Kingdoms: A Biblical Epic

Perhaps the most popular category of books in the BAC library are graphic novels. They are flying on and off the shelves but I was lucky enough to find all five volumes of Kingdoms: A Biblical Epic on the shelf this week. This series is written by Ben Avery and edited by Bud Rogers. Lamp Post Publications put it together and it is published by Zondervan under their Z Graphic Novels line. Five volumes are in the BAC library and a sixth has been published so far with more on the way. These graphic novels cover the history of Israel from the time of the kings through the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile.

Unlike some other “manga-style” Bibles the story line does not follow the biblical text word for word but uses literary license. This is necessary given the amount of ground to cover and when important events and prophecies are related the text is faithful. Although not to be used as a child’s only Bible these are an attractive way to get kids to read the Bible and cover large portions of the Old Testament story. When they find it interesting and have further questions encourage them to read through the whole account in a more traditional Bible. Happy reading!

They can be found in the BAC library under 220.9 AVE or at your local library under PN6727.A945.

Dragons in Our Midst

Another new series that has been recently added to the BAC library is Dragons in Our Midst by Bryan Davis. There are four volumes in this series and they can be found under FIC DAV or in your public library under PZ7.B285557.

This series follows the adventures of Billy Bannister and Bonnie Silver, a pair of high school students who are half human and half dragon. Billy has been called into the adventure of a lifetime with serious consequences for himself and all those around him. The series is strongly written and although the second volume bogs down a bit it is well worth reading all the way to the end of volume four. Those who really like the series can continue on with the story in Oracles of Fire, a subsequent four book series.

This series is published by Living Ink Books, an imprint of AMG Publishers. Pick them up with ISBNs 9780899571706, 9780899571713, 9780899571720, 9780899571737.

Star-Fighters of Murphy Street

The BAC library has recently added several new books. The first I want to mention is an excellent new series called The Star-Fighters of Murphy Street by Robert West. We now have the first three volumes.
There’s a Spaceship in My Tree! is the first volume which introduces the three main characters and the “spaceship” tree house in their backyard. The main problem they encounter is a school bully. He is dealt with firmly but in love. The characters are Christian and their actions are informed by their faith but the books are not “preachy.” The second volume, Attack of the Spider Bots, continues the story and introduces more neighbourhood characters. The spaceship is seems to be powered by a giant spiderweb that glows with energy. The third volume is Escape from the Drooling Octopod! which introduces new problems along with the creator of the spiderweb which fills one of the main character’s attic. I look forward to seeing more volumes released and to discover what new adventures they will encounter in their spaceship and in their neighbourhood.

For those of you who don’t have access to the BAC library you can buy them online. They are published by Zondervan and the ISBN’s are: 9780310714255, 9780310714262, 9780310714279. Or you might try your local library under PZ7.W51933.

Book of the Year – Forgotten God by Francis Chan

I know it’s only the middle of October but I have finished 144 books this year and I have reason to believe that of those this is the most important for the Church today.

Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. Colorado Springs, 2009. 1434767957, 9781434767950.

I recently reviewed Chan’s Crazy Love and noted that I was a little concerned about his lack of balance between the immanence and transcendence of God. I have no such hesitation in recommending this book about the Forgotten God by which he means Holy Spirit. Francis ably addresses the fact that we as Christians seem to have forgotten the place of Holy Spirit in our lives. He seeks to redress this failure by reminding us of our calling to live like Christ empowered by Holy Spirit. In a sense this is the same calling as Wholly Sanctified that I just reviewed. Chan focuses on the role of Holy Spirit in that and our need to remember him.

In the introduction he states, “While no evangelical would deny His [Holy Spirit's] existence, I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can” (15). I don’t think too many would argue with this statement. Unfortunately, too many Christians are convinced that they can’t do any better and they accept the status quo. Of course, that is the point – they can’t do any better and need to let Holy Spirit empower them. Why are so many Christians discouraged and feel disempowered about living holy lives?

Chan addresses this issue in seven chapters each of which seeks to answer a specific question. At several points in the book he cautions readers to stop and think about where they are at, or to read a certain section of Scripture and reflect on it before coming back to this book. This is helpful if people are willing to do it. Like most things in life, readers will only be successful in receiving a filling up of Holy Spirit and living out of his strength if they seek to place themselves within his sphere of influence. Exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit isn’t about intellectual knowledge but about allowing Holy Spirit to control us. Let us renew our minds and walk in his ways. Amen!

This book isn’t overly long (167pp) so it will be an easy read for most. There is more to be said about Holy Spirit and his role in our lives and in the church but if there was one introductory book I would want church goers to read this would be it.

Wholly Sanctified review

Albert Benjamin Simpson, Wholly Sanctified: Living a Life Empowered by the Holy Spirit. Camp Hill: Christian Publications, 1991. 121pp. 0875094554, 9780875094557.

A.B. Simpson was the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance which has congregations around the world. Part of what makes the Alliance distinctive is its emphasis on the Fourfold Gospel which Simpson promulgated. The four parts centre on Christ and portray him as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. This book by Simpson defines that it means to be sanctified and how one can enter and remain in that state.

Simpson defines sanctification as “the inflow into man’s being of the life and purity of the infinite, eternal and Holy One, bringing His own perfection and working out in us His own will” (6). It means the Christian’s voluntary separation from evil; the dedication of ourselves to God for his personal use; our continuous filling with his Spirit and it works in all three realms of a human being: body, soul, and spirit.

He goes on to explain what this looks like in those realms. “A dedicated spirit is thus wholly given to God, to know Him, to choose His will, to resemble His character, to trust His Word, to love Him supremely, to glorify Him only, to enjoy Him wholly and to belong to Him utterly, unreservedly, and forever” (30). “This act of dedication should be made once for all, and then recognized as done and as including every subsequent act that we may ever renew as we receive more light in detail respecting His will concerning us” (30-31). Similarly, “the dedication of the body implies the setting apart of our entire physical beings…as the property of God, the object of his special care, and the instrument of His special will and service” (69).

Simpson explains what sanctification looks like in the four classes of mental endowment: understanding, tastes, affections, passions and appetites. He recognises that a Christian will not live a perfect life in all of those areas and therefore, “We must learn to recover instantly from failure by frank confession and prompt faith and recommittal” (91).

From this we can see that Simpson views sanctification as something that happens “once for all” but includes our living out that fact in continued development over a lifetime. The book concludes with six poems of Simpson including his famous hymns “Himself” and “Jesus Only.” These encapsulate his message – seek the giver, not the gifts and you will be sanctified and everything else will be given unto you.

Quote of the Day – Michael W. Smith

“I believe that good music is judged not by what it sounds like, but what it does to us.”

The above quote is found on page 160 of his book, It’s Time to Be Bold. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997. 0849933366. It can be found in the BAC library under 248.4 SMI.

Smith takes readers on a tour behind the scenes, basing his chapters on the reasons why he wrote certain songs. The book’s chapters contain brotherly advice on relationships with family and friends, reading the Bible and praying, our involvement in the church and world, spiritual warfare, and dealing with pain and suffering. He writes with a familiar tone and invites readers to share his world.

BTW, if you ever meet him in real life, be sure to call him MacGyver as he really likes that and might even write about you in a future book!

“Music is God’s way of keeping the poet alive inside all of us.”

Christian Mission in the Modern World review

John R. W. Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World. Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press, 2008. 0830834117, 9780830834112.

This is a reprint of Stott’s classic with a new forward by Ajith Fernando. This book began life as the 1975 Chavasse Lectures at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Nothing has been changed in the book so it is somewhat dated but still an excellent resource for dealing with issues of Christian mission within the context of European sensibilities. He structures his lectures around defining words: mission, evangelism, dialogue, salvation and conversion. This is valuable not just to the stated “modern” world but especially the postmodern one.

In understanding mission we need to know that “The primal mission is God’s, for it is he who sent his prophets, his Son, his Spirit. Of these missions the mission of the Son is central, for it was the culmination of the ministry of the prophets, and it embraced within itself as its climax the sending of the Spirit. And now the Son sends as he himself was sent” (36). This is certainly the heart of mission. He then goes on to explain the relationship between mission and social work. This is an area North American Christians have not explored to the same extent as Europeans. Stott is clear that “the actual Commission itself must be understood to include social as well as evangelistic responsibility, unless we are to be guilty of distorting the words of Jesus” (37). We must take on the role of servants because “it is in our servant role that we can find the right synthesis of evangelism and social action” (39). The two are partners and “the two belong to each other and yet are independent of each other” (43). This is his definition of mission which is broad enough to not just encompass both spiritual outreach and Christian service, but to demand it.

Some have argued that evangelism must have results, otherwise it is not evangelism so Stott makes it clear, “Evangelism is the announcement of the good news, irrespective of the results” (60). Still true today: “Nothing hinders evangelism today more than the widespread loss of confidence in the truth, relevance and power of the gospel” (63). He works through five elements of the gospel: events (68-71); witnesses (71-74); affirmations (75-78); promises (78-80); and demands (80-83).

He then turns to the issue of dialogue with those of other religions. He mentions that it is almost impossible to find a dialogue partner who is entering it with the spirit of dialogue. He then examines dialogue with Hindus, Muslims, and industrial Britains. He then looks at salvation and conversion.

I was most interested with his comments regarding M. M. Thomas and his book Salvation and Humanization. Currently there is a similar debate over whether Muslims have to “leave Islam” in order to be Christian. Thomas argued that Hindus could remain within the Hindu community in the social, legal, and religious sense even after converting to Christianity (176). This parallels the arguments regarding “hidden” Muslim believers. Stott first quotes Lesslie Newbigin who rejected the idea, saying that in this case the person is still a Hindu. He then argues from the biblical record that Christians must undergo a transfer from one community to another. This transfer is seen in their baptism and church membership (178f).

Although I mentioned at the beginning that this book is somewhat dated we must learn from the past or we are doomed to repeat it. The issue of “hidden” believers is nothing new and we would do well to reflect on what was said 30+ years ago and apply it to our own situation today. Of course the initial definitions and reflections on mission are just as valid today and can help inform our own, often limited, perspective.

Bible and Mission review

Richard Bauckham, Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. 0801027713, 9780801027710 (Paternoster 184227242X, 9781842272428).

Today’s book is comprised of a lecture series give by Richard Bauckham in England and Ethiopia. He begins the book with a hermeneutic for the Kingdom of God out of which he will develop further thoughts on mission. The key of this is concentrating on “how to read the Bible in a way that takes seriously its missionary direction” (11). Bauckham has several valuable things to say. He mentions that God is a narrative God who works within a story. Coincidentally Andrew and I structured the new Roots theology program around God’s story, instead of merely thematically. He also makes the note that “The church in its missionary vocation is not so much the agent of the process as the product of the process on the way to its God-given goal” (17). “The results of mission are always the gift of God” (19). Thank God that those before us spread the gospel to our language, culture, and location!

Bauckham’s second lecture is on the movement from the many to the one. This reflects that God consistently chose one (Abraham, Israel, and David) with the intention of moving to the many. We see that God always intended for all people to be blessed through Abraham. This promise is repeated four more times, in Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4 to Isaac; and in 28:14 to Jacob. The expectation for the reader of Genesis would be that future events would see the nations blessed through Abraham’s descendents. However, this theme is only repeated a few more times in the Old Testament: Psalm 72:17; Isaiah 19:24-25; Jeremiah 4:2; Zechariah 8:13. It is clear from Jeremiah 4:1-2 that “It is Israel’s fulfilment of her covenant obligations that will bring blessing to the nations. In order for the nations to be blessed Israel need only be faithful to YHWH. Her life with YHWH will itself draw the nations to YHWH so that they too may experience his blessing” (31). Unfortunately this did not always work out the way it was intended to.

There are other passages where it is clear that God intended Israel to be the agent of blessing. Pastor John Piper has preached twice on Psalm 67 and God’s design to “Let the Nations Be Glad.” You can read or listen to this sermon online here.

Bauckham concludes the book with a chapter on being a witness for truth in the postmodern age. He defends the Christian “metanarrative” as being a non-modern narrative (and thus ok). He is convinced that the Christian narrative is essential to countering the destructive narratives that control much of our world. He states that “when Christians find their metanarrative in confrontation with an alternative, aggressive metanarrative–whether that of globalization or Islam, or something else–nothing is more important than telling the biblical stories, especially that of Jesus, again and again” (101). He concludes with addressing issues such as globalising power and cultural diversity and shows that the Christian narrative is a positive influence.

On the whole this is a valuable book for those looking for an introduction to a missional hermeneutic or for those wishing to go deeper in their understanding of how to connect the Bible to mission in our contemporary world.

Dan Brown Rides Again

The latest fiction from Dan Brown has been released so I think this is a good time to mention that Pastor Andrew has a copy of Lee Strobel and Garry Poole’s DVD study on The Da Vinci Code.
There is a book and a discussion guide that accompany the DVD and can be used with small groups. This set is best for those who have read The Da Vinci Code book or watched the movie and who, like Dan Brown, do not know much about historical Christianity. Strobel and Poole explain the historical evidence for Jesus including the historical nature of the biblical gospels as well as discuss the role of women in Jesus’ life and his being the Son of God.
If this sounds like a resource that would be valuable to you or your small group ask to borrow the set from Pastor Andrew.

Crazy Love review

Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2008. 9781434768513.

Francis Chan is a popular California pastor who is challenging people to seek a love relationship with God and become more like Christ in their actions. This book is coupled with a website which provides a couple of videos that integrate with the written material; Chan will tell you to put the book down and watch a certain video. Chan is very personable and his videos are straight from the heart. I was a little put off by his begging people to reach out and accept the love of God because in my opinion it portrays God as being needy and insecure. However, this desire on the part of God for us to love him is balanced by the bulk of the book which is about us living out our place in Christ; incarnating “crazy love” for others. Chan’s church donates some 50+% of its income to worthy causes such as his Children’s Hunger Fund, which is an example he wants all to emulate. He also provides a chapter of examples of individuals who are living out his vision of crazy love. These include famous historical figures such as George Mueller and contemporary figures such as our local Regent College professor Marva Dawn. Unfortunately these figures are held up as unblemished examples, something which may overwhelm readers who know their own foibles all too well.

Chan is very committed to his vision of living a life of crazy love and there are a series of Q&A in the back of the book where he attempts to answer some of the criticisms that have been levelled at his approach. For example he says that “lukewarm Christians” are not actually Christians at all, stating “the lukewarm still need to be saved…If someone has the Holy Spirit in them, there will be fruit, and there will not be a lukewarm life” (183). Obviously he is focussing on the statement of James 2:18, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” His approach to this subject is why Luther went as far as to call James a “book of straw.” The greater problem is that Chan will not allow others to disagree with his reading of Scripture, in particular his lukewarm condemnation which he draws from Revelation 3. The other issue is that “crazy love” is a sliding scale. What is crazy love to one person and culture might be normal in another time and place. Also true love may mean not giving people what they want when it is in God’s interests to do otherwise. What is the relationship between crazy love and hard love?

Let me address Chan’s logical fallacy in his approach to interpreting scripture. In essence it is the ‘no Christians play guitar fallacy.’ He states “When believers are alone with the Word, they come to the same conclusion that I do. Crazy Love appeals to thoughts that all Christians have had when they’re alone with God, and they realize that they are supposed to take Scripture literally. These are the things they should do” (185). Chan has left us with few options if we disagree with him; he has not left room for his view to be wrong. Either (1) we have never been ‘alone’ with the Word; (2) we are not Christians (3) or we have never been alone with God, or (4) we do not take Scripture literally. To which I would respond (A) we are never ‘alone’ when we read the Word. We have grown up reading it in community and even if someone has never met a Christian and reads the Bible they rely on translators to express it in language they can understand; (B) to say that ‘all Christians’ must have the same thoughts as Chan is arrogant. Does he have no concept of cultural differences? Does he think that Simi Valley, California represents the totality of how God is working among Christians? (C) To be alone with God is not necessarily to embrace the immanent God that Chan portrays. What about the transcendent God that is present in much of Scripture? Can we encounter the love of a transcendent God who inspires awe, rather than “falling in love” with him? (D) Chan claims to take Scripture literally but surely he must recognise that not all Scripture is to be taken in a woodenly literal manner. The Bible is comprised of poetry, songs, and various genres. Does he read Revelation literally down to every jot and tittle? What influence does its apocalyptic genre play in his understanding of Revelation? Can someone sit down ‘alone’ with Revelation today and understand it? No way! It requires knowledge of genre and context.

I have been rather harsh in the above comments and have not reflected the fact that there is a lot of good in what Chan says. I just wish he would take into account that his view of God has been limited by his context and community and does not comprise the view of ‘all Christians’ who have ever picked up a Bible and heard God speak to them through it. God’s love is crazy and we would be crazy to reject his love but God is bigger than us and his love for us. He is the Almighty, the King of Creation, and we need to approach him as such. Balance would be good, but not crazy .