Pastoral Identity

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Carl Simmons

Reminding pastors why they still keep at it—and giving them practical advice on the “how” in the process . . .

Douglas D. Webster. Pastoral Identity: True Shepherds in the Household of Faith. 192p., $19.99, Kregel Academic.

Experienced pastor and seminary professor Douglas Webster calls pastors to reject “Christendom” approaches to church leadership that require the pastor to exert control over the church’s direction and ministry. Such models differ fundamentally from the New Testament “household of faith” vision of pastoral ministry, which affirms the disciple-making responsibility of the whole community, the priesthood of all believers, and the shared gifts of the Spirit.

Rather than perpetuate pastoral leadership based on individual initiative, institutional power, and personal charisma, Webster defines a New Testament model of the pastor, outlining the major features of pastoring among the household of faith, such as:

  • Viewing the church as an every-member ministry
  • Seeking synergy between pastoral identity and congregational identity
  • Prioritizing a pastor’s daily rhythms of grace in prayer, study, and care for the body
  • Supporting pastor-theologians who shepherd believers in the whole counsel of God

Such pastoral authority and guidance require mutual submission in Christ. Pastors and laypeople alike let go of dominant cultural models of pastoring and embrace the values of Christ’s kingdom.

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Behold and Become

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Carl Simmons

The subtitle says it all. . . .

Jeremy M. Kimble. Behold and Become: Reading Scripture for Transformation. 256p., $24.99, Kregel Academic.

Believers know the Bible is powerful–but how so? And how does God save people and transform lives through Scripture? Author and theology professor Jeremy M. Kimble integrates an evangelical doctrine of Scripture with a robust, coherent practice of engaging with Scripture.

Behold and Become contends that the Bible, which is God’s self-revelation, coupled with the Spirit, works to produce salvation and growth in godliness. Believers will see how sound beliefs about Scripture correspond with practices that allow for God’s transforming work, such as:

  • How the Bible’s inerrancy demands our careful attention to the biblical authors as theologians
  • How the Bible’s efficacy operates within the doctrines of the triune God and the church
  • How the Bible’s authority directs our focus toward who God is and how he acts in the world

We become like what we behold. Rather than passively assume the animating power of the Bible, Behold and Become guides readers to make Scripture’s vitality an overt part of their theology of Scripture and practice of Christian life.

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40 Questions About the Text and Canon of the New Testament

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Carl Simmons

How did the New Testament become the New Testament?

L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles. 40 Questions About the Text and Canon of the New Testament. 352p., $26.99, Kregel Academic.

The writings that comprise the New Testament are critical for understanding the life, teachings, and impact of Jesus of Nazareth, all of which are central to Christianity. But how were these texts circulated, collected, and given their canonical status? Is the New Testament a trustworthy source for learning about Jesus and the early church?

New Testament scholars L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles address the most pressing questions regarding the study of New Testament texts, their transmission, and their collection into the canon, such as:

  • What happened to the original manuscripts of the New Testament?
  • With all the variants, can we still speak of inspiration and inerrancy?
  • What are the competing views on canon?
  • Did the apostles recognize contemporaneous books as Scripture?
  • Did the early councils decide the canon?
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Chariots of the Fallen

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Carl Simmons

What can we believe about the biblical account of creation?

David V. Burdick. Chariots of the Fallen: A Biblically Founded and Scientifically Supported Creationist’s Survival Guide. 356p., $19.99, Deep River Books.

When Scripture is combined with recent scientific discoveries, the true history of the world opens up to us. Miracles and supposed impossibilities are demonstrated through known laws of physics and mathematics, and the truth of God’s Word is proven through the fulfillment of prophecy.

Logic now tells us that dinosaurs likely lived only a few thousand years ago, rather than the millions of years ago that we were told. Pre-evolution publications routinely document the worldwide unearthing of the remains of biblical giants. Geological research of noted experts reveals that the biblical flood of Noah likely took place when and how it is described in the Bible—even the animals of Noah’s ark are accounted for through clarification of the area encompassed by the biblical story and the probability of additional arks. These truths and others are combined together as the foundation to support the scientific telling of the creation story.

Chariots of the Fallen presents this telling as a source of reasonable doubt for those who have been conditioned to automatically disavow any possibility of God or his creation; it also takes those already familiar with Scripture into a deeper understanding of its relevance. Coming from an education and a career in STEM, and with years of Bible study under his belt, Author David Burdick walks believers and skeptics alike through a world history informed by both science and Scripture. Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, and they can and should be meaningfully understood as they relate to our world today.

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The Psalms: Jesus’ Prayer Book

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Carl Simmons

A very readable and illuminating commentary on the Psalms. . . .

Douglas D. Webster. The Psalms: Jesus’ Prayer Book. 4 vols., 1144p., $89.99, Kregel Academic.

The Old Testament Psalter testifies both to the universal human condition and the redemption wrought for believers in the person and work of Christ. In The Psalms: Jesus’s Prayer Book, longtime pastor and seminary professor Doug Webster distills ancient and modern scholarship on the Psalms into theological, canonical, apostolic, linguistic, and pastoral edification to students of Psalter. By focusing on both the most consequential and the less developed aspects of Psalm studies, Webster shows how living a Christ-centered life goes hand in hand with digesting the Psalms as a complete collection prefiguring Christ.

The volumes of The Psalms follow the internal divisions Psalms presents:

  • Volume 1 (Book I of the Psalms)
  • Volume 2 (Book II)
  • Volume 3 (Book III–IV)
  • Volume 4 (Book V)

Designed with preachers and teachers in mind, The Psalms strikes a middle ground between a technical commentary and a book of sermons. Webster offers pastoral insight in both interpretation and application of the Psalms for worship, unveiling purpose and significance for worship, devotion, and reflection.

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Church Revitalization

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Carl Simmons

If your church isn’t in need of this yet, it will be. . . .

Russell N. Small. Church Revitalization:A Pastoral Guide to Church Renewal. 240p., $23.99, Kregel Ministry.

There are more churches needing revitalization than there are leaders skilled for the work. Church Revitalization guides current and future leaders through the often-complex process of bringing a church to a place of vibrancy. This book demonstrates how the overarching goal of seeing people come to faith in Christ and develop into Christlikeness can and must inform the most foundational to the most fleeting aspects of revitalizing a struggling church.

Church revitalization strategist Rusty Small systematically walks readers through the many considerations of leading a church out of a decline. He helps identify the best approach for addressing what a particular church’s revitalization need may be:

  • Refresh—often most fitting after a difficult season in the church’s life
  • Renovate— needed when a decline has lasted five to ten years
  • Restore—appropriate for churches with generational patterns focused on survival
  • Replant—best for a church facing imminent closure

Few joys compare to seeing God’s life and power realized for the local church when believers begin to think and serve as Jesus did. Small will encourage pastors and church leaders engaged in this critical task.

If God is calling you to church revitalization, take and read!

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The Way He Loves

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Carl Simmons

It is what it says it is 😉 . . .

Preston Rentz. The Way He Loves: 21 Stories of God’s Healing Love to a Hurting World. 192p., $15.99, Deep River Books.

It can be hard to understand what it means for God to be loving–even leaders, teachers, and pastors can better learn how to see and teach about God from a perspective of love. The Way He Loves is an essential key to discovering the various ways in which our God shows his healing compassion for a hurting world. Throughout The Way He Loves, Preston Rentz provides meaningful anecdotes and earnest contemplations of grace, humility, leadership, wealth, and more. He looks beyond one-dimensional ideas about God’s love to instead explore its extraordinary beauty and complexity.

If you struggle with hopelessness, depression, or church-fatigue—if you have trouble seeing God as loving at his core, or if you wonder how a loving Creator could possibly be guiding this deeply flawed world of ours—this book is meant for you. The Way He Loves will introduce you to the God who is attentive to every need and who desires to be near to those who seek him. You’ll learn how nothing can ever replace our profound need for spending personal time with our Creator, and how God’s faithful and ever-present warmth can guide you through life’s many challenges, delivering you from an existence of confusion and disappointment.

Rather than going through this world alone, not truly knowing what God offers or what he expects from you, The Way He Loves shows how you can learn to seek his loving heart and discover what true living really is. The more you embrace God’s unending love, the better your life will be—and the more you will see that the entire Christian faith is first and foremost a story of remarkable love.

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Unlimited Atonement

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Carl Simmons

The scholarly way of saying “Jesus came to die for all of us” . . . 🙂

Michael Bird and Scott Harrower. Unlimited Atonement: Amyraldism and Reformed Theology. 240p., $25.99, Kregel Academic.

“Hypothetical universalism,” or “unlimited atonement,” states that Christ’s death is sufficient for the guilt of all people yet is only effectively applied to those with faith. This tradition, typified by the French reformer Moise Amyraut, has continued among Anglicans and Baptists for more than four centuries, yet has been underexplored in Reformed systematic theology.

Unlimited Atonement fills a gap in resources on atonement theology that begin with the unlimited love of God. Editors Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower draw on the specialties of each of the ten contributors, addressing themes such as:

  • the biblical and historical sources of the soteriological position known as Amyraldism
  • distinctive features of Anglican atonement theology
  • introductions to every book of the Bible to help you approach the text
  • hypothetical universalism, election, and the Baptist theological tradition
  • other prominent advocates of unlimited atonement
  • the issues of systematic theology at stake
  • atonement theology in preaching

Unlimited Atonement is the most comprehensive analysis of Amyraldism to date, providing a resource for theology and Bible students and teachers in an esoteric stream of Reformed theology. Bird and Harrower provide a starting point for anyone who wants to understand the sources and merits of Amyraldism.

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Divine Love Theory

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Carl Simmons

The Trinity: where it all began and what it all should look like. . . .

Adam Lloyd Johnson. Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity Is the Source and Foundation of Morality. 336p., $22.99, Kregel Academic.

Adam Lloyd Johnson injects a fresh yet eternal reality into the thriving debate over the basis of moral absolutes. While postmodernism’s moral relativism once temporarily disrupted the footing of classic moral theories like natural law and divine command, many nontheistic philosophers assert that morality must rest on something real and objective. Divine Love Theory proposes a grounding for morality not only in the creator God but as revealed in the Christian Scriptures—Father, Son, and Spirit eternally loving one another.

Johnson contends that the Trinity provides a remarkably convincing foundation for making moral judgments. One leading atheistic proposal, godless normative realism, finds many deficiencies in theistic and Christian theories, yet Johnson shows how godless normative realism is susceptible to similar errors. He then demonstrates how the loving relationships of the Trinity as outlined in historic Christian theology resolve many of the weakest points in both theistic and atheistic moral theories.

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Attributes of God on F.I.R.E.

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Carl Simmons

Instead reproducing the normal promotional blurbs for these books I’ve worked on here, I’m just gonna reproduce the introduction editor’s note I wrote for this book, and which appears in its contents. . . .

Dr. Ken J. Burge, Sr. Attributes of God on F.I.R.E.: Probing Fourteen Character Traits of God to Imitate. 168p., $18.99, Deep River Books.

Knowing God, by necessity, means taking the time to know who God is. More than sixty years ago, A. W. Tozer captured this idea in his classic little book The Knowledge of the Holy, and his words still ring true today: “Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes into your mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with certainty the future of that man.”

Our actions can only reflect the knowledge of God we already have—and, in turn, reflect how much we really trust Him.

The modern church has largely lost a proper perception of God. And because of that, we’ve lost our reverence for Him as well. And we won’t rediscover our reverence for God until we rediscover God Himself—until we rediscover a passion to know Him, as He desires to be known.

The things of God need to become the things of us. Until they do, we will never move forward. But once we make the effort to know God more deeply, we’ll not only learn more about Him but about ourselves—because we’ll see finally begin to see ourselves the way He sees us. And His way is never wrong.

I’ve worked on the previous eight books in Ken Burge’s F.I.R.E. series, but for all the reasons above I’m especially excited about this one. As Ken reminds us, familiarity—not complacent familiarity but intimate familiarity—is the key here. As we become more familiar with who God is, and as we grow with Him in relationship, we will be moved to respond in ways that truly reflect who He is.

So pull up a chair, an open mind, and an open heart, and spend some time with Ken learning more deeply about our God. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29, KJV). You won’t regret the time spent.

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