The Mary We Forgot

By Jennifer Powell McNutt (Brazos Press)

Mary Magdalene was among the last to leave the crucified Jesus on Golgotha and the first to bear witness to the resurrected Christ at the empty tomb. Even so, she has received a bad rap for nearly 2,000 years, author Jennifer Powell McNutt asserts.

The Gospels present Mary Magdalene both as one whom Jesus delivered from demonic oppression, and also as one who supported Jesus’ ministry financially and was numbered among his followers. However, that is not the image most Christians have of her.

In part, she has been the victim of the “Mary muddle”—so many women named Mary in the Gospels that readers have struggled to keep them straight. Even some Church Fathers and Popes mistakenly conflated Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.

Mary Magdalene also has been confused with the “sinful woman” in Luke 7 who anointed the feet of Jesus and unfairly has been labeled as a prostitute, McNutt maintains. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ didn’t do her any favors in that regard. Webber and Scorsese perpetuated that misinterpretation of Mary as a reformed prostitute with a romantic interest in Jesus, but they were neither the first nor the last to do so.

McNutt, a professor of theology and Christian history at Wheaton College, insists Mary Magdalene rightly should be remembered and honored both as “the apostle to the apostles” and an “apostle among the apostles.” Christ himself commissioned Mary to “go and tell” others he was risen from the grave. Ancient church traditions not only attest to her witness to Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, but also to missionary activity of her own.

Christians long have wondered about the decision by the apostles in Acts 1 to select Matthias as a replacement for Judas Iscariot. Some believe they may have acted prematurely, because God already had in mind Saul of Tarsus as the apostle in waiting.

But in reading The Mary We Forgot, I found myself asking a different question. What if the apostles failed to recognize Christ himself already had named and commissioned Mary Magdalene as an apostle? How would views about women in ministry have been different if Peter, James, John and the others had recognized fully the apostleship of Mary Magdalene?

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

The Pursuit of Safety: A Theology of Danger, Risk, and Security

By Jeremy Lundgren (IVP Academic)

Is this world safe? No. Is it supposed to be safe, and if so, who’s responsible for making sure it is? Should Christians seek safety? Whether they should, the human instinct is to pursue safety, which Jeremy Lundgren presents as an exacting taskmaster turned idol in the modern age.

In answering questions like those above, Lundgren’s The Pursuit of Safety is a wide-ranging exploration not just of theology, but also the history, philosophy, technology and ethics of safety and security. It is an academic treatment perhaps most appreciated by those of an analytical or philosophical bent.

Lundgren begins by defining a host of terms and concepts related to safety. He then offers an extended examination of human conceptions of danger in the premodern, early-modern and late-modern eras. Premodern people viewed danger in relation to a world filled with gods and spirits. The disenchanted world of the early-modern era understood danger as a natural feature of the material world. For the late-modern world, danger resides within us.

Religious ritual gave way to calculating probability, technological innovation and the fine-tuning of safety measures. In the absence of the gods, the pursuit of safety became an idol, Lundgren contends.

Interesting discussions frequently bog down in what seem to be tangential analyses many readers will find tedious. Dedicated readers will find these apparent asides eventually support the broader argument.

The topic of safety in relation to the Christian life provides Lundgren’s most interesting chapter—the next-to-last. Here, he frames the pursuit of safety as “a perpetual flight away from harm and toward nothing,” the opposite of a “pursuit of life” (p. 222). He describes this pursuit as an end in itself in conflict with obedience to Christ.

The Pursuit of Safety is less interested in ethical and conceptual prescriptions than in a thorough analysis of the whole field of safety and security.

Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard

The Church in Dark Times

By Mike Cosper (Brazos Press)

The church publicly humiliated one of its own members, called his salvation into question, stripped him of his livelihood and compelled others in the church to cut ties with him—all because he spoke truth that made church authorities uncomfortable.

That’s what happened to Galileo in the early 1600s, when he dared teach the Earth was not the center of the universe.

It also happened much more recently to some members of Mars Hill Church when they dared question the authority of Pastor Mark Driscoll, who had become—in the eyes of many in the church—the center of their universe.

It also has happened countless other times in evangelical churches, big and small, when members offered dissenting views on varied topics, from hot-button social issues to matters of biblical interpretation. And it most certainly has happened in churches where leaders have been credibly accused of abusive behavior and the powers-that-be failed to see what should have been obvious.

In The Church in Dark Times, author Mike Cosper, host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, explores factors that have made otherwise-moral people in churches complicit in enabling abuse and other moral failures of church leaders.

Cosper draws deeply from the insights of German-American historian and political theorist Hannah Arendt. In the aftermath of World War II, she sought to explain how ordinary, seemingly decent people supported the evil perpetrated by totalitarian systems. Little by little, increasingly corrupt and immoral practices became accepted as the norm when they were carried out to fulfill the vision cast by a charismatic figure.

The Church in Dark Times does not just identify the problem. In the second half of the book, Cosper offers helpful ideas and guiding principles to equip Christians to resist the darkness. Instead of surrendering to ironclad ideology and grandiose movements centered on celebrities, Cosper encourages Christians to embrace shared life together—praying, worshipping and bearing each other’s burdens.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

The Rhythm of Home: Five Intentional Practices for a Thriving Family Culture

By Chris and Jenni Graebe (NavPress)

The word “rhythm” has evolved from primarily associated with music, dance and poetry and with the recurring processes of science to a term reminiscent of its Latin origin likened to a flowing stream. In The Rhythm of Home, the authors apply the term to a framework of flowing but structured life practices that help people purposefully grow around core values. In the case of Chris and Jenni Graebe, their home furnishes the setting for the family of seven as they strive intentionally to build a culture where each member flourishes personally and spiritually and the family thrives as a whole.

That’s a tall order, but the faith leaders in local church ministry fill the pages of The Rhythm of Home: Five Intentional Practices for a Thriving Family Culture with wisdom, truth, grace, honesty and practical ideas gleaned from their own successes and failures. Each chapter begins with a Scripture or quote, and the Graebes stress starting with a shared vision, establishing a loving home and building a strong community of support.

Jenni and Chris then explore five key core rhythms. These include the rhythm of speaking life individually and collectively, the rhythm of serving each other and then serving outside the home, the rhythm of slowing down when life gets too fast, the rhythm of seeking adventure daily, and the rhythm of staying in awe of God’s world and his creation.

The parents share illustrations with the permission of their five children. For example, the rhythm of speaking life can be as simple as each family member offering a blessing for the birthday girl or boy at dinner on their special day. Or they may be as elaborate as a rite of passage event when each turns 13 that includes male or female relatives and mentors depending on the teen’s gender and perhaps a few close friends who speak blessings and sometimes give gifts that remind them of the individual’s wonderful qualities. The stories of the two who have celebrated that milestone, their son and oldest daughter, provide ideas that can be personalized and replicated.

On another occasion, when the family continually feels too rushed, too frustrated and too crabby on Sunday mornings, they meet together, discuss the need to slow down and develop a solution that works by pre-preparing on Saturday evenings and switching to a later worship service.

The Graebes call readers to examine, evaluate, and envision unique rhythms that continue to allow their family to thrive. Some rhythms may have become ruts that should be eliminated. Others may need to be revised as children grow older.  A few may have developed into cherished traditions that will endure.

Finally, the authors offer encouragement to develop a rhythm of home and no matter how hard, to “do it anyway.” The title closes with a beautiful blessing, made even more beautiful when spoken by Jenni Graebe on the audible book.

The Rhythm of Home delivers healthy hope and practical inspiration for the parenting journey. But for empty-nesters and those without children, the book subtly and not-so-subtly provides hints as to how to help and not hinder. Even if the reader or listener uses just some of the ideas, the rhythm of their home will become more loving, more joy-filled and quite simply more fun.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas

Waco

When the Church Harms God’s People

By Diane Langberg (Brazos Press)

“A body that does not follow its head is a very sick body.” Diane Langberg initially made that observation while watching her once-athletic father struggle with the effects of Parkinson’s. Later, as she counseled victims of sexual abuse within Christian circles, she applied that same principle to the body of Christ. When the church fails to follow Christ and cares more about preserving institutions than protecting vulnerable people, it is seriously ill.

In When the Church Harms God’s People, Langberg writes as one who loves the church enough to offer an honest diagnosis of its sickness in order to help restore its health. She draws upon more than 50 years of experience as an internationally recognized psychologist and trauma expert and as former chair of the board of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Langberg identifies how unhealthy churches unwittingly encourage and enable predators, including those in key positions as pastors and ministry leaders, to prey upon people when they are most vulnerable. She explores how domestic violence or abusive behavior—even in the homes of ministers—can be ignored or even excused in a culture of self-deception.

However, she doesn’t just diagnose illness in the body of Christ. She also prescribes actions: calling the church to genuine repentance, speaking a healing message to those who have been victimized, and urging ministers to heed the example of the Good Shepherd. While she offers no easy answers to complex problems of systemic abuse, she does provide guidance. If churches heed her counsel, they can become caring communities that reflect the heart and mind of Christ.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

Letters to a Future Saint

By Brad East (Eerdmans)

My third-born child was stubbornly receptive to the classic hymn “Jesus Loves Me.” He refused to let me stop at one verse following the first night I sang him more.

Like the additional verses to “Jesus Loves Me,” the depths of Christianity remain unknown to too many Christians. Brad East seeks to remedy this in Letters to a Future Saint.

In the third of 93 letters, East shares with the future saint that we seek to know Christ because he first loved us, and “to know Christ is to love him” (p. 8). East’s letters for the volume were inspired by writing letters to the future saints in his own life.

One of the beauties of East’s work is the depth he plumbs with simple writing, even in the brevity offered in each letter. Most of the letters could be read in about the time one could sing “Jesus Loves Me” through once or twice.

Also to be expected in letters, but still delightfully refreshing from a theology professor, is the transparency into East’s own heart. In the 40th letter, East describes his own sin struggles, encouraging the future saint to do the same, allowing the church to act as AA but for sinners—“Sinners Anonymous” (p. 100).

The transparency doesn’t stop with his confession, either. East is unapologetic about raising his children to be Christians. Bluntly, East notes, “fine: we brainwash our kids to love Jesus” (p. 195). This line brought the greatest grin as I read, because it is probably the one I agreed with the most. The grin, however, was also because the line appears in the same letter (the 75th) in which East advocates for pedobaptism—the practice with which I most disagree.

There are other opportunities to disagree theologically with East. However, one should be careful to be as charitable in disagreement as East exemplifies in his own disagreement with Baptists on baptism and Young Earth Creationists on creation.

These virtues and enjoyments found in East’s work, along with consistent quotations from the saints, allow him to model the love one can practice in knowing Christ (and theology) more. Inspired by St. Augustine’s mother, Monica, East reflects, “I want to pray my children into heaven” (p. 214).

That should be a want for us all, and in knowing Christ more, we will want it more.

Ben Faus, pastor

First Baptist Church, Crawford

Confronting Sexism in the Church: How We Got Here and What We Can Do About It

By Heather Matthews (IVP)

Quite a few books attempting to describe and discharge the subjugation of women in the church have been written in recent years. Some of these books look at the issue from a biblical perspective, others a feminist perspective, and still others from the perspective of influential, faithful men—allies who hope to help right a wrong.

Some of these books are more helpful than others in reaching the audience Matthews notes most needs to hear, to understand, the reach and impact of sexism in the church—within evangelical Christianity most especially, where sexism is “baked into the cake.” That audience is men.

Matthews has this audience in mind as she writes. At times sharing personal stories, she tackles the topic as a caring, well-informed sister.

In the first half of the book, she defines sexism, discusses the theology of sexism, provides brief histories of sexism and antisexism in the church, elaborates on the price women pay, and discusses factors that have contributed to sexism’s perpetuation.

While an honest conversation about sexism in the church cannot be undertaken without using the word “patriarchy,” she seems mindful of overusing language that might keep some in her target audience from hearing the truth of what she has to say. So, if that word bothers you, don’t stop reading when you get to it.

That’s not to say reading this book won’t be uncomfortable for some—men or women, who were raised in the overt sexism of the Southern Baptist Convention, as was Matthews, or other denominations of similar mindsets. But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to grace—grace to learn and listen—and grace to confront practices which harm women and the entire community of the faithful.

In the second half of the book, Matthews offers suggestions on beginning to confront the “malignancy” of sexism in our churches, in a variety of ways and levels.

There is hope for change, because “God sees women,” Matthews asserts. And he’s working in the world to have the imago Dei in women honored fully.

Matthews doesn’t deal with “difficult” Scriptures. If you’re looking for help with those, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for practical, accessible help in understanding and addressing sexism in the church, add this book to your library.

Calli Keener

Baptist Standard

The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary

Edited by Esau McCaulley, Janette Ok, Osvaldo Padilla & Amy Peeler (IVP Academic)

With so many biblical commentaries out there, why another one? Because this one is different. How so? This one—a one-volume commentary on the New Testament—is written predominantly by North American ethnic minority men and women. That may seem like an unnecessary sea of qualifiers, but those qualifiers matter, because those perspectives have gone largely unconsidered.

The New Testament in Color is composed of 22 commentaries on the books of the New Testament written by 20 different scholars, along with five introductory chapters on biblical interpretation from five ethnic perspectives—African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American (Turtle Island) and Majority-Culture (Anglo)—and chapters on gender, mental health, linguistics and immigration.

The writers are not meant to represent an entire ethnicity but comment on their respective books of the New Testament from their perspective within their given ethnicities. In this way, all students of Scripture may encounter the Gospels, Acts, Revelation, and the many letters of the New Testament through eyes shaped by differing social situations.

In fact, this volume ought to be included in one’s study library because “socially located biblical interpretation is nothing less than the record of the Spirit’s work through scriptural engagement among the different ethnicities and cultures of the world” (xii). In an increasingly diverse world, understanding numerous views of Scripture is necessary.

The varying perspectives on the New Testament benefit the reader in at least two more ways. When the reader realizes just how much agreement on Scripture there is across cultures, there arises a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood perhaps previously unrealized. When readers encounter differing views of biblical truth, there arises awe and wonder at seeing new facets of Scripture previously obscured.

Lest someone think this project is heavy on ethnicity and light on serious biblical scholarship, lead editor Esau McCaulley explains: “All the contributors in this volume labored hard to gain [a “proper understanding” of necessary interpretive skills]. It is precisely because I believe that biblical texts are God’s inspired word to his people that we must do our very best to read them well and carefully” (xii).

So why add another commentary to your library? Because I bet you don’t have one like this one, and you should.

Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard

Shelterwood: A Novel

By Lisa Wingate (Ballantine)

Literary scholars sometimes debate the difference between historical fiction and fictionalized history. Once again in Shelterwood, Lisa Wingate walks that fine line as she explores a heartbreaking period in the history of Oklahoma, the state of the best-selling author’s childhood and college years.

Painstakingly researched in old newspapers, oral histories, congressional records, court cases and other primary sources, Wingate interweaves historical events and real people like social reformer Kate Barnard into a novel that tells of a time when powerful men exploited or eliminated Choctaw and other tribal children to wrest control of their valuable, oil-rich land.

Shelterwood unfolds as a tale of greed in the past and greed in the present in a single geographic location through alternating chapters narrated in 1909 by 11-year-old “Ollie” Olive August Peele Radley of Pushmataha County, Okla., and in 1990 by Valerie Boren-Odell of Talihina, Okla. Recently transferred, Boren-Odell has become a law enforcement ranger at the newly opened Horsethief Trail National Park, where the mystery begins when an anonymous caller reports the discovery of human skeletal remains in a cave on Horsethief Trail land.

In 1909, after her father is murdered, Ollie’s mother remarries and becomes addicted to whiskey and opium. Fearing her stepfather and what he’ll do not only to her but to the family’s young Choctaw ward, Ollie flees taking Nessa and becomes her strong, smart protector. The two girls connect with similar children, mostly Choctaw, trying to hide and survive in the woods and wilderness under horrific conditions. Occasionally, they encounter kindness, but not often.

In 1990, outsider Boren-Odell finds herself distrusted by bosses and co-workers. She learns by accident about the bones of the three girls who died in the early part of the century. As the widowed mother of a young son, seeing the remains touches her soul, and she becomes obsessed with unearthing their story. It’s up to Val and her one ally, Choctaw Tribal Policeman Curtis Enhoe, to uncover the truth of the abandoned children, a truth that proves as dangerous to a female ranger in 1990 as to Ollie and Nessa 80 years earlier.

Ultimately, the two stories converge as old secrets, greed, graft and conflicts over ownership of the land and its wealth transcend the years. Everything should have changed, but seemingly nothing has as the tales of exploitation and making problems disappear continue, at least until three generations unite and fight for answers, justice and resolution, risking their lives in the process.

As in Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate carves in Shelterwood a powerful, heartbreaking, yet heartwarming novel written from the pages of history and told through the composite eyes of those who lived and survived. Reading or listening to the audible book evokes anger, sadness, grief and disbelief, but also reveals resilience, courage, compassion and selflessness. Despite occasional tears, you’ll be glad you read Shelterwood. I was.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas

Waco

Your Jesus is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream

By Steve Bezner (Brazos Press)

This world is not a perfect match for the kingdom of heaven, however near the kingdom of heaven is to this world. There is the way things are here, but that doesn’t mean that’s the way things ought to be. Your Jesus is Too American examines the gap between the two.

American Christians’ values may mirror America more than Christ, particularly when it comes to power, enemies, money, sexuality, politics, race and suffering. Steve Bezner holds up an American view of these seven areas and compares it against Scripture. In particular, he compares the American view against what Jesus taught regarding the kingdom of heaven.

The German state church accommodation of National Socialist values in the 1930s led Dietrich Bonhoeffer to write Cost of Discipleship. He sought to combat the forsaking of heavenly kingdom values in favor of worldly kingdom values. Bezner sees the same tendency in the American church.

Kingdom values look more like cooperation and collaboration than competition, sacrifice more than grasping, giving more than accumulating, self-denial more than self-promotion, love more than self-protection. In short, kingdom values seem to be an inversion of worldly values. Or maybe it’s vice versa.

As firm as the title is punchy, Bezner’s comparison is gentle. He leads with his own weaknesses, admitting where and when his values have mirrored the world more than they have imitated Jesus. His honesty is refreshing and disarming. We all could use a dose of that.

Your Jesus is Too American is scheduled for release Oct. 8.

Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard

Over My Head: Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure  

By Liz and Jack Hagler (Tyndale Kids)

Think back to ages 7-12 and those elementary school and preteen years. Reading wasn’t always fun, and the Bible seemed especially hard. Remember questions felt silly to ask, like: “How did Adam remember what he named all the animals?” or “Where did they exercise on the ark?” or “Why did Jacob not recognize Leah?”

Over My Head, Book 1 (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure series by Liz and Jack Hagler seeks to answer those questions and many more in a kid-friendly, graphic novel format. Similar to comic books, graphic novels use sequential art, in this case black and white drawings by Liz Hagler, to tell a stand-alone story that can be fiction or nonfiction.

Almost 5th grader Patrick Paddy Wigglesworth writes what happened in his weird life when he got “yanked into a Bible adventure” with Moses as his guide. Who better to lead Patrick from creation to Moses scenic view of the Promised Land than the author himself?

He begins with a disclaimer: “This journal tells the story of what I saw on my Bible adventure. It might seem a little different from what you read in your Bible. But don’t worry—I’ve included Bible verses so you can look up each story. Thanks, Patrick.”

Interspersed, the reader sees a real boy who grumbles about his little sister, shares some of his dad’s unbelievable God stories, and complains he must be good in Sunday school because his mom is the teacher. But his journal and the art bring the Bible to life in engaging and often fun ways.

Patrick isn’t afraid to ask Moses hard questions but has to remember there weren’t Sharpies or cell phones in those days. Patrick writes a really cool “The Great Pharaoh Confrontation Rap” and tries to figure out the recipe for that tasty manna because after all, it wasn’t lima beans.

Many of the entries contain Patrick’s stories within Bible stories. He matches Leviticus rules to rules he has to live by and then on his no-rule-birthday decides rules aren’t so bad.

Wandering in the desert seems like forever, but so does the family car trip sitting next to his sister. When Moses tasks Patrick with helping teach the new group of people in Deuteronomy about God’s blessings, he realizes there’s no PowerPoint. So, he creates sand drawings of “God’s epic drama.”

Clearly, Liz and Jack Hagler’s Over My Head from Patrick Wigglesworth’s Bizarre Bible Adventure series isn’t a Bible storybook. Instead it’s a fun, child-friendly and family-friendly way to teach about the Bible and offer the opportunity to dig deeper by providing verses that match. The graphic novel will also help girls and boys relate Bible concepts to their everyday lives. And who knows? Their parents, teachers and other adults might just enjoy and learn something from Patrick Wigglesworth. I did.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas

Waco

Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda

By Megan Basham (Broadside Books)

Memory fails to recall a recent book that has created such an immediate backlash among evangelicals as Megan Basham’s new and purposefully provocative title, Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda. The publication of this title (released July 30) started a firestorm of online debate. Several prominent figures mentioned in the book immediately began self-defense campaigns on their various social media platforms.

Basham writes in an easily accessible style. She frankly admits she does not qualify as a theologian, nor does she make many attempts at describing the theological ramifications of her claims. She sees her task as reporting the facts—a task she executes through both anecdotal narratives and hardline receipts.

That combination makes Shepherds for Sale a compelling read. By intertwining real-life excerpts and concrete data, Basham helps the reader not only understand the leftward drift of evangelical leaders, but also the ramifications for those seated in the pews. These narrative elements prevent her book, which easily could have been overwhelmed with charts and data, from devolving into a dry repetition of statistics.

More importantly, the narratives remind her reader that ideas carry consequences not only for those who believe them, but also for those around them. It’s a message every believer needs to hear as the cultural tides continue to swell ever higher around the church.

So why then the controversy? Basham is not nice. She is not generous. She reports the facts. Her book names all the names. As a Baptist herself, Basham does not give her church a pass.

Furthermore, the book is well researched. While the book contains eye-opening passages, especially as she exposes the “money trail” behind so many of the forces influencing churches, Basham’s crime is not laying bare secrets. Her guilt or value, depending on how her reader will judge her, lies in the fact that she documents these trends. She prints them in a book. She makes them concrete.

The author accuses evangelical leaders of doing the natural thing during a cultural shift: putting away their “oars of resistance and floating off with cultural tides” (p. 79). She claims evangelical leaders’ motivation centers on seeking “respectability with the world” and treats them as bad actors trying to play the role of a “Christian that the world would love” (p. 81).

Basham extends no olive branches to these leaders. Instead, she throws a life preserver to those who have been tossed overboard by the cultural swells. Perhaps Basham writes hard things, or perhaps George Orwell was right after all, “The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

J.R. Watkins, student pastor

Lake Tyler Baptist Church, Tyler

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some journalists and victims’ advocates have accused Megan Basham of an ethical violation, because she exposed the name of Johnny Hunt’s alleged sexual abuse victim in her book after discovering it in an unredacted court document.