Book Reviews

What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church?

WHAT IF I DON’T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH?
By Gunner Gundersen
Review copy courtesy of the Crossway Blog Review Program

That’s a great question! It represents a tension we probably all have felt. Who has not had a Saturday night when they had that realization, with a twinge of dread, “Ah man, we’ve got church tomorrow!” I mean, I serve as a pastor, and I still have those moments.

So what do you do when you find yourself there? What if you really don’t feel like going to church? What should you do if that feeling persists? How should you think about that feeling? How should you proceed?

In What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church?, Gunner Gundersen gently pleads with you to go anyway. He writes, “The most important time to be at church is when you don’t feel like it. So please, brothers and sisters, go” (Gundersen, 2020, p. 53). This is the heart of his book. And he spends its pages explaining the whys and hows of this plea.

Gundersen leads the reader through a careful thinking process to address this question. He begins with analyzing our feelings. He considers a number of factors that could be at the root of our hesitation. Then he moves to detail the meaning and significance of the church and why you would want to go even when, especially when, you’re not “feelin’ it.” He then proposes how you might go. Gundersen readily admits there are no perfect pastors or congregations, and so adjusting one’s expectations about why and how to go is helpful. He concludes his book by reiterating the blessings that come from going to church, despite the personal struggles and corporate imperfections.

At each of these turns, Gundersen succeeds in providing simple and clear explanations. One of my personal favorites is this clarification:

The New Testament uses three images for the church that emphasize our togetherness: a family of siblings, a body with parts, and a temple with stones. The church is “the household of God,” “the body of Christ,” and “a dwelling place for the Spirit,” built with “living stones” (1 Cor. 12:12–27; Eph. 2:21–22; 4:15–16; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5). The implications are obvious: families live together, body parts work together, and temple stones fit together.
Some people use these truths to discount church attendance. “The church is a people, not a place,” they say. “It’s about being the church, not going to church.” But instead of lowering the bar, these images actually highlight the beauty and benefit of gathering with our fellow believers. (Gundersen, 2020, pp. 23-24)

Touche.

If I were to issue one critique, it would be with the book’s layout. This book would benefit from having chapters. It is not a long book by any means, but it still could use points of reengagement. Chapters typically offer this kind of reengagement by giving additional introductions and hooks for each new topic. But this brief book is structured like one long chapter. If I were handing this book to someone who is at the point where I think they need this book, I would be concerned that they wouldn’t have the motivation to make it to the end as it is currently structured. But this critique is minor.

I do recommend this book. It is a thoughtful, heartfelt, and quick read. Gundersen writes clearly and assembles succinctly a helpful collection of thoughts and scriptures on an important topic. As such, I would recommend it as a discussion guide. It is the kind of book that would spark great conversations over coffee with a trusted friend or mentor. Knowing the crew at 9Marks, that’s probably what they had in mind all along with this series on church questions.

So, call a friend, grab a copy, head to your favorite coffee shop, and discover why you should go to church even when you don’t feel like it! This book will generate a fruitful discussion for you.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

Gundersen, G. (2020). What If I don’t Feel Like Going to Church‌. Crossway.

The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments

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HUMAN RITES (Audiobook)
The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments
By Dru Johnson
Narrated by Trevor Johnson
Courtesy of Eerdmans

How might your everyday, never-think-twice-about routines be shaping and forming you, for good or bad? Dru Johnson invites us to consider this question.

In Human Rites, Johnson explores how our schedules and smart phones, sacraments and training, all work together to mold us into who we are. Though we may not view all of these activities and elements of our lives as rituals, they do have ritualistic aspects, and as embodied creatures, these physical routines have a way of working themselves into our souls, outside in.

Johnson’s point here is well-taken. We can embrace the trappings of modern life and culture too uncritically. It is good and wise to consider how we spend our days…because “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” (Dillard, 1989, p. 32). As others have suggested, it may be helpful to set aside these things for a time and only add them back as we reconsider their usefulness (Newport, 2019).

And yet, while Johnson lands this central point, at times, he diffuses his argument by seeing ritual everywhere in everything without distinction. That there are ritual elements everywhere seems reasonable enough, but it is not always clear what Johnson means by the term or what he sees as ritualistic about a certain thing.

Regarding the terminology, he interchanges “ritual” with such concepts as practice, embodied practice, routine, habit, rhythm, training, rule, liturgy, ethics, addiction, scripts, and rite. Are there no nuances between these ideas?

As for the examples, he mentions some practices such as church rituals , which seem clearly ritualistic (formal, repetitive, symbolic, embodied). But then he offers more puzzling examples, like the ritual of reading a book. How is reading a ritual? Is the act or convention of reading itself the ritual? Or, is it the habits and idiosyncrasies that attach themselves to the act of reading? It is unclear. The discussion gets so broad at points that one is left thinking the real topic is perhaps how environment and nurture affect people.

But I do not intend to be overly critical. Johnson’s admonition to consider the role of these exterior things on our soul is a helpful reminder. And, at just over four hours of listening, it is a thought-provoking conversation worth the time.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

Dillard, A. (1989). The Writing Life. Harper Perennial.

Johnson, D. (2019). Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments. Eerdmans.

Newport, C. (2019). Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world. Portfolio.

Confronting Christianity

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CONFRONTING CHRISTIANITY
12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion
By Rebecca McLaughlin

In Confronting Christianity, McLaughlin takes on some of the toughest modern objections to Christianity with care and concision.

She tackles these questions, a chapter at a time:

Aren’t we better off without religion?
Doesn’t Christianity crush diversity?
How can you say there is only one true faith?
Doesn’t religion hinder morality?
Doesn’t religion cause violence?
How can you take the Bible literally?
Hasn’t science disproved Christianity?
Doesn’t Christianity denigrate women?
Isn’t Christianity homophobic?
Doesn’t the Bible condone slavery?
How could a loving God allow so much suffering?
How could a loving God send people to hell?

McLaughin has a PhD in literature from Cambridge University. She currently (as of 2020) lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is home to Harvard and MIT. I mention these details because you get the impression she is someone who not only knows the conversations but knows their current tones and nuances. This is a major strength of her book.

It is caring and careful.

McLaughin’s writing is also well-researched and well-cited. This book would serve as a great resource for cataloging contemporary articles and statistics on these topics.

Because the questions are handled so clearly and concisely (and with footnotes), this book could be used as a conversation starter to work through with a sincere seeker.

I gladly commend McLaughlin’s book to you. And I welcome your feedback or questions about it.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

McLaughlin, R. (2019). Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. Crossway.

Digital Minimalism

By Derek 1 Comment

DIGITAL MINIMALISM
Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
By Cal Newport

Would you have more life if you had less tech?

Cal Newport explores this question in Digital Minimalism, and his answer is emphatically “yes.”

Newport considers the effects of technology and social media on our productivity and wellbeing. While various social platforms can have many upsides, Newport reminds us that they come with many downsides, too. Smart phones and social media are not neutral. They come with assumptions built in, and businesses sit on the other side of our screens, engineering their products to draw us into the web.

Newport’s Digital Minimalism is then a call to wake up to these effects and be more intentional with our engagement. He is not suggesting we abandon all such technologies. Rather, he invites us to be more cautious in our adoption and use. He asks us to do cost-benefit analysis of using these platforms.

His goal is not for us to become luddites but for us to have fuller lives by encouraging us to run our technology and instead of allowing it to run us.

Digital Minimalism is a good primer on this discussion. It’s brief and easy to read. It is also very practical. Newport offers several suggestions and best practices for trying out his brand of minimalism.

My critique of his thoughts are mainly that Newport represents a unique person in a unique career setting. Newport holds a PhD from MIT, and he is a professor. And so, the level of intentionality and focus he brings to this kind of thinking (like, keeping a spreadsheet of his email-checking habits) is well beyond what most of us would care to analyze. And most folks are not having to worry about creating headspace for writing peer-reviewed articles, and so they will not resonate with level of focus he is aiming to achieve.

But again, I think this is a helpful and worthwhile read. For anyone wanting to reconsider their digital life, this is a great place to start. And for any knowledge workers whose jobs call for deep work, it is well worth considering Newport’s advice.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

Newport, C. (2019). Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world. Portfolio.

The Explicit Gospel

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THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL
By Matt Chandler, with Jared Wilson

In The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler (with Jared Wilson) seeks to clearly explain the content, scope, and trajectory of the Gospel so that it is, well, explicit.

By “explicit,” Chandler means both full and bold, as well as clear and obvious. Full and bold because our understanding of the Gospel is too small. Clear and obvious because we simply assume the Gospel too often. On both accounts Chandler succeeds in making the Gospel explicit.

To dispel this Gospel fog of misunderstanding and understatement, Chandler structures The Explicit Gospel into two primary parts. In part one, he approaches the Gospel “on the ground.” The Gospel on the ground looks at the Gospel on a personal level. Chandler writes, “When we consider the gospel from the ground, we see clearly the work of the cross in our lives and the lives of those around us, the capturing and resurrecting of dead hearts.” Here, Chandler discusses God, Man, Christ, and our Response.

In part two, Chandler considers the Gospel “in the air.” This section takes a cosmic, big-picture look at what the Gospel means and accomplishes creation-wide. This part looks at Creation, The Fall, Reconciliation, and Consummation. According to Chandler, both of these views are “necessary in order to begin to glimpse the size and weight of the good news, the eternity-spanning wonderment of the finished work of Christ.”

Also, there is an additional, shorter part three that deals with application and implication. Despite its shorter length, it is a gold mine of insight. In this section, he draws out the necessity of both viewpoints. Chandler argues we need the Gospel on the ground to rescue individuals and anchor us to the theology of the atonement, but we also need the Gospel in the air to draw us out of individualistic, self-centered Christianity. The Gospel redeems both individuals and all of creation. The perspective in the air thus keeps our Gospel as big as it should be and keeps us moving out in mission and acts of mercy.

Overall the book works, and I greatly enjoyed it. Chandler makes the Gospel joyfully explicit with a display of clear thinking, sound theology, and lively prose. He can quickly move, as only Chandler can, from the pedestrian humor of family life to the profound thoughts of God with such ease. Because of this unique blend, the book is truly a fun and enlightening ride.

Chandler’s two-pronged approach to the Gospel also comes as a welcome addition to the missional conversation that has been raging over the last few years. By appealing to both the Gospel on the ground and the Gospel in the air, Chandler manages to simultaneously (and adeptly) lift up and expand the call and scope of missional ministry while also anchoring it to the atonement and the necessity of conversion. The Explicit Gospel will be a valuable resource to someone who wants a balanced view of the Gospel and ministry.

Of course, as with any book, there were a couple bumps and slow downs along the way. I was a bit disappointed with his chapter on Christ. In this chapter, Chandler deals with the atonement, but in short order, too short. He tarries on numerous Old Testament passages that point to the necessity of the atonement, but I would liked to have seen a fuller development of the New Testament scriptures that deal with the subject.

By comparison, his treatment of the Fall felt somewhat inflated. It was not useless or in error, but the chapter seemed to doddle as it pertained to the central theme of the book. Again, please understand me; Chandler’s explanation of the Fall was packed with useful insights. But the continuing illustration of the Fall with the book of Ecclesiastes seemed overdone and distracting.

That being said, as a whole, the book zinged. In fact, the final chapters seemed to speed up rather than wind down. Some of Chandler’s most pointed prophetic charges, which were strewn throughout the book, came at the end. One in particular sticks out:

“Church of Jesus, let us please be men and women who understand the difference between moralism and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s be careful to preach the dos and don’ts of Scripture in the shadow of the Cross’s ‘Done!’ Resolve to know nothing but Jesus Christ crucified. We are not looking to conform people to a pattern of religion but pleading with the Holy Spirit to transform people’s lives. Let us move forward according to that upward call, holding firmly to the explicit gospel.”

Chandler’s passion for the explicit Gospel clearly shines through passages like this and others throughout the book, making it a compelling read.

The Explicit Gospel has certainly stirred my heart and mind. It’s message is timely and needed, and I gladly recommend it to you.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

Chandler, M., & Wilson, J. C. (2012). The explicit gospel. Crossway.

Pastor’s Justification

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THE PASTOR’S JUSTIFICATION
Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry
By Jared Wilson

I first discovered Jared Wilson on twitter. He was funny. He was a Patriots fan. And he was prolific. Win, win, and win.

Turns out he’s a good writer, too.

Wilson has written several books and coauthored several more. But one thing sets him apart: He pastored a small church in rural Vermont.

That’s street cred.

Reading after legendary church leaders can be intimidating. I will never preach as many sermons as Spurgeon. I will never think as deeply as Calvin. I will never be as sarcastic as Luther. You know what I mean. But in reading to Wilson, I found someone who has walked a mile or two in my shoes. And so when he talks about the contours of ministry and mercy, I listen.

In The Pastor’s Justification, Wilson artfully applies the Gospel to the work of ministry and the office of pastor. With his blogger-styled wit and quick prose, he carries the reader into some deep places of grace and insight. He surfaces the difficulties of ministry, but right before the pity party kicks in, he delivers the gospel punch, over and over.

I found this book to be very touching, genuine, and helpful. It is certainly worth a read and a reread.

Happy learning!
Proverbs 3:13

Wilson, J. C. (2013). The Pastor’s justification: Applying the work of Christ in your life and ministry. Crossway Books.