Reading and Readers

You have heard of the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John but have you heard of the Gospel according to Jesus? Today’s book shatters the idea that you can have Jesus as your Saviour without him being your Lord and Master.

Long before there was an app for everything, we had a word of wisdom for every situation we found ourselves in. In this age of search engines and AI, never has it been clearer that we need wisdom. Hopefully, we will get some today.

If John, the writer of Revelation, was a reporter he would be fired for publishing fake news. He is not a reporter. He is a highly intelligent and creative writer who used the apocalyptic genre to reveal the truth of God. Did John see what he claimed to see? Find out in today’s episode.

Reading and Readers is now 4 years old! And I just missed the anniversary. It's official. The romance has gone!

A letter from an apostle to a slave owner; a letter brought to the owner through his runaway slave. The apostle never asks his friend to release the slave, only to receive him as a brother in Christ. But what does that request mean for the slave, for the owner, for the rest of us?

There is an old Chinese Proverb, “化干戈为玉帛” which translates to, “Turning weapons of war into gifts of jade and silk”. It means turning hostility into friendship. That’s what today’s book is all about.

The Old Testament is all about the Law; the New Testament is all about Grace. That statement over-simplifies the relationship of the Law in the Christian life. If you have questions that need answering, I have a book for you.

Transcript: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast/silence-and-beauty-by-makoto-fujimura/

Transcript: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast/year-end-reflection-2024/

Silence by Shusaku Endo. Amazon.Transcript: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast/silence-by-shusaku-endo/

Philippians: Crossway Classic Commentaries. Amazon. Logos.

Many of us only think about God and our faith come Sunday when we pray, praise God, hear the Word then say good bye as we go back to the rest of our mundane life. But what if the mundane was revealed to be glorious? Transcript: 

Rejuvenation for the weary preacher. A siren call for sluggish Christians. The book that re-established the primacy of preaching in the church.Transcript: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast/preaching-and-preachers-by-martyn-lloyd-jones/Support Me: https://buymeacoffee.com/terencetan

What can you say to those who grieve? What can you do for those who have lost a loved one? How can you do all that without coming off as an insensitive oaf? If only they would tell us how to comfort them.Hi, my name is Terence, and I’m your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review books for you. Today, I review “What Grieving People Wish You Knew About What Really Helps (and What Really Doesn’t)” by Nancy Guthrie. One hundred ninety-two pages, published by Crossway in September 2016. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD 9.97 and in Logos for USD 12.98.## Grieving Mother and FriendsNancy Guthrie has published ten books on Bible studies, six on Grief and Suffering, nine devotionals and many more. In today’s book, she writes as a mother who has grieved for two children, Hope and Gabriel. Both were born with a rare genetic disorder, Zellweger Syndrome, and only lived for six months.She is acquainted with grief and with others who grieve. She introduces us to the GriefShare ministry, I quote:> When your friend attends a GriefShare group, he or she will be surrounded by others who are working their way through grief too — people who understand the tears and fears, the angst and anger, the questions and frustrations of grief. It can be such an unexpected and welcome relief just to be surrounded by people who get it.GriefShare facilitators and members are prominently featured in the book. You can almost consider them co-authors or Guthrie, a curator.This comes across as a writing project from the community of the grieving who want everybody outside this circle to know how to walk alongside them. They have been helped. They have been hurt. And this is their collected wisdom.  So, let me start by telling you two ways I got grief wrong.## Call Me If You Need AnythingFirst, I thought it was good of me to say, “Just call me if you need anything.”Then I read this:> I will never forget the line of people at the cemetery. They passed by hugging my mother and all seven of my siblings as we put Daddy in the ground. All the words blur together, except that they would be there for us. I remember wondering what they meant. The following spring, after Daddy was buried, one neighbor drove up our mile drive and asked what he could do. Any fences need fixing? Any chores the boys need help with? He just came. Every time he came I remember thinking about that line of people at the graveside. They were loving people who meant well. This man did well. He just came. I don’t remember if he ever actually had to do anything. But he came and offered his strength to help.  I reflected on this, and I realised that while I was sincere in my offer to help -- if I got the call, I would have dropped everything to help -- I also realised that when I gave that offer, I thought I had already done my part, my job. Now, it was up to them to take up my offer. By giving up the initiative, I was off the hook. By passing the initiative to them, I was passing on the burden to them of asking for help.## Click to Like My GriefAnother thing I got wrong is about grief on social media. I was surprised to find a whole chapter on this.When I see someone share their grief online, I don’t usually comment or like the post. If it’s a person I know well enough, I would write a personal message.My reason is:1. If I am not close to the person, I think it’s hypocritical to show up to make a quick comment or click on a sad emoji.2. I see social media as a frivolous medium. People are flippant and shallow on social media, but grief deserves a more solemn medium.3. When I make a public comment or post on social media, I realise that I write not just to my friends but also to everybody else. So, this sense of performing for onlookers seems wrong when dealing with a tremendous personal loss.4. I am a private man and not the type to express my grief publicly. So, when I refrain from responding to social media posts, I am applying the golden rule: I am treating others as I would like to be treated.After reading this chapter, I realised it’s not about me; it’s about the one who has suffered loss. Love is also treating others how they would like to be treated.They have already made their grief public. That gives permission to everyone to respond publicly; that is an invitation to acknowledge their grief with a click or a comment. She writes:> to neglect or refuse to comment on a post by a friend who has poured out his or her sadness on Facebook is to see their great sorrow and look the other way.And if I excuse myself because I'm not their close friend, that's convenient because I don't have any close friends, I'm joking, I do have friends, close enough I think. Anyways, I was surprised to repeatedly read how close friends were disappointments and strangers became treasures. We don't need to be close to care, just as the Samaritan man didn't have a checklist before he decided to help people.## Everything is WrongI learnt many things from this book, and I only shared two. Some may be wondering whether I am too hard on myself. After all, some people don't like others coming over to mow the lawn; they want to do it by themselves, or perhaps they want to be left alone.Guthrie shared how gutted she was when her friend, who meant well, came to wash up her departed child's clothes. Guthrie wished she didn't because she missed her baby and her baby's scent.At one point in the book, Guthrie describes the conflict within her:> I remember in those early months that I headed to church each week with two significant fears. I was afraid that everyone would ask me about Hope. And I was afraid no one would speak to me about Hope.When I read this, I thought if she doesn't know how to feel and how to respond, then there is a good chance that whatever I do is just wrong. How can I possibly get the words right, the timing and the tone right when the grieving does not know what is right? Only everything is wrong?When I say I got it wrong, I don't mean I sinned. I just mean I didn't think much about how I could do things differently. And in hindsight, I just didn't care enough to think how I could be more helpful.Sure, I would get things wrong, but that shouldn't stop me from being a better person when helping the grieving.After reading this book, if you love to talk, you learn that the grieving can appreciate you talking less. And if you are the one who never says anything because you are scared of saying something wrong, you need to learn to open your mouth because they need to hear that you care.How do we know when to speak and when to be quiet? When to mow the lawn and when not to? That is wisdom. And Guthrie suggests we get our cue from the mourner. Let the griever set the tone and direction. That and a dose of wisdom from above.## God's WillI have shared with you two things I got wrong. Let me now share two things I got right, but most people get wrong.First is the matter of the Will of God. Is it ever appropriate to say to a widow next to the coffin, "It is God's Will"?As someone who loves the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God, if I say, “Yes, because it is true”, then it is a torturous act inflicted on someone already in unbearable pain. If I say, “No, because it is cruel, " it feels like my convictions are only valid when convenient, so maybe I don't believe them to be true after all.Guthrie offers wisdom here:> I have come to think the term is our inadequate human language trying to make divine mystery manageable and tolerable. The words themselves are simply inadequate to carry the weight of the reality—especially when used in a simplistic way.Later on, she writes:> Was it God’s will for two of my children to be born with Zellweger syndrome and live very short lives? I don’t think this question can be answered on these terms, nor does it need to be. We think we had two children who died because of the corrupting impact of sin on this world—the brokenness of this world has infiltrated even our genetic code so that we have defective genes. We don’t think God picked us out to have two children who would die. But we would also say that nothing happens to us that is somehow outside of his control. God has ordained a world in which he accomplishes his will through secondary causes such as the laws of nature and human choice. As I’ve heard my friend Joni Eareckson Tada say, “Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.”We know God remains in control. We just don't need to insert this profound truth at inappropriate moments.It's the same when we attend a non-Christian's funeral. We don't tell the grieving widow, "Your husband is in Hell."Nor do we, in our attempt to comfort, tell her, "Your husband is in a better place."## HeavenGuthrie tells us that Heaven cannot be assumed:> ... while our culture assumes that most people—or at least all “good” people who die—go to heaven, that is not at all what the Bible teaches. The Bible makes clear that there is not one person who is good enough to enter into the holy presence of God (Rom. 3:9–20).In this chapter, she presents the gospel. She quotes Ephesians 2:4, 8-9 and writes:> A person who has been made alive together with Christ may die physically but will never die spiritually. The person who was dead and was made alive together with Christ is as likely to die as Christ is likely to die. And Christ will never die.And she continues:> But of course we know that there are those who do not see their need to be made alive with Christ. And when those people die, the sorrow for those left behind is multiplied. We should not always assume that the grieving people we talk to are confident their loved one is in heaven enjoying the presence of God. Imagine yourself in that situation (or maybe you are actually in it). Imagine that you never saw any sign that the deceased had a desire to be joined to Christ by faith or perhaps that person flatly rejected or ridiculed the need for Christ. If someone were to bring up heaven and want to as

In the past, many got married for sex and thus for personal fulfillment. Nowadays, many don’t see a need to get married to get sex. Yet, whether married or not, people were not being personally fulfilled. How do marriage, sex, and personal fulfillment come together, if at all?Hi, my name is Terence, and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review “Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be” by Christopher Ash. 176 pages, published by Crossway in August 2016. Available via Amazon Kindle for USD10.16 and via Logos for USD10.79.Christopher Ash is Writer-in-Residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge. He is a full-time preacher, pastor, teacher, and writer. According to Amazon, he has 40 titles and there is one tantalising title I would like to read, “The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read (but is too embarrassed to ask)”. But that is a book for another day.Today I review Ash's book on marriage.Anyone who intends to get married should go for a pre-marriage counselling course. I say this even to non-Christians. And if you are reluctant to sit down with a pastor, you should get a book to go through together.Marriages include arguments. I could also say many marriages end with arguments. The tragedy is some of those arguments could have been avoided. When one says, “My dream is to have children.” And the other shocked says, “But dear, I don’t intend to have children.” This is a conversation they should have had before they got married.For Christians such conversations is ever more important because God does not approve of divorces. If the marriage is not working, the biblical answer is: make it work.Today's book is not just helpful for those about to get married.If you have been married long, this book will strengthen your marriage.Bizarrely, if you are single, this book will also strengthen your single life. More on that later.Let's open the book.In the introduction, the fundamental statement put to us is:> We ought to want what God wants in marriage.Ash later on continues:> ... when we ask what God wants, we are asking what is best for us. What is best for us is not what we want, but what he wants. When I ask what God wants for marriage, I am saying that I want my marriage to cut with the grain of the universe.Wow. Your love for one another, this private connection between a man and a woman is part of a cosmic design.If you have never considered marriage in that light, there is more to come. In fact whatever you think marriage is, put that aside. Make a commitment to hear from God first. So if whatever God says goes against what you think marriage is about, go with God. This is how Ash ends the introduction chapter, with a call to repentance.## Baggage and GraceBut what happens if God, who is awesome and holy, wants what I don't want? What if, in the light of his holiness, he exposes me? The part I have kept hidden from family and friends, and frankly, intended to keep hidden from my future spouse?And so Christopher Ash, theologian and pastor, right at the start has a chapter titled, “A Word about Baggage and Grace”. I will just read the section headings and you will see why you need not fear God's will for you.1. The Bible Speaks to Those Whose Sexual Pasts Are Spoiled2. Jesus Christ Offers Forgiveness and Restoration To Those With Spoiled Sexual Pasts3. God’s Grace Enables Us to Live Lives of PurityThe chapter ends with six questions and discussion points. Let me read question 4.Question 4:> If you are (or may one day be) married, what kind of “baggage” do you think you bring into marriage, in your thinking and expectations?If you are reading this book on your own, that is great for your self-reflection, but what about your fiance? The temptation here is to think he or she doesn’t need to know your past. But your past, whether you want to or not, in one way or another, will affect the marriage.But if you share your deepest darkest secrets, what happens if your fiance cancels the wedding? Or what if one day she takes this painful part of your life and throws it in your face?The fear bubbles up and chokes, and tempts you to do what you have always done. Hide."Hahhaha... question 4 is asking about baggage? I guess my baggage is I once forgot my baggage at the airport."The couple laughs. Love makes lame jokes funny. Quick! Let's read the next chapter before something ruins the moment.It takes courage to answer soul-baring questions. It takes wisdom to navigate this treacherous waters, which is why I encourage couples to invite their pastor into pre-marriage discussions.A good and experienced pastor will establish a safe space and frame the discussion to ensure that the couple does not dwell on the baggages but eventually move on to the next part: what comes after question 4, I quote:> Pause to bring this “baggage” quietly before God. Pray through the truth of grace in this chapter and ask God to put them deep in your heart. Claim the forgiveness and cleansing of Christ for your past.After this point, you have: 1) responded to the call to repent and 2) received the gift of grace. No matter how dirty and unworthy you think you are, you need Jesus. No matter how clean and pure you think you are, you also need Jesus. You are now ready to read Chapter 2: Married for a Purpose.Chapter 2 is a good example of what to expect from the rest of the book. So I will spend most of my time here, then quickly outline what to expect from the rest of the book, share two criticisms, and finally conclude the book review.## Married For a PurposeAsh starts each chapter with a story. This is how he starts Chapter 2.> Laura felt lonely and bitter. She and Andy had been married for four years now. She thought back to their wedding day, which had been amazing.Fast forward to the last paragraph of the story.> To be honest, marriage for Laura was really not all it had been cracked up to be. It really didn’t match the description on the tin, or not the description given her by that pastor. And in her bitterness she wondered if there was really any point in keeping it all going, if the rest of her life was going to be like this. What was the point?Ash tells us the standard Christian answer: The point of marriage is to have children, to demonstrate faithfulness, and to preserve social order.Ash then does my favourite thing, which is to open up the Bible. He expounds first from Genesis 1:26-31, which includes these familiar verses: “God created man in his own image, ... male and female he created them” and “God saw everything that he had made, and it was very good.”But I bet you have never heard his interpretation before. As he unpacks the verses, he eventually reaches a conclusion. The marriage motto is sex in the service of God.“That can’t be right! Marriage is more than sex!”Ash already knows what’s going through our minds so I will let him deflect our indignation.> Like all mottos, this simplifies my point. I do not mean to suggest that marriage is only about sex. But it is sex that distinguishes marriage from any other friendship or partnership. By “sex” in this motto, I mean a shorthand for the whole of marriage as it develops and grows out of its heart and core of sexual intimacy and faithfulness. Sex is shorthand for the marriage relationship in all its fullness: in intimacy, friendship, partnership, fun, and faithfulness. The motto is to remind us that the whole business of marriage in all its fullness is to be lived in the loving joyful service of God, as we look outward from our marriages and as couples seek to care for God’s world together.The big insight is not ‘sex’. Until recently, everyone knew that sex and marriage came as a package. The big insight is in the words ‘in the service of God’, which he explains further.The next passage is Genesis 2:15-25. This contains the must read verses on marriage, “It is not good that the man should be alone” and also “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”Interestingly, Ash tells us how Genesis 2:18 is wrongly understood. The text says, “It is not good that the man should be alone” but does Adam being alone mean he was lonely?Ash makes this distinction and draws out the implication. If Adam was lonely, then this verse means God designed marriage to solve loneliness. But what does that mean for single men and women? Or even the married men and women who still feel lonely.Ash writes:> For those who are married, their marriages ought indeed to be places of fellowship that are remedies for loneliness. But marriage is not the remedy for loneliness. Wherever there is fellowship there is God’s remedy for loneliness. Not all human beings are able to marry, but all human beings are invited into fellowship with God and with one another in Jesus Christ.I like how Ash puts it here:> This irony, that we expect so much of marriage but find it disappointing, is an irony the Bible understands perfectly. It calls it idolatry.But if Adam was not lonely, but was as the verse says, alone. Then, reading that verse in the wider context, we see that Adam was alone in his task to care for the garden. So God created Eve so that Adam was not alone. And they were to have children who have more children, all in order to take care of God's creation.  Ash writes:> Surprisingly, the key to a good marriage is not to pursue a good marriage, but to pursue the honor of God. We need to replace this selfish model of marriage with one in which we work side by side in God’s “garden” (that is, God’s world), rather than gaze forever into each other’s eyes.## The Rest of the BookLet me read the titles for the remaining chapters along with my short comments.Chapter 3: What is the Point of Having Children? Many couples who struggle with this will find an answer here.Chapter 4: What is the Point of Sex and Intimacy? A good read for soon-to-be married for those long married and also for singles

Everyone wants to know how to make money, how to lose weight, how to make friends and influence people. But before all that, more importantly, the first thing we got to know is how to think -- and as people who live our lives before God -- specifically, it is knowing how to think theologically.Hi, my name is Terence and I’m your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review “How to Think Theologically” by Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke. 142 pages, published by Fortress Press in 2006. 2006 is the second edition. The fourth edition, published in 2023 is available in Amazon Kindle for USD14.99.Reviewing the 2nd not the 4th EditionWhy am I reviewing the 2nd edition and not the 4th edition? Because I got the 2nd edition for free. Even though I was not reviewing books for the past 6 months, I still made sure to get the Logos free book of the month. For June, the free book was “How to Think Theologically”.You might be wondering whether it’s worth listening to a review of the second edition when, if you do read the book you would get the latest edition. In any case, my review is still helpful in your buying, reading, decision.First, whatever is good in the 2nd edition will be in the 4th edition. That is why there is a 4th edition.Second, when you hear all the good things I have to say about today’s book, you might resolve, like I have, to never miss a free book deal. And if you did get the Logos free book for June, this review might just persuade you to read it.I Could Not Help You... Until TodayThe book resonates with me because it describes the one thing I have been trying to excel in all these years.When I was a young Christian I did not know what thinking theologically meant. I knew it was imperative for us to think biblically but what does that mean?I only understood after I read books like Don Carson’s “Showing the Spirit”, a commentary on 1 Corinthian 12-14. That book fundamentally transformed my thinking process.Now, many good books later, I try to bring the Bible to bear in everything, to understand God and his work in myself, the people around me and the world across space and time.If you ask me, “Terence, I want to learn how to think theologically too, can you help? Can you do what you do best and recommend a book?”A few weeks ago, my answer would be, “I wish I had a simple guide for you. Everything I practise, I learnt it the hard way through many books, by many writers, on many diverse issues, over many years. You could read Don Carson’s book but you would learn by observing the master. The master is not explaining what or why or how. He is busy doing the thinking through the Bible on the topic. In Don Carson’s case, thinking through 1 Cor 12-14 on the topic of the Holy Spirit. I wish I have that one book to recommend to you.”And today, I have!Buy this book. Read this book: “How to Think Theologically” by Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke.Dynamic DuoHoward Stone is a psychologist, marriage and family therapist, theologian ,and professor emeritus at Texas Christian University. James Duke is Professor of the History of Christianity and the History of Christian Thought at Brite Divinity School.They have put together this concise how-to guide for Christians who never knew they were theologians and don’t know where to start.So let me share my thoughts on the book.Embedded vs. DeliberativeFirst, I found the distinction between embedded theology and deliberative theology to be immensely helpful.This is the way I understand it. Embedded theology is what you grew up with in church; it's the air you breath. It's instinct, reflex, it's how you do the faith.Deliberative theology is questioning your growing up years; it's putting the air you breath into a mass spectrometer. It's inquisitive, reflective, it's asking why you do faith in this way and not that.Deliberative theology is the theology I tend to force unto the people around me. Embedded theology is what they wish we could all do instead.When we make a distinction, we are drawing a line, we are pointing out differences. Sometimes, often times, that leads to quarrels. Other times, making that distinction helps people to reconcile.We recognise that embedded theology is what everyone practises and it is good enough until it isn't. And then deliberative theology becomes necessary. Christians who are able to do deliberative theology within the faith are less likely to deconstruct themselves out of the faith.They are more equipped to handle crisis. In this book, the authors use many real world examples. But two stick out the most.First is the Great Hymnal Controversy. The church wrestles with whether to buy new and different hymnbooks to replace the ones falling to pieces. You can replace this controversy with the one you have in your church.The second crisis moves away from the religious assembly to the personal home. Tom’s mother has terminal cancer and the doctor suggests removing life support. Tom doesn’t know what is the right thing to do. All of us have faced devastating dilemmas before. And if you have not, you will.Do you know what to do? Do you know how to think theologically?The Reason You Read This Book: How-ToStone and Duke are here to help. They will teach us in a systematic way.The first three chapters of the book sets up the motivation and principles. Then the next four chapters show us how to do it, and lastly the final two chapters describes how thinking theologically works in the Christian community and in spiritual formation.When we come to the how-to chapters, the authors give us a template to work from. Three sets of diagnostic exercises covering three areas: The Gospel, the Human Condition and Vocation.I quote:Each question in turn (though not necessarily in order) can be applied to every issue that calls for our theological deliberation. The exercises surely will not cover all that could be said about the meaning of the Christian message of God. But they strike near the very heart of the concerns of Christian faith. In exploring these questions, something is disclosed of the breadth and depth of the Christian message. They provide a staging area for later, more complete, reflection.Let’s look at the questions in the first set, the Gospel set.What is the gospel?How does the gospel reach the people?How do people receive the gospel and its benefits?Hmm... the questions are not ground-breaking. A bit basic. And that’s the point, to go back to basics and re-evaluate our situation in light of the basics, the gospel!This is how it works, I quote:For the church council debating the purchase of new hymnals, a clearer understanding of the church’s role in promulgating the gospel might have facilitated the discussion. Tom, who is already searching the Scriptures on his own for help in dealing with his mother’s imminent death, might be prompted to seek more help from the church: as a companion to the Scripture in making the gospel of Jesus known and as a potential source of guidance and strength in making his hard decision regarding life-support removal.We now turn to the chapter on Human Condition. The questions are:What is the basic problem with the human condition? (What is Sin?)What is the resolution to that problem in the human condition? (What is Salvation?)How is the problem resolved? (What is the means of Salvation?)This chapter reminds me of another book I read, “Gospel Fluency” by Jeff Vanderstelt. Vanderstelt makes this audacious claim: “For every problem, the gospel is the solution.”When I first heard it, I thought, "That couldn’t possibly be true."But as Vanderstelt explains, I begin to realise that, indeed, underlying every quarrel, addiction, fear and anger, is sin. And once I saw the True Enemy, it was easier to see The Solution, because there is only one solution to Sin, and that is Jesus Christ.So far we have only looked at two sets of questions. You can do so much with these questions.Find a quiet place to sit. Reflect on the questions that Stone and Duke ask in their book. Don’t give the Sunday School answers. See the issue as a Christian.And when you do some reflections, you can be surprised at how an incidental reading leads to unexpected assurance.That was what I got.What is Sin is Not IncidentalIt all started when someone told me, “Nobody is born with a sin nature. We are all born as a blank slate.” In theology, this means a denial of Original Sin.I believe we are all born with Sin. But I went back to study why I believe so. Along the way, I read Augustine’s Anti-Pelagian writing, which became a podcast review. I searched for Christian books that deny Original Sin, I couldn't find any. There are books that deny Original Sin, but they were not within the broad spectrum of the Christian faith.But the biggest pushback I faced seems to not be whether to affirm or deny Original Sin, but whether it even matters. The issue is not veracity, but practicality or necessity.Some say: “Why don’t we accept both interpretations as equally valid? After all, many Christians hold different interpretations on many parts of Scripture and have learnt to look past these differences to unite on the main thing, the Gospel.”So I have been questioning myself over and over again, whether am I being unnecessarily difficult. Yet, over and over again, as I study Scripture, I cannot see how one church can hold two opposing interpretations on what Sin means.Stone and Duke's chapter on the Human Condition just reinforces my conviction that this matter is of critical importance.To be clear, this is not a book written to affirm or deny Original Sin. But I note that one of the questions they ask is: What is the basic problem with the human condition? In other words, What is Sin?How you answer this question affects how you understand salvation. What did Jesus do? He saved us from our sins. But what is Sin?And as the book makes clear, answering these questions affects how we live life. The authors do not see Sin as so

This is a Reading and Readers review of “Portrait of God” by Jack Mooring. 224 pages, published by David C. Cook Publishing in August 2024. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD9.99 and in Logos for USD10.79. I received a free review copy but the publisher has no input to my review. Thank you and bye bye.## Book List* Portrait of God by Jack Mooring. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Portrait-God-Rediscovering-Attributes-through/dp/0830786031). [Logos](https://www.logos.com/product/300988/portrait-of-god-rediscovering-the-attributes-of-god-through-the-stories-of-his-people).

Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Except I have not been reviewing any books for nearly two months now.Have I quit the podcast? No. I am still looking forward to the 100th episode of Reading and Readers. I have a special book in mind for that one. So if I do end this podcast, and I don't have any intention of doing so, I would definitely do it after the 100th episode. Why the delay? I used to do a book review every two weeks. That was a crazy pace. I could sustain that pace until my responsibilities elsewhere -- in the office, church and home -- increased. I found myself having to read more books but not books I would later review. So I have decided to take the podcast slow. Instead of a sprint, or a jog, it will be stroll or a walk. I will still be downloading the monthly free books from Logos. I will still be on the look out for good books. If I see a must-read book, I will read it. If it is a must-share book, then I will review and share my thoughts with everyone.This was not how I expected to celebrate the Reading and Reader's third year. However, I am hopeful that once things settle down, I will get back to reading and reviewing Christian books for you. Thank you for your support. Until next time, bye!

Today's book could be the most important book of the year. Hopefully not the decade. Because I would really hate to talk about Critical Theory again. If everybody in the world read today's book, we would never have to talk about it ever again. Hi, my name is Terence and I’m your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review “Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology - Implications for the Church and Society” by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer. 582 pages. Published by Harvest House Publishers in October 2023. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD21.99 and in Logos for USD16.49. But I got it in Logos for the low low price of USD6.99 because every month I eagerly wait for Logos' free and deeply discounted books. Eagerly AwaitedThis book came up. And there is no other book that I have more eagerly waited for than a Neil Shenvi book on Critical Theory. I first knew of Shenvi from Voddie Baucham’s “Fault Lines”, a book on Critical Race Theory that I reviewed in Episode 9. From Voddie Baucham's book, I found myself in Neil Shenvi’s website and was floored by the thorough analysis of the many many Critical Theory books he reads. I knew then that if Shenvi ever decided to compile his knowledge into a book, I must read it. As good as anyone's articles, interviews and seminars are, the best way to make a case is through a well-written book. But there is another author to today's book. Pat Sawyer. Sawyer was in the banking industry for 17 years before he took a PhD in educational and cultural studies. He wrote a dissertation on social justice. It seems that the fusion of these two men, Shenvi and Sawyer, has released an incredible amount of energy. Their combined powers of observation, subject expertise, analytical skills and commitment to the Christian faith has made them, I would say, very dangerous men. Just as the emperor who wears no clothes can no longer walk around naked after a child tells the truth, so the reader can no longer be complacent or be outraged under false premises after Shenvi and Sawyer tell the truth on Critical Theory. Critical Dilemma is divided into three parts.Part 1: Understanding Part 2: Critiquing Part 3: EngagingUnderstanding Critical TheoryThe book begins with an honest painful look at Slavery and Jim Crow. This disarms the Social Justice Warrior. Here is outrage over slavery and Jim Crow. This disarms the Christian Culture Warrior. Shenvi, why are you opening old wounds? Sawyer, why are you taking the enemies talking points? By starting with these "Shadows of the Past", the authors establish their credentials as unflinching truth tellers. When people are ignorant of history, they are vulnerable. When good people hear of the victims, they want to right those wrongs. Why is Critical Theory so effective in channeling this righteous anger through the government, schools, churches and families? That question is answered in Part 1.Later, the authors challenge the reader to say they do not go far enough. Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Social Justice Warriors. But not in the way you may think, I will explain more later.Know Them In Their Most Plausible and Persuasive FormThe authors take Critical Theory seriously. They don't caricature it. No strawman here. Not trying to score points with the groupies. They went through the Critical Theory literature to know what it says and have made a sincere attempt to present it to us.How do we know it's sincere? They quote extensively the main proponents of Critical Theory.They state up front that some of these guys would deny being members of Critical Theory. Shenvi and Sawyer refuse to get into a fight over labels. The key is to discuss ideas. And they show through those extensive quotes that if it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, at the very least, it's in the bird family.They explain all this without imputing motives. They have a chapter titled, "Positive Insights" that lists positive aspects of Critical Theory. We need to properly understand the appeal of Critical Theory in order to make a proper critique over it.Why do they make such a great effort? John Mills puts it well. He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side; if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion…Nor is it enough that he should hear the arguments of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into real contact with his own mind. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do their very utmost for them. He must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.Shenvi and Sawyer see their own work as an illustration of John Mill's claim. Contemporary Critical Theory: The Big FourBy now, I am sure everyone listening is dying to know what is Critical Theory that has turned the world upside down. "Rejecting racism is racism." "Whiteness is wickedness." "There are more than two genders."The Grand Unified Theory behind the madness, which Shenvi and Sawyer has termed "Contemporary Critical Theory", can be expressed in its four characteristics. The Social Binary. Society is divided into oppressors and the oppressed, white and people of colour, heterosexuals and homosexuals, Christians and non-Christians.Hegemonic Power. Oppressors impose their values, traditions and norms unto society. For example, Christians see marriage as a one man, one woman, construct and have imposed this value, tradition and norm unto society.Lived Experience. If you are a man, shut up about abortion. If you are white, shut up about racism. Because you don't have the lived experience of being a woman or a person of colour.Social Justice. We want action. We want to change the world. So if you don’t speak up, then you are complicit in the injustice.Wait a minute. You just told me to speak up for injustice. But you also told me to shut up because I don't have the lived experience to speak to the problem. Yes, that is the lose-lose scenario you have as a privileged person. You can’t do anything right. Just cry and feel their pain but don’t cry and make this all about you. Critiquing CCTOnce we understand what is Critical Theory, we are in the position to critique it. In Part 2, the authors do not assume readers share their faith. The reader may be a Christian, may profess to be a Christian but doesn't know what is Christianity, or may be an Atheist. The book is written for all. And so, they give a crash course on evangelical faith. As a Christian, instead of seeing it as a mind-numbing regurgitating of what I already know, I see it as confirming that Shenvi and Sawyer and I are actually on the same page when it comes to the fundamentals of Christianity. This is important because they will make their strongest critique of Contemporary Critical Theory not based on secular reasoning, for that you can read Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay but based on the Bible. In a rigorously argued chapter that compares the four characteristics of Contemporary Critical Theory against Christianity, the authors make an assertion that no Christian can ignore. Let me quote at length the summary of that chapter.They write:Contemporary critical theory is skeptical of singular narratives and universal truth claims, viewing them as bids for power. Yet Christianity is itself a singular narrative of redemption and makes numerous universal truth claims. Contemporary critical theory exalts lived experience and downplays objective reasoning as masculine and Eurocentric. Yet Christianity argues that our hearts are sinful and that our fallible interpretation of our lived experience must be subordinated to God’s revelation in Scripture, apprehended through reason. Contemporary critical theory views privilege as collective and rooted in oppression. Yet Christianity recognizes that some norms are God-ordained and that privilege is not necessarily unjust, although it should be used to serve God and bless others. Contemporary critical theory posits an adversarial relationship between different genders, classes, and ethnic groups. In contrast, Christianity insists on fundamental solidarity between all human beings and a nonnegotiable familial relationship between Christians. Finally, for all these reasons, contemporary critical theory is rightly viewed as a worldview or metanarrative. It is not a narrow analytic tool. It makes sweeping assumptions about human beings, purpose, lived experience, meaning, morality, knowledge, and identity that inevitably bring it into conflict with Christianity.This is what I meant by "Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Social Justice Warriors." Their analysis of the human condition is wrong and their solution flawed but what zeal to change the world! Christians should be more zealous for the Truth, for Christ.I wish I had more time to discuss each point in that summary. I stress it is a summary. Shenvi and Sawyer make really good points, piling on the evidence, drawing on, so-to-speak, written testimonies. Held against Scripture, their own words condemn them. And that is true for the whole book. I had a hard time preparing this book review. I wanted, at first, to go through the flow of the arguments in the book, but it is beyond my ability to summarise them without turning it into a dry and boring outline. At this point, you know something about what is in Part 1: Understanding and Part 2: Critiquing.MasterclassWhat you may not yet fully appreciate is this book is a masterclass on how a Christian deals with a controversial subject, even a dangerous one. Some would accuse Shenvi and S

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.The Apostles Creed. What does it mean? Hi, my name is Terence and I’m your host for Reading and Readers. Today I review “The Spirit of Grace” by Alister McGrath. 128 pages. Published by SPCK Publishing in Dec 2014. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD9.99 and for free in Logos in January. Scientist and TheologianMcGrath graduated with a first class honours in Chemistry at Oxford, then a doctorate in molecular biophysics, a first class honours in theology, and just to make the rest of us feel small and tiny, he went on to two more doctorates in theology, and intellectual history.I see here he has a long history as a Professor of Theology in Oxford, London, then back to Oxford as the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion in 2014. In 2022, he stepped down from this endowed chair, and is now the Senior Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford. McGrath has written many books. There are many interesting titles here that I want more time to talk about them. So I'll do that at the end of this review. Let’s look at today’s book, "The Spirit of Grace". The Title Under-Promises (Or The Book Over-Delivers)When I picked up this book, I thought I knew what it would be about. The title says, “The Spirit of Grace”, so the book must be all about... the Holy Spirit. To my surprise, it was not. This is actually the fourth book in a series. The series is designed to explain Christian creeds and Book 4 covers this part of the Apostles Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,The rest of it: “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” will be covered in Book 5, “The Christian Life and Hope.” This is great. I don’t mind reading another book on the Holy Spirit but I haven't read a book on the Apostles Creed. But McGrath surprises me once again by giving more than expected. Let me read the chapter headings and we'll see if you were paying attention.Chapter 1: The Holy Spirit: The giver of lifeChapter 2: Humanity: the climax of God’s creationChapter 3: Grace: the gift of a courteous GodChapter 4: Church: the communion of saintsChapter 5: One holy catholic and apostolic ChurchThe Apostles Creed doesn’t say anything about humanity. Yet, McGrath wisely notes: If we are to understand the important place of spirituality in the Christian faith, we need to grasp both the idea that humanity has been created in order to relate to God and the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling and sustaining that relationship.If I was assigned to write a book on the Apostles Creed, I would just do what I was told. There are four lines for this book? Then I'll have four chapters. But McGrath has a higher level objective. He wants to explain the Christian belief to everyone, to describe the heart of the faith. If we need biblical anthropology, if we need to know what the Bible says about us, to understand Christianity he gives it to us. Before we delve into a few chapters as examples, I just want to say that this book provoked many thoughts. Which at first I thought was strange because it's not as if I am encountering something new, a new concept. I know the Apostles Creed. When I go back to my hometown, the church I go to would in every Sunday service flash up the Apostles Creed for the congregation to read together. I know the theology behind the Apostles Creed, having read books on the different elements of it: the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, the church. So why has McGrath's book been so stimulating? And I concluded it's because the truth he speaks of is timely and timeless, it applies to what is important in our lives. When I'm guided by an able guide as McGrath, my latent thoughts, my worries and concerns, hopes and dreams, engage with the truth. Let me share what I mean.Holy Tensions ResolvedIn Chapter 1 on the Holy Spirit, McGrath describes the experiential approach emphasised within the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. He writes: An emphasis on the experience of the Spirit can be argued to represent a welcome move away from very bookish or intellectual ways of thinking about the Christian faith. Why should those who cannot read, or who find abstract reasoning difficult, be disadvantaged in matters of faith? The Holy Spirit is the great leveller, making the rich experience of the living God available to all.Then before one can accuse McGrath of being a Charismatic, he writes: But not everyone feels so positively about experiential approaches to faith. Dorothy L. Sayers wrote to C. S. Lewis on 5 August 1946, making clear they made no sense to her. ‘All spiritual experience is a closed book to me; in that respect I have been tone-deaf from birth.’ Sayers relied on reason and imagination to generate and sustain her faith, and saw no cause to appeal to the vagueness of religious experience to express or defend it. Others are wary of a ‘touchy-feely’ faith, which they consider may open them to the charge of emotionalism or subjectivism—that is, making what they feel the basis of what they believe.Having brought up the tension of the two positions, McGrath then tells us in no uncertain terms: “Divergence within Christianity really reflects a strength.” Later he concludes: There is only one Holy Spirit, but our experience and appreciation of that Spirit differs and reflects our individual identity. We are not forced into a template! Each of us is special, with something unique to offer God, who takes the threads of our lives and weaves them into a greater pattern.What strikes me is how much we need good theologians. We give credit to the tireless pastor, preacher and missionaries but we must not forget the teachers, especially those who have dedicated a lifetime to study the Bible and to describe reality.Most of us don't have the time to reflect on the theological issues of the day so we need some of us to do what is needed, to do theology. Too many Christians think that ‘theology’ is a bad word for it leads to divisions. That is a failure to see how theology unites. When there are divisions between intellectuals and believers who are more experiential, we unite in truth presented through theological analysis: Hey! Many gifts, many types of personalities but one Holy Spirit. Reading the whole book we see unity in our common humanity, in our common need for forgiveness and once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, in our common belonging within the Church. And if you read the whole series which explores the Christian creeds, including the Apostles Creed, you can see how it is our theology, our understanding of God, that unites us in our faith.Pelagian Controversy Nicely SaidIf you subscribe to this podcast, you will know that I recently reviewed Augustine’s Four Anti-Pelagian Writings. I didn't expect to see Pelagius again so soon. In McGrath's chapter on humanity, McGrath gives a clear and concise summary of the Pelagian controversy.In just a few pages, he tells us the history between the men, the theological debate and its implications, clearly siding with Augustine's interpretation without villainising Pelagius.Let me read his conclusion: The debate between Augustine and Pelagius is often revisited by Christians. On the one hand, Pelagius’ emphasis on the importance of trying to do our best is welcomed. On the other, Augustine’s emphasis on human frailty fits in far better with the New Testament’s stress on God’s graciousness towards us. For Augustine, human beings are damaged, wounded and seriously ill. There is no point in demanding that we improve ourselves when the essence of our condition is that we are trapped in our predicament. Pelagius seems to be in denial about the human situation. His naïve approach, although unquestionably well intentioned, could be compared to ordering a blind man to see things properly. Spiritual healing, not simply moral direction, is required.This is the calm even-handed way McGrath deals with one of the most recognised and pernicious of heresies. This calm examination of ideas in simple non-technical language allows us to weigh the merits without the outrage. I don't know about you but I think we could do with less outrage nowadays.Catholic is Understood UniversalOne of my favourite chapters in the book is Chapter 5 which contains his systematic unpacking of the words from the Nicene Creed, “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”. Catholic here does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic means universal. To explain this, McGrath quotes Cyril of Jerusalem:The Church is called ‘catholic’ because it extends through all the world, from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches completely, and without any omissions, all the doctrines that ought to be known to humanity concerning both things that are visible and invisible and things that are earthly and heavenly; and because it brings all kinds of people—whether rulers or subjects, learned or ignorant—under the influence of true piety; and because it universally treats and cures every kind of sin, whether committed by the soul or the body; and possesses in itself every kind of virtue which can be named relating to words, deeds or spiritual gifts of every kind.McGrath then explains why understanding the church as catholic is important to Christians today:The Church is the depository and transmitter of the whole Christian faith, not