Book Review 3: Fasting by: Scot McKnight

     Fasting, by Scot McKnight, is a book that every preacher should read before tackling the topic of fasting. Fasting, as McKnight explains is a discipline that has been misrepresented and abused for hundreds of years. People have traditionally seen fasting as a means to an end "Instrumental Fasting" and not what fasting is meant to be which is a response to a sacred moment in life "Resopnsive Fasting"

     There are two main parts to McKnight's book, and they are named perfectly. The first section is called “Spirituality and Fasting” it's a nine part section that deals with all of the Biblical reasons to fast with examples of appropriate and inappropriate manifestations of each. McKnight deals with issues of prayer, repentance, grief, pleading, discipline and hope among others. The second section is called “Wisdom and Fasting” where McKnight very carefully goes over the human reasons why and why not to fast.

     McKnight's book is an excellent example of balance and careful consideration. He's ascetic without being crazy, liturgical without leaving evangelicalism. McKnight rightly sees that fasting is not a denominational or sectarian issue but one of simply Christianity. It is an ancient practice that may have faded in practice but not in efficacy. I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review 2: The Jesus You Can't Ignore by: John Macarthur

    

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     The Jesus You Can't Ignore is a new book written by John MacArthur. In it he takes the time to go over Jesus' interactions with the religious elite of his time. MacArthur's point is to show the side that he (rightly) believes is largely ignored by Christians Jesus is not the blond, feather-haired hippie we were raised to seem, but a man who embraces conflict when it came to the sins of the religious elite of his day. MacArthur goes through each interaction in its own dedicated chapter and argues his points well. The book itself is very well written and the arguments MacArthur presents are clear logical and easy to grasp.

     There is only one problem with The Jesus You Can't Ignore. MacArthur is technically correct in most of the things he says. Yes, Jesus dealt harshly with the Pharisees and Sadducees but the thrust of this book seems not to be directed at today's religious elite but rather at everyone. Yes, Jesus dealt severely with the teachers and scribes but tenderly with the rest of the people He was tender and gracious. It is here that MacArthur loses the point. MacArthur wants people to contend for the faith and stand up for truth, this is not a bad thing, but like Paul at Mars Hill, we need to know our audience and tailor our response to them. Our response to a hypocritical pastor should be different than our response to an un-believer bad mouthing Christianity. This book is great if it is read with discernment and the proper application of Proverbs 26:4-5

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review 1: Change Your Church for Good by: Brad Powell.

This review is for: Change Your Church for Good by Brad Powell.




Change Your Church for Good by Brad Powell, is a book written for church leaders and pastors interested in church revitalization. It is a very well-written and logically presented book. Powell seems to be a very organized writer and structures the book into five parts: The first describes (quite accuratley) the state of the North American Church. The second part describes the type of leaders needed to facilitate the change that is needed, the third part describes mission and vision casting, the fourth part is the execution and the fifth is a sort of epilogue.

One thing here is certain, This book was not written for me. I'm in my mid twenties, I'm part of what's called the “emerging generations”, this book is clearly written to pastors and leaders from the Baby boomer and Gen-X generations. I say that , mainly because of the tone of the book. Powell comes across as downright arrogant in certain sections. This, however is where I must confess my own bias. I recently read another book that was written along the same lines but to my generation. Dan Kimball's “They Like Jesus But Not The Church” says many of the same things that Powell is saying but he comes across much more humble (almost annoyingly in some sections) than Powell. Please do not misunderstand me I'm not saying that Powell and baby boomers are arrogant, but the language used is highly propositional and can come across that way to post-modern enculturated kids like me.

One last point. At one place in the book, Powell make the comment: “Everything rises and falls on leadership” I cannot stress enough how much I disagree with this statement. Everything rises and falls on Jesus, and the Gospel. My only real issue with the book is that it reads like a business plan. Much of the advice can easily be transplanted to the business world. The church is not a business, everything rises and falls on the head of the church: Jesus Christ.

Final Word: This is a great book if you are 40 or over and a church leader or pastor of a church that needs revitalization. If you're younger than that, it's good, but you'll get more out of Kimball's book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”