"You are Not Alone" (Jennie Allen)

TITLE: You Are Not Alone: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxious Thoughts and Believing What's True
AUTHOR: Jennie Allen
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Waterbrook Multnomah, 2024, (192 pages).

Mental health is a big topic nowadays. Ever since the Covid pandemic, we continue to hear news reports and various mainstream articles talking about the need for proper mental healthcare. One of the best ways to cultivate good mental health is toward the young. Many problems arise out of a poor or traumatic upbringing. As the younger population becomes more exposed to the Internet, it is increasingly important to take steps to foster wisdom and tact when dealing with so much information, especially via social media. That is not the only concern. Children needs guidance in almost all areas of life. From discerning Truth from fiction to dealing with thoughts and all kinds of feelings, author Jennie Allen gives us tools and tips to guide the younger ones among us. It is easy to feel helpless with the continuing onslaught of information and mass misinformation out there. Thankfully, this resource helps us put things in perspective. Calling it a "Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxious Thoughts and Believing What's True," this book anchors readers on the foundation of all stability: The Bible. Written in three parts, Allen guides us with clear instruction and biblical wisdom on how to deal with life, and especially our spiritual upbringing.

"The Sacredness of Secular Work" (Jordan Raynor)

TITLE: The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You're Not Sharing the Gospel)
AUTHOR: Jordan Raynor
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook & Multnomah, 2024, (224 pages).
 

One of the most popular resources for Christians is to find meaning in everyday work. The interest revolves around questions about practicing one's faith in the world. What does faith in the marketplace mean? How do we live the spiritual life in an increasingly secular world? What does it mean to be a Christian in the workplace? What should we do if our workplaces forbid us from practicing our faith? Does our work really matter? What does gospel living look like? In this book, author Jordan Raynor asserts that our work not only has "instrumental value" on earth, it also has "eternal intrinsic value" to God. "By "instrumental value," it means our work matters because it can be an opportunity to explicitly share the gospel with people we work with. "Intrinsic value" refers to how our work matters even when we are not explicitly sharing the gospel. The Great Commission should not be the "only" commission in life as it might give us a flawed sense of living as a Christian in an unChristian world. The primary reason is that though He lived with the gospel in mind, Jesus never turned everything into a "Great Commission" act. Many of his simple acts are that of care, compassion, care, and common living. One observation that the author makes is how the focus on the Great Commission Only is only a recent phenomenon. The Early Church did not have that distinction between sacred and secular lives. In fact, the words "Great Commission" did not even show up until the 1800s. In other words, the reason why so many today are asking how our work matters to God, is due to the mental separation of sacred and secular worlds. After listing the five ways we have misapplied the Great Commission, Raynor also enlarges the understanding of work beyond mere paid careers. This forms the major part of the book that looks at how we can live out the gospel in 99% of the time when we are not explicitly "sharing the gospel."

"Lights a Lovely Mile" (Eugene Peterson)

TITLE: Lights a Lovely Mile: Collected Sermons of the Church Year
AUTHOR: Eugene Peterson
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Waterbrook & Multnomah, 2023, (320 pages).
 

When was the last time you heard a good sermon? What is the purpose of the sermon? How do you preach through the Church year? In a title that tells us the way Eugene Peterson's sermons had done, we learn from the late master preacher, beloved pastor, and spiritual pilgrim, about how sermons can light a lovely mile for us. Culling from some of the best sermons preached at Christ Our King Presbyterian Church from his 29 years of service there, editor Paul Pastor has given us some collected sermons of the church year. Starting with Advent, which is also the start of a new Church Year, Peterson reminds us about the need to love our neighbour in the present even as we anticipate the second coming of Christ. Advent also symbolizes attentiveness and awareness of the presence of Christ in creation. At Christmas, we celebrate the "conclusion" which is the fulfillment of divine prophecy about the first coming. During the season of Epiphany, the focus shifts to being shaped in Christlikeness, in conjunction with the meditation on Jesus' ministry on earth. He urges us to trust in God's promise to make us new. Based on a growing relationship with Jesus, he urges us to be patient for sometimes the work of God is "slow, intricate, complex" but is also "sure." He also shows us how worship, love, and God's time shape life. He also gives a startling observation of how church-goers can sometimes prove to be careless stumbling blocks when they are petty or easily offended. Calling us to be runners who never stop believing in the goodness of God, he encourages us to help one another be more resilient in getting along well with one another. The Season of Lent prepares our hearts to crave holiness like a child wanting pure spiritual milk. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit and focuses on the birth and growth of the Church. Key to the growth and sustenance of any Church community is the need for love. Finally, the long season of "Ordinary Time" continues with the meditations on the Christian life, covering diverse issues from Church to righteous living, warnings about idolatry, and exhortations to be the Christlike believers that we are called to be. 

"Incurable Faith" (Andrea Herzer)

TITLE: Incurable Faith: 120 Devotions of Lasting Hope for Lingering Health Issues
AUTHOR: Andrea Herzer
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Waterbrook & Multnomah, 2023, (304 pages).
 

"You have cancer!" These three words can easily strike fear even for the most stoic minds. How does one deal with bad news? What if the prognosis is mostly negative? How then do we bear living in an increasingly unbearable situation? Like in a dark and gloomy tunnel, life through chronic illness can be downright depressing. In times like these, hope becomes that crucial light at the end of the long tunnel. One of the ways to remind us of hope in Jesus is through devotionals. Here, author Andrea Herzer gives us 120 devotionals to guide us through hardships any of us might encounter from time to time. These devotionals are conveniently categorized according to length. Section One is "snack size" meaning the devotional is about 1-2 pages long. Intended for people who might not be able to sustain a longer read, they are given in bit-size format for ease of reading and reference. The introductory passage, prayer, and invitation to worship are brief and to the point. Section Two is a little more substantial called "A Marvelous Meal." The passages are slightly longer, about 2-3 pages in length. This allows readers who have the energy to read a longer passage to do so. It gives us more time and space to reflect on the passages read. Section Three contains devotionals that are the most dense of all. It is written particularly for the lonely in mind. It is also suitable for those who want a longer quiet time. 

"Beautiful Union" (Joshua Ryan Butler)

TITLE: Beautiful Union: How God's Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything
AUTHOR: Joshua Ryan Butler
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Multnomah Press, 2023, (288 pages).
 

Sex is beautiful. It is also sacred. When God created the human race, he was highly pleased. When sin entered the world, all hell broke loose. Whatever God had created became corrupted or tainted with sin. Sex is one of them. Just like how Adam and Eve allowed sin to turn their innocence into shame, more often than not, sex had negative connotations. What God had created as good and beautiful, descended into something people are generally ashamed of. So, they hide. They say that sex talk equals promiscuity. They presume that any thoughts of sexuality or sexual act are "dirty" until proven otherwise. We need a healthy correction to this beautiful gift of God. This book is an attempt to do just that. It studies the intent of God's gift, the beauty, the mystery, and the vision God has for us. In other words, sex is a beautiful thing from God and we need to recover this beauty culturally, mentally, and theologically. Butler first looks at the way modern culture has corrupted the original meaning and intent of sex. He compares the biblical and cultural use of language to describe sex. One of the distinctions is how the Bible does not shy away from the description, unlike the way modern culture treats the subject. Perhaps, this has something to do with the way sin has triggered the human tendency to hide things that they perceive as inherently shameful. Butler then makes his case by boldly pushing back against the cultural norms with two words: Generosity and Hospitality. Taking on biblical boldness, he tries to connect sex with the nature of grace. Using complementary language, one party receives while the other gives. Butler makes a theological stretch (albeit a stretch too far), to cement the roles of each gender into the giving and receiving metaphor. He spends some time describing what union is and why it is beautiful. Going back to the umbrella of God's creation, sex is indeed a beautiful gift from God. Freedom and grace accompany this beautiful gift. Using God's identity as the Triune God, he shows us how we are made to belong to one another. He then goes on to describe and also redeem words deemed taboo, like "orgasm," "making love," "semen," "vagina," etc. He also covers topics with regard to abortion, adultery, birth control, diversity, divorce, singleness, gay-sex, "the leave and cleave gospel," and the dangers of "cheap sex," the "sexual prosperity gospel," the latter being the comparison between purity keeping and legalism. In that aspect, I think Butler has given us lots of food for thought on how to think about such issues from a biblical standpoint.

"Beautiful Resistance" (Jon Tyson)

TITLE: Beautiful Resistance: The Joy of Conviction in a Culture of Compromise
AUTHOR: Jon Tyson
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2020, (256 pages).
 

Before Jesus left this earth, he prayed for all disciples that though they are not of the world, they are still in the world. Why? That they may be the salt and light of the earth. They are not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed through the renewing of the mind. In a compromised and worldly culture, Christians are called to stand for the truth. How do they do that in an aggressively anti-Christian culture? Learning to be firm in our convictions but gently persuasive in our interactions. Resist the world but do it in a way that honours Christ. How could we make such a resistance "beautiful?" Author Jon Tyson shows us the way. He points to how a small ragtag group of resistance led by Dietrich Bonhoeffer during WWII, and describes how their legacy inspires us today. Reflecting on the WWII martyr, Tyson offers us two key premises for a beautiful resistance:

• "Discipleship must be stronger than Cultural Formation"
• "Loyalty must be stronger than compromise"

Almost immediately, the author goes on to apply these to basic Christian Living. In relating to Church, he is aware of the broken images that the Church has been going through. Yet, the Church is still the Bride of Christ, the Temple of God, and God's main channel of resistance. That is why it must begin there. 

"Creating Community" (Andy Stanley and Bill Willits)

TITLE: Creating Community, Revised & Updated Edition: Five Keys to Building a Thriving Small Group Culture
AUTHOR: Andy Stanley and Bill Willits
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2021, (193 pages).
 

Times have changed. Society and people too. Yet the need for relationships does not change. Technology may have changed the way we communicate, but there is no substitute for connection. We all need to be connected beyond just an Internet group. We need small groups to create a community.  According to authors Andy Stanley and Bill Willits, people everywhere still have the same need for community. They wrote this book back in 2004 and have updated this book for a new economy. Observing the trends that are happening today, the need for community could not have been greater. We might be technologically connected. We might have the latest means to keep in touch. We might also be able to do more things with less time. Yet, that does not necessarily translate into meaningful living. Living alone or doing things independently does not negate the need for true community. Recognizing the need is one thing. How to get there is another. Stanley and Willits give us five strategies to go about doing that. The five "keys" for real growth are classified in terms of needs, namely:

1. People Need Community
2. Leaders Need Clarity
3. Churches Need Strategy
4. Connection Needs Simplicity
5. Processes Need Reality

"Free to Believe" (Luke W. Goodrich)

TITLE: Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America
AUTHOR: Luke W. Goodrich
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2019, (288 pages).

Religious Freedom is not something to be taken for granted. We see it in some communist countries where governments persecute religious people. We see it in secular states that continue to jettison matters of faith outside public circles. We are seeing religion being pushed to the margins in many parts of the world, including the traditionally religious West. With Western Europe mostly secular today, the issue of religious freedom is becoming more urgent each day. The interesting question is this: If the freedom of religion has already been enshrined in the constitution, why do we still need to battle over religious liberty? In order to deal with this question, author and senior counsel Luke Goodrich explains why this problem has become more acute over the years. Beginning with a real case of a Christian School Teacher suing the Church affiliated with the school over wrongful dismissal, we see how secular civil law meets with a Church claiming to follow religious instruction. Can a Church be sued for discrimination if she was just observing their religious obligations? What about gender selection that pits biblical obedience against secular laws? Then there is the baker refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. These are some of the examples of how religious freedom as we have known from the past is no longer the same in the present and the foreseeable future. In writing this book, the author aims to answer three key questions:

1. What is Religious Freedom?
2. What are the Most Serious Threats to Religious Freedom?
3. What Can We Do About It?

"Holy Sexuality and the Gospel" (Christopher Yuan)

TITLE: Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story
AUTHOR: Christopher Yuan
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook & Multnomah, 2018, (256 pages).

One of the biggest issues in our modern world is in the area of human sexuality, in particular, homosexuality. This topic has divided many parts of society. Whether it is between tradition and modern convention; older generation vs younger generation; East vs West; or any distinctive people group, it is a controversy that has torn apart many relationships. For Christians and the Church, it hits home at the heart when members of our Church or even our families confess they are gay. Even the theological community has been split in the interpretations or re-appropriation of the Bible verses that speak about homosexuality. Even love has many different definitions and expectations. For many, it is a theoretical and theological exploration on what God is saying with regard to homosexuality. For others, it is using the Bible to defend what they believe in. However, for those who are trapped in the middle, it could be arduous and tormenting. In 1993, author Christopher Yuan announced to his parents that he is gay. Due to his family's conservative Asian background, it is particularly hard on their relationship. Worse, Yuan after coming out into the open about his sexuality, his new found "freedom" led him to some destructive behaviour including promiscuity, illicit drug use, drug peddling, and unbelief. He was subsequently caught and jailed. This was the moment that forced Yuan to spend more time reading and praying over the Bible's teachings. Right thinking must come before any intentions. Any relevance or pragmatism must never come at the price of Truth. This book is Yuan's personal journey to discover this Truth, believing that "right knowing" comes before any action or behaviour. 

"Double Blessing" (Mark Batterson)

TITLE: Double Blessing: How to Get It. How to Give It.
AUTHOR: Mark Batterson
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2019, (240 pages).

This is a surprisingly good book. I was thinking if this is another of those self-help writings inclined toward the health and wealth gospel angle. Coming from Mark Batterson, no way I thought, and I was right. With vivid storytelling and creative illustrations, the author takes a biblical theme of blessings and doubles the space for deeper understanding. The message is simple. Blessings are there to be received. They are also there to be given. The biblical mandate given to Abraham is that he will be blessed to be a blessing to many nations. This unconditional covenant continues to be active in our world today. He starts with a story of "Ariadne's Thread" which in itself could teach us multiple meanings. The key point is that many people in search of blessings tend to be like those who rush into the labyrinth of personal wants, only to be trapped inside. We need the other part, which is the thread to escape this labyrinth, in order to continue the process of blessings, lest we commit the error of James 4:3, which warns us about praying with the purpose of self-gratification.

"Rethinking Sexuality" (Juli Slattery)

TITLE: Rethinking Sexuality: God's Design and Why It Matters
AUTHOR: Juli Slattery
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2018, (224 pages).

Gary Thomas once confessed: "One day it dawned upon me. We have been sexually discipled by the world." Indeed, we have been taken for a ride by the world. It is time to take back the reins of education to be God's people for all. It is time to renew our understanding of our calling in this world. It is time to rethink sexuality. That is the purpose of this book: Rethinking our sexuality from the ground up, beginning with our relationship with God; our honesty with self; and our relationship with others. Written for a wide group of people including parents, teachers, pastors, lay leaders, and Christians, this book is about addressing the current state of confusion surrounding sexual issues such as loneliness, shame, addiction, intimacy, disagreement, pornography, sexual abuse, cohabitation, masturbation, sexual orientation, and much more. Slattery makes the assertion that sexuality is "not a problem to be solved but a territory to be reclaimed." Thus, conventional sexual education and purity abstentions do not work. For the former, educational model tends be too reductionist. For the latter, it is to reactive to the excesses of sexuality. The author claims that the way forward is "sexual discipleship." For too long, our answers to the sexual questions of the day tend to be based on how our cultures would respond. For instance:

• Cultural approaches to sexuality tend to be humanistic or postmodern which jettisons the notion of right and wrong; in favour of whatever we feel appropriate
• Transgender rights insist on the freedom of experience based on a postmodern philosophy of gender identities according to what we want
• Doing simply because everybody else is doing it!

Sexual discipleship means we exalt Christ above all, including our sexuality. Slattery gives us several reasons why we need to talk about sexuality. For individuals, we need to find hope. For churches, we need to grow up and relate to the new generation. We need not feel like Adam and Eve who were ashamed about themselves and their nakedness. Part One of the book deals with one's relationship with God. Using the 5Ps as alliteration, Slattery lists as follows:

• The Premise: What you think about sex begins with what you believe about God.
• The Purpose: The gospel is written within your sexuality.
• The Problem: Someone wants to destroy holy sexuality.
• The Pandemic: We are all sexually broken.
• The Promise: Jesus came to redeem broken sexuality.  

Part Two is more introspective as we learn to live our beliefs. In doing so, we need to face three primary conflicts: 1) our flesh vs our spirituality; 2) Our public vs Private selves; 3) Love vs Truth. Spiritual discipleship is essentially about dealing with these conflicts so as to ensure that Christ is honoured. Part Three applies spiritual discipleship to our wider relationships: Our personal relationships and as a Church. Some of the questions she pose includes:

• What can we do in a destructive relationship?
• Should we attend a gay marriage ceremony?
• What if our spouse has no desire for sex?
• How modern TV programmes and movies affect our sexual perspectives? 
• How do we interact with transgenders?
• What to do with Christian leaders with moral failures?
• ... and several more.

My Thoughts
First, this is a needed book in a culture full of confusing sexual messages and corrupt images. Hollywood and popular TV stations tend to opt for programming that appeals to the widest audiences. Their positions are are pretty much amoral. Where the money is, there they would go. After all, educating the public is not their primary responsibility. Profit making is. With the pervasiveness of the Internet, it is increasingly impossible to control what our kids and out young people see. In the past, we can switch off the TV or limit the programming through parental controls. Nowadays, even if we were to turn off our WiFi at home, children can surf the net using their cellphones and tablets running on generous data plans.

Second, sexual discipleship seems like a very big word which might scare off ordinary lay persons. This is not the style of this book. The term may look intimidating, but the contents and the way Slattery has written appeals to the general reader. In fact, she has includes a lot of her personal counseling and teaching experiences with real-life people that carries an authenticity that is beyond theory and facts. She relates well and understands the profound struggles of many.

Finally, sexual discipleship is spiritual warfare. I am grateful for Slattery's reminder of the three primary challenges of the world on the biblical perspective. One of the reasons for the lack of Christian responses to the world prescriptions for sex and sexuality is because of the lack of Christian witnesses in this area. Being Christian is not about taking the purity pledge or some abstention of sexual activity. It is about honouring God in all things we do. This book shows us exactly how to do just that. We need a biblical response more than ever. We need a more holistic view of sexuality. We need to stop letting the world lead the way in learning about sexuality.

Dr. Juli Slattery is a popular clinical psychologist, author, speaker and broadcast media professional. She is the president and co-founder of Authentic Intimacy. She hosts Java With Juli on Moody Radio, where she answers tough questions about relationships, marriage, spiritual, emotional and sexual intimacy. She has authored books such as Passion Pursuit, Finding the Hero in Your Husband, No More Headaches, and Guilt-Free Motherhood. She and her husband, Mike, have been married since 1994 and have three children.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Multnomah and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Book Review: "Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die"

TITLE: Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die
AUTHOR: Bobby Conway
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multmomah Books, 2011.


This is another book fired against Rob Bell's controversial book, Love Wins. Conway is a pastor passionate about the gospel and biblical truth. He admits right from the start that he 'didn't have to write this book.'  Beginning with his reasoning for writing his rebuttal to Rob Bell's book, he assures readers that what he writes is not against Rob Bell as a person. Instead, the book is about addressing the errors pertaining to biblical truth. He is deeply concerned about Bell's theology that seems to suggest a kind of salvation that is 'so deep and so wide' that all in hell can have heaven (12).  He argues his main point:

"And hell matters. It matters to God because it's where His justifiable wrath is poured out on unrepentant sinners. And it should matter to us because people who don't know about Jesus or are confused or misled about Him are dying every day. The greatest way to love people is not to ignore hell but to become burdened extroverts in telling others the truth - that Jesus has provided a guaranteed way to avoid hell. Not harsh or condescending extroverts on hell, but loving, broken, humble extroverts that speak honestly about the horrible reality of hell. We need to speak up. " (19)

Conway then launches into explicitly stating what hell is according to the Bible. In contrast to Bell's indirectness and fluffy theologizing, Conway is direct, sharp, and clear. He points out 5 major errors behind Love Wins. Firstly, Bell reshapes God into man's image. Secondly, Bell makes the gospel more palatable to human eyes, making it as inoffensive as possible. Thirdly, Bell fails to reconcile God's glory with God's wrath. Fourthly, Bell makes the mistake of elevating love above all other attributes, making love into a 'god' in itself. Like Mark Galli,  Conway also declares that God Wins.

"So it's not that love wins, or justice wins, or holiness wins, but that God in all his perfect attributes, wins! Yes, God wins!" (54)

Finally, Conway accuses Bell of having a confused theology that misleads more than guide.

My Comments

This book is thankfully brief, simply because much have already been said about the contradictions of Love Wins. I like the clear manner in Conway's writings which makes the book easy to follow, point after point. I appreciate the understanding manifested in Conway's explanation, that amid the hard biblical facts, lie soft human questions. Frequently, Conway will offer an insight about the struggles of a reader wanting to see the best of God, and the best of man.

Released as an ebook makes this book more widely available to an audience that is increasingly Internet savvy, with little time on their hands to read thick compendium of arguments. This book gives a good summary in easy to understand format as to why Love Wins has moved away from traditional understanding of Scripture, especially heaven and hell.

If there is a critique, I think while this book is very clear on the doctrines of heaven and hell, in contrast to Love Wins, it may unwittingly be stepping into the domain of mystery, where there are no easy questions or answers. This is where I stand with Eastern Orthodox's preference toward Apophathic theology. I will prefer to entitle the book as: "Why I disagree with Love Wins" or something pertaining to disagreeing with Rob Bell's theology, leaving aside the details of heaven and hell to God alone.

Ratings: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is supplied to me free by Multnomah Books and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. The comments offered above are freely mine.