What Does God Want of Us Anyway? – Mark Dever

© 2010 Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois

I am slowly working my way through a number of short titles written and produced by a variety of authors at 9 Marks. Some of them have been placed on my “must read” shelf, while others are good, but probably won’t be revisited. Among the books are What Is aHealthy Church?, Dever’s concise discussion of his original Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (I recommend the smaller digest for all but the really deep readers out there); Thabiti Anyabwile’s What Is a Healthy ChurchMember? which highlights the purpose and life of a Christian who really wants his Christianity to mean something (it’s a nice concise overview of Church Life, and I recommend it to anyone who either is unsure about joining with a local church or is considering what kind of church to join); and What Is the Gospel?, the little black book by Greg Gilbert that I think ought to be read by everyone—Christian and non-Christian alike.

My latest read in this “What Is . . .” series is a digest of some material that Dever presents in two volumes elsewhere at great length. In this short book, the author takes us on a whirlwind tour of the Scriptures. Part I composes roughly the first half of the book and argues that the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) are worth our while as Christians. In parts II and III, Dever focuses on the Old Testament and the New Testament respectively.

The really positive aspects of this book may spur you to get a copy for a quick read. It is short (only about 120 pages), it reminds the Christian of the usefulness of studying Scripture, and it develops excellent arguments concerning the unity of the message in the whole Bible which leads to a unique unity in the preaching that is based on the Bible and the Life that is lived according to the message found within its covers.

All that said, there are some drawbacks to this volume. For all its shortness, I found it easy to put the book down to read something more interesting. The writing is at times dry, and (even with the author’s warning that it’s about to happen) the repetitive material can at times bog down the reader. I have not read the longer books—Promises Made: The Message of the OldTestament and Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament (collections of sermons that this volume is based on)—but think that it might serve the reader to dive into the them for a more complete look at this much needed topic.

 

Three and one-half out of four reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, January 13, 2012

What Is the Mission of the Church? – Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert

© 2011 Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois

There is a reason that I have to read what all the “thinkers” are writing about all the “big” issues involving the church. I’m a little slow in the thinking department, and it often takes me a little longer to digest the meat and potatoes of all the arguments. Consequently, I may “like” ideas being supported on two opposite ends of an argument—simply because the argument is well-presented. Aside from being behind the curve, another drawback to this approach is that others are finishing the books ahead of me and I may stumble upon someone else’s reaction to the work before completing my own assessment.

Having said that, I just finished this new book by my friend Greg Gilbert (pastor of Third Avenue BaptistChurch in Louisville, KY; author of What Is the Gospel?) and his friend Kevin DeYoung (pastor of UniversityReformed Church in East Lansing, MI; author of several books including Freedom & Boundaries, and Just Do Something). Their mission with this book is to define the mission of the church and address the fixation that many young church leaders have begun to place on Social Ministry and Shalom.

[I did get a glimpse at some of the links provided by Ed Stetzer while I still had a couple of chapters to go, and may have colored my view, but I’ll try not to let that affect my review.]

In their attempt to define mission for the church and to carry on the on-going conversation with some theological hiccups kept by the more social minded of our brethren the authors have a tendency to sound more like a high school debating team than burgeoning theologians. Statements that assure the reader that “as we can see” crop up periodically, regardless of whether the case has been truly made or not. One thing to remember when posing an argument is that just because something is clear in your mind does not mean that it has been made clear to your audience.

Another thing that gives me pause is the authors’ argument for “the law of moral proximity.” Understanding the premise behind their argument, I would readily agree with what they have to say on the matter. The problem comes in when one carries the argument to a logical end—which would lead the Christian to be only concerned with those with whom they have a vested interest—such as a brother-in-law or local community.

Now, having touched on those matters, let me get to the meat of the book—Biblically-based approach to what the church should do. That hearkens us back to their final analysis: that Christ Himself issued the mission of the church to the church in the form of the Great Commission. The exegesis is well done (we would expect no less), and the dogged commitment to approaching the world from a biblical view are second to none.

[Since I’m writing this review on Thanksgiving Day, let me say] I am thankful that these two young ministers have released this book. If we can reach beyond some of the stylistic quirks in the presentation of the material, we have an excellent study that challenges us to make disciples and teach them. Part of doing this is doing good in and around our world, but it cannot be done without addressing the spiritual needs of those with whom we come in contact. I have to give DeYoung and Gilbert 4out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, November 24, 2011

Twelve Challenges Churches Face – Mark Dever

©2008 Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL

As senior pastor of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Mark Dever’s preferred method of preaching systems is to preach through books of the Bible in a series. This book is a collection of the sermons he preached one year based on the text of 1 Corinthians.

Dever identifies these issues that could be detrimental to the health of a church (as addressed by the apostle Paul):

1. Forgetfulness
2. Division
3. Impostors
4. Sin
5. Asceticism
6. Disobedience
7. Legalism
8. Autonomy
9. Thoughtlessness
10. Selfishness
11. Death
12. Decline

While Dever’s exegesis shows his typical attention to detail with a strong respect for the scripture. And the majority of the sermons are not only challenging to the reader/listener, but also extremely easy to follow. On the other hand, his chapters on Autonomy, Death and Decline keep us guessing as to either what he is addressing or where he is going in the discussion.

Even so, this volume is an excellent study on the book of 1 Corinthians. I would not place it on the shelf with my commentaries of the book (which isn’t really what the goal of the book is anyway), but it will find its way to sermon collections to which I can refer for illustrative or exegetical material when preaching from this epistle myself. Thanks Mark for a good read.  Four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, June 2, 2011

Preaching the Cross – Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan III, R. Albert Mohler Jr., & C.J. Mehaney

©2007 Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL

This is a collection of addresses that were delivered at the first (2006) Together for the Gospel conference. The catalysts for the conference are a group of Christian thinkers who have become friends over the years and their desire for their friendship to benefit other church leaders/pastors. The group includes two Baptists (Dever and Mohler), a Presbyterian (Duncan), and a non-denominational leader (Mehaney) who set aside their differences to focus on the main agenda—Christ and the Cross. Also appearing at the conference (and consequently in the book) are other popular preachers of our day—John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul.

Dever pens the introduction, speaking for the group, which outlines the history and make-up of the Together for the Gospel ideology. And then each person contributes a chapter dealing with a variety of aspects pertinent to genuine gospel preaching—Old Testament connections, Cultural responsibility, expository preaching, and the like.

Some of the addresses are exceptionally helpful, while others tend to drag. I found Dever’s treatment of I Corinthians 4, inspiring as a pastor, and Duncan’s highlight of preaching Christ from the Old Testament was certainly refreshing. Piper, who has a tendency to lose me after the first paragraph, continued to do so (perhaps I’m just not as intellectual as he is).

Altogether, this is a sound book for any preacher to have in his library. I would hesitate to recommend it to a larger audience out of simple interest appeal, though. Therefore I give it a rating of 3 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, November 13, 2010

What Is a Healthy Church Member? – Thabiti M. Anyabwile

©2008 Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL

Thabiti Anyabwile is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands. He is also a former assistant pastor for Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Is it any wonder that he would be part of the Nine Marks team? In a follow-up book to Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and What Is a Healthy Church? Anyabwile offers some practical advice on what a healthy, growing church member looks like.

The author lists ten (instead of nine) marks of a healthy church member. The ten are parallels of Dever’s nine marks of a healthy church, and interrelated to them. As dealt with in the book, the marks are:

• An expositional listener
• A biblical theologian
• Gospel saturated
• Genuinely converted
• A biblical evangelist
• A committed member
• A seeker of discipline
• A growing disciple
• A humble follower, and
• A prayer warrior

Anyabwile includes evidence of scholarly research (though some might argue that it is heavy on Nine Marks theology throughout—but the reader needs to remember that it is part of the Nine Marks reading material) and a sample church covenant appended. The chapters on conversion and commitment are worth the price of admission.

What sets this book apart from most books that are being printed for healthy churches these days? This book is actually written with the church member in mind, instead of the focus on teaching church leaders how to produce healthy churches. The sad thing about this focus audience is that the book will rarely find its way into the hands of pew perchers (but I suspect any number of preachers will read it).

My advice—use this little book as a group study in a discipleship setting, or even as a new members’ class curriculum. It is worth four out of five reading glasses either way.

—Benjamin Potter, October 25, 2010

What Is a Healthy Church? – Mark Dever

© 2007 Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois

One thing that struck me the first time I had opportunity to encounter Mark Dever was “this guy thinks a LOT deeper than I usually do.” I’m glad that he does, because it’s given him the opportunity to develop what he calls the “9 Marks of a Healthy Church.” On my shelves I can find both a booklet and an expanded book by that title. This little book is the replacement for the booklet in introducing people to Dever’s brainchild 9 Marks Ministries.

The book itself is divided into three parts—the definition of a healthy church; then two parts dealing with the nine marks—three of which are described as “essential” (if one or more of them are missing, your church is probably not really healthy), and six remaining marks that are designated as “important” (desired, and expected in healthy churches, but not essential—these are marks that will develop as the church grows spiritually).

For the most part Dever, keeps the material flowing, and writes on a level for most readers to follow. At other times, he slips into his academic mode and will leave the unsuspecting reader behind. My advice—bear with him. He is working diligently to remain faithful to Scripture, and you’ll catch back up in a few pages. There are occasions in the reading that some will disagree with Dever’s conclusions—which is okay, but disagreement will still cause the reader to do two things (at least that is the author’s desire): think more intently about what they believe (and why it varies from Dever’s viewpoint), and study more Scripture to find the foundation for their beliefs.

This is a good little introduction to church life. You should read it. (four out of five reading glasses)

—Benjamin Potter, August 31, 2010

What Is the Gospel? – Greg Gilbert

© 2010 Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois

Periodically I check out Tim Challies' Friday giveaway. If I think I might enjoy what’s offered, I put my name in the hat. A few weeks ago, I thought I might be interested in the titles being offered—I didn’t pay much attention to the author names. Imagine my surprise when my name was chosen and on top of the stack of books was this little volume by a name I knew from “way-back-when”. While Greg was already preparing to graduate from a small east Texas high school where I started a short teaching career, I did get to know him (and I did get to teach his brother). Greg has since moved on to higher education and deeper thinking than what we offered at the high school, and everyone can be glad that he did.

The personal connection prompted me to set aside other reading and dive head first into this little book, and it was a superb decision. Gilbert addresses the title question in a most succinct, clear manner. He does it with the clarity of a seasoned theologian. In a day when people—including evangelical Christians—have muddied the waters and frayed the edges of the biblical understanding of the gospel, this easy read brings us back into focus. The author challenges readers to re-focus our understanding of God, Man, Christ, and our Response to Christ. Two points that have been blurred over years of semi-theologians’ treatment are a proper view of sin, and a misplaced focus (leaving the cross of Christ as an afterthought in the backroom of theology). Gilbert takes the evangelical church to task on just these issues.

This book is an excellent resource—for one who has yet to respond to the gospel, it is a clear presentation of God’s plan and good news; for the Christian, it is a wakeup call to what the gospel really is, as well as a challenge to return, to refocus, and to make the gospel (the good news) the core of our being and our living. With the exception of the gospel itself, this may be the most important book to read in the twenty-first century. Read this book and then give a copy to a friend. (Since I’ve limited myself to a 5-reading glasses rating system, I give What Is the Gospel? a five +++ reading glasses rating.)

—Benjamin Potter, August 13, 2010

The Deliberate Church – Mark Dever & Paul Alexander

Mark Dever is the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and the creative force behind 9Marks Ministries (based on his Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, published by Crossway originally in 2000). His co-author, Paul Alexander is the contributing editor for 9Marks Ministries. The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel is the last review book I received from Pastor Bookshelf Reviews before they took a hiatus. (Hopefully, they will be able to reinstate this program sometime.)

On the surface, The Deliberate Church looks like an aid to church polity that will bear many Scripture-based suggestions about making your church become what God wants it to be. Getting below the surface, the reader discovers more of a “here’s the way we do it” book. The authors start with separate prefaces attributing all the work of the book to the other author. Each acknowledges that Alexander has put on paper the ideas put forward by Dever.

In essence, the book can be boiled down to two major sections: (1) containing the aforementioned suggestions with appropriate scriptural emphasis, and (2) a “how-to” conduct elder meetings based on the example of Capitol Hill. Granted, when an author provides an example, the best one to use is the one he knows, in this case, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and the authors suggest that their reason for telling what is done at Capitol Hill is for suggestion purposes only—the reader should approach this model of leadership in the way that best suits his own church. The suggestion is that this is the way found to work at the church where Dever serves as Senior Pastor.

The book has some really sensible advice which can be translated into most any church desiring to be God-driven. Periodically, the text is interrupted to include study questions labeled “Think Tank.” These questions are typically those annoying type which are more nuisance than aid to the reader. However, once in awhile these pauses provide a positive suggestion for an activity that will help put the thoughts of the chapter into practice. For instance, at the end of a section about developing discipling relationships here are some suggestions: “1. Pick one person in your church whom you could start getting together with for his spiritual good. / 2. Pick a book, or even just a booklet, that you’d like to read and discuss with him.” Sadly, the majority of the “Think Tank” questions are simply regurgitation-style questions, asking only for the reader to mimic the information presented in the text.

The major drawback to the book is the assumption that Dever’s interpretation of the scripture is correct. The insistence on an elder board for church leadership comes across more as pragmatic than scriptural, although scripture is used to justify the practice. The larger portion of the book addresses this pragmatism from the viewpoint of Capitol Hill and their practice.

This is a readable, usable book that should be consulted with the understanding that it has some excellent reference material and advice (the inclusion of a new member interview form that can be adapted to any local church for example). I would recommend that most pastors—even those who disagree with Dever and the 9Marks method of doing church—read this book and use the wise counsel within it for practical adaptation in their church. The Deliberate Church earns three and one-half thumbs.

—Benjamin Potter, October 22, 2007