I cannot express how very enjoyable and informative I personally found this impressive collection of essays.  Edited by Timothy George and Eric F. Mason,Theology in the Service of the Church is a unique and eclectic collection that will challenge, educate, and inspire the reader.  This Festschrift was presented to Fisher Humphreys on the occasion of his retirement from The Beeson Divinity School,

I felt that the strongest essays in the book were Curtis Freeman’s “Back to the Future of Trinitarianism?”, Steve Harmon’s “Remembering the Ecclesial Future: Why the Church Needs Theology”, Stephen J. Duffy’s “That They May All Be One: The Unity That is Ours and Not Ours”, and especially Ralph Wood’s “Jesus Thrown Everything Off Balance: Emily Dickinson, William Faulkner, and Flannery O’Connor on the Necessity of Christian Radicalism in the Study of Literature.”

I thought this last essay was tremendous.  I was thrilled to see Wood’s opinion that “the non-Christian writer whose work retains overwhelming, even transformative, power is William Faulkner” (p.210).  I agree 100% and was glad to see that maybe I’m not crazy after all!  (I oftentimes tell my wife that I think Faulkner understood the Church better than most who are actually in the Church.)  Wood’s treatment of Faulkner’s work was very insightful, and his handling of O’Connor’s short story, “The Misfit,” helped me see that troubling little story in a new light.

Freeman’s essay on the Trinity was likewise very helpful and very good.  I thought some of his anecdotal observations about the disappearance of Trinitarian thought from Baptist life were especially interesting and troubling.

Fr. Stephen J. Duffy’s article on ecumenism and unity was fascinating.  Coming from a Catholic perspective, Duffy’s thought was occasionally foreign to me, but this essay was, I thought, one of the most thought-provoking pieces in the book.  I did learn a new term: perennem reformationem (continual reform).  I was also introduced to a concept I had never heard before: namely the existence of Protestant affirmations of the potential for the Bishop of Rome to offer the greatest possibility of ecumenical reform should appropriate reforms be allowed to reshape that office.  I’m not up on ecumenical speech, but this struck me as a frankly odd and virtually impossible idea.

In all, a tremendous collection of essays.  Check it out.

In this fascinating exchange, Italian novelist and semiotician Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose,Focault’s Pendulum and others) and Carlo Maria Martini, the archbishop of Milan, discuss a few issues surrounding the Church today. Specifically, they discuss the nature of the end of time, abortion, the question of women priests, and how those who do not believe in God do right and wrong. Eco is an agnostic and a secularist, and Martini is a believer.

In all this is a fascinating exchange. It can’t really be called a debate in a formal sense. The men agree on much and the format never really allows them to return to the topics once they state their positions. Eco poses the first three questions and Martini the last.

The Protestant reader will immediately realize that this is a debate between a nonbeliever and a Roman Catholic, but there are enough common points of interest here to hold anyone’s attention. The two men are scholars and the tone of their letters might occasionally be difficult, but they do seek to make the discussion readable overall.

Believers will be impressed with Martini’s answers on questions of abortion, the end of time, and even women priestesses. He is solid and well spoken and does a more than amiable job. However, the reader will also be impressed with the openness and honesty of Eco. He is not a hardened skeptic by any stretch of the imagination and, in fact, was a member of the Roman Catholic church until age twenty two. He is respectful and asks very penetrating questions that it would do all believers good to sit down and consider. I disagree, of course, with Eco’s agnosticism. What a champion he would be if he would return to Christianity! And, fortunately, he may just be open and humble enough to come home again one day.

I first encountered William Lane Craig’s views on “Molinism” or “middle knowledge” (in truth, I first encountered the terms “Molinism” and “middle knowledge”) through his essay “Middle Knowledge, A Calvinist-Arminian Rapprochement?” in The Grace of God and the Will of Man (edited by Clark Pinnock, Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1989, 141-164). Later, since The Only Wise God was out of print, I attempted to digest his scholarly treatment of the subject in Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom (New York: E.J. Brill, 1991), but quickly realized that I would obviously need to start somewhere else. Luckily, however, we now have The Only Wise God reprinted, and so something like a primer on Molinism is available to us once again.

But it’s more than just a primer on middle knowledge. Primarily, Craig is concerned with showing that God’s foreknowledge and our freedom can stand together. There is an old argument still being voiced by many in the Reformed camp that sees this as an impossibility. In short, if God foreknows what you will do, then you cannot do differently. The line I am fed rather consistently is that foreknowledge means more than merely “knowing in advance” it means “to know intimately.” Now, many who argue this won’t quite come out and say that foreknowledge is strictly synonymous with foreordination or predestination, but they should, because that is, in effect, their argument.

Craig is unimpressed. He attacks this line of reasoning in many ways. He argues, for instance, that there is no Biblical evidence to support the contention that “foreknow” and “foreordain” are synonymous (33). Furthermore, Craig asks the very important question, “Does God foreknow our sins? Then does this argument not make God the author of our sins?” (47) He also argues that there is a difference in saying something “will” happen and saying something “must” happen, even if the knower’s knowledge is infallible and inerrant. What is more, Craig makes the interesting argument that a cause and effect may have a logical relationship even though the former, of course, precedes the latter chronologically. Thus, while our actions can not be said to cause God’s foreknowledge, they do stand in a logical relationship, much like the relationship between an object and its shadow, and therefore remove the “cause/effect” notion that a naive understanding of chronological sequences can bring about. Ultimately, Craig argues in favor of “middle knowledge,” the theological position argued by the medieval Jesuit Luis de Molina.

Admittedly, this is heady stuff, and the book is not without its problems. Craig approaches the problem primarily as a philosopher. Indeed, he bemoans the lack of serious thinking on this subject that we find in most theological works. However, this approach leads him occasionally into realms of speculation that will bewilder the reader. The reader must be careful not to get lost in the details of Craig’s discussion of Newcomb’s Paradox, time travel or the parapsychological phenomena of precognition. His purpose in bringing up these items is to show that the evidence for rejecting theological fatalism is strengthened by its rejection in other fields. This book also does not answer all of the questions concerning Biblical predestination, but what book could?

Anybody who knows anything about Craig knows that he is not interested in taking us through a tour of speculative theology merely for its own sake. He is an imminently practical man who is concerned ultimately with Biblical truth. And if it should be objected that this is all too confusing, then I will reply, “Yes, it is! But that says much more about the church’s lack of critical thinking than it does about the book itself.” Read this book, be careful and prepare to be challenged.

This book marks the first Kennon L. Callahan book that I have read and it certainly will not be the last. It is billed as a strategy for pastors coming to a new church or for pastors at their current church to have an effective new beginning. It is a very practical and helpful work. My only disappointment was that, despite the proposed target audience, it did seem to be weighted most heavily to pastors beginning at a new church. Thus, pastors looking for insight on how to foster a sense of new beginning with their current church will receive great benefit from this book, but not as much discussion on the practical “how-to’s” of their particular situation as the pastor beginning at a new church. Yet I would still, by all means, encourage all pastors to read this book.

Callahan writes with a relaxed but knowledgeable air. His wisdom concerning ministry is evident throughout, yet he does not approach his subject with a cheap fix-it-all mentality. He seems to know the complexities of pastoral ministry and church life in general. In terms of his writing, I grew somewhat weary of his idiosyncratic use of the word “fun” (i.e., Have fun with your preaching. Have fun with your church. Bob liked to have fun. Have fun getting to know your people.). It was a bit much at times, and, in truth, when I reached chapter eight (entitled “Have Fun”) I was a little “funned” out. But this does not in any way detract from the seriousness of his work. It is just a word of preferance for the author.

Callahan believes that the first three months of a pastor’s arrival at his new church are crucial. I found his proposed strategy for these months to be very insightful. He argues throughout that the pastor must not communicate to the church that he is primarily interested about the church. Rather, he should communicate to them that he is primarily interested in them. He proposes doing this by delaying setting up your office and by avoiding diving into committee meetings or planning meetings in the first three months. Instead, a pastor should go out and visit with his people. He should not visit them to talk about church. He should visit them to talk about them.

I found most helpful, however, Callahan’s discussion of leadership and motivation. He has some extremely insightful words on how pastors and key leaders develope a motivation gap by appealing to their people in the wrong way. This, I think, was the greatest section of the book.

Let me encourage you to read this book. Read this book even if you are not in ministry. You will learn a lot about your pastor and how he approaches ministry. Pastors, you will be blessed by this tremendously.

Grace and Truth in the Secular Age is a compilation of essays penned by conservative leaders in the Anglican Church in which they call the church back to biblical fidelity and Christian mission. While the focus of each essay is unambiguously directed toward the Anglican community, I believe all Christians would benefit greatly from a close reading of this book. Not only does it serve a cognitive function insofar as it informs us of much that is happening in Anglicanism, but it serves a motivational function as well insofar as it challenges all believers to examine their own denominational contexts and where they might be heading.

Furthermore, these essays are, with very few exceptions, very convicting and moving. One can sense the great concern and, at times, frustration and anger, of these contributors as they call the church to task for its abandonment of its mission and its compromises with modernity. While the tone of some of these essays is polemic, and even apocalyptic, they never come across as mediums for venting. They are, in all, well crafted, deliberate, and passionate in their pronouncements.

One will find in this book essays on most of the major ethical and theological challenges confronting all churches today: abortion, homosexuality, the authority of the Bible, women in ministry, gender inclusive language, and the family. These writers pull no punches and avoid no hot topics. The book concludes with two Anglican statements that will give hope to any who feel that such church communities are inevitably doomed to end up on the scrap heap of liberal theology and social experimentation: the 1997 Kuala Lumpur Statement and the 1994 Montreal Declaration of Essentials. The former seems to be largely concerned with articulating biblical ethics and the latter, biblical doctrine, but there is overlapping in each. Not being an Anglican, I am not sure of the overall significance and impact of these two statements, but, as a believer in Christ and a member of His Church, I am moved to see brothers and sisters within other denominational expressions of the faith seeking to call the erring mass of Christianity back to its Lord.

You will be challenged by, learn much from, and grow deeply as you read this wonderful book.

This is a fascinating book that will serve as an excellent introduction for any who are interested in an apologetic defense of the veracity of Scripture. Dr. Barnett is to be commended for producing a volume that is deep enough to cause the reader to think through new ideas yet still user friendly to those who may not be familiar with many of the arguments and much of the terminology surrounding the topic at hand. Those wanting a highly technical book on this subject will be frustrated (though the book does contain technical elements.) Likewise, those wanting fluff will be disappointed as well.

Barnett does an admirable job of getting down to the nuts and bolts of the problems and arguments surrounding the historical reliability of the Bible. His span is wide. He goes from the question of the existence of Jesus to a brief and insightful look at the dating of the New Testament to an overview of the process of textual transmission. He then explores the Gospels, Paul and Acts. He also finds time to stop along the way and consider miracles, the birth of Jesus, and, lastly, the resurrection.

I personally found Barnett’s handling of the Gospels and some of the chronological difficulties in them to be most helpful. In addition to this, his discussion of the birth of Jesus was very insightful. The final chapter on the resurrection does a commendable job of (a) reinforcing the seriousness of the question of whether or not the New Testament is reliable and (b)communicating Barnett’s personal thoughts about why all of this matters to him.

What we end up with here is a book that I would not hesitate to give to either a skeptic or to a believer wanting to get his feet wet in the area of apologetics. The book is convicting without being preachy and it’s arguments are sound. I would encourage anybody to read this book.

“There lived in Holland a man whom they who did not know could not sufficiently esteem, whom they who did not esteem had never sufficiently known.”
-Bertius’ funeral oration for James Arminius, Oct. 22, 1609

Perhaps the greatest irony of modern, Christian, theological discourse is the fact James Arminius, whose name makes up part of what is undoubtedly the most well-known theological controversy of the day (the “Calvinist-Arminian debate”), should be so widely ignored and neglected. John Wesley once commented that nobody should rail against Arminius who has not read his writings. Common decency would make us agree with this. Even given the fact that the term “Arminian” has, whether rightly or wrongly, come to refer to a certain set of negations (i.e., a system opposed to Calvinistic predestinarian thought) and not, strictly speaking, to the ideas of the historical figure of Arminius, it is still bewildering that almost nobody seems to have read the man himself.

His writings do exist (they are readily available from Baker Book House) and anybody interested in the whole discussion should certainly secure and read them. However, given the complexity of his thought and given the almost certain surprise that any reader of his theology will feel when he does not find in Arminius what is commonly assumed to be present there, it is perhaps most wise for us to consult a good biography first.

Without question, Carl Bang’s biography of the 16-17th century pastor and University of Leiden theology professor is the place to start. This is for two reason. First, it is the only biography available! Secondly, however, it is an utterly superb, engrossing and thorough read and I dare say that it would take a work of untold skill to match it.

Calvinists and Arminians alike will find Bang’s Arminius too fascinating to put down. It is at once a story of incomparable bravery and unbelievable tragedy. Any fair-minded person on either side of the debate will admit that James Arminius was an able, balanced and overall gentle man of great mind and skill. And any fair-minded person will have to admit that his story is one of suprising sadness.

Arminius suffered greatly at the hands of his oppressors (namely, Gamorus and Plancius) and constantly had to battle misunderstanding, neglect, controversy and persecution. He was not perfect, and his theology is not without its flaws, but his writings on the subject of predestination and the will are infinitely superior to the vast majority of material on the subject being put forth today.

Arminius died at a fairly young age of tuberculosis. Even during his life his writings were neglected by his enemies. It is no less the case today. I have personally made it a habit of asking anybody who comments on Arminian theology how much of Arminius they have read. The replies are stupefying in their evasiveness. If the controversy is ever to be elevated once again to new heights of intelligent dialogue then the spirit and tone, if not the arguments, of Arminius will simply have to be pursued again. If this does not happen, and if the great injustice which I feel still exists against Arminius remains, we will forever be doomed to understanding only half of the problem.

Godliness Through Discipline is an ABC type of booklet on how and why Christians need structured discipline in their lives. It is elementary reading, in the best sense of the word, and will benefit the new and the life-long believer alike.

Jay Adams here contends that structured discipline is the greatest way to freedom in a Christian’s life. He speaks specifically of the need to develope a disciplined habit of Bible reading and prayer. Through the use of illustrations, Adams shows us that nothing good is accomplished without practice, the forming of positive habits, and discipline.

While reading this book I was struck by how effectively Adams communicated his thesis. His language is basic, simple, and powerful. It is also very compelling.

This would be a tremendous resource to give to a new believer or to that believer who has so over-mystified the Christian experience that he has spiritually paralyzed himself. Adam’s call is for simple obedience, and herein lies its strength.

Yet Adams is not saying here that the sum total of our Christian experience is reading our Bibles everyday and praying. Spirituality transcends good habits. He repeats throughout that a contrite and converted heart and, especially, God’s grace is needed in order for us to move towards godliness.

Reading this little booklet was a pleasure. I foresee myself returning to it time and again when I need to be reminded that sometimes obedience is truly a simple matter.

The Devil’s Gauntlet is one of InterVarsity Press’s “Viewpoint Pamphlets.” The works in the series are intended to offer “Christian insights on crucial issues” and include topics ranging from gay marriage to Mormonism. The Devil’s Gauntlet deals with “The Church and the Challenge of Society.”

Few modern Christian writers can say more in less space than Os Guinness. He has been reviewed on this site before and he will undoubtedly be reviewed a few more times in the future. Dr. Guinness is arguably the most authoritative voice on the issue of the Church in society today. His insights never cease to be penetrating, illucidating, and convicting.

In this little work, Dr. Guinness argues that the Church in America is dangerously close to becoming irrelevant. He notes a rampant sense of anti-intellectualism in the church, the continuous influence of the world in the church, and a loss of real discipleship as a few of the many ills leading to this demise. Over all of this, Dr. Guinness calls the church back to the glory of God.

As an American Evangelical, reading Dr. Guinness can be a fairly painful experience. Not only because we recognize the truthfulness of what he is saying, but also because we realize how we all have allowed the forces of a secular culture to infiltrate our lives. Living distinctly Christian lives in a distinctly secular society is becoming extremely difficult, but it is, as Dr. Guinness notes, the only way for reformation, renewal, and revival.

The brevity of The Devil’s Gauntlet makes it an ideal introduction both to Dr. Guinness and to the concepts he espouses. This little pamphlet is unfortunately out of print, yet we would encourage you to search used book stores and used books websites (such as www.abebooks.com) in an attempt to secure a copy for yourself or a friend.

Hank Hanegraaff’s The Prayer of Jesus is a brief commentary on the Lord’s Prayer. While Hanegraaff notes that he was inspired to write the book in response to the numerous queries he received about Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez, he rarely interacts with the book and certainly cannot be said to be critical of it. Hanegraaff’s book offers a much-needed corrective to some of the perceived excesses within The Prayer of Jabez and that it therefore stands almost as a companion volume with it. Certainly any who are enamored with The Prayer of Jabez should read Hanegraaff’s book for balance.

It is written for the layman and would, I believe, be quite helpful in helping one understand some of the foundational elements of prayer. One of the more frustrating characteristics of this book, and of Hanegraaff’s writing in general, is his all-too-frequent use of alliteration that is occasionally just too funny to endure (i.e., “Christian leaders all too often pray for masses and classes and in the end achieve little more than flashes and ashes.” p.12). Yet this is just a quirk of his writing style. The content is good, if simplistic, and the illustrations are well-chosen and helpful. In all, I would not hesitate to give this book to a new believer, or one who is seeking a new life of prayer.