Book Reviews

Posted: 3/16/07

Book Reviews

Where Was God? Answers to Tough Questions about God and Natural Disasters by Erwin W. Lutzer (Tyndale House)

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Asian tsunami, Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, thoughtfully offers a short, biblically informed view of natural disasters and the questions disasters raise about the character of God and the potential response of believers.

In the end, we must be present with, grieve with and help victims of disaster rather than spend our time debating and trying to interpret for others why God allowed such things to happen. As Lutzer puts it, “Many of us are better at trying to explain natural disasters than we are at weeping over them!”

What are you reading that other Texas Baptists would find helpful? Send suggestions and reviews to books@baptiststandard.com.

He also writes, “Disasters remind the living that tomorrow is uncertain; so we must prepare for eternity today.” Even observing news of catastrophic events should remind us all that our lives are fragile and we must eventually face judgment. So, we should follow Christ and be prepared for any eventuality.

How we live each day and how we respond to suffering say something of Who we worship. “When disasters come, God is not on trial, we are.”

Greg Bowman, minister to students

First Baptist Church

Duncanville

Evangelism for the Rest of Us: Sharing Christ Within Your Personality Style by Mike Bechtle (Baker Books)

The Apostle Paul’s charge to his timid understudy Timothy, “Do the work of an evangelist” has sent chills up the spine of every believer with an introverted personality. In a society that favors and rewards extroverts, it’s unfortunate that most approaches to evangelism training are designed with the presumptive expectation that the learner will have an outgoing and engaging disposition.

One of the most valuable contributions of this book is to help the reader to understand his/her “spiritual type.” I expect few in the community of faith give any consideration to the fact each of us has a spiritual type that parallels our personality type. Some are expressive, demonstrative and outgoing, while others are quiet, reserved and reflective. We should not suppose that any one type is more or less “spiritual” than any other type but should, instead, recognize that each one plays a significant role in the rich diversity that is the body of Christ.

The author, Mike Bechtle, does a masterful job in helping every kind of spiritual/personality type in the family of faith discover how they can most effectively do the work of an evangelist.

Bobby Dagnel, pastor

First Baptist Church

Lubbock

Mysteries of the Southern Baptist Beliefs Revealed by Joseph Miller (AuthorHouse)

A distinguished naval surgeon and longtime Baptist layman drops anchor to discuss the 18 articles of the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, or what he calls the Southern Baptist “mysteries.”

The work provides a polemic for the King James Version of the Bible and sutures discussions of nearly every theological and moral issue imaginable into a commentary of the Southern Baptist Convention’s most controversial statement of faith.

The 2000 Baptist Faith & Message’s greatest controversy is seen in its treatment of women.

The Baptist Faith & Message receives a fatiguing “physical” through examinations of the King James Version rendering of every Scripture passage it cites. The treatment is exhausting, though not-so-thorough. The scuttling of the Jesus criterion from Article 1 is ignored in favor of a defense of the King James Version. The 2000 BF&M preface is completely unnoticed—jettisoning any discussion of credalism.

This volume shares many valuable insights, but its absence of anchor amid biblical languages, manuscripts, hermeneutics and English biblical translation leaves this remedy without harbor.

Miller’s main salvo is that the 2000 BF&M does not concisely teach the plan of salvation. Yet his volume remains at sea, not delivering the decisive corrective to a meritorious observation.

Mark Dunn, pastor

Rosemont Baptist Church

Montrose, Colo.