Book Reviews

Review of Called to Worship by Vernon M. Whaley

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Genre: Academic Theology

Not Recommended, but OK.

I really wanted to like this book.  In fact, I’ve held off writing the review hoping I might change my mind, but I haven’t.

Called to Worship is written in a semi-textbook semi-personal style, which was not to my liking; but the main reason I didn’t like it is that it felt like something very important was missing from the text.  I can’t quite describe what it is–heart, maybe, or intimacy.  It’s just that, I have the best time worshiping the Lord; it’s a very tangible experience for me.  I sing to Him, I dance for Him, I paint with Him, I talk with Him.  Sometimes I lie on the floor and soak in the presence of God; other times I’ll kneel; I might even jump.  I might be overwhelmed with joy so much I can’t stop laughing.  Other times, I may feel my heart so bursting with love that I cry and begin to intercede for peoples or nations or situations.  I know that intimacy with the Lord varies per believer, and in fact, that’s one of the reasons I was interested in this book–to learn more about how others throughout scripture have connected with Him.  But that’s not what this book is for–it describes various aspects of worship without ever describing the heart of worship.  It’s on the one hand very thorough and yet lacks depth.

That said, the theology is pretty solid (though confined by his conservative worldview); the structure is easy to follow and can be read in independent chapters or as a whole; and for the reader who is looking into the study of worship for the first time, it gives a very nice introduction to various aspects of worship which could later be scrutinized in more depth.  I’m sure this book could be useful to someone, it just wasn’t to me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogging Program through booksneeze.com.

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Review of Possession by Rene Gutteridge

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Genre: Fiction/Suspense

Highly Recommended.

What a talented storyteller! Possession was delightful, suspenseful, lighthearted and soul changing all in one! It reads almost like a screenplay and could be easily adapted for film or theatre.

A family that is already relationally on the rocks is put to the test when a moving truck service holds all their possessions at ransom. But as the story escalates into a mysterious turn of serious events, the possessions themselves lose all value compared to the lives at stake.

I was instantly caught up in this story and felt more encouraged than ever to run my race of faith with more purity and intensity. The Christian overtones are subtle, but the message of the story is not: we must have our priorities in order!

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.

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Review of the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

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Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Recommended.

The three part Mark of the Lion series (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and As Sure As the Dawn) follow the stories of a Messianic Jewish slave girl, an aristocratic Roman family, and a German tribesman taken into slavery as a gladiator.  The setting is decadent Rome in the era of the destruction of the temple and the persecution of Jews and Christians, so THERE IS SOME GRAPHIC SEXUALITY, VIOLENCE AND PAGANISM.  I found this hard to read at first and stopped reading for nearly a year before giving it another go.  The second time I couldn’t put it down.  The pagan worship, violence and sexuality of the book, I believe, does help the story, and is written in such a way that the readers have a healthy indignation for the sin being displayed. That said, it’s not a book for everyone.

But overall, I loved the books–especially the first one.  The first two stories, especially, impacted the way I think about serving other people and the Lord, brought depth to my understanding of radical Christianity, and even gave me insight into eschatological scriptures by revealing portions of the past.

The Christian message was a bit cliché in some parts, but encouraging nonetheless.  And I was also a bit bothered by the way Rivers portrayed some of the biblical characters who were woven into the story.  It would have been better just to leave them out or to rename them, but that’s the artistic risk of giving fictitious portrayals of real-life people, and I respect her for trying.

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Review of Why is God Ignoring Me? by Gary R. Habermas

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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.

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Review of Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life by Tass Saada with Dean Merrill

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Recommended: A thorough autobiography of the author’s former Muslim perspective and re-birth through Jesus Christ.

Saada’s story stretches from silly childhood episodes, to his involvement as a sniper and personal chauffeur to his long time hero Yasser Arafat, and to the supernatural way God pursued him in the midst of it all.  Written in casual story-telling language, it’s easy to follow Saada’s personal transgression from hating the Jews and fearing Allah to recognizing Jesus as God and finding love and grace (even for the Jews).  As his faith progresses, he is amazed to find Arabs prominently placed in the Bible–not with the same mission, inheritance, and responsibility as the Jews, but with equal love from God (who loves all nations), and with their own unique blessings and promises.

Now the founder of Christian humanitarian organization Hope for Ishmael, Saada has a strong passion for Arab-Jewish reconciliation in the Middle East as each people group discovers Jesus as God and understands their individual role in His kingdom.  The final chapters express amazing optimism that peace is fully achievable as every person recognizes and follows Jesus.

This view of peace and reconciliation, while understandable in the context of Saada’s message, wrongfully exaggerates the message of the Bible and leaves out a great deal of God’s story.  I don’t see this as making his personal testimony and insight less valuable, but I’d like to counterbalance his argument by reminding readers that while followers of Jesus are called to live peacefully whenever possible, we should not expect peace or reconciliation contrary to Biblical prophecies or to allegiance to our Lord.  The Bible is very explicit that at some point all nations will be against Israel (yet to be fulfilled in fullness) and also that a world-wide religious, economic and political system is coming which will superficially be about peace and tolerance, then lead into the violent regime of the Antichrist.  So while I appreciate Saada’s idealism that the Middle East can be fully reconciled, we also have to remember that Jesus came to bring a division (Luke 12:49-51), and that many will choose to reject Jesus and the peace He brings.  Christians should never attempt to fabricate peace outside of Jesus or without Him, so we should be prudent that Jesus always remain the central focus of evangelism.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of the Tyndale Blog Network.

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Review of The Screwtape Letters Audio Drama by Focus on the Family

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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.

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Review of The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson

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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.

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Review of Fearless by Max Lucado

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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.

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The Five Key Positions of Christian Ministry

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I’m reading an excellent book: The House Church Book by Wolfgang Simson.  It goes through the Bible and history to show and critique the structure and progression of the church (how it was, is, and should be), and provides one of the best explanations I’ve seen of the five-fold ministry.

Here is my shortened version of what Simson describes:

Pastor: the pastor is the shepherd of the flock.  He’s right in the midst of his people, making sure that the flock functions as a family.  He is internally and relationally oriented (making sure the sheep connect with God and to each other).  It’s also his job to defend the flock against false prophets.  And since he is so intimate with the flock, he may have trouble seeing the big picture.

Prophet: the prophet is always so far ahead of the flock that few understand him.  He’s on the lookout, listening to God’s voice and seeing visions of the future.  He’s so radically different from the pastor that they usually don’t get along as well.  While the pastor defends the status quo, the prophet is always questioning everything and wanting immediate action.  His job is to provide spiritual intelligence, cast personal and corporate vision, and exhort people according to God’s calling.

Apostle: the apostle is like the ‘army commander’.  He’s away from the flock (but not so far as the prophet) so that he can see the big picture.  Most concerned with strategy and missions, he is the problem solver and talent spotter of the team.  He unites the group (working hand in hand with the prophet) but is constantly running around so much he has no time to stay one place very long.

Teacher: the teacher is most concerned with ‘truth and nothing but the truth’.  He is detail oriented and thorough, focusing intently on the parts of the whole rather than the big picture.  He sits right outside the flock so he can discern how they’re doing.  He is passionate that his students learn to understand, explain and defend their faith.

Evangelist: the evangelist circles the flock closely, but is far enough away that he won’t smell like the sheep pen.  He introduces a healthy outward focus to the church and disciples new believers.  He’s passionate about the depth of conversion and the retention rate of new disciples, and wants everyone to find Jesus.

These positions of the five-fold ministry come from Eph 4:11: “He [Jesus] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.”  All Christians are commissioned to evangelize (demonstrate the Christian lifestyle), prophecy (hear from God), disciple (strengthen and deepen the faith of other believers), et cetera, but the five-fold ministry describes ‘offices’ or ‘positions’ within the Christian community that are necessary for the church to function as the body of Christ.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that many churches have too many pastors (internal relational people), and even more sheep.  This makes many churches very family oriented, safe, and encouraging places to be (assuming the pastors are fully fulfilling their roles), but doesn’t show believers with other giftings how to naturally grow and enter non-pastoring roles.  Worse, those working in these roles (particularly, the apostolic and prophetic) aren’t usually encouraged to participate in the church.  Consequently, many sheep are either not interested or not prepared to take on an active role in the body of Christ.

If the body of Christ is going to walk in fullness–as is prophesied must happen before Christ’s return (Eph 4:13)–then every member has it’s part, both in office, and in gifting.  So, if you’re a Christian, which position most fits you?

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Review of Veiled Freedom by J.M. Windle

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Recommended: An insightful and beautifully written piece of fiction.

This novel reveals modern day Afghanistan realistically and astutely.  Windle juxtaposes the perspectives of three characters: 1) a slightly naive Christian woman, in Afghanistan to start a relief project, 2) an intelligent but rough-on-the edges American security chief to the MOI, and 3) an Afghan native with a tragic past who only wants to please Allah.

Veiled Freedom mixes Western and Middle Eastern culture, politics, and Christian and Islamic spirituality; it has action and mystery while still being a lighthearted, easy read.

The novel’s strongest theme is quite relevant: change has to happen from the inside out.  No country can force freedom or lifestyle on another country, nor can anyone spiritually ‘convert’ those who are content as they are–our personal and corporate freedoms must be taken from the inside out.

The only downside was the superficial way in which Christian character, Amy’s, faith was portrayed.  I felt the novel worked much harder to reveal Islam than Christianity, yet, in this day where not all ‘Christianities’ are alike, I would have liked to feel that Amy was deeply and desperately connected to God–especially as she’s made to be the story’s ‘model’ Christian.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and educational read, deepening my understanding of Afghanistan and its people.

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