The ‘New York’ magazine ran a 3,400 word profile on Tim Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church NYC) on Sunday Nov. 29th.

Check it out here.

Before we get into this week’s lynx links, I want to refer back to something on this blog a few days ago.

When I wrote a post a few days ago questioning some aspects of the Samaritans Purse Christmas shoebox project, I was simply giving voice to some things that were rumbling in the back of my mind.   I was hesitant to formulate much more than a few random thoughts because I really thought I was alone in criticizing a program that is so widely subscribed to by local churches.

I was wrong.   When Sarah’s comment came, I realized I had only begun to scratch the surface of issues raised by the program.   Here’s a reprint of her comment, but I want to strongly recommend you visit the link, which documents why in one Canadian province, a large denomination isn’t encouraging support of the program.   It takes you to a 16-page (.pdf file) report of which pages 4 to 11 are most important and will only take you a couple of minutes.

Thanks for this article–I think all your questions and concerns are excellent. If you’re interested in more, with a powerful eyewitness story about shoebox problems, see http://ucskco.sasktelwebhosting.com/TheGiftMattersSchoolkit.pdf

It shouldn’t be about followup for the giver at all; that’s a form of strings-attached giving.

Additional questions:

Does this encourage children to value Western cultures more than their own?

Do “shoebox” gifts become better than something simpler made lovingly by a family member?

Are they introducing commercial gift-giving into a culture that doesn’t celebrate Christmas in that way?

Do they respect people of other faiths who don’t celebrate Christmas at all?

Do they portray one race/culture as being better or more successful than others?

Most importantly, how do they work to bring about real change, in places where the needs are for justice, peace, and access to the necessities of life?

~ Comment by Sarah Shepherd

Your responses to this can go here or in the comment section of the original post.    If anyone has seen other good pieces online where the program has been critiqued, feel free to put the link in a comment as well.

Other links this week:

• Bill Kinnon looks at youth culture ministry and points out that, “What we win them with, is what we win them to. Win them with entertainment, and you’ve created customers – who expect to be continually entertained.”
• Here’s a book that’s got me curious.   Trevin Wax reviews Chris Armstrong’s book Patron Saints for Postmoderns. “Chris focuses on ten ’saints’ from Christian history and offers insights from their lives that can be learned and applied today.”
• Some of the Christian cartoons I use here are a lot of fun.  This one digs a little deeper, and could only be written by someone with an intimate understanding of life in the Charismatic or Pentecostal environment.  So some of you are going to really, really connect with this, and others maybe not so much.   But if you’ve been in those circles, you won’t want to miss this.   Check out World of Dod’s blog.
• Speaking of all things Charismatic, over a week ago Christianity Today did a really good article on that community’s voice of reason, Charisma magazine editor J. Lee Grady.   I also recommend subscribing to Lee’s weekly e-mail, although it’s bundled with other things from Strang Communications, so it’s an all or nothing subscription.
• Our iKettle still needs the support of our Canadian readers.   Money given to the Salvation Army stays in the donor’s community.   Click here.
• Jessica at the general-interest blog, Indexed accurately sums up why people feel the way they do about their wealth.    It’s all relative.    Ain’t that the truth!
• Paul Stoecklein, author of the general market humor book You Had Me At Idiot, has a very irreverent post about surviving the Thanksgiving holiday in a ‘religious’ family.  Sample:  “Protestants are different. With them, saying grace is like really bad performance art. I swear, I think these people believe that saying grace should have been one of the categories on Star Search…“ Read — if you dare — the whole piece here. [HT: Shallow Frozen Water blog]

• Christian apologist Josh McDowell and coauthor David Sterrett discuss why they wrote a book, titled ‘O’ God, about Oprah Winfrey and why they don’t think Christians are equipped to respond to Oprah’s ‘teaching.’  This link takes you a four minute video on YouTube.
• Speaking of Christian Apologists, New York Magazine profiles Timothy Keller and his Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the Big Apple.  “Although relatively few secular New Yorkers know about it—Keller prefers to keep Redeemer mostly under the media radar… —an Evangelical Christian megachurch is growing in the heart of Manhattan.”
• Carlos Whitaker invites readers at his blog, Ragamuffin Soul, to leave their favorite quotation.   So far, over 80 responses, but plenty of room for you to add yours.

It’s been almost three months since my last book review post, but here are some things I’ve read since then:

“Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave” by Dave Breese

Though written in 1990, this fascinating book weaving together historical, philosophical, and theological themes is still remarkably relevant. Breese investigates the founders of seven influential philosophical systems, and how much of what they taught has become ingrained in the collective psyche of Western thought.  He then compares and contrasts the philosophies of these “seminal thinkers” with Biblical teaching, illustrating how our presuppositions about the truth claims of the Bible (as opposed to other truth claims) impact our world view at every level. Here are the “7 men” (the following are the author’s words):

• Charles Darwin, who systemized and advanced the principle that evolution was behind the origin of the species
• Karl Marx, who developed and advocated the notion of modern Communism
• Julius Wellhausen, who initiated “higher criticism” and “modernism”
• John Dewey, who argued for an educational system focused on problem solving
• Sigmund Freud, who promoted the view that the sexual instinct is the driving force behind all human action
• John Maynard Keynes, who advocated the policies for reducing unemployment and expanding the economy that today find their expression in deficit spending and governmental activism
• Søren Kierkegaard, who stressed the obligation each person has to make conscious, responsible choices among alternatives, a major tenet of existentialism

An eighth chapter also investigated the misapplication of Einstein’s theory of relativity to become a scientific “proof” of relative morality, which Einstein himself vehemently opposed (thus the reason he is not included as the 8th man in this list). This book is not exhaustive in its coverage of any of these philosophies, but is a good overview to give the Christian perspective on why people believe what they believe today. Nearly twenty years after publication, many of Breese’s predictions about what people in my generation would believe if the then budding postmodernism were followed to its logical conclusion appear prophetic. Highly recommended! Buy it here.

“The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith”, by Timothy Keller

Keller has quickly become one of my very favorite authors. This, his second book, follows just a year behind his first book: “The Reason for God”, which I have reviewed here previously. This one is a short book, easily readable in one sitting, though you may want to break it up into smaller sections to let it resonate.

In this book, Keller makes the case that the parable told in Luke 15:11-32, commonly referred to as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”, would be better known as the “Parable of the Prodigal God”. The word “prodigal” refers to unnecessary, extravagant expenditures. This parable is really telling us how lavishly God pours out His grace on us!

This passage, Keller says, contains the best illustration of the Gospel in all of Scripture, for it identifies two types of sinners: Those who selfishly devote themselves to worldliness (the younger brother), and those who devote themselves to righteousness, but not to a relationship with the Father (the older brother). Jesus spoke this parable to the Pharisees, who would have been outraged by its conclusion: The younger brother, who everyone knew was a sinner, is forgiven and lavished with the Father’s love, as he is invited into the feast. The older brother, who had the appearance of righteousness, is left outside the feast, refusing to enter into his Father’s feast because he is angry that his Father has forgiven his brother. He served his Father, not out of love for Him, but as a means to an end. His brother’s forgiveness meant a reduction in his inheritance, and ultimately exposed his evil heart.

The message is clear: The Gospel is available to both younger- and older-brother types, but it is often more difficult for the older brothers to enter into the Father’s love. God’s riches are not earned through our own merit, but are given freely to those whom He calls. This book will challenge and convict you. Buy it here.

“Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views”, by Dave Hunt and James White

The premise of this book is interesting: Two prominent Christian authors, who have very different theological views, publishing a book together in an attempt to clearly articulate the opposing sides of the age old debate about the system of soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) known as “Calvinism”. The book is presented as a written-word formal debate, where each author writes half the book. Each point is presented, followed by a response, a defense, and closing remarks from each writer. The debate was over what Calvinists call the “doctrines of grace”, known by the acronym TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.

White presents the Calvinist viewpoint, while Hunt represents an (though certainly not the only) opposing view. From a debating standpoint, the two were not a good match. White is by far the stronger debater, as Hunt rarely (if ever) responds directly to White’s points. Regardless of one’s personal views of Calvinism, I believe an objective judge of debates would have to award the “win” to White.

That being said, my personal views on soteriology were neither changed nor strengthened by this debate. I can’t say that I recommend the book, though White’s explanations of the five points of Calvinism are a good introduction to the doctrines of grace for someone who may never have given them consideration. Buy it here.

“The Message Behind the Movie: How to Engage with a Film without Disengaging Your Faith”, by Douglas M. Beaumont

Beaumont is an apologetics professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, where I am pursuing a masters degree in apologetics, so naturally I was interested in reading this book. It’s a relatively short and easy-reading book, but one which is packed with lots of original ideas along with practical application in the area of approaching pop culture (movies in particular) as a platform for evangelism.

Beaumont seeks to define a Biblical perspective of movie watching that sits somewhere between the two extremes of those who reject and withdraw from all things secular, and those who consume everything Hollywood has to offer without discernment. How do we balance our sanctification with our need to engage the culture around us?

The book is divided into three “Acts”: Watching & Understanding Movies (discerning the underlying suppositions and significance of the story), Evaluating & Discussing Movies (discerning how specific elements of a movie present ideas such as salvation, the existence of God, the nature of truth, etc.), and Applauding & Avoiding Movies (discerning which movies are “acceptable” for the Christian to watch). Each Act contains a short fictional example of evangelistic conversations that can come out of discussing films.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and the way that it has made me think more about what movies I will watch, and to think more critically of those that I do. There were times I wasn’t sure I would like where I thought he was going, but his conclusions (which I’ll leave up to you to read for yourself!) pull it all together, and his final authority is always the Word of God. Highly recommended! Buy it here.

“This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession”, by Daniel J. Levitin

While admittedly this is a book which will appeal to a limited audience, I loved it! Levitin runs the Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition, and Expertise at McGill University, and has the unique resumé of professional recording artist turned sound engineer turned neuroscientist. This is a highly academic (difficult to read) book which seeks to educate three audiences: Scientists, Musicians and Music-lovers.

The first chapter of the book manages to do something I would previously have thought impossible: It breaks music down into purely scientific constructs, including very technical definitions of terms such as “melody”, “harmony”, and “timbre”. Even the most thoroughly left-brained reader will be able to develop an appreciate of music here! Thankfully, he does acknowledge that music contains elements which absolutely cannot be explained outside of subjective experience.

The author shows us how our experiences of music affect us physically, psychologically, chemically, and socially. It truly is fascinating. Unfortunately, Levitin fails to identify the primary origin and purpose of music: That it was created by God and for His glory (Colossians 1:16). Instead, he attempts to explain how music has “evolved” from primal instincts.  This is the only point of the book at which he leaves the realm of scientific observation and writes philosophically based on a presupposition that Darwinian evolution is true. To me, though, his weak argument in this area is further confirmation that the existence of music remains one of the best “proofs” for the existence of God.

Learn more here.

“Epistemology of the Closet”, by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick

For much of my adult life, I have felt a special burden for ministry to homosexuals. To better equip myself for ministry to this people group, I have committed myself to reading books in the field of “queer theory”, in the hopes of coming to a better understanding of a point of view that is foreign to my own. This book, published in 1990, has been considered a landmark book in this field of study, and so I purchased it for my own study.

Within the first few pages, I quickly realized two things: First, that the reading level for this book is higher than I’m used to. I read a lot of books, but it’s been a long time since I had to look up the meaning of so many words! This is a book written for Academia, and I’m not fluent in that language. Second, that much of this book presumes that the reader has already read several other books which are referenced frequently. Since I have not read those books, there was much that I failed to comprehend as fully as i would have liked.

Still, this was eye-opening in many ways. While Sedgwick’s conclusions (and presuppositional world view) are quite different from my own, there is surprisingly much on which we agree, and much that I have learned from her. For instance, Sedwick makes the case that there are two views that guide our views of sexuality and identity. A minoritizing view tends to portray those identifying as gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender as somehow “lesser” than those who are in the heterosexual majority. A universalizing view affirms that all persons are of equal worth, though they may differ in many ways, and that an understanding of homosexuality is important for people of all sexual persuasions. These two views can also be applied to divisions of people based on gender, skin color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socio-economic status, and so forth.

As Christians, I believe this is important for us to understand. We must avoid “minoritizing” those who are different from us in these areas. All people are of equal worth, because all are created in the image of God. In God’s eyes, there have only ever been two categories of people on this Earth: Sinners, and Jesus Christ. With this understanding, we can hold a “universalizing” view of all people and people groups, because apart from grace, we all have equal standing.

While these are not the conclusions drawn by the author (who is not a Christian), I feel that they are a practical application of some of her thoughts that fit within both a Biblical framework and within the canon of queer theory. It is this sort of common ground from which, I hope, the Church can begin to make progress ministering to a people group we’ve avoided and excluded for far too long. Buy this book here.

“Paul: A Novel”, by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Rarely have I encountered a book with such brilliant wordsmithing as this one. Wangerin, a Lutheran pastor and professor at Valparaiso University, is possibly the best storyteller I’ve ever read. Many times I re-read passages just to marvel at how beautifully written they were!

“Paul” is a novelized version of the life of the apostle Paul, narrated by those who knew him, including Prisca, Luke, Timothy, James, Titus, and Barnabas. While obviously a work of fiction, Wangerin has done a lot of research into the geography, lifestyle, and political landscape of Paul’s time. While he has taken some artistic liberties in describing things left unsaid in Scripture (such as what specifically was the thorn in Paul’s flesh mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7), most of the “story” is taken directly from the Bible and historically reliable extra-Biblical accounts.

Under most circumstances, I would frown on an attempt to write this sort of novel, but I believe Wangerin has done a masterful job. It’s important to realize that this book is NOT written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but it has greatly helped my understanding of the New Testament and the early Church seem much more “real”. Buy it here.

“Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend”, by Ravi Zacharias, et al.

Considering that Norman Geisler, the founder and long-time Dean of the seminary in which I am enrolled, called this the “best book of its kind in print”, I knew I had to read it! Zacharias one of the greatest Christian apologists who has ever lived, and the staff of his organization (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) is absolutely phenomenal. This volume is essentially a handbook for the equipping of “everyday Christians” to defend our faith against all manner of questions that may rise against it.

A total of 12 authors, most of whom are affiliated with RZIM, contributed to the writing of this book, each writing within his or her own field of expertise. After a great introduction by RZ himself (“An Apologetic for Apologetics”) explaining why it is important to have an intellectual understanding of our faith, the book is divided into three sections. The first identifies specific questions raised by postmodernism, atheism, youth, Islam, Eastern religions, and science. The second addresses “the questions behind the questions”; basically, the sort of ultimate questions that everyone must answer, regardless of their stated beliefs, such as having an answer for the existence of evil and suffering. The final section deals with the equipping of the Church, offering practical solutions for studying and internalizing the questions we’ll face and the answers we must give, as well as how to persevere in the face of the inevitable doubts and persecution that will confront those who take a stand for their faith.

This is a large book, but is very accessible to the reader. I would consider it a must-have for the personal library of every believer! Buy it here.

****************************************************

In addition to the above books, I also read (or at least skimmed) several books by “Christian” authors with whom I have severe doctrinal differences, including Joel Osteen, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, T.D. Jakes, and Tony Campolo. I won’t review them here (though I would place anything by any of these authors firmly in the “Not Recommended” pile), but will be writing at length about them on my personal blog sometime in the coming weeks as part of a larger research project I’m doing for seminary.

I’m looking forward to some time off coming up around Christmas so that I can devote myself to catching up on my “to read” stack. It seems no matter how many books I read, that stack just keeps getting taller! Here are the books currently nearing the top:

“Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” by Michael Horton; “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan; “Counterfeit Gods” by Timothy Keller; “Words From the Fire” by Albert Mohler; “Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything” by Edgar Andrews

I think about this a lot because I think there a lot of people who look at Christianity as living daily to deny yourself some pleasure without going any further. C.S. Lewis addresses this kind of thinking in The Weight of Glory when he says that we are far too easily pleased, settling for the temporal joys of this world instead of striving for the eternal pleasures that we are offered through Jesus Christ. Because we don’t understand the magnitude of pleasure in Jesus, we don’t understand why we need to hate our sin. Timothy Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, does a great job explaining why this matters:

“In fear-based repentance, we don’t learn to hate the sin for itself, and it doesn’t lose it’s attractive power. We learn only to refrain from it for our own sake. But when we rejoice over God’s sacrificial, suffering love for us – seeing what it cost him to save us fom sin – we learn to hate the sin for what it is. We see what the sin cost God. What most assures us of God’s unconditional love (Jesus’s costly death) is what most convicts us of the evil of sin. Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin.”

Anything that keeps me from achieving the greatest amount of joy (in Christ) — my sin — is not something I want to protect but instead should be hated and left behind.

HT: Of First Importance

Are we money masters or do we have money masters controlling our lives?  It is one or the other.  There is no neutral when it comes to money.

In his book Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller zeros in on this in his chapter Money Changes Everything. In a masterful dissection of the Almighty Dollar’s hold in a person’s heart with its various manifestations, Keller leads the reader to understand that addressing the surface issues won’t effectively kill our being mastered by money.  There is something deeper at work that uses things like money to obtain its desires.  It is this deep rooted issue that must be attacked.  The question becomes, “How do we get rid of this deep rooted idol?”  Keller offers this prescription:

This is why idols cannot be dealt with by simply eliminating surface idols like money or sex.  We can look at them and say, “I need to de-emphasize this in my life.  I must not let this drive me.  I will stop it.” Direct appeals like this won’t work, because the deep idols have to be dealt with a the heart level. There is only one way to change at the heart level and that is through faith in the gospel (p 66).

The solution to stinginess is a reorientation to the generosity of Christ in the gospel, how he poured out his wealth for you. Now you don’t have to worry about money – the Cross proves God’s care for you and gives you the security. Now you don’t have to envy anyone else’s money.  Jesus’s love and salvation confers on you a remarkable status – one that money cannot give you. Money cannot save you from tragedy, or give you control in a chaotic world. Only God can do that. What breaks the power of money over us is not just redoubled effort to follow the example of Christ. Rather, it is deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ, what you have in him, and then living out the changes that that understanding makes in your heart – the seat of your mind, will and emotions. Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding and identity, our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without a complete change of heart will be superficial and fleeting (p 68).

Timothy Keller has written a short little book that spoke to my heart in a deeply moving way. His take on Jesus’ parable that we usually call “The Prodigal Son” was like a breath of fresh air. Keller looked at the broader context of the story and found lessons for us in all the characters, not just the younger son. He also makes a convincing case that the biggest lesson is to be drawn from the older brother. He compares the highly religious Pharisees to the older brother in his misunderstanding of the father’s extravagant grace toward the younger brother. The book’s title is a little shocking, but it is explained in the introduction.

The word “prodigal” does not mean “wayward” but, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, “recklessly spendthrift.” It means to spend until you have nothing left. This term is therefore as appropriate for describing the father in the story as his younger son. The father’s welcome to the repentant son was literally reckless, because he refused to “reckon” or count his sin against him or demand repayment. This response offended the elder son and most likely the local community.

Keller is a gifted writer who communicates the truth of this parable in a fresh, understandable fashion. I cannot recommend The Prodigal God highly enough. You will not be disappointed.

“There is a great gulf between the understanding that God accepts us because of our efforts and the understanding that God accepts us because of what Jesus has done. Religion operates on the principle, ‘I obey– therefore I am accepted by God.’ But the operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through what Christ has done– therefore I obey.’”

–Timothy Keller, The Reason for God (New York: Dutton, 2008), 179-180.

Last night I ran across this article again by Timothy Keller on The Gospel in All its Forms.  I appreciate the article because Keller pulls back together confidence in a clear, straightforward and “simple” presentation of the Gospel and respect for the breadth of the Gospel.  Read

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

How can we find Jesus in all of Scripture? One way is through the individuals of the Old Testament which point to Jesus as we locate them in the history of redemption, sometimes with the direct help of the New Testament writers.

Listen to Timothy Keller as you read this post.

“Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us. (1 Cor 15)

Jesus is the true and better Abel who though innocently slain has blood that cries out for our acquittal, not our condemnation. (Heb 12:24)

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void “not knowing whither he went”! In order to create a new people for God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us all. While God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me, because you did not withold your son, your only son whom you love, from me” we can say to God “Now we know that you love us, because you did not withold your Son, your only Son whom you love, from us”.

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who made himself like his brother(s and sisters) before the Father. This time with the Father’s full knowledge so that He could secure blessing not for Himself but for others.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the King, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant. (Heb 3)

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job – the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends. (Job 42)

Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes his people’s victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace but lost the ultimate heavenly one, who didn’t just risk His life but gave it- to save His people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.”

(Tim Keller, Resurgence 06, “Preaching the Gospel”)

Are we really so different from the children of Israel all those years ago?  We live in a different culture and a different time and yet manage to fall into the spiritual traps:

“Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves” (Amos 5:25-26).

Here were the Children of Israel who for forty years were in the very presence of God, witnesses miraculous events, and being delivered the law of God first hand.  Yet they were also carrying along their personal “secret” idols.

Are we so different.  We may believe in Jesus (and I mean saving faith belief), read our Bibles, pray, go to church, have a personal relationship with our Savior & God yet also carry with us our own “secret” idols.  The things that we “can’t live without”.  The aspects or items of life that we strive and would give anything to attain.  What are some of your secret idols?

A book I am reading dives into three potent and potential idols – money, sex, and power.  Timothy Keller’s latest book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, has been a good read so far and may be well worth looking into if you would like to do some idol smashing in your life.

Just finished Tim Keller’s new book Counterfeit Gods:  The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters. I read this in prep for my talk on the Lord’s prayer. I know that it doesn’t have anything to do with the Lord’s prayer, but I believe the Lord’s prayer shows the idols that we have and what we hope things in our life will do and the Lord’s prayer shows the response to those things and that God is the only hope to answer those longings.

According to Keller, “idolatry is the most common sin committed today.” The funny thing is that most everyone would say they don’t have a problem with idolatry. I’ve never met with someone who confessed to having an idol problem. It is so common that we don’t see it.

An idol is “anything that we look to for things that only God can give.” The reality is that idols are often not bad things. Some of them are, but by and large they are good things that we make into ultimate things. Keller said, “Idolatry is always the the reason we ever do anything wrong.”

Idols can be kids, our jobs, dreams, our money, retirement, friendships, sports teams, political parties. The list goes on.

What Keller does is show what the idols of our culture are, what personal idols we have, what physical, spiritual idols we have. He then shows how they become idols, the hope and faith that we put into those things. How good, everyday things become ultimate things that we stake our whole future on and the hopelessness of that.

He ends with what to do with them. For me, this was the only area that I felt was lacking. After spending 150 pages on what idols are and identifying them, he spent less than 30 pages on what to do. I personally would have liked to have seen more in this area, the application side.

Regardless, this is a fantastic book and one worth reading, thinking and praying through and working through what your idols are and how that affects your relationship with God.

The reality of idolatry is that it is the first sin. We do not sin without the sin of idolatry, this is why, according to Martin Luther, the 10 commandments start with, “You should no other gods before me.” We have to break the first commandment to break the other 9.

Not sure what your idols are, here is a list of questions to work through to discover your idols.

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

I have finished listening to “Counterfeit Gods” by Timothy Keller

I just finished reading Timothy Keller’s The Prodigal God.  Definitely worth picking up and reading.  Here’s a quote that stuck with me:

“Religion operates on the principle that I obey, therefore I am accepted by God.  The basic operating principle of the gospel is I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ, therefore I obey” (p. 114).

His words reminded me anew that we tend to put the cart before the horse.  We think that if we can be good enough, or be better than someone else, God will accept us.  The reality is, He accepts us based on what Jesus did on the cross.  The Apostle Paul says,

“For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin ⌊comes⌋ through the law.  But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed —attested by the Law and the Prophets —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.  ⌊God presented Him⌋ to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:20-26, HCSB).

Quit trying to earn your way to God.  Quit trying to compare your way to Him.  Quit trying religion.  Try the gospel  Try Jesus and what He has done for you.

“Any life-changing love is a substitutionary sacrifice.”

Just finished this short little book a week or two ago. For years after I began following Jesus I used to worry that I didn’t have a “favorite Bible verse.” It seemed like every good Christian did. I actually spent some days looking for one that could be mine, but they never really took (I don’t recommend Psalm 41:8, for instance). But in the last ten years, I think I have definitely found my favorite chapter in the Bible: Luke 15. Three parables by Jesus telling of something lost, something found, and the celebration that results. The third of these lost/found stories is the one usually called, “The Prodigal Son.” In this book, Pastor Tim Keller puts into words a central belief that I’ve had about this text: That is, that the older son in Jesus’ story is just as lost as his younger brother whose wild living leaves him laying in the gutter of a pig-pen. The older son obediently stays home to work for his father, but all the while he is angry, resentful, devoid of love, and he rebuffs his Father’s desire to “come in and celebrate.” Separation from God can be happening just as easily while you are sitting in a pew as it would elsewhere.

So then, this book identifies the two primary ways in which we sin and separate ourselves from our Heavenly Father: self-indulgence (the younger son who runs off and wastes what he has been given) or self-righteousness (the older son who stays home, but he does so with bitterness and manipulation in his heart). Sometimes we flit back and forth between the two–being self-indulgent in subtle ways, but then seeking self-righteousness as a way to assuage our guilt. Both ways are deadly if left unchecked. Only the Father’s undeserved, forgiving, hugging love that seeks us out where we are can save us from ourselves.

What about you? In that story (Luke 15:11-32), do you find yourself sinning mostly through self-indulgence or self-righteousness? Or what kind of mix of these two surfaces from time to time? How have you received your Heavenly Father when he has come looking for you? Do you accept his forgiving hug, or do you remain distant even while standing on his porch?

Author:  Timothy Keller

The End of Faith. The God Delusion. God Is Not Great. Letter to a Christian Nation. Bestseller lists are filled with doubters. But what happens when you actually doubt your doubts?  Although a vocal minority continues to attack the Christian faith, for most Americans, faith is a large part of their lives: 86 percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious, and 75 percent of all Americans consider themselves Christians. So how should they respond to these passionate, learned, and persuasive books that promote science and secularism over religion and faith? For years, Tim Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his Manhattan church. And in The Reason for God, he single-handedly dismantles each of them. Written with atheists, agnostics, and skeptics in mind, Keller also provides an intelligent platform on which true believers can stand their ground when bombarded by the backlash.  The Reason for God  challenges such ideology at its core and points to the true path and purpose of Christianity.  Why is there suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to Hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? Shouldn’t the Christian God be a god of love? How can one religion be “right” and the rest “wrong”? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? These are just a few of the questions even ardent believers wrestle with today. In this book, Tim Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations and reasoning, and even pop culture to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.

Author:  Timothy Keller

Publisher:  Dutton, published by Penguin Group, 2008

The Prodigal God uses a famous story of the Bible to redefine nothing less than the central Christian message for believers and skeptics alike.  Newsweek called renowned minister Timothy Keller aa C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first centurya in a feature on his first book, The Reason for God, In that book, he offered a rational explanation of why we should believe in God. Now, in The Prodigal God, he uses one of the best-known Christian parables to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.  The Prodigal Son is the most well-known parable in the Bible. Incredibly, it is also almost universally misunderstood. Taking his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity, Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, hidden in plain sight for centuries. Within this parable is the lost message of Jesusawhere he outlines just how his followers are supposed to love and accept one another so they can join him in Heaven. With this book, both the devout and skeptics will see Christianity in a whole new way.

I’d like to first thank the people at Dutton for sending me a copy of this book. Their generosity has made this review possible.

Tim Keller’s newest book, at the title suggests, deals with idols, or counterfeit gods, that each of us have in our lives. At times these idols can be obvious; other times our idols can be harder to figure out. As Keller points out, our idols can sometimes actually be very good things, such as our family, our friends, our work, or our ministries. These can sometimes be the hardest things to view as idols because “the greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life” (xvii).

In the first chapter Keller gives examples of what, exactly, idolatry or counterfeit gods are through the story of Abraham and stories from people that Keller has ministered to throughout the years. The next five chapters explain various idols and how they take root in our lives. He writes about love, money, success, power and glory, and the hidden idols in our lives and where they come from within our culture. He ends the book with a strong dose of the Gospel and some advice on how to replace your counterfeit gods with the God of the Gospel.

I don’t want to summarize the book because I think it would do everyone well to read it for themselves. Rather, I’d like to give three things that I liked about the book…three things that I think Keller brings to the table that not many others do.

First, Keller links each point he makes with exegetical work from Scripture. He works through the Biblical narratives of Zacchaeus, Daniel, Jacob and Laban, Abraham, Naaman, Jonah, and many passages from the NT. In a large majority of lay-level books that I come by, the exegetical work seems to be a minor priority. Passages are either dealt with shallowly or proof texts are thrown at the end of sentences or paragraphs. Not so with Keller. He provides a Christological (or Christotelical) reading of the narratives of the Hebrew Bible that explain the narratives in practical ways. His work in the NT is just as solid, always answering the question “So what?” to the reader.

Second, Keller is tune with society. The examples and stories in the book range from great works of literature, to icons of music and film, to NYT best-sellers, to famous films, to personal stories from people he has ministered to. These references not only make a connection to the reader in the sense that the reader knows of these people, books, films, situations, etc. It also shows that Keller is a great exegete of the Bible and also of culture. He doesn’t only know where people need to be, he also knows where people are at the moment. That is invaluable in an author and pastor and makes the book much easier to read, the topics much easier to grab onto and understand, and the practical points made in the book that much more practical.

Third, and last, Keller is not one for abstract “church talk.” He’s not simply going to quote you a verse, tell you to focus on God, and move along. Instead, he is extremely practical in his applications. He is also a realist. This book is not going to solve all of your idolatry issues over night. Keller realizes that this is a life-long struggle and calls the readers to remember that such is the case and to be patient. Sometimes books on the Christian life can be a bit triumphalist, as if one reading will solve all of your problems. The issue there is that once the reader falls back into sin, what do they do? Usually it leads to discouragement or to the reader attempting to ‘try harder.’ Both can be, and usually are, unbiblical responses to problems inherent in progressive sanctification. By Keller ending the book with a section on patience, he sets the reader up for the real world. A world where we are given to failures…but also a world where we are able to ask for forgiveness, for strength, and for the opportunity to continue relying on God to transform us into the image of his son.

Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway): I encourage everyone and anyone to read this book. Keller is plain and to the point on the issue, but in a way that often reveals profound thinking on his part. I found myself reflecting deeply on a few parts of this book, both wondering why I hadn’t thought of that before and wondering how I can implement the practical conclusions of that point in my life.

Has anyone else read this book yet? If so, what did you think?

During the presidential primary season last year, Ben Affleck was asked about candidate Mike Huckabee’s belief in creationism. He answered by expressing relief that at least Huckabee was not “a real sort of Neanderthal about it—a literalist.” Around the same time, stand-up comedian and political satirist Bill Maher produced a documentary called Religulous which was aimed at skewering religious simpletons for their belief in God. Its cynicism and sarcasm drew the following ire from a minority of critics:  A “snide” “shoddy tirade”, “ugly and hateful”, “offensive” and meant to “confirm…prejudices”. Cosmo Landesman of the UK’s Sunday Times went so far as to say that Maher was “as dogmatic about his doubt as the believers are about their faith.” Even so, Rotten Tomatoes critics’ average gave it a 70% positive consensus and summarized it as “funny and offensive in equal measure…aims less to change hearts and minds than to inspire conversation.” Ben Stein’s pro-intelligent design documentary, Expelled, on the other hand, received only a 10% positive and was summarized as a “patronizing, poorly structured cynical political stunt in the guise of a documentary.”

Most of us are familiar with the stigma of racial bigotry sometimes associated with southern conservatives, and there’s even a bigotry of the religious variety against unbelievers who choose not to live according to the traditional values of the religious right. But today, the bigotry that is perhaps most prevalent in our culture is levied against religious believers by those who not only reject their ideology, but refuse to abide those who profess it. In a nation that is becoming increasingly polarized, this intolerance is divisive and destructive to both our social fabric and our intellectual discourse.

The chief peddlers of anti-religious bigotry are intellectual elites who are devoted to a secular worldview that does not allow for any notions of God, the supernatural, or religious doctrines. But you don’t have to debate university professors or media moguls to be confronted with their way of thinking; you can find it in any number of conversations about faith (as it relates to church or philosophy, etc.), physical sciences (as it relates to evolution or abortion), sociology, politics, and so forth. If you take a position which is in any way informed by a faith tradition or “holy” text, you are opening yourself up to the ridicule of those who do not subscribe to any such reference point.

Timothy Keller, in his book The Reason for God, states that there are three approaches used to degrade respect for religious thought and marginalize those who prescribe to it—outlawing it, privatizing it, and condemning it.

The outlawing movement is, in our country, most notably rooted in the concept of separation of church and state. Despite politically-correct hype in this arena, the founders never advocated exclusion or discrimination against faith or religious thought in the political sphere, but rather called our lawmakers to be indiscriminate and not recognize any particular faith or tradition. And, as anyone who has visited most any monument in Washington D.C. would realize, many of the precepts on which our government was founded are based on religious beliefs as explicitly expressed by our founders—not to mention just about every President since then. To attempt to outlaw or bar religious thought—or any particular strain of thinking for that matter—from the public sphere would be a terrible irony, and it has no place in our free society. You should remain uninhibited to think what you want about religion—practice it or don’t practice it as liberally as our laws can allow—and enable others to do the same.

Those who push to privatize faith take a similar approach—desiring to keep all religion and religious thought and expression out of the public sphere. It may not be outlawed, but it is viewed as inferior or irrelevant. This is particularly common for otherwise tolerant relativists who happily tolerate contrary beliefs until they butt up against their own. For this reason, evangelism is taboo—as well as any moral or political argument that has any basis in faith. If evangelism itself was truly a problem, today’s climate change activists would be the first to be condemned. But since their position is based on scientific theories, they have the philosophical right-a-way according to secular thinkers. This is an understandable preference for them, but it does not justify condemnation of any and all alternate viewpoints.

And that brings us to the real rub—condemnation of all things religious. This is quite a broad condemnation first of all, not only because of the sheer numbers of people who claim to be religious, but also because of the broad range of belief systems out there. Zen Buddhists don’t really believe in God and Hindus don’t believe in the supernatural; some religions are not mutually exclusive and some do not require certain practices or beliefs for salvation (heaven, nirvana, or the like). Keller, therefore, sums religion up as “a set of beliefs that explain what life is all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing.” It’s hard to separate this from philosophy, and for that I would introduce the element of faith—that which we are willing to believe without certainty or proof. I believe this element is the true target of religion’s antagonists.

Though many would contend there is a substantial difference in degree, it must be noted that we all live our lives by faith—faith that the new cereal we try is not poisonous, faith that the people driving in the opposing lane of traffic will not veer into our lane, faith that our vehicle is constructed in such a way and the laws of nature are such that our car will stop at a crosswalk and let the pedestrians walk safely across, and…these are just a few examples you might run across on the way to work. That is what you may call small-”f” faith, not because of what’s at stake (people’s lives in every case) but because of the observed, repetitive data. Small though they may be, it’s difficult to make a philosophical distinction between such common exercises in faith and the one that leads you to develop a conviction about, say, morality.

Whether or not you believe in objective right and wrong is based on both observation of behavior and consequences as well as, presumably, some type of philosophical or religious teachings or suppositions. And, when you’re considering religion (or the lack there of), you can’t escape the mysteries of the origin of the universe, which will inevitably lead to a clash between science (which, though concrete, is very limited) and the supernatural (abstract but theoretically limitless). You are free to reject or adopt a big-bang theory leading to our evolution or a seven-day creation from intelligent design, but in either case you will have to contend with the reasonable objections and, necessarily, to bridge any mysteries (and there are bound to be many) with faith. To deny all faith, ironically, requires enormous faith in your own intellect and in the alternate basis of your beliefs—be it science, personal experience, or whatever your bag may be.

It is no secret that atheists are convinced that religious people are devoted to myths and fairy tales no more valid than Santa Clause or greek mythology, and some see no difference between Branch Davidians and Mainline Presbyterians. And it goes without saying that many religious believers are convinced that infidels are lost, disobedient, and very possibly headed to eternal damnation. So, if you put these two groups in a room and ask them to be honest and open with one another, it could get ugly. But we should recognize that these are both legitimate (though unfriendly) positions. And we shouldn’t expect either side to believe differently about the other based on what their faith dictates. We all hold views of the world that will inevitably clash with opposing viewpoints, and it’s entirely appropriate to think critically and hold beliefs and articles of faith up to scrutiny—judging them for consistency and against observable, certifiable truth. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t admit, with humility, that on many points we could be wrong and that our faith could be misplaced. And it doesn’t mean that we can’t maintain respect and tolerance towards those who believe differently than we do.

So, if you hold firm to a set of beliefs—be they religious or otherwise—know that you are among the faithful, and therefore in danger of looking down on those who don’t share your devotion to your god, science, or philosophy. And if you are agnostic or give little thought to figuring it all out, you still have a worldview which may lead you to be suspicious or disrespectful towards people who make claims of conviction.

By marginalizing or shutting out those we disagree with, we are treating them as “less than”, and we’ll inevitably come across as arrogant and obnoxious. We’ll also rob ourselves of the growth that we can experience by broadening our horizons and strengthening or refining our stance.

Why can’t we all get along? The bigotry normalized by our secular culture isn’t helping. Since we’re not all going to agree, tolerance needs to come back in vogue and be consistently applied to the broad range of views and creeds in our diverse society.

I love to listen to audiobooks as part of my Self Feeding Christian activities.

I have just finished listening to “Amazing Grace in Life of William Wilberforce” by John Piper.  I am now listening to “Augustine’s Conversion” by Max McLean.

I am not a big fan of Ravi Zacharias but I have recently listened to “Can Man Live Without God”, “Jesus Among Other Gods”,”The Lamb and the Fuhrer”, and “The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Though the Events in Our Lives”,

I recently listened to “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller.

In addition, I listened recently to “Vintage Church”, “Vintage Jesus”, “On the New Testament”, “On the Old Testament”, “The Radical Reformation: Reaching Out Without Selling Out”, and “Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church” by Mark Driscoll.

The other John Piper book that I have listened to is “Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure”.

My wife recently gave me a book titled “The Reason For God” by Timothy Keller.  I’ve briefly glanced at it and read through the table of contents.  As part of a deal with her, I’m going to read this book and then provide my comments on each chapter through this blog.  She listened to the audiobook for “Letter To A Christian Nation” with me and I agreed to read this book as part of that deal.  So, I’ll be posting my comments soon starting with Chapter 1.

From the Introduction to Timothy Keller’s newest book, “Counterfeit Gods”:

To contemporary people the word idolatry conjures up pictures of primitive people bowing down before statues. The biblical book of Acts in the New Testament contains vivid descriptions of the cultures of the ancient Greco-Roman world. Each city worshipped its favorite deities and built shrines around their images for worship. When Paul went to Athens he saw that it was literally filled with images of these divinities (Acts 17:16). The Parthenon of Athena overshadowed everything, but other deities were represented in every public spacel. There was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty; Ares, the god of war; Artemis, the goddess of fertility and wealth; Hephaestus, the god of craftmanship.

Our contemporary society is not fundamentally different from these ancient ones. Each culture is dominated by its own set of idols. Each has its “priesthoods”, its totems and rituals. Each one has its shrines – whether office towers, spas and gyms, studios, or stadiums – where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster. What are the gods of beauty, power, money and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society? We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but many young women today are driven into depression and eating disorders by an obsessive concern over their body image. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but when money and career are raised to cosmic proportions, we perform a kind of child sacrifice, neglecting family and community to achieve a higher place in business and gain more wealth and prestige.

I’m looking forward to getting further in this book. As I’m halfway through the Bible in 90 days, the discussion of idolatry runs rampant throughout the Old Testament, and looking at idols through a 21st Century lens makes me think about the idols in my own life, as well as that in our society in general.

Seems to me we aren’t any different than our ancestors. Not by a long shot.

I’m reading Timothy Keller’s book The Reason For God right now. This means two things

1. I am getting headaches regularly. My brain can’t handle but so much quality work at once, and Keller and those of his ilk kind of overwhelm me with their insight. 
2. I’m relieved that someone is so good at presenting ideas like these so clearly and most importantly, kindly.

I’ll post random blurbs from it on here from time to time. I think that’s legal, long as I cite the source, right?

Keller’s really good, though. Nothing I could show you or any commentary I could provide would do the book justice. He is just very rational and deliberate and graceful with his approach. He challenges Christian tenets alongside atheist and other-religion arguments. It’s a hard read–I have to read some paragraphs, even sentences, two or three times over–but it’s a worthwhile read. 

It’s no more narrow to claim that one religion is right than to claim that one way to think about all religions (namely that all are equal) is right. We are all exclusive in our beliefs about religion, but in different ways. (Timothy Keller, The Reason For God, p. 14)

And later….

The Greco-Roman world’s religious views were open and seemingly tolerant — everyone had his or her own God. The practices of the culture were quite brutal, however. The Greco-Roman world was highly stratified economically, with a huge distance between the rich and poor. By contrast, Christians insisted that there was only one true God, the dying Savior Jesus Christ. Their lives and practices were, however, remarkably welcoming to those that the culture marginalized. The early Christians mixed people from different races and classes in ways that seemed scandalous to those around them. The Greco-Roman world tended to despise the poor, but Christians gave generously not only to their own poor but to those of other faiths. In broader society, women had very low status, being subjected to high levels of female infanticide, forced marriages, and lack of economic equality. Christianity afforded women much greater security and equality than had previously existed in the ancient classical world. During the terrible urban plagues of the first two centuries, Christians cared for all the sick and dying in the city, often at the cost of their lives. 

Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their view of reality was a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents.

We cannot skip lightly over the fact that there have been injustices done by the church in the name of Christ, yet who can deny that the force of Christians’ most fundamental beliefs can be a powerful impetus for peace-making in our troubled world?

(Timothy Keller, The Reason For God, p. 20-21)

I enjoy good thoughts. I hope to have some of my own someday.