Book by Thabiti Anyabwile

Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

The health of the local church is one of great importance and of much interest at Lighthouse Bible Church. The need for expository preaching is crucial for the life of the church to flourish, so that the people in the church would be fed God´s Word and not the word of the pastor, fallible as that can be. There has been a great outcry for this kind of teaching to be had within the church, placing a great weight upon the pastors of the local church to work that much more diligently to preach the meaning of the passage, and rightly so. However, the cry for healthy church members has been nearly absent in the body of Christian literature. Thabiti Anyabwile has sought to remedy that in his most recent book, What is a Healthy Church Member? This book follows one of Mark Dever´s more recent books as well, What is a Healthy Church? Knowing that his ministry is 9Marks (9marks.org), he had outlined 9 different marks it takes for a church to be healthy, with expositional preaching as the first and primary mark for the life of the church to grow and stand firm in the Scriptures.

To be a healthy church member, one must be an expositional listener, a biblical theologian, gospel-saturated, genuinely converted, a biblical evangelist, a committed member, one who seeks discipline, a growing disciple, a humble follower, and a prayer warrior. Anyabwile, former associate pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., and now senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands, provides expositional listening as the primary mark of a healthy church member. He challenges the reader to deeply take pains to listen to the sermon for discerning what the meaning of the sermon is and to encourage the pastor by seeking to truly apply the message. With this and the other marks, he truly seeks to draw from Scripture how these marks help establish a healthy Christian. He also seeks to help you move towards that direction, providing biblical examples and also recommended reading for almost every mark in order for you to pursue each mark with a godly perspective to help edify the church and to build up the body of Christ to look more like Him, and not like ourselves.

This book gives us a glimpse into how we are held as much, if not, more responsible than the pastors for the health of the church to continue in this age and also in the next generation. To grow in each of these marks is to grow more like Christ, who very much excelled in these marks. For Anyabwile, healthy Christians are healthy church members, not allowing us to think that anyone who professes to be a Christian can be considered spiritually mature unless they are members of a local church, seeking to apply the ¨one another¨ passages of Scripture, and be held accountable by the leaders of the church to not defame the name of Christ in tolerating sin in their own lives.

My own life is deeply humbled by the truths laid out in the Scriptures pertaining to the different areas this book covers. To be gospel-saturated is to think deeply about the gospel, which pushes me to know it well from the Scriptures (and not simply to summarize it), and also to dwell in it in living in light of that gospel that God used to save us. This plays into being a biblical evangelist, to pray and seek for opportunities to share the gospel around anyone you have an influence, including friends, family, and co-workers. To pray like a warrior is to pray unceasingly, continually thinking of others and to leave our comfort zones to get to know people we aren´t too comfortable with getting to know in church. We are to help our leaders and the church body as a whole to grow more like Christ, otherwise we allow sin to affect the body of the local church, defaming Christ´s name and diminishing God´s glory. I pray anyone who reads this does not desire that but truly seek to honor His name and live within the life of the church and not as an outsider.

Book by Tim Keller

Review by Tim Sohn

I first heard Tim Keller speak three years ago expounding on the Gospel to an audience of both believers and non-believers. Never had I heard someone masterfully preach about Jesus in a way that drew the non-believer in to see the beauty of God’s redemptive story, while at the same time challenging the believer to relinquish idols that are at the root of every sin. He repeatedly pointed his audience to the Gospel, drawing them out of themselves to sit in worship of Jesus’ work on the cross. Yet, he did this in an amazingly respectful way that was applicable to both skeptics and believers alike.

Keller’s recent book The Reason for God carries many of the same characteristics as his sermons; eloquent, respectful, thoughtful, and humble. This book comes at an appropriate time in response to some of the recent writings of new atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris. Keller starts by addressing seven of the most common objections to Christianity:

• There Can’t Be Just One True Religion
• How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
• Christianity Is a Straitjacket
• The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
• How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
• Science Has Disproved Christianity
• You Can’t Take the Bible Literally

In the second half of the book, Keller takes an in depth look at seven reasons for Christianity. The uniqueness of The Reason for God is that many of the arguments made are applicable to our culture today. They are the same questions and objections that we hear at work over lunch, or in the classroom by our professors. The believer will be encouraged by this book as they will find that their faith is not blind, but is on that begs cerebral discourse.

Book by John MacArthur

Review by Stephen Rodgers

In Twelve Ordinary Men, Pastor MacArthur does more than simply attempt to lay out a Biblical analysis of Jesus’ disciples. While an exegesis of their attitudes and actions is certainly found between the covers, he also traces God’s plan to perform His work through these oh-so-flawed agents; a plan made all the more remarkable and divine due to the utterly lacking nature of the disciples themselves.

Think about it for a moment: if you wanted to turn the world on its ear, and you were to pick twelve men to help you do it, and if you had any strategic sense or managerial talent…you would systematically AVOID picking the type of men that Jesus picked! Fishermen. A socially-reviled tax collector. A terrorist. These are not the sort of vocations and backgrounds that one imagines when one pictures the kingdom of heaven being advanced here on earth. But these are precisely the remarkable men that Jesus picked: men who were remarkable precisely of their complete ordinariness.

I had the privilege of actually attending Grace Community Church when Pastor MacArthur was going through the list of the twelve disciples from the gospel of Luke, so I thought I knew what to expect. I can remember sitting in the pews while he would say something like “Everything we know about Thomas comes from three passages in the gospel of John;” of course, it would then take two to three weeks to completely expound upon those verses! So I was prepared for a detailed analysis of the lives of these men. And yet, I had completely forgotten the first three rules of hermeneutics: context, context, context.

Don’t get me wrong: the details are there. You’ll learn more about the disciples, particularly Peter, Andrew, James and John than you ever thought you could know. You’ll understand why Nathanael would have been a terrible poker player. You’ll come to realize that an unremarked-upon miracle of Jesus’ ministry is that Simon never killed Matthew. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with Thomas, the completely misunderstood disciple who arguably loved Christ more than any of them.

But ultimately, the disciples are not the point. To paraphrase a different Pastor John, “life is not about them either.” Rather, it is through them that we understand how Jesus made himself known to mankind, how he taught us, how we should (and shouldn’t) respond, what we should abandon, and who we should love. You see, this is a book about the contrast between the frail, unremarkable, relatively uneducated, powerless, socially stunted, flawed, sinful, and emotional disciples of Christ…and what can happen when the power of God gets a hold of just a dozen men like that.

And it should make us wonder what would happen if we let God get a hold of us like that too.

Book by JP Moreland

Review by Stephen Rodgers

Love Your God With All Your Mind may just be JP Moreland’s most didactic book yet-and that’s saying something. In this text, weighing in at a scant 200 pages (but a tad denser than you might expect), Moreland is a man on a mission. He has seen his students trying on the anti-intellectual attitudes of secular society, and like a man trying on a shirt with a too-small collar, he doesn’t like the fit. CS Lewis once remarked that “[Christ] wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head,” and it is in support of this premise that Moreland throws himself into the fray.

Caveat emptor: this is not the irenic Moreland from Kingdom Triangle. Rather this is Moreland-with-a-bee-in-his-bonnet discoursing on a topic that has apparently struck a bit too close for comfort. I do NOT think that his argumentation suffers as a result (it certainly isn’t a viciously-circular polemic as some Amazon reviews would suggest), but the man is certainly not dispassionate or shy in his presentation.

The book is divided into four main sections: why the mind matters in Christianity (history, Biblical support, and the role of the intellect in sanctification), how to develop a mature Christian mind (descriptive and prescriptive techniques), what a mature Christian mind looks like (emphasis on evangelism, apologetics, worship, and worldview), and guaranteeing a future for the Christian mind (closing comments on ecclesiology and some appendices which are fantastically useful).

It would, quite frankly, be impossible to give you a decent overview in this space in The Beacon. Suffice to say, you should read this book, your friends should read this book, and you should have deep discussions over ethnic food regarding what you’ve read. It’s a dense book, so order dessert.

That is NOT to say that I agree wholeheartedly with everything that Moreland concludes (I find his views on senior pastorship disagreeable); and I would suggest that it would be the height of irony to blindly accept the premises of a text devoted to rationality and logic without engaging in critical reasoning of your own. To that end, I’d like to suggest some topics for discussion (framed in a classical pedagogical style, in honor of the text in question) that I found to be of interest from throughout the book. What does it mean to “love God with your mind” and has the church betrayed this position (Chapter 1)? What are the implications of total depravity in regards to reason (Chapter 2)? What is the “empty self” (Chapter 4)? Should all Christians be logicians as well (Chapter 5)? How can we best honor God by reading (Chapter 8)? According to Moreland, what is the role of the senior pastor (Chapter 10)?

On the bright side, concluding with Moreland’s ultimate premise, it’s an open-Bible test.

Book by Sinclair Ferguson

Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

In Christ Alone is a collection of articles that were first written by Ferguson in both Ligonier’s Tabletalk monthly magazine and Jim Boice’s Eternity magazine, each one displaying a different aspect of the foundation of what it means to be a Christian: a follower of the crucified Lord, Jesus Christ. This book is one steeped in love for the Savior by giving pastoral and theological insight into the Person and work of Christ. The chief desire of the Christian must be to know Christ, who He is and what He’s done, to die to ourselves and to live for Him above all else.

The book is cut up into six sections that deal with: Christ’s incarnation (Word become flesh), the work of Christ in His different offices while on this earth (prophet, priest, king), the Spirit who testifies of His glory, the blessings of grace that is given to every believer, wisdom that is harmonious with the glorious Gospel in our own lives, and encouragement to live on in this world where unbelief seems to run rampant. Each chapter is roughly 4-5 pages each, and should be read slowly and carefully to take in the Christ-centered thoughts and kernels of truth brought out from the Scriptures. It could be a great meditation not just for the new believer who is on the path to be captivated by God with new eyes, but also for the believer who has possibly lost sight of God and His weighty glory. Reading the ways of the Old Testament rituals continues to draw me closer to God, in that faithful Jews were so motivated by their glimpse of this Almighty God that they had great faith in the promised Messiah who was to come and deliver them from the bondage of sin that laid in every one of them. They did not know the Messiah by name; we do and yet are still not stopping to gaze at His wonderful face. We need the Christ-centered Gospel to break us again. Ferguson’s exposition of John 1 could not sit still without singing afresh psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Col. 3), placing many songs that would be an instrument for you to worship the risen Christ, who lives today as the Great High Priest. The cross should bring us to that point where our eyes are exhausted upon a continual straining to see Him in all His beauty, compassion, and unrivaled love. As CJ Mahaney writes, “This book is a feast that will satisfy both mind and heart, sharpening your thinking and deepening your devotion to Christ Alone.”

This book was written to call us to look fresh at Christ, and to be enthralled with what you see. It was not meant to be a work that involved your own opinions or musings, but a recognition that God was not silent and did reveal Himself through the ministry of the Word, by the illumination of the Spirit, to testify about Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, that we may truly be, as the subtitle says, living the Gospel centered life.

Book by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington

Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Books on the atonement of Jesus Christ are many, with titles such as The Cross of Christ by John Stott, and more recently with much fanfare, Pierced for Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach. The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington recently came out with hardly a peep from among evangelicals. The issue of the imputed righteousness of Christ for our sins does not seem like a fitting topic to gain popularity or monetary gain, but these authors deemed it worthy of spending time to give the church a gift that glorifies our Great God who has redeemed us by the sending of His Son to die in place of sinners.

This book is fitting for us to delve deep into and look back at the source of our coming to Christ. There are many today who are unwilling to discuss, or are completely oblivious to the fact that Christ died as a substitute for sinners, and that his death truly brings dead men to life. Seen as a stark doctrine, many deride or even sneer at the concept that God the Father would punish His own Son, calling it a form of child abuse. God has blessed these men of God to write with passion the glory of this exchange that reconciles wicked sinners who were enemies of God to be able to dwell in His presence, voluntarily acted upon by Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Following the same outline as Scottish author/theologian George Smeaton’s The Apostles’ Doctrine of the Atonement, both authors give a somewhat biblical-theological study of this great exchange through the majority of the New Testament. From Acts on to Revelation this subject is given treatment in how the apostles Paul, John, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews explain the importance of this transfer of Christ’s righteousness for the sins of those who believe and place their trust in Him. Insight after insight is sweetly interspersed throughout, as these authors give glory to God in how they present this loving act of crucifixion throughout Scripture. Bridges and Bevington do give introductory material for the reader to chew on before jumping in to explain the testimony of God’s Word upon this glorious act of divine mercy. My favorite verse, 2 Corinthians 5:21, is given as what summarizes and crystallizes this exchange: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (ESV).

The doctrine of sin is treated for us to consider the wicked nature of our sin and our deserving punishment of eternal damnation, in order that we may understand and cherish the grandness of God’s grace in overcoming this separation to bring reconciliation to the most broken of relationships: between us and God. Reading of the lengths with which the Israelites in Old Testament times had to go through to in terms of rituals performed by the priest on that Day of Atonement seemed staggering in that their sacrifice was inadequate to completely remove sin, knowing that it was a picture of the once-for-all sacrifice so beautifully explored in Hebrews. At the same time, you catch a glimpse of God the Trinity planning this act of demonstrated love that satisfies His wrath, upholds his holiness, and ultimately, gives Himself glory. Having Adam as our head and representative, he sinned, bringing death into the world (Romans 5:12), while we continue to sin personally, bringing more condemnation upon our own head. Yet Christ, the new Adam, represents a new group of humanity in living a sinless life and dying in our place as a substitute and sacrifice that gives a pleasing aroma to God, resurrecting Him from the dead to show the approval of the work of Christ.

Reading the apostles who witnessed Christ here on earth and then preaching to sinners with boldness gives me pause to consider whether I have truly treasured the atonement of Christ, the sin-bearing substitute of my own sins, being imputed to Him while I’m credited with His perfect righteousness, that I may give glory to God. I strongly recommend this book to those who are ever searching for a deeper picture into what the cross of Christ truly displays, and ever increase to have a high view of this God who loves us beyond comprehension. May God be glorified.

Book by Dave Harvey

Review by Tim Sohn

I should preface this column by saying that I am not married. Lord willing, I hope to be someday. Until then, I will have to read books to live vicariously through more experienced authors. Like many single people, I’ve read a lot of relationship books (if you’re single and you say you haven’t, stop lying). Out of all the relationship books I have read (more than my fingers and toes), this book has been the most eye-opening, encouraging, and convicting. I admit, I was a little embarrassed to have it on my desk or read it on the plane since I keep getting asked, “When’s your wedding?”. Despite these comments, I couldn’t resist since many people in the blogosphere have been saying this is the best marriage book ever. I wholeheartedly agree.

For many years I thought that marriage would be an unusual bliss, almost like heaven on earth. If you had relationship problems, the solution was get married. If you can’t cook, get married. If your car won’t start, get married. Dave Harvey pummels through these ridiculous ideas by laying out the most fundamental fact about all of us, our sinfulness. Every marriage involves two sinners saying, “I do” to a lifetime of love, yet as the wheels start to turn the selfish and unloving attitudes come out. All of our efforts and best works are shot through with sin, making the wedding of two sinners that much more earth shattering.

Sound bleak? When Sinners Say “I Do” is a book that is about marriage, but focuses a lot on sin. Harvey begins by focusing on sin, but leads us to the green pastures where we find grace in the Gospel of Jesus. The first half of the book is spent breaking the reader to see that we are more sinful that we know. Harvey writes, “My friends, when sin becomes bitter, marriage becomes sweet.” This isn’t a book that will give the 7 steps to a better marriage, or secrets found by observing 50 successful couples. This book will show you that the biggest obstacle in marriage is often your own sin, and the only way to deal with it is by looking to the Gospel.

I couldn’t say it any better than Paul David Tripp in the book’s foreword. “This book grasps the core drama of every married couple. This drama is no respecter of race, ethnic origin, location, or period of history. It is the one thing that explains the doom and hope of every human relationship. It is the theme that is on every page of this book in some way. What is this drama? It is the drama of sin and grace. What do all of us do in our marriages in some way? We all tend to deny our sin (while pointing out the sin of the other). By denying our sin, we devalue grace. What is important about this book is that at the level of the hallways and family rooms of everyday life, it is very honest about sin and very hopeful about the amazing resources of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.”

Whether you’re married or not, this book is a must read. It will change the way you view yourself, your marriage, and even relationship with others. However, the way that will happen will be through the cross, and allowing the Gospel to go deeper to cause radical change.

Editor’s Note (2009): Tim is happily married to a lovely Christian woman named Candy now, and they continue to minister faithfully in the Silicon Valley area. Congrats Tim!

Book by Leland Ryken

Review by Stephen Hong

Does it really make a different what Bible translation you use? Differences in a few words here and there can’t be very significant as long as they all retain the same meaning, right?

According to Dr. Leland Ryken, in his book The Word of God in English, not all translations of the English Bible are created equal. In fact, many of them come from very divergent philosophies of translation. The central focus in the book is the tension between an essentially literal translation and a dynamic translation. Until the last fifty years, the overarching principle in Bible translation was to reproduce the words of the original to the words of the receptor language. At that time, Eugene Nida introduced the theory of dynamic equivalence, which, briefly summed up, is the emphasis of the reaction of the reader to the translated text, rather than the translation of the words and phrases themselves.

He outlines various fallacies of the dynamic equivalence principle, including fallacies about general translation theory, about the Bible and about the Bible’s audience. As he does so, it became increasingly clear to me how significant it is to hold to an essentially literal text.

Ryken does a great job of fleshing out these principles to actual translation texts. At one point, he focuses on Luke 10:42 and lists the different translations:

“Mary hath chosen the good part” (KJV)

“Mary has chosen the good part” (NASB)

“Mary has chosen the good portion” (ESV)

“Mary has chosen what is better” (TNIV/NIV)

“Mary has chosen what is best” (CEV)

“There is really only one thing worth being concerned about” (NLT)

The first three are from essentially literal texts, which aim to reproduce the original language, word for word (but adjusting syntax to modern English, which is why it is essentially literal). The second three are from dynamic equivalent texts. Notice that the second three makes the comparative element explicit, whereas the first set makes no explicit remark about Martha’s work, or leaves it implicit at best. It may well be the case that the translators of the first set agree with the second set in meaning, but the issue is that the dynamic equivalent translators, at this point, are moving beyond translation to interpreation. By doing so, it is preemptively excluding any possibility for alternative interpretations. Ryken suggests, though, that dynamic equivalent translations do serve as good commentaries or gloss texts, but are not reliable as primary translations.

Ryken, who is a professor of English at Wheaton College, served as a literary scholar on the council working on the English Standard Version several years ago. He gives a decent overview of the history of English translation, but does a more thorough job of dispelling wide-spread fallaceies, and getting into the nitty-gritty of translation principles and theories that must be considered in modern and future translations.