Review: The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood

The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood by Eric J. Bargerhuff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Who would the intended audience for this book be? Christians who sit under pastors who utilise an eisegetical method of preaching, or Christian friends who wish to emphasise to the abovementioned group the importance of an expository/exegetical method of studying God's Holy Scripture.

In Pg 49 of the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (1999), Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling explain what these two terms mean: "Exegesis is the process of seeking to understand what a text means or communicates on its own. Eisegesis is generally a derogatory term used to designate the practice of imposing a preconceived or foreign meaning onto a text, even if that meaning could not have been originally intended at the time of its writing."

Having studied the context and reflected upon the theological application of many of these stories for the purposes of teaching/preaching, I was mightly impressed by Bargerhuff's commentary on the stories in the opening of the book - David and Goliath (Chapter 1), Gideon's Fleece (Chapter 2), Jonah and the big fish (Chapter 4), The woman caught in adultery (Chapter 5), Jesus could not do miracles in his hometown (Chapter 6), Sowing your seed (Chapter 8). The content was lively, engaging, and highly accessible; Bargerhuff's theological reflection and application were spot on! I thought that this was an easy 6 star book that would be useful for reference for sermon preparation or that which I had to purchase multiple copies of to give away! But then later came the second half of the book which sadly I found to be unsuitable for my target audience...

Many of the subsequent chapters were often excellent (Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in Chapter 14 was brilliant even) - but many chapters were tainted by the divisive advancing of his theological positions. Bargerhuff appears to be highly reformed/Calvinistic and a - he quotes John MacArthur (author of the notorious Strange Fire) and John Piper. I felt that it was unnecessary to be fixated on secondary or tertiary matters of The Calvinistic notion of Perseverance of the Saints ("Once Saved Always Saved") in The betrayal of Judas (Chapter 10), Cessationism in The Samaritan Pentecost (Chapter 11) and Transubstantiation in This is my body (Chapter 13).

If he releases a subsequent edition, I hope he focuses on the primacy on interpreting Scripture in context, illustrating applying it for the modern audience what the biblical author had intended for the original readers and not let his partisan views taint his exposition and commentary.

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Review: Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God

Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The target audience would be novice readers as the depth of theology is kept at an accessible level and the material is easy-to-read. I picked this book because many other authors I've read quoted from Willard, and guessed that he must be a giant in this area of theology. However, I did not enjoy the read as much as I thought I would; I did not find the content engaging or soul-piercing. I wish that the content wasn't expanded, because many chapters provided for a rather tedious read; it may be better for a heavy dose of brevity/editor's hand to be utilised, also by cutting out excess material, shrinking the 300 pages to 200. Unfortunately, in this instance, bigger is not always better.

While Willard may have intended the book to read like a biblical-theological executive summary, I felt that the bible was used as a proof-text or eisegetical aid to elaborate/illustrate his points. I was uncomfortable with the brief and numerous quotations of Scripture texts/narratives were used to support his substantives. At times Willard quotes from other famous theologians, but another weakness of the book is the lack of personal anecdotes and illustrations. If I could use Randy Clark and Bill Johnson as examples (this is not meant as an endorsement of all of the latter's teaching), their books are engaging and exciting because of the numerous stories and testimonies that illustrate a principle they are trying to teach - regrettably, these are lacking in this title. I read other reviews with amusement (the gripe was that the later chapters were theoretical) but I am in agreement that Willard somehow seems to be communicating a topic that he does not personally have a personal experience in.

I cannot recommend this book because of all the abovementioned flaws. Instead, I'd recommend Kevin Deyoung's Just do Something or Bruce Waltke's Finding the Will of God.

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Review: Why I Am a Christian

Why I Am a Christian by John R.W. Stott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As with his other titles, Stott writes clearly and does not dive into complicated theological jargon or discussion. He writes in a calm, gentle manner (unlike the strong argumentation of Ravi Zachariah’s). He cites the notable people. thinkers and theologians as he gives the reasons why he is a Christian. Most of the time, he utilises the bible as the primary source of reference for his substantive.

John Scott is one of my favourite theological authors; The Cross is Christ is one of the few books that I felt deserving of an exceptional 6 stars. However, as a 30 year old I could not engage with the content of this book. I am aware that my peers generally hold post modern world views, and felt that his book would better serve a modern audience (like the readers of 2003, when it was first published). Alternatively, this title could also be useful to readers whose English is a second language or for people who hail from traditional and non-postmodern backgrounds. For engaging critical or intelligent thinkers, this book would however not be useful in bringing up logical positions or debates in apologetics. A better title to aid evangelism of postmodern people would perhaps be Timothy Keller’s Reason for God or C S Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

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Review: Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility

Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One eye-catching feature would have to be the endorsements of the book in the first pages from the who’s who in the cross-cultural field. The book provided for a highly engaging, enjoyable and perhaps even captivating read. I cannot emphasize how brilliant it is that the content was presented as succinct as it was. As an Asian young adult who is largely influenced by Western education/thinking that clashes with the more traditional culture/worldviews of my elders, I appreciated that this book was extremely useful in that it was thoughtful, reflective and insightful. It seemed that much of his material was highly intuitive and logically, and yet I often wondered to myself: “now why didn’t I think of that?”

The mix of his own anecdotes with quotes/stories of others was just right. His breadth of knowledge in the subject matter is seen from the variety of sources he draws inspiration from, seemingly never over-quoting (like some other authors) to the effect that it was merely a paraphrase reproduction of another’s work. His dedication and passion in the subject matter (theology held in tandem/tension with anthropology) are also illustrated by his ever insightful experiences that he shares in the book.

As the title indicates, the primary substantive is that we are called by Christ to cross-culturally serve and not to boss/lord over those whom we perceive need our help/expertise or ministry. This is exceptionally helpful in our day of Instagram social work or short-term missions whereby it is “cool,” fashionable even, to broadcast to one’s social network how noble one was to have volunteered one's time and energies. Whilst this book is no silver bullet to make a proud and egotistical minister become a magically humble servant overnight, it should raise enough red flags to prompt the readers into introspection, reflection and a desire for change.

I heartily recommend this book to all Christians, not only those involved in cross-cultural overseas missions/ministry work as all of us are called to evangelise and minister wherever we are placed and not only to a homogenous people group from which we hail. A great companion to be read alongside this would be Lingenfelter’s excellent title Ministering Cross-Culturally (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102044).

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Review: Approaching the Study of Theology: An Introduction to Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods & Debates

Approaching the Study of Theology: An Introduction to Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods & Debates by Anthony C. Thiselton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For a person to pick up a title like this, he would probably be an intermediate or advanced reader. Yet the beauty of this book is that it is accessible even to the novice reader. Concepts are explained clearly, succinctly and intelligibly. Thiselton could have released a 1500 page version of this book, but much dedication and love were poured into ensuring that the material while broad, remained concise. The subject matter depicted will therefore not be exhaustive in depth, but this reviewer felt that the content is sufficient for a general overview.

The content is just as the subtitle describes - Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods and Debates. For each subject topic, Thiselton discusses how notable thinkers/theologians have interacted with one another to shape its development (both in the present and through the ages), with references included as footnotes for those who would like to read further. I especially liked the analogy to explain what it is like for the dead to wait for the final moment of resurrection and judgment:

I have suggested the analogy of a child falling asleep on Christmas Eve, but waiting for the morning of Christmas. From a participant's perspective, we may tell the child, 'The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner Christmas will come.' But from an observer's perspective the adults of the household need to do many things, including preparing meals, wrapping up presents, and so forth. The analogy exactly matches the experience of the participant in death and transformation, and the observer of the eschatological drama. It is true in both cases: the departed are with Christ, but certain events must take place before the end (p112-3).

This book is probably not meant to be read cover to cover, but to be referred to as and when the reader wishes to acquaint himself (or explore further) in a theological topic of interest. I find Part 3 (glossary of key terms) especially useful as a quick yet exhaustive point of reference for theological jargon. Because it is a reference title, I would actually recommend it be purchased as a digital form, so that it can be accessed on the go (for example, when you are discussing theology with somebody outside the home).

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Review: The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission

The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission by Christopher J.H. Wright
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The content is rather light and easy to read quickly through. I recognise that Chris Wright is one of the leading theologians in the field of missiology, but I found this title a tiresome to read and rather unengaging. Perhaps in trying to be accessible for a lay-level reading audience, the theological depth was compromised to a point that more advanced readers would not find it useful. When I read it 2-3 years as a bible school student, I found that I craved "deeper" theological reflections on the topic, and when I read it recently for the purposes of obtaining material for a research paper on the biblical theological perspective on missions, I too found it wanting. I cannot recommend this book and would recommend that you consult Walter Kaiser or Michael Goheen instead if you were exploring the theme of the biblical theology of the OT and church's mission respectively.

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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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