Book Review : Formed for the Glory of God : Kyle Strobel

The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." (Heb. 13:7) While this directive has very much to do with the great privilege of learning from and imitating those whose leadership of the church is "local" and "direct," it also implies that considering the outcome of another believer, eminent in godliness, holds incredible value for the Christian. If the believer has been taken from a state of utter corruption and brought into sanctifying fellowship with Christ, then beholding God's artistry in a man's holiness is nothing short of a sight to a miracle of grace.
In the history of the church in America, few names are as significant as Jonathan Edwards. His ministry profoundly marked the American theological landscape as one who held fast to the sweet doctrines of grace and was a first-hand witness to the Great Awakening. The language Edwards employed in his sermons reflected a vision of Christ as glorious, supreme, beautiful, and eternally worthy of all delight and worship. Edwards was, however, not simply a producer of excellent sermons and weighty theology. He was a real man, a follower of Christ, whose pursuit of Jesus stood behind all his ministerial contributions. He knew what it was to walk with God and enjoy Him.
     In Formed for the Glory of God: Learning from the Spiritual Practices of Jonathan Edwards, Kyle Strobel writes of Edwards as a man whose walk with God is as imitable as his preaching and teaching are to be enjoyed. Surely, Edwards is significant as one who spoke the Word of God. By that account, his way of life is worth being considered, which Strobel strives to lay out in this book.
     Approaching the book, I was expecting to be more pointedly "discipled" by Edwards' teaching. What I found is a very helpful and balanced look at the vision of godliness that propelled Edwards and an exploration of the practices that Edwards employed in pursuit of that vision. This is not a biography proper - you won't find Strobel relating all of Edwards' life experiences and the impact of those experiences on his walk with God. Rather, Strobel puts together a kind of "systematic devotional theology" of Edwards' life. In this book, you won't necessarily find anything new or edgy. You won't find promises that following Edwards' "strategies" will somehow net you the same place in church history. Frankly, the book hearkens to a time that, while simpler in cultural trappings and distractions, holds forth a depth and complexity in the church's understanding and enjoyment of the Christian's relationship with God that surveying Edwards' practices will drive you to thinking "Where do I start?".
     The first section of the book provides an effective overview of a significant aspect of the spiritual disciplines that may often be overlooked: the enjoyment of God as enjoyable in Himself. Part One is relatively small compared to the rest of the book, but it is this section that sets apart this book as distinctly "Edwardsian" and provides a perspective on the practical pursuit of communion with God that is well to be recognized. In short, Strobel suggests that Edwards' pursuit of God was "A Journey Into Beauty." Unfortunately, this side of Edwards is often overlooked for the cultural obscuration attached to his name. While it may not be a practically-oriented section, it does give a view of Christian living that reflects Edwards' genuine concern to enjoy God as He is. Strobel ends the chapter with this helpful statement: "...the Christian life is a subtle cleaning of the glass to see him [God] for who he is, and therefore seeing yourself, life and the world for what they are."
     The second part of the book is concerned with the practical pursuits of Edwards' walk with God. This section is most certainly fodder for the believer who would earnest pursue God. What is helpful to note is that Strobel presents these pursuits of Edwards accessibly. There is not the sense of "Edwards was great at this - you are not - good luck trying to be like him." Approaching this section with a desire to grow, young and mature Christian alike should be challenged to a deeper and more enjoyable walk with Jesus. And, because these practices are God-centered, any hint of "mystical" experience can be moored to the theological vision that Edwards is so well and rightly known for.
     Altogether, this is a fine book that explores the vision and practical pursuit of God enjoyed by a man worthy, by God's grace, to be imitated for his godliness. Again, this is not a "theology of Edwards," but a review of Edwards' vision for pursuing God and an introduction to certain practices he employed in pursuit of that vision. It's a good and warm read and one certainly worthy of picking up as a matter of knowing the great and glorious Triune God more deeply. Thank you to the folks at InterVarsity Press for supplying a complimentary review copy without expectations of a positive review.

Book Review : Lost Letters of Pergamum

The world of Christian fiction isn't typically filled with a host of substantive, biblical, and obedience-provoking titles these days, at least so far as my impression of the landscape goes. If a book isn't about the Amish, it might as well stay off the fiction racks. Sadly, theology and a compelling story rarely seem to have a place together in the Christian publishing world. Reading through Bruce Longenecker's book The Lost Letters of Pergamum, however, proves to be an exception. Here's why:

• The book, while not strictly "fictional," is historical fiction - which basically means that the license taken to put words in the mouths of characters is a license taken with great attention to the probability that such characters would say what the author has them say. In the case of Longenecker's book, the dialogue mainly consists of a series of fictional letters sent back and forth between Antipas of Pergamum and Luke the Physician (and chronicler of Luke-Acts). What's fascinating about the interchange is that the characters are based on real men, with good biblical scholarship informing the content and style of their correspondence. It's not an historical stab in the dark, but a very real presentation of what an interaction between a first century Christian and pagan may have looked like, particularly those in the higher ranks of society. While the book is clearly fictional, nothing in it reads anachronistically. This needs to be done well for a book written as historical fiction and Longenecker does an excellent job of it.

• The attention to historical accuracy sets up the characters in a compelling way. Though I knew these letters were fictional, I remained interested to find out what would happen to the characters (some of whom, like the main characters themselves, were very real people in the first century).

• The evangelistic tone of Luke's letters to Antipas and the church's relationship to Antipas both made a significant impression on me. The way in which Luke respectfully and clearly engaged the pagan Antipas is a model for the kind of evangelism that usually happens in the workplace. Luke persisted in holding the truth before a man whom he initially knew through "professional" channels in a way that is highly instructive for those tempted to neglect speaking Scripture truth in favor of aimless "relationship building." Equally instructive is the way in which the church at Pegamum (at the fictional Antonius' house) openly received Antipas, while displaying genuine Christian living in their interactions. Both serve to convince Antipas of the truth of the gospel. I would not hesitate to suggest that Longenecker intentionally designed these interactions to instruct, which they do well.

• The first and twenty-first century risk of compromising the gospel is clearly in view, as one church shows a preference for comfort at the expense of their faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. It should not be overlooked that this was a real temptation for the apostolic church facing increasing persecution and lingers today. This, along with Antipas' eventual martyrdom, provide a sobering tone to the book that could otherwise be avoided in a fictional account. Those, along with other sobering moments, provide depth to the book.

 If you're looking to get a better picture of life in the first century church and don't care to read "textbook" type books, The Lost Letters of Pergamum is a sure choice to inform and entertain. It's relatively short at under 200 pages and reads very quickly. I would also recommend the book as a supplement to any Early Church History course, from Sunday School to seminary level. It does a very good job of bringing facts about the first century church together in a way that those familiar with that period of history can generally agree with and those wanting to be familiar can receive a helpful guide.

(The folks at Baker Academic kindly supplied me with a complimentary copy for review. I was not required to provide a positive review of the book.)

Book Review : Readings in the History of Christian Theology, Volumes 1 & 2

If one is looking to access a broad swath of thought and theology over the course of church history, Dr. William Placher's two-volume Readings in the History of Christian Theology may well fit the bill.           
For a two-volume survey of thought over the past two millennia, Placher keeps the work very trim - each volume weighs in at just around 200 pages.  Volume One opens with material contemporary with the very early church, (Gnosticism, etc.) and concludes with content gathered from the late Middle Ages.  Volume Two begins with Reformation writings and concludes with twentieth century theologies of liberation (feminism, race).  While each book touches briefly on significant points of contact with the various authors and thinkers it seeks to represent, Placher does a fairly reasonable job of representing each movement/author with representative excepts.  Further, Placher provides some context to introduce the authors presented, in case the reader is not familiar with the author or vein of thought.
Dr. Placher's personal theological convictions are well-tempered, for the most part, throughout the works.  Some introductions to thinkers seem tilted one way or another; e.g., calling Rudolf Bultmann the "greatest New Testament scholar of his generation."  While these assessments are debatable, Placher's comments are relatively constrained by a desire to simply present the thinker, the bulk of the material being select excerpts.
While some material may be a reach (particularly the concluding bizarre theologies of liberation and culture), the selection is appropriate for an ecumenical survey.  I would certainly disagree greatly with a number of those included by Placher, yet it is important for the serious student of theology and church history to have a rudimentary understanding of those who have figured into the making and marring of theological culture.
If desiring a broad (and again, ecumenical) survey of thought in the history of the church, Dr. Placher's work is certainly worth a glance, both in terms of scope and the relatively low page count it takes up in the process.
I received both volumes from the publisher, Westminister John Knox, as complimentary review copies without expectation of a positive review.