Books and Publishing

In The Seven Reasons God Created Marriage, James Ford, senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago, aims to provide a blueprint for couples, especially those contemplating marriage. Pastor Ford brings a rich background of pastoral experience and marriage and family counseling to the writer’s table. He teaches that couples must understand why God created marriage before they can have the joy at home that God intended. He writes, “To be specific, marriage was created for the partners to share the following with each other: the pattern of the Trinity, partnership, perfecting, procreation, pleasure, purity, and the picture of Christ” (p. 16). It is upon these seven reasons that the book is structured.

Foundationally, Ford wants the reader to understand that following the pattern of the Trinity in the home is the key reason for marriage. He repeatedly explains how fulfilling one of these seven purposes fulfills God’s larger purpose of picturing the Trinity in marriage. For example, on the subject of procreation Ford states, “My point is, as the leader of your home, God helps us to prosper when we do it His way; but it’s up to every individual to allow Him to be your leader. If you follow the blueprint of the Trinity that is laid out for you, you and your family will be blessed of the Lord, living in peace and prosperity” (p. 132).

Ford redirects the reader to this foundational reason for marriage in similar ways in every chapter. He ends the book by presenting the other foundational reason for marriage—picturing Christ—then explains how this final reason completes God’s desire for marriage.

I am currently leading a group of ladies in a study on consecration, using Havergal’s Kept for the Master’s Use (a verse by verse discussion of her hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be”). The chapter we are now perusing has to do with the line, “Take my will and make it thine—it shall be no longer mine.” That, in essence, is the theme of this book. Though the idea of self denial is not one that has women alone in the Scripture’s crosshairs, Kathie Reimer and her daughter, Lisa Whittle, discuss from a feminine viewpoint seven seeming paradoxes in the Word of God:

• Have a single focus, yet multi-task
• Be tolerant toward some things, yet intolerant toward others
• Fail, and simultaneously succeed
• Proceed, while also waiting
• Hold on and, in turn, let go
• Lead, and still follow
• Die, and consequently, live more abundantly

An apt sub-title for this book would be, What It Looks Like for Christian Women to Deny Self.

A Summary of Christian History does indeed sum up Christian history. We should not, however, be misled by the name of the book. Though it is a summary, it is not short. Historians cannot even summarize two thousand years in a few pages. Thankfully, Baker and Landers managed to fit their summary into less than five hundred pages. They also succeeded in making a highly enjoyable book.

The first centuries of Christianity with their heresies, divisions, fights, successes, and failures receive good coverage in the first six chapters. They give attention not only to the growth of the church but also to the battles that the church faced. The church experienced much persecution in those early years and also struggled for moral and doctrinal purity. The authors take pains to remind us of these things.

Later, the book turns toward the time in which Christianity began to be accepted and embraced by many. It is during this time that Constantine came to power and nominally embraced Christianity.

Constantine did not divorce himself from the religious support of the pagan devotees; he retained the title of chief priest in their system and became one of their deities after his death in 337…. Thinking that baptism washed away sins, he delayed receiving this rite until he was at the point of death. (p. 25)

While it may have appeared to have been a blessing, the authors show us that Constantine’s move actually led to many problems later. It is in this period that the foundations for Roman Catholicism were laid by church leaders with an affinity for political power and by political leaders meddling in church business. Chapter three deals with this especially as it presents the struggles for purity in the church. Here the authors show us the struggles against legalism and Gnosticism as well as the struggle to retain a pure Christology. We also read of the impact of Donatism, Novatianism, and Montanism on the church during this period. It is also during this period that the Roman bishop apparently began to bring to himself so much power.

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• Random House Publishing Group; Reprint edition (May 11, 2004) Paperback‏: ‎336 pages

Biographies are an indispensable part of the Christian’s library—but whose do we read? Not only are we faced with the dilemma of which biography to read, but we are also faced with the dilemma of which biographer to read. Here’s one I think is worth the time of reading for several reasons. First, it is a biography of a formidable personality. While Churchill’s contribution to the advancement of Christianity is negligible if it exists at all, he occupies a major role in world history. If nothing else, Churchill is fascinating. Often quotable, sometimes admirable, and occasionally despicable, he appears to be larger than life. Second, it is a well-written biography. Ruben does an excellent job of differentiating her account of Churchill’s life from the over 650 other accounts: “I decided to write a biography that would make my case for my Churchill but also press the opposing arguments—a biography that would convey the ambiguities of his character and reputation as well as the elementary themes of his life” (7-8).

Finally an unexpected delight was Rubin’s habit of explaining what labor and obstacles any biographer faces:

No biography can be complete or conclusive…. Layers of fact pile higher and higher, and each additional fact may change the picture of the subject. A biographer’s choice to highlight or dismiss certain episodes—controversial, offensive, or poignant—can vividly color a portrait. Readers unfamiliar with the subject’s life are blind to the artful selection that’s taking place” (221).

Her chapter 34 heading is “Churchill Exposed: Missing Information Supplied.”

It all started with an e-mail I received one day—“See the latest deals on our new line of laptops!” With just one click of the mouse I was transported to the website of one of the leading computer retailers. The minutes quickly ticked by as I sat there dreaming of owning a more powerful machine, pondering any way that I could afford it, and contemplating the reason I would give my wife for such a “necessary” upgrade. What started as mere curiosity soon led to a disturbing amount of discontentment with the perfectly good computer I already had. Without even realizing it my heart had turned that advertisement into a full blown idol.

Greg Dutcher’s You Are the Treasure That I Seek serves to awaken us to the sobering reality that idolatry is very much alive and well in American Christianity, and indeed in our own hearts. “Idolatry is an old-fashioned word, consigned to social studies classes and Clive Cussler novels. But what if it’s alive and well, even in America? What if it’s a problem of such epidemic proportions that our unawareness of it is only making it worse?” (p. 16). Dutcher warns that to the extent that we have relegated idolatry to the jungles of Africa we have been deceived and have had our concept of idolatry shaped more by Indiana Jones than by Jesus and Paul. Written on more of a popular level, the book is a fairly quick read, although the subject matter and format (including a study guide with application questions at the end of each chapter) lend to a more thoughtful study of the book.

In the opening chapter of his epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul tells us that “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Rom 1:21–23). Dutcher identifies the essence of idolatry in that one little word in verse twenty-three—exchanged. He writes,

Humanity’s illness is the idolatry syndrome. We were infected when our first parents considered a piece of fruit sweeter than fellowship with God. We were ruined when they deemed the word of a snake better than the promise of ‘a God who cannot lie’ (Titus 1:2). They compared. They calculated. They traded in God for a ‘better model.’ We’ve been doomed ever since. (p. 30)

Full disclosure

Before I do this review, it’s imp