Bound Together: How We Are Tied to Others in Good and Bad Choices, by Chris Brauns

****

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

In this fascinating, insightful, and well-written book (which I highly recommend), author and pastor Chris Brauns explores the corporate nature of life and faith—that is, the connectedness between and among people whereby we are, well, ‘bound together’ in what Brauns calls ‘the rope principle.’ 

This principle rang chillingly true as I read this book against the tragic backdrop of the Boston bombings. If there is a clearer picture of our vulnerability to the aftermath of others’ choices, I don’t know what it could be. An unhinged terrorist plants bombs in the midst of unsuspecting citizens—he makes a choice, and despite any claim to autonomy or independence, others suffer the consequences. Lives are ripped apart—many lives—because of someone else’s choice. 

As much as we want to only be judged, only be punished, or only be rewarded for the actions we ourselves have taken or the choices we ourselves have made, the fact remains that we are all connected.

Full review available here.

The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, by Sinclair B. Ferguson

****

The inimitable Sinclair Ferguson takes on the Greatest Sermon of All Time. Obviously, the result is well worth reading.

I came to the book having read and, nor the most part, enjoyed several other books on the subject, including Charles Spurgeon's God Will Bless You, Puritan Thomas Watson's The Beatitudes, and Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. I think Ferguson's is my favorite so far.

Humble Orthodoxy: Holding the True High Without Putting People Down, by Joshua Harris

****

Why are all the truly orthodox Christians--the doctrinally minded, theologically sound ones--complete jerks? Why are nice, loving Christians typically wishy-washier than Charlie Brown? Is there a way to love your neighbor and love truth, to uphold good teaching without being an arrogant ass? According to Joshua Harris, the two qualities--humility and orthodoxy--not only can be combined, but should be.

Clocking in at just over 50 pages (not counting the study guide and other extra material), Humble Orthodoxy is an expansion of a chapter from Joshua Harris's recent (and much longer) book, Dug Down Deep. Apparently lots of folks (including John Piper) told him that this topic needed its own book. Who am I to disagree?

The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, by Melissa B. Kruger

*****

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

For Kruger, the root of covetousness is, quite simply, unbelief. This is a truth that I am discovering on a regular basis—that my besetting sins result not from a lack of effort (alone), nor from a lack of ability, nor from any other more physical shortcoming: they result from a lack in my faith. When I sin, it is a clear sign that there is some piece of the Gospel that I do not believe, some characteristic of God and His work that I ignore or deny. 

In the case of covetousness, Kruger argues that the root unbelief is three-fold: unbelief in the character of God (specifically His sovereignty and goodness), unbelief in our purpose (that we were created to be in relationship with and glorify God and to be with Him for all eternity), and unbelief in our relationships. If these are the root cause of envy, it follows that the remedy is to increase our belief that God is in fact both good and sovereign, that our relationship with Him matters more than (and will outlast) our circumstances, that He will bring glory to Himself through those circumstances, that He knows which circumstances will maximize our sanctification and long-term joy, and that we can therefore celebrate the blessings received by others. Preach it, sister.

Full review available here.

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

***

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

“In the beginning,” Nicodemus recalls, “we were ordinary street rats, stealing our daily bread and living off the efforts of man’s work.” Since that time, they have been given the gift of intelligence, received at the hands of the men of NIMH. But with that intelligence came the awareness that certain actions, even if beneficial to the actor, are wrong. As long as the rats continue to steal, they will only ever be smart rats. If they want to be something more, something nobler, they must be not merely intelligent but moral. It is not intelligence or self-awareness that makes a man, but honor and integrity and right living—using that intelligence to learn about and conform to morality. Nicodemus wants to lead the rats to a new, moral life, where they live not as the rats they were, but as the men they can be. 

Jenner, on the other hand, is more than happy to use his intelligence for his own self-interest with no regard for right, wrong, or the interests of others. He is happy to continue stealing from Farmer Fitzgibbons as long as it benefits him, and is even willing to escalate to murder if anyone stands in the way of those benefits. His intelligence thus functions as little more than a kind of elevated animal cunning, and he remains a rat. Because the intelligence of Nicodemus and his followers leads to moral knowledge, and because they submit their intelligence to conscience and in fact put it to work for conscience, they become something more than rats. They are men.

Full review available here.

The Inner Society, by Melinda Louise Bohannon

***

Social outcast Maggie Kraus is a total fish-out-of-water at exclusive Norfolk High. (Don't ask why she has to go to the swanky school. The plot dictates that she attend, so attend she must.) But the students at Norfolk are more than ordinarily hostile to the (ok, also hostile) Maggie. Like, to the point of inflicting serious physical harm upon the person of those not considered 'worthy' of their awesome school. Rich, powerful, and above suspicion, the 'in' teens are uniformly intelligent, athletic, and unbelievably attractive. They are also cruel jerks ... all except Peter and his super awesome youth group friends (who are still super attractive, rich, etc., but also nice). Can Peter and company help Maggie unearth the horrible secret behind Norfolk's elite Inner Society? (Oh, yeah, by the way, there's a horrible secret behind Norfolk's elite Inner Society. In case you were wondering.)

Ok, here's the thing. I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review. I am not required to write a positive review. Which ... is a good thing, for reasons I'll go into in a minute. See, this is not a good book. I feel kind of bad saying so, because Bohannon sounds like a very nice lady and apparently works a lot with troubled teens, and I'm sure this book was a labor of love. But ... it is a ridiculous, kind of terrible book. But in the best possible way. I could not put it down. It was a train wreck in book form, only much, much funnier. And more enjoyable. Because as terrible as this book is, I had an absolute blast reading it. I plowed through it record time, largely because I could not wait to see what craziness happened next.

I think the easiest way for me to explain the awesome/awfulness of this book is to share with you some of my reactions while reading it. Apologies for the length. Here goes nothing [WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS].

More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity, by Jeff Shinabarger

***

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

Fourth, Shinabarger’s analysis of generosity is secular—by which I mean: a compassionate Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan, or atheist could agree with … everything in this book. I find this troubling. While it is certainly true that those outside the faith can be generous and do good things, Christians’ lives should be pervaded by the Gospel such that it is impossible for us to really explain why we do any good thing without reference to Christ the Source of All Good. Christ is the reason we can do good things, He is the reason our sinful hearts want to do good things, and His is the power that enables us to do good things. Yet Shinabarger’s exploration of generosity seemed to be, well, largely secular. Faith lifts right out without disturbing the substance of his points. 

For these reasons, I would argue that Shinabarger’s book, while practically useful, is not actually a Christian book. So if you’re looking to simplify, make do with less, or give more, then by all means read this book. Even better, read it with a friend and engage with the material. Open your Bible and see where Shinabarger is right, and where he’s wrong. What does the Bible have to say about generosity? What sins in your life keep you from obeying those commands, and how can you fight those sins? How does the Gospel inform our attitude toward our possessions, our food, our clothes, and our time? How can Christians spur one another on to love and good deeds in these areas? These questions, and many more, are well worth asking. Shinabarger doesn’t ask them, but I appreciate him at least starting the conversation.

Full review available here.