“Malice needs nothing to live on; it can feed on itself. A contentious spirit will find something to quarrel about. A faultfinder will find occasion to accuse a Christian even if his life is as chaste as an icicle and pure as snow. A man of ill will does not hesitate to attack, even if the object of his hatred be a prophet or the very Son of God Himself. If John comes fasting, he says he has a devil; if Christ comes eating and drinking, he says He is a winebibber and a glutton. Good men are made to appear evil by the simple trick of dredging up from his own heart the evil that is there and attributing it to them.”
A. W. Tozer, We Travel An Appointed Way
In his book Losing Our Virtue David Wells described worldliness as
that system of values, in any given age, which has at its center our fallen human perspective, which displaces God and his truth from the world, and which makes sin look normal and righteousness seem strange. It thus gives great plausibility to what is morally wrong and, for that reason, makes what is wrong seem normal. (p. 4)
In an interview he elaborated on worldliness in connection with fundamentalism (of yesterday) and evangelicalism (of today):
We have just come out of a period within the evangelical world where worldliness was treated as a very trivial matter. I actually remember the time (this dates me significantly) when Mrs. Billy Graham came to England at the very beginning of Graham’s crusades, and the newspapers carried all kinds of articles about the fact that she was a Christian woman and she wore makeup. There were many Christian women in England, in those olden days, who did not wear makeup — they thought it was worldly.
But it wasn’t only makeup. There was a time when Christians didn’t go to most movies. There were all kinds of worldly things that, within fundamentalism in particular, people didn’t do.
The problem with this was that they identified really quite trivial things as worldly.
If you look in the New Testament, worldliness is not trivial at all. What you have, in fact, is a competing loyalty: anybody who loves the world cannot be a friend of God. That is how profound is the choice that we are making.
So the question is, where and in what ways have these antithetical, competing loyalties intruded into our souls unwittingly?
What the book demonstrates above all, and what it demonstrates especially in the first half, is that there is far more to the issue of creation than merely whether the world was created in six days or six billion years. This doctrine of creation provides a foundation for many others. As we let go of a literal six-day creation, we find many other critical doctrines are in danger of falling with it. For example:
- Was Adam truly a historical person who truly fathered the entire human race?
- Did death exist before man’s fall into sin? What kind of death came with the Fall?
- Did God create a world in which death was, in fact, a necessary (and good!) part of the created order?
- Can one join Darwinianism and the Bible without inadvertently (but necessarily) slipping into Gnostic errors which downplay the physical in favor of the spiritual?
This is merely a sampling. The fact is that creation does not stand alone within the Bible; there is much that hinges upon it.
The book’s second half turns to questions related to science and looks to homology; the nature of the fossil record; chromosomal fusion and common ancestry; information and thermodynamics; and other topics. Essentially, this portion of the book shows that those who hold to a young earth do not have to check their brains at the door. It is possible to be an intellectually-fulfilled six-day creationist (something Al Mohler has also demonstrated in this conference talk).
Putting the two halves together, we have a book that can be read through or that can be used for reference, to address specific concerns. It is a book to be read by six-day creationists who are eager to confirm what they believe and it is a book to be read by those who doubt six-day creationism or who have turned from it all together. Even if such people are not convinced by the arguments, at the very least they will find the debate framed in an honest and compelling way. It will show them the questions they need to be willing and able to answer if they are to remain faithful to Scripture.
Perhaps the golden quote in the book is this one: “Every generation of Christianity has its own stigma by which the believer’s faith is severly tested.” It seems increasingly clear that evolution is the great test of the early twenty-first century. We are being tested to see if we will capitulate, if we will feel shame, if we will allow the world to transform the church. Really, this is a test to see whether we will allow the Bible to be the norming norm, the ultimate source of truth that takes precedent over all others, or whether we will prioritize our own understanding of God’s natural revelation. This book asks all the right questions and, as far as I can see, answers them faithfully. I highly recommend you keep a copy of it handy.
Churches without buildings are in the news– on the front page of USA Today, no less.
The phenomenon is increasingly common– On Sunday, I humorously blogged on our own experience this week. There is even a book called, The Nomadic Church.
The USA Today story cites some fast facts including:
- A USA TODAY look at the five largest and five fastest-growing school districts in the continental USA found that all 10 had granted permits for religious congregations to hold weekend worship.
- New York City, the largest, is typical: Christian churches are the primary clients because Muslims and Jews worship on Fridays and Saturdays, when school spaces usually are being used for student activities.
- •Acts 29 Network, an inter-denominational, Seattle-based evangelical coalition that has started 350 churches across the nation in the past five years, estimates about 16% of these meet in school spaces.
“We don’t have a hidden agenda. Our heart is to serve the community just like schools serve the community. … They’re designed for large groups, and they’ve got parking,” says Scott Thomas, Acts 29 president.
• A 2007 national survey of newly established Protestant churches found that 12% met in schools, according to LifeWay, a Nashville-based Christian research agency.
Be sure to read the whole article in USA Today.
You might want to check out his new old book from Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It’s a series of expositions on Psalm 73 called Faith on Trial.
I wrote the foreword (a harder task than you might think) and have pasted it below. I tried to keep things interesting.
*****
Writing a foreword is funny business. Even though I’ve asked plenty of people to write a foreword for my books, now that I’m writing one for someone else I have to stop and think what they’re for. I suppose a foreword is kind of like a big endorsement, a really long one that gets put at the front of the book instead of the back. The prospective reader is meant to think, “Hey, would you look at that—someone I know really likes this book written by someone I’ve never heard of.” The foreword grabs your attention and makes you say, “I’ll give this book a try.”
Herein lies my dilemma with the book in your hands: I should not be writing a foreword for Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I mean, he never even asked for one! Okay, so the fact he died when I was three years old makes a personal invitation from the great Welsh preacher a bit unlikely. But that’s precisely my point. By standard foreword protocol, the good Doctor should be writing for me. He’s is my elder, my example, my teacher, one of my heroes. It was kind of Christian Focus to ask me to supply a foreword, but there’s a chance this could backfire for them. I can hear it now: “Lloyd-Jones I know, but who is DeYoung?” This is one work where we must hope the foreword writer doesn’t distract the reader from noticing the real author of the book.
Having said all that, let’s imagine by some strange (and most unfortunate) fluke that you’ve read something by Kevin DeYoung and nothing by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. So here you are, reading this foreword, looking for a push over the edge into the canyon of consumer spending. I know the feeling. Let me try to give you a nudge.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the medically trained doctor and famous pastor at London’s Westminster Chapel, has been one of the biggest influences on my Christian life and pastoral ministry. Here’s how it went: First I read The Puritans, a collection of his addresses from Puritan and Westminster Conferences. I loved the history and was quickly enthralled with Lloyd-Jones theological acumen. I then poured over his early evangelistic sermons at Aberavon. Then I plowed through his most famous work, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (a book my wife was reading when we first met—a strong indication I had found the right woman!). Later I read and rereadSpiritual Depression. Ditto for Preaching and Preachers. Several other books from the best English-speaking expositor of twentieth century also sit on my shelves.
And I’ll never forget getting Iain Murray’s two volume biography of Lloyd-Jones as a Christmas present while I was still in college. I read it day and night during my break and whenever I got a chance into the spring semester. It was an exhilarating experience, which is saying something for a work that tops out over a thousand pages. Reading about Lloyd-Jones I knew I wanted to preach, and I wanted to preach the same gospel he preached with the same precision, the same fearless passion, and the same unequivocal commitment to the truth of Scripture.
I agreed to write this foreword because it gives me great pleasure to think of a new generation of Christians and ministers finding the same spiritual treasures I’ve found in Lloyd-Jones. If I can lead anyone to Lloyd-Jones I’m glad to have done my part.
A stubborn Welshman, Lloyd-Jones was far from perfect. He too quickly slipped into superlatives and could be too opinionated at times. But anyone who has read his books or heard his sermons (and his books are more or less typed up sermons) will testify that this man was anointed by God to preach the word. His writing is theologically precise, without being arid. His prose is conversational, yet without being cloying and colloquial. His exegesis is slow and plodding, but never boring. His ability to take a phrase of Scripture and hold it up the light so we can see all the angles and refractions, all the implications and applications, was Piperesque before there was John Piper. His books are spiritual in the best sense of the word.
This particular book is a searching exposition of Psalm 73, that great chapter that starts with doubt, ends in delight, and has God everywhere in between. In the first chapter, Lloyd-Jones hints that this is a book for “battered and beaten,” for the one who can no longer “give the impression that he or she is always walking on the mountain top.” For anyone who has ever wondered if life is fair, or if God is fair, these sermons will speak to your predicament. The Doctor will apply the balm of Scripture to soothe your soul and strengthen your faith.
And yet, like a good doctor, Lloyd-Jones will also expose our real condition. He had little patience for those who used the fine sounding phrases of Scripture “like drugs” to dull our senses and mask the real problems in our hearts. He always pressed home the hard parts of the Bible, so that by an honest assessment of ourselves we could find grace to help in our time of need. This book is no different. Lloyd-Jones challenges us on everything from thinking spiritually to accepting God’s sovereign discipline in our lives. He calls the Christian away from self-pity and introspection. He rebukes the Christian, on the one hand, for believing he has a right to God’s mercy, and on the other hand, for fearing that God’s mercy will ever let him go. This book has the right mix of affliction for the comfortable and comfort for the afflicted.
So by all means, take advantage of this new book of old sermons. If you haven’t read Martyn Lloyd-Jones before, this is as a good place to start as any. Faith on Trial makes for wonderful devotional reading. It can also be a supplement to your study of Psalm 73. It’s also an engaging, honest look at Christianity perfect for an inquiring non-Christian. The truths are deep, but the approach is accessible. Lloyd-Jones gives you meat, but he cuts it up first.
And yes, the book is better than the foreword. Trust me.
After a minister had spoken strongly against sin one morning, one of his members said, “We don’t want you to talk so plainly about sin because if our boys and girls hear you mention it, they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so bluntly about sin.”
The minister went to the medicine shelf and brought back a bottle of strychnine marked POISON. He said, “I see what you want me to do. You want me to change the label. Suppose I take off this ‘poison’ label and put on some mild label such as ‘peppermint candy.’ Can’t you see the danger? The milder you make the label, the more deadly the poison.”
During the last few years we have been putting a mild label on sin. We’ve called it “error,” “negative action,” and “inherent fault.” But it is high time that we put a POISON label back on the poison bottle and not be afraid to be as plain as the Bible is about the tragic consequences of sin.
— Billy Graham, Introduction to Freedom From the Seven Deadly Sins (Zondervan, 1966).
Justin Taylor recently interviewed Philip Ryken about his new book, King Solomon. You can see the interview here.
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson – The book offers an amazing portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign. Larson accomplishes this through the stories of William Dodd, the American ambassador to Berlin, and his socialite daughter, Martha. While Dodd begins to discover what Hitler is up to (the book is set in 1933), Martha is socializing, dating and sleeping with a succession of Nazis, Communists and other notables. Between them, father and daughter offering a fascinating glimpse of the nation as Hitler began to turn his country against the Jews and began to gear up for war.
Decision Points by George W. Bush. The book is structured around 14 critical decisions Bush has had to make, most of which came during his presidency. He is feisty at times, remorseful at others. He certainly shows that he is not the unthinking, fundamentalist moron the press so joyously and consistently portrayed him as. I was particularly interested in the many portions of the book in which he speaks of his faith—portions which unfortunately often left me quite confused and with no better sense of what he truly believes. Overall, though, the book is well-written and quite enjoyable, even if it feels a chapter or two too long.
Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman. Society has justifiably turned on the church, even banning it in some countries. My concern with this is that many of the arguments used in opposition of Scientology could quite easily be turned against Christianity (“They indoctrinate children!”). Thus my interest in reading this book was largely to familiarize myself with the tenets of the religion and to seek to understand how people are battling against it. Reitman does a good job of exposing it as a secular kind of cult.
Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer. Greg Mortensen (Three Cups of Tea) authored two bestselling books before being exposed as a fraud. While he portrayed himself as a great humanitarian and while he told stories of all his heroics, he has since been shown to be a liar (or chronic exaggerator at the very least). In this Kindle Single, Jon Krakauer does the research and thoroughly outs Mortensen.
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. I actually bought this book by mistake (I hit the wrong button on the Kindle). I had no idea what it was or who the author was—only that it was the #1 seller on Kindle which probably means it is also destined for the New York Times list of bestsellers. Since I bought it, I began reading and learned that Jaycee Dugard is that woman who was in the news a short time ago, having been kidnapped at 11 and kept as a kind of sex slave for 18 years. I read only the first couple of chapters. When she began to describe the sexual abuse she was subjected to, I immediately stopped reading. Somewhere it seemed to cross a line that I found quite literally sickening.
Ever heard of The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived: Secrets for Unparalleled Success and Unshakable Happiness from the Life of Jesus? One of the customer reviews explains the book this way:
He started his career with eight failures and became a multi-millionaire. In this book, he shows you how to succeed at being the best YOU you can be, by being like Jesus. This book is “How to win friends and influence people” plus every book that John Maxwell ever wrote, all in one. You can save yourself a ton of time and money if you buy, read, highlight, study, and apply the principles of this book.
In an endorsement of one of the author’s previous books, JetBlue Airways CEO David Neeleman says, “I believe these breakthrough strategies could propel you to levels of success and happiness you haven’t imagined. No wonder the wisest man who ever lived also became the richest!”
Mm-kay.
We can scrutinize this spiritual vacuousness of this book till the cows come home. But the problem is that what makes books like this so popular is also what drives the message of too many of our churches: Jesus wants you to achieve your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. The evangelical Jesus is the guru of our American dreams.
And why? Because that’s what we want. That’s what sells easily to us. That’s what draws the crowd.
In John 6 we get a breathtaking survey of the extremes of Jesus’ ministry. He begins by feeding a crowd of 5,000, a feat so miraculous and impressive they basically try to make him king by force. Then Jesus walks on the raging waters. The crowd loves it!
Then he says lunch is great, but eating his flesh and blood is best. And he teaches on God’s sovereignty, not man’s autonomy (John 6:65) and he loses a whole lot of people. He goes from packing out the arena to leading a small group.
Let us beware of negating the scandal for fear of losing a crowd. Jesus needs no bonus features, and he certainly won’t stand for having his message twisted or enhanced for maximum customer satisfaction. You don’t need to add more cowbell to Jesus.
You may end up with a crowd, but you will end up with no Jesus.
What do these parables tell us about the nature of God’s Kingdom that has dawned in Jesus?
These stories speak of a process.
These wisdom tales stress waiting.
These parables are about patience.
These talks envision a timetable.
They tell us God’s work is often hidden, that he is acting in ways that are real but may not be evident immediately.
They warn us that our zeal for acting with a view toward results now, may be misguided.
Coming home after worship, I sought some further insight from Tom Wright about these parables, and I was challenged by what I read in his Matthew for Everyone guide:
“Why doesn’t God do something?”
That is perhaps the most frequent question that people ask Christian leaders and teachers—and those of some other faiths, too. Tragedies happen. Horrific accidents devastate lives and families. Tyrants and bullies force their own plans on people and crush opposition, and they seem to get away with it. And sensitive souls ask, again and again, why is God apparently silent? Why doesn’t he step in and stop it?
These parables are not a direct answer to the question, and probably no direct answer can be given in this life. But they show, through the various different stories, that God’s sovereign rule over the world isn’t quite such a straightforward thing as people sometimes imagine.
Would people really like it if God were to rule the world directly and immediately, so that our every thought and action were weighed, and instantly judged and if necessary punished, in the scales of his absolute holiness? If the price of God stepping in and stopping a campaign of genocide were that he would have to rebuke and restrain every other evil impulse, including those we all still know and cherish within ourselves, would we be prepared to pay that price? If we ask God to act on special occasions, do we really suppose that he could do that simply when we want him to, and then back off again for the rest of the time.
Now those are good questions.
Church Leaders Read 