Review: The Spiritual Gifts Handbook: Using Your Gifts to Build the Kingdom

The Spiritual Gifts Handbook: Using Your Gifts to Build the Kingdom by Randy Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book is no magic pill for one to suddenly acquire the spiritual gifts; if I were it would head straight for the dustbin. The numerous real-life accounts provide readers with a glimpse of how others operate in the gifts and hopefully it encourages you as it did me of the diversity in how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians.

As an expositorily-leaning, gospel-centered Charismatic who calls a reformed church home, I appreciate how this book represents the unity of the body of Christ. If I were to use 'Christianese' jargon to describe what Randy Clark, a Charismatic Protestant, and Mary Healy, a Charismatic Catholic have collaborated and gifted to us, it is a tangible display of ecumenical solidarity.

We Charismatics are usually prone to having an interest in church history or bible theology, and this book would be incredibly helpful to the peers whom I love so very dearly. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to approach this book as cautiously as I did to guard against proof-texted assertions (since I do not naturally associate Randy Clark in the same camp as the expositionally faithful reformed preachers/scholars), for substantives provided are introduced and supported with quotations and illustrations/accounts from saints of past and present, with of course brief Scriptural expositions and comments.

If I could highlight something in the book, it would be the opening chapter - the overview of the spiritual gifts provided, by itself, is worth the price of the book. I appreciated how Clark and Healy concisely summarised the differing interpretations about the spiritual gifts and represented opposing views faithfully and graciously. The brevity of the theological and church history framework thereafter presented provided an exciting read, a hallmark possibly of skilful editing.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group's Chosen Divison's Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Review: Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give

Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give by Michael Rhodes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is an easy to read and inspirational book, whereby the authors’ love for the poor and marginalised is put forth in a matter of fact manner. Encouraging and challenging accounts of likeminded community work are aplenty and one would inevitably reflect on life - if we have been loving others as God would.

We all interpret Scripture with different lenses. This reviewer does it through an expositionary and biblical theology framework; conversely the authors utilise a proof texting method.

For example, on page 140, after a fairly orthodox commentary on Ruth 1, the authors conclude that “If Boaz doesn’t leave profits in the fields, Ruth remains an outsider...” which ignores the main point of the passage and the book (that Yahweh is our kinsman-redeemer and not that we ought to be a Boaz to a Ruth). They go on to use this problematic theology to state, while noble and applaudable, how “Christians today (should) intentionally (be) creat[ing] work opportunities for the homeless, (so as not to) miss out on the God-given gifts of those marginalised workers who long to bring a plate to the potluck...” It breaks this reviewer’s heart at how Scripture is brutally butchered to fit the proposition of the authors and how it could be the start of a slippery slope to a works-righteousness theology.

I forced myself to read until page 220 when I finally gave up because I was too brokenhearted over how the authors had misused Scripture. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this as a go-to book about stewardship.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group's Blogger Review Program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Review: How to Read Job

How to Read Job by John H. Walton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the book of Job being a rather unique book in Scripture, most of us would feel daunted at trying to comprehend or much less read it in its entirety. The authors, Walton and Longman III, both whom have published commentaries on the book of Job in 2012, suggest that "the book of Job is more challenging than most books of the bible" (p162). I found this title to be very helpful for the purpose of bible study, teaching and sermon preparation.

As with the other books I've reviewed from IVP's How to Read series, this title is engaging, easy-to-read and digest. Special mention should be given to the amazing brevity in this book; condensing complex theological concepts into an easy to understand manner is a high-level skill that the two professors are highly adept at. I appreciate how clearly the authors write - because they go right to the point without using convoluted jargon, the novice readers, as will the advanced readers, find this book helpful especially in situations whereby time is of the essence. Especially useful also is how, when discussing a theological theme of the book, the authors would note down in bullet points every corresponding passage from Job (and the Wisdom Literature).

The standout chapters would be "Theology of suffering in the book of Job" (Chapter 15) that addresses the main theological thrust, "Job and Jesus" (Chapter 17) whereby great pointers are given on how we can avoid forcing a Christological typology on the text and "Applying the book of Job" (Chapter 20), which has a self-explanatory title.

The most useful piece of advice I have gleaned from the book would be: "When I learn of a friend or loved one who has entered some sort of crisis through loss or illness, my first response is not to tell them they should read the book of Job for comfort. The message of the book is more suited to training for crises than to performing in a crisis." (p170).

A few years ago, I sat for an introductory class on the Wisdom Literature under a seminary lecturer. To my surprise and utmost pleasure, I found that I agreed with Walton and Longman III's positions more often than I did my lecturer's, whose material was along the lines of the more traditional positions. I appreciated how the clear, robust and persuasive journey through the text prompted me to re-examine my theological assumptions and positions.

However, while I enjoyed the read, there were some chapters (eg. Chapter 18's The message of the book of Job for today) that I felt were too brief and were insufficiently elaborated/explained for a reader to understand and re-communicate to another person. Also, once we move onto Part Two (Getting to know the Characters) and Part Three (The theological message), the beginner (and maybe intermediate) readers may possibly find it a challenge to comprehend the material and remain engaged. This reviewer (having rarely read the wisdom literature and corresponding commentaries), far preferred the engaging front matter of the book but struggled to keep on reading in the deeper theologically complex discussions in especially Part Three. Thankfully, the concluding chapters in Part Four (Reading Job as a Christian) were back along the lines of the great quality and easily-understood matter of the beginning of the book. Hence for these two reasons, this title receives a rating of 4 stars.

I received this book from IVP Academic for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Review: Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help Transform Your Ministry

Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help Transform Your Ministry by Aubrey Malphurs
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This is a rather mediocre book, especially when you compare it to Aubrey Malphurs' other titles. After all, he is one of my favourite authors when it comes to Ecclesiology and Church Growth. At first, I thought it was because of my academic background in Psychology that made me feel that the book lacked substance and depth, but it seems that my gut feel was affirmed by the other reviewers on good reads as well. This book would appeal only to the extremely novice readers, for example, missionary teams made up of teenagers. Adults would probably be frustrated at the content.

The opening story caught my attention, but it promised too much of a magical solution to self-combusting missionary teams. The content was strangely unengaging and a chore to go through; I had to force myself to keep reading. It felt like he was harping on the same point over and over again, and I was hoping that Malphurs would "get on with it!" The nail in the coffin was how it seemed rather weak on theology (even though he had two chapters about the "biblical theology" of emotions") and if I were blunt, seemed more of a proof text approach. I can only hope that this is a rushed piece of work and that subsequent revisions would be thoroughly edited, and not that he has exhausted all ideas and can now only produce a subpar material. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book.

I received this book from Baker Publishing Group for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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Religious tourists or lifestyle matyrs?

The term "religious tourists" left a deep impression on me and caused me to reflect on how sometimes our faith does not require much of a sacrifice or cost us anything. I'm not propagating a works-righteousness whereby we try to earn our salvation through good works, we receive it through acknowledging our sin and accepting Christ's atonement on our behalf.

What is scary for me is when I observe what kind of creature Christianity in a country with religious freedom may morph into. While the early Christians gave their witness with their lives, dying martyrs' deaths, today following Christ is trendy, popular and financially rewarding even (because of the extensive networking opportunities in church). It's a sobering thought to consider how many of us Christians will continue to pledge allegiance to Yahweh if there is a price to pay for our obedience. Even as we prosper in a tolerant society and government, it is so easy for us to slide into lifestyles contrary to what the bible tells us is demanded of us. 

Oh Lord, awake our souls to long for your rule and reign in our lives, such that we would be so joyfully used to following you in the good days, that when the bad days come, our faiths would be unwavering. Help us Holy Spirit to remind us of the great cost of Calvary and consider the Cross of Christ that we are to take up; give us the strength, discipline and joy to do so and to urge others to do likewise. Amen.


Hansen reflects on Phil 2:12 on page 171-2 of his PNTC commentary:

The Letter to the Philippians

The Letter to the Philippians has 30 ratings and 6 reviews. Dan said: Philippians, is an New Testament commentary, written by G. Walter Hansen and publis...

“It is this ‘long obedience in the same direction’ which the mood of the world does so much to discourage.” When the path of obedience to Christ becomes steep and dangerous, pleasure seekers look for an easier way. Religious tourists hunting for sensational entertainment, instantaneous enlightenment, and emotional excitement will jump on the newest rides and take quick shortcuts, but they will not be found with pilgrims on the long, hard road following in the footsteps of Christ, who was obedient to death—even death on a cross. Paul’s call to unflagging, Christ-like obedience will not be popular in a world that so highly values going fast and having fun and so quickly rejects enduring pain and submitting to authority. But the essential characteristic of the wise who build their community on Christ is their consistent obedience to him.

Review: Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations

Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations by Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and found this book very insightful. Kaiser packs in deep theological material and somehow managed to make the material a joy to leaf through. I appreciate the footnotes and references that he provided for further reading. Intermediate and advanced readers would probably find the content engaging, and because of the extremely small number of pages, maybe even novice readers would be able to read a chapter or two that catches their interest.

Of the tens of books I utilised for a research paper on the biblical theological perspective on missions, this title is a close second on my list of favourites that I found most insightful/helpful (the standout title was Michael Goheen's excellent "A light to the nations."

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Review: After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles

After Acts: Exploring the Lives and Legends of the Apostles by Bryan M. Litfin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is targeted at novice to intermediate readers, and as such, does not include sufficient citations for much of the evidence cited, which scholarly readers would require for the purposes of academic research.

Litfin writes skillfully and excitingly, with many times this reader feeling that he had been transported to the ancient world of the disciples. As Church History is not my cup of tea, I appreciated how Litfin did all the heavy lifting research and study, and packaged all of that into a neat little package. I especially appreciated the chapters on Peter and Paul, because I doubt that I would have the dedication to trace their ministry journies and deaths on my own. One feature of the book that was extremely helpful - the report card at the end of each chapter - which allows us to review Litfin's evaluation of the plausibility of the legendary claims/facts about each apostle.

Because of limited space on my bookshelf, I usually only keep the 6 star books (books that are outstanding and punch way above its peers), yet I recognise that this topic - of the lives of the apostles - would be helpful in time to come for bible study lessons on most NT topics, and so this 4.5 starred book shall be spared from the chopping block.

I still struggled to get through the book in a single sitting, though it is no fault of his, given how much church history often is a struggle for me. So what could make this book truly outstanding? Perhaps more pictures and charts/diagrams would help with the grabbing of our attention, and a more extensive endnote section whereby more advanced readers can pursue further reading.

I received this book from the Moody Publishers Newsroom program for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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