Book review: Worldliness

Worldliness
C. J. Mahaney et al.

In Worldliness, C. J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, Bob Kauflin, Jeff Purswell and Craig Cabaniss explore how Christians can avoid worldliness at a heart level, not just a behaviour level.

I suspect when a lot of Christians see a book on worldliness they are expecting to see a list of don’ts. With the exception of some unnecessary inclusions in the section on modesty, this book takes quite a different path. Instead it looks at the heart issues behind temptations in areas such as media consumption, music, modesty and consumerism. I found the heart check questions at the end of many of the chapters quite helpful and in some cases very convicting. They might be worth talking over in a small group or accountability partnership setting.

I think the book was a bit of a letdown in the section on modesty. There is a lot to be said about what both men and women communicate with what they dress, but the segment was almost entirely aimed at women. The focus on how women dress was made even more awkward coming from a guy. It would have probably been preferable if they had found a female contributor for this chapter. They also seemed to put an excessive amount of responsibility and guilt on women to ensure that they are not causing men to think the wrong way as a result of what they wear. How a clothing choice will impact upon others is a good thing to keep in mind, but the chapter seemed over the top as some people will think the wrong things regardless of how someone else is dressed. The appendixes on what modest dressing looks like in practice also distracted somewhat from the focus on the heart issues behind modesty.

Although the chapter on modesty was a bit frustrating, I think this book is mostly worth reading.


Review copy kindly provided by christianaudio.com

Book review: Alex Chediak- Thriving at college

Thriving at college
Alex Chediak

In Thriving at college, Alex Chediak tries to help equip Christian students with strategies to not only do well academically at college, but to develop good friendships, maintain a healthy spiritual life and end up well positioned to enter post-college life.

I was quite impressed with this book. It deals very well with many of the things I have seen myself and my fellow students growth through or come unstuck from. One thing I particularly appreciated about this book was that they were clear about the spiritual challenges of the college environment without making college sound like the massive anti-Christian conspiracy to bring Christian students undone I have sometimes heard. The selection on the impact of how well you choose your friends alone would make reading the book worthwhile. Unless the friends are particularly wild it isn't something we tend to think about I've come to realise in my time at college how much of a difference it really does make. In addition to dealing with spiritual matters the book has a lot of good material about other aspects of college life such as debt, having an appropriate attitude about grades, getting involved in extra-curricular activities, time management and choosing a minor. The author did a good job of providing balanced advice, particularly in regards to thinking about grades in a way that takes achievement seriously without letting it become an unbalanced obsession.

The book does have an American bent to its content, but it would still mostly be useful to students everywhere.

I think this is a very useful and helpful book. I would happily give this to any Christian I knew who was starting college or who had been at college for a while and was struggling. I think if you were to take on the advice in this book you would have a very good chance of thriving at college.


Review copy courtesy of Tyndale blog network.

Book review: Max lucado- Max on life

Max on life
Max Lucado

In Max On Life, Max Lucado answers some of the more common questions that he has been sent by readers.

Max’s pleasant writing style and memorable turns of phrase that many have come to appreciate in his books are present here. I found myself reaching for the highlight button on my kindle quite often. I was also quite impressed by the diversity of topics. He covers a huge variety of questions so almost everyone should be able to find something relevant to them.

While the very short chapters makes the book an easy read, it doesn’t necessarily make for great answers. Some answers were a bit too simple or left out points that would have been helpful. Given that some of the questions were similar, in some cases it would have been better to answer less questions and give more detail to the ones he did answer. He also makes some questionable theological arguments, such as arguing that people who have never heard of Jesus will be saved on the basis of 2 Peter 3:9 or arguing against predestination on the basis of Matthew 22.

There is enough good material in the book to make it worth a look but I probably wouldn’t give it to someone really struggling with something due to the lack of depth it sometimes exhibits.


Review copy courtesy of booksneeze.com

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Book review: John Stott- The Radical disciple

The Radical Disciple
John Stott

In The Radical Disciple, John Stott explores some important of the aspects of discipleship he thinks have tended to be overlooked.

The book is quite a short one- less that 3 hours in audiobook format. It is not a complete guide to discipleship as some of the obvious topics are missing. Instead it takes the form of some reflections on areas and practices of discipleship he has come to consider important but neglected over his long and fruitful walk with God. Things like caring for the environment are not necessarily what you would expect out of a book on discipleship but he makes a good case for it. I found the material on the environment quite challenging. Another very interesting idea he addresses is dependence on not just God but others as well as part of our spiritual growth. In my opinion, the best of the chapters is the one on dying. His reflections on dying take on a particular weight as he is coming to the end of his life and this is the last book he is to write. The book ends with an incredibly moving goodbye to his readers.

Style wise, the book is an easy enough read, although in places he does rely a little too much on quoting theological position papers he had helped to develop.

I am not a fan of the use of “radical” in this or other books as a term to describe what should be normal Christian discipleship but the material in the book is strong enough for me to overlook it. I think this book is a fitting finale to his ministry and is a worthwhile read.


Review copy courtesy of christianaudio.com

Book review: Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove- The Wisdom of Stability

The Wisdom of Stability
Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove

In The Wisdom of Stability, Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove makes a case for being rooted in the same place with the same people as a means to grow spiritually and faithfully serve God.

This was a challenging read. It isn’t challenging because of the writing style- the book is written in an clear and interesting manner. It is the content that makes it a challenging book. The idea of stability is so foreign to our globalized world and mobile lifestyles but the author makes a strong case for it. He compellingly argues from his own experiences and those of Christians throughout history that learning to stay in the same place and deal with the challenges that brings can be beneficial to our souls and communities. It would have been good to see a little more dealing with how this idea fits with Jesus commands to take the gospel to the ends of the world (Acts 1:8). Regardless, there is more than enough in the book to ponder. Given that already this year I have moved house, changed churches, travelled overseas and filled out job applications for a job in another state it certainly gave me a lot to think about! I’m still working on what the application looks like for me personally so I think it is a book I will be coming back to.

I recommend this book. It is worth reading and pondering.