Good reads | John Stott: The Humble Leader.

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Jeff

“When you read the end of this book, you will know quote a lot about John Stott. You will see why he was in the ‘Top 100’ list of influential people [TIME magazine, 2005]. He was driven by a passion for Jesus Christ’s name to be honoured around the world.”
—Julia Cameron, biographer, in John Stott: The Humble Leader (Christian Focus, 2012), 15. [Kindle]

You may not have heard about John Stott, though you certainly have felt the influence of his great life. He never married, through the world was his family, all the nations his parish (church family). As a pastor in London (All Souls Church), The Right Reverend Dr. John Stott was truly a “global Christian,” a voice for the furthering of the Gospel, and an advocate for the poor and marginalized for most of his nine decades (1921-2011).

Stott’s words and writings shaped worldwide politics, a faithful voice for the cause of Christ and the implications of making the world a better, safer place: see the Lausanne Movement, with the Lausanne Covenant (1974), the Manilla Manifesto (1989), and the Cape Town Commitment (2011). Stott’s fingerprints are all over each of these, for the marks of his godly life shaped for decades the leaders in the worldwide Evangelical Christian movement.

I want to encourage you to read about his life, and dive into his prolific writings (some listed at the bottom). In this post I am reviewing John Stott: The Humble Leader, a new biography send to me by the publisher Christian Focus (paperback, 114 pages; e-book versions as well). They’ve asked me to write a review, and while it’s not required to be positive I could not be more enthusiastic about this brief biography.

Pastor John Robert Walmsley (R.W.) Stott lived an understated life, embodying a lifestyle of simplicity and joy — and others-centered service — that has been used by God to spread the Gospel to the nations. His greatness can be directly contributed to his daily humility and dependence upon Jesus. It’s not so much that humility made him great; his humility was his greatness.

In our society, here in the affluent West, we often talk about “making an impact,” wanting our lives to be influential in our spheres of influence and in the world. This pursuit is noble when we link to the cause of Christ, getting caught up in His Mission. Yet I dare say we get caught up with a bigger-is-better mentality, wanting to be so successful that we adopt the world’s standards of success, clamoring for approval by others more than the smile of God. Subtly we think that Jesus will help us achieve our potential for greatness, championing our talents and causes. Dr. Stott showed the opposite is true: when we are minor characters in God’s Story, where Jesus is the Hero, His message flows supernaturally from our lives. He became famous by trying to make Someone else famous.

Before I dive into a review of this book — given to me by the publisher for that purpose, let me give some qualifying remarks.

I’m encouraged by a new trend: noted megachurch pastors are returning to simpler ways of embodying the life of Jesus while preaching His message — see Craig Groeschel’s WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working, and Shaun Lovejoy’s newest book, The Measure of Our Success: A Passionate Plea to Pastors, added to the groundbreaking no-holds barred approach of Francis Chan (Crazy Love, and The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village [video]), and David Platt (Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream and Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God). Somehow talented leaders get tricked into believing that God wants to leverage their positions for influence, by magnifying their personalities and highlighting their preferences.

Dr. Stott’s life and legacy give us a glimpse of hope, a reversal of that recent trend of how we define “greatness.”

Continue reading →

Children’s book review: Simon and the Easter Miracle.

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Jeff

Simon and the Easter Miracle: A Traditional Tale for Easter, a hardcover children’s book written by Mary Joslin, and illustrated by Anna Luraschi [Kregel].

About the book: The gospels tell of Simon of Cyrene—”a man coming in from the country”—who was ordered to carry Jesus’ cross. Over the centuries, his story has been woven into a Polish folktale. In the tradition of The Three Trees this folk tale gives a fresh perspective on the Easter story. When Simon the farmer brings his wares to market, little does he expect how he will be involved in the events of that very special day, nor how his items—bread, eggs, and wine—will become important symbols of Jesus’ passion and resurrection, remembered throughout the ages. (Intended for ages 5-7.)

The book arrived in February, and so we read it together one evening last month during family story (and “snuggle”) time. This week we picked it back up and the kids instantly recalled the whole story.

Our kids (five and three) became really interested in the story of Simon and the implications for Easter. Last night they asked to read it again. This morning our son (a bibliophile; it runs in the family) sounded out the words on the cover during breakfast, and was especially interested in the name “Simon,” which led to a discussion on the differences between Simon of Cyrene and Simon Peter the Apostle. The value in this book is revisiting it, more than getting through it one time. (Connection and communication is as important as content in teaching your children.) This is true of all Gospel stories. We shall never grow tired of discovering the true of Jesus.

The illustrations are masterfully done, realistic and inviting. Each scene highlights actions accompanying the narrative. (See and read an excerpt [PDF]).

Continue reading →

Text & Truth: can we trust the New Testament?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Jeff

A book review of Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament (Daniel Wallace, series editor).

Last week our son turned five, and simply judging by the gifts received, one would have to conclude the kid loves pirates, LEGO blocks, Star Wars and books. All of this is true; Dutch loves all things related to Yoda, pirates, and LEGO blocks. Further, multiplying the various interests together heightens his enjoyment of the subjects. A LEGO Star Wars set, a pirates books, and even a LEGO Star Wars book. If Dutch has heard a story before, you better not skip a single word as you read it to him the next time. He’ll make you back up the truck and re-read it.

Even for this young kid, precision and accuracy on words really matter. Especially on the subjects that really matter in life.

Same is true in Christian scholarship. Sadly, Christians of the conservative, Evangelical tribe have a poor reputation when it comes to precision and accuracy. Or, what I like to call care and thoughtfulness. Typical modern Christian are not known in broader culture for thoughtful engagement of life issues, for we can talk past one another a lot and embody more of a bumper-sticker theology than a humble orthodoxy and persuasive embodiment of truth. While we’re known for enthusiasm, it can seem a lot like rabble-rousing to some. Of course, you cannot please everyone, but being authentic goes a long way toward gaining credibility and a listening ear.

That’s why I get amped up when I see new books that are worth reading. Whether it’s the latest Tim Keller best-seller reaching the reading masses with solid theology, or some of the passionate and thoughtful. I find a renewed trend in “Christian” being much more than an adjective tossed to the front of religious products seeking a market. Really good Christian books are being published these days, so there’s becoming very little excuse for us not reading sound words that enrich the mind and awaken the soul. (Disclaimer: the book I am reviewing below has a considerable academic bent, and won’t appeal to everyone. That’s okay; sometimes it’s helpful to know that somebody is doing deep thinking and heavy mental lifting, and the contribution of this book will only help the tide of good scholarship flood the shores of culture.)

It’s a common notion that scholarly work lacks excitement, like how documentaries lack a plotline. Yet, that’s not entirely true, as evidenced not only by new persuasive documentaries like “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” as well as in the field of biblical scholarship. While all ‘new’ discoveries are actually ancient ones, there always is a story within the story. The particular field of textual criticism — finding, exploring and examining the real biblical text — is chalk full of twists and turns. How did monks and others preserve the New Testament text so well, even under persecution and adverse conditions? The story of how we got our Bible is only trumped by the crazy-awesome Story the Scripture unfolds itself. Continue reading →

Worth a read: Your Jesus is Too Safe.

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Jeff

Originally posted on 10 August 2009 at deTheos.com.

Below are some of my thoughts after reading Your Jesus is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior. [Read the book interview with author Jared Wilson in the last post.]

It’s a great book, and may now be in my top 10 favorites. Seriously, I read many dead guys, and am constantly dabbling in a few books at a time. This one made me put down all others and dive in. There are only a couple other authors who can do that to me (one is my gifted writer wife).

What’s the purpose of this book? Wilson writes:

“to remind us, for the glory of God and the hope of the world, of the original message of the historical person Jesus Christ, who was, in fact, God in the flesh” (p. 15, introduction).

That’s because “to really know God, one must really know Jesus” (ibid.). Wilson had me in the introduction; I was hooked.

Diving into Your Jesus is Too Safe, I was challenged, excited, laughed often, got riled up at some of my jacked-up views, and came back thirsty for more of this Jesus. Wilson points past himself. He wants us to know and see Jesus! The thing is, we think we know enough about Jesus. But we only know enough to make us dangerous. And we each have “a Jesus” in mind when we hear His name. Is yours “ATM Jesus” or “Therapist Jesus” or “Hippie Jesus” or “get-out-of-hell-free-Jesus”? Perhaps you like “friendly legalist Jesus,” who gives you 5 easy steps to better finances, God’s way. Scrap all of those — and any others — and open up the Bible to get to know the Real Jesus, the God-Man who is the full revelation of what God desires us to know about Him now.

Somewhere along the way we Evangelicals fell in love with ourselves and made a plastic “Jesus” in our own image. Nevermind that He’s the self-proclaimed Image of God. We like Him to be like us, just a slob like one of us — but in a cleaned-up, respectable sort of way. Don’t get too comfortable with “your” Jesus.

As I mentioned, I can’t recommend this book enough. In fact, I bought copies for our youth volunteers, to go hand-in-hand with a series through the Sermon on the Mount that is all about Jesus. If you want to be challenged to see Jesus’ worth, words, works and ways, pick up this book, read it next to the Gospels, and get to work. You won’t be disappointed.

Wilson is a capable writer, and he’d be the first to admit that the path to getting published in non-fiction is quite arduous, if you don’t have a PhD (and thus no one will read it), or if you are not a celebrity pastor (in which case many would read it).

What’s in the book?

Your Jesus is Too Safe is comprised of twelve “portraits” of Jesus emerging from the Scriptures. It’s an accessible “mini-biblical theology,” tracing Jesus from Genesis to Revelation (cover-to-cover, through the ages) to see how He embodies these dozen paradigms. Sandwiched between and introduction and conclusion, here are the twelve chapters:

Jesus the Promise
Jesus the Prophet
Jesus the Forgiver
Jesus the Man
Jesus the Shepherd
Jesus the Judge
Jesus the Redeemer
Jesus the King
Jesus the Sacrifice
Jesus the Provision
Jesus the Lord
Jesus the Savior

The book may make the most sense to Christians, but I won’t hesitate to hand it to non-Christians. If we silly believers are often stumbling blocks to reflecting the true Savior, perhaps this raw take from the Scriptures can illuminate what we darken, and clarify what we make fuzzy. Whether you think you know about Jesus, or you know very little, pick up this book and learn the old truth through a new encounter. Plus, at about ten bucks, it’s a sweet deal. Skip three coffees over the next couple of weeks and read this book to energize your day. A few of the chapters (1, 4, 8 esp.) are worth the price alone.

Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite excerpts from Your Jesus is Too Safe: Continue reading →

Author interview: Jared Wilson on Your Jesus is Too Safe.

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Jeff

Originally posted on 10 August 2009 at deTheos.com.

A new book arrived a month or so ago [July 2009]: Your Jesus is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior by Jared C. Wilson (Kregel Publications). With an advance copy in hand, I was happy to participate in the Your Jesus is Too Safe Blog Tour. It’s a great book — read on! [Book review here.]

About the Author

Jared Wilson is a faithful husband and devoted father, plus the pastor of Middletown Springs Community Church in Middletown Springs, Vermont. He blogs at The Gospel-Driven Church, and is on Twitter, Facebook (become a fan of the book), and MySpace (why MySpace?). Anyway, he’s connected and has a bent for all things literary (more at The Thinklings, a group writing project) and is a top researcher with the Docent Group — more about Jared can be found on his site here.

My thoughts and a short review will follow in the next post (here).

Read on as Jared answers questions about Your Jesus is Too Safe and life and ministry.

Interview Questions with Jared Wilson

Jeff Patterson: It was hard to pick a favorite chapter—each one was somehow better than the previous—and almost equally difficult to choose a favorite footnote. Those are hilarious (e.g., p. 79, fn. 7, about asking telemarketers for their home phone numbers so you can call them at their home at your convenience; you do that too?). So, what’s @theBecky’s favorite chapter or footnote/anecdote?

Jared Wilson: Beck says her favorite chapter is Jesus the Provision. She’s an optimistic, hopeful, always-expecting-the-miracle person, though, and that chapter deals more with Jesus’ miracles then others do.

She says her favorite snarky footnote is in Chapter 6, footnote #3, related to Jeroboam getting his arm shrunk. It reads, “If you don’t think this is awesome, something is wrong with you.”

[Editor’s note: theBecky is obviously Jared’s wife Becky (or Beck, as he calls her).]

JP: You seem to assume the reader has “a Jesus” in mind, that is of course “too safe,” and needs to be outgrown. You’re real tough on the American Jesus as “ATM Jesus.” Do you think he’s the primary version you confront into in the south, the Bible Belt? (Other than perhaps “get-out-of-hell-free Jesus.”)

JW: I think the safe Jesus plaguing the Bible Belt is sort of a “friendly legalist” Jesus. I have long thought that most of our churches are dealing in legalism without even knowing it. We get around this, it sneaks in, because most of us think of legalism or Pharisaism as stuffy, traditional, judgmental, arrogant, etc. But legalism is just making the message of God one about doing things and not doing other things. No gospel. And that’s what we’re dealing with when our messages are about practical, relevant steps to victory, change, success, or better what-have-you. It’s casual and hip and happy and comes with a rock band and a speaker with a fauxhawk, but it’s still legalism. And consequently there’s lots of people who are starving for Jesus even as they think they’re getting closer to God through their behavior.

JP: Tell us a bit about the subtitle, “Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior.”

JW: Well, that’s one of those marketing things. I don’t even know if I came up with that. Was part of the titling process, I believe. But I like it. It speaks to both the consumeristic and the therapeutic that comes through in our modern alternative Jesuses.

JP: In the first paragraph of chapter 8, “Jesus is King,” you write, “His kingship is perhaps the primary thing we must know about Jesus, the primary way to see him.” Do you think our Jesus is too safe primarily because we see him as an add-on to our lives, and not as our lives—calling all the shots as King of All?