3 New Books on The Resurrection
Over the next few weeks leading up to Easter I’ll be reviewing 3 new books that are all about the Resurrection which seems appropriate given the time of year…
- Raised with Christ, by Adrian Warnock (Crossway)
- Scandalous, by Don Carson (IVP)
- Lifted, by Sam Allberry (IVP)
Beginning with God
When I started to flick through this new book from The Good Book Company, I was excited by the thought of getting into the Bible, even though this book is aimed at families with pre-school children, it just looks great fun!
This is a new series of Bible study notes for parents to do with their children. Each session consists of an ‘appetiser’ introduction with ideas for chats and games, a main course with prayers, Bible story, and sticker time, and a snack time, a little nugget to keep kids thinking.
There’s a page at the back where you can photocopy and cut out the little snack nuggets and take them out with you during the day… I’m 24, and I think this sounds fun… in fact I might just have to start making babies (after getting married) so I can do it with my kids!!
The notes are written by Alison Mitchell and Jo Boddam Whetham, and produced by The Good Book Company. They’re just £5, which is a bargain with the stickers and fun stuff to do. You can get your hands on one of these from the 1st February… do it!
Read online sample (pdf)
Read MorePorn-Again Christian
‘Porn-Again Christian‘ is the punningly named title of a new e-book written by Mark Driscoll and published online (for free) at The Resurgence. Driscoll doesn’t mince his words, hence the sub-title – “a frank discussion on pornography and masturbation”… and that’s what it is; real, honest words to men about the issues surrounding lust, with a grasp of both the theology and practicalities of the issue.
Because the book is very frank I won’t go into details… but there’s two focuses of the book… firstly the theology – what is lust, why do we lust, why do we sin, why do we reject God for the inferior pleasures of lust? and secondly the application of that, how practically can I avoid temptation and fight it when it comes… it covers porn, masturbation, godly sex in marriage, being a man, and some Q&A.
The book concludes with something very profound, and very disturbing. It is an interview with Ted Bundy, American serial killer who explains in an interview with a Christian leader James Dobson how experiences of soft porn started a slippery slope into more hardcore, more violent materials and then ultimately to sexual violence and murder in the real life. What’s frightening is that Bundy had a ‘normal’ upbringing… a stable family and a Christian home, but the images of pornography and the violence of films changed him. There’s also an appendix looking at the real, current effects of prostitution and sexual slavery in the world today.
“In closing, sin leads to death. Jesus died for your sin. You are in a war. Be a man. Put your sin to death.”
Read MoreA Few Good Men
A Few Good Men is an encouraging read, designed to spur Christian men on in their faith through the example of Biblical heroes of the faith. Author, Richard Coekin (Co-Mission, London Men’s Convention) takes us to these heroes and applies the good principles of how they lived and applies it to us, here and now. He uses the following 10 examples, drawing on one particular aspect of their character:
Obedient Noah, Sacrificial Abraham, Self-disciplined Joseph, Unworldly Moses, Wholehearted Caleb, Humble Isaiah, Distinctive Daniel, Pastoral Paul, Prayerful Epaphras, and Loyal Onesiphorus.
Each chapter includes the Bible text telling the story of one of these heroes. Coekin then rewrites the story in his own words drawing out the situations and characters in the stories, helping the reader to really grasp what’s going on, after reading that you feel a lot closer to understanding the character. From this point Coekin helps us to apply the principles of godly character into our own situations; at home, at the workplace, at university etc.
The chapters conclude with some extra biblical background information on the character, and then some group discussion questions in light of the applications of the chapter. There is also a concluding 11th chapter conclusion… “Jesus: the perfect man”… Coekin finishes by showing how Jesus is the fulfilment of all these heroes and how he shows perfection in all of these godly characteristics.
The book is an enjoyable read, it’s helped greatly by Coekin’s retelling sections, they help you to understand what’s going on, each chapter is almost like a short commentary/biography on the character – very useful. The book has great story telling, great application and it’s always grounded in and directs the reader to the cross of Christ.
Having said that one of my concerns in the way the book is written is that it may come across as a little bit religious. While the book is aimed to spur Christians on, and it’s made clear that Jesus is the only perfect man, Coekin ignores the massive failures of these men, reading some chapters just made me feel a bit rubbish, I feel the book could be better if it also picked up on these men’s failures and the grace that kept them. So it was great that Coekin always took us to the cross, but I felt it needed the GRACE of God in the cross and in the lives of these men to be emphasised more.
I do highly commend it, great to read, great as a resource looking at Biblical characters, and I’m sure it would be great for a men’s group to read together and discuss. Get your copy from the Good Book Company, only £7.
Read MoreWhy I like ‘The Prodigal God’
I finally got round to finishing Tim Keller’s ‘The Prodigal God’, it’s not a long book, I’m just a slow reader and easily distracted! If you want a summary of the book, I would say… Tim Keller through the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15) exposes how we look for hope in the world – through the emptiness of sensual living (like the younger son) or through the folly of moral obedience (like the elder son), he shows us how living in these ways cause us to be lost. But he shows us the hope of a third way, the hope of the gospel, the hope that comes only from God’s lavish grace given in Jesus.
Here’s some reasons why I like the book, other than the previous sentence:
- It helps you to see things differently – particularly in exposes the true cost of bringing the younger son back and the true heart of the elder brother
- There are loads of little mini Bible overviews of themes running throughout; the Father, the true elder brother, Sin, forgiveness, repentance, exile, lostness, Hope, Home, feasts
- Keller does faithful exposition, practical, relevant application and Biblical overview all in the same chapter
- I don’t really read novels, but it’s great for people who do… Keller seamlessly interweaves the narrative of secular novels by way of illustration into his writing
- Keller’s assertions are backed up through the writings of philosophers, it’s intellectually robust
Finally I loved Keller’s concluding acknowledgement to the influence of Edmund Clowney in his ministry:
“He also taught me that it was possible to be theologically sound and completely orthodox and yet unfailing gracious – a rare and precious combination.”
This is a definite must-read, go and get it – £10 from the Good Book Company.
Read MoreDiscipleship Explored DVD
So last night I went to All Souls, Langham Place in London for the launch event for the Discipleship Explored course DVD… on the train up I happened to bump in to the chaplain at my Uni (well I’ve graduated now), Hi Gavin, if you happen to be reading! We chatted for the whole hour of the train journey about whether you can be an Anglican but not Protestant… so I got a history lesson of the Reformation, and we had some good debates about the inerrancy of Scripture and sacramental theology… he’s a clever man but he did says that ‘legally’ I won the debate with my trump card – The 39 Articles! Anyway, that’s an aside… but another aside I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of people I’d only known virtually; fellow blogger Dan Green and Emily from GBC – Hi Emily!
So why was I here?? Well I’m sure most people reading have heard of Christianity Explored… I’m sure that most, but probably a few less have heard of it’s follow up course, Discipleship Explored which has been around for a few years. The great thing about the DVD is that it makes it much easier to run a course!
Here’s a trailer for the DVD, giving you a flavour…
The DVD takes you through the book of Philippians in 8 sessions . Each session is about 10 minutes long; the passage is read by a guy with a cool Scottish accent, then a key verse is picked out. The key verse along with the rest of the passage is explained, common questions about the Christian life are answered, the presenter Barry Cooper does a great job of clearly explaining stuff and getting us to the point. These sessions aren’t really a substitute for a talk or Bible study but they’re a great launching block into the passage, and a great way to start a group and get people thinking.
Here’s another little video. Rico Tice interviewing Barry Cooper about the Discipleship Explored DVD… great question and answer is the one to the first question “Why Philippians?”… sorry about the angle of filming, couldn’t be bothered to move:
Coming soon… a couple of short video interviews, one with Barry Cooper, and one with Rico Tice.
For more information and to order resources visit the Good Book Company… the Discipleship Explored DVD is available for just £30.
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