Book Reviews
As a learning community in the Evangelical Free Church of Canada we are interested in taking advantage of the insights, challenges, and encouragement that can be found in some great books that have been written recently. With the amount of great material available, no one person can keep up. So you will find here a collection of book reviews and recommendations from a variety of Free Church leaders – some of our top picks from the last year. We will keep adding to this list. We hope this will help you a little bit with your personal learning and equipping for ministry.
Featured Review
Being God’s Image
Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters
By Carmen Joy Imes
As I said in my review of Carmen’s first book “Bearing God’s Name,” for many of us, the Old Testament seems like it is distant back story. It is often hard to reconcile what we read in its pages with what we see in the life of Jesus, or the epistles. Carmen Joy Imes is back, after her first book Bearing God’s Name, with a follow up volume that deals with more great Old Testament theology, entitled Being God’s Image
Carmen, who has ties to Canada as a former professor at Prairie College in Three Hills, is now the associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology in Biola as well as being named a Holy Post Pundit for the Holy Post Podcast. The material that she covers in this book is a great follow up to her first book which talked about the specific covenantal calling of representing God to others. In this one she tackles the more universal concept of humanity being made in God’s image. This is a very timely issue for us today as it seems like the broader culture thinks we can simply choose our own identity. Imes grounds our identity firmly and deeply in being God’s image. As with her previous book, this one was also very engaging, deeply informative, and yet easily accessible. Rarely have I seen someone be able to lay out complex issues in such simply everyday language.
The book begins, with a bit of fear and trembling by the author, in Genesis 1. In the first few chapters, Imes lays out how the Biblical narrative is a poetically structured look at creation and what it ultimately says about humanity being God’s image in his creation. The two issues of kinship and kingship (read the book to learn more about them) are drawn out. She then moves deeper into the Genesis narrative looking at what was lost and not lost in the fall. She even takes a peek at Noah and Babel before shifting gears.
Part 2 moves us on to Biblical wisdom literature to see how the theme of Imaging God is picked up there. This includes a great chapter on human suffering. Then Imes moves to a third section engaging the New Testament by looking at Jesus, the ultimate image of God. Her take is very interesting. We often think Jesus fulfills this role because of his deity, but she goes the other way. Incarnation apparently matters a lot. Imes continues looking at Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension and continues to trace the “image of God” theme all the way through the life of Christ and right into the book of Revelation.
As I said, this is a great follow up to Carmen’s first book. I would recommend you read that book, Bearing God’s Name before this one. However, this volume is certainly well worth reading after the first one, or even as a stand alone if you like.
Review by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Book Titles (Alphabetical)
A Church Called Tov
A Church Called Tov
A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture that Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing
By Scot McKnight & Laura Barringer
Scot McKnight and his daughter both live in Chicago and have both attended Willow Creek for at least some of their time there. Which is why the pastoral scandals of a number of Chicago’s megachurches essentially gave rise to this book. Based on a study of scandals just like those in Chicago, Scot and Laura begin this book by talking about different kinds of church culture and the early warning signs of a church culture moving in a toxic direction. They paint a compelling picture of how it is precisely this kind of toxic culture that enables abuse and abusers to carry on unchecked. Needless to say, the front part of the book reads like a horror story.
Tov is the Hebrew word for good. That’s where the second chunk of the book spends its time. Scot and Laura talk about what a goodness culture looks like. They offer seven healthy habits that move churches toward a good culture. Interestingly enough, it is also those same seven habits that resist the key components of toxic cultures that enable abusers.
This is a timely book for all of us. I would suggest it is a “must read.” We have seen too many pastors fall and too many churches and ministries accused of covering up abuse. We would do well to heed the advice in this book by building “tov” culture that will be resistant to abusers and will allow the church to be the place of healing it truly can be.
Review by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Bearing God’s Name
Bearing God’s Name
Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters
By Carmen Joy Imes
For many of us, the Old Testament seems like it is distant back story. It is often hard to reconcile what we read in it’s pages with what we see in the life of Jesus, or the epistles. Carmen Joy Imes in this wonderfully enlightening volume brings one of the critical Old Testament events to life for us.
Carmen, who has ties to Canada as a former professor at Prairie College in Three Hills, is now the associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology in Biola as well as being named a Holy Post Pundit for the Holy Post Podcast. However, when she wrote this volume she was still on faculty at Prairie College. The material that she covers in this book is a simplified breakdown of her doctoral thesis.
I’m just going to be candid here and say that I have rarely read an Old Testament theology book that was this delightfully engaging, deeply informative, and yet easily accessible. She does a phenomenal job of taking big complex concepts and putting them into simply every day language. I was actually a little surprised by how much new material I ran across in this book.
The book begins by helping us see how the entire Pentateuch is structured to frame Sinai as the pinnacle event. She then presses in to explain how Sinai is the spot where Israel begins to be shaped into the covenant people they have been called to be. The giving of the law is crucial in that shaping. Imes’ take on the Ten Commandments is where the book takes its name from. Essentially, she interprets the first couple of commands as “Worship only Yahweh and bear his name well.” That’s right, she digs into the Hebrew language for the “don’t take the Lord’s name in vain” command. She’s convinced that a better translation is “don’t bear the name in vain” and connects it with image of the high priest “bearing the names of the twelve tribes” on his vestments as he enters the presence of God. This provides a covenantal calling on Israel to represent God to the other nations. Through the rest of the book, she tracks that theme through the rest of the entire Biblical narrative, showing the breakdown of covenant, the prophets attempt to call the nation back, the fulfillment of the covenant in Jesus, and the inclusion of Gentiles into the missional calling to bear God’s name.
Pastors and leaders, or anyone for that matter, please pick this up and give it a read. Your understanding of the Old Testament, and for that matter what it means to be a disciple of Jesus who bears the name of God, will be greatly enhanced.
Review by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Being God’s Image
Being God’s Image
Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters
by Carmen Joy Imes
As I said in my review of Carmen’s first book “Bearing God’s Name”, for many of us, the Old Testament seems like it is distant back story. It is often hard to reconcile what we read in its pages with what we see in the life of Jesus, or the epistles. Carmen Joy Imes is back, after her first book Bearing God’s Name, with a follow up volume that deals with more great Old Testament theology, entitled Being God’s Image
Carmen, who has ties to Canada as a former professor at Prairie College in Three Hills, is now the associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology in Biola as well as being named a Holy Post Pundit for the Holy Post Podcast. The material that she covers in this book is a great follow up to her first book which talked about the specific covenantal calling of representing God to others. In this one she tackles the more universal concept of humanity being made in God’s image. This is a very timely issue for us today as it seems like the broader culture thinks we can simply choose our own identity. Imes grounds our identity firmly and deeply in being God’s image. As with her previous book, this one was also very engaging, deeply informative, and yet easily accessible. Rarely have I seen someone be able to lay out complex issues in such simply everyday language.
The book begins, with a bit of fear and trembling by the author, in Genesis 1. In the first few chapters, Imes lays out how the Biblical narrative is a poetically structured look at creation and what it ultimately says about humanity being God’s image in his creation. The two issues of kinship and kingship (read the book to learn more about them) are drawn out. She then moves deeper into the Genesis narrative looking at what was lost and not lost in the fall. She even takes a peek at Noah and Babel before shifting gears.
Part 2 moves us on to Biblical wisdom literature to see how the theme of Imaging God is picked up there. This includes a great chapter on human suffering. Then Imes moves to a third section engaging the New Testament by looking at Jesus, the ultimate image of God. Her take is very interesting. We often think Jesus fulfills this role because of his deity, but she goes the other way. Incarnation apparently matters a lot. Imes continues looking at Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension and continues to trace the “image of God” theme all the way through the life of Christ and right into the book of Revelation.
As I said, this is a great follow up to Carmen’s first book. I would recommend you read that book, Bearing God’s Name before this one. However, this volume is certainly well worth reading after the first one, or even as a stand alone if you like.
Reviewed by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Better Decisions Fewer Regrets
Better Decisions Fewer Regrets
Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move
By Andy Stanley
Stanley’s latest book is a worthwhile read for any involved in leadership, or in life, actually. Like much of his writing, it is very accessible and practically profound. Stanley challenges us to be intentional and careful in our decision-making by facing 5 key questions:
- The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself… really?
- The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell?
- The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
- The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do?
- The Relationship Question: What does love require of me?
Now that you have heard the questions you are not off the hook in reading the book. In typical Stanley fashion, there are gems of insight scattered throughout that both clarify and validate his questions. It is worth the price in dollars and time to read it. Only by reading through it will you catch some of his practical, but well grounded, wisdom. As he says in the book itself, “…be a student, not a critic. Critics look for reasons not to learn from what they don’t understand. Students, on the other hand, are always learning.”
This book helps us learn how to make better decisions, but maybe even more so it helps us learn how to think well.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Can I Believe
Can I Believe
Can I Believe? Christianity for the Hesitant
by John G Stackhouse Jr.
Can I Believe? Christianity for the Hesitant is a winsome, humorous book that will challenge the reader to ensure that their life and beliefs match reality. John G. Stackhouse has taught world religions for several decades, at a host of universities. His humble approach to navigating the challenges of religious pluralism is endearing, but don’t mistake his warm, relational, almost folksy approach to belief as lacking in academic rigour. Stackhouse takes the reader on a disciplined intellectual journey that helps one not only clarify what a religion ought to explain about life, but also why Christianity excels at this when compared to other religions. Throughout, Stackhouse is fair to all religions, gracious in affirming doubts, transparent regarding the limitations of knowledge, and honest about how certainty and faith both feed into belief.
In his first chapter, Stackhouse wrestles with how to decide on a religion. He highlights that religions are typically a creed, a code, and a community. In chapter two, he focuses on Christianity. Here his experience as a teacher of world religions serves him well. Stackhouse argues that the heuristics of any religion revolve around four questions – What is real? What is best? What is wrong? What can be done? – and eloquently shows how Christianity answers these:
What is real? Creation is God’s intended home for those He made in His image and tasked with further taming it.
What is best? Shalom: goodness and well-being, a fulsome peace that God built into His good creation.
What is wrong? Sin and evil was brought into the world by humans who wanted to be god – who wanted to make a name for themselves.
What can be done? Here Stackhouse summarizes the great Christian narrative of what God has done, what is being done, and what will ultimately be done.
I also loved his testimony regarding the challenge of teaching Hinduism and Christianity. One of the problems with teaching Christianity is that, while there are many strange teachings and odd features, many have glossed over or tried to simplify these. I appreciated Stackhouse’s admonition that we need to make Christianity “strange again.”
In the final two chapters, Stackhouse discusses why so many, from the early church to nearly two billion people today, have believed that Christianity explains best the four big questions. He then moves to the classic reasons given (such as the problem of evil) that inhibit some from believing. Along the way, Stackhouse mixes scholarship with engaging story. He challenges widely held assumptions like “all religions are the same!” He is honest about the so-called “scandals of Christianity”, such as Jesus’s claims about Himself and salvation being available only through Him. He gently nudges the reader to be humble – perhaps realistic? – regarding our limited ability to advise God and the foolishness of questions such as “Why didn’t God just…?” In the end, he leaves us with the syllogism: Jesus is good; Jesus is God; therefore, God is good.
This is a well-written, sensitive book that is equally suitable for skeptic, seeker, or committed believer. It rightly focuses on the strangeness of Christianity. It leads the skeptical reader to judge well between religious options. And for the believer, it strengthens our faith, encouraging us to follow Jesus anew.
For a related book and another great read, check out Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World by Paul M Gould.
Reviewed by Bill Taylor
Collaborating with the Enemy
Collaborating with the Enemy
Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust
by Adam Kahane
Thesis: We live in a complex world and so problems tend to be complex. One way that we respond to this is by “enemifying” those who we disagree with or who undermine our solutions. Different approaches should be employed to address differing realities. Stretch Collaboration will be key.
4 Ways of Dealing with a Problem (all are appropriate depending on the situation):
-
- Collaborate (if we have power to fix the problem)
- Force (if we have power to fix the problem)
- Adapt (if we don’t have power to fix problem)
- Exit (if we don’t have power to fix problem and adapting is unbearable)
Challenge: Conventional Collaboration is useful for addressing simple problems in the context of a simple-centered community that is on the same page in terms of vision, mission, and desired goal, and for which there is a hierarchy of authority. Most problems today are, however, complex in the context of holonic structures that are more like a network of autonomous individuals/groups who have radically different opinions re: the problem, the solution and goals. Getting these people “on the same page” (as per conventional collaborative processes attempt) is impossible and counterproductive, producing a mere chimeric consensus that masks real views of the antagonists. Hence, Stretch Collaboration is a 5th way of addressing problems.
Solution: Stretch Collaboration. This depends on 3 shifts:
-
- Embrace Conflict and Connection via alternating between power and love. Power used to assert what is sacred to you, but love to reestablish unity between antagonists
- Experiment a way forward by using dialoguing and presencing, not merely using downloading and debating. The key is to seamlessly flow between the types of listening and communicating, and to encourage all four. This generates multiple solutions that can be experimental options.
- Stepping into the game. This means that leaders do not sit on the outside as directors (getting the participants to get “it done”) or spectators (watching participants “sink or swim”), but we rather co-create a better future with other participants by moving toward rather than away from our “enemies”. This means that I change me (and my approach) and do not look to change my “enemy”.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Creating Ministry Champions
Creating Ministry Champions
Creating Ministry Champions
By Charles E Worley
Many of us have had the pleasure of having Charlie minister to or with us. His latest book is a helpful tool. The subtitle summarizes it well, “An introduction to developing and coaching leaders for churches and Christian organizations.” Charlie helped the EFCC immensely with Church planter assessment, bootcamp and coaching. This book is a nice summary of some of that material.
Charlie does a nice job of summarizing what ministry coaching is (there are quite a few different approaches to coaching and Charlie explains each one). He also highlights well the characteristics one need to be a good coach of ministry leaders. He devotes an entire chapter on how to develop the art of listening while coaching. This is especially helpful for us pastors who are used to preaching, advising,
debating….well pretty much talking lots and listening little. Charlie also explains how to ask good questions that will help ministry leaders grow. He provides great resources in the appendices, including a fabulous list of questions that any of us could use as we coach ministry leaders.
This book is eminently practical. Charlie helps the reader to think through how to use coaching to develop ministry plans. He also focuses on how to coach a leader from simply setting vision, mission and values, (making plans) to actually setting up and implementing a strategic plan. Charlie also helps the reader to know what kind of conversations need to happen for a leader grow. His emphasis on making plans to moving a plan forward through implementation is helpful. He also shows us how to
expand the coaching target from an individual leader to an entire ministry team. Charlie has distilled what he has learned from a lifetime of ministry and shared it in an accessible, usable book.
I highly recommend this book. In my book review on Alejandro Mandes’ book “Embracing the New Samaria”, I quoted his reference to a survey of EFCA pastors on “what makes a disciple?” The answers were alarming. It is too easy to assume that disciples will be made by osmosis – by just “showing up” on Sunday and listening. Charlie’s book is a great reminder that there are active ways of helping disciples grow!
Review by Bill Taylor
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High
By Patterson, Grenny, McMillian , Switzler
As Christians aspiring to be salt and light in our neighbourhoods and examples of unity and love in our faith communities, one of the primary skills needed is the ability to engage constructively in conversations that have a high probability of developing into conflict. We’ve all been in a place at one time or another when a situation or the words of another person elicited a deep fight-or-flight response in us, to the point that we find it difficult to respond well in the moment. We seem to live in a world bereft of people with the skill to know how to talk through their differences.
The book Crucial Conversations helps to bring understanding to those moments when we engage with others on topics that matter deeply to us. Many of its suggestions come simply from observations of people who seem to be able to handle hard conversations well, and going to the root of what enabled those good outcomes. The book offers practical and constructive guidance on engaging in conversations in ways that bring out the best in others and in ourselves. It helps us to feel safe and to better understand what we really want out of the conversation, and it moves us through a clear conclusion to a resolution of tensions through understanding. Although not a faith-based book, it is used in many Christian organizations to teach people to see themselves and others more clearly when deeply felt opinions and conclusions leave us at odds with others.
Reviewed by Rich Peachey
Embracing the new Samaria
Embracing the New Samaria
Embracing the new Samaria
By Alejandro Mandes
We live in an increasingly multicultural land and this book is a must read. Alex Mandes is a leader in the Evangelical Free Church of America and has been responsible for initiatives such as Immigrant Hope and EFCA Gateway. He is a Hispanic who found Jesus in Texas and then married a good Nordic Free Church girl from North Dakota. He lives out multiculturalism every day!
This book is a fine mix of personal experience and missional theology. Mandes focuses on the United States, but his observations in his first section “Seeing the New Samaria” apply to Canada as well. His personal story is helpful for those of us who have never experienced being an “outsider” or “ethnic minority”. He illustrates for us how the demographics have changed – if not in our neighborhood, in our “province”. In his second section he issues the biblical call for us to “Love the New Samaria”. This necessitates an extension of our vision of God’s Kingdom, an appreciation for the beauty of other cultures and an entering into the pain of the marginalized among us.
The third section is “Reach the New Samaria”. Here he calls us to a transformation in strategy, a renewed emphasis on making disciples and equipping leaders to be able to think like cross cultural missionaries. I appreciated his emphasis on what he calls the G3 – the Great Commandment, Great Commission, building Great Community. He highlights the challenge before us regarding disciple- making. He references a survey of EFCA pastors, where they were asked, “What makes a disciple?” The top answers? 1. Going to church. 2. Listening to sermons and podcasts. 3. Giving money to the church. 4. Being a missionary. If this is our go to strategy for making disciples – then we will likely fail to make disciples – not only of our Samaritan neighbors, but even of our fellow “Jerusalemites”! Nor will we be the type of community Jesus calls us to be. Alex calls us to this in his last section is “Be the New Samaria”. Here he calls us to being a reconciled community, to being a multiethnic family that helps to transform marginalized communities and a body that passes the church forward to the next, multicultural generation.
This is a must read. Whether you live in a large city, small city, town, or rural area, you will benefit from hearing Alejandro’s experiences with white evangelicalism and his heart for us all to think like cross cultural missionaries!
Review by Bill Taylor
Faithfully Different
Faithfully Different
Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture
By Natasha Crain
You might have noticed that we live in a world with new views regarding life and morality. Many evangelicals have simply conformed. Others are running around, lighting their hair on fire, screaming that the “sky is falling” (metaphorically speaking!). What I love about Natasha Crain’s book is that she fairly shows how the prevailing worldview has changed but instead of a fearful rant, she calls evangelicals to respond by being faithfully different. Crain’s subtitle is “regaining biblical clarity in a secular culture.”
Crain does an admirable job of highlighting the “new normal.” She shows how it is no longer “normal” to be a Christian in our culture – and she avoids longing for the “good old days” when it was normal. She explains well the difference between a secular, pluralistic culture, and “secularism”. She also highlights how compelling secularism is – even to Christians.
Crain moves on to suggesting how we ought to be faithfully different in terms of what we believe and how we think. She calls us to reject secular naturalism and to have a supernatural worldview once again. Crain exposes the seductive and all-encompassing nature of secular individualism that runs counter to Christ’s call and intent for us. A Christian version of this secular individualism is so easy for the church to embrace and promote/teach. She addresses doubt, and the rising trend of deconversion among evangelicals. She calls us to reexamine our worldview, rooting out what we have picked up at the secular buffet. She reminds us of Jesus’ call to us morally and warns us to avoid the adopting mere virtue signaling over real concern for what hurts God’s heart. Above all, she argues that we need to learn how to think! This call to discernment stands in direct contrast to secular indifference.
I appreciate her last section because it is a call to faithfully different living. Evangelicals have a bad reputation when it comes to morality. We are seen as only interested in a few moral issues and even then, we are viewed as hypocrites who routinely (and unapologetically) break our own rules. Crain presents the need for Christians to embrace biblical justice instead of a secular social justice. She calls us to speak the truth in love – even if it risks censure from the cancel culture. Crain reminds us that we are disciples of Jesus and that our hearts need to be formed by the gospel, and we need rediscover the power of the gospel so that we have the courage to share it (even in this relativistic world).
I recommend this book. It will be an encouragement to anyone who shepherds people, anyone who has kids growing up in this culture, or those who work in the marketplace where Christianity is viewed negatively as inherently oppressive.
Review by Bill Taylor
The Flourishing Pastor
The Flourishing Pastor
The Flourishing Pastor
By Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson’s latest book is really a must read for all pastors. Tom was to be our speaker at our 2022 EFCC conference. Unfortunately, he needed to cancel, and we missed out on hearing him. His earlier book, Work Matters is a great book as well. The subtitle of this book is “recovering the lost art of shepherd leadership.” Nelson blends personal stories with great biblical exegesis in this work.
In the first part, he focuses on the pastoral calling to shepherd. He reminds us that it is far too easy for pastors to forsake our role as shepherds of God’s people and to go “whoring after other gods.” He speaks openly about the temptation of orienting our ministry goals toward being a celebrity pastor, visionary CEO, or lone ranger kingdom builder. He calls us to find our way home, to embrace obscurity,
return to the basic redemptive message and live out our calling as shepherds with integrated lives. He also reminds us that we have a shepherd who leads us through the dark, dangerous, and lonely places of ministry.
In the second section Nelson continues his call to pastors to be people with integrity of heart. Here he reminds us that we must apprentice with Jesus and pursue integrity and wholeness of life. Nelson’s final section focuses on the skills that shepherds need to master. These skills are not always the things we
imagine as being most important, but they are absolutely integral to successful shepherding. I love his emphasis on how we minister through faithful presence. His four practices of faithful presence are very insightful (and challenging). He speaks about how pastors need to build a flourishing culture for our people. He shares how after ten years of ministry he confessed on a Sunday morning – to pastoral malpractice. He urges pastors to work hard to help our people live out their faith Monday to Saturday –
to find ways to connect what we do on Sunday to Monday. He urges us to use a more biblical scorecard for evaluating our ministry and reminds us how difficult (and important) it is for us to finish well.
This is a great book for pastors. It is a great tonic for all the temptations that afflict us. It will restore your awe for the privilege we have to shepherd those our God loves so much. And it will feed your soul. It just may encourage you to be a flourishing pastor!
Review by Bill Taylor
For the Life of the World
For the Life of the World
For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference
By Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun
“… academic theology ought to be, but today largely isn’t, about what matters the most – the true life in the presence of God.”
With that, Volf and Croasmun open up this treatise on the purpose for, and need of, theology. Both come qualified to speak into this issue, as Croasmun is an associate research scholar and Volf a well-respected Professor of Theology. Their premise in this book is quite simple; they believe that “the purpose of theology is to discern, articulate, and commend visions of flourishing life in the light of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ.” Their concept of a flourishing life describes a tripartite structure: life going well (the desirable circumstances of life), life led well (the good conduct of life), and life feeling well (the states of contentment and joy). They suggest that higher education has often slipped into helping students live the kind of life they want rather than helping them discern the kind of life worth living and wanting. The distinction is not insignificant.
They spend some time describing the crisis of theology as well as providing a picture for a renewed theology that is “biblically rooted, partristically guided, ecclesially located, and publicly engaged.” It is a fairly robust picture. They call theologians then to align their lives with the flourishing life in Christ on which theology should be focused. They also provide a more detailed vision for that flourishing life, in large measure by considering Paul’s description of the Kingdom (righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit).
This is a fairly dense read, but by no means unreadably so. There are nuggets of insight throughout that speak into the impact of theology. I found it extremely refreshing to read this call to course-correct theological study coming from one who lives and works within those halls. The study of theology is relevant and beneficial, but only as we make it serve the right purpose. Such theology will make a difference. While directed in large measure to academic theology, it is relevant as well to those working in the church, as we too can get lost in the deliberations of theological minutia and forget that our study of theology is to lead people to the flourishing life that God desires and designs for his people.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Inexpressible
Inexpressible
Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness
By Michael Card
Michael Card brings together his artistic and scholarly sides in this easy-to-read, but deeply devotional little volume. Michael has spent years grappling with a word in the Old Testament that he believes is key in defining and demonstrating the character of God: Hesed.
Hesed is not, however, an easy word to translate. Its meaning is so rich, broad, and sweeping in the original language that several English words take its place. Yet this word occurs nearly 250 times in the Old Testament.
Michael helps the reader see how this word broadens our understanding of who God is and how he acts. He looks at how people’s lives were shaped by the God of Hesed, and what the implications for us are, as we serve a God of Hesed. In our day and age, when there are so many distractions and idols all around us, reading a book that draws our focus back to the core character of God is life-giving. This book does that in spades, and to me, goes even one step further: because of the devotional nature, and the beautiful writing, it opens our hearts once again as we are impacted by the immense and incomprehensible love of God.
Reviewed by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Know What You’re For
Know What You’re For
Know What You’re For
by Jeff Henderson.
Jeff Henderson is a pastor, but also an entrepreneur and speaker. His insights flow from, and were tested in, both the marketplace and the church. In this little gem of a book he calls us, whether we are marketplace or church leaders, to refocus our organizations and our work. His thesis is simply that if we want to see growth, we need to be sure about who we are “FOR.” If we are truly FOR our customers, members, team, or community, we will thrive. He talks from experience about what happens when you build an organization around who you are FOR. He peppers his exposition with stories that support his rich insights.
In unpacking what it looks like to have the right “FOR” focus, he touches areas like social media, meetings, vision, and even how to build a digital community. The book is worth the investment just for the chapter on social media, as he encourages us to use media as a telephone, not as a megaphone, for dialogue more than for monologue.
Henderson makes a strong case for community and relationships, something that translates well for the church. He says that “without community, you’re a commodity.” And the strength of that community is what will build the strength of the organization. In fact, he argues that “a brand is no longer what it tells consumers it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.” In thinking about ministry, this means we focus on the people not the organization for its own sake. It seems so simple, and yet….
Henderson’s word is timely, and while not exclusively for the church, it is more than applicable to the church, in both perspective and application. A worthy read.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Lead Like A Shepherd
Lead Like a Sheperd
Lead Like a Shepherd
by Larry Osborne
This is another Larry Osborne classic that should be required reading for every pastor. I admit to loving this little book. I teach leadership at a Bible College, and I will no longer talk just about servant leadership, but also embrace the biblical picture of shepherd leadership. The two are not in conflict; in fact, Jesus uses both descriptions, and so should we.
Osborne draws our attention to some of the unique characteristics of shepherd leadership. He divides this teaching into five key areas, each one peppered with stories and examples that bring his lessons to life.
The first section relates to “spiritual leadership.” Here he addresses the question of who is qualified to serve as leader. He challenges the priority of the concepts of being “called into ministry” and the “full-time ministry” picture. His picture of spiritual leadership is robust and honest. He talks about how spiritual leadership is hard work – and examines some of the realities we face that make it so difficult.
Here are a few thought provoking quotes from this section:
- “I’ve never had a desire to force non-Christians to live like Christians. And I’ve never had much angst over the legalization of sinful behaviour. I’ve always tried to take my cues from the early church. They didn’t seem too worried about the decadence and immorality that was legal and prevalent within the church.”
- “A final challenge that makes spiritual leadership difficult today is the hyper privatization of spirituality. Most free-agent Christians aren’t looking to be discipled; they’re looking to be affirmed and encouraged. They’d rather have a cheerleader than a coach.”
In his second section Osborne challenges us to “Think like a Shepherd.” He provides a fairly broad look at the unique shape of shepherd leadership and what makes it is important for the church. It is not a weak and mild leadership, but a strong leadership that is rightly focused and properly expressed. In the process of walking us through this, Osborne challenges us with insights like these:
- “No one makes their kids do things they want to do. We only have to make them do the things they don’t want to do. Every shepherd has to occasionally make his sheep do something they don’t want to do.”
- “There are always going to be some things you will have to do but on one will understand.”
- “A good shepherd adapts to the weaknesses and limitations of his flock even when those fears and limitations are unfounded and frustrating. Angry shepherds, disgusted and dismayed by the shortcomings of their sheep, don’t advance the cause of Jesus.”
Serve with Enthusiasm is his third section. It provides some encouragement for pastors in the midst of the struggle, helping us set our hearts again in the right place.
In his fourth section (Lead by Example), Osborne integrates the model of servant leadership. Again, a few snippets of insight to whet your appetite:
- “Servant leaders don’t relish or demand the symbols of authority.”
- “Servant leaders find their ultimate joy and status in helping others.”
- “Leaders who fully grasp their identity in Christ can do things and put up with slights an insecure leader can’t handle. They don’t feel belittled or demeaned when they have to change some proverbial diapers, or are taken for granted.”
In his final section of the book he talks about the need to “Take the long view.” Here you will find encouragement to continue on, calling us to patience and persistence.
In a mere 166 pages Osborne provides a great primer on the kind of leadership God desires and expects. In characteristic Larry Osborne style, the reading is easy but packed with sage, yet down-to-earth, counsel. He not only paints the right picture, he helps provide us with a road map to move that direction. And it feels like you are having a chat with friend. Buy it. Read it. Give a copy to a friend.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Leading from the Second Chair
Leading from the Second Chair
Leading from the Second Chair: Serving your church, fulfilling your role, and realizing your dreams
By Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson
All of us at all times are in a position of leading others and of being led by others. When we are not in the “first chair” of leadership, we experience some paradoxes of empowerment and freedom along with the constraints of deferring to those who lead us. Many of us struggle with this dynamic in various relationships in life. Some individuals live their lives “on hold” with the belief that they will never really be able to fulfill dreams or fully express their God-given passion for ministry until they are “in the first chair.”
Leading from the Second Chair is a book primarily about church ministry; however, the relational paradoxes and the resolution of relational dynamics suggested here apply to a number of settings where roles or positions dictate a need to defer. Though the primary illustrations and application are focused on the relationship between senior and associate pastors, this book offers practical advice for healthy, respectful interactions in any setting where roles call one individual to defer to the other. It explores how power differential, differences of priority, and personal aspirations can be navigated with grace and honesty. The book also helps to dismantle some of the tension that roles can fuel, and draws ministers in varying roles into true partnerships.
Reviewed by Rich Peachey
Leading Together
Leading Together
Leading Together
By Bryan D Sims
We live and minister in a changing world. Shepherding and leading during a time of change is challenging. Further, North American society seems to be becoming more and more polarized. The subtitle of Bryan Sims’ book is “The holy possibility of harmony and synergy in the face of change.” You can see why I was drawn to this book!
Sims begins his book by arguing his case for shared leadership. He calls us to kenosis and adaptive leadership. This is an in person, shepherding kind of leadership that stands in direct contrast to the North American ideal of heroic solo leadership. His second part calls us to a new framework for leading together. Musicians will appreciate his jazz music metaphor. Historians will understand his shift in focus
from “great man history” to scenius – an intelligence of the whole. While we love putting our heroes (people like Martin Luther) on a pedestal, it is instructive to recognize that others were part of creating a culture that allowed great leaders to make good decisions and pursue prudent actions. Sims also reminds us that Jesus’ call for His people is to harmony – a oneness that is supernatural in nature.
Sims calls us to a spiritual leadership that mimics our Master. He argues that this leadership is non anxious, abiding, humble and courageous. He concludes with some wonderful advice on how to create transforming environments and fruitful processes that help us ask the right questions. These processes also produce fruit of the Spirit along the way. In a world where autocratic heroes are in the news far too often (for all the wrong reasons), where polarization, dissension and splits plague too many churches, where leaders are open to charges of spiritual abuse, this is a must read for shepherds of the flock!
Review by Bill Taylor
The Life We’re Looking For
The Life We’re Looking For
The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World
By Andy Crouch
I am going to say it right off the top – you must read this book! Andy Crouch is one of the most thoughtful writers in all of evangelicalism. I think this is his best book yet. The subtitle is a helpful guide to understanding the book “reclaiming relationship in a technological world.”
Crouch beautifully describes the world we thought we wanted. That is a world where technology makes life easier, convenient, with more time for leisure. He shows us how impersonal technology makes this world and how lonely we have become. He explains how we have traded personhood to get the superpowers technology affords us. He relates our addiction to technological superpowers to how the
ancients viewed magic. His chapter on money and mammon – as a world system that we live under and worship – is worth the price of the book.
If you are interested in artificial intelligence (AI), then you will love his chapters on boring robots and how the next tech revolution will both succeed and fail. His discussion of the redemptive role of God’s people within this kingdom and our evangelical addiction to short term “impact”, rather than long term, boring, incarnational “influence” is a prophetic word to the North American church. I loved his call for us to move from “devices” to “instruments”, where we once again use tools to bless persons, not diminish them.
And then there is his last three chapters. These are the most hopeful and discouraging of the book. Here Crouch calls us to move from our thin North American view of family to a much more robust biblical form of household. He calls us to be the kind of household that values the unuseful. He urges us to see ourselves as a great cloud/chain of witnesses/persons who are one through the ages – the body of Christ. It is a grand vision, and it is biblical. Yet Crouch is also brutally transparent about what the costs are to this biblical household of faith – the price that most are unwilling to pay for real Christian community. He shares from personal experience what we must give up in terms of individual autonomy and privacy/anonymity if we want to experience this kind of fulsome, beautiful and yes, difficult and annoying community. The nagging question I am left with is “do I really want to experience the full personhood and beauty of Christian community enough to sacrifice the idols of autonomy and anonymity that technology feeds?”
I will say it again – read this book! Prepare to be inspired with hope and challenged by the cost.
Review by Bill Taylor
Living The Psalms
Living the Psalms
Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind
by Charles R. Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll, a pastor, lecturer, and writer, has always been a favorite of mine. I have heard him personally a number of times and have always been refreshed and challenged. One of his books that is a favorite of mine is “Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind.” Although published back in 2012, its words have particular meaning today as we walk through this current pandemic. I find something I’ve read in the morning entering my mind several times during the day, depending on the particular circumstances I’m currently in. The reading for each day is not long but is always relevant, challenging and encouraging, all at the same time. I think the Psalms will become more alive for you as you read Chuck’s thought-provoking words and encouragements for each day.
Reviewed by Dwight Johnson
The Liturgy of Politics
The Liturgy of Politics
The Liturgy of Politics : Spiritual Formation for the Sake of our Neighbor
By Kaitlyn Schiess
Kaitlyn Schiess grew up as a self-described military brat, who in her formative years was deeply immersed in conservative culture. She went to Liberty University, where she was on the university debate team. She is now furthering her education at Dallas Theological Seminary. You would think, given the political climate in the United States, that she would automatically lean Republican. However, that’s partly what this book is about – how politics can become an all encompassing formational and partisan story, if we let it.
Early in the book Kaitlyn lays out some of the false gospel stories that are at play in partisan politics as we see them. She then challenges those by calling us to the true and bigger gospel story that we have in Jesus. Yet she takes that even a step further. She asks, “How does that true and bigger gospel story shape our political identity?” If you think she walks away from politics to do that, you are wrong. It is her firm belief that pretty much everything we do is political in nature to some degree or another. Instead, she lays out a framework for seeing the calling and mission of the people of God as doing good for the sake of our neighbor. She spends a good deal of time grappling with the Old Testament prophets’ calls to the nation of Israel to do just that. And then she moves to the practices of the church, and shows how they ought to form us around this same desire to love God and neighbour in a way that motivates us toward political action for the good of our community.
This deeply refreshing read will remind you of who really is King, and how our King calls us to live out his “eschatological embassy” in these days here on earth. If you have been asking how in the world do I, as a Christian, live in this politically-divided world, this book is for you. If you are a church leader who is struggling to know how to help your church walk through the current political quagmire, this book is definitely for you.
Reviewed by Neil Bassingthwaighte
Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes
Misreading Scripture
Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes: Patronage, Honor, and Shame in the Biblical World
By E. Randolph Richards & Richard James
I found this book very helpful. The subtitle summarizes well the three issues that I, as an individualist struggle to understand: “Patronage, Honor and Shame in the Biblical World”. Two notes right off the top: Note #1 – you must read this book if you want to avoid routinely missing the point of the biblical text, or worse, misinterpreting the text – badly. Note #2 – If you haven’t read E. Randolph Richards’
earlier book “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes”, you need to read it first. It will save you making all sorts of hermeneutical blunders. This book is an excellent, deeper look at some of the issues the first book identified.
This work compares collectivist and individualist cultures. The authors are missionaries who were raised in an individualist culture and then ministered in collectivist cultures. They sprinkle great stories throughout that help you see how we can misunderstand the biblical text, and neighbors who come from a collectivist culture. Further, they help us see how we can miss the point of many of the biblical stories and parables and how our brothers and sisters raised in collectivist cultures view the message of the text differently (and often more accurately) because the Bible was written in a collectivist context. I especially enjoyed seeing how radically countercultural Jesus, Paul and the biblical authors were as they
both affirmed and challenged many of the boundaries/assumptions of their collectivist culture.
The three parts of this book are all very helpful. The first section explains the social structure of the biblical world. The authors explain how kinship works very differently than family in an individualist culture. They discuss how patronage and brokerage work and how these realities informed God’s community of faith in the Old Testament and the Church. The second section examines the social tools that enforced and reinforced the values of God’s communities of faith. The tools were honor, shame, and boundaries. They argue that in individualist cultures these three things (especially shame) are routinely dismissed as systemic evils, but that there is in fact, good and bad uses of all three tools. The show us examples of this from the biblical text. The last section asks the question, “why does collectivism matter to me?” Here they remind us that we need to understand collectivism to understand the biblical text and many of our neighbors who grew up in a different culture with different values. They focus on redeeming kingship and boundaries, noting that Jesus and the apostles redefined who our family is. This has real implications for church life. They also focus on redeeming patronage and brokerage. This has implications for how we view leadership and shepherding in the church.
I loved Randolph’s first book – and this one is very good too. I found his emphasis on good and bad uses of patronage, honor, and shame very helpful. As individualists it is too easy for us to dismiss all three as systemic evils that the church in collectivist cultures need to reject (a new form of colonialism more rooted in our culture than the Word). The authors helpfully show us how patronage, honor and shame are both good and bad. They can be used to bless individuals and restore them to the community – or used to disparage individuals and alienate them from the community. Canada is increasingly multicultural, and a growing portion of the EFCC are brothers and sisters raised in collectivist cultures.
You will not only understand the biblical text better if you read this book, you will also better understand your brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Review by Bill Taylor
The New Orthodoxy: Canada’s Emerging Civil Religion
The New Orthodoxy: Canada’s Emerging Civil Religion
The New Orthodoxy: Canada’s Emerging Civil Religion
by Bruce J. Clemenger
If you are a Canadian aged 40 and above, and if you have lived your entire life in Canada, then you might have a vague (or not so vague) sense that Canadian culture has changed – especially in the past 20 years. In his excellent book The New Orthodoxy: Canada’s Emerging Civil Religion, longtime Evangelical Fellowship of Canada leader Bruce Clemenger carefully unpacks the evolution of liberal democratic thought and practice in Canada. Bruce has served the EFC since 1992 and has led the EFC to have intervenor status at various Supreme Court cases in his 30 years in Ottawa. He has been ideally placed to observe and explain the shift from classical to republican liberalism now evident among Canadian policymakers. In part one of this paper, I will briefly summarize Bruce’s account of those changes. My hope is that this will help Christian leaders understand more, and fear less, the changes in the political landscape. I think many of us intuitively “know” political and moral attitudes have changed in Canada and we suspect they have led to less positive view of the church by many Canadians (particularly Canadians in the social and political sphere). In part two, I will provide some theological and discipling points for those leading the church. In part three…
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World
By Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky
Heifetz and Linsky define Adaptive Leadership as “the act of mobilizing a group of individuals to handle tough challenges and emerge triumphant in the end.” More specifically, they, along with Grashow, have provided a handbook for navigating leadership and its challenges in a complex and changing world. Though written over 10 years ago, the relevance and practical application of this material is as appropriate today as when it was written, and will continue to be so for years to come.
In a very readable presentation, the authors articulate how adaptive leadership enables a leader to thrive. They describe how adaptive leadership builds on the past rather than jettisoning it, that it relies on diversity, that it takes time, and happens often through experimentation. Adaptive leadership works with the DNA of an organization — displacing, reregulating, and rearranging it. Thus leadership in adaptive challenges will generate loss, but they help us understand how and when that can be a good thing. The perspective on leadership, change, and loss is alone worth the price of admission for this read.
With this larger framework the authors unpack a series of steps necessary for successful adaptive leadership. The first of these steps is diagnosis, beginning with diagnosis of your system or culture, then of the adaptive challenge before you, and finally of the political landscape in which you are working. They articulate the process of diagnosis with profound insights, great examples, and practical steps to take on the journey. This format makes the book more than just a reference text, but rather more like a very helpful roadmap.
After helping us diagnose the system, they walk us through the challenge of mobilizing the system by making healthy interpretations and interventions, and help us understand what it means to act politically in a helpful and appropriate way. Part of mobilizing the system includes orchestrating conflict,and building a culture that is effective with adaptive change. Again, their wisdom, examples, and next steps are insightful.
But their insights go beyond the corporate, as they then turn their attention more specifically to the leader, helping us understand our own systemic nature and what that means for our organizations and our role in those organizations.
Throughout their presentation are numerous golden gems that make the book worth reading simply for those individual takeaways. For example, as they talk about the leader’s role in adaptive challenges, they make profound observations about how a good adaptive leader needs to move away from predictability so that others cannot neutralize his/her leadership. In their challenge to diagnose the political landscape, they help us understand some basic steps that will aid in the successful development and rollout of any adaptive response to a challenge.
At the end of the day, as they walk us through the practice of better understanding our organization, ourselves, and our challenges, and then leveraging the strengths and opportunities each provides, they are giving leaders an amazing tool for successful navigation of the significant challenges we face in a changing world. Their insights are applicable to all organizations (big, small, profit and non-profit organizations alike) and all leaders. Anyone interested in being a leader that is effective in a challenging and changing world should read this book. This is exactly why you will hear these authors and this book quoted so often in many leadership discussions. This work is foundational, but also extremely practical and readable. There is additional benefit if you can read it together with other key leaders on your team.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Practicing the King’s Economy
Practicing the King’s Economy
Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Learn, Spend, Save & Give
By Michael Rhodes & Robby Holt
As evangelicals, we are often afraid to discuss social justice or economics. We have a lingering distrust of the social gospel (nothing wrong with that!) and we often assume that the economic and political system we live in is somehow God’s preferred system (there is something wrong about that!). Michael Rhodes and Robby Holt do a fabulous job of sharing biblical principles that Christians need to grapple with as we live out our faith in this political and economic world. They then share great stories of how Christians and churches are trying to live out each principle.
Their first principle is about worship – “God, not mammon.” This is an especially important call to those of us who assume that capitalism and consumerism are unequivocally good things (we may even assume that these two things are God’s intended plan for humanity). They share some great stories about “cross shaped giving.” The second principle revolves around the Lord’s table – “one table, one baptism, no distinction.” The authors stress the biblical centrality of community for God’s people, sharing great stories of “potluck” that go far beyond what we have all experienced at our church.
The authors insightfully look at Old Testament examples to help us to think about work, wages, gleaning and giving. They share awesome stories of how the church can help those inside and outside of the church to understand their work and to glean. I loved the section on “no poor among you” and the stories about how Christians and the church can invest in ways that alleviate poverty. The section on “the heavens declare” was a great call to biblical stewardship of all of creation. I especially loved the
last section on sabbath. It was an inspiring call for those of us in leadership to build rest in the lives of those who serve with us (and in our own lives as well!).
This is a great book! It may challenge some of your political assumptions! Yet it will do so from Scripture, and it will further fire your imagination for how you can do life and ministry in ways that reflect His Kingdom values – His Kingdom Economy!
Review by Bill Taylor
Reignite Your Leadership Heart
Reignite Your Leadership Heart
Reignite Your Leadership Heart: Inspiring Women to Unleash Their Full Potential
By Ann Griffiths
Ann is one of our own! She served as the EFCC Women’s Ministry President and has continued to serve at Abbotsford EFC (now Mill Lake Church) in Women’s Ministries, music and so much more. So yes, Ann is focused on encouraging women. Her subtitle is “Inspiring Women to Unleash their Full Potential.” Yet I would argue that this is not only a book for women. Men – especially men in ministry leadership also need to read this book. It will inspire you, warn you, break your heart, and encourage you. It will also help you be an encouragement, rather than a discouragement to the women you minister with.
Ann masterfully weaves her own story with many biblical stories. She shares honestly how God anchored a broken life in hope, how wounds turned into cracks, how God graciously led her back to Him by grace, and how He restored her and led her again to serve. Ann transparently speaks of the joys, disappointments, hurts, failures, and successes she has experienced along the way. Yet she beautifully
retells her own story in the context of God’s bigger story. She insightfully turns our eyes to God’s redemptive work through His people as demonstrate in the Word. She shows us how God uses people today in that same mighty work of transformation.
This book is food and medicine for the hungry and hurting soul. It is inspiration for those who want to join God in something beautiful, redemptive, and so much bigger than their own story. The principles gleaned from the Word are great, but this book is even more powerfully encouraging because Ann has authentically shared the cost and rewards of what following Jesus has meant in her own life. This is a story and call to humble influence and transformation. Read and have your passion for God’s
redemptive work reignited!
Review by Bill Taylor
Thriving in Babylon
Thriving in Babylon
Thriving in Babylon
by Larry Osborne
While written in 2015, Thriving in Babylon reads like it could have been written today. Osborne uses Daniel’s story to teach us about living in a “fast changing and godless society.” He suggests that Daniel is not an adventure story, nor is it a prophecy manual; Osborne writes, “Whenever we turn the bulk of our attention to deciphering the obscure, we tend to miss the obvious….” He sees in Daniel’s story that Daniel “found a way, in a culture far more wicked than anything we face, to glorify and serve God with such integrity and power that kings, peasants, and an entire nation turned to acknowledge the splendor of the living God.”
It all starts with a grasp of something we can too easily forget when caught in the backwash: God is in control of who is in control. “How big is our God?” he asks. Daniel’s answer is encouraging.
But, as always, Larry is a realist. He talks about the reality of, and proper perspective in, difficult times. What does it mean when it seems like the bad guys are winning? Larry suggests that we generally draw the wrong conclusions and look for the wrong results. He then suggests three big needs (again based on what we see in Daniel’s story):
- Hope. Osborne talks about hope killers like conspiracy theories, myopia, amnesia, and political bandwagons – some very relevant words for our time.
- Humility. Osborne’s discussion includes issues like credibility and spiritual warfare.
- Wisdom. In this final section, he engages us with the power of perspective, and even challenges us by talking about compromise and fear.
There is so much more he provides in his very readable easy-going style. He never comes across as a preachy know-it-all, but rather a fellow sojourner who has learned a few lessons along the way that he is willing to share. Here are few snippets to further pique your interest:
- “It’s easy to obey God when we agree with him. But that’s not really obedience. We haven’t learned obedience until we do what he says despite our doubts, confusion, or concern that his way won’t work out.”
- “Without perspective, everything gets blown out of proportion. We catastrophize. The loss of privilege becomes harsh persecution. Opposition becomes hatred. And every legal or electoral setback becomes cause for anguish and despair. In short, we evaluate and extrapolate without putting God into the equation.”
- “If we claim to be followers of Jesus, there’s never a good reason for panic. God loves a mess. After all, it takes a mess to have a miracle.”
- “The fact is, if we’re unwilling to treat godless leaders with respect, we’ll have no chance of influencing their decisions and actions.”
So, if you want some solid encouragement, and direction, for your heart in the midst of chaos, pick up this read.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Winsome Conviction
Winsome Conviction
Winsome Conviction – Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church by Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer
by Tim Muehlhoff & Richard Langer
In this excellent tutorial for us, Muehlhoff and Langer, who come to this topic with church, pastoral, communication, and teaching experience, push into a topic most pastors and churches know is there, but do not actually spend time addressing. The issue is “differences,” and how we can and should handle them. The authors suggest that while “we may have more disagreements with nonbelievers, our disagreements with believers are more problematic and emotionally charged.” In consideration of this they suggest that the real problem is not that we hold different convictions, it is that those convictions are poorly formed, and that is what leads to incivility. They further suggest that the answer to this challenge is that we need to “re-examine and recover the realm of disputable matters,” which they say are different than either “moral absolutes” or “matters of taste.” In other words, “disputable matters” are a middle ground, and we need to learn to shape them, and our handling of them, in a biblical way. Honestly, there are a lot of issues for which we form convictions – this is no small playground. At the end of the day, they say, we must form our convictions in order to please Jesus not ourselves.
Part of their argument includes what they call a “spectrum of convictions” – a template that starts with confessional beliefs and then moves to moral mandates, core values, and finally to guidelines for conduct. Within this framework we are challenged to manage our convictions appropriately, and they help us navigate that by spending time talking about how to communicate our convictions, protect unity, and the challenges of “perception” and “echo chambers.” As they walk through these, they offer some good pathways to help us.
They then spend time considering power dynamics and civility before they launch into the area of healing within the Body of Christ. In this section they talk about goals, character, troubleshooting (identifying things we do naturally that exacerbate pain), properly understanding our convictions, and guidelines for hard conversations.
Throughout, they both unpack this idea of convictions being a forgotten middle ground and also provide us with some good road maps, danger signs, and destinations toward a better handling of convictions within the Body of Christ. As they do this, they are not inviting a “free for all,” but rather suggest the appropriate use of fences we can talk over rather than divisions, the expression of authentic disagreements, and an appropriate posture for us in a diverse community that pleases God.
This book is certainly worth the read, and probably should be required reading for every Pastor and Board member in every church.
Reviewed by Terry Kaufman
Wisdom From Babylon
Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age
by Gordon T. Smith
We are all too aware that the cultural landscape in Canada has changed dramatically over the last several years. Gone are the days when a Judeo-Christian world view was foundational to our cultural perspective. It seems that the church increasingly is being pushed to the margin. How are we as God’s people going to respond to these changes? What kind of leaders do we need to help us navigate through this new cultural landscape? These are precisely the key questions that Gordon T. Smith, President of Ambrose University in Calgary, grapples with in “Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age”.
The first half of Dr. Smith’s book helps a reader think through their response to the changing culture. In this section he explores several different responses: adopt secularism, the monastic retreat (promoted by Rod Dreher in the Benedict Option), the culture war response (which seems to be rampant currently), and finally the “faithful presence” response. Having done a cursory exploration of these four responses, Dr. Smith then asks us to glean wisdom from a variety of voices to help us evaluate these responses. He looks at exilic and postexilic prophets. He spends time listening to the early church. He hears from historic minority churches in other parts of the world. Lastly, he listens to theologians that have traveled this path before us in Central and Western Europe. Then he returns to the four responses to determine which one engages the current culture in the most Christ-like and effective manner.
Having laid that foundation, Dr. Smith moves to exploring how leaders can help the church respond well. He focuses on some of the key competencies necessary for leaders: to create environments where people can be formed as people of God and live out of their identity as they engage in culture, to be taught the wisdom necessary to navigate this new context, and to carry out mission in a 1 Peter 3:13-16 manner. He encourages leaders toward broader kingdom engagement and being a non-anxious presence in a deeply fearful world.
This little, 180-page, volume is jam packed with incredible wisdom, for such a time as this. It is highly accessible for pastor and lay person alike. It also comes from a fellow Canadian, who reflects our Canadian context better than many of the American writers currently grappling with this topic.
Considering not only the slide towards secularism, but also the level of discord and division that we are currently embroiled in; we need to respond well as God’s people. We desperately need leaders who are equipped to bring the church together in Christ centered unity and guide it forward to engage in mission well. This volume provides help for doing precisely that. May we open our ears for the “Wisdom From Babylon”.
Reviewed by Neil Bassingthwaighte & Bill Taylor
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