If you’re a regular reader, you’ve probably noticed a steady stream of Martin Luther quotes around here over the past few weeks.  While I’m always up for some good Lutherisms, the recent blitz from my favorite reformer has been due to my reading of his Table Talk, a collection of conversations and anecdotes compiled by Luther’s colleagues and students.  What you find in Table Talk is an experience akin to being invited to share a dinner at Luther’s house or a beer with he and his students at the pub.  The insights are classic Luther – always passionate, often colorful, and deeply encouraging and helpful.

The thoughts are arranged by topic, with everything from the nature and work of God to Luther’s thoughts on civil government getting a chapter.  In addition, each anecdote is numbered with a Roman numeral, allowing you to easily reference and find later any quote that you find particularly interesting.  Each item ranges from a couple sentences to a few pages in length, with most settling in at a paragraph or two.  This makes the book perfect for reading on the go, as you can get through several self-contained thoughts in a span as short as ten minutes or so.  However, if you’re as engrossed by Luther’s thoughts as I am, you’ll find yourself sitting down with the book for chapters at a time as well.  The only real gripe I have with the way the book is put together is the fact that no translations are given whenever Luther says something in Latin.  It’s not constant, but he uses the language often enough for the lack of translations to be an annoyance to the 99% of us who aren’t fluent in Latin.

Content-wise, the book is a gold mine.  I’ve posted several Luther quotes that have particularly caught my eye, but there are countless more that are just as good.  Luther is many things, but perhaps his greatest trait to shine through is his encouragement.  This man, who felt his own sin deeply, had such a way of strongly exhorting his followers to put all their trust and hope on the grace of God as revealed through Jesus.  There were many moments while reading where I found my faith similarly bolstered.  Some of the material may feel a bit dated to modern readers.  Understandably, Luther spends a lot of time talking about the excesses and evils of ‘popedom,’ and his discussions of the ins and outs of 16th-century German politics may be lost on many readers.  You may not agree with every word, but whether you’ve spent much time reading Luther or not you should be fascinated with – and spiritually strengthened by – what you find at his table.

It can be a bit daunting for someone who’s seeking to explore the Christian faith to try and figure things out.  With all the denominations, theological camps and doctrinal controversies, I imagine it could be pretty intimidating trying to figure out just what Christianity is all about.  That kind of seeker is exactly who Australian author and pastor is looking to serve with his book Simply Christianity.  The book uses the Gospel of Luke to present a biographical look at Jesus’ life and discuss the basics of who he was and what he came to do.

Dickson reproduces the entirety of Luke’s gospel in the book, which is certainly helpful.  He breaks the book up into four sections, offers a brief one-page introduction to each and then takes a few short chapters (3-4 pages each) to discuss different aspects of Jesus life and what they mean for Christians.  At the end of the book, he has a few appendices of supplemental information that break down some common questions about the historical reliability of the gospels, their connection to the Old Testament writings, and other subjects.

Dickson’s commentary does a great job of discussing the important basic and essential tenets of the faith and avoiding discussions that would involve distracting, secondary matters.  Jesus and the gospel message are the prime focus here, and Dickson faithfully uses the text of Luke to reveal and explain the truths that Christians have united around and clung to for millenia.  By design, he doesn’t dig very deep, which limits the benefit that a mature Christian would get from the book.  That’s not to say that they wouldn’t enjoy reading it (I certainly did), just that Dickson is basically laying out the gospel and doesn’t really take the time to meditate much along the way.  The book would be a great source, however, for an introductory study of Jesus’ life for unbelievers.  I can see this functioning really well in a small group setting.  Dickson says enough to explain the Christian faith while leaving plenty of room and setting the table for the kind of quality discussion that could take place in a group.  Plus, the inclusion of the biblical text in the book means that you’ve got everything you’ll need for an introductory study of Luke in one relatively cheap paperback.  If you’re leading an introductory study on the Christian faith or know someone who is looking for some clarity on what exactly Christianity is about, this would be a great choice.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when our church planting team started reading through Sticky Teams about a month ago.  I’d never heard of Larry Osborne, though I’d heard some positive buzz about the book in the blogosphere.  As the three of us prepare to plant a church, all of us for the first time, we’re trying to soak up as much advice as humanly possible.  As part of that effort, reading Sticky Teams was definitely time well spent.

The book is Osborne’s guide to building a church leadership team that sticks together through thick and thin.   Osborne came on as the pastor of what is now North Coast Coast church in 1980 with just over 100 people in attendance.  The church is now a megachurch of thousands with multiple campuses and video venues.  Osborne looks back on the various challenges that he and the church’s leadership faced over the life of the church and seeks to offer the lessons he’s learned in a very practical form that is applicable to churches of varying size and polity.

The book’s applicability is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.  As I read the book, I thought of countless situations I’ve faced in my limited time as a church leader where Osborne’s advice could be easily and benificially applied.  He somehow manages to talk about leadership without addressing the specifics of polity (plural elder?  single elder?) while avoiding being so general that what he has to say has no application to an actual church body.  Whether he’s talking about planning meetings, cultivating spiritual and relational unity among leadership, or handling weighty or controversial decisions, Osborne gives wise advice that shows evidence of being bathed in both Biblical study and personal experience.  However, I thought that the lack of a specific polity left Osborne offering practical solutions to matters that were actually the symptoms of structural problems.  For instance, when he offered thoughts on how to get decision-making lay board members more on the same page spiritually with theologically-trained pastors, I wanted to yell out at the book that the real  problem is that men not biblically qualified as pastor/elders shouldn’t be governing the church in the first place.  Moments like that were frequent in the book, but they didn’t negate the valuable wisdom that it also had to offer.

In the end, I’m very glad I read Sticky Teams, but I’m equally glad that I read it in tandem with Alexander Strauch’s Biblical Eldership.  The practical advice of Sticky Teams is great, but it’s even better when wedded with a strong look at the biblical foundations of church leadership.  However, any church leader will find much useful in Osborne’s book.  He’s a straightforward, endearing and witty writer, and he’s got a lot to teach us about how to build a unified leadership team that steers, guides and shepherds a unified church body to the glory of God.

Most Christians will know that the word “gospel” literally means “good news.”  So what exactly is the good news, anyway?  Christians can doubtlessly produce countless answers – forgiveness of sins, the promise of eternal life, the joys of heaven.  However, in his book God Is the Gospel, John Piper argues that none of those would really be good news if it wasn’t for the greatest news:  that God through the gospel has removed all obstacles to the greatest gift we could ever receive – himself.

Anyone who has ever read Piper knows of his passion for the glory and supremacy of God.  It has certainly been the central theme of his ministry.  In fact, it’s so much of a hobby horse for him that it used to annoy me up until a few years ago.  I was reading one of his books (When I Don’t Desire God) and kept thinking “This is all he ever talks about!”  Shortly after that, I remember thinking “Well what else is there, really?!?”  At that point, Piper really clicked for me, and I’ve really admired and benefited from him ever since.  As an author, he may be a bit of a one-trick pony, but it’s one really stinkin’ good trick.

I say that to say this – God Is the Gospel will be familiar territory for any Piper fan.  The themes that he weaves here are the same ones you’ll find in his other writings – the supremacy of God and the perfect and full satisfaction he brings to our souls.  However, this is territory that is well worth revisiting, simply because it’s true and it’s incredibly vital to seeing, and thus living, the Christian life in the right way.  The book was a slow read for me at first, just because I felt I’d read it before, but as I progressed I began to find my affections sharpened and my faith strengthened.  The truth that Piper discusses seems to build upon itself, each chapter adding to the richness of what has come before.  The best news of the gospel is that it frees us to behold the beauty, wonder and majesty of the Lord of all the universe, and taking time to meditate and reflect on that truth is always well worth our time.  Whether you’re a Piper rookie or veteran, God is the Gospel will be a worthwhile read.

If you would have asked me as recently as four or five years ago, I would have told you that I didn’t think the New Testament prescribed any particular model of church leadership or polity, leaving that matter up to individual churches to decide for themselves.  Over the years since, I’ve come to be convinced that’s not actually the case.  The evidence that the Bible instructs churches to be led by plural pastor/elders is strong, and the more I read and studied the more I became convinced that’s what we should be doing.  However, I’ve never actually been a part of a church (until now) that was led by a group of pastor/elders.  This whole notion is still relatively new for me.  With church planting fast approaching, one of the first thing my fellow planters and I decided to work through was our understanding of what an eldership is and how it should function.  The book that was immediately and repeatedly recommended to us was Alexander Strauch’s Biblical Eldership.  Having completed it over the weekend, it was worth every penny and I believe it will provide us with an invaluable foundation on which to build a church’s leadership structure and culture.

The first several chapters of the book discuss what I expected to get from the entire book – what elders are and why the Bible requires that they lead the church.  Strauch’s case is thorough and strong, and did nothing but bolster my growing conviction that the Bible has plenty to say about church polity if we’ll let it.  In everything from word studies to historical context, Strauch applies careful thought to attempt to understand carefully what Scripture says, independent of tradition.  However, he doesn’t stop with making a case for eldership, but he moves on to discuss in detail what Scripture says about elders.  He draws extensively from the book of Acts’ descriptions of functioning elderships, as well as the prescriptions laid upon elders in 1 Timothy and Titus.  He even closes the book with a couple of brief chapters on how the elders relate to the congregation as a whole.  These factors combine to create a book that’s not just a comprehensive case for eldership, but a comprehensive look at eldership.

The book has given my planting team plenty to talk about, ponder and seek to implement in our own church plant.  If you’re looking to understand what the big deal is about polity and eldership, Strauch’s book would be a great place to start.  My only wish is that the book were a little more accessible.  This isn’t a purely academic volume, but there might be some vocabulary and subject matter that would make it a bit daunting to the layman.  That aside, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more complete treatment of the subject anywhere else.  Anyone who truly wishes to grapple with and understand the Bible’s teaching on church leadership will find Biblical Eldership worth the effort.

Lately, I’ve been working through some of the recent books by Al Mohler.  Over the weekend, I finished Culture Shift, a collection of essays by Mohler on several current-issues topics reflecting the state of our culture over the past decade.  Mohler is no stranger as a cultural commentator, having made countless appearances on Larry King Live and other major media outlets.  One thing I’ve always admired about him, from before I ever even started at Boyce, was the sharp clarity and careful thought that he always displayed in dealing with hot-button issues.  As a teenager, I remember being used to seeing shouting heads on CNN anytime issues of morality were discussed but seeing Mohler as a breath of fresh air and a compelling voice for Biblical truth.  Now, over ten years later, Mohler’s voice is as clear as ever.

I suspect (though I can’t confirm) that these 20 essays are reproduced at least in part from Mohler’s blog, as I vaguely recollected reading some of them before.  Mohler brings biblical wisdom to bear on topical issues like abortion, torture and race relations, and the undergirding philosophical shifts that have had an undeniable mark on our society.  He discusses each topic in precise fashion and its always easy to trace the rationale that brings him to each conclusion.  The downside of the book (and I’m finding myself feeling this way about each of his books, so this is likely more a case of my familiarity with Mohler than anything else) is that there’s not much here that was new to me after a decade of reading and hearing Mohler in both his Seminary and public contexts.  Rather than painting a new picture of understanding, this book simply filled in and rounded out the picture I already had.  Want a case study in how to think carefully as a Christian regarding the issues of our day?  You won’t do much better than this.  However, if you’ve been a regular on Mohler’s blog over the years, you might want to go ahead and take a pass.

With church planting on the horizon, I’ve been trying lately to develop and hone a missionary mindset.  To that end, I’ve been trying to read as many books as possible that seek to introduce the Christian message on a level directed at unbelievers.  The best of the bunch I’ve read lately is Tim Keller’s The Reason For God, but this past week I read an older entry that’s almost as good in its own right – John Stott’s 1950s classic Basic Christianity.  Rather than take the apologetic bent that Keller does, Stott sticks to the basics of the Christian message and delivers a volume that is extraordinarily clear, concise and compelling.

Stott breaks his book down into four sections, each focusing on a necessary component of the gospel – Christ’s person, our condition, Christ’s work, and our response.  Each section is well-written, communicating the core truths of the Christian faith in a way that an unbeliever would find very easy to follow.  Stott is an excellent writer to boot, keeping my attention locked throughout (I read the book in just a couple sittings) and presenting truth in a way that’s not only intellectually satisfying, but spiritually stirring as well.  The book may be more than 50 years old, but for the most part Stott’s writing style hasn’t aged a day.  A powerful presentation of the gospel will not only call people to faith, but will also stir the affections of those who have already placed their trust in Jesus.  Basic Christianity does exactly that.  I found myself not only moved to worship numerous times, but also challenged on in my faithfulness for Christ.  This is a book that I would recommend without reservation or hesitation to absolutely everyone.  It’s a quick read (under 200 pages in paperback), it’s cheap ($6 at Amazon), and it’s profitable to believer and seeker alike.  Give it a read, then give it away.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to hear Aussie speaker and writer John Dickson at Alistair Begg’s Basics Conference, where he spoke on the topic of evangelism.  Dickson was a great communicator, winsome and gracious with a gift for explaining matters of faith in a very clear way.  Dickson has started a series of books called If I Were God…, and over the last couple days I read through his second such book, If I Were God, I’d Make Myself Clearer.  In the book, Dickson aims to consicely make a case that the Christian faith is grounded in historical reality in a world where hundreds of competing religious claims can make knowing what to believe seem impossible.  While he succeeds in that endeavor, the finished product is one that will really only benefit those who are looking into Christianity for the very first time.

The book uses Paul’s speech on Mars Hill from Acts 17 as the starting point for a discussion on the religious pluralism that pervades modern western culture.  From there, in 80-or-so short pages, Dickson discusses the largely unverifyable nature of many religous claims and then seeks to contrast that with the way that Paul intentionally grounded his presentation of the Christian gospel in a historical event – the resurrection of Jesus.  Dickson’s presentation is obviously geared towards the inquiring unbeliever, and the book doesn’t last long enough to explore the issues in anything more than a rudimetnary manner – a reality which Dickson himself acknowledges, pointing readers to an extensive list for further reading the the book’s end.  In short, the book accomplishes what it set out to do, but that limits the audience for which it will be a worthwhile read.  If you know of someone who is knee-deep in pluralism and you’re looking for a good book to give them to get them to re-think some basic assumptions about religions, then this would be a good choice.  If you have even a passing familiarity with the subject matter, though, you should probably skip this one and spend your time and money on another book.

I’ve given a lot of thought to how to write my review of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz.  How do I convey just how much I absolutely loved this book while noting its legitimate flaws?  How do I give those flaws due credence while not letting them overshadow the remarkable read that the book is in spite of them?  I can certainly see why this book has been so polarizing.  My sister-in-law got it for me for Christmas a couple years ago, and at the time all I had heard anyone saying was how wishy-washy and theologically dangerous it was.  Then, my friend Corey (who is anything but theologically wishy-washy) read it and raved about it.  So, now that I’m on my “read everything that’s sat on my shelf untouched” kick, I was really interested to see what I would find in Blue Like Jazz.

The first thing I found is a book that I flew through as quickly as anything I’ve read in the past year because it was so incredibly engaging.  The book is a collection of essays by Miller about his experiences as a Christian along every step of his spiritual journey.  His upbringing in fundamentalism, his time living in the woods with hippies, his intersections with Mark Driscoll and Josh Harris – all are there and used as opportunities to show how different aspects of faith have come to bear on his life.  Miller is an absolutely fantastic writer.  One thing that’s clear from the opening tip is that Miller is a writer, not a professional theologian.  Yes, that presents its problems, but it also means that this book was a heck of a lot more engaging than most every book I’ve read from my favorite pastor/theologians.  That’s not a knock on them as writers, just a recognition of the simple fact that they’re theologians who write and Miller is a writer who writes about theology.  Stylistically, that makes a big difference.  Miller also comes from a very different mindset and perspective than those of us in the evangelical/reformed camp.  He’s unabashedly (culturally and politically) liberal, and while some of the book may irritate you to no end if you thought W. was a great president, that also means that Miller will sometimes put things together in a way that’s different and challenging to your mind and can be quite beautiful.  His story of setting up a confessional booth after an unabashedly hedonistic collegiate event – a confessional booth for he and his Christian friends to apologize for inadequately displaying Christ’s love to the unsuspecting revelers – was particularly moving and nearly brought me to tears.  There were many times reading the book that I thought, I want the kind of radical devotion to Jesus and care for other people that he’s writing about.

Now, about those flaws.  The first major complaint I’ve heard from others is that the book can be terribly confusing and unclear on a theological level.  I would say that is true.  Miller’s reflective essay style means that it’s his personal experiences that are shining through here, and the form doesn’t lend itself to the theological precision that most Reformed readers will be used to (and no doubt expecting).  Did I find this troublesome at times?  Sure – there were parts where I felt that Miller’s vagaries capitulated to cultural expectations and clouded some beautiful truths.  There were times (though rare) when I found something he had to say just flat out-and-out Biblically wrong (his remark about Jesus loving us for some quality internal to us being the most egregious offender).  However, I didn’t find them nearly as troubling as some others have.  In wanting to see a certain type of writing, many critics have completely missed the beauty in what Miller did write.  His stylistic choices cause the book some weaknesses, but it also gives the book some strengths that simply aren’t present in a lot of other writing, even guys I really enjoy like Piper, Carson and the like.   It seems that the book that Miller’s critics want to see just isn’t the book that Miller wrote.  They want to have steak, Miller grilled a pretty good piece of chicken, and everybody complains that it doesn’t taste like steak.  Now granted, I do find steak better than chicken on the whole, but a pretty mean piece of poultry can be very nice now and then.  If you approach Blue Like Jazz rightly – expecting that written word equivalent of a tasty culinary change-up – you might just find something really enjoyable and satisfying, and it might just make that steak you have for dinner tomorrow night taste a little bit better for the variety.

Ever since I first heard Derek Prime speak at Alistair Begg’s Pastors Conference several years ago, I’ve had a great admiration for him.  Prime was Begg’s mentor when Alistair was a young minister, and his gentle demeanor and sharp mind shine through in everything he does.  Prime is a humble man who demonstrates a strong faith in God.  He’s not a wow-inducing speaker or a dynamic personality, but his words are carefully chosen and valuable in reflecting on what it means to serve God in pastoral ministry and in everyday life.  A couple years back, Prime’s book Practical Prayer was a freebie at a conference I attended, and I just got around to reading it over the last couple weeks.  In the book, Prime seeks to, as the title suggests, take a look at the fundamentals of not only why we pray, but how we should do it.

One of my favorite things about Prime’s speaking and writing is his incredible clarity.  Any Christian, whether new to the faith or having followed Christ for years, will be able to pick up this book and follow exactly what he’s saying.  Prime has the rare gift of offering tremendous wisdom on a level that is easy to grasp and understand.  He also addresses prayer in a way that remembers the essence of what prayer is – an active and living relationship with God as a person, not just a theological concept.  It’s easy to address the theological motivators and factors involved in prayer and allow the discourse to become something that’s simply academic.  Prime doesn’t make that mistake, writing often on (and devoting a whole chapter to) the role of the Holy Spirit in our prayer lives.  Every chapter ends with a brief prayer from Prime, asking that God would help us to grow in our understanding of these truths, our practice of them, and our love for the God to whom they lead us.  The whole book is crafted with the heart of a pastor, which is no doubt a product of Prime’s 30-plus years of pastoring congregations in the U.K.

It seems that in talking with Christians, one of the most common things people say they would like to improve about themselves spiritually is their prayer life.  I know that is certainly the truth for me.  If you also fall into that category, Practical Prayer will be a great tool to help you to cultivate a deeper, more meaningful prayer life.  I really can’t imagine a Christian who wouldn’t benefit from this book.  It’s a quick and easy read, but with value that will strengthen your faith and your life.