Book Review - ADOPTED FOR LIFE

Adopted For Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches - Russell D. Moore

Let me start out by stating that this is a great book. This is the best discussion of either adopting a child or the doctrine of adoption that I have ever read. Russell Moore writes as a theologian, pastor, father of four children (two adopted), and adopted son of God; and he appears to fill each of these roles better than most men fill any one of them. Furthermore, each of these roles was crucial to his writing this excellent treatment of the subject.

First, this book fills a gap that has been left open for a long time: a wide market appeal to Christians for adopting because of our own adoption. I have heard others state similar claims, but until now, this information was scattered throughout my library of books and sermons in the form of random quotes and appeals. Moore offers a focused discussion that is just as useful for the seminary student as it is for potential parents. I will highly recommend this book to anyone considering adoption, discouraging adoption, or studying the theology of adoption.

Second, this book weaves theology, biography, and appeal into a wonderfully engaging read. The first half of the book is heavier on theology than the remainder, but the entire book reads like an enjoyable discussion one might have over coffee or a beer.

While this book does read like a story or conversation, it is a conversation not easily forgotten. Moore's story will cause tears and his appeals will bring conviction. He holds nothing back in sharing his experiences, and he makes no apologies as he preaches to his readers (I have a feeling that he has preached all of this to his local church). This book will make a difference in the life of each reader.

His goal is clearly stated in the subtitle: to make adoption a priority for Christians and churches. A few quotes will make his aim even clearer, and should provoke everyone to pick up this book:

Our churches often don't "get" adoption, first and foremost, because they don't "get" God.

Adoption is not just about couples who want children - or who want more children. Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.

Here's where, I think, the nub of the whole issue lies. Adoption would become a priority in our churches if our churches themselves saw brotherhood and sisterhood in the church itself rather than in our fleshly identities . . . Of course that's hard to imagine, when so many of our churches can't even get over differences as trivial as musical style.

Ultimately, this book isn't really about adoption at all . . . It's about Jesus.

I believe this book will have a significant impact on many Christians and churches. Every pastor needs to read this book and communicate its truths to his church. Adoption isn't a priority for most churches, but it is a priority for God. If this previous statement caused some curiosity, then go read the book.

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Book Review - TOTAL CHURCH

TOTAL CHURCH by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

I began reading this book having already heard Steve Timmis speak (via podcast) and already having an idea of what the authors were proposing. However, I had no idea that within a week I would be recommending this book to everyone I know. I may not agree with every single claim or proposition, but the thesis of this book is so strong and needed, that even if I disagreed with many of the particulars, I would still recommend this book. However, since I concur with the vast majority of the details, I truly cannot help but herald the need for this book in our local churches. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK, THEN STOP READING MY REVIEW AND GO READ THIS BOOK.

The thesis can be found on the cover of the book as the subtitle: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. They propose that "church" should be focused on the Gospel and should be done in the context of community. As they state:

This book argues that two key principles should shape the way we "do church": gospel and community. Christians are called to a dual fidelity: fidelity to the core content of the gospel and fidelity to the primary context of a believing community. Whether we are thinking about evangelism, social involvement, pastoral care, apologetics, discipleship, or teaching, the content is consistently the Christian gospel, and the context is consistently the Christian community. What we do is always defined by the gospel, and the context is always our belonging in the church. Our identity as Christians is defined by the gospel and community.

This idea seems commonsensical as you read the New Testament, but the Western Church has lost this shape and reshaped itself primarily around the mold of programs, meetings, and buildings. The wake up call of these authors needs to be heeded by the American church.

Another theme that runs throughout this book is missional living in our communities. They challenge all Christians to live as missionaries in their communities, because God has sovereignly placed each one of us in our exact location. This missional living means doing the same cultural exegesis, lifestyle sacrifice, and community invasion that a foreign missionary undertakes. Many stories from members of their church are included to support their claims and lend credibility to this model (although, they would hate that I just called it a model). These stories not only prove that this way of "doing church" is more than simply an idealistic model, but also put flesh on the principles espoused throughout the book.

I could find a few minor details that I disagree with or find concerning, but those instances were few, far between, and ultimately overshadowed the grand message of this book.  Timmis and Chester are calling the church to reconsider the definition and purpose of the church, and they have done much of the work for us. I cannot think of a church leader, pastor, or member who would not benefit from reading this book. Every pastor should be promoting this book to his flock. If I were a pastor, I would make this book mandatory reading for the leaders of the church.

The primary complaint I have heard concerning this book, is that their model is idealistic and "won't work in my situation or church." The people that make this comment probably also find the Bible too idealistic and, in their minds, Scripture probably won't work in their situation. This pervading mindset explains why the American church has strayed so far from the New Testament picture of the organized church. It seems that most pastors believe that being biblical won't work, but being entertaining, materialistic, and timid will work. This explains what we see whenever we walk through the doors of most church buildings. The disturbing part is that no one has told these pastors and leaders that what they are doing in the name of pragmatism isn't actually working. They aren't building the church, they are building buildings and community programs. They aren't even what the Bible defines as pastors/elders, they are country club directors. I am begging everyone to read this book and compare it with the New Testament picture of the church. Don't trust these two men anymore than you trust your local megachurch pastor; trust Scripture.

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Book Review: THE SCANDAL OF THE EVANGELICAL CONSCIENCE

Sider is probably best known for his book Rich Christians In an Age of Hunger, which ranked seventh on Christianity Today’s list of “The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals”. However, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience is the only book of Sider’s I have read at the present time, so all of my conclusions will be based solely upon this book, not his overall system of thought, as represented throughout his other works.

This book clearly seeks to identify and address one particular problem within Christianity.  In the Introduction, Sider identifies the problem, as he sees it:

Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most “Christians” regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex, and self-fulfillment.   

His purpose is to “understand the depth of the crisis, discover why it has happened, and develop obedient, faithful correctives.”   These goals are quite lofty for a relatively short book; I do not think he completely achieves his aim, but he does take his readers most of the way to this end.

The book is compiled of five chapters which represent the structure of the book. Each chapter represents the next step in his process of proclaiming, understanding, and correcting this scandal.  He begins, in the first chapter, by attempting to convince readers that most Christians have strayed from our true calling.  Furthermore, not only have we strayed, but an overall wandering and secularization of the church has become one of the defining characteristics of American Christianity.  He did succeed in thoroughly convincing this reader of these facts.  A simple glance at the divorce rates among church members or the subscription list of most pornography websites will quickly prove his claim.

The second chapter attempts to further illustrate the extent of this scandal by contrasting contemporary American Christianity with the teachings of Christ, the writings of the Apostles, and the practices which characterized the early Christian community.  This comparison is extremely sobering.  The present departure from biblical expectations becomes devastatingly apparent when we read the writings of the Apostles and Early Church Fathers.  Both initial chapters, are not only convicting, but are also very well documented and have proved to be quite useful.

The real work begins in the third and fourth chapters.  Here, he starts assessing how and why the American church has gotten into this scandalous position.  His first and primary assertion is that:

The heart of the problem is a one-sided, unbiblical, reductionist understanding of the gospel and salvation …most evangelicals do not even define the gospel the way Jesus did…we have propagated the heretical notion that people can receive forgiveness without sanctification, heaven without holiness.   

I will firmly join him on this stand; this assertion is undeniably accurate.  Although, I think there is a larger problem at the core of his data.

Next, he claims that American Christianity has followed our present culture in living out a gospel of self-fulfillment in which, “The individual [has] replaced God at the center of reality.”   This has caused Christians to abandon the Bible as their moral compass and despise biblical practices such as Christian accountability and church discipline.  He believes the church has abandoned a New Testament understanding of the church and embraced the process of secularization in which churches are simply “comfortable clubs of conformity” and are destined to become carbon copies of the fallen world.  He calls this blatant heresy.  Once again, while I agree with his conclusions, I also believe there is a prevailing dilemma which should be central to his entire discussion.

Finally, in the culminating chapter, he departs from rebuking and correcting to offer some rays of hope.  This encouraging chapter primarily makes the point that whenever pollsters or researchers have looked past the answers on paper and dug deeper into the lives of profession Christians, there is a much different story to be told.  He believes, and I agree, that there is no way to tell from mere polling alone if a person has truly experienced the new birth that must initiate a Christian life.  He follows George Barna in identifying a subcategory within Christianity, those Christians with a biblical worldview: “Barna has discovered that only 9 percent of all born-again adults have a biblical worldview and only 2 percent of born-again teenagers.”   

One of the major complaints I have with this book, and with Barna’s polling, is this sloppy and probably even heretical use of the label “born-again.”  Born-again is a label created by Jesus himself during his dialogue with Nicodemus in the third chapter of John’s Gospel.  If you read this dialogue, then it is clear that being born-again by the Spirit, putting faith in Christ for salvation, and becoming a new creature are all different descriptions of the same event which initiates the Christian life.  Such a person will be changed and will diligently, albeit imperfectly, strive to live a life modeled after Jesus Christ and the principles set forth in Scripture.  Such a person will look different than the rest of the world.  Despite his misuse of such an important biblical term, what is encouraging about this fact is that, as he proclaims, “the small circle of people with a biblical worldview demonstrate genuinely different behavior.” 

In the end, Sider offers a valid critique of the prevailing version of Christianity that has been created in our present culture.  He clearly proves the stark contrast between what Christianity should look like, according to Scripture, and the lives being lived by the vast majority of Americans who categorize themselves as “born-again Christians.”  Furthermore, he clearly identifies one of primary causes of this predicament: a grievous misunderstanding of the gospel. 

This book should persuade all people who claim the name of Christ to examine our lifestyles, because we have all strayed from our true calling to some degree. However, I would add that the chief factor that must be understood is the fact that the majority of professing Christians are not truly born-again.  This book would be more accurately subtitled Why Are Professing Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?  As Jesus stated, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21)   Our savior also told his disciples that he was the good shepherd and, “he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  A stranger they will not follow” (John 10:4-5).  As Christians we are called to be followers of Christ, not mere name-claimers.

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Book Review: VINTAGE CHURCH

I just finished Mark Driscoll’s newest book, VINTAGE CHURH. It was an enjoyable and beneficial read. I would recommend it to any Christian. I would also recommend it to any non-Christian who is simply curious about this well-known pastor or the explosive growth at Mars Hill Church, in Seattle.

The greatest strength of this book is Driscoll’s transparency regarding the practices of Mars Hill Church. He clearly lays out the practices of the church and the reasons for those practices. This aspect of the book will prove to be extremely valuable to church planters and young leaders. Even if you don’t agree with every structure or practice at Mars Hill, you will at least be forced to think through all of these issues. Some of the issues that I found most useful were his section on the process of appointing elders, women in ministry, multi-site practices, the Lord’s Supper, and baptism.

Another strength of this book is learning from Driscoll’s experience in planting and growing churches over the past twelve years. He planted Mars Hill with a few other people and grew it into one of the largest churches in America. This knowledge combined with his experience as the founder of the Acts 29 church planting network amount to a lot of valuable advice for pastors and planters. He knows what it is like to lead a church at every stage of a church’s life-cycle.

As you can tell, I learned a lot from this book; however, do not mistake this book for a full-blown ecclesiology. Driscoll hits most of the high points, but really camps out in the areas that he has the most to say about; this is obvious by the fact that the chapter discussing “What is the Church?” is the same length as the chapter discussing multi-site churches.

Overall, any pastor, elder, planter, or church member will benefit from this collection of Driscoll’s beliefs, practices, and experiences. Also, this book does contain much of the vintage Driscoll humor, but nothing that crosses the line into vulgar or inappropriate territory. I know this is a concern for many people, but I hope this book and his last effort, Death by Love, represent a maturing Mark Driscoll. I welcome more of his insightful experience.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

Jesus' ministry included feeding the hungry, healing the sick, loving the outcast, and befriending the sinner.  But we must never forget that Jesus's ministry began with preaching. (88)

For us as missionaries in culture, the tip of the spear for our war against Satan, sin, and death is the sermon, if rightly preached with authority for the purpose of gathering God's people for instruction before sending them out on mission with passion. (101)

Pursuing potential rather than calling gets a church off mission... Bluntly stated, most churches are doing too much and doing it poorly.  To get and stay unified, church leaders must focus their resources (e.g., people, dollars, facilities, emotion, technology) on accomplishing a few things [we must remain gospel-centered] if they hope to accomplish anything. (146-47)

In the days of Nehemiah, God's people rebuilt the wall encircling their city with a trowel in one hand and a sword in another.  With the trowel they built, and with the sword they defended [to paraphrase his next few sentences, this means that today in our time, we must both build the church and defend it]... In keeping with this analogy, formative discipline [teaching and training] is trowel work and resotrative discipline [church discipline, which means correction and casting out wolves] is sword work. (171-72)

Because we have limited resources (time, energy, money) we must allocate those things to what we consider most important or glorious to us and in so doing make sacrifices for our functional god.  Whatever we hold in the position of highest glory is by definition our god(s). (204) [The goal is to have Christ in this position]

[One problem according to Driscoll is that many churches have] slipped into an attritional ministry philosophy focused almost solely on bringing people into church buildings and events. Such churches lacked a missional philosphy focused on sending Christians out of the church into the world to evangelize and disciple people. Subsequently, the Western church had, sadly, become overly attached to and defined by buildings, programs, staff, services, and institutions that only strategize ways to do "attractional" ministry. To correct this problem, the term missional was adopted to emphasize that the church exists to go into the cultures and nations of the earth and live sacrificially for the good of others. (218)

[Regarding large or multi-campus churches] If some churches with good names in their community can multiply and use their good name to compel more people to worship Jesus, then even if you do not consider that ideal, it is better than unknown, empty churches, which are so common. (260)

To begin with, before worrying about how to distribute gospel content, you must have good content and lots of it.  Just as it makes no sense for a horrible band to play on an expensive sound system because it only amplifies the awfulness, so increasing the channels for content distribution is in vain if the content (e.g., preaching, teaching, worship music) is not biblical and well done. (273)

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