Review: A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story

A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story by Michael W. Goheen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goheen may not be a theologian who introduces earth-shattering new defining concepts for us to chew on (like Newbigin for example), but he is a master researcher who compiles the material in a concise and very readable package. With a 1500 page reading requirement for a Missions module, this was by far the breath of fresh air amidst some other very painfully tedious (and boring) titles.

Of the tens of books I utilised for a research paper on the biblical theological perspective on missions, this was the one I found the most enjoyable to read. My guess is that this provides a lighter dose of his more comprehensive "Introducing Christian Mission Today" that is almost twice as thick, and where many similar concepts are visited but in greater detail. Goheen writes with an interest in the biblical theological framework and what made the book a truly pleasurable read was that even novice readers would find the title highly engaging and accessible. More advanced readers can refer to his abovementioned lengthier title.

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Review: Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (New Studies in Biblical Theology by Andreas J. Köstenberger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This title is targeted at intermediate and advanced readers, for the deep theological content is difficult to skim through quickly without engaging into time to digest and reflect. For the tens of books I utilised for a research paper on the biblical theological perspective on missions, this was the one I found the most insightful. It was also really easy to read and its thickness is due to the breadth of issues discussed. It is a pity that this book is out of print (and I did notice many ideas from various other authors being quoted without acknowledgement).

Nevertheless, I recommend obtaining a copy because of its usefulness. It would still be a good investment for sermon or bible study preparation, especially for the last chapter (concluding synthesis) provides a "light" and easily comprehensible summary of the topic. If you find that a certain subsection in the concluding summary that seems potentially useful, you can tend leaf your way into the in-depth corresponding chapter.

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Review: The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence

The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book was easy to read and novice readers would find no trouble going the material. The target audience is an American one, and specifically African American (as seen from Chapter 11's The good news for African American Muslims). I felt that the illustrations and personal accounts sometimes did not serve to explain the substantive that the author was trying to bring across. It is however not the most engaging of titles, and if I did not have to sieve out information for a world religions seminary course, I doubt I would have wanted to read it from cover to cover. There was a lone flash of brilliance, whereby 61-2, whereby Anyabwile quoted from C. S. Lewis ("Jesus is liar, lunatic or Lord") to substantiate that accepting Jesus as a “good moral teacher” or as a prophet, only to then reject his prophecy and teachings about himself is not an honest position to take. With Moody's 2018 reprint of the original 2010 title, it is a pity that some updating or additions were not made.

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

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Review: Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250

Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 by Karl Vaters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With Ecclesiology being my primary theological area of interest even before I started my seminary education, I have read probably about 50 books on church growth and church leadership. This being probably the first book I have read from a small church perspective, I realised my skepticism was uncalled for as I thoroughly enjoyed this wise, insightful and highly practical labour of love. How I wish that there are more like it this the market (consulting the bibliography did not help much, because as Vaters stated, the lack of such resources compelled him to this endeavour).

With my past experience pointing me towards congregational sizes of medium to large churches (>500) as compared to a (<200 member) small church community, I believe I am analysing the small church model in a relatively objective manner. They are not my preferred choice, and I have no reason to paint them in a good light. Yet I caught a little of Vaters’ passion for the church, both his and others; in this book, he seeks to give insight on the nuts and bolts of the small church's mechanisms and illustrated numerous ecclesiological principles that are unique to it.

I also grieved over how church growth principles (meant for large Churches) could be disastrous when applied to small churches. I am heartened that many of the mistakes he made in adopting cut-and-paste (large) church leadership techniques would not have to be committed again by many readers, and spare many a flock from the resulting pain. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and regard this to be a brilliant 6 star book.

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

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Review: Leading Across Cultures: Effective Ministry and Mission in the Global Church

Leading Across Cultures: Effective Ministry and Mission in the Global Church by James Plueddemann
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Although Plueddemann's CV would lead one to infer his great depth of experience, it somehow does not translate to how he writes. I felt that if Plueddemann could have injected a large dose of brevity into the book, it could potentially provide an engaging read. However, many substantives were repeated more than necessary, and the second chapter about his own lengthy leadership journey would not appeal to or interest readers who do not know him.

Having different contributors at the end of each chapter to provide their own commentary on the topic was a nice touch, but not enough to save the rather mediocre content of the book. The many case studies and personal accounts shared in the book were simply not as intense/gripping or insightful as those in the other excellent books I've reviewed on cross-cultural missions (namely Sherwood Lingenfelter's Ministering Cross-Culturally and Duane Elmer's Cross-Cultural Servanthood).

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Review: The Intimate Mystery

Intimate Mystery by Dan B. Allender
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The two authors are a dynamic duo - Allender provides the engaging narrative while Longman III oversees the content to be shaped by sound theology. The pacing of the book was fantastic, allowing for quick absorption and thoughtful reflection/application (with reference to the reader's own marriage life). The content and illustrations are highly relatable for the married couple, every one of which is bound to have marriage issues/problems.

No excess ink was spilt; the brevity of the material keeps it accessible to novice readers. In reading the opening chapter, I however was worried that this book appeared to deviate from Allender’s and Longman III’s popular-level pitching to the layman (the vocabulary used was more suited to intermediate to advanced readers). Thankfully, the usually easy-to-follow content soon resumed in the subsequent chapters.

It is a pity that the title did not provide a clue on how useful the opening chapters would be for a pre-marriage couple (though the closing chapters on sex are more appropriate after the wedding). How I wished that we had read this book to get some insight on how to deal with the intense stress, anger and quarrels of managing the demands of the in-laws from both sides of the family (who all wanted to insist on this and that for the wedding). And woefully this book sat on my bookshelf until a year and a half after the nightmarish battles; if I could turn back time, I'd have definitely tried to read this title together with my wife-to-be, to provide us with a theological and practical approach to the challenges ahead.

This is an excellent book and I heartily recommend it! I bought a handful of copies to give as wedding gifts to my newly-wedded friends whose weddings I would attend shortly! Perhaps this personal endorsement would make up for my desire not to spoil any of the content in this review!

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Review: Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships

Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I enjoyed a read so thoroughly! This is an easy 6 star rating from me. The author (and editor) provided an exciting and extremely informative read. It is amazing how concise the material is - I did not feel that more ink was spilt than necessary, and also I did not feel that the substantives were insufficiently developed - the length of the book is just right. This feels like a distilled gift to us from a lifetime of cross-cultural work in the mission field. Novice and advanced readers alike will find it a worthwhile read and I appreciated how the fields of cultural anthropology and theology formed the backbone of the material.

Although written primarily to a North American audience, even as a Singaporean living in an Asian culture interacts with a western worldview, there was much to learn from Ligenfelter. I had not been aware of how different the eastern and western cultures (or individualistic and collectivist societies) are, and how the people in each perceive the world and interact with each other! Although the real-life illustrations in the book are slightly dated (most are pre-1986), the issues addressed and the principles discussed are timeless. Perhaps the ultimate compliment I could pay to the authors is to reveal that as a bible school student who is not very much interested in missions, I found that I started to develop an attraction toward the topic and felt the desire to read more titles on it!

I heartily recommend this masterpiece of a book! A great companion to be read alongside this title would be Elmer's Cross-Cultural Servanthood (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2477980169).

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