A Little Less POMO and A Bit More Solomon

Peter Leithart’s book ‘Solomon Amongst the Postmoderns’ offers an intriguing prospect. And to some extent I enjoyed the book. His thesis is that postmodernity is in some respects not such a radical break from modernity but exposes many of the weaknesses of modernity.  He also examines many of the attitudes that underpin pomo. He writes in a pacy manner which allows him to cover significant historical developments in intellectual history quite quickly. The biggest disappointment for me was how little of a look in Solomon received. Other than considering all things to be vapour (Leithart prefers this term to meaningless or vanity) there was little interaction with Solomon.

Overall? An interesting book rather than a must read. If you are preaching on Ecclesiastes you might gain a few interesting lines of enquiry to pursue.

The Fear of Man and the Fear of God

Ed Welch’s book, When People are Big and God is Small, looks at the culture of peer pressure and co-dependency. He points out a number of ways in which other people control us through our fears. In doing so he urges us to put God and our relationship with Him at the centre of our lives. Not so that God might make much of us but that we might make much of Him. Welch uses this model to deconstruct the ‘psychological needs’ approach to so much of modern living.

The book has many strong points such pointing us to a theocentric view of human existence- his chapter on fearing God is great. Also the chapter that looks at our relationships with others in the body of Christ is  very helpful. In short there is much to commend this book- even if you don’t think these are issues for you. You might be surprised.

The book however has one or two weaknesses. His historical perspective on the rise of modern psychological view of self  is a little too neatly packaged. Also there were times when I felt that his use of biblical material was stretched a bit too much in order to make his point. Nor was a I left with a clear idea of what his views on psychological needs is. Does he in fact deny that there is such a thing?

These reservations aside I think there is much to be gained from reading this book. You will find it helpful and challenging.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

It’s always a pleasure to recommend a book by a local author.  And I do warmly recommend Frederick Leahy’s book The Cross He Bore. It is a wonderful examination of the trial and death of Jesus. In 13 short bites Leahy takes us through these events with a sure hand. It is a  warm, devotional book (which never descends into sentimentalism) , full of astutely used quotes from writers in the Reformed tradition. It is a delight from beginning to end. It is very moving and full of wonderful insights on familiar and often easily overlooked details. Especially apt at Easter it is beautiful meditation on the death of Christ that can be read and re-read. At £5 it may be the best £5 you ever spend.

Exhaustive and Exhausting

I’ve just finished reading John Owen’s Communion with God for the second time. This time I read it in a new version edited by Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic. I would have to say that it is a great version. The language is modified in places to enable the reader to understand more readily and there are useful footnotes to translate the archaic terms. However the greatest strength of this version is its layout. The book is very clearly set out and has an excellent outline at the beginning which makes the whole book much more easily read and the argument more easily followed. It is a well presented book and if the Puritans are going to be accessible to the presetn generation this is the way to go.

JI Packer writes somewhere of Owen that you have a sense that when he deals with a topic that he has exhausted it.  Certainly that is the sense that you have with Communion with God. Even in this more accessible edition this is not an easy read. But it is very profitable. As I said this is my second time through the book. I find reading it slow going and I can only manage usually a section at a time. But I always come away from it having profited from Owen’s insights and with my heart warmed as Owen deals with how our communion is with each person of the Trinity.

If you read this book you may find that progress is slow but it is really worth it. If you want to tackle just one book that will stretch you in terms of your understanding of the depths of the Christian faith this book deserves a look. It is exhaustive and may leave you feeling exhausted but it will also give you a sense of achievement and it will lead you to marvel at the wonder of your salvation.

Through Western Eyes

‘Through Western Eyes’ by Robert Letham is a great book. It is an examination of Eastern Orthodoxy from a Reformed Perspective. The first half of the book is an historical survey of eastern orthodoxy and introduces some of the key figures and debates in the early centuries of the church. The second half examines the theological emphases of Eastern Orthodoxy. Whilst familiar with some of the material in the first half of the book the sends half introduced me to an expression of Christianity of which I was largely ignorant.

Some of the points raised that were especially striking was how the Orthodox liturgy was suffused with Scripture and how unhurried services were. It was a challenge to contemporary evangelical culture where as Letham notes Scripture is often sidelined and services are ruled by the clock. I was also struck by the sense of reverence and mystery that there are in Eastern Orthodox services. Also by the strong trinitarian emphasis.

A couple of areas I would like to have seen addressed were how far theory translates into practice. Does  sacramentalism give rise to a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? The other issue I would have liked to have seen explored is how far the Orthodox church is an ethnic church. What is its attitude to mission and evangelism?

I would recommend this book to anyone who like me knows little of Eastern Orthodoxy. I certainly found it profitable, enlightening, and challenging.

Edwards’ Religious Affections

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have been re-reading Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections. I’ve finished it and really it is a must read classic. Unfamiliar with his style and language the first time I read it I really struggled. It took me several stop-start attempts across a few years to finally get through it but it was great. This time, more familiar with Edwards, I got through it much more quickly, thoroughly profited from it once again and saw many things that I missed the first time round. The book is a quite brilliant spiritual pathology that at once inspires and cuts deeply. It is well worth every minute spent on it by the careful reader. If you have to read one book that’s really going to stretch you in your Christian life make it this one.

Incidentally Sam Storms, founder of Enjoying God Ministries has produced a book called Signs of the Spirit which he has called an interpretation of Religious Affections. It is an attempt to make Edwards’ thought accesible to the 21st century. If you are unfamiliar with Edwards it may be a good place to start.

One reviewer says of the aim of the book ‘By staying biblically grounded one can truly embrace full humanity, emotions, intellect, spiritual affections in the redeemed image of God.’ That really is what Religious Affections is all about.

Brooks’ Lectures on Preaching

I once heard John Stott speak on preaching. Interestingly he said everything he had learned about preaching he had learned from Spurgeon. He also referred to Phillips ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ Brooks’ Yale lectures on preaching which I have finally got around to reading. Brooks defines preaching as truth through personality and as result much of his work is focussed upon the man behind the sermon. As such the book is a refreshing book on preaching and a challenging one at that. For instance Brooks’ stress upon a man’s need to love truth for truth’s sake and not just for making sermon. But there is also much to be gleaned from his asides on matters relating to preaching such as preaching old sermons, whether we should preach twice on Sunday, on writing or not writing sermons, imitating other preachers etc. There are also some amusing comments such as his comment on the man who leaves his preparation to Saturday and then proves that he has done so on Sunday! There are also some interesting and unusual topics covered such as thoughts on the positive value of persistent critics. His section on ministry in the present age whilst over 100 years old tackles issues that still have a contemporary resonance.

All in all a good read for preachers.

The Truth of the Cross

I first read a book by RC Sproul during my student days- 20+ years ago. It was a breath of fresh air with Sproul’s sound theology, humour and readable style. I soon had my girlfriend and friends reading him. Since then I have read his works off and on- some being better than others. He has published a new work called ‘The Truth of the Cross.’ I’ve just read the first chapter online and it is classic Sproul.

One of the striking things that he points out in the chapter is that people today are not interested in justification. They really find it somewhat unnecessary. Insofar as they do believe in justification, he states, they neither believe in justification by faith or works. But they believe in ‘justification by death.’ In other words everyone gets into heaven. It is a powerful way of stating what I’ve observed in reality at funerals. When facing the death of a loved one few people have any sense that there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be avoided. Their loved one will go to heaven- simply because they love them. They will in Sproul’s phrase achieve justification by death.

It is a sobering commentary on just how far our modern generation is in its thinking from traditional Christian values and understanding. And it presents us with the immense challenge of communicating the truth of the cross to such a generation. We need Spirit- filled persuasion where we impress upon them the urgent necessity of dealing with eternal realities.

You can read the first chapter of Sproul’s book at

http://store.ligonier.org/The%20Truth%20of%20the%20Cross_1stChapter.pdf

50 and Out

‘Living Church’ is John Stott’s fiftieth and final book. He writes it as the convictions of a life-long pastor. For those familiar with Stott’s books there is much that is familiar and much that you will taste elsewhere- which is no doubt fitting for someone summing up 60 years in ministry. The book is full of typical Stott virtues- humility, careful textual reading, reflection on church and culture. And of course a call for BBC- Biblically Balanced Christianity.

I suppose one of the surprising themes for me is just how much Stott’s book is suffused with Anglicanism, including an apologia for it in an appendix. It strikes me that his view of Anglicanism owes more to a romantic than a realistic view of Anglicanism. But of course his views are stated clearly and courteously as one would expect. But whether Anglican or not there is much to be gained for the careful reader especially as he calls us to think about the church.

Stott also gives a nod to the emergent church but I wonder how far he would still be sympathetic now that its agenda has become clearer?

As I said in a previous blog the church is indebted to Stott for his half century of work in promoting the cause of Christ and it should be our prayer that God would continue to raise up men of his calibre for a new generation.

Thoughts on ‘An All Round Ministry’

I’ve just finished reading CH Spurgeon ‘An All Round Ministry.’ Despite the fact that Spurgeon obtained almost mythical status amongst Irish Baptists because of his profound influence in shaping Irish Baptist life in the 19th century I’ve never been a great Spurgeon reader. Although I must admit I’ve always enjoyed what I’ve read. And this book was no exception. It is a collection of addresses which Spurgeon gave at the annual conference at his college. Most of them reflect the tumultuous times that he lived through as theological liberalism became rife in the latter part of the 19th century. It was  interesting how much it is a case of plus ca change. They are very encouraging addresses which reflect his own warm personality. I especially enjoyed, and was challenged by, his address on the preacher and power.

I started reading the book online and then discovered that I owned a copy that I had completely forgotten about! One part of me thought it would have been good to read these addresses earlier in ministry. But I also found these addresses were well directed to those who had endured some of the slings and arrows of ministry and so I probably profited from them more after ten years plus of ministry than if I had read them earlier.

Well worth a read. And if your pastor doesn’t own a copy buy him one- it will prove a helpful tonic.