Category Archives: Thomas Nelson

The Book of Man by William J. Bennett

Posted on October 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood

William J. Bennett

Thomas Nelson: 2011

Dr. William J. Bennett’s Book of Virtues is a favorite in our house. At dinner time, bath time, or bed time, the children ask me to read a story or poem from “the big book,” as they call it. And I’m always willing to; Bennett’s Book of Virtues has as much to offer the parents as it does the children.

I expected the Book of Man to be like the Book of Virtues, only for little boys. But the readings are more for older boys or men. Still, the subtitle, “Readings on the Path to Manhood,” is appropriate. After all, what man doesn’t continue on the path to manhood?

Bennett asks:

“What does it mean to be a man today?…While the plot, actors, and scenes are constantly changing, the virtues, characteristics, and challenges of manhood remain the same today as thousands of years ago.”

On how to be a man, Bennett says, “More can and should be said. That is what I offer here. There are examples worthy of emulation, stories worth knowing, lives worth studying and remembering, and counsel worth hearing…”

Bennett’s quotes span the time from Pericles to Colin Powell, while the characters range from Robert Murray M’Cheyne to Jimmy Carter.

Stories about men like Theodore Roosevelt or Martin Luther King Jr. are always inspiring, and Bennett gives us plenty. But equally inspiring are the stories of men like Terry Toussaint, Fort Valley, Georgia’s “proud sanitation worker.” Toussaint was inspired by Martin Luther King’s speech to a crowd of street sweepers in Memphis, TN:

“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures….sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, `Here lived a great street sweeper…’”

“For Toussaint, it’s all part of the day’s job. At fifty years old, he starts every day at 4:45 A.M. and never misses a day of work.” “I’ll always be the best that I can be at [whatever job I have],” says Toussaint.

Bennett examines manhood in every arena: Man in War; Man at Work; Man in Play, Sports, and Leisure; Man in the Polis (community); Man with Woman and Children (this section alone is worth the price of the book); and Man in Prayer and Reflection.

Not all of the selections are inspiring, nor do they all represent the best in man: “Marines are a different breed; we’re made to go after people. If you’re not killing someone or being killed, you’re not happy.” But, as Bennett says, there is something to be learned from each of them.

While my little boy isn’t ready for this book, I look forward to our reading it together when he’s older. I hope these selections will benefit, encourage, and inspire him as they do me. In the meantime, I’ll continue to use this excellent book to help me down my own path to manhood.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson.

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Posted in Book Reviews, education, manhood, Thomas Nelson

Surprised by Oxford

Posted on August 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir

By Carolyn Weber

Thomas Nelson, 2011

An unsolicited package from Thomas Nelson lay on my desk. Since I had decided to take a break from reading and reviewing new books, and this was the second to arrive within a week, I considered sending it back unopened. I’m glad that I didn’t.

Carolyn Weber tells how she arrived at Oxford on a scholarship that she worked excessively hard for. She was there to pursue a graduate degree and education. She left with those and infinitely more.

Weber’s honesty is refreshing. She was certainly not seeking Jesus, or even God. As a young, independent, intelligent academic, she didn’t want “Christian” on her resume, and she fought against the gospel, slinging her arguments “like arrows of outrageous fortune.” But her arguments turned to thoughtful questions, and her defenses began to fall as she realized that there was something great missing from her life. “Caro,” a friend of hers said, “I can see the conversion happening on your face….I can hear it in your multilevel homesickness.”

Weber’s conversion was no half-hearted decision. For months she privately read the Bible, and for months she asked tough questions. These questions take her, and the reader, into deep theological territory. Yet it’s always with a fresh and personal perspective; accessible and enjoyable. And the gospel pours from the pages of this book. Weber makes us hungry to dig into the New Testament with the zeal of a new believer.

Weber’s writing is free from pious jargon; she undercuts her own praise of clichés by rarely using them. The author avoids both the superficiality and the pseudo-intellectualism that Christian writers are often guilty of. Hers is exactly the kind of writing that I want to read. And her story is exactly the kind I needed to hear. Alister McGrath describes it perfectly: “A hugely readable journey of cultural and spiritual discovery, sparkling with wit and wisdom.” Surprised by Oxford is the warmest and most enjoyable memoir I’ve read this year.

http://www.pressingsave.com/surprised-by-oxford

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Posted in Book Reviews, memoir, Thomas Nelson

Why God Won’t Go Away by Alister McGrath

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Adherents to new atheism say that religion is irrational, evil, violent, and should not be tolerated. Their movement is “an enthusiastic advocation of atheism and a seething criticism of both religious belief and cultural respect for religion.”

Alister McGrath’s new book, Why God Won’t Go Away, isn’t his first response to the new atheist rhetoric. Besides other writings, he has also engaged in several public debates with the group’s most prominent leaders, including Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

McGrath knows his subject. He’s read the books of the leaders (Dawkins, Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett), and he reads the blogs of their faithful followers. Having been an atheist himself, McGrath, who is now a prominent evangelical theologian, understands the reasoning of both sides and has much to contribute to the conversation.

McGrath quotes leading scientists, philosophers, more reasonable atheists, and new atheists themselves, to show that new atheism is often dogmatic, bitter, and irrational. Two examples will suffice. In a televised interview, Christopher Hitchens declared Mother Teresa “a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud,” said “millions of people are much worse off because of her life,” and that it was “a shame that there was no hell for her to go to.” Sam Harris, speaking of religion, said that “Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them.” Who, may I ask, are the fanatics?

The New Atheist’s main arguments against religion are religious violence, reason, and science. McGrath, with skill and wit, uses their own arguments against them. This is not something that they’re prepared for, so they seem to be changing tactics. One new atheist blogger wrote: “I’m beginning to believe the best we can do is to just shout at them, ‘You’re stupid, you’re idiots, you’re morons!’”

McGrath’s is a small book, but it’s probably the only one I’ll read on the subject. Few thinkers, including scientists or more thoughtful atheists, take the rants of these angry fundamentalists seriously, and the movement as a whole does seem to be “running on empty.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Why God Won’t Go Away: Is the New Atheism Running on Empty?

Alister McGrath

Thomas Nelson: 2010

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Posted in apologetics, Book Reviews, Thomas Nelson

Unleashed by Erwin McManus (Not Recommended)

Posted on April 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

In his book Unleashed, Erwin McManus says that Christianity has become too civilized. He rejects the belief that “Jesus died and rose from the dead so that you can live a life of endless comfort, security, and indulgence,” and he says that it’s his “mission to destroy the influence of the Christian cliché, ‘The safest place to be is in the center of the will of God.’”

Following Jesus is not about safety or security. McManus points out that John the Baptist lost his head while in the center of God’s will. “We look to Jesus not to fulfill our shallow longings or to provide for us creature comforts. We look to Him to lead us where He needs us most and where we can accomplish the most good.”

McManus calls Christians to reject conformity and security, and to embrace what he calls the barbarian way, which is “about love expressed through sacrifice and servant hood.” Like early followers of Christ—John the Baptist, Peter, and Paul—we “are called to a path filled with uncertainty, mystery, and risk.”

McManus presents a strong argument, and he backs it up with lots of Scripture. His overall message is good; it’s one that I love hearing, whether it comes from John Piper, David Platt, or McManus himself. But his book falls short of the others when it comes to application. How do you live out this unleashed, barbarian faith? McManus’s examples are jumping off a house, jet skiing off the coast of Wellington, and an ATV ride through the wilderness that ends in a trip to the emergency room, “a vital locale for the barbarian.”

The barbarian way also involves pursuing our dreams, going for the promotion, and striving to reach our full potential, which sounds like the prosperity gospel that McManus does such a good job of refuting. At this point the faith he describes sounds tame and unimpressive—more like self-esteem. And while McManus is often clear about what Jesus’ death did not secure, he’s not clear about what it did do. The gospel is muddied with statements like, “His purpose was to save us not from pain and suffering, but from meaninglessness.”

I’m probably missing the point. There is a radical, barbarian faith that expresses itself by street preaching in New Orleans, serving as a missionary in Haiti, or rebuking King Herod. I’m sure that McManus has these in mind rather than irresponsible recklessness, but he doesn’t make that clear, and we’re left wondering whether we should sell all that we own and give to the poor, or sell all that we own and take a dangerous vacation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

 

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The Faith of Ronald Reagan by Mary Beth Brown

Posted on January 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

          President Reagan was a man of faith. He believed in prayer, and he depended upon a sovereign God who answers prayer. He displayed his faith through generosity, kindness, and love. Because I admire these qualities and the President who possessed them, I was eager to read Mary Beth Brown’s The Faith of Ronald Reagan. Brown is a New York Times Best-Selling Author, so I assumed that the book would be well written. Had I thought twice, I would have remembered that popularity has little to do with quality.

Brown gives us an overview of each stage in the President’s life, even going back as far as the childhood of his parents. She covers the most important events while throwing in the more interesting details, and has no shortage of quotes from Reagan and those who knew and loved him. By the end, I appreciate President Reagan even more than I did before, and I am convinced that he trusted God, both in public and private.

Though Brown succeeds in highlighting the faith of Reagan, she fails to write a serious biography. She is too attached, too adoring. The book sounds like a mother’s ode to her most beloved son, or a high school yearbook tribute to the quarterback who died in a tragic accident written by the overly familiar friend.

True to her role as overly familiar friend, Brown mentions any Reagan event that she was “fortunate to attend,” even when it has little to do with the context. And, once she tells us that Reagan’s childhood nickname was “Dutch,” we almost lose hope that she’ll ever use his real name again:

“Dutch also occasionally led prayer meetings at church. Members of his church enjoyed listening to Dutch’s dynamic, engaging voice and delivery, which was most likely the result of the elocution (the art of public speaking) lessons that his mother gave him. Some church members later remarked how Dutch would make the Bible seem personal and alive…”

Finally, after several chapters, Dutch grows up, and we remember that we are reading about a President of the United States. But then there’s the problem of awkward, repetitive, redundant prose:

“In 1976, he faced a sitting U.S. president, Gerald R. Ford, for the Republican nomination, and his campaign strategy called for delivering a knockout blow to Gerald Ford in the early primaries of New Hampshire and Florida. The strategists of the 1976 campaign believed that those early wins would knock Ford out.”

Nothing is beautiful, but has to be stunningly beautiful. Danger has to be “a brush with death.” And paragraphs drop in from nowhere. We think we’re reading a chapter about Reagan’s mother, but maybe it’s about Moon (Reagan’s brother), or Muggs (Reagan’s girlfriend). Or is it about Dutch’s collection of bird’s eggs? No, it’s Bible commentary—the Mary Beth Brown Bible commentary, which readers get a strong dose of. For Brown, every story is a “teachable moment,” and she never misses an opportunity to enlighten us on things that are “almost universally misunderstood.”

There are other problems besides the writing. There is the equating of patriotism with faith, the belief that the U.S. is the “shining city on a hill,” and the certainty of the Holy Spirit’s involvement in Reagan’s acting career and political speeches. Maybe Reagan was the most Christian President of modern times (“Even though Carter was a self-described born-again Christian, he gave eleven religious discourses…whereas Regan gave twenty-four”). But God’s chosen servant?

“John Barletta, a Secret Service agent close to President Reagan (who has traveled all over the world with him) has said that he too noticed this amazing phenomenon with the weather at Reagan’s inauguration and other appearances: ‘The sky would be gray and cloudy at an outdoor event, and then when President Reagan came up to speak, the sky would clear and the sun would shine down on him.’”

Serious readers will want to find another Reagan biography. For those who prefer a shallow, sentimental book that borders on mystical, this book will do.

Note: The Faith of Ronald Reagan is the 2011 version of Brown’s Hand of Providence: the Strong and Quiet Faith of Ronald Reagan, published in 2004.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson.

         The Faith of Ronald Reagan

Mary Beth Brown

Thomas Nelson: 2011

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Posted in biography, Book Reviews, Politics, Thomas Nelson

Review: SLAVE by John MacArthur

Posted on December 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

There are still a few pastors and Bible teachers who give the Word of God its proper place; a few who believe that, through the Word, we can know truth about God, Jesus, and salvation; and a few who are willing to fearlessly defend the Word and the truth that it conveys. Of these few, there are perhaps none more fearless or faithful in the teaching and defending of the Gospel than John MacArthur.

The release of John MacArthur’s new book, Slave: the Hidden Truth about Your Identity in Christ, interested me for several reasons. First, whether we agree with him or not on every point of doctrine, anything that MacArthur writes is worth consideration. Second, his writings on the Lordship of Christ, specifically The Gospel According to the Apostles, have had a big influence on me. And last, I’ve heard him speak on the word “slave,” which is the proper translation of the Greek word duolos. Unfortunately, he says, most of our English translations use the words “servant” or “bond-servant” instead. While servant is a good word, it doesn’t carry the full meaning of the word “slave.” MacArthur’s comments interested me, so I was eager to read more on the subject.

MacArthur says that duolos is used in the Greek New Testament 124 times, usually in describing the believer’s relationship to Christ: “Paul, a bond-servant [duolos] of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1, NASB). At the same time, the Greek word kyrios, translated as “master,” is often used for Christ. In first century Rome, where the slave/master relationship was well known, there was no avoiding what these terms signified.

Not only do most of the New Testament writers describe themselves and other believers as slaves of Christ, but Jesus, through his choice of words and his parables, uses slavery to illustrate a believer’s relationship to Himself and God. MacArthur fully explores how believers are slaves to Christ. His arguments, as usual, are strictly based upon Scripture, which this book is full of:

“Do you not know…that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

What does this mean in the life of a believer? MacArthur says that, “As those who confess the Lordship of Christ, believers are duty bound to obey Him in everything.” But, since believers have a good and perfect master, it also means that they will have all of their needs met. It is comforting to be the slave of such a great master. It is also an honor:

“…If it was considered an honor to be the slave of one of the Caesars, it is infinitely more so to be the slave of Christ–the King of kings and Lord of lords! Is it any wonder that the New Testament writers eagerly attributed the title ‘slave of Christ’ to themselves and others? It was not only an affirmation of their complete submission to the Master; it was also a declaration of the privileged position every Christian enjoys by being associated with the Lord. No affiliation could be greater than that.”

MacArthur reminds believers that they are slaves to Christ because they have been redeemed from their old master sin, that “cruel tyrant.” All are born in bondage to sin, but God redeems His own people, those who were “purchased with [Christ's] own blood” (Acts 10:28).

MacArthur goes on to say that, “we are not just the slaves of God. We are also His citizens, friends, and family members.” From that point he explores the theme of adoption and all that it means to be a member of God’s family.

Subjects like the bondage of sin, redemption, and adoption lead MacArthur to dwell long on the doctrines of grace (total depravity, election, particular redemption, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.) His discussion of these difficult and controversial doctrines is thorough, balanced, and convincing, ties in perfectly with the overall theme of the book, and makes a great introduction for those who aren’t familiar with reformation theology. And, since Thomas Nelson is the publisher, I’m confident that this book will reach many who aren’t familiar with these doctrines, or at least who aren’t convinced.

In this new book, MacArthur, the untiring foe of “easy believism,” presents a very un-watered down version of the Gospel. Believers should remember that they are not just saved by grace, but “slaved by grace”: “Freedom in Christ…is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin–freedom to live as God intends, in truth and holiness.” In these times of what Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace,” times when few live as though Jesus is truly their Lord, we need men like John MacArthur who, like Spurgeon in a previous century, will preach the truth even if all of earth and hell stand against him. I hope that this book is widely read. It deserves and needs to be.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson.

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Posted in Book Reviews, John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson

Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, by Sarah Young

Posted on September 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

The habit of spending time with the Lord on a daily basis can’t be formed too early. For children who need a good place to start, Tama Fortner’s adaptation of Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling may be the perfect book.

Jesus Calling is a 365 day devotional for kids. Each devotion begins with a verse followed by commentary written in first person, as if Jesus were speaking directly to the child:

“Talk to Me about your struggles, about the times when you feel that you just aren’t good enough. Little by little, I will take those struggles and turn them to strengths.”

Each devotion also includes suggested Scripture passages for further reading.

Young’s writings are comforting, full of practical help, and promote worship. Jesus is often presented as a friend—“I am your best Friend—pour out your heart to Me,”—but He is also presented as the Sovereign King. This adaptation by Tama Fortner strikes the perfect balance for children.

Jesus Calling is probably most suitable for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Older children will also benefit from it, but it may be too advanced for younger children. We have started using it during our family devotional time. It makes a great addition.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

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Posted in Book Reviews, children's books, devotion, Thomas Nelson

A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker, Illustrated by Marijan Ramljak

Posted on September 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

In Amy Parker’s A Christmas Prayer, a child offers a prayer of thanksgiving, “not for toys and dolls,” but for the Christmas gifts God has given to us all. Starting with Gabriel, she thanks God one by one for each character in the nativity story. She even includes the donkey that helped Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. Her prayer concludes with thanks for the perfect Christmas gift, Jesus.

The prayer is sweet, appropriate, and nicely rhymed:

“Thank you, God, for Mary. She let faith lead the way: ‘I am His servant girl,’ she said. ‘Let it be as you say.’”

My children love this book and wanted me to read it three times in the first sitting.  Marijan Ramljak’s illustrations are well done—soft and appealing to young children—and compliment the prayer perfectly. As a bonus, the book has hard pages (a must for homes with a two-year-old boy).

My children and I are pleased with A Christmas Prayer. We will read it often as the season grows closer. It will make a great way to start a conversation about the true meaning of Christmas.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

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Posted in Book Reviews, children's books, Thomas Nelson

Billy Graham: His Life and Influence by David Aikman

Posted on June 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

In Billy Graham: His Life and Influence, David Aikman gives a detailed account of the life of the world’s most well-known, and perhaps influential, evangelist. We might expect a biographer to be biased in favor of his subject, but not so here. Though Aikman greatly admires Graham, his book is surprisingly balanced.

In chapter one, Aikman tells us that Graham’s “manifest weakness” was that he “went out of his way to avoid offending people,” and he uses much of the remainder of the book to convince us of that. To his credit, Graham is a supporter of civil rights, and he was a friend of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But according to Aikman, his early stand on segregation depended upon which part of the country he was in. While his evangelistic crusades were integrated in the North, crusades in the South were conspicuously segregated. “We follow existing social customs in whatever part of the country in which we minister,” Graham stated. When asked why he refused to speak out on the issue of segregation, he said that, “Communists were behind most of the civil rights agitation in the United States.”

Despite his distaste for the communists while on American soil, Graham, according to Aikman, outdid himself in courting them on their own turf. While on a tour of the Soviet Union, Graham was asked to respond to the imprisonment of 150 Baptist preachers. “We detain people in the United States if we catch them doing something wrong,” he said to the disappointment of the Christians. During a trip to communist Romania, he thanked the government for being one “which gives full and genuine freedom to all religious denominations.” Graham apparently had not read Haralan Popov’s Tortured for His Faith. Graham later praised North Korean leader Kim Il Sung as being “a gentle man and a logical thinker.” We could continue. As I said, Aikman’s prevailing theme is Graham’s desire to be liked by all.

Another theme that Aikman develops is Graham’s departure from fundamentalism, which, according to Aikman, is characterized by belief in such doctrines as scriptural inerrancy, the deity of Christ, and the blood atonement. While Graham himself doesn’t seem to have departed from these beliefs (though the book doesn’t make that clear), he was often criticized for being associated with clergy who went “on record as believing neither in the virgin birth, nor the Trinity, nor even Christ’s resurrection.” As for his own convictions, we learn little other than that he had a very inclusive and liberal view of salvation. When Graham was asked in an interview if one must hear the gospel in order to be saved, he said that he no longer believed that. “I believe there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God–through nature, for instance.” Despite Graham’s overly liberal views on many points, his avoidance of genuine, contentious fundamentalism can be admired. As he said: “If this extreme type of fundamentalism was of God, it would have brought revival long ago. Instead, it has brought dissention, division, strife and has produced dead and lifeless churches.”

Aikman brings several strengths to his biography, including an impressive knowledge of recent history and political events, which is to be expected considering that he is former senior correspondent for Time magazine. His knowledge of church history and doctrine, however, is more limited. For instance, he incorrectly calls the Westminster Confession a catechism, and he says that the Shorter Catechism is an abbreviation of the Confession (rather than the Larger Catechism). His linking the belief in such essential doctrines as the resurrection to “fundamentalism,” and at times his discussion regarding the nature of the gospel itself, gives us reason to wonder if he is qualified to write on such subjects.

Still, I enjoyed reading Billy Graham. It is rich in recent history; I particularly enjoyed the more personal look into the lives of the U.S. presidents with whom Graham had close relationships. And certainly I learned much about the life and influence of Graham himself. Perhaps the most inspiring character of all is Rev. Graham’s late wife, Ruth Bell Graham. The author’s admiration for her is contagious, and we are left wanting to know more about her. Overall, Aikman’s work is educational and enjoyable, though not necessarily inspiring.

I received a review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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Posted in biography, Book Reviews, Thomas Nelson

Book Giveaway Winners

Posted on April 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

I originally said that I would draw two winners of the Bonhoeffer book giveaway on May 2, but for various reasons I thought it would be best to draw them now. I used random.org to generate numbers that corresponded to the entries; here are the winners:

Scott D. Anderson

Pilgrim Mommy

Again, thanks go to  Thomas Nelson for donating the books.

I plan to announce another book giveaway within the next two weeks.

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Posted in Book Giveaway, Thomas Nelson