Faster Unto Thee

Book Review - Resurrection Realities

One of the most difficult things for a pastor to do when he has been at the same church for a number of years is remain fresh in his preaching on high days such as Easter and Christmas.  It is difficult to find new ways to say the same thing, or to discover new insights into heavily-studied passages that will give birth to fresh sermons.

Just like I always review Martin Hengel's powerful little book, Crucifixion, for Holy Week, I always pick up and find fresh profit from reviewing Merrill C. Tenney's text, Resurrection Realities, for Easter.

Resurrection Realities, also published as The Vital Heart of Christianity, is a small, 96 page book that explains the theological significance of the resurrection of Christ for our salvation (lots of Pauline stuff here).  He also demonstrates how the resurrection is biblically the proof of his sonship, lordship, judgeship, and of the driving force behind the expansion of Christianity.  Each chapter is an exposition of key scriptural texts, and as such, it is eminently helpful in preparing meaty sermons.

Here is a small excerpt from chapter 1:

The most important doctrine of our Christian faith is not the virgin birth with its tender and sacred mystery, nor the atonement on Calvary where the blood was shed that brought the love and forgiveness of God to a ruined world, but the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Without the resurrection the virgin birth would be incredible, for why should we accept a biological miracle as the origin of a life that was swallowed up hopelessly in death?  Without the resurrection there would be no atonement, for the value of Christ's death as an atonement depends upon the quality of the one who died.  If, like other men, He succumbed to death and never triumphed over it, His death might have been that of a martyr or hero; but it could never have been the means of bringing salvation to others.  The resurrection singles Him out as different from others and gives a different value to all the other facts of His life (page 12).

I don't believe this great book is in print, but used copies of it abound.  This is truly one of those books whose helpfulness has stood the test of time.

Book Review - Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities

One of the most helpful books I have read in some time is Roger Olson's book, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, which was published in 2006.  Olson is a professor at Truett Theological Seminary, which is part of Baylor University in Texas.  This book is timely, especially in light of the resurgence of Reformed theology.

A lifelong Arminian, Olson's goal in this accessible book is to dispel some of the myths regarding classical Arminian theology, particularly that it is semi-pelagian, man-centered, not theologically orthodox, and more.  Arranged in 10 chapters, each of which dispel a particular myth about Arminian theology, Olson accomplishes his goals with careful argumentation, citing of primary sources, and a plodding explanation of where Calvinism does and does not conflict with Arminianism.  Particularly helpful are the citations of Calvinist scholars who misunderstand and misrepresent classical Arminian theology, often confusing classical Arminianism with much of today's distorted (and truly semi-pelagian) Arminianism.  For a helpful review of each chapter, see John Drury's blog.

This book is helpful for those of us in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, for Olson frequently cites the works of John Wesley, showing him to be firmly in the classical Arminian camp, not the semi-pelagian one.  Also helpful are the references to great 19th century Wesleyan theologians and current ones such as Thomas Oden.  Through these references, Olson demonstrates that classical Arminian theology is alive and well in some academic circles if not in our churches.

One of the most helpful chapters is number four, entitled, "The Heart of Arminianism is Belief in Free Will."  How many times have I heard in a discussion about Calvinism and Arminianism that Arminianism is primarily concerned with protecting the freedom of man? This myth is dispelled as Olson painstakingly demonstrates through primary sources that the biggest concern of Arminian theology is not preserving free will, but of protecting the character of God from the logical conclusion of Calvinistic predestination.  As Olson puts in on page 99, "Rather, the real reason Arminians reject divine control of every human choice and action is that this would make God the author of sin and evil.  For Arminians this makes God at least morally ambiguous and at worst the only sinnner."  And later on the same page, "Arminianism begins with God's goodness and ends by affirming free will."  To put it another way, Arminianism strives to preserve the goodness of God by affirming a degree of free will in humans so that their sins can be primarily attributed to them and not to God, for if God is the author of sin, then he is not good.

If you are an Arminian, read this book to clarify your thoughts.  If you are a Calvinist, read this book to dispel any misconceptions about Arminianism you might have.  If you are undecided, use this book as one source among many for working through the ideas of Calvinism and Arminianism.   

UPDATE: listen to an interview with Roger Olson here: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/cws/home

Book Review - God's House Rules by Donald Bastian

Bishop Emeritus Donald N. Bastian preached a wonderful series of sermons last April at our church on Christian family life (you can listen to those sermons here) .  These sermons are the heart of his newly released book, God's House Rules , published by BPS of Canada.  My copy came in the mail yesterday, and I could not put it down.

Pastors, if you are looking for a book to give you spot-on illustrations for preaching on marriage, or if you need a text to give to couples in premarital counseling to help them establish a biblical view of marriage, this is the book for you.

Here are the chapter titles to give you a sense of what the book covers:

    1.  How Adam Got His Wife

    2.  Submission Is for Everyone

    3.  Submission Is a Love Gift

    4.  Husbands, Take the High Road

    5.   What God Says to Children

    6.   Recovering Fatherhood

    7.  The Family at Work

    Appendix: A Special Word to Fathers

In his book, Bastian skillfully raises the reader's esteem of marriage as a God-given institution and blessing in chapter 1, "How Adam Got His Wife."  Since our society no longer holds marriage in high esteem, this chapter is crucial for giving readers a vision of what marriage can be.  Then Bastian moves on in the rest of his book to deal with three key New Testament passages that collectively express "God's House Rules" - rules for family living.  These passages are Ephesians 5:21-6:9, Colossians 3:18-22 and 1 Peter 3:1-7.  I have never read an author deal with the controversial submission issue in such a gentle, clear handed way that did not water down the concept of submission.  Bastian pulls this off gracefully.  He does this though careful interpretation and with the kind of illustrations that enable him to clarify just what he means and does not mean.  The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book.

Particularly helpful points in the book are that submission is something all people are called to in some form or other in life, not just wives, and that submission is a love gift from wife to husband, i.e., it cannot be coerced.  Further, the husband submits to his wife through servant leadership.  Again, Bastian's illustrations clarify his vision of what submission looks like in the marriage relationship.

Also helpful is a pointed discussion of the role of husbands and fathers and the high demands God makes of them.  This section alone is a must-read in our day of disengaged, distant, and absentee fathers.

Buy the book.  Give it as a gift.  Put it in your church library.  Give one to your pastor.  Read it together as a couple.  It will bless you.