With Him: A Biblical Model of Discipleship for Men

Ken G. Smith | 10Publishing, 2017, 60 pp., $8 | Available at CrownandCovenant.com

Anyone who knows Ken G. Smith, retired pastor in the RPCNA, knows that the discipleship of men is not simply a book, but a ministry he has given his life to. Now, thanks to his efforts, the church has this valuable little resource that centers discipleship on the “with Him” model.

In one sense this method is so simple; yet there is a good chance that in reading your Bible you might have missed it. The basic thesis of the method is that discipleship occurs best in the context of relationship and shared lives. With a lot of pastoral wisdom (and experience), Ken walks readers through the how-tos for this model—how to find men, teach men, cultivate friendships with men, and to do all of that with Christ-centeredness.

There were two questions, however, that I was left with. The first has to do with defining distinctions. In this model of discipleship it was not immediately clear to me what the difference might be between an elder’s shepherding and teaching ministry and the every-member discipleship, training, and teaching promoted in this model. Second, I was left wondering what relationship the ordinary means of grace (especially preaching and the sacraments) have in our discipleship.

This is not a sophisticated book. As the author himself notes, “with Him” discipleship is common sense. But it is this that gives it strength, and it is in this that the hardest challenges come for the reader. You will not read this book without asking the personal and searching question: “If it is so obvious, am I doing it?”

All That Is in God

James E. Dolezal | Reformation Heritage Books, 2017, 162pp., $14

There is a tremendous theological illiteracy in our day. The knowledge that many have of those things God has revealed for our good and His glory is paper thin. Perhaps this is most obvious in our doctrine of God. Recent controversies within evangelicalism have demonstrated that this is true of the pulpit, pew, and podium. The lack of acquaintance most have with the basic categories, definitions, and distinctions in God’s nature and persons is what makes James Dolezal’s book All That Is in God an extremely helpful addition to any bookshelf.

In this book Dolezal sets out to interact with a position he calls “theistic mutualism.” Basically, theistic mutualism puts God in a give-and-take relationship with His creatures. That is to say, God undergoes certain changes intellectually and emotionally in relation to His changing relationship with creatures. While that sounds extremely academic, theistic mutualism has found its way into popular expressions in the writings and teachings of Bruce Ware, John Frame, and K. Scott Oliphant.

Drawing from rich exegesis and a wide array of Reformed thinkers (e.g. Stephen Charnock, George Swinnock, Francis Turretin, and Herman Bavinck), Dolezal demonstrates how this popular teaching undermines classical theism’s insistence on the unchangeableness, simplicity, eternity, and unity of God. Thankfully, he attempts to do it in a way that is accommodating to the average reader. Whether he is completely successful or not I will leave to the judgment of a broader audience.

This is a challenging read that will require careful attention to definitions and logical arguments. Nevertheless, it is a rewarding and enriching read. The doctrine of God is not a peripheral truth. It is at the heart of what we confess about the one God in three persons.

Lion of War Series (3 books)

Cliff Graham | Zondervan, 2011-2014

Without much detail the Bible records fascinating and intriguing battle scenes throughout Israel’s history. Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be there—the sight of enemy armies, the sound of mighty war psalms, the sense of confidence mixed with fear, the taste of victory by the mighty hand of Jehovah? In the Lion of War series, Cliff Graham gives readers a fictional but captivating portrayal of some of the Bible’s greatest heroes, namely, David and his mighty men.

Fiction books based on the Bible have often abused the truth. While Graham weaves together the biblical facts with creative imagination and liberty, he is wholly committed to the authority and inspiration of the Bible. These stories are not intended to supplement the Bible or even indicate that there is some lack in the biblical narrative. Rather, they are simply an attempt to offer a picture of what it might have been like. Graham is careful to caution readers against making more of them than he intended.

As works of fiction these books are not extremely profound or even, in my estimation, well written. Nevertheless, each book is a page turner, and they are literary candy. Men and young men will especially appreciate this series.

A note of caution should be made. Graham deals honestly with sin and failures, repentance and grace. He does not shrink back from more mature themes—passion and, especially, violence—but approaches them, in my opinion, in much the same way the biblical text does. These books give an astonishing and gripping portrait of what battle, death, and victory might have been like during Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land and during the establishment of the Davidic kingdom. More than that, in their unique way they remind the reader that “the Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name” (Ex. 15:3).

Exploring the Bible

David Murray (art, Scotty Reifsnyder) | Crossway, 2017, 224 pp., $15 | Available at CrownandCovenant.com

In Exploring the Bible, David Murray has provided an extremely helpful guide for a children’s daily Bible-reading plan. He has also done it in a way that is fun and engaging. This book has 52 expeditions, and each expedition has a weekly prayer point and memory verse, six lessons that accompany a short Bible reading, and a question for every day. Sundays are reserved for review and provide a place for children to take sermon notes and record their own reflections. Young readers (ages 6–12) will begin the year with the Bible’s unfolding story in Genesis and conclude it in Revelation. Throughout the book, a Christ-centered approach is maintained. Every page is wonderfully illustrated, which adds to the aesthetic appeal. Efforts were made to not include any pictorial representations of Jesus.

As a pastor and father, I am convinced this resource is a must-have for your children. It will not only aid them in beginning their own practice of private worship, but it will challenge them in childlike ways to think through what they are reading and to hide God’s Word in their hearts.

What Is the Bible?

Rob Bell | HarperOne, 2017, 336 pp., $27.99

Simply stated, What Is the Bible? is an unsophisticated demonstration of unbelief. It left me with the conclusion that Rob Bell wants to be so much like the world, and that this is (ironically) his attempt at a biblical justification for his stance.

This book was written because Bell wants to help people read the Bible in a better way. Central to his thesis is that many fail to see the patterns, images, connections, and themes that arise when the Bible is read in context. Such an attempt may be commendable. We live in a time where a right reading of the Bible is lacking. Nevertheless, Bell’s attempt to help is about as useful as throwing a rock to a drowning man.

Throughout the whole, Bell insists that the Bible is a profoundly human book about what it means to be human. In the unfolding of the Bible, he believes we see a growing and enlightened conscience of human maturity. For Bell, the Bible is a product of real humans, in real situations, in the real world as they—according to their time and place—try to interpret the events they see around themselves. In emphasizing this, Bell is intentionally stripping from the Bible its authoritative, inspired, and inerrant character.

This way of reading the Bible leads Bell to explain that as we reflect on the biblical text we need to see the progress to greater degrees of enlightenment. For instance, the Genesis flood is a story that ends in moving humanity away from a violent to a more relational understanding of the divine. Melchizedek teaches us that people not of our religious background can, and do, have genuine connections to the divine. Leviticus is a book that insists that human actions really do matter. The woman caught in adultery is a call to social resistance to anything that robs people of dignity. The cross of Christ represents humanity’s final step away from understanding God as needing sacrifice and blood to appease wrath. In the end, the Bible is depicted as just a story about human progress that coincides with Bell’s own progressive and liberal agenda.

If there is any value in Bell’s book, it is simply that it offers a popular representation—without big vocabulary and complex hermeneutical rules—on where many people place the Bible in their understanding of Christianity. It is compelling only because so many people are compelled by it. If you read this book, you must read with great caution because, at the end of the day, Bell’s craft is no different than the wily craft of the serpent: “Did God really say?”

Kyle Borg is pastor of Winchester, Kan., RPC. He serves on the RPCNA Education & Publication Board.