gratification” (17) has infiltrated pastoral ministry. As a response he has written a poetic and autobiographical book with the aims of guiding our hands into the nail-scarred hands of Jesus.

After the two introductory chapters, the book is divided into two sections. The first section exposes our temptations. Here Eswine tackles our desire to be everywhere, to fix everything, and to know everything. In the second part Eswine examines our mentoring. This is where the title sensing Jesus comes from. Here he considers the physicality of ministry and confronts such cultural idols as celebrity and immediacy. The book closes with a conversation with a young minister that serves as an apt summary of the book.

My Take:

Zack Eswine is not an old man. But he has been doing ministry for over twenty years. He is a seasoned pastor that we can learn from. The book reads as if this gracious and battle-tested pastor has agreed to meet with us once a week over a cup of coffee to discuss life in the ministry.

He writes poetically but it does not feel forced. It feels like a wise sage picking up a dandelion, blowing it in the wind, and teaching us about life as he does so. Here is an example. Read as Eswine describes a bagpiper at a funeral:

…the bagpiper stands as if ugly and holding a goose. He breathes in and out into a moaning that wheezes air into a haunting melody of ‘Amazing Grace’. A swan of music emerges and takes flight. Sobs and whimpers accompany the tune with red eyes, along with tear-stained mascara bleeding on cheeks. The wind ripples through the fall leaves…

The writing style makes the reader pause and feel. You can almost smell the coffee (if I drank coffee) rise to your nose as you listen to this pastor tell of his journey and the lesson that we can learn. Eswine forces pastors to feel. Which is something that many of us have perhaps given up on years ago.

I believe the book will stick with me. Much like meetings with pastoral mentors that I have had in the past. I might not even remember where it came from but as I guide others into an everyday relationship with Jesus, or shepherd other young men into pastoral ministry, I’ll be drawing from these encounters.

Should You Buy It?

Pastors really ought to buy this book. But not only pastors, any church leader would benefit from a month of Thursday’s over a coffee with Pastor Eswine. But not only church leaders, every disciple would benefit from thinking through doing life in Jesus as a real human being. The draw to celebrity snares far more than just pastors. We all need the message of doing life and ministry as human beings.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is not a quick read but it is a necessary read. I imagine I will be revisiting this one a few more times in the upcoming years.

Get it today.

Here is an interview that Zack Eswine did with Justin Taylor on his book Sensing Jesus:

Review of Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp

In recent days the Discovery Channel has honed in on a few of the worlds most dangerous jobs; namely loggers and deep sea fishermen. These jobs are arduous and hazardous. According to Paul Tripp one other “job” that ought to be put on the list is pastoral ministry. In his book, Dangerous Calling, Tripp highlights the unique challenges of pastoral ministry.

Tripp believes that “there are many pastors who have inserted themselves into a spiritual category that doesn’t exist” (23). This false spiritual category is confirmed and strengthened by the pastoral culture in which pastors live. Seminaries are often the breeding grounds for such “self-swindiling” (33) pastors. The downward spiral begins with a “distant, impersonal, information-based handling of the Word of God.” (52)  Eventually “brains become more important than hearts” and pastors fool themselves into thinking that because they have correct theological answers they must be doing okay.

After graduating seminary this knowledgeable and skilled seminary student will become the pastor of a church. A church of which the pastor will largely not be known by. Given the present pastoral climate in churches he will lead them from above practicing an “intentional culture of pastoral separation and isolation” (70). There he will die. Most pastors never truly become a part of the body of Christ. We were never meant to lead or live this way. This culture must change.

Such a culture breeds pastors that forget. They forget who God is and they forget who they are. Pastoral ministry, then, is a war zone. Even if the culture of pastoral ministry would change pastors would still fight their own selfish hearts. But given our current climate of pastoral ministry many pastors are not even aware of the necessity of fighting. And slowly they slip into familiarity and mediocrity. Eventually they forget who they are and begin preaching a grace that they themselves are not partaking in.

My Take

I deeply appreciate this book by Paul Tripp. I am not a lead pastor (only an associate pastor) but I still see every danger that he is talking about in my own life. From my experience Tripp is correct in his assessment of seminary. I believe that I attend one of the best seminaries around (SBTS) but I have heard in my classes from fellow students and felt in my own heart a type of head knowledge that is not matched to heart knowledge. For the most part faculty and staff at SBTS take great pains to be pastors as well as professors, but there are times when academia seems to rule the day.

According to Tripp his central point in this book is to give a “detailed exposition of what happens in the life of a person in ministry when he forgets to preach to himself the same gospel that he gives to others”. As such this book is a little light on practical application. This book is like reading a book that explains your disease in great detail and then points you to other resources for treatment. Some may give Tripp negative marks because of this. I think it is one of the strengths of the book.

If at the end of the day pastors read Dangerous Calling and drop to their knees pleading for mercy from King Jesus, then Tripp has done his job. Sadly, it can be a difficult task to truly convince us pastors that we are desperately in need of Jesus every moment. We will give that truth lip service but at the end of the day when it comes to “spiritual things” many of us assume that we’ve got this down.

Do not misunderstand me, though. There is practical help smattered throughout the book. There are helpful things that churches could adopt to help their pastors. Their are suggestions that pastors could implement that would strengthen them in the middle of this war zone. There is practical stuff, but that does not appear to be Tripp’s major aim in this book. He wants to hold a mirror up to pastors and compare what they see to God’s Word and His wisdom. He wants us to realize that many of us are dying and we need help.

For this reason Tripp’s book is invaluable to pastors. Speaking as a pastor to pastors he is in an adequate position to expose our pastoral pride. He does it with humility and as one that is in the midst of the struggle himself. Reading this book will lay you bare. But it will not leave you there. Tripp will help every pastor to remember the God of mercy anew. He lifts up our All-Sufficient Savior and encourages pastors to run to him. Drink deeply from the grace that we are to proclaim every Sunday.

Should You Buy It?

I agree with Joshua Harris, “pastors needs this book”. This book may be The Reformed Pastor of our day. It is weighty and necessary. If you are a pastor you really ought to purchase this one.

What if you are not a pastor? I would still suggest it. It will help you to help your pastor. You are called to minister to him as well.

The book can be yours for under $13 and I cannot recommend it enough. The promo video is below:

Dangerous Calling from Crossway on Vimeo.

Review of Gospel Deeps by Jared Wilson

Gospel Deeps is a risky book. 

I say that it is risky because it is not immediately practical.  There are not 10 steps to “going deep in the gospel”.  There is no immediately practical advice for living out the Christian life. 

Neither does this book make any shockingly new insights; it is not revolutionary in that sense.  The point of the book is not to help you change your church, reconsider your theology, or inspire you with newfound truth. 

All Jared Wilson does in Gospel Deeps is hold up an infinitely precious jewel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and call us to marvel along with him.  That’s risky.  Honestly, it reminds me of the preaching ministry of John Piper.  It’s taking the gamble that God is beautiful enough to captivate our affections and change every facet of our lives merely by meditating upon and reorienting our hearts around that which we are beholding.  Wilson takes this same wager and it pays off. 

But Aren’t These “Gospel” Books Getting Monotonous?

That question is dealt with, in part, in the book itself.  Wilson rightly says, “The further into the gospel we go, then, the bigger it gets.  There is no way for us to wear it out”.  In one sense it is like an onion.  When you peel off a layer it only reveals a deeper layer.  Therefore, we never exhaust the gospel.  Each time we think we’ve come to grips with the implications of who God is in His gospel we eventually discover that Christ is deeper still. 

What happens, though, if you never peel back the layers of the onion?  What if you only camp out on the ABC’s of the gospel (forgiveness and a ticket to heaven) but never really plumb the depths of the gospel?  Not only will this “hinder our worship”, as Wilson says, but it will inevitably lead us to get bored with what we think is the exhausted gospel. 

That is why this book—and many of the other “gospel” books—are not monotonous.  At least they are not monotonous in as much as they peel back a layer or look at another facet of the gospel diamond.  I imagine that if we kept churning out books that focused on the same facet of the gospel it might begin feeling monotonous.  But I would even say that each facet of the gospel is inexhaustible.  And each facet could be marveled at for all of eternity.  That seems to be what Wilson is doing in this book.  He is holding up a diamond and turning it ever so slowly with each chapter and then drawing us in to worship. 

Summary of Gospel Deeps

The book begins with a defense of plumbing the depths of the gospel.  And then Wilson sets about giving a few examples of what that looks like.  In the first chapter he takes kind of a big picture look at the gospel and how deep and wide are its implications.  In the first chapter he is saying, “see, the gospel is big isn’t it”. 

In the second chapter Wilson takes his cues from 1 Peter 2:9 and probes what he terms the threefold vision of the gospel.  The gospel transforms and gives us a proper view of self.  It also gives us a redemptive view of life and our present and future environment.  But more than either of these two the gospel gives us an epic view of God.  That’s His overarching purpose in redemption—that we might worship God, basking in and proclaiming the excellencies of Christ. 

The third chapter, like the first two, seem foundational.  Here we see that the gospel takes a Trinitarian shape.  Again, we are being drawn in and urged to confess that the gospel is huge.  It is as big as God is. 

After the first three chapters the reader will plumb the depths of various facets of the gospel.  Wilson probes the depths of gospel joy, the atonement, suffering, the omnipresence of Christ, union with Christ, cosmic redemption, and the Cross-centeredness of the gospel.  Though linked together by a common thread, each of these chapters could stand on their own as introduction to a different aspect of the gospel.  Each chapter could comprise an entire library of books.  Yet, Wilson succinctly and passionately draws the reader in to awe at the greatness of our God.

My Take

Personally, I loved the book.  There were some chapters that were absolutely life-shaping.  My favorite chapter by far was the chapter on gospel joy.  It was something that I needed to be reminded of and an aspect of the gospel that I needed to camp out on and just chew for awhile. 

The writing is phenomenal, as to be expected from Jared Wilson.  He uses humor and wit quite well.  He can jab you in the throat with convicting statements and then a few paragraphs later have you laughing about it and reveling in the forgiveness we have in Christ.  He is also very artistic.  At times the more casual reader might be taken aback by some of the loaded sentences.  If you like reading C.S. Lewis you’ll like reading Jared Wilson.  There is enough in this book, though, that even if you trip up over a Narnia reference you’ll still thoroughly enjoy and be shaped by the book. 

Gospel Deeps was a risky book.  But I’m glad that Jared Wilson took the risk.  He’s right.  Jesus is precious enough that you can just reflect on His awesomeness for 200 pages and still want more.  I wish more preachers, myself included, understood this.  Just telling people for 45 minutes how amazing Jesus and His gospel truly are, is abundantly practical. 

You can, and should, buy this book.  It’s only 10 bucks which is phenomenal. 

Get it here.

Review of The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

In 1786 Andrew Fuller wrote:

It seems to be one of Satan’s devices, in order to destroy the good tendency of any truth, to get its advocates to [make it trite] out of its senses, dwelling upon it in every sermon or conversation, to the exclusion of other things.  Thus the glorious doctrines of free and great grace have been served in the last age, and so have fallen sadly into disrepute.  If we employ all our time in talking about what men ought to be and to do, it is likely we shall forget to put it into practice, and then all is over with us.

I had high hopes of giving you a statistic about the number of books being sold on Amazon in the year of 2012 with the word “gospel” somewhere in the title.  I sorted them by Publication Date and scanned through 26 pages only to realize that I was only on April of 2012 starting from the December of 2012 selections to be pre-ordered.  I gave up.  It would have taken way too long to sift through all those to find a manageable number.  The word gospel has become somewhat of a buzzword. 

It is certainly a danger to have a “misfocused focus on gospel-centeredness”.  It is also a danger that with all of our talk of the gospel and the implications of the gospel we will in the end be guilty of simply assuming the gospel.  In doing so there is a real danger that all of us can be throwing around the term “gospel” but talk about two totally different things.  Matt Chandler has written The Explicit Gospel “to make sure that when we use the word gospel, we are talking about the same thing”.  It is Chandler’s desire to make the gospel explicit. 

Summary

In explaining the gospel Chandler looks at the gospel from two different vantage points; namely, ground and air.  The first part of the book is dedicated to what is termed the gospel on the ground.  Here he follows the God-Man-Christ-Response summary of the gospel.  He devotes a chapter to explaining each of these terms and within each chapter often engages in some polemics about what the gospel is not. 

The second part of the book is dedicated to what is termed the gospel in the air.  Here he follows the Creation-Fall-Reconciliation-Consummation meta-narrative of the gospel.  Again he devotes a chapter to each heading, explains the story, and occasionally engages in narrowing the definition to the exclusion of some other positions. 

The third, and final, section of the book engages a couple of dangers associated with an overemphasis on either of these gospel summaries.  In the ninth chapter Chandler looks at the dangers of keeping the gospel on the ground for too long, while the tenth chapter give the same treatment to the gospel in the air.  He notes that we must be faithful to both of these gospel summaries to really be faithful to the explicit gospel.  His eleventh chapter deals with moralism (which is really what the book aims to do battle with).

If you have spent any time listening to Matt Chandler preach you know what this book is about.  Chandler can be hard-hitting and funny at the same time.  He is engaging and yet serious.  Chandler’s preaching style is captured well in this book. 

My Take

First of all, much props need to be given to Jared Wilson in this book.  Wilson did more than simply write and introduction or throw his name on the cover of the book.  He is largely responsible for the flow of the book and capturing Chandler’s preaching style in written form.  If you have listened to Matt Chandler preach you know that may have been a difficult task, but Wilson did a tremendous job.  While reading through the book you could almost hear Chandler’s voice preaching through the pages. 

While that is a good thing about the book it may also be one negative.  There are certain things that those familiar with Chandler will “get” but it may be difficult for those not-initiated to track with.  In one instance Chandler quips, “God was angry and moved me to Abi­lene for seven years”.  Knowing Chandler I know that he is making a joke about Abilene.  But those not knowing neither Chandler or Abilene the joke may fall flat and be actually somewhat distracting. 

For me though, I love it.  I love listening to Chandler preach and his jokes are hilarious.  I think it is wonderful that they were able to capture this on the written page.  Others may not enjoy that as much.  I only mention that to make the reader aware either for good or ill. 

As for the content of the book it is tremendous.  I have been preaching and teaching the gospel for a decade now.  In doing so I have tried to labor time and time again to make the gospel explicit.  Yet in reading through this book there are ways that Chandler shares the gospel that will help my own preaching. 

For the preacher and non-preacher that reads this book I think you will walk away from it having a more clear understanding of the gospel.  You may not get new information but you will certainly grow in your articulation of the precious truths of the gospel.  This book is valuable if for no other reason that Chandler’s emphasis on preaching the gospel in both “ground” and “air” forms.  Both are necessary and Chandler does a tremendous job driving that point home. 

Chapter 11 is worth the price of the book.  Here he combats the moralistic therapeutic deism that is so prevalent in our day and age.  I am glad the tackles it and he does a tremendous job doing so. 

Should You Buy It?

I received this book for free at T4G on Thursday morning right before I left for lunch.  I was very excited to read through it—as I have been looking forward to this book hitting the shelves since January.  Unfortunately for my reading aspirations I felt deeply stirred by the Lord that I was to give this book as a very large “witness tract” to our waitress at TGIF. 

I have no idea what will become of having left her that book.  But what I do know is that if she picks it up and reads it she will “hear” the gospel.  And as Chandler rightly says in this book she will respond to it—either through rejecting it or embracing Christ (whether for the first time or anew).  For this reason you should purchase this book.  If you are a believer it will cause you great joy in hearing the gospel explicitly explained.  It will also help you articulate the gospel better yourself. 

If you are an unbeliever and really want to know what Christians believe about Jesus, you may not get all of your theological questions answered in this book, but you will hear the timeless message of the gospel.  The gospel is explicit in this book. 

For all things “gospel” that are being released Chandler’s book is almost a pre-requisite.  Buy a copy today.  And buy another copy to give away. 

Note to Self: Win a Free Book

A month ago I had the opportunity to read and review Joe Thorn’s book Note to Self.  Yesterday I interviewed Joe and promised to giveaway a copy of his book.  I want to give away one copy of this book to the one that the Lord has chosen before the foundation of the earth—through a random number generator and a Punchtab giveaway.  Perhaps this is you.  Enter to win!