Review of Why is God Ignoring Me? by Gary R. Habermas
Jul0
Not Recommended.
Habermas is well respected as an apologist and historian, yet this book appears to be a personal journey through his unanswered questions rather than the cohesive scholarly look into difficult subject matter I had expected. In fact, the title is misleading. This book doesn’t deal with the reasons for God’s silence so much as it does with highlighting biblical and modern examples of God’s appearance and “disappearance” to His people. Those who need that encouragement may get what they’re looking for from this read. For those looking for a quick, biblically sound list of why God’s voice seems muted, check out my post on Questions to Ask Ourselves when God is Silent.
But despite Habermas’ efforts to explain the balance between what God has allowed us to experience and what He chooses to heal, I felt his argument was circular, unorganized, superficial, and lacking divine wisdom. It also bothered me that Habermas lumps together suffering and persecution as they are not the same despite sharing a few attributes. And I felt the one chapter that really was most important (regarding telling ourselves positive truths), lacked the theological emphasis it needed to separate solid biblical truths from secular psychological principles.
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.
Review of The Screwtape Letters Audio Drama by Focus on the Family
Dec0
This is a guest post by my husband, Ben.
Recommended. C.S. Lewis’ classic radio presentation made best-selling book is now available through Focus on the Family in a chilling audio dramatization!
The Screwtape Letters is true classic. Having never read the book, I found this to be a powerful listening experience. It has really changed the way I think about the demonic realm! While I’ve been familar with spiritual warfare for awhile now and am aware of some of the ways the devil schemes against us, this book brought my awareness to a whole new level. The book is fictional and should be treated as such, but it’s possible that reality isn’t too different. It has certainly given me something to think about.
Perhaps the most important thing that can be learned from this book is that the demonic realm has no friends. Those who think Hell will be a party among friends will be sadly disappointed.
In this audio rendition the actors and background music really brought this to life. The only downside was the bonus musical soundtrack. The lyrics were superficial at best, definitely not matching up to the depth and brilliance of C.S. Lewis’ work.
For more information on this product, check out: http://www.screwtape.com.
Review of The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson
Sep0
Recommended: A prophetically relevant book and great resource–but read with care.
I really enjoyed this book, but in researching the author, started running into sketchy material–not with him per se, but in those who connect themselves with him. That said, don’t read this for it’s theological views (it’s not a theological book anyway), but for his knowledge and gracefully written comparisons of the modern church to its New Testament counterpart.
Simson engages in controversial ground as he reveals how far the church has drifted from its Biblical model. He then gives general advice and encouragement on how to go back to an emphasis on New Testament values without further control of the church. In other words, he is very clear that it doesn’t work to “make exact copies of a New Testament church. Rather [we should] take these New Testament principles and values seriously, as God-given essentials” (33).
Although Simson speaks specifically with the creation of house churches in mind, many of his findings will be of interest to those church leaders who simply want to strengthen their circles of the body in a more ‘organic’ or family-like atmosphere with God at the center. I especially appreciated his discussions of the roles of the five-fold ministry. This is a cutting edge resource for any Christian in active leadership.
Review of Fearless by Max Lucado
Sep0
Not Recommended. Fearless is full of personal stories, but beyond the empathetic acknowledgment that humans are in a battle against fear, Lucado offers only a superficial view of Christianity.
Lucado identifies that we need to trust in God, cast our worries on Him, and so on, but he doesn’t go deep enough into HOW anyone would begin doing this. He also gives no mention of fear being a supernatural enemy of a spiritual war. How can we truly fight and overcome fear if we don’t recognize the root of the battle?
There are also theological problems; e.g., Lucado tells us that Jesus was fearful before He went to the cross, which contradicts the nature of God (perfect love driving out fear). Jesus was certainly grieved about what was to come, but to say He was “feeling fear full bore” crosses a line; it suggests He prayed from a spirit of fear rather than the Spirit of God, and that He fell into the temptation of the flesh (undermining His sacrifice on the cross).
Fearless won’t help its readers strengthen their identities in the Lord or equip them for the spiritual battle at hand. It may be inspirational to some, but only as ‘feel good’ encouragement.
This blog addresses the 'sticky' topics of Western Christianity in an attempt to shake, refocus, and unite the body of Christ, and to reveal the true gospel message to unbelievers.
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