Desiring God is offering many specials on all of John Piper’s books right now. There is even a deal where you get 4 books for $10! Click on the picture to see the details.
Shepherding God’s Flock by Jay Adams is a combination of three books together in one volume: Pastoral Life, Pastoral Counseling, and Pastoral Leadership. After reading through some of the sections in this book I am encouraged primarily for one reason, its practicality. Because of this, I am bound to use it in many ways throughout the rest of my years here on earth.
In seminary you learn a great deal of information and a great deal of theology. While these things are great and beneficial to clergy in countless ways, one of the things seminary lacks is the practical side of ministry. Now I am not saying that theology is not practical, it is! Theology is enormously practical, because by it, you know God more and come to treasure the gospel in ways you never dreamed of., and as a consequence of that you can show your people the God in whom all your joy and delight is found! When I say that seminary is lacking the practical side of ministry, I mean that in seminary you will not learn what to do upon entering a house for visitation. When should you sit down? Where should you sit down? Should you even sit down? How do you lead a wedding? A funeral? A baptism? What is the right way to go about candidating for a ministry job? How do you deal with parents of children? How do you lead a staff meeting? How do you lead the elders? The deacons? In what ways should you delegate work between staff, elders, deacons, and volunteers? How do you set up a church program? Should you make a church library? What do you do with church finances? Should you even be involved in church finances? How do you lead a congregational meeting? How long should you stay in a hospital room with a sick member? What do you do if their dying, or die while your present in the room? How do you begin a building campaign?
As you can see, there are many practical issues seminary never deals with. Sure your theology will play a large part in how you go about these things, but there are things never mentioned in theology that you, as a pastor, will have to deal with many times. All the above questions and more are dealt with and answered in Jay Adams book. It is a gold mine of information. I am sure that this book will stay on my closest bookshelf for easy flipping and reading, because when I find myself in a new or foreign situation I’ll be reaching for this book for the know-how to get me through in the proper manner. I recommend this book to all seminarians and all pastors. It will of great benefit to them in their ministries, and they will be glad they have it at their side. Why? Because they hold a handbook of proper pastoral etiquette at their fingertips.
Finally, a commentary series that not only tells us what the text means, but answers the question: How do I preach this text to my people? R.C. Sproul’s sermons, now put in book form (by the folks at Crossway) will prove to be an exceptional gift to the Church for many years to come. R.C.’s sermons on John are coming out soon, plus many more to come I’m sure. Be on the look out! (See the link on the right!)
Here is what some others had to say about it:
“‘R. C. Sproul,’ someone said to me in the 1970s, ‘is the finest communicator in the Reformed world.’ Now, three decades later, his skills honed by long practice, his understanding deepened by years of prayer, meditation, and testing (as Martin Luther counseled), R. C. shares the fruit of what has become perhaps his greatest love: feeding and nourishing his own congregation at St. Andrew’s from the Word of God and building them up in faith and fellowship and in Christian living and serving. The St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary will be welcomed throughout the world. It promises to have all R. C.’s hallmarks: clarity and liveliness, humor and pathos, always expressed in application to the mind, will, and affections. R. C.’s ability to focus on the ‘the big picture,’ his genius of never saying too much, leaving his hearers satisfied yet wanting more, never making the Word dull, are all present in these expositions. They are his gift to the wider church. May they nourish God’s people well and serve as models of the kind of ministry for which we continue to hunger.”
- Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina
“R. C. Sproul, well-known as a master theologian and extraordinary communicator, now shows that he is a powerful, insightful, helpful expository preacher. This collection of sermons is of great value for churches and Christians everywhere.”
- W. Robert Godfrey, President, Westminster Seminary California
“I tell my students again and again, ‘You need to buy good commentaries and do so with some discernment.’Among these commentaries there must be preacher’s commentaries, for not all commentaries are the same. Some may tell you what the text means but provide little help in answering the question, ‘How do I preach this text?’ R. C. Sproul is a legend in our time. His preaching has held us in awe for half a century, and these pages represent the fruit of his latest exposition, coming as they do at the very peak of his abilities and insights. I am ecstatic at the prospect of reading the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary series. It represents Reformed theology on fire, delivered from a pastor’s heart in a vibrant congregation of our time. Essential reading.”
- Derek W. H. Thomas, John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Minister of Teaching, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi
“R. C. Sproul is the premier theologian of our day, an extraordinary instrument in the hand of the Lord. Possessed with penetrating insight into the text of Scripture, Dr. Sproul is a gifted expositor and world-class teacher, endowed with a strategic grasp and command of the inspired Word. Since stepping into the pulpit of St. Andrew’s and committing himself to the weekly discipline of biblical exposition, this noted preacher has demonstrated a rare ability to explicate and apply God’s Word. I wholeheartedly recommend the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary to all who long to know the truth better and experience it more deeply in a life-changing fashion. Here is an indispensable tool for digging deeper into God’s Word. This is a must-read for every Christian.”
- Steven J. Lawson, Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama
“How exciting! Thousands of us have long been indebted to R. C. Sproul the teacher, and now, through the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary, we are indebted to Sproul the preacher, whose sermons are thoroughly biblical, soundly doctrinal, warmly practical, and wonderfully readable. Sproul masterfully presents us with the ‘big picture’ of each pericope in a dignified yet conversational style that accentuates the glory of God and meets the real needs of sinful people like us. This series of volumes, a joint effort between two premier publishers, is an absolute must for every Reformed preacher and church member who yearns to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. I predict that Sproul’s pulpit ministry in written form will do for Christians in the twenty-first century what Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermonic commentaries did for us last century. Tolle lege, and buy these volumes for your friends.”
- Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
“John Wesley once said of a colleague that Scripture so thoroughly pulsed through his spiritual veins that he ‘bled Bibline.’ The same could be said without exaggeration of R. C. Sproul. More specifically, one could easily say that he ‘bleeds Pauline.’ The theology of the Apostle to the Gentiles courses through Dr. Sproul’s veins in all of his work. Therefore, it is a special privilege to be able to read his sermons on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Romans has turned the world upside down for two millennia. Not only did it lead to Augustine’s conversion; it was a primary source for his defense of the gospel against Pelagius. This epistle was the catalyst for the Reformation and shaped the minds and hearts of many leaders of the modern missionary movement. Romans continues its revolution to the present day and each of R. C. Sproul’s expositions reminds us why. Read this book and, by God’s grace, you’ll never be the same.”
- Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
Most of you know by now that I love books. Not all books, only good books. One of my joys is reading all sorts of books and telling you about the great ones you should read, the okay ones you should read with your one eye open, and the absolutely awful ones you which you ought to never put into your hands. Because of this, I am happy to announce that Pleasing Pain is now an official blogging partner with Westminster Bookstore. From now on, you’ll see two links at the top right corner of my blog. The first is the WTS Bookstore logo, which leads you to their home page. The second is a link to a book that I think you ought to get for yourself or someone you know. These books may have been out for many years, just out this week/month, or coming soon to shelves near you. Overall, WTS Bookstore is a place to great books, and if I want you reading good books, I ought to direct you to a place to buy them. Enjoy the links!
Calling all readers, I love reading good books, and I want you to read good books as well. Therefore I am having my first free book give away here at Pleasing Pain! To kick things off in a very robust and reformed manner I’ll be giving away a free copy of On Christian Doctrine by St. Augustine. Augustine is one of the most quoted authors in history, and rightly so, his stuff is great. You’ll enjoy this read if you’ve never read it before.
Here are the rules:
You may enter the draw once. Simply send an email to me (adamwpowers@gmail.com) with your name and email address, with “Free Book Give Away” in the subject line. As soon as the winner has been chosen, I will immediately and permanently erase all names and email addresses. The winner will be notified by email. You have until Wednesday (10/21) at noon to enter. There are no catches involved at all, free means free. You enter and I pay to ship the book to you; that is, if you win.
M. Craig Barnes has offered a marvelous gift to pastors in his book The Pastor as Minor Poet. The book is a call for pastors to see themselves not merely as a spiritual manager, but as a poet for their people. Poets “see the despair and heartache as well as the beauty and miracle that lie beneath the thin veneer of the ordinary, describing this in ways that are recognized not only in the mind, but more profoundly in the soul.” (page 17) Barnes calls the pastor to do this by using the Major Poets of Scripture to form words that are recognized in the mind, but more profoundly in the soul of the congregation.
Each chapter begins with a first person view of a pastor’s day, and as the chapters unfold you realize these first person views weave a story that turns out to be a the pastor’s week. As the week progresses, and as the meetings and visits pile up, Barnes treats the topics springing up from that pastor’s agenda in a very pastoral manner. When the end of the week comes, you realize how much of the pastor’s life experiences from the week before go into crafting the sermon for his people. This is what Barnes is calling pastors to do. Use the subtext of life in your congregation and the words of the Major Poets together to craft a sermon that is specifically made for your congregation that week.
I think many pastors, especially tired pastors, will profit from this book by being reminded of why they got into the line of work they’re in, and will be encouraged to labor to reveal the mystery of Jesus Christ that is powerful to the soul; like poets do. I also think congregations would profit from reading this book as well, because it will show them what the life of a pastor is really like. This was an encouraging read that I will recommend to many I’m sure.
I recently wrote a review on the best-selling book, The Shack. I thought it was a good review, showing that even though the book was an engaging read that took suffering seriously, it clouded the gospel and therefore proved unhelpful in many ways. Rob Langston has found something I completely missed in the book. His find is a sobering call to all of us to examine what we read very thoroughly. Rob’s find was on the last page of the book, here is his comment on it:
After returning from the shack, his friend Willie asks him if God was at the shack to which Mack replies “Willie, it’s not a secret. God is everywhere. So, I was at the shack.” Although this might appear to be a typo, I believe that it is a deliberate portrayal of a pantheistic God. God is portrayed as so intimately connected to us as humans that indeed we are right in calling ourselves “God.” Although these thoughts, that God is there to help me and lives within me so that I may rightly consider myself God, may be helpful to some readers, this help will be short-lived, since it is opposed to truth, reality, and to God himself.
Nice find Rob! Thank you for calling something to our attention that I very uncritically breezed right through. I appreciate your keen eye for detail. You exposed a hidden message that is indeed opposed to God Himself.
J. I. Packer once said, “What has been said of Luther’s Bondage of the Will can also be said of The Reformed Pastor: Its words have hands and feet.” (page, 16) I agree with all my heart, but I would add that Baxter’s Reformed Pastor has as much hands and feet Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures To My Students. Both of these books pack a greater punch than Luther’s Bondage of the Will. I say this because Luther’s punch was directed at Erasmus, while Baxter and Spurgeon’s punch is directed at the reader.
Spurgeon’s Lectures To My Students was not a waste of time, and will not be a waste of time for the rest of my life. There are many chapters that I will go back to in my future life, marriage, and ministry many times over I’m sure. Of the 28 chapters I was assigned any 15 of my choosing. No doubt though, in the years to come this, along with my Bible, may prove to the most worn book I have.
First, I chose chapter 1 “The Ministers Self-Watch”. This was Spurgeon’s explanation of 1 Timothy 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine”. He made the argument that just as any other profession constantly keeps their tools sharp and ready for use, we ministers of the gospel are in greater need to keep ourselves sharp and ready for use. Why must we do this? For our good, and the good of our people. Because if we are not healthy, sharp, and ready for use, what makes us think that our people will be?
Second, I chose chapter 2 “The Call to the Ministry”. Spurgeon explains how all are called to be ministers of the gospel wherever you are in whatever profession you find yourself in. Then, he clarifies and says, “but not all of us are called to labor in Word and Doctrine…” He then gives us his reasons to know whether or not someone is called to the ministry of the Word or not. He said there must be a desire to do this, an aptness to teach, fruit must be seen from it, and your preaching must be acceptable to God’s people.
Third, I chose chapter 3 “The Preacher’s Private Prayer”. This perhaps could have one of the most convicting chapters of a book that I have ever read in my life. He labors to get across the point that of all people the preacher ought to be in prayer. Not just prayer for meals, but prayer over study, prayer over marriage, prayer over your people, prayer over your life, etc. Spurgeon so firmly believes this that he made it seem like those who are not laboring in prayer with their God are not fitted for the ministry. I agree.
Space does not permit me to go on about the others chapters I have read, but I will leave enough space to comment on my favorite chapter, 11 “The Minister’s Fainting Fits”. This chapter answered the question, why do so many preachers fall so deeply into depression, and times of darkness? Spurgeon’s reasons are: we are only men, we have unsound physical shape due to so much study time, this work lays our hearts open for such attacks, the hour of success is usually followed by days of darkness, and many more. The preacher desires his people to grow in Christ; when they don’t what can the pastor do but mourn over his people’s growth stunt?
Again, this book was not a waste of time. I have benefitted from it and will benefit from it in more ways than I know. This is one book that I am glad to keep by my side, and will do so for a long time coming. I highly reccomend this book to all people, minister’s or not. You will all benefit from it more than you think.
Dan Allender’s book The Healing Path is about not merely counsel to people who have been sexually hurt. It is about pain, and what we choose to do with it. Do we run from it, and make our whole lives revolve in such a way that we never feel pain, or deal with the pain that we know is present in our lives but refuse to talk about? No, Allender suggests that we “not waste our pain”.
He tells us that God has purposes in our pain that we may not know of, and that God may lead us into pain for those reasons. We need to admit to ourselves that living in a fallen is a painful experience, “to live is to hurt.” (page 4) To live well in this fallen world and to become what God wants us to be, we must honestly take a look at our sorrows rather than trying to escape from them (page 15). God is in the business of screaming to us in our pain. If only we would listen to Him and not from Him during these hard times of life, we would have more abundant lives. Not easier, but more abundant. Allender told many stories to prove this point throughout the book and got the point across clearly that when pain enters our lives, God is inviting us into a chance to grow into something greater than what we are now. “If we are close to sorrow, we will be close to true joy.” (page 15)
Overall, it was a good read for me, but not a great read. I say that it was not great because there were times in his book in which I was thinking to myself, “What is he saying to me right now?” These moments were not constant, but they happened often, and during these moments I could not figure out what exactly he was telling me. There was a vagueness about it that made it a hard read. But, the message came across clear, don’t avoid pain, God has purposes in it that are moving the best possible way to your best possible good. It is an explanation of Psalm 119:71, 75, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes…I know O’ Lord, that Your judgments are righteous and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
Before I read The Elements Of Counseling I never thought of Counselors in high regard. Friends of mine who have gone to counseling would tell me of their visits and I would always be frustrated as to why counselors told them to do this or that. Nothing they prescribed ever made since to me and I created a foolish opinion that I could counsel people better than they could. This book has changed my mind. It has shown me that counseling is far more diverse than I thought it was. This short book gave me a brief overview of all that is counseling. What counseling is, assumptions often made, strategies to try, things to avoid, tips on talking with the client, and brief overviews of the different camps counselors fall into. The goal of the book was to “distill the basic elements of counseling and teach what counseling is and what it is not.” (preface, 8) It certainly accomplished this task.
I will take away two things from this: one, process influences outcome. How you decide what to aim for with the client in counseling plays a large part of what the outcome will be. Different methods produce different results. Because of this, the second thing I’ll take away is that a counselor may have to use different methods to successfully counsel to different people.
Because this book comes from a non-Christian or ‘non-religious’ (see page 41) viewpoint it does not take sin into account; how it affects people in different ways, and how the affects of living in a fallen world show up in people in a variety of ways. They will never say that only true peace can be found in Christ because they do not believe that (see 1 Cor. 2:14). What else can you expect from a worldly viewpoint? But even though this book comes from the viewpoint it does, you can still learn and benefit much from it. Therefore, if you desire to read a book about what counseling is, and want to learn what the different schools of thought are, this is the book to do so.
I have just finished The Shack by WM. Paul Young. As with most popular books, this one received praise and reproof from all sorts of Christian circles. I chose to read this book because too often the reading of Church leaders is different from the Church itself. If pastors are to be aware of what their people are reading and who their learning from, they need to be reading the same. Because of this, I thought it would be a good endeavor to read this book; in order to better minister truth to those around me.
The story begins with Mack receiving a note in the mailbox from Papa, telling him to visit ‘the shack’ in a couple of weeks for a visit. The reader is confused as to what this means, but the story keeps you interested as you hear Mack describing the story that led him to ‘the shack’. We find out that Mack took his kids camping, and while he was attending to two of them, his youngest daughter Missy was abducted, never to be seen again. The authorities traced his daughter’s kidnapper to a ‘shack’, where they only found her blood stained dress. The trail had ended. Mack, his wife, and his kids spiraled downwards for the next 3 and half years; until Mack received the note from “Papa” to return to ‘the shack’. Against his better judgment, and apart from the rest of his family’s knowledge Mack went to the ‘shack’ only to meet an elderly black woman, a younger Asian woman, and a Middle-Eastern carpenter who all introduced themselves as God, at the same time. Throughout the rest of the book God (represented in this threesome as the trinity) takes Mack on a journey of healing, ultimately leading to a renewal of his relationship with Himself. Mack then goes home to bring this healing to his family; and at the end of the story all is well.
I should begin by mentioning something: just because this book is a fiction novel does not make it closed to critique. The Shack contains non-fiction people, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit; because of this critique will be and has proven to be unavoidable. With that said, let’s begin.
I do think this book has a few great things about it. First, the character Mack goes through serious amount of pain and none of it sugar-coated throughout the book. The pain is real and you feel his suffering along with him. This is great, and many people need to feel this. Second, the story is great. Young is a great story-teller; that is obvious. There were times that I did not want to stop reading because it drew me in so deeply. Third, and lastly, Young said that God (Papa) “weaves a magnificent tapestry by His grace.” (page 176-177) When I read that everything in me leapt and said “Amen!”
Now to the things I thought were unhelpful and wrong. First, even though it is a fiction book, like I said earlier, Young writes about true People; more so, he writes about God! Some may say that you cannot read fiction for theology, but I do not concur. God is real, and He is not to be represented contrary with how He has revealed Himself in the Bible. God the Father is not a black woman, God the Son is not a Middle Eastern carpenter, and God the Spirit is not an Asian woman. It is hurtful and not helpful to portray God in this manner. I agree with Trevin Wax when he says, “When people put down The Shack, they will not have a better understanding of the Trinity (despite the glowing blurbs on the back cover). They will probably have a more distorted view of God in three Persons.” Many people throughout Church history have tried to create other images or allegories to help the Church understand the Trinity, and every time it ended up in heresy. Here before our own eyes, we have another example. We are better off sticking with the distinction of One in nature, Three in person; anything beyond this, is beyond Scriptural bounds.
Second, God’s love is portrayed as His dominating attribute. Is this correct? No. God’s character is all- loving, don’t get me wrong; but at the same time He is all-wrathful, all-righteous, and all-holy along with all His other attributes. He is all of these things (and more!) to fullest extent at the same time. To make it seem that God has a dominating attribute is wrong. This is yet another quality of our current Christian culture. All you have to do to prove this is turn on any Christian radio station. Most of the songs will carry this theme. The Shack also makes some big claims on what ‘love’ is. It says repeatedly (page 145, 164-165, and 190) that “Love that is forced is no love at all.” This does not take into account the doctrine of regeneration. When someone comes to faith, they do so because they want to with all their heart. As they grow in that faith, God reveals to them that it was not them that made the choice (out of their own free will) to come to Him, it was God who drew them to Himself (see John 6:44-65). The Bible says that true love is not when God (or anyone) makes much of someone; it is when God gives someone the ability to make much of Him forever. Along with God’s love being his dominating attribute, The Shack also portrays man as the center of God’s affections (see page 190). This is yet again a mark of Christian culture that is wrong and harmful. All throughout the Bible God makes it clear that His main affection is not man, but His own fame and glory (see 1 John 2:12 and Romans 11:36).
Lastly, page 123 and 164-165 say that suffering is not God’s doing, and that Creation has been “taken down a very different path than God desired.” To this I ask one question: If God is not in control of all the suffering in existence, even the fall of man, who is? Satan? The Shack answers yes to this and the Bible answers no. God controls all things and ordains whatsoever comes to pass (Eph. 1:11b), for His own glory and for our best possible good (Romans 8:28). Other than these, The Shack portrays a very deconstructed view of the Church and a low need for the Bible in the Christian life.
All of these are things that make me say that WM. Paul Young’s The Shack, is not a helpful book to read. Although it was a great and well-written story, there are too many harmful theological errors in it for me to recommend to anyone. Why? John Piper said it best, “Bad theology dishonors God and hurts people.” It is not sinful to read this book, so if you find yourself wanting to read it, feel free! But take caution, I fear that Mack’s “Papa” may not be the same God as the God of Job, Moses, and Paul.
One reason seminary can be tough is the amount of reading Professor’s assign during the semester. Take for example, my current reading. Although at times I really do not like having so much on my plate, I do enjoy reading a lot and I am grateful that during this course in my life, I get to read so many thought-provoking books. During the coure of this semester, I am going to be writing a reviews of each book and posting it here for you to look over. There are a couple reasons for doing this:
a) All my Professor’s require these reviews this semester, so I have to do them.
b) I need an outlet to let some of my praise and frustrations out as I read these books. (Often both will be present in every book)
c) I want you to be informed about what books are great, just okay, and awful, so you can be reading the stuff that is worth reading.
So, enjoy these reviews and feel free to comment on them, because many of you may have read the same books (Wild At Heart and The Shack?) and want to respond to what I have said about them. My review of Wild At Heart is already up; more will be coming as I finish these others.
I have just finished Wild At Heart by John Eldredge. As with most popular books, this one received praise and reproof from all sorts of Christian circles. I chose to read this book because too often the reading of Church leaders is different from the Church itself. If pastors are to be aware of what their people are reading and who their learning from, they need to be reading the same. Because of this, I thought it would be a good endeavor to read this book; in order to better minister truth to those around me.
The first thing that caught my eye when reading the book is a quote from Matthew 11:12, right at the beginning, “The kingdom of God suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” As the first couple of chapters lead out you discover that Eldredge is going to explain how he thinks men (and women – although to a lesser degree) should live out this verse. He does so by making three points throughout the whole book. Men need a battle to fight, men need a beauty to rescue, and men need an adventure to live. It is these three points Eldredge aims to explain throughout his book.
Every little boy and every man, Eldredge says, has “something fierce” in their hearts. This is why every boy and man has a battle to fight. That is to say that every male has a God-given warrior heart that seeks to express itself through conquering the enemy; no matter if the enemy is as big as the devil or as little as a white ball on a tee. Next, Eldredge says that every male is born with a God-given desire to seek, save, and rescue the beautiful woman in his life. This is why men will go to such lengths to be with a woman. Then, he says every male is born with a God-given desire to live in an adventure, to be adventurous, and to explore to his hearts content. If we suppress these desires, Eldredge says, that we are not being who we were made to be. This is where he encourages women to let men do these things, rather than trying to “tame” them. Throughout the book Eldredge describes these 3 God-given desires by giving his own life experiences, Bible verses, and most of all, through movie illustrations. Not just any movie though, Eldredge has a few that he refers to a lot, and you’ll know why as soon as I name them. Indiana Jones, Braveheart, Legends of the Fall, and Saving Private Ryan. Each of these movies has the ideal image of man in them that we should look to for example, and wonder why we inherently want to be like them. One of the biggest points as to why males have these desires within them, according to Eldredge, is that we are wild because we bear the image of the ultimate Wild One, God. Men are wild, simply because God is wild.
Now, I really do like the concepts of manhood written in these pages, they are very appealing to me and I would say the same on many points. But there are three concerns I have with this book. First, Eldredge needs a good theological friend that goes after him to clear up his writing. Men, he says, are made the image of the Wild One, God. Everything in me wants to affirm this, but not what he says next. We take risks, therefore, because were made in the image of the One who takes immense risks, God (see pages 30-32). I know that Eldredge does not believe in Open Theism because he states it on page 32, but to say that God takes risks is just wrong and unhelpful. Why? Risk implies ignorance. If someone takes a risk, it means that they are doing something in which they do not know the outcome. God is omniscient, He knows all things; therefore He can never take a risk. You wonder if Eldredge really means what he says here and there with statements like this, or if he is just so wrapped in the Wild Man talk that he overstates his case a bit. I think it’s the latter. Do not get me wrong, he makes some very good theological points, he quotes John Owen for goodness sake (see page 143), but it would still be very helpful if a theologically wise friend went after him and edited statements like this to avoid confusion.
Second, I fear that Eldredge has gotten much of his theology from American Macho Man Movies. All the talk of William Wallace, Tristan from Legends of the Falls, and Indiana Jones is great, but it is so plentiful that it seems to be the foundation of all he is saying. I wonder also if men outside western culture feel this way. The Japanese would with the Samurai Warrior, but do all? I’m not sure they do. True Scripture calls all men to be strong (Eph. 6:12) and to violently press into the kingdom of God (Matt. 11:12), but that will look different in every culture. While Eldredge is making his points, he tells a story where his son was getting picked on by a bully. Eldredge counsels his son to punch the bully in the face as hard as he can because he does not want his son to lose his courage this early in his life by not standing up to the bully (see pages 78-79). This sounds more like James Bond than Jesus. The Christian response is to be courageous by being the bigger man and not fighting back, as Jesus did (Phil. 2:1-11).
Third, the gospel is unclear. On page 122 he says, “The true essence of strength is passed to us from God through our union with him.” Amen! But nowhere will you find an explanation of how a man gets into that union with God. An un-Christian man reading this will not be told to repent of his sins and trust in Jesus to be in union with God, thus the un-Christian man may think all he must do is seek God in our union with Him to be right, whatever that means. The one thing that all Christian authors ought to be clear on is the gospel. Eldredge especially should be so, because turning from sin and believing on Jesus for your salvation (and not ourselves!) is the most “manly” and “wild” thing a man can do.
If you’re going to read this or have read this, take caution. There are many good things to be learned in this book and many things you should never do. I only ask you to do one thing, test it all by Scripture, as you should do with everything you read. Take what is good, and leave the rest. Overall, I do think that John Eldredge has uncritically accepted too much of our current culture, and therefore his writing reflects more of our current culture than Biblical Manhood.
“I am one person in one place at one time. My experiences and perceptions are limited and colored by the environment in which I live. Therefore, it would be profoundly arrogant of me to think that I can best grow in the knowledge of God through Scripture by myself. Certainly the Holy Spirit is graciously given to all God’s children to enable us to comprehend and be conformed to the truths of the Bible. Nevertheless, one of the primary means of grace God uses in the process of our transformation is the universal-historical community of believers. Within that community, God graciously provides leaders of few and leaders of many to equip the saints for the work of ministry. It is a humbling thing for me to read a book. Most books take at least several hours of combined time to process, and I have to forsake other distractions in order to focus and benefit from what I am reading. Most of all, I can’t talk back. I am forced to just listen, patiently follow and receive, to think another man’s thoughts after him. One of the new desires placed into the heart of every believer is the desire to think God’s
thoughts after him. Let’s pursue humility by receiving the thoughts of those who have led us and spoken the word of God to us in the most enduring of all earthly mediums: the book.”
This came from Monergism’s Reader’s Guide for the Christian Life. I encourage you to read the whole thing, it is great!
Only one thing ultimately matters, worshipping God the way He intends us to. If this is your desire, or if you want to know how God intends us to worship Him, you need to read this book by Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters.
