Book Review: The Truth War

Recommendation: Rock-solid truth and a sound warning for all believers, but don’t trip over straw-men.

One of my favorite books of the New Testament is Jude. This very short letter, in many ways, shows just how much control the Holy Spirit had over the authors of Scripture, in that Jude wanted to write about one thing, but felt compelled to write about something entirely different. He says in v. 2-3, “although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Why do I bring this up? Because in writing The Truth War, John MacArthur seeks to carry out the command to contend for the faith.

As a Bible teacher, there are few that surpass MacArthur. He knows how to handle the Scriptures well and carefully. In reading the book, you can feel a deep love for doctrine, for the truth of the Word, and it’s a great thing—indeed, I think we would all do well to learn from his example in this regard.

But truth and sound doctrine aren’t things that are highly regarded or desired, according to MacArthur (and a quick perusal of iTunes and any bookstore’s “Christianity” section would agree with his assessment).

“The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age and can’t stand to have authoritative biblical truth applied with precision as a corrective to worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior. And the poison of this perspective is being increasingly injected into the evangelical church body” (Introduction, xi).

The Mini-Holiday Begins!

We’re heading to Grand Bend for a couple of days today, which will be very exciting. I’m trying to learn how to Sabbath, because this is one of my great sins; I simply do not know how to just chill out.

So if the weather is good, I’ll be sitting near the beach in my jeans and sneakers and reading Don’t Waste Your Life and probably a couple other books (I’m a fast reader), and playing with Abigail while she joyfully screams, “Look at me, Daddy!”

No email to check. No phone to answer.

It should be awesome.

The Watchmen

In Ezekiel 33: 1-6, Ezekiel was commanded to speak to the people, saying that if watchman did not sound the trumpet to warn the people of a coming enemy, their blood would be on his head. But if he sounded the trumpet and they did not heed the warning, their blood would be on their own.

God then gives him this command:

So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul (v. 7-9).

Were Ezekiel to not call the Israelites to repentance and speak the Word of God, Ezekiel would be held responsible for their blood. That’s some pretty serious business.

And thinking about it, I have to wonder if that call to be watchmen doesn’t apply to us today as Christians?

Sunday Shorts (06/28)

Marvin Olasky: With Calvin in the Theater of God

Desiring God’s 2009 National Conference, With Calvin in the Theater of God, is coming up this September with an interesting line of speakers, including Marvin Olasky, editor of World Magazine.

Olasky has a very intriguing testimony, as you can see from this video:

You can learn more about the conference at DesiringGod.org.

Michael Jackson: A Tortured Existence

Tim Challies offers some thoughts on the recent death of Michael Jackson:

So the king is dead. What a sad end to a sad life; a pathetic end to a pathetic life (by which I mean to use pathetic in its true sense as “arousing pity and sympathy). I don’t know that I have ever seen, in one man, such a combination of self-love and self-loathing, shocking narcissism combined with equally shocking self-hatred. Truly Michael Jackson was unparalleled.

Read the rest at Challies.com.

Piper vs. Wright on Justification: A Layman’s Guide

Trevin Wax put together a handy layman’s guide to understanding the debate on justification between John Piper and NT Wright. A primer was recently featured in Christianity Today (you can also download it as a chart).

Trevin and Ted Olsen also co-wrote the article, “Not an Academic Question,” which let pastors sound off on how this theological debate influences their ministry.

In case you missed it

Here are a few of this week’s notable posts:

Don’t Waste Your Life Jim thought he had everything, until…

Book Review: Pastor Dad Reviewing Mark Driscoll’s recent Father’s Day gift to all the men online

With Grace Comes Boldness The power of the gospel and sovereignty of Christ should inspire boldness

Don’t get bent out of shape about Mark Driscoll

A couple days back, Michael Spencer at InternetMonk.com wrote this profoundly helpful and thoughtful piece about why we maybe shouldn’t be getting too bent out of shape about Pastor Mark Driscoll:

First, cards on the table: I am, for the most part, a supporter of Driscoll. I’m not in agreement with him on gender issues, and I’ll criticize him without mumbling on a collection of boneheaded maneuvers. But the guy’s vulnerability, passion for the Gospel, missionary’s heart, vision for church planting and insight into contemporary ministry far outweigh his flaws. Give him a few years and some room to be a goober.

John Piper: Don’t Waste Your Pulpit

What shall I read?

Summer is now upon us (I understand it’s the greatest week and a half of our lives here in Canada), and that means three things:

1. It’s going to be sticky and hot in my house for the next three months (it’s old and lacks air conditioning)
2. I’m actually going to take some real time off this summer (three days next week and one week in August, I think)
3. It’s time for a Summer reading list!

I really dig books, so much so that I have a backlog of things to read (I’ve got the pile down to 9 or so). I want to get through at least some of these.

Here’s what’s on the list:

1. Lord, Change My Attitude by James MacDonald
2. God’s Passion for His Glory by John Piper
3. The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics by, obviously, C.S. Lewis (I’m partly through Mere Christianity now—note, this contains seven books)
4. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis
5. The Apostolic Fathers
6. Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch
7. The Confessions by Augustine
8. The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
9. Selections from the Spurgeon Sermon Archives

My question for you, my friends out there, is which should I read first? Or is there a book that needs to be added to the list?

Joshua Harris: Don’t Waste Your Church

HT: Sean Chandler

A Question of Choice

This question was posed in Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something, and, because it’s been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks now, I thought I’d ask you:

Imagine if someone came to you tonight and said, “I’ll pay off all your bills, I’ll pay off your mortgage. I’ll load up your Roth IRA. I’ll give you money for vacations. I’ll give you 20,000 square feet to live in, and any care you like, or I can make you wise.” What would you say to that person?

Leave your thoughts in the comments thread.

With Grace Comes Boldness

Recently I was reading through the book of Daniel; it was the first time I’d read through the whole thing since teaching through it a couple years back (and while it was less than stellar, it was the first book I didn’t completely butcher in small group).

When reading it this time around, I was struck by the boldness of Daniel and his friends.

Take chapter three for example. There, Nebuchadnezzar builds an idol and commands that all worship it whenever they hear “the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music” (v. 5,7), lest they be thrown into the fiery furnace (v.6). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, exiled Jews who are faithful to the God of Israel and have been appointed over the affairs of Babylon, refuse. Scheming Chaldeans, seeking their downfall, reported their refusal to Nebuchadnezzar, who in his fury commanded that these three be brought to him, and ordered them to worship his idol. If they fail to do so, he will throw them into the furnace.

Their response is amazing:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up (v. 16-18).

In other words: “No. We worship Jesus, not a false god. He can save us from the furnace if He chooses; but if He’s decided we’re going to die today, then we die.”