Book Review: Rediscovering the Church Fathers by Michael A. G. Haykin

Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church by Michael A. G. Haykin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011, 172pp., softcover, $16.99

Rediscovering the Church Fathers is the most recent work of Michael A. G. Haykin who serves as professor of church history and biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored more than twenty-five books, including The Emergence of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities.

Haykin writes this book to address the question: “Why should evangelical Christians engage the thought and experience of these early Christian witnesses [the church fathers]?” (p.17). In his assessment, “far too many modern-day evangelicals are either ignorant of or quite uncomfortable with the church fathers” (p. 13). The reasoning he puts forth to study the church fathers is logically sound. These reasons include: “to aid [the church] in her liberation from the Zeitgeist of the twenty-first century; to provide a guide in her walk with Christ; to help her understand the basic witness to her faith, the New Testament; to refute bad histories of the ancient church; and to be a vehicle of spiritual nurture” (pp. 28-29). The manner in which he seeks to promote his assertion is through selected case studies of the men themselves. He dedicates a chapter to each of the following:

            Dying for Christ: The Thought of Ignatius of Antioch

            Sharing the Truth: The Letter to Diognetus

            Interpreting the Scriptures: The Exegesis of Origen

            Being Kissed: The Eucharistic Piety of Cyprian and Ambrose

            Being Holy and Renouncing the World: The Experience of Basil of Caesarea

            Saving the Irish: The Mission of Patrick

One of the main strengths of Rediscovering the Church Fathers is Dr. Haykin’s ability to take us into the church fathers’ world. When we enter their world, we can see life through their eyes. We see the Christian faith through the lens of their era as opposed to the 20^th and 21^st centuries. They battled many of the same issues we face. They were dedicated to defending the Christian faith against false teachings and beliefs; and they were committed to live out their faith in a practical way during a hostile time. 

A second strength of the book arises from Dr. Haykin’s ability to bring us into the church father’s world. Once we see through their perspective, we learn that many of the issues and concerns we might have with them are misplaced. They were not power-hungry men seeking a way to control the church. They were men who tried to legitimately defend the faith and live out the Christian life in a context that constantly challenged solid biblical doctrine. We begin to understand why they reached many of the decisions they made regarding their beliefs and practices, when we see these decisions were brought about as a means to stand against the challenges from their culture. While we learn that they took some of these issues they dealt with to the extreme, we can also see (if we are honest) how evangelicals took many of these same issues to the opposite extreme in the Protestant Reformation. 

With all the strengths of the book, I would have preferred for Dr. Haykin to interact more with how each of these issues they dealt with applies to our culture today. This interaction would strengthen his argument that modern evangelicals should spend more time reading the church fathers’ writings. This interaction could involve spending more time wrestling with the questions: How does Ignatius’ willingness to die for Christ overlap with our selfish, prosperity mindset? How does Basil’s piety stand in stark contrast to our worldly-Christian culture? How does the Eucharistic piety of Cyprian and Ambrose directly challenge the often too-low view many evangelicals have of the Lord’s Supper? There is an insinuation throughout the book that perhaps evangelicals overreacted to many of the themes and issues in the Protestant reformation and discarded a wealth of knowledge along with the rejection of the entire Roman Catholic Church. There is a measure of truth to this insinuation which needs to be articulated more clearly. It is my fear that too many people will miss the subtle hint implied throughout the histories of these great men.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who is familiar or unfamiliar with the church fathers because it is an easy to read and understand introduction to some of the first men who contended for the Christian faith.

Best Comprehensive Book on Marriage, Family, & Other Relevant Issues: A Book Review of God, Family, and Marriage by Andreas J. Kostenberger with David W. Jones

God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas J. Kostenberger and David W. Jones (Crossway, 2010) is, to date, the best book that I have read on God’s design for marriage, the family and the various other issues it addresses. The biblical exegesis is solid and faithful to the biblical authors original intent in the covered the texts. The issues tackled in the book are very much alive and relevant to our modern culture. Kostenberger does a wonderful job of bringing God’s meaning from the biblical world to bear on the modern day dilemmas we face while not being afraid to admit to certain issues that are not specifically addressed in the Bible. In the instances where a problem is not specifically touched upon in the Bible, the author shows the reader how to apply overarching biblical principles in order to reach a biblical worldview regarding the issue.

Throughout the book, Kostenberger’s goal is to determine God’s original intention and purpose for marriages and families. What makes the book a must have resource is the broad range of issues addressed. These include looking at marriage and the family in the Old and New Testaments along with God’s purpose for making humans male and female. This latter chapter includes a discussion of the biblical role of sex in a couple’s marriage which is often a taboo area in evangelical Christianity. Further, the book also addresses many special issues which tend to get overlooked until they arise in a marriage or family and create their own problems due to lack of biblical education. These issues include: to have or not have children including the use of birth control methods and artificial reproductive technologies; parental methods; single parenting; to use or not to use physical discipline; cultivating masculinity and femininity in children; parenting teens; and even spiritual warfare in the family (I was pleasantly surprised by this inclusion). An unexpected, but very relevant, chapter is also included on singleness. The book then turns to handle some of the more controversial issues at stake in our society: homosexuality; divorce and remarriage; and qualifications for church leadership. The revised second addition also includes the addition of a chapter on how the church and the family are to relate to one another specifically addressing the “family-integrated church approach.” The appendix includes another chapter on the exception clause from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19:9 and the Pauline Privilege in 1 Corinthians 7:15. If you are one of us who enjoy reading the footnotes and endnotes, this book will worth it to you just for these 89 pages at the back packed with many other sources to study.

The book is wonderful. I have officially made it the primary source in my pre-marriage and marriage counseling classes. I would recommend it to all marriage counselors and pastors. I also believe that it is an excellent resource for every couple to have on their bedside table even though a few of the areas might be considered semi-technical.

Shackled by the Past- A review of Redemption by Mike Wilkerson

Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry by Mike Wilkerson (Crossway Books, 2011) is an incredible application of gospel work applied to the darkest parts of our being. It is a must read! It is a necessary resource for recovery ministries and groups. It is essential to marriage and family health. It applies to men and women of all ages and is vital for individual healing and church health. The most amazing aspect of this book is that although it focuses primarily on recovery ministries the message applies to everyone redeemed by the cross of Christ:

We are shackled by the past. Our bodies may be free but our hearts remain in Egypt.

The message of Redemption begins in slavery in Egypt and uses the Exodus event to show how Jesus Christ is your redemption. The message is fully God-centered showing that God's story is about God and how God's story answers real life questions. How does the cross apply to my past abuse? How does the cross apply to my past addictions?  How does the cross apply to other problems in my life: marriage, family, eating disorders, depression, and any other issue I am dealing (or have dealt) with? Why is my life out of balance? Why can't I find peace?

Mike Wilkerson masterfully winds the exodus narrative through personal testimonies and illustrations to show how this major event in Israel's history is our model to understand our redemption in Jesus. This is established by the three main themes of redemption throughout the exodus: deliverance, ransom, and renewal. Through the cross, God delivers us from the bondage of our sin. Through the cross, God pays the ransom for our redemption from the penalty of our sin. Through the cross, God renews and restores us to our pre-fall condition into the image and likeness of his Son Jesus Christ. "When redemption is complete, God's original purpose for all creation will be completely restored" (36).

Like Pharaoh held the Israelites, Wilkerson shows how our abusers, addictions and shame hold us in captivity. He addresses bondage that is against our will well as our tendency to volunteer ourselves for slavery. He shows how we fail to trust in God by not placing our faith entirely in Christ just like the Israelites did not trust God's provision while wandering in the wilderness. In addition, he shows how our faith in Christ is usually not true, biblical faith but rather it is an agreement to trust God as long as he provides for us on our terms (Chapter 5: Demanding Manna).

The wounds of our past, self-inflicted or other-inflicted, define and determine who we are today. We hold onto them. We live in the past. We even long for the days of slavery back in Egypt over an unknown future. We have been set free from bondage and slavery but we are not yet to the Promised Land. We are wandering in the wilderness. We are pilgrims on the way. Every trial and test we face in life is an opportunity to trust God or run back into slavery in Egypt. Redemption helps us see this from God's perspective. God is renewing us. This is redemption. We cannot be the people God created us to be until we stop looking back and run to the cross. Redemption teaches us how. We bring all of our baggage from the past into all we do today. Once the shackles break off and we are truly free, our lives and relationships can begin to be what God intended. Redemption is the answer.

Read it. You will be transformed.

BOOK REVIEW- Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission by Darrin Patrick (Crossway, 2010)

Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission by Darrin Patrick (Crossway Books, 2010) is a long overdue, breath of fresh air in the recent barrage of books about church planting.

Planting new churches is the latest trend taking evangelical Christianity by storm.  Books filled with the latest methods, strategies, and church models line the shelves of every church growth section.  Many ambitious people of all ages are flocking to this form of service to grow God’s kingdom.  Often, though, these planters plow out blindly with delusions of mega-churches in their sights because they have the sure fire method to reach their target area.  They have studied the latest trends, methods, models and strategies and developed their target group, vision, mission, branding.  They have assembled their launch team and raised the financial support.  The sound and lighting equipment is loaded on the trailer and the school location has been secured.  The mass mailings go out, and the pre-launch service takes place to iron out all the kinks before the official launch date that is set.  The excitement buzzes around this “new” come-as-you-are church that is marketed as the: “not your parent’s church” church.  Then, statistically, within 12-18 months the majority of these new church plants close their doors leaving a disillusioned core of people and a frustrated planter.  What happened?  Darrin Patrick cuts to the core of this problem in his new book Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission—the most important aspects are often the most overlooked areas in the planting process.  As the title of the book suggests, Patrick examines the called man, the preached message, and the mandatory mission of the church.  This book is a must read for all people professing a call to plant churches, pastors of existing healthy churches, and pastors of dying churches in need of revitalization.  Further, missionaries and lay leaders will also benefit from the wisdom in the book.

THE MAN

Darrin Patrick draws his knowledge from 20 years of experience in ministry.  He has walked the church planting road as founding pastor of the Journey Church in St. Louis and has the qualifications to speak on areas that make or break church planters and church plants as the vice president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network.    He makes no apology for the title of the book ruling out ½ of the population by gender and quickly reduces the number left due to a lack of maturity required to be considered a man apart from his gender.  After establishing the fact that more than anatomy is needed in order for a man to be considered to lead the Lord’s church in our day, he dedicates the first 1/3 of the book to the biblical qualities needed.  He begins by examining the spiritual condition of the man in question and progresses all the way through to the man’s determination to persevere in ministry no matter what the price.  Quitting is not an option.  Further, the man must possess a clear call into the ministry, be dependent wholly upon the Holy Spirit, possess the correct skills—gifted by the Holy Spirit—to plant/pastor a church, and be willing to lay down his life to protect the sheep that Jesus has placed in their care.  While these qualities seem obvious on the surface, Patrick delves into each area in a manner that will convict even the most tenured pastors by holding up a mirror that reveals to them how they look to God in each area.  Only the people with the most hardened hearts will not be convicted.  The one additional area that probably should have been addressed is where the man fits in demographically (urban, suburban, rural, etc.) to ensure a good fit in the area where he is planting, or pasturing, a church.

THE MESSAGE

After covering the man in question from every possible angle, Darrin moves onto to examining the message that the man proclaims to the world.  This may seem like a no-brainer but many people do not even give the message a fraction of the time that they give the marketing strategy.  This creates a problem when tens of thousands of dollars are raised and spent, the crowd arrives to see what the hype is about, and then they do not even get a chance to hear the gospel.  People do not need another hip self-help club to attend once a week, they need a savior and Darrin Patrick makes no apologies for this fact.  He covers the message from every conceivable angle beginning with the historical reliability of what we believe, the salvation accomplishing power which must always remain centered on Jesus Christ.  A message properly expounded will expose sin in the hearer’s lives and shatter the idols that they have elevated into God’s rightful place.  He anticipates the fact that many people will question the truthfulness, effectiveness, sufficiency and authority of the message we preach and he addresses the objections with sound biblical support.  He handles the message with reverence to the object of the message and necessity of proclaiming the message truthfully and fully.  This section will cause even the long-term preachers to step back and examine the message they have been proclaiming to assure that every time they step in the pulpit they are lifting up Jesus and not themselves or their agenda.

THE MISSION

If you build it they will come may work in theory, but it makes little sense to build anything without an intended purpose.  Darrin Patrick tackles the church’s mission in a manner that challenges the traditional idea of what it means to “do” church.  This section is right on time, given the ease in which one can forget the big picture once they get into the heat of battle.  Everyone must know what they are doing for God and keep that in focus.  Further, if the church is to be a biblical church, it needs to follow the biblical mandate for why a church even exists in the first place.  Just calling itself a church is not enough as Patrick reveals through the final section of the book.  He asserts that the heart of mission is compassion in reaching a lost world, and addresses the biblical teaching answering the questions, what is the church and what does it look like?  He covers the manner in which we can contextualize the gospel for people to understand it and gives a charge to care for the city in order to win the right to have an audience.  The ultimate goal, he concludes, is city transformation whereby the city would weep if the church were no longer present.  This is a radical concept in an age where many churches have turned so inward that they exist to serve and entertain the current members at the expense and exclusion of those outside the fellowship.  This final section will challenge any pastor or leader to examine their church’s activity in the world based upon what the Bible teaches it should be doing and will, if considered, bring about a radical change in our communities.

In a world overflowing with books designed to help the church planter develop their methods, and strategies, Church Planter addresses the more foundational issue of whether or not the person is even a qualified person with a biblical message and mission.  I highly recommend this book to anyone considering a call to plant a church as well as established church pastors.  It is time that we get back to the foundation of building God’s kingdom which involves real people hearing a Christ-centered saving message from a church on mission to transform its community and this book will help all who are serious at coming alongside of God’s work.