Our family loves to read. We know we should read more than we do.Sharing like this might help. It is helpful to share what we read with each other. This is a family blog, but if you have read what we are reading or if you are reading something that would be edifying and constructive for our Christian walk, please feel free to share!
Title: Stop Dating the Church: Fall in love with the family of God Author: Joshua Harris Publisher: Mutinomah, 2004 Pages: 129 Begun: February 18, 2009 Finished: February 19, 2009
This book is a plea to Christians to commit to a local church. Using the illustration of a dating relationship, Harris explains how many Christians today are content to date around in the church. Church hopping or even regularly attending a church without committing to serve and be accountable are at an all time high in our generation. Many Christians go to church looking for how it can serve them. A "me" generation has created a myriad of churches that are packed out on Sunday but are not changing and influencing lives throughout the week. Joshua Harris does an excellent job at giving the reader biblical reasons for his need to be passionate about the church as the body of Christ as well as the local church.
My favorite chapter was the one on how to choose a local church. Recognizing that there are many churches that would not be healthy for us to commit to, Harris gives 10 essential things to look for in a church. These are the non-negotiables. Preferences are okay as long as these essential elements are present. This is a quick reference guide for someone choosing a local church or trying to determine whether the church they are in is a good one.
The chapter titled "Rescuing Sunday" was an excellent plea to make Sunday's different from the other days of the week. He gave some helpful, practical suggestions on how to make the most of your Sunday.
This was a very easy, quick read. As you can see, I read it in a day! The small book format and conversational style is an enjoyable and profitable read.
In keeping with Brian's post about John MacArthur's book on the prodigal son, I thought I'd write a few comments about this excellent and easy read by Tim Keller. It is also an exposition of the parable of the prodigal son.
Tim Keller is probably one of the best writers for unchurched people or unbelievers. His book (which I ought to finish ) on "The Reason for God" is an outstanding book that reminds one of C.S. Lewis in its lucid argumentation. Only he is a lot easier to read than Lewis.
This book was powerful. It tells the story of a "prodigal" God. "Prodigal" means "recklessly extravagant, having spent everything" and this describes the Loving Father. Jesus uses the two sons, says Keller, "to portray the two basic ways people try to find happiness and fulfillment: the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery." We are all either an elder or younger brother, and often both.
One of the powerful insights of the book is when Keller reminds us that Christianity was the first non-religion. Expositing the parable, Keller shows that the older brother was not losing the father's love in spite of his goodness, but because of it. It is not his sins that create the barrier betwen him and his father, it's the pride he has in his moral record; it's not his wrongdoing but his righteousness that is keeping him from sharing in the feast for the father."
"It's a shocking message: Careful obedience to God's law may serve as a strategy for rebellion against God." He illustrates this by quoting from a novel in which the author says of her character that "there was a deep, black, wordless conviction in him that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin." Wow! In other words, the hearts of the two brothers were the same: "Each one rebelled - but one did so by being very bad and the other by being extremely good."
"There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord. One is by breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being, very, very good."
It's a gospel tract, really!
The last chapter is an appeal to sinners to come to the feast of the Father. Drawing from that metaphor, Keller makes these observations about the feast.
1. Salvation is experiential. Quoting from Edwards (Keller sometimes reminds me more of Edwards than even Piper), he argues that you have to "feel" saved.
2. Salvation is material. The body matters. It will be resurrected.
3. Salvation is individual. And we must live the gospel daily. Quoting Luther, he says that even though we are converted we will go back to operating on other principles unless you deliberately, repeatedly set it to gospel-mode. In other words, quoting Luther again, we are naturally religious.
4. Salvation is communal. We have been saved as a people.
A wonderful book. I highly recommend it. We are experiencing what I sometimes believe to be a quiet, but steady, revival here in our church and I am persuaded it is because the gospel. The gospel isn't just for the beginning of our Christian walk, but for the duration of it.
Clip is a black and white horse. Cowboy Jim is a cowboy. Cowboy Jim said that Clip is a pest because he didn't want Cowboy Jim to get on him. Cowboy Jim was trying to get on him. Clip kept jumping around and hitting the dust with his feet. Cowboy Jim had a plan. He got some grain for Clip, and he was going to give it to him. He was so happy that Clip let him get on, but then Clip took off for the gate real fast, and Cowboy Jim's hat fell off. I learned that it is difficult for cowboys to train a horse, and that they might get hurt. It might be fun, but I'm not sure if it will be fun.
Title: a Tale of Two Sons Author: John MacArthur Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2008 Pages: 210 Begun: February 7, 2009 Finished: February 19, 2009 Rating: *****
The title of MacArthur's book on Christ's parable on the Prodigal Son is not only riveting, but the subtitle is equally gripping: "the inside story of a father, his sons, and a shocking murder." Yes, the "shocking murder" aroused my curiosity, but I resisted the urge to peek at the end of the book to find out about this murder (it occurs on page 195). More on that later.
A Tale of Two Sons is a series of sermons MacArthur preached on the parable of the Prodigal from Luke 15. MacArthur does a masterful job in detailing the plot, the characters, and explaining cultural and historical backgrounds for the parable. He begins in his introduction by immediately laying out the central message of the parable:
"The central message of the parable, then, is an urgent and sobering entreaty to hard-hearted listeners whose attitudes exactly mirrored the elder brother's. The parable of the prodigal son is not a warm and fuzzy feel-good message, but it is a powerful wake-up call with a very earnest warning."
After the introduction, the book is divided into five parts: 1. The Parable 2. The Prodigal 3. The Father 4. The Elder Brother 5. The Epilogue
Interwoven throughout the book, MacArthur explains the method of interpreting parables. The 10-page appendix is actually an article entitled: "Storied Truth: Learning to find meaning in parables." This was an explanation of a historical-grammatical approach in handling parables. I felt it was an appropriate way to end the book. From that appendix:
"Whether the true meaning of this or that symbol is patently obvious or one that requires a little detective work, the point is still the same: Jesus' parables were all illustrative of gospel facts. The stories were not (as some people nowadays like to suggest) creative alternatives to propositional truth statements, designed to supplant certainty. They were not dreamy fantasies told merely to evoke a feeling. And they certainly weren't mind games contrived to make everything vague. Much less was Jesus employing fictional forms in order to displace truth itself with mythology" (200).
"But on the question of whether each parable actually has a single divinely inspired sense and therefore a proper interpretation--an objectively true sense--there has never been any serious dispute among people who take the authority of Scripture seriously. The corollary of that idea is an equally sound principle: every possible interpretation that contradicts the one true meaning of a passage is false by definition" (201).
And to the shocking murder at the end of the parable? MacArthur explains:
"Don't forget that Jesus told the parable--including the abrupt ending--chiefly for the benfit of the scribes and Pharisees. It was really a story about them. The elder brother represented them....The Pharisees' ultimate response to Jesus would write the end of the story in real-life.Since the father figure in the parable represents Christ and the elder brother is a symbol of Israel's religious elite, in effect, the true ending to the story, as written by the scribes and Pharisees themselves, ought to read something like this: 'The elder son was outraged at his father. He picked up a piece of lumber and beat him to death in front of everyone'" (194-95).
This work was a gripping and sound treatment of the parable. He brought out interesting cultural facets and exegetical tidbits to shed light on the parable. An engaging and recommended read!
I read the book, "Jaguars." Jaguars have a huge tongue. According to the map, jaguars mostly live in South America. Sometimes jaguars look like cheetahs. Jaguars are mammals. Jaguars have huge teeth. This book is 43 pages long.
Felicity loved horses. She love to go her father's store. One day she went to her father's store and she heard someone talking about Jiggy Nay. He got a new horse and it had the color of a penny. Felicity went to see it for about a month. And she freed the horse.
I liked the book because it had animals in it. And I liked the fancy dresses that the girls wore. The pictures were very nice. I like reading about Felicity because she is an American Girl doll. I own the Felicity doll!
Title:A Gospel Primer for Christians:Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love
Author: Milton Vincent
Publisher: Focus Publishing, 2008
Number of pages: 97
Begun:January 15 (?), 2009
Finished: February 16, 2009
Rating: *****
Gospel:Good news of salvation for hell-deserving sinners through the Person and work
of Jesus Christ.
Primer: a book that covers the basic elements of a subject.
“If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel.And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others.I mean passionate about thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world.Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us.And only the gospel ought to be.”C.J Mahaney
The Casillases gave me this small book for Christmas this year.Halfway through January, I finally picked it up to read in conjunction with my devotional time.It is divided into very short paragraphs, so at first I thought it would be a “quick read through.”It hasn’t been.
The book has been very revealing and motivating.The truths of the gospel have never been so real to me.As I was reading it in conjunction with Proverbs and the book A Proverbs Driven Life, I was awed by the Gospel portrayed even in Proverbs.The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.Christ is wisdom incarnate.Christ is the gospel.Therefore wisdom begins with the gospel.Maybe my syllogism is a bit faulty, but it has been life-changing for me.If I am to truly be wise, I have to have a growing understanding of the Gospel and its power in and over my life.Like Vincent, I have (while knowing it to be impossible) tried to work for God’s acceptance.The inability to do so only led to more and more frustration and at times a desire to quit trying.After all, I could never be good enough for God.To begin rehearsing the gospel to myself daily begins to affect how I think about every single aspect of my life.My relationship with others, my job, my house, my ministries, my singleness, …everything takes on a new meaning when seen through the eyes of the Gospel.
The book is divided into three sections.Section one, Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily,gives 31 reasons to value the blessings of the gospel.Sections two and three are A Gospel Narrative in prose and then poetic form.At the bottom of every page are Scripture passages to go along with the thoughts presented.In fact, I think there are more foot notes than actual book!However, if you take the time to study the Bible passages in conjunction with the thoughts presented, you can really only digest a paragraph at a time.
The book is a fairly easy read if you are just counting pages.In fact, it really is more of a paper than a book, but if read for its intended purpose, it becomes more like a journey through the Scriptures and a deep inward look at what you truly believe about the Gospel.Milton Vincent does not intend for this to be a lengthy philosophical commentary on the Gospel, but rather a simple, straightforward view which he hopes will be an impetus to further study of the truths of Scripture.The book began by his writing down his thoughts as he began to grasp the realities of Romans.It slowly developed into a thesis, which resulted in this book.
I would strongly recommend this book to everyone.It would be especially helpful to those who are struggling with doubts and questions concerning their salvation.
As a justified one, I am under God’s gracious favor at all times because of what Jesus did!This favored standing with God has nothing to do with my performance, but only with the performance of Jesus!…‘You know, I can commit this sin, and God’s grace would abound to me all the more as He maintains my justified status...But it is precisely for this reason that I choose not to commit this sin!’In such moments I would walk away from sin with laughter in my heart.”
Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood
Title: Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood Author: Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Mahaney Whitacre Publisher: Crossway Books, 2005 Number of pages: 222 Purchased: December 2009, CPBC Bookstore, $10 Begun: January 14, 2009 Finished: February 11, 2009 Rating: ****
Girl Talk is a book written by a mother/daughter duo and intended for mothers and daughters to read together. Though particularly geared towards teenage daughters and their mothers, the book definitely has application to mothers and daughters of any age, and I believe it could also be of special help to any “older” lady (following the model of Titus 2:3-5) seeking to minister to younger women. The book could also be used in a small group setting. Discussion questions and some suggested activities for each chapter are listed in an appendix at the back.
The main thrust of the book is encaptured in a coined phrase that the authors use repeatedly to communicate what they believe is the main Scriptural duty of a mother: passing on the language of biblical womanhood. The content is divided into two main categories. Part one of the book, “The Forging of the Mother-Daughter Bond”, emphasizes the broader underlying principles and philosophy of parenting. Naturally this section is geared toward the mother, though it does admonish the daughter regarding what her Biblical response ought to be to her mother’s authority and instruction. Frankly, this section is applicable to any parent, and was probably the most profitable part of the book for both me and Tim. (I read several of these chapters aloud to Tim as we traveled.)
In one of her early chapters, Carolyn Mahaney argues it is more critical for a mom to be home for her child’s teenage years than even when she is young. She quotes a secular writer from the Harvard School of Public Health as saying, “We’ve tended to think that it’s okay for parents to step back a little and let other adults play more of a role. The research doesn’t support that. … Savvy parents realize teenagers require as much attention as toddlers.”
I especially appreciated the chapter on mother-daughter communication. I was inspired to work at laying the groundwork even now with Miriam (and certainly with Micaiah, as well). Once again, an appendix in the back offered some interesting and fun suggestions for ways to implement family time and encourage mother/daughter communication. This chapter also encouraged me to try to imagine how I might be being perceived by my children, whether as primarily offering correction or as building relationship blocks on many levels even in the midst of necessary correction. I was also greatly rebuked by the chapter on conflict, which focused on the mother’s need to demonstrate humility in her parent-child relationships and to be the first to set the example of repentance. Chapters on a mother’s faith, example and love reinforced these concepts.
The second part of the book, “Biblical Womanhood in the Real World”, focused more on the outworkings of the teaching a mother should be giving her daughter, considering the fact that “the seeds of woman’s life-long excellences must be sown in the springtime of existence” (quoting John Angell James, 103). The topics covered included peer pressure, the pervasive influence of feminism, true beauty of the heart, modesty, the courtship days and even embarking upon marriage (touching on the duties of a daughter and mother).
One of the themes I found to be most helpful in this section was the emphasis on being very deliberate about giving one’s daughter an appreciation for the art of homemaking. She says that, in the spirit of Deuteronomy 6:6-7, “We should speak often to them about the joys of being a wife, mother, and homemaker. Because when you hang around someone who is enthusiastic about her career, it rubs off on you.” I also appreciated the fact that Mahaney freely acknowledges that while God hasn’t called all women to be a wife and mother, He does desire for them to “fully express [their] helper design, no matter what [their] age or marital status is.” She points out that while God’s role for a woman may play out somewhat differently in a single person, He does expect every woman to be nurturing and responsive and supportive and even to serve as the “older woman” of Titus 2:3-5 with the younger women He brings into her path.
With that fact in mind, I feel confident in recommending this book to a woman of any age or life situation. (In fact, I already have recommended it to several ladies.) I plan to put it away for a while, and hopefully will pull it out again as a resource with my teenage daughter in several years.
Title: Shopping for Time: How to Do it All and NOT Be Overwhelmed
Author: Carolyn Mahaney and daughters
Publisher: Crossway Books, 2007
Pages: 94
Begun: January 24, 2009
Finished: February 8, 2009
Rating: *****
This book is a must! Carolyn and her daughters write this book in a very conversational-around-the-kitchen-table sort of way. They use the shopping metaphor of list making, planning, etc... to make their point about time. The theme verse for the book is Ephesians 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. The rest of the book is based on this principle. They encourage women to carefully evaluate the "stage" of life that they are in in order to make the best and godly decision for them in that stage. They lay out of a 5-step plan for being able to accomplish all that God has given us to do and not be living our lives stressed and frustrated.
Tip One--Rise Early--Join the 5am club. An appeal to rise early in order to have time to start the day in the Word.
Tip Two--Sit Still--Sitting at Jesus' Feet Learning to be a Mary in order to be an effective Martha.
Tip Three--Sit and Plan--Taking a Personal Retreat Setting out a time to evaluate one’s stage in life and the priorities of that stage.
Tip Four--Consider People--Evaluating Relationships Carefully Taking a close look at our friends and making sure we have all the types of friends we should have—those who mentor, those who need to be mentored, iron sharpeners, redemptive relationships (Tim’s word!) Very convicting chapter.
Tip Five--Plan to Depend--Being Productive in Daily Life Learning to trust the Savior as sovereign.
In the chapter Plan to Depend they talk about “sovereign deliveries”. To bring this point home they quote C.S Lews: “The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s “own” or “real” life. The truth is of course that what one calls interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s “real life” is a phantom of one’s own imagination. This at least is what I see at moments of insight; but it’s hard to remember it all the time.”
One final quote at the very conclusion of the book: “In the end, our highest goal each day is not flawless execution of our plans or increased productivity. It’s our relationship with God, walking in dependence upon him throughout the day. We should not be more consumed with the completion of our to-do list than pleasing and glorifying the Savior. Whether we’re sitting down to map out our day, simplifying our to-do list, or receiving an interruption as a “sovereign delivery,” we must, above all, plan to depend.”
In less than 100 pages the Mahaney ladies hit the nail on the head, and definitely step on toes. This is not an organizational book about how to succeed, but rather a look at Scripture and evaluating our demands based on Scripture. It has been a tremendous help to me. Getting up early has definitely made a difference, but the other areas of evaluation have been very convicting and helpful. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone as its principles are timeless and priceless.
Title: The Summer of 1787 Author: David O. Stewart Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2007 Pages: 284 Begun: February 3, 2009 Finished: February 7, 2009 Rating: *****
This work is an in-depth analysis of the making of the United States Constitution during the Summer of 1787. From the initial meeting of the Convention in Philadelphia on May 25 to the final meeting and signing of the Constitution on September 17, Stewart traces all the proceedings of the Convention and relates biographical sketches of the 55 delegates from 12 colonies (Rhode Island refused to send delegates).
Each chapter details the discussions and debates among the Framers of the Constitution during a given week. On average, each chapter covers about one week of meetings. Throughout the narrative, Stewart intersperses some insightful background on some of the key delegates in order that the reader would gain an understanding of a particular position that certain delegate took.
Stewart's approach in his account is straightforward and unbiased. As one would assume, he draws heavily from the journals and private writings of James Madison and a couple of other delegates to give the account. The result is a fascinating story of the countless hours, heated debates, and philosophical panderings that transpired in Independence Hall.
I was taken aback again by the ubiquitous issue of slavery during those meetings and the constant tension it would cause in the decision-making (from states' rights to taxes to representation). I was also struck by the selfishness involved among probably all the delegates as it related to pushing their own agenda for their personal gain. There was probably much more politicking and duplicity involved in creating the Constitution than most historians would want to admit. That is not to say that everything that transpired within those halls was crooked.
One section is worthy of posting here for its only reference to something of a religious nature in the book:
"Finally, Dr. Franklin [Benjamin Franklin] urged the delegates humbly to recognize the role of the Almighty by beginning each session with a prayer. Exhibiting the political tone-deafness that afflicted him through this phase of the Convention, Hamilton [Alexander Hamilton] opposed prayer. Its commencement, he cautioned, might lead the public to form 'unpleasant animadversions' about their progress. In any event, another chimed in, there we no funds to pay for a minister to lead them in prayer, so none was brought in" (103).
This was a very interesting and captivating read. Stewart has a scholarly, yet conversational style in his writing. I felt he fairly and unbiasedly treated the material. I am looking forward to his new book to be released in May entitled Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy.
This is C.S. Lewis' apology for why he became a Christian. It's the first book he wrote after his conversion in 1933. It wasn't a huge seller. In fact, there seems to be some animosity toward it, but it is now one of the C.S. Lewis classics and I am ashamed to say that I have never read it until this year.
It's an allegory; and he's deliberately copying the theme of the more famous Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. It's less general than Bunyan's allegory because this is really a personal testimony in which C.S. Lewis strives (and admits later, fails) to generalize so that his story matches the experiences and thoughts of other converts.
It "fails," I think, because most people simply don't think as much as C.S. Lewis did. One critic said that today's readers could not get as much from it because they don't start their pilgrimage like John (the character in the story) in a dry, doctrinally-correct church environment, the town of "Puritania." The thought struck me that it could apply to many second and third evangelical and fundamentalist people. In fact, I found many things that he talked about being the kinds of thoughts I have had and wrestled with. I couldn't help but thinking that though I am not as brilliant as C.S. Lewis (in fact, very dull), I do have the same kind of disposition that is prone to think, and think, and think. Everything that I believe I have wrestled to believe. Thus, for me, it was almost medicinal to read this book. I felt sometimes as I was looking in a mirror.
The story starts when John born in Puritania is told to obey the Rules of the Landlord. The Landlord is very good, but they always talk about him as if he was harsh and ready to destroy. They, in fact, don't know the Landlord, but they talk about the Landlord more than anyone and they know him more than anyone else in the world. The tragedy is that since they don't know the Landlord they don't love him and John grows to hate him, but he is given a vision of an Island. The Island is desire.
He pursues desire in all the wrong places: sensuality, philosophy, agnosticism all of which have very interesting and revealing names. For example, John gets lost for awhile in Zeitgeistheim (an obvious play on words with zeitgeist) where it is ruled by a giant, Spirit of the Age, and had places like "Eschropolis" (greek city of filth and obscenity) and where everybody for the most part had psittacosis (parrot disease). It is Lady Reason who leads John out and saves his life. I found this part to be a fascinating section.
Mister Parrot who has psittacosis the worst says truthfully a revealing fact to John about the zeitgeist of "Halfways" (people who want to play with "the little brown girls" -- lusts -- but keep the dignity of apparent thoughtfulness, etc.): "Argument is the attempted rationalization of the arguer's desires."
Wow. The attempted rationalization of the arguer's desires. Lady Reason would help John to see that disbelief in the Landlord was actually a "wish-fulfillment dream." But there is a desire in a man (I would add "the man God chooses", but Lewis was not Calvinist!) that ultimately gnaws its way to constant attention. As one character says:
A man says, "I have finished with rules: henceforth I will do what I want': but he finds that his deepest want, the only want that is constant through the flux of his appetites and despondencies, his moments of and of passion, is to keep the rules.
John's path is westward and will ultimately lead him back to Puritania, but by a route that meets the Landlord on the other side of a huge canyon, Peccatum Addae (Adam's sin). On the north and the south are two extremes of thought to intensifying degrees depending on how far they are from the main road. To the north is the emphasis on cerebral philosophy and to the southern extreme is more visceral and emotional philosophy. It's the people John meets immediately north and south of the main way that are so dangerous.
To the north is "Sense." It's scary how much he sounds like so many Christians today, nominal Christians. He is not very religious at all, but finds it useful. To the South is "Broad." He sounds like nominal Christians too. He is more religious but finds Sense to be very reasonable. And on it goes north and south. To the extreme north is the animalization of men by philosophies who become tribes of inhumanity called "Marxommani" and "Swastici," etc. You can see where that's going (particularly in 1933).
Anyway, I've read a number of books in January, but this had to be my favorite and I promised myself that I would read it again. So many brilliant quotes are highlighted I'm going to have to use another color next time!
But what made it special to me is this. It was the character "History" that ultimately helped John the most. That is my own story as well. History's lectures were fascinating to me and I could not put the book down until I had finished what he told John.
C.S. Lewis is not easy to read and there were a number of things that made me stop, browse my library, go on the computer, research, and think about before I could go on or I would totally miss out on what was being said. Lots of latin and greek to deal with too, but thanks to a latin translator online I did perfectly fine!
Title: Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World Author: Carolyn McCulley Publisher: Moody Publishers, 2008 Pages: 199 Begun: January 27, 2009 Finished: February 3, 2009
Carolyn McCulley does an excellent job at outlining the three waves of feminism with a biblical perspective. Having been an outspoken feminist before her life was radically changed by the Gospel when she was thirty years old, she is very knowledgeable about the beliefs, trends, and ideologies of the feminist movement.
She gives a historical outline beginning with Abigail Adams in her request to her husband, John Adams, to "not forget the women" in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Abigail Adams rightly predicted that the women would rise up and rebel. McCulley then walks through the progression of the feminist movement. She rightly observes that, "while the crowning achievements of the first wave feminist movement were the legal reforms of coverture and suffrage...the ongoing target was the authority of Scripture." (p. 39) As McCulley noted, this is still the battle today.
It would be difficult to really walk through this book and give an accurate summary of everything included. Because of this I think I will focus my "summary" more on my observations and why I would recommend this book. Take it or leave it!
As a woman who was born in the 1980's, the feminist movement is really just a title that I have heard vaguely talked about. However, it has drastically affected my life as it has every woman's life living today. Young woman today are so trenched in feminist thinking that we possibly don't even know it. Obviously this is more true in the secular world, but sadly it has creeped into our churches as well. This book was extremely helpful in seeing what exactly the battles were about. In some cases, I was more sympathetic to the plight of woman. I have grown up in an environment where I have never been looked down on for being a woman. For that I am grateful to some of the reforms that have taken place in the last several generations. In many cases, however, I was completely apalled. Some of the writings of the feminist, their beliefs, and what they promoted, are, quite frankly, degrading to me as a woman.
While the feminists many times made some accurate observations about the need for reform, they were not able to interpret the real problem, which is ofcourse sin. Sin on the part of both man and woman. This book gives a biblical answer to many of the issues that the feminists have stood for.
At the end of each chapter, McCulley includes personal stories of individuals who have been radically changed by the gospel. Many of the personal stories were about women who's lives have been negatively influenced by the feminist culture we live in today. Some having to deal with things in their past such as abortions, leaving husband and children behind, and even being a prostitute which are all results of this feminist thinking. This was such a blessing to read because it loudly proclaimed the power of the Gospel to change lives.
This is not a "christian living" book. It is more informational with a call to give a spiritual response. However, this is an excellent book for those who are struggling with their role as women. It is also excellent for those who work with women who are steeped in this mindset. It is important to know what the true battles are and therefore how to answer them biblically.
I really enjoyed reading this and it was beneficial to me.
Title: Pastoral Ministry Authors: John MacArthur and The Master's Seminary Faculty Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2005 Pages: 313 Begun: September 13, 2008 Finished: February 3, 2009 Rating: ****
The subtitle of this work is "How to Shepherd Biblically," which is well-fitting to the purpose and content. MacArthur and the men of the Seminary address various issues of ministry ranging from the Lord's Table to staff meetings, from discipleship to pastoral relationships, and from preaching to worship. The book is divided into four sections with an average of 4-5 chapters per section:
I. Biblical Perspectives II. Preparatory Perspectives III. Personal Perspectives IV. Pastoral Perspectives
Each chapter begins with biblical data and a theological framework on the topic being addressed followed by practical application. A sampling of statements from the opening chapter, entitled "Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry," gives a flavor of the thrust of the book:
"The real contrast in competing ministry models is not the traditional versus the contemporary, but rather the scriptural compared to the unscriptural" (4). Mayhue argues that the right approach to ministry is "a redemptively centered, God-focused, biblically defined, and scripturally prioritized ministry" (4).
"The statements of this chapter are not a call for a user-friendly church, a culturally ignorant church, or a seeker insensitive church. We have no desire to 'unchurch the unchurched' or to promote an irrelevant dinosaur of a church. On the other hand, neither do we want to substitute the latest theories in sociology and psychology for the truth of theology. We do not want to confuse the common sense benefit of demographic statistics and analysis of culture with the far more important understanding of God's will for the church, both for Christians and non-Christians. We ardently desire to let the important consideration of God and His revealed will in Scripture be the major focus" (13).
The only drawback of the book is that it is written by eleven men. That becomes clear about a quarter of the way through the book. There lacks a cohesiveness throughout due to the various and differing thoughts/ideas of the authors. Often the men would contradict each other or would repeat an idea in a strinkingly similar phrase as another author. If you can put that weakness aside (which was difficult for me to do), you men will find it a good read overall.
