Book Review – Death by Love (Mark Driscoll)

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The first thing that stands out about this book is the striking artwork (some of which is on display at the book’s website). From the cover design to the typesetting and illustrations at the start of each chapter, this book is comfortably one of the best presented Christian books I have come across.

A similar high standard of creativity is on display in the way the book is organised. This is a book on the doctrine of the atonement, and works its way through some detailed theology. But the way it is presented is quite unique.

Each chapter starts by briefly telling the story of a person known to Mark Driscoll. Some are Christians, others are not. Many are struggling with the consequences of shocking episodes of their past, whether that be being betrayed or abused, or being an abuser themselves. But a broad spectrum of people are covered (including “good Christian” David, and “pastor’s kid” Gideon), so it is likely that most readers will find at least someone they can identify with.

Having introduced the person, Mark Driscoll writes them a letter. In it he seeks to explain how a specific aspect of the doctrine of the atonement is directly relevant to their situation. These letters are forthright and direct, but also heartfelt and rich in biblical theology. Those who have heard Driscoll preach will know what to expect. He never minimises or excuses sin, and is quite willing to speak of God’s anger at it and the threat of hell, but holds out the good news of grace and forgiveness through Christ for even those who have committed vile offenses.

At the end of each chapter, Driscoll’s co-author, Gerry Breshears answers three or four common questions relating to the doctrine presented in the chapter. The questions are well chosen, and the short and helpful answers complement the letters nicely.

So what does the book teach about the atonement? Well right from the start, Driscoll emphasises that it is multi-faceted. One description or metaphor alone will not do justice to the cross. At the same time, the concept of substitution is clearly presented as the primary model. He takes the example of the scapegoat and sin offering from the day of atonement to illustrate that propitiation and expiation go hand in hand.

We are of course living in times where there is controversy over the doctrine of the atonement, with the idea of penal substitution coming in for severe criticism. This book robustly defends it as a fully biblical concept, but does not fall into the trap of ignoring or minimising other ways in which we should reflect on the significance of the cross. For example, the first chapter in the book deals with Jesus as Christus Victor, while another presents the concept of Christus Exemplar.

I won’t go into all the topics he covers, but suffice to say that there are some very clear explanations of many important doctrines in this book. Driscoll has a knack for presenting familiar material in a fresh way, and the fact that he writes each chapter as a letter to a real person keeps it very practical, and never merely abstract theology.

While I wouldn’t say this book has knocked John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ” off the top of my list of favourite books on the atonement, it deserves a special place of honour simply for the superb presentation of the material. It would be beneficial for anyone who wants to teach on the atonement, or who is involved in counselling to read this book, to see more clearly how to apply the message of the cross to a variety of difficult situations. But this book is also appropriate for any Christian who simply wants a deeper understanding of the message of the cross.

Book Review – The Language of God (Francis Collins)

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Francis Collins is head of the Human Genome Project, a highly respected scientist who is an expert in the study of DNA – the “instructions for building a human being”. In this book, he seeks to set forth in layman’s terms why he, as a scientist, believes in God.

He starts off by telling the story of how he came to be a believer in God, from an atheistic background. He was strongly influenced by the arguments of C. S. Lewis, but also was profoundly impacted by seeing the faith of the dying in his work in a hospital.

He devotes a chapter to providing brief answers to some of the common atheistic objections to faith. Isn’t belief in God just wishful thinking? What about the harm done in the name of religion? How can a good God allow suffering? How can a scientist believe in miracles. He doesn’t have the space to address each of these in depth, but gives a brief outline of how he would resolve these questions.

He then moves on to some scientific material, starting with the origins of the universe. The big bang cries out for a divine explanation, since the universe seems fine-tuned for life, despite this being wildly improbable. In a chapter on the origins of life on earth, he is critical of “intelligent design”, seeing this as a form of the “God of the gaps” argument.

Next is his speciality subject, the human genome. This is a fascinating chapter, and a good introduction to DNA if like me you know very little about it. As part of this chapter, he explains why he sees the DNA similarities between humans and other animals as compelling evidence for evolution.

Then follows a series of chapters dealing with different beliefs about the origins of the universe. He points out that the church once thought that the Bible taught that the sun revolved around the earth, but came to realise that the Bible in fact taught no such thing. He is of the opinion that a similar realisation is required with regards to the origin of the universe.

In a chapter on atheism and agnosticism, he accuses Dawkins of using straw man arguments, and insists that science, let alone evolution, cannot disprove God. His chapter on Young Earth Creationism dismisses it as incompatible with modern science. He remains civil but it is evident that he has very little time for this view. He also is unimpressed with the “Intelligent design” movement, arguing that many so called mechanisms of “irreducible complexity” may indeed be reducible.

He presents a fourth option, traditionally called “theistic evolution”, but which he prefers to term “biologos”. He sees the hand of God in the anthropic principle – the fine tuning of the universe for life, and in the ways that humans are unique that defy evolution (moral law plays an important part in his argument). He closes with a plea to all people to live as seekers of the truth, and not just stopping at those truths that science can determine.

A fascinating appendix deals with some of the ethical dilemmas raised by science, with a particular focus on DNA related issues such as cloning. As throughout the book, he is very humble in his arguments and seeks to strike a conciliatory tone as he presents opposing views.

What can I say about this book? He is of course going to upset many atheists on the one hand and many creationists on the other with his views. But both groups will at the very least find food for thought. It certainly is a good book for someone who is questioning various viewpoints and wants to hear a simple and respectful argument from a theistic evolutionary perspective.

From an evangelical perspective, what one makes of this book will depend largely on whether you are prepared to join him in reading Genesis 1 and 2 more as a “morality play” than as literal history. It seems to me that evangelicals are in the midst of a period of reconsidering their hermenuetics of Genesis in the light of scientific consensus, and there are a lot of options on the table.

The theistic evolutionary position has the strong benefit of being in complete agreement with the majority view, but from a theological perspective raises some very tricky problems. (not least at what point was there a being “in God’s image”, and whether there could be death and disease before “the fall”). These are questions that I don’t feel Collins tackles in sufficient depth to persuade most young or old earth creationists. Evangelicals will also perhaps question the way that Collins seems to have a somewhat ambiguous view towards the truth claims of other faiths, and can seem noncommittal on various aspects of bioethics (such as the point of the conception of life).

Overall I would recommend this as an interesting read from a scientific point of view (especially as an introduction to DNA), and also an introduction to the theistic evolutionary position (albeit without addressing the theology in sufficient depth). It may prove helpful to share with those who consider evolution to be a barrier to them exploring the Christian faith more seriously. It is a helpful contribution to an important debate, and one that has provoked me to read a little more on the subject, both from the same and competing viewpoints.

Spotify Albums of the Month – May

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Here’s some of the albums I’ve been listening to on Spotify last month. Apologies to any readers in countries unable to use Spotify.

Newsboys – In the Hands of God (3/5)

The only Newsboys album I own is Thrive, which I thought was a nice mixture of the anthemic and the quirky. In some ways this new album has a similar sound, but lacks the stand-out tracks that Thrive has. Lyrically it was a little disappointing. "This is your life, treat yourself right, treat others right, live like you know you should". … "heaven’s calling for your best shot", sound like little more than a motivational pep talk. "In the hands of God" and The Upside are my favourites.

Chris and Conrad – Chris and Conrad (4/5)

This a very strong debut album with impeccable production quality. In fact, it almost seems too slick in places – did we really need auto-tuned vocals in Rescue? Its filled with lots of big, anthemic melodies. The songs are well crafted, and the lyrics express complete devotion to Jesus. Lead me to the cross (which interestingly also features on the Newsboys album – I don’t know whose song it is), Love Revolution, and Breathe Your Life are my favourites.

Jeremy Riddle – The Now and Not Yet (3/5)

Jeremy Riddle is a Vineyard pastor / worship leader. The album features a mix of driving praise tracks and more reflective ballads. Bless his name is perhaps the most suitable for congregational use, with a strong melody if a little unadventurous. I didn’t think any one track really stood out, but I liked Among the Poor and I am Redeemer.

Jonny Diaz – More Beautiful You (3.5/5)

This album has a cheerful and sometimes cheesy pop sound, but thanks to some nicely crafted lyrics and melodies, I still found it enjoyable. The opening track More Beautiful You, tackles self-esteem issues in young girls, although risks sounding a little clichéd. The humorous bonus track The Opener is a nice addition.

Abandon – II (3/5)

Rather unconventionally, Abandon have followed up their debut EP with another EP rather than a full album. The opening track Song for the Broken has a U2 feel to it. If I could write a song, has a beautiful melody, although I was not entirely sure I knew what it was about.

Book Review – Finally Alive (John Piper)

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Finally Alive is yet another recent publication from prolific pastor/author John Piper. Not only is he prolific, but passionate. In all his writing there is an intense seriousness and earnestness. Don’t expect a book of jokes to liven up your sermons from Piper any time soon!

In this book he seeks to explain the doctrine of the new birth, or regeneration. What does it mean to be born again? Piper notes that recent Barna research claims that born again Christians are not living any differently from the world. He takes issue with his use of the phrase “born again”. He contends that the New Testament has absolute certainty that the new birth radically changes people. If we are not changed, what evidence is there that we have new life? The book is broken into five major sections. I will summarise his argument briefly, before giving some concluding thoughts:

What is the new birth?

The new birth is God’s work, not ours. It is not the improvement of your old human nature, but the creation of a new human nature. You are still you, but new. The born again are born of “water and Spirit”, signifying the cleansing of the old, and the creation of the new. Because we are still ourselves, cleansing and forgiveness is necessary. But to be transformed, we must also become new.

Why must we be born again?

In short we were dead, spiritually lifeless. This means we love darkness and hate light, we are hard-hearted, cannot submit to God or accept the gospel, we are slaves to sin and slaves of Satan. Repentance is necessary, through which we are awakened to see the ugliness and danger of sin, and the beauty and worth of Christ. In the new birth, we become alive – our faith is awakened, we are justified, we become legal heirs and spiritual children, we love others and enjoy eternal fellowship with God. Because of the new birth, our final perfection is secured. The new birth produces the fight for purity.

How does the new birth come about?

We can’t make it happen – we need the sovereign grace of God. The new birth will happen to all creation, not just to human beings. Our activity in the new birth is faith in Christ, but it is God’s prior act of begetting that causes our believing. We come to faith through hearing and believing intelligible good news.

What are the effects of the new birth?

The book of 1 John gives many evidences of the new birth. We are not perfect, but we walk in the light. The commands of God are not burdensome to us, because we find obedience to them desirable. We overcome the world and this enables us to love God and others. The new birth sets us free from the practise of sinning. For the Christian, we should not allow the presence of ongoing sin to allow us to drift either into complacency or despair. If we are born again, we will love others with the love of God, because love is the nature of God, and our new nature too is to love.

How can we help others be born again?

It is God who opens blind eyes, but he sends us to tell people the gospel. However capable or inadequate we feel for this task, we must remember we are simply jars of clay, the treasure is the gospel. Several practical tips for evangelism are given, including the suggestion of giving away books.

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In terms of structure, this is a well put together book. The chapters are short, and broken nicely shorter sections of a few paragraphs with headings. He repeatedly summarises the argument so far and the direction he is going in. All this makes it very accessible even to those who want to read it in just five minute chunks.

As for its message, arguably there could be no more important doctrine for us to understand. It is full of Scripture, and the arguments are plainly presented. The conclusions he draws are hard to argue with, as they so plainly follow from the verses quoted. He makes extensive use of the gospel of John and 1 John.

I hope the legacy of this book will be a clearer understanding of the nature of the new birth. He also tackles the very important issue of how a Christian’s behaviour relates to the new birth. I believe he draws a biblical line of insisting that salvation is all of sovereign grace, that Christians are not yet perfect, but that there will always be evidence of the transforming work of the Spirit in the new birth, because the new birth is a reality, not merely a concept.

Book Review – More (Simon Ponsonby)

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This is Simon Ponsonby’s first book, published in 2004. I have also reviewed his more recent book on the Holy Spirit – God Inside Out.

In the early chapters he sets forth the desperate need for the church to seek a deeper, fuller, more intimate knowledge of God. He deals with various objections that might be raised against seeking more. These include the objection that at the cross we were given everything, and thus to ask for more is to claim it was not enough for us. Ponsonby argues that it is not more than the cross we need, but more ongoing reception of its benefits. He points out that Paul, while rejoicing in what is already ours in Christ, continually prays for more.

Similarly, one could object to seeking more of the Spirit by arguing that we have been already given the Spirit. But again, he goes to the Scriptures to show that we can have more of the Spirit, and he can have more of us.

That Paul can even make this command to be filled [Eph 5:18] implies that many believers are not. It is not to deny that they have the Holy Spirit, but simply to say that they could have more – or we might say that he could have more of them.

As well as theological objections, he deals with other blockages that stop us from seeking more of God. Often we have no expectation and no appetite. We shy away from yielding our lives fully. We need a holy discontent that drives us to seek more. This is not a mark of immaturity but maturity.

The desire for more of God is a sign of spiritual health. The mature want more.

He examines Pentecost and particularly emphasises that the Spirit empowers for evangelism. We must be prepared to go if we wish to be filled with the Spirit. So often the church is content with ministers who have theology degrees, when what it needs is to be a people filled with the Spirit’s power. We are urged to prepare for Pentecost through repentance, obedience, unity and prayer.

God is a promise-maker and a promise-keeper, but are we promise-seekers and promise-takers?

The person who would have more of God must give more to God. … Do you desire more of God? Then yield to him.

Chapter six deals with the potentially controversial issue of the “baptism in the Holy Spirit” (for my own take on this, see here). He makes it clear that he does not subscribe to a Pentecostal doctrine of a “once-for-all second blessing.” There should be a “constantly repeatable, deepening experience of God’s Spirit”. He emphasises God’s sovereignty in dealing with different people in different ways (a “tailor-made” experience of the Spirit). He moves on to examine all the texts that will be more than familiar to anyone who has worked through this debate before. Acts 8 he sees as an exception, and in Acts 19 he views the disciples of John the Baptist as not yet saved. He attempts to appease the Pentecostals by suggesting that they have the right experience despite the wrong doctrine!

Chapter seven tells his personal testimony which is a fascinating story of being brought up in a devout evangelical setting yet going away from God, and being drawn back to him and being filled with the Spirit.

The book is then rounded off by a chapter that deals with the issue of “wilderness”. In it he argues that the Spirit is given from the cross. He shows how many in the Bible met God in the wilderness, and offers some correctives to an overly triumphalistic understanding of the Spirit’s work.

The deep things of God are learned in the fiery furnace of the desert. It is here that he digs deep wells of his Spirit into our life.

Simon is great at filling his writing with memorable quotes and vivid illustrations. I can imagine that a couple of the chapters will seem a bit on the technical side for those who have not encountered some of the objections or alternative views he deals with. But the real value of this book is simply in the call to hunger for more intimacy with Christ. This is a message we cannot hear too often, and therefore I would highly commend it to anyone. Read it and be stirred afresh to seek God with all your heart.

Some Thoughts on ‘Treasure Hunts’

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A new form of evangelism known as “treasure hunting” has gained popularity in recent years, stemming I think from a book written on the subject (which I haven’t read). The basic idea is that you spend a while praying for words of knowledge concerning specific people (e.g. someone called Brian, someone with a green jumper, someone with a knee problem etc). Then simply go out on the street, looking for people who match those descriptions, strike up a conversation (“I’m looking for treasure, and I think you’re it” – great chat up line!), and then offer to pray for them. For an idea of what goes on, have a browse through Simon Holley’s blog archives.

I have heard many exciting testimonies of people receiving healing, gratefully receiving prayer, engaging in deep conversations about the gospel, and accepting invitation to come to church or Alpha courses. There is a group here in Southampton who are attempting this form of evangelism, and I am hoping that the cell group I lead will be able to join them on one of their next excursions.

I do have to confess to having a few reservations concerning this method of evangelism, which mostly stem from the understanding of a “word of knowledge”. Much of what passes for words of knowledge often seem to me to be nothing more than lucky guesses (in fact, too often guesses that miss the mark totally). The idea that any random thought that pops into my head should be uncritically accepted as God speaking strikes me as a sub-biblical understanding of prophecy.

But enough negativity already. This technique, though somewhat unconventional does have a few important things going for it.

First, on a very pragmatic level, it provides a conversation starter. There is nothing more likely to end a conversation than asking someone “do you mind if I tell you about Jesus?” The whole idea of a “treasure hunt” provides a way to break the ice with a stranger, and allows the conversation to naturally move on to spiritual matters.

Second, it encourages a reliance on the Spirit’s guidance. Even the most ardently non-charismatic groups I have done evangelism with have recognised the vital importance of being Spirit-filled in our witness. To pray for God to divinely guide us to those in whom his Spirit may already have been working in, as well as to trust him for the right words to say is surely the right way to begin any form of evangelism.

Third, it focuses not on apologetics, but on demonstration of God’s power. Important as apologetics certainly is – people do need to face and answer their questions concerning the truth of the gospel, often apologetics can be a red herring. A chance to pray with someone gives the opportunity for them to experience first hand the living God who hears and answers prayer.

Finally, it requires faith. The fear of looking foolish or getting it wrong holds many of us back from stepping out and telling others the gospel. Praying for someone in public is a risk – what if the prayer is not answered? What if they think you’re insane? And yet, it seems that so often God is pleased to act when his people have nowhere to hide, and have to trust him completely.

So it is not hard for me to see why God may indeed be blessing those who use this mode of evangelism. I tried to think of any examples of this being used in the New Testament. I suppose you could point to Jesus’ discussion with the woman at the well in John 4. Though his meeting with her was apparently a chance encounter, the supernatural revelations concerning her circumstances certainly opened her up to consider Jesus’ message.

Or Paul, who had a vision in the night of a man of Macedonia (Acts 16:9). He saw this as God’s leading to evangelise in that region and off he went. Interestingly, he doesn’t appear to have attempted to find the man he saw in the dream. When he got there, he took the strategic approach of searching for devout worshipers of God (Acts 16:13) as well as taking advantage of the chance encounter with the slave girl (Acts 16:16).

So while I am not wholeheartedly endorsing the technique of “treasure hunt” evangelism, I do want to be someone who is full of faith, following the Spirit’s lead, and seeing God’s power at work in changing lives as people hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would be interested to hear of any readers who have done this, and what your thoughts and experiences were.

Spotify Albums of the Month – April

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I have been enjoying listening to a variety of new albums on Spotify again this month, so here’s another round of recommendations for you to try out.

Jars of Clay – The Long Fall Back to Earth.

 

This album was released only a couple of weeks ago, so it provided the perfect opportunity for me to check out yet another popular and successful Christian artist that thus far had passed me by. It took me a few listens before I really got into it. I would describe it as a consistently good album with no real stand-out tracks. There are lots of gentle, atmospheric melodic tracks interspersed with a few more upbeat numbers, and shades of Coldplay here and there. My favourite tracks on the album are Hero and Heart.

Jon Foreman – Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer EPs.

Jon Foreman is lead singer and main songwriter with Switchfoot, but last year he completed a series of four solo EPs, one for each of the four seasons, with a more acoustic and stripped-down backing than the Switchfoot albums. The quality of lyrics is high, with some songs telling poignant stories, and several based on Scriptural passages. The backing is mostly acoustic guitar with various orchestral instruments quietly in the background adding interest.

Here’s my pick of the tracks from each album. Fall: Equally Skilled. Winter: Behind Your Eyes. Spring: Your Love is Strong. Summer: Instead of a Show

Chris Tomlin – Hello Love

Having enjoyed his last two releases (See the Morning and Arriving) I had high hopes for this album, but must confess to being a little disappointed. Its not that there is anything ‘wrong’ with it per se, it just seems too similar to everything that has gone before.

Opening tracks Sing, Sing, Sing and Jesus, Messiah essentially carry right on from where he left off before. Perhaps he would benefit from working with a different producer and band on future albums. I’m not sure that many of the tracks will have the enduring appeal of previous congregational worship hits such as Indescribable and How Great is Our God. He covers Bluetree’s God of this City, which gives extra exposure to an excellent song. The title track Love, complete with Watoto Children’s Choir would be more suited as a theme tune to a forthcoming Lion King movie.

Jimmy Needham – Not Without Love.

Christianity Today magazine gave this album a rave review and even compared his passionate lyrics to Keith Green. I decided it was worth a listen even though the “jazz-inflected acoustic pop” is not quite my normal choice of music. The opening track champions the apologetic power of love over mere words and arguments, but its hard to be provocative when your making a point everyone agrees with. There’s a nice mixture of moods. My favourite tracks are Before and After and The Author. The spoken closing track is certainly passionate, but in my view a little overwrought. I skipped it on subsequent listens. Overall a refreshing change from my normal listening habits, but probably only one for occasional listening.

PS Apologies to any readers in regions where you can’t access Spotify. I’m sure there are equivalent ways of checking these albums out.

Book Review – The Message of the Resurrection (Paul Beasley-Murray)

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There are not a lot of books available on the resurrection at the moment (although I know of several due to come out later this year), but I did have this volume in the Bible Speaks Today Themes series on my shelf, and decided to tackle it over the Easter period.

The approach Beasley-Murray takes is to work through the New Testament, expounding most of the key passages dealing with the resurrection. He starts with the gospels, devoting one chapter to each. He shows how each gospel author brings a different emphasis to the narrative, as well as being careful to show the unity within the diversity. He points out that many preachers end up preaching more or less exactly the same sermon every Easter Sunday, which perhaps is why the theme of the resurrection is underemphasised – it can be hard to present it in a fresh way. One good way to start is to preach from each gospel separately, and focus on the distinctives of that particular account.

Preaching the resurrection without the cross without the resurrection leads to triumphalism; but preaching the cross without the resurrection leads nowhere: it is a ‘dead’ end.

As for apologetics, he does not systematically set out a case for the historicity of the resurrection, but deals with the evidence and objections as they come up through the gospel accounts.

He then moves on to the writings of Paul, obviously starting with 1 Cor 15, but moving on to tackle 2 Cor 4:7-5:10, Col 1:3-4 and 1 Thess 4:13-18. This of course moves from teaching about the resurrected Christ to showing the implications of the resurrection for us as believers. Then follows a chapter on the witness to the resurrection of “Peter and his friends”. This starts by going through various proclamations on the resurrection in the book of Acts, and then on to passages in Hebrews, 1 Peter and Revelation.

The next chapter is entitled “the witness of other voices to the resurrection”. Interestingly this brings us back to various passages in Paul’s writings, but identifying those passages thought by commentators to be citing early Christian hymns and creeds (Phil 2 being perhaps the most famous example). By this he shows how central the resurrection was to even the earliest Christians. He particularly links it to the Lordship of Jesus – his resurrection is the basis for his exaltation as Lord. And not just Lord of individual believers (though he is that), but Lord of everything and everywhere – Lord of the world.

In confessing Jesus as Lord the early Christians were not in the first place declaring that ‘Jesus is Lord of my life’; they were declaring that Jesus was ‘Lord of the world’.

There is a final brief chapter on the response of various theologians to the resurrection. He starts by listing influential voices who denied or doubted the resurrection (from Rudolf Bultmann through to Bishop of Durham David Jenkins), before surveying those who have written in defence of its historicity (from George Beasley-Murray – perhaps the author’s father? through to Tom Wright).

The amount of material this book covers makes it a very useful comprehensive guide to the New Testament teaching on the resurrection and will be particularly helpful to those looking for fresh ideas for preaching on the resurrection. I’m not sure how well it works as a book to be read from cover to cover as I did. There were a few places in which I got a little bogged down. But it is certainly a valuable contribution to a topic that has been surprisingly under-represented in recent years.

Spotify Albums of the Month

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I decided at the start of this year that I would make an effort to expand my musical horizons by listening to some bands I had not heard before. I started buying a new album a month, but since discovering Spotify I have been able explore many new artists in a way that previously had been out of my budget. Sadly, very few Christian British artists such as Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Martyn Layzell, Phatfish, Vineyard UK etc are currently available on Spotify, but despite that there is no shortage of good new material to try out. Here are the highlights of what I have bought and/or heard on Spotify recently:

Charlie Hall – The Bright Sadness
Not really a typical worship album, although opens with a powerful anthem “Chainbreaker”. Has grown on me over several listens and steers clear of typical clichéd lyrics. In “Walk the World” he very makes a very interesting link between the symbolism of the communion meal and our witness.Rating: ★★★★★
Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown
Apparently Switchfoot have made it big and been around for a while. Who knew? This is not their latest, but is my favourite of what I have listened to so far. Hard rocking for the most part, and with more intelligent lyrics than you might be expecting.Rating: ★★★★½
Matt Maher – Empty and Beautiful
Not that well-known a name, but his opening track “Your grace is enough” has become well known through Chris Tomlin’s cover. I came across him after his song “I rejoice” was featured on a worship website. Not particularly unique when compared to other worship leader albums, but is very well produced and an enjoyable listen.Rating: ★★★½☆
Marty Magehee – Open
Another artist I had never heard of before, who was previously part of 4Him, yet another Christian band who had passed me by. Anyway, this is his first solo album and its an enjoyable listen, with a nice variety of styles and possibly the one and only song dealing with the “da Vinci Code” in his quirky yet hauntingly beautiful track “Leonardo”.Rating: ★★★½☆

Are you using Spotify? Any album recommendations for me to check out?

Disqualified Forever?

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I posted yesterday about the process of restoring those who have sinned. One of the tricky issues that it raises is whether they can be restored to public ministry and if so, how soon? Dan commented that “the church seems to vacillate between talking about ‘disqualified for eternity’ and judging harshly to the other extreme of rushing the individual who has fallen back into active ministry just because they display dramatic gifts!” Cliff pointed to the biblical stories of David and Peter, who apparently were quickly “restored” following sin.

In the case of David, he never lost his job as king, despite his despicable act of deceit and murder. He therefore didn’t need to be restored to his job, though he did need a different kind of restoring and renewal:

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

(Ps 51:10-12 ESV)

Peter’s “restoration” is also not quite so clear-cut. He was not at that time a leader of anything, simply a disciple. Jesus’ gracious words in John 21:15-17 indicated not a ministry he would resume, but a new one he would take up, after the day of Pentecost.

I do however agree with Cliff that examples such as those of Peter and David, show the grace of God in being willing to use those who have failed spectacularly. We could add Moses and Jonah amongst others to that list.

So what can be said about how soon a person can resume leadership ministry? I think some useful direction may be found in the qualifications for elders and deacons found in 1 Tim 3. Notice the following verses:

1 Tim 3:6 “He must not be a recent convert”

1 Tim 3:10 “And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.”

1 Tim 5:22  “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands,”

These verses (amongst others) indicate that Paul did not want Timothy to rush people into positions of leadership. Yes, they may have charisma, but character is vitally important. A leader is someone whose example is followed, thus to elevate someone who is not living in accordance with the gospel can be very damaging to the church.

The concern in 1 Timothy seems to be that an elder or deacon should prove themselves to be of good character over a period of time. Then when they are appointed, they are in a place of having earned the trust of the congregation. Prospective elders and deacons would thus be tested, perhaps for a period of several months or even a year.

It would make sense that no less a standard should be applied to someone who has fallen into sin. A serious breach of trust has taken place. That cannot be “healed lightly” or quickly. Over time though, they may again prove themselves faithful, humble, obedient and repentant. The local church, who know them and can see their lives, will be in a position to judge whether they now trust that person again. In the specific case of Todd Bentley, it will not be overnight that he can prove he is now ready to be a “one-woman man” (see 1 Tim 3:2). (And it will not be the YouTube viewers who are in a position to make that judgment call anyway).

Finally, Rom 11:29 should be a source of encouragement to us all. God does not bestow salvation one day and then take it away the next. And maybe against our ‘better’ judgment, neither does he seem to withdraw other gifts from those who least appear to deserve them. Perhaps that is why we call them charismata – gifts of grace.

Rom 11:29  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

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Footnote: none of this should be read as an endorsement of the “restoration of Todd Bentley” process being carried out by Rick Joyner. I still have grave concerns as to his suitability as a spokesperson for the gospel. I do sincerely hope though that he is restored to right relationship with God and with the fellow believers in his local church.