Faster Unto Thee

Book Review: Momaholic: Crazy Confessions of a Helicopter Parent

The following is a book review by my wife, Jennifer Veldman:

Momaholic: Crazy Confessions of a Helicopter Parent by Dena Higley was a fun, enjoyable read. The author’s frank, humorous writing style was a good balance with the honest confessions of her mistakes and journey of discovery into her personal problems. It almost seemed like the book was written in two parts: the story of her breakdown, and then some thoughts and musings afterward, including a relapse into her old ways and her process of regaining wholeness.

 I especially enjoyed glimpsing Higley’s spiritual growth as the book and her healing journey progressed. It was interesting to peek into the lives of people very different from me, and see how God used their lives and circumstances to shape and mold them. There was evidence that the author’s spiritual life truly went deeper, though she didn’t seem to have a major goal of writing about her spiritual life. It seemed to be very naturally woven into the story, which, I believe, makes it effective.

 This book brings up a lot of compelling issues, such as parenting, international adoption, a Christian’s struggle to balance the spiritual life with affluence, emotional healing, parenting children with disabilities (i.e. autism), and how painful it can be for a parent to watch their child make mistakes. The author’s style examines all of this with honesty as it affects her life and that of her family, but doesn’t let the book become bogged down in any one of these areas. I thought it might make a great book for a women’s group to read and discuss – it would bring up plenty of content, but would be a pleasure to read at the same time. I would consider it a nice antidote to the stresses and pressures many women face, and a great way to examine those areas of our lives while keeping a sense of humor.

Book Review: Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll

The following book review is by my wife, Jennifer Veldman:

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together. Thomas Nelson, 2012. By Mark and Grace Driscoll.

I didn’t realize Mark Driscoll was a controversial figure in the Evangelical Christian world until after I had ordered this book to read and review (I was simply intrigued by the title and description), so I was very interested to see what the book would be like. As it turns out, the book was great, and I felt it was good that I didn’t know much about the author so I was able to just focus on the book itself and not the controversy surrounding the author. Therefore, I’m writing this as only a review of the book, and am basically ignoring the issues about Mark Driscoll in this review. I strongly believe that even someone who is the subject of controversy can teach us something. Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, write openly and honestly about their own story and the challenges they have encountered in marriage. They have gleaned some great insights into marriage and relationships along their journey – nothing that is rocket science, but the strength of the book is more in the expression and what I believe will be its ability to appeal well to a younger audience. I felt one of the strongest aspects of the book was the description of how spouses can and should be best friends, and how this helps form the foundation of the marriage. It’s a fairly simple principle, but I believe one that is not as often expressed as it should be – especially to those who have been heavily influenced by the media in their view of what relationships are all about. This book contains explicit material about sex, but I did not find the treatment of this topic to be inappropriate or inflammatory. The authors take a very matter-of-fact tone and simply bring up and give Bible-based answers to a wide variety of questions. Some people might not like the idea that the information is there, but my own view is that if someone has questions about these topics, I’d much rather they get answers from a solid book like this than from a variety of other sources that are now at their fingertips on the Internet. The questions are being asked, and I am thankful the Driscolls were willing to address them. All in all, I didn’t agree with every single thing about this book (i.e. Mark Driscoll’s view of masculinity is narrower than I would personally allow), but then I don’t believe that’s the point. A reader who thoughtfully engages and evaluates this material will find it enriching and thought-provoking. Read it for yourself and decide what you think – though I will say I found the moral principles to be very sound.

Dr. Jay L. Wile - Christianity and Science

Check out the blog and website of scientist Dr. Jay L. Wile. There you will find support for a biblical view of creation and other interesting insights about Christianity and science. I have heard Dr. Wile speak twice now, and his presentations are fabulous. His presentations on evolution, cells, and Christian scientists are exceptional. Peruse his website for handouts of several of his recent presentations.

 

 

 

 

Substitionary Atonement: Conversion of Charles Simeon

A clear understanding of the guilt and power of one's own sin and the need to be out from under it along with the inability to atone for it provides a firm foundation for a sound conversion. Here is Charles Simeon's account of his own conversion. Keep in mind that Simeon was not living among evangelicals who had shared the gospel with him, but had learned of it as the Spirit worked through reading of it. The conversion account beautifully illustrates subsitutionary atonement:

"But in Easter week, as I was reading Bishop Wilson the Lord's Supper, I met with an expression to this effect: 'That the Jews knew what they did when they transferred their sin to the head of their offering.' The thought rushed into my mind, What! may I transfer all my guilt to another? Has God provided an offering for me, that I may lay my sins on his head? then, God willing, I will not bear them on my own soul one moment longer. Accordingly I sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus; and on the Wednesday began to have a hope of mercy; on the Thursday that hope increased; on the Friday and Saturday it became more strong; and on the Sunday morning (Easter-day, April 4) I awoke early with those words upon my heart and lips, 'Jesus Christ is risen to-day; Hallelujah! Hallelujah!' From that hour peace flowed in rich abundance into my soul; and at the Lord's table in our chapel I had the sweetest access to God through my blessed Savior."

 - from Memoirs of the life of the Rev. Charles Simeon, page 9, Edited by William Carus, London: Hatchard and Son. MDCCCXLVII [1847].

God, Spider Man, and Santa: too funny to pass up

Found on Chris Armstrong's Facebook page ...

Book Review: Classical Arminianism by F. Leroy Forlines

Forlines, F. Leroy. (2011).  Classical Arminianism: A Theology of Salvation. Nashville, TN: Randall House Publications.

Dr. J. Matthew Pinson, the president of Free Will Baptist Bible College, has done the theological world a favor by editing and rearranging the soteriological sections of Forlines' excellent book, The Quest for Truth, into a new format. The result is a more compact yet thorough explanation of Classical Arminian theology that fills a bibliographic gap in theological literature.

The book is composed of ten chapters, listed here to whet your appetite:

1. Human Nature, Total Depravity, and the Image of God

2. The Theology of Election

3. Proof Texts for Unconditional Election: Romans 9

4. Proof Texts for Unconditional Election: Other Texts

5.Scriptural Support for Conditional Election

6. The Nature of Atonement and Justification

7. The Condition of Salvation

8. Sanctification

9. The Perseverance of the Saints

10. Apostasy and Assurance: Doctrinal and Practical Conditions

The introduction written by Pinson accomplishes several things: One, it gives the rationale for excerpting and repackaging material from The Quest for Truth. Two, it clearly orients the reader to the issues the book addresses. Three, it hooks the reader into reading the book. Indeed, the aid given the reader is excellent.

Forlines and Pinson do an excellent job of distinguishing Classical Arminian theology from popular Arminianism, which is often unknowingly semi-Pelagian, and outright semi-Pelagian theology, both of which minimize the impact of depravity on people particularly in asserting that people are able to respond positively to the gospel under their own power, and from Classical Reformed/Calvinistic theology which one would expect in a book like this. In contrast, Classical Arminian theology argues that human beings are totally depraved and unable in and of themselves to respond to the gospel message. But by God's grace they are enabled and drawn to respond positively or negatively to the message of salvation through Christ. Thus, in Classical Arminian theology, all of salvation is of grace.

Some interesting positions that Forlines takes include affirming the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement (something many Wesleyans these days reject in contrast to Wesley, Watson, Pope, Summers, Ralston, etc.), individual election, that perseverance is in union with Christ, and that apostasy results in permanent loss of salvation. For a great summary of how Forlines' Classical Arminianism compares to Classical Wesleyan-Arminian theology, see the review of Dr. Vic Reasoner here.

In recent years, there has been an effort on the part of Classical and Wesleyan-Arminians to clarify their theological positions in the light of the resurgence of Calvinism, and rescue genuine, Classical, or Reformed Arminian theology from false understandings, charactures, accusations of being semi-pelagian, and from the sloppy, popular Arminianism that characterizes many American churches today. This book, along with Robert Picirilli's book Grace, Faith, Free Will, and Roger Olson's book, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities goes a long way to stating clearly that Classical Arminianism is not semi-pelagian, is indeed biblical, does legitimately have a claim to arise from the Reformation, and has been smeared out of ignorance from many Calvinist pulpits. Hopefully, the book will help Arminian readers to be more careful and precise in understating and preaching the gospel, and it will help Calvinist readers to represent Classical Arminianism accurately in their academic and pastoral work. All in all, an honest read will help people rethink and refine their understanding of soteriology. This book is highly recommended.

But It Doesn't Hurt Anybody Else

I haven't posted in a very long time, and it is time to resume the practice. Here is a short devotional I sent out to my congregation as a part of a weekly newsletter:

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A recent Gallop poll found that “Americans are less likely to call certain behaviors a ‘sin’ these days if it affects no one but themselves” (Religion Today Summaries - June 2, 2011 from Crosswalk.com). Do you see the problem with this thinking? The problem comes from how many people discern whether or not a behavior is sinful. Apparently, for many of the people in this survey, a behavior is sinful if they think it affects another person. For example, some of these folks might say that indulging in pornography is not sinful because it does not hurt other people, as opposed to murder or slander which always does. But the question of “what is sin?” is discerned differently for the Christian, for our point of reference is not firstly human. The Christian says, “God determines what is right and wrong. Even if some behavior does not appear to me to hurt another person, if God says it is sinful, it is.” You see, for the Christian, God the determiner of right and wrong, not people. And sin is always ultimately directed at God (Psalm 51:4). This is why we say that indulging in pornography is wrong, for it involves lust, which Jesus himself says counts as adultery (Matt. 5:28). What is more, classical Christian wisdom takes issue with the thinking that says you can sin and not hurt someone else. Aren’t those pornographic pictures of someone’s daughter or son? Aren’t you participating in the exploitation of people? Doesn’t this promote seeing people as objects instead of human beings created in the image of God? And how does viewing pornography affect a person’s relationship with his or her spouse long-term? Sin is sin when it defies God’s commands, including the command to love others.

Free Church Planting/Growth Audio

There are great and FREE church planiting/church growth Mp3 and video files available at the Anglican 1000 website that are of a great help to any church leader. Material from Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer, and many others are available. Tim Keller's talks on organic versus institutional organizations are priceless.

Anglican 1000 was a church planting conference held earlier this year for those in the Anglican Church of North America and The Anglican Mission in the Americas, as well as other related bodies. While the material is focused on those in the Anglican tradition, much of the material is applicable to any evangelical group.

 

 

Book Review - The Accidental Anglican By Hunter

Hunter, Todd D. (2010). The Accidental Anglican. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

Todd Hunter, a missionary bishop of The Anglican Mission in the Americas, has written a brief and interesting book which chronicles his transition from the Jesus People to top leadership in the Vineyard fellowship of churches to ministry in the Anglican tradition. The book focuses on how God led him from a decidedly non-liturgical church tradition to a liturgical one, including what made Anglicanism so appealing. He uses the word "Accidental" to describe himself in the sense of "'I didn’t see it coming!'" (p. 15). Hunter makes clear that journeying into the Anglican Church "had nothing to do with theological or ecclesiastical problems with the Jesus People or the  Vineyard. My experience was like falling in love with and marrying a long-standing friend I thought was 'just a friend'" (p.14.). His falling in love happened as he found how liturgy, ties to the ancient church, and more, enhanced his worship, evangelism, and spiritual growth. It strikes the reader too that Hunter would not have entered Anglicanism before the "Anglican Realignment" started taking place, for before such groups as The Anglican Mission in the Americas and The Anglican Church of North America were formed, Anglicanism in America did not have the church planting zeal that it now has. And if Hunter is anything, he is a church planter. "The AM" and Hunter are a match made in heaven.

Within just 130 pages, Hunter breaks his thoughts down into 15 chapters grouped into two clusters: Part One: How I Became the Accidental Bishop, and Part Two: What I like about Anglicanism. Each chapter concisely states and explains his journey and likes. The book is a quick read, not because it is brief but because his story and his enthusiasm for Anglicanism is expressed like a man enamored with a new wife. The joy he has for his new "tribe" and the benefits it offers liturgically, theologically, and practically have great meaning for Hunter. For anyone contemplating getting "on the Canterbury trail," this book will resonate and provide insights into what is best about Anglicanism and why it is currently drawing in many Americans through the Anglican Mission to the Americas and the brand-new Anglican Church of North America.

Since he is focused on what drew him to Anglicanism and what he loves about it most, Hunter offers nothing in terms of critique of Anglicanism. His book makes no attempt to evaluate Anglicanism as a whole nor critiques any particular issue, for that is not its purpose. Its purpose is to tell his story and thereby help others see the best Anglicanism has to offer as a tradition that is rooted in ancient practices while meeting contemporary needs. This approach keeps the whole book positive in tone, but I sure wish Hunter had shared something of his theological transition from low-church sacramental theology to a high-church position. How hard was it for him to accept the baptism of infants, or the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? How was he persuaded to embrace an Anglican view of these things?

One highlight for me was Hunter's love for John Wesley. In one conversation that he had with Anglican theologian J.I. Packer, Hunter asked if he "could count Wesley as an Anglican." Packer replied "emphatically, 'Yes, you can count him as an Anglican'" (p. 96). Since John Wesley was a lifelong and loyal ordained minister in the Church of England, I don't see how Packer could answer otherwise, but hearing Packer the hard-core Calvinist say that about a Classical Arminian like Wesley, it made me smile.

If you are interested in what is behind the big draw of Anglicanism right now in our country, or if you are considering putting a foot on the Canterbury trail, this book is for you. But beyond those reasons, the book is simply interesting as a chronicle of how one man wrestled with discerning the leading of God.

Book Review - A Return to Christian Culture by Richard S. Taylor

While looking for something else in my garage attic a few days ago I came across a long-lost box of books. Most of these book are hand-me-downs that, at least at the time I put them in the attic, did not seem worthy of shelf space. But after rummaging through the box and realizing that my tastes and needs have changed over the last years a few of books will be read and used.

One book is Richard S. Taylor's A Return to Christian Culture. Taylor, a recently deceased (2006) Nazarene theologian and strong advocate of holiness, published this book in 1973. It is the product of lectures given at Bethany Nazarene College the previous year. The book addresses the problem of Christian slobs by promoting a cultured dimension of discipleship. For this book, Taylor has a specialized use in mind of the term "culture": 

Culture is the development of the person, intellectually, asthetically,and socially, to the full use of his powers, in compatibility with the recognized standards of excellence of his society (page 16).

Writing in the early 1970's, it seems clear that Taylor is reacting to cultural trends of the late 1960's and early 1970's, which, of course, involved hippies. The personal sloppiness in dress, speech, intellect, and manners was being embraced by many Christian young people and Taylor's objective in the book is to demonstrtate that discipleship to Christ requires the full development of the person. At the heart of Taylor's thinking is that just as "Good stewardship requires good character...it requires good culture as well...For not only is our character a credit or discredit to our Lord, but our culture is as well. Therfore total stewardship forbids the fragmentation of our development" (page 16).

Within one's culture, a Christian should pursue several markers, including a cultivated mind, cultivated speech and voice, cultivated manners, cultivated social sense, cultivated tastes, and cultivated abilities and skills. Throughout the book, Taylor unpacks these ideas and shows how they relate to Christian discipleship; indeed how they should flow from Christian discipleship.

One section of the book (pages 84-91) that will seems odd to contemporary ears is his discussion of rock music in Christian worship services. He argues that it is not good for worshipers and will probably run its course and fade out of use in churches as more and more people understand that it is incompatible with Chrsitian discipleship. As Taylor knew at his recent death, not only did music with a rock beat stay in churches, but it has become so normal and standard in many circles that its fitness for worship in terms of style and effect upon listeners is rarely questioned. Like yeast disappearing into dough and effecting the whole, so has contemporary music penetrated evangelical churches.

Taylor breaks his book down in six chapters:

1. A Christain Approach to Culture
2. Our Cultural Crisis
3. The Relation of Holiness to Culture
4. Much Ado About Something
5. The Christian's Cultural Tensions
6. The Stewarship of the Fine Arts

The book's arguments are carefully nuanced and qualified throughout. It is amazing how immediately relevant the book is to contemporary culture where casualness toward attitude, dress, speech, and truth is taken to the extreme.