raising purity

I've not read a lot of dating books, but I have a pretty intense theology of dating (just ask any of the kids in my youth group.) I am convinced that modern dating is unhealthy and in most cases unbiblical. So, when I picked up Gerald Hiestand's book Raising Purity for review I was a little surprised that he agreed.

As always, the biggest idea to keep in mind when trying to figure out how to keep relationships pure is how they reflect Christ. Hiestand nails this in a number of aspects. On page one of the intro is this line, "...we will be searching for the heart of God, expressed fully in the person of Christ. We will be searching for a Son-exalting purity that is not defined by what it isn't but by what it is. Ultimately--though perhaps you didn't realize it--we will be searching for the gospel."

Hiestand delivers on his promise. This book is all about exalting the name of Jesus in our relationships.

One of the main cornerstones of the book is defining relationships biblically, leading to two choices: married or unmarried, neighbors or spouses. If you aren't married to the person, then you should treat them as a neighbor. He gets this from a variety of texts and expounds on what that means for "dating." If you wouldn't do it with a family member or your next door neighbor, you shouldn't be doing it while dating. That makes things pretty clear doesn't it?

Where does he get this exalted view of marriage and this low view of dating? He gets it from this idea that "in a very real sense, we Christians are currently engaged to Christ." Only with engagement does real commitment occur. Dating offers no promise of a future, therefore, dating (in the modern sense) is dangerous because it offers a false sense of security.

Beyond the practical advice on how to seek relationships biblically is some sobering wisdom on lust and sin. Based on several passages of Scripture he makes this statement: "Spontaneous emotional responses are not morally neutral; they reveal the conditions of our hearts. When we spontaneously respond in rage to the rude driver, in condemnation to the fallen saint, or in lust to thee attractive woman, we reveal the agendas of our hearts are not as aligned with God as they should be."

Wow. That's powerfully convicting.

I'd recommend the book to anyone with children and anyone who deals with youth. There is a lot of wisdom packed into a short 150 pages that will help you think clearly about relationships and helping kids wade through the minefield of modern dating.



-joe

trolls & truth by jimmy dorrell

It's a book written by a guy who pastors a church under an interstate bridge. It started with 5 homeless guys. What's not to like about that?

Dorrell lays it to us early on, citing offenses against the poor and homeless of the world. He decries our obsession with outward beauty, both of ourselves and our church buildings, and pleads for some real attention to the words of James "For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

A few chapters later he talks about the disparity in ethnicity and socioeconomics, decrying our ambivalence towards these things and calling us to bring them out into the light. We have to be up-front about these issues if we are going to bring about real change.

The book is a challenge to love the "least of these" with the love of Christ. That means not making them a charity case but truly accepting them as part of the community and family of God. It means befriending them. It means serving alongside them.

Of his own heart, Dorrell says, "Years later, I recognized that charity involved sacrifice, not giving leftovers or things I did not want to the poor. It meant giving the food I like to eat or the clothes I like to wear or the time I wanted to keep for myself. In a culture of too much, it is easy to get rid of the leftovers, but to the Christian there is an expectation and privilege of giving that which I deeply value."

My one issue with the book is the consistent praising of his own church. I don't think he meant it to come off this way, but it seems like he is saying that his church has it all right. That they're being the real hands and feet...and hardly anyone else is. (Of course, he is largely correct in the instances he sights.)

But, if you can get past this slightly narcissistic tint, this book is for the privileged of the world. It's for Americans in the church who rarely look to serve. It'll open your eyes to people you've probably never given the time of day and by God's grace you'll act differently because of it.

-joe

Compelled by Love by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation

I just finished reading Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation's book Compelled by Love and I heartily recommend it.

I've been following Ed's blog for several months and I'm always impressed with his passion for the Gospel and those outside the church. Those passions shine through in this book.

The opening chapters set the tone by defining the Gospel and the call to missions. Ed and Philip work through Scripture to show that the Gospel is defined by love, driven by love and a call TO love.

Putting the things of first importance (Christ's death, burial and resurrection) above everything is what drives our love. Christ's sacrificial death serves not just as our justification but as our example. Sacrificial love is what defines a Christian.

With great clarity and simplicity, Ed and Philip, describe the Christian life that is motivated by love: Love for God and Love for Neighbor. They challenge us to look beyond ourselves and to die to ourselves. They push us to make disciples and to work hard at evangelism. And they do it all through the lens of love.

Through it all they link obedience to Christ and love of Christ, which is exactly the way Jesus put it "You are my friends if you do what I command...This is my command: Love each other."

-joe

on the edge of the dark sea of darkness

North! or Be Eaten

-joe

new hope publishing rocks

Seriously, they do. You should all write them an email and say "thank you" because they have graciously allowed me two things:

1. Free books to review

2. Free books to give away on here

I just received four books in the mail today and you'll be getting your chance at a copy in the next week. How sweet is that?

Here are the titles I'll be reviewing over the next month:

-joe

latest book

About a month ago I was the winner of Challies giveaway. I won several books, one of which bore the title Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help It Happen.

Last night, after some conversation with a few women my age, I decided to buckle down and read it to offer them a review and summary. Although my summary was somewhat sarcastic I think it represented the basic ideas of the book.

Despite its slightly off-putting title, it was a book that set marriage in its right place: that most people are meant for marriage and should take the matter seriously. If you'd care to read my short chapter summaries, I've included them below (realize that I read and wrote this in about 1.5 hours and finished at about 12:45 this morning):
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Chapter 1: It's good to be married. Don't think you have the "gift of singleness" just because you're not married. Unless you are using all your "single time" to work for the Kingdom, then you're probably either not fulfilling your call to singleness or you're supposed to be married. Marriage helps make you holy.

Chapter 2: There are a lot of people who lived single lives for God's glory in Scripture: Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Paul and especially Jesus. Outside of Scripture: Mother Theresa (I think there were others too...but i don't want to flip around). They all esteemed marriage, though. We rarely think highly enough of marriage, even though we're constantly told that we shouldn't make it an idol.

Chapter 3: Marriage is being belittled because of divorce and other problems. We think the problem is marriage, when it is actually the fact that men (and women) are sinful. The church perpetuates the problem by offering "singles" groups that rarely address marriage and, instead, tell singles to work hard for God and marriage will happen if it is supposed to.

Chapter 4: God is ultimately in control but He's given us free-will (I wish she wouldn't use that word.) We have to take initiative because God's normal means of working in this world is through our actions.

Chapter 5: It's good to get people involved in your romance life. Especially your parents. If they are unwilling, enlist some quality mentors who will give you solid advice and determine if the person you are interested in is quality or not. Try and get your church to invest time in marriage counseling before engagement.

Chapter 6: There are lots of single Christian guys to date (especially in Bozeman, MT. Good thing I've lived there. Which means I'm one of the most eligible Christian bachelors...haha) The problem is that many of them are wimps. Man them up by giving them respect and helping them dream big and go after big goals.

Chapter 7: Sometimes you have to "pull a Ruth." Because our society has so few social structures for dating/courtship/engagement and men are sinfully passive, sometimes you need to call them out a little and ask them to lead the way. Sometimes it'll end well, with him responding in leadership, and sometimes he'll abandon the relationship. Hopefully, you'll know if it'll be the good kind beforehand. (This chapter is hard to sum up in a paragraph. Easily the best chapter so far.)

Chapter 8: Work hard at being a good steward of money and avoiding sexual sin. Don't put off marriage because you think someone better will be along soon. Don't set your expectations so high that no man can match them (think someone who will faithfully serve the Lord, love you, and provide for the family rather than Prince Charming.) Avoid becoming too independent that you can't accommodate someone else in your life and don't be afraid of risking your heart.

Chapter 9: Pray boldly for a husband. Pray boldly for a husband. Pray boldly for a husband.

Afterword: Candice's (the author) husband, Steve, gives a short recount of their relationship. Nothing really new, just him retelling it.

Appendix: An FAQ that's got some good questions (and some rather bland ones that were answered throughout the book) with some thoughtful answers.
-----

Being a guy, it was a bit sappy for me...but I imagine that it is useful for the woman who, as the intro says, "for all the women who long for marriage but are afraid to admit it, embarrassed by their deepest desires, or concerned that maybe they want it too much."

the cross centered life

I just finished up a short (and I mean short, 85 pages) book by C.J. Mahaney called The Cross Centered Life.

If you are looking for a good, short, easy read on the true nature of the Christian life then go out and pick up a copy.

From the book:

Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed.

"To preach the gospel to yourself," [Jerry] Bridges explains, "means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus though faith in His shed blood and righteous life."

What I hope you see is that the cross centered life isn't just one option among many that God offers. It is the life that every Christian is called to.

Yes, we are all called to the cross centered life, may God grant us the grace to live it.

-joe

for alex costa

A while back (maybe even a couple of years) a friend of mine, Alex Costa, had a post decrying the use of pithy catch-phrases in the Christian culture.

Today, as I was finishing up Kevin DeYoung's book Just Do Something I read this and thought of one particular phrase that he hated: "Let go and let God."

And so, without further ado, I give you this:

I know I've been pretty hard on my generation, especially the men. I don't write as one who is the model of manly courage or decision making. And I don't write to crush your spirits. Remember, even if we have made mistakes--or are in the middle of mistakes--God loves to help the helpless. He loves to forgive the brokenhearted and give second and third chances to those who've gone through a dozen mistakes already. The Spirit is stronger than our timidty and wiser than our foolishness. But instead of "letting go and letting God" we nee dto make every effort to grow up in our faith (2 Peter 1:5ff).

Quite blaming God for your inaction and go after living a life for the glory of God.

-joe

a new favorite

Could it be that I have found a book to replace my first love, A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God? I think, my friends, that I have.

I am devouring Joseph Alleine's book A Sure Guide to Heaven (originally published as An Alarm to the Unconverted.)

From the first couple of chapters contrasting true Christian repentance with false christiany guilt.

It is one thing to have sin alarmed only by convictions, and another to have it crucified by converting grace. Many, because they have been troubled in conscience for their sins, think well of their case, miserably mistaking conviction for conversion...You may have forsaken a troublesome sin, and have escaped the gross pollutions of the world, and yet in all this not have changed your carnal nature.

You may take a crude mass of lead and mould it into the more comely proportion of a plant, and then into the shape of an animal, and then into the form and features of a man; but all the time it is still lead. So a man may pass through various transmutations, from ignorance to knowledge, from profanity to civility, then to a form of religion, and all this time he is still carnal and unregenerate, his nature remains unchanged.

Contrast that with the true believer:

He that could see little sin in himself, and could find no matter for confessions, now sees the rottenness of his heart, the desperate and deep pollution of his whole nature. He cries "Unclean! Unclean! Lord, purge me with hyssop, was me thoroughly, create in me a clean heart." He sees himself altogether filthy, corrupt both root and branch...Hitherto, he saw no form nor comeliness in Christ, no beauty that he should desire Him; but now he find the Hidden Treasure, and will sell all to buy this field. Christ is the Pearl he seeks.

His hatred boils, his anger burns against sin. He has no patience with himself; he calls himself fool, and beast, and thinks any name too good for himself,when his indignation is stirred up against sin. He could once wallow in it with much pleasure; now he loathes the though of returning to it as much as of licking up the filthiest vomit.

The great inquiry is, whether the judgment and will are steadily determined for God above all other good, real or apparent. If so, and if the affections do sincerely follow their choice and conduct, though it be not so strongly and feelingly as is to be desired, there is no doubt but the change is saving.

-joe

the fine line

Kary Oberbrunner was my pastor for most of my senior year in high school. I remember him being a passionate guy and, oddly enough, basically the same age I am now. He is a gifted pastor, speaker and author and he recently wrote a book called The Fine Line.

It's a book about relevancy. How can we live in the world and not be of the world. The book covers a lot of ground in a very short space. He writes quick and to the point. For you visual learners out there, he makes use of several good diagrams of the information he's presenting. (I remember him doing that years ago, too.)

I'm always nervous when I hear about a book on relevancy. Most of what is out there is about how to be culturally savvy. How to watch movies, TV, use the internet, listen to music and do everything the world does in order to "reach" them. Kary doesn't do this. He says this is the polar opposite of how we should strive to be relevant to the world. It is not about doing what is hip at the time it is about two simple things: Love for God and love for man.

He does this by first giving us some basic groups within Christianity, people he calls Separatists and Conformists. Separatists are law-following and world-hating people who become irrelevant because they refuse to speak to others where they are. Conformists are world-loving and law-abusing people who become irrelevant because they refuse to stand on truth. He calls the middle ground people, the fine line people, Transformists.

By using those groups he is able to speak to people on both sides of the fence. People like me who lean on the Separatist side and others who lean on the Conformist side. He breaks it down for both of us by telling us what it means to be relevant is to simply follow Christ.

Two quotes from the book:

This is (in my opinion) a great summary of the whole book. He's talking about Paul and how relevant Paul was (all things to all people):

After his conversion, Paul didn't pursue relevance. Instead, he pursued Jesus. But by pursuing Jesus, he naturally became relevant. And as long as he kept following Jesus, he was relevant.

And, one of my personal favorites out of the book because it speaks to me and my reluctance to be humble and honest before God:

But when it comes down to it, we don't feel safe opening our hearts to a God who killed his own Son. We'd rather have a God we can manage and control.

Kary really did a great job with this book. It is an easy read and, at the same time, extremely convicting and challenging. If you don't believe me just read the chapter called "The Girl Bashers." You'll hang your head in shame.

I recommend the book to you. You can pick it up on Amazon for $10.


-joe

God works sovereignly

"God works sovereignly. In essence, Exodus challenges the common notion that God is passive." pg 88

"In Midian, Moses marries, settles down, and probably think retirement is upon him as he nears his eightieth birthday...as much as Exodus is a story about Moses, when I read it again this week, I found that God is really the main character in this story. God appears to the aging Moses in the burning bush. God reveals his name to Moses--Moses was not out there looking for it. God commissions Moses to speak to Pharaoh and bring God's people out of Egypt. Moses was sitting around reading the Federalist Papers, determining that the Hebrews needed to take freedom into their won hands. No, Moses is an eighty-year-old shepherd. God is the actor in this story." pg 89-90

"This is the God presented in the book of Exodus. He is sovereign even over wheels getting stuck in the mud and coming off!" (ref. Ex. 14:23-28) pg 91

"Just as God raises up Moses to lead the people, he places Pharaoh in his position of power. God purposed to install a pharaoh, as it says in the book's opening verses, "who did not know about Joseph" (1:8). And a little later he explicitly tells Pharaoh, "I have raised you up" (9:16). Surely you realize that God was no less sovereign in raising up Pharaoh than in raising up Moses." pg 91

"Then comes the part of the story that troubles people the most, but is undeniably crucial to the great escape from Egypt. God works sovereignly in Pharaoh [by] hardening his heart...God warns Moses ahead of time that he will do this (Ex. 4:21)...I don't claim to understand everything about how God hardened Pharaoh's heart, or all of its implications. But the verse certainly says that God had a purpose in hardening Pharaoh's heart." pg 92

"But that is not all of what we are supposed to observe. We are also supposed to observe that God works sovereignly (now let's add a little bit to the sentence to make our second point to save a special people...Exodus challenges the common notion that God treats all people in the same way, or that God is a committed egalitarian. No, that is not the story in Exodus. God is certainly fair; he is the standard of justice. But God does mysteriously and graciously choose to extend mercy to some. And no one can require mercy from him. It is his mercy. From a foundation of utter fairness, God chooses to extend mercy." pg 93

"The nations will hear and tremble...(Ex. 15:14-16)
This, of course, is why the Lord sovereignly placed his people in Egypt...Because Egypt was a great power. Because Egypt provided the perfect stage on which God could display his glory." pg 102

from Mark Dever's The Message of the Old Testament

-joe

wednesday from the books

I have begun reading Jonathan Edwards book Religious Affections this week. I decided to read it in October because I read the preface when I first received it and Alexander Smellie said that the "prevailing atmosphere [of the book] is that of October rather than May." So, here it is...and I've picked it up to read.

Consider this:

It is no sign that religious affections are truly holy and spiritual, or that they are not, that they come with texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the mind

I think that this idea is particularly important when evaluating the teachings of a teacher in the church. It is easy to assume that, because they use Scripture and quote it often, they are good to go and we can listen to them without a defense.

I encourage you to meditate on the Word and do not be too eager and quick to assume that the use of Scripture validates a person's teachings. And, although it is overused, be like the Bereans who test everything with Scripture and reason.

-joe

reading the old testament

I picked up the book The Message of the Old Testament by Mark Dever at the Desiring God conference this past weekend.

Today I opened it up and read the foreword and since I have been talking about this very thing for months and months at the church, I thought I'd share a little of what Graeme Goldsworthy had to say:

Why then is the first question we often ask about a passage in the Old Testament, "What does this tell us about ourselves?" Surely, the first and main question we should ask is, "How does this passage testify to Christ?"

We must always begin with the latter question because Jesus Christ, the fulfiller of the Old Testament, is the one who alone defines the life of the Christian. If the Old Testament does not point to Christ, it does not point to the Christian either. For a sermon to be authentically and Christianly people-centered it must first be Christ-centered. We can learn much from the lives and experiences of the men and women, both good and bad, who come before us in the pages of the Old Testament. But, in the final analysis, only Christ can define how those individuals are good or bad. Furthermore, our Christian growth comes from becoming more like Christ, not more like Abraham or David or Daniel. These heroes of the Old Testament are examples for us only insofar as they foreshadow and point to Christ.

-joe

one book11

Despite the fact that I'd love to recommend lots of books (I can think of at least 15 I've read this year) I am only going to recommend one. That's right. Just one. And I've only recently read it (finished it just minutes ago).

The book? Mark Dever's The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. It is simple. It is short. It is powerful.

I could spend lots of time talking about other great books by Piper, Edwards, Owen, Lewis, Sproul or Carson. I could talk about my love of the books and resources from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. But, no matter how great and inspiring these books are, I think Dever's has the most practical implication for everyone. (I could probably argue for Don't Waste Your Life, too).

10 reasons you should get this book...

10. It is short. Really, 108 pages with the Foreword, Intro and Appendix. Less than 100 pages in the actual book.

9. It is cheap. From $5.32...you can't beat it.

8. It is practical. What is more practical than learning about the Gospel and how to tell people about it?

7. Great endorsements. John MacArthur, J.I. Packer, Randy Newman, Thabiti Anyabwile, Robert Coleman, Johnny Hunt, John Folmar, David Thomas, J. Mack Stiles. Seriously...those are some pretty big props.

6. the Foreword. C.J. Mahaney writes in the foreword

"If you, like me, have walked through entire days unconcerned and unaware of the lost sinners all around you, or if you desire to share the gospel but are unsure how to build a relationship or start a conversation, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism will encourage and equip you."

5. No theological jargon. I love studying hard to read stuff...but this is easy. No big, unknown, need a dictionary words. Dever uses normal language to communicate timeless truth.

4. Something for everyone. Whether you side with the Reformed, the Liberal or the Emergent...you will benefit from something in this book.

3. Useful chapters.
Chapter titles:
Why Don't We Evangelize?
What Is the Gospel?
Who Should Evangelize?
How Should We Evangelize?
What Isn't Evangelism?
What Should We Do After We Evangelize?
Why Should We Evangelize?

2. Cuts to the quick. Gems like this "When we don't sufficiently consider what God has done for us in Christ...we lose the heart to evangelize."

1. Cause I said it was awesome...the only criterion that should matter.

So, go buy it. Seriously. For you and the countless others to whom we should be declaring the Gospel, to the glory of God.

-joe

desiring God

check out the latest blog on desiring God
it is a pre-preview of the coming book by Piper, Carson, Driscoll, Wells, Bauchman, Taylor and Keller called "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. mmm...can't wait.

-joe

john owen

i've begun reading a new edition, to be published by Crossway books in the near future, of John Owen's book Communion With the Triune God in order to give it a review. I am already intrigued and locked into the work. Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic both played a mighty hand in the editing and updating of the book, which makes me excited.
the thought of reading John Owen is also exciting. I have not read any of his larger works, though i have read segments and parts of things over the years.
look for my review in a couple of weeks.

-joe

publishing a christian book

thanks to justin taylor for the link to this mini-article in Christianity Today. It is definitely sad, but it explains so much of the Christian bookstore scene of today.

Walk into nearly any bookstore and you'll find between 1 and 20 shelves dedicated to "the classics" or "theology". The rest is full of self-helps and fiction (lots of different headings under those, but they cover nearly everything that is on the shelves). I always frustrates me when I find this state of affairs. the article, though, explains that the reason we have so many of the sub-par self-helps is that the names force publishers to pay...which means that they must sell a bunch of the books to break even. i hope and pray that some of the bigger christian publishing firms would begin to tone down these tactics and mimic places like Crossway and Monergism.

books make me smile only when they're good.

-joe

reading

Albert Mohler, the current president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, had a good blog today about reading. (He reads several books a week...and I thought I was doing good with a couple a month). His main points, summarized:

1. Read in several different genres, and do so with regularity.
2. Read major parts of Scripture (in addition to devotional study).
3. Read the entire works of some authors (my suggestions: luther, edwards, spurgeon, piper)
4. Read some big sets of works (this is somewhat linked to point 3)
5. Read some fun books
6. Write in your books (i am very lacking in this...i never write in books)
--
point 7, if I can attempt to add one to Mohler's thoughts...is to read good blogs daily...like Mohler's, and Justin Taylors and the desiring God blog.
--

Currently on my reading table: Desiring God - Piper, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womahood - Piper & Grudem, The Sovereignty of God - Pink, Bondage of the Will - Luther
In Scripture: Romans, Jeremiah, Psalm 25, 1 Samuel
In blogs: too many to list

What are you reading lately? Has it inspired you to draw closer to our Lord and Savior? Has Scripture challenged you to become more Christlike?

We should all be spending more time with our nose in a book rather than elsewhere, where little is accomplished in sharpening our minds. No tv at Rob's place (well, except for the daily watching of Talladega Nights) has been good for dedication to reading, both online and off.

-joe