Seeing A World of Difference

One or Two describes as "One-ism" and "Two-ism," the two ways of being spiritual.   One-ism believes that everything that exists is of one substance and that the goal of theology, spirituality and even sexuality is to destroy all distinctions, and bring all things together.

 

 

Two-ism believes that there is a God outside creation who made all that is not God and has structured creation for the good of humanity. Two-ism has implications in our theology, spirituality and sexuality.

 

 

The book is based on the argumentation of the apostle Paul in Romans 1. Peter Jones analyzes the current cultural expressions of spirituality in light of these two approaches.

 
About the Author

Peter Jones holds an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a ThM from Harvard divinity School, and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. He taught at the Reformed Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France for seventeen years, and was active in church planting. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, he is now Director of truthXchange (a 501 c3 organization), Adjunct Professor of New Testament and Scholar in Residence at Westminster Seminary California, where he was a professor from 1991-2003. He is the father of seven children and has numerous grandchildren.

 

This Book can be purchased at Amazon.com - See Here.

Publisher: Main Entry Editions; First edition (June 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0974689521
ISBN-13: 978-097468952

 

A Christian Worldview

Anthony Selvaggio has written an interesting book on the modern-day effects of worldliness on the Christian. He does not just address outward behavior but speaks to the internal working worldliness has upon the heart. This I found unique. The short description in the foreword of the book I think sums it up best when he says: “While external behavior practices do matter, the real battle to avoid worldliness occurs internally, in our hearts and minds. While we have been consumed with external matters, worldliness has gained a foothold in our thought processes. Satan has been very successful in getting us to think like the world. This book is an effort to counter Satan’s attack on our minds. It’s a counterinsurgency aimed at thwarting the evil intentions of our adversary.”

The book outlines 7 toxic ideas and then addresses these concerns with scripture. The chapters I found most helpful and interesting were those that dealt with Consumerism and new Technology and it’s effect on our culture, the Christian and the church. Those who would most benefit from this book would be those 35 and under. He does a thorough examination of the 7 ideas he presents and how these ideas are opposite to a Christian worldview and explains why these toxic ideas are non-christian. A good short read.

Anthony T Selvaggio currently serves as a visiting professor of Biblical Studies at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA and is also Theologian in Residence at the Rochester Reformed Presbyterian Church in Rochester NY.

Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: 2011
ISBN: 1596381965
ISBN-13: 9781596381964

I received my copy from PFO Ministries. To order visit their website.
P.O. Box 26062 • Saint Louis, MO 63136-0062

Another Book Review of this book can be seen at : Ligonier Ministrieshttp://www.ligonier.org/blog/7-toxic-ideas-polluting-your-mind/

New Evangelicalism

New Evangelicalism and the Purpose Driven 

and Emergent Movement

In this book you will discover and learn that there has been an intentional departure from believing the Bible is Inerrant and trustworthy, and has plunged the church of the 21st century down the treacherous slippery slope of accommodation and compromise. Paul Smith carefully documents the sobering truth in this book.

Some of the questions that will be answered are:
Are there clear historical markers that identify this paradigm shift?

Why have so many evangelicals identified themselves as “new evangelicals”?

What is the relationship between Fuller Seminary, the Purpose Driven Church, and the Emergent Church Movement?

How is the Emergent Church push for globalization harmonizing with the new world order in these prophetic last days?

Paul Smith answers these questions with case studies and documentation of the events that lead up to where we are now. The author shows the progression of ideas that were birthed in aberrant church beliefs and it’s historical origin. Smith writes that New evangelicals learned about the word “dialectic” from Karl Barth and neo-orthodoxy, and is today used by Emergent churchmen. This decline was only possible when the inerrancy of the Bible, it’s absolute truth was no longer believed by church and influential seminary leaders.

 

 

We must not forget that the church rests on the twin sufficiency of : the inerrant word of God - the Bible and the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We must stand firm always on these truths. Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Proverbs 30:5 and 2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Publisher: Calvary Publishing
ISBN-10: 1597519774
ISBN-13: 978-1597519779

You can also order this book from: Olive Tree Ministries: www.olivetreeviews.org

See a review by Gary Gilley:  http://www.svchapel.org/resources/book-reviews/6-church-history/727-new-evangelicalism-by-paul-smith-costa-mesa-calvary-publishing-2011-215-pp-paper-1200

The Idol Makers

Hollywood Be Thy Name 

Christians have a responsibility when they see Hollywood films and TV programs to discern them and stand firm in the faith, and show their faithfulness to God and His Word rather than having a fascination with Hollywood’s latest enticement. This is an evangelistic book, to those who are a part of Hollywood, as well as to those who idolize the Actors and anyone who is a movie lover.

This book is not light-weigh reading. The Author puts the fear of God into his writing and carries the gospel message through to the reader. Those things that are taken in with the eyes and ears do very much effect our own conscious and morals, (Matt 6:22-23) and do have a spiritual consequence whether we may believe it or not. The Author asks “Why are so many who claim to be Christians watching R-rated movies? And “What do you do when you hear the Lord’s name and God Blasphemed? Blasphemy of God and Jesus Christ is heard in many movies these days and in other forms of entertainment. It has become more and more prevalent and unrestrained. Where is Hollywood’s responsibility in what it produces?

Ray Comfort writes how there was a rating code enacted in the 1930’s called “The Hay’s Code” due to an outcry from the public because of movies containing sex and violence, and actors personal lives were giving Hollywood a bad image. In the chapter titled: Charlie Chaplin and underage girls, the Author writes:

“Hollywood was getting a bad image, so some studio heads hired a Presbyterian senator, William Hays, to try to clean up Hollywood and convince the nation that it wasn’t all bad. Hays persuaded the studios that abiding by a set of moral standards was the safest and cheapest answer to their troubles. If the movie industry policed itself, government censorship wouldn’t have to step in. Plus, the new “Hay’s Code” was a big money-saving measure. Instead of paying to fix moral content after the film was done, the studios could simply follow the code before making their movies, and everyone would be happy. So it was adapted in 1930.

The Author writes that in 1934 the code was enforced, and by it, it had the authority to review all movies and have script changes, and says if a theater ran a film without the proper seal of approval it was fined $25,000, and the code successfully forced the studios to toe-the-line. During that time period good family movies and Biblical epics were being produced. But in the 1950’s some found a way around the “Hay’s Code” through the free-speech clause and first Amendment, studios started pushing the moral standard back. “Then in 1968 Hollywood officially abandoned the filmmaker’s code and shifted the moral responsibility to parents with what we now know as the Rating System.”

Ray Comfort effectively proves how Hollywood has it’s own concept of God, and it’s own moral agenda. The Author shows what that is, and then writes what the Bible has to say about it. The Author cites that 79% of the total domestic box office sales were from church-going Christians in 2005 - per Barna group survey. This 79% shows that Christians are compromising their convictions. In this book Ray Comfort offers an evangelistic message that is sure to make you think about what influence Hollywood is having on your life, conscience and rather you believe what you say you do. Ray Comfort writes about what the Christian should be looking for, how and what we see and hear effects our conscience and what we as Christians can do to make a difference by Standing Firm in the Faith.

Copyright © 2007
Publisher Bridge-logos Publishing
ISBN 0882703943


Reading / Review Date: October 2009

Faith Is Not Without Reason

Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype, and Spin

Os Guinness addresses the moral and ethical issues of our times with exact precision and simplicity. The right questions are asked and answered in this book. Os Guinness sincere respect for the Truth found in Scripture comes across in his writing, and makes the reading and learning about truth stimulating and challenging for believers, as well as good reading for those outside the Christian Faith. He makes the complexity found in some terminology and philosophies easier to understand in his writing and illustrations.

As an example, in one chapter Guinness explains why ‘Reason’ is not excluded from our relationship and faith in God. He shows why this can be a pitfall for those who rely on feelings, experiences, and preferences. Guinness says this about truth and reason and the Christian today:

“Whereas both the Bible and the best thinkers of Christian history invite seekers to put their faith in God because the message conveying that invitation is true, countless Christians today believe for various other reasons. For instance, they believe faith is true “because it works” (pragmatism), because they “feel it is true in their experience” (subjectivism), because they sincerely believe it is “true for them” (relativism), and so on. For some of these Christians the deficiency comes from bad teaching. For others the motive is escape. Retreating into the fortress of personal experience, they can pull up the drawbridge of faith and feel impregnable to reason. But for all of them the outcome is sickly faith deprived of the rude vigor of truth.” (Pg. 78)

To sum up the importance of truth and reality for the Christian, the Author states it very well, “truth matters infinitely and ultimately because it is a question of the trustworthiness of God himself. This book will challenge you to seek the truth and what it means to live it. It was a most interesting and rewarding book to read. Recommended Reading.

Os Guinness is an internationally known speaker and senior fellow of the Trinity Forum in McLean, Virginia. He is the author of many books.

Copyright © 2000 by Os Guinness

Publisher Baker Book House

ISBN 0-8010-1195-7

Reading / Review date: October 2009 

Stand Firm; Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong

A good book that handles Controversial Issues

This book compares secular thinking vs. Biblical thinking. This book will help to give you the answers so you can stand firm in the faith and defend a Christian position on cultural and political issues of our day.

It aims to apply the scriptures to everyday situations and concerns that Christians face in their lives and questions and issues you may encounter and want to have a biblical response for. It is written by a variety of authors.

Some chapter titles and topics covered in the Content are:

Christian Liberty and Entertainment

Video Games - A biblical worldview

Parental Guidance - Making wise media choices

America Idols - Entertainment, Escapism and the Cult of Celebrity

Issues Relating to Divorce and Remarriage

Abortion, Birth Control and Ministry

Hope, Holiness, and Homosexuality

Euthanasia, Suicide, and Capital Punishment

God, Government and the Gospel

Sorrow, suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Why Christians can trust God

These are just a few of the issues covered. There is a scriptural topical reference guide in the back of the book. The writing is clear and helpful. There was some startling statistics on video games and the economy of the industry, the effects it is having on youths and young adults in our culture, and how it effects their maturity, reality, and purity. This is a book with solid biblical answers for the most talked about trends and issues of our day.

Copyright © 2009

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN: 0736926437
ISBN-13: 9780736926430

Reading / Review Date: September 7, 2009

Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong 

SEE VIDEO HERE: http://youtu.be/O6TzAhPDmNw

 

 

The Great Evangelical Disaster

The Last Apologetic
 

Francis Schaeffer’s most classic work is a call to the Evangelical church of it’s need to remain biblical, and is just as important reading for the Christian today as it was when the book was first published in 1984. Schaeffer’s message is that with the Reformation many came to Christ with the absolutes based on biblical form found in the bible, and it became widely known and great freedom came out of that. But in  the early part of the 20^th century - that Freedom became Autonomous, self-directed, and self-governing, and over time biblical form and the Christian consensus lacked constraint.
 

In explaining the moral breakdown of our times, Francis Schaeffer says this; “The titanic freedoms which we once enjoyed have been cut loose from their Christian restraints and are becoming a force of destruction leading to chaos. And when this happens, there really are very few alternatives. All morality becomes relative, law becomes arbitrary, and society moves towards disintegration. In personal and social life, compassion is swallowed up by self-interest…“When the memory of the Christian consensus which gave us freedom within the biblical form is increasingly forgotten, a manipulating authoritarianism will tend to fill the vacuum. At this point the words ‘right’ and ‘left’ will make little difference. They are only two roads to the same end, the results are the same. An elite, authoritarianism as such, will gradually force form on society so that it will not go into chaos-and most people would accept it.” (pg 23)
 

The distinctly Christian position of Knowledge, moral and spiritual truths of God’s word were being compromised in the church, and accommodation to the world’s thinking gave way to the spirit of the age, as liberal theology entered the Church, while notable scholars such as J. Gresham Machen who stood firm in the battle for biblical truth and biblical inerrancy were being silenced and driven out. It comes down to this; are we obeying the scriptures? Because this is the real test of our faith and lives in Christ and rather we believe the bible. This is not just a theological debate, but practical and obedient living.
 

Schaeffer reminds us again that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” 1 John 5:13), and that Christians seem to have forgotten this, and spend little time considering this in relation to our daily lives in this world and how this relates to the culture’s effect on our church teaching and doctrine and urges the reader to stand firm on God’s Word and not succumb to the temptation of compromise and accommodation of worldly thinking.

Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer is widely recognized as one of the most influential Christian thinkers of our day. He wrote over 23 books which were translated into 25 languages and have sold over 3 million copies. Schaeffer’s most influential books include: A Christian Manifesto, The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, and Whatever happened to the Human Race? Dr. Schaeffer and his wife Edith founded L’Abri Fellowship, an international study center and Christian community with branches in Switzerland, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and the United States. He lectured frequently at leading universities in the U.S. and abroad. His common theme is the uncompromising truth of historic, biblical Christianity and its relevance for all of life.

Copyright © 1984 Francis A. Schaeffer

Publisher: Crossway Books & Bibles
ISBN: 0891073086
ISBN-13: 9780891073086

Reading / Review Date: February 20, 2009


Video:  Francis A. Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto  

SEE VIDEO - http://youtu.be/6fF90CGcsyM

 

 

Christless Christianity

The Author communicates what he believes is the problem that is diminishing Christ from His prominent place in the Church, and in the heart and minds of Christians. One concern that he writes about is ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deism’ in it’s various forms being promoted and practiced within the Church.

 

 

Michael Horton says: “My aim is not to target any particular wing, movement, person, or group. We are all victims as well as accomplices in our captivity. In fact, my sense of urgency is motivated by my impression that ‘Christless Christianity’ is pervasive, crossing the conservative-liberal spectrum and all denominational lines.”

What really caught our attention on the reading of this book, was how it shows that humanistic thinking is really down playing what Christ did for us. It’s like Christianity is becoming a works-based approach to know God, and not that we are God’s creation, and desperately deprived and that God stepped in and rescues us at the Cross by what Jesus Christ did for us. This is the Good News that needs to be shared and proclaimed.

Some of the concerns Michael Horton raises is how the Church in America is obsessed with being successful and relevant, and is mirroring the world without holding to the scriptures instruction to be holy and set apart unto God. He writes: “The church has repackaged itself that it can satisfy the masses. The church has become similar to many secular programs and self-help groups, becoming shallow and human centered.”
 

The author covers many of the current efforts of the Church’s use of programs and methods to recapture people’s hearts for God, and shows how these attempts have done little to bring Christians back to centering their focus on Christ and his finished work of redemption. The Author also discusses current popular authors and Evangelical teachers that are using psychology and new age teachings that distort the meaning of the Christian Faith. He is descriptive and thorough in his explanations of why this raises concerns.

Michael Horton shows how these methods and programs cause the Christian to be distracted from the simplicity of Christ. Paul warned us from the Bible to be on guard against such things: 2 Cor. 11:3 “But I am afraid that , as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be lead astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

 Some notable statements Horton addresses in the book deserve thoughtful reflection by Christians: On page 19) “The bible is mined for ‘relevant’ quotes but is largely irrelevant on it’s own terms; God is used as a personal resource rather then known, worshipped, and trusted; Jesus Christ is a coach with a good game plan for our victory rather than ‘Savior’.

On page 24) The Author asks the questions; “Does Christ come merely to improve our existence…Is Christianity all about spiritual and moral makeovers or about death and resurrection?…Is the Word of God a resource for what we have already decided we want and need, or is it God’s living active criticism of our religion, morality, and pious experience? In other words, is the Bible God’s story, centering on Christ redeeming work that rewrites our stories, or is it something we use to make our stories a little more exciting and interesting?

There was a good section in the book where the author shows how some people use the bible subjectively and allegorically which leads to misunderstanding of the scriptures.

Copyright © 2008 Michael Horton

Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 0801013186
ISBN-13: 9780801013188

Reading / Review Date: January 2009

 

The Author Michael Horton speaks about his book

SEE VIDEO HERE: http://youtu.be/1ReJr_Z1GQY

 

 

Culture Shift

Answers for Christians on current Issues

 

R. Albert Mohler Jr. gives the Christian reader reasons and biblical answers for our faith on pressing issues of the day. The thinking Christian will benefit form the book as Mohler defines and languages what is happening in our culture and addresses the trends that are sweeping through America society. He gives biblical and theological answers applying the truth found in the Bible, addressing the issues with a Christian worldview and articulates his points with precision.

For the busy Christian that wants to be informed and make an educated assessment of what is happening on the key issues, “Culture Shift” will definitely get you thinking about where you stand.

Albert Mohler  is President of Southern Baptist Seminary. He contributes articles in major newspapers, a speaker at conferences and on Christian radio, is the author of many books and writes extensively on his website:  http://www.albertmohler.com/

Copyright© 2007
Published by:  Multnomah Publishers, Inc 
ISBN-15905297

The Truth About Tolerance

The Truth about Tolerance - Brad Stetson and Joseph G. Conti

What this book offers is a comprehensive evaluation of tolerance in our society and then gives a Christian view how truth and tolerance is determined from a biblical perspective. The authors survey the social and political characteristics of tolerance, and then give the reader the biblical definition with practical ways for the Christian to apply genuine tolerance.

These authors examine pluralism and secular liberalism’s affect on the Christian and on the Church as a whole. They get to the root source of popular culture’s definition of tolerance and unity and help the reader understand the importance of the issues at stake.

Copyright © 2005

Published by InterVarsity Press

Author: Brad Stetson and Joseph G. Conti

ISBN: 0-8308-2787-0

Can be ordered from - Christianbooks.com

Reading / Review Date: January 28, 2007