Christian Book Notes

Vollmer, Philip. John Calvin-Man of the Millennium: A Family Read-Aloud Biography. San Antonio: The Vision Forum, Inc., 2008. 389 pp. $20.00. Purchase at Amazon for $15.60.

Introduction

John Calvin needs no introduction to anyone. You either love him and his doctrines or you hate him and his doctrines. Even non-Christians know who John Calvin is and everyone ties one word to him–predestination. With 2009 having been the 500th anniversary of his birth, there were a plethora of books published in celebration. I reviewed two of those: John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor and Christian Biographies for Young Readers: John Calvin. Therefore, I am assuming a book on John Calvin needs no real introduction.

Summary

The book is similar to any John Calvin biography in that it traces how God worked in Calvin’s life through his early years up to the Reformation. We read of his becoming a fugitive because of his faith, his ministry in Geneva and Strasburg as well as the controversy with Servetus (for which he still pays dearly for today!). The biographical information concludes with his pastoral work, the founding of the Genevan University and his death.

What separates this biography from others is 1) this is designed to be read aloud with your family, and 2) the author takes special care to explain the many different aspects Calvin. These include John Calvin as theologian, preacher and pastor, educator, statemen, and a promoter of church union (an interesting chapter given he was a leader of the Reformation that led to the different Protestant denominations). There is a special chapter dealing with the doctrines of Calvinism–from a true historical perspective. The book concludes with Calvin’s influence on the world with separate chapters dedicated to Switzerland and Germany, Holland, England, Scotland, and America.

Review
I love that this book is formatted as a family read-aloud. Most of the chapters are less than 10 pages long allowing a chapter to be read easily in one sitting as a family. However, once you leave the actual biography and move into what is more of a commentary (chapters 17-30), it gets a bit difficult to read aloud. The biography, chapters 1-16, comprise 106 pages of the 308 pages of text. While the “second half” is very educational (and needs to be read), it is not as conducive to reading aloud as the first half.

With that said, reading aloud to your younger children the biographical information will cultivate an interest in the history of the church. As they grow older, they will want to know “the rest of the story” that is found in the final 2/3 of the book. I greatly enjoyed the insight provided in the “Influence” chapters (26-30). It was pretty amazing to see just how much John Calvin has influenced the world.

Recommendation

I am stoked that Vision Forum has published these read-aloud biographies. There is a movement within many churches and home school groups where families reading aloud is becoming more and more common. John Calvin-Man of the Millennium is an excellent addition to the library for both adults and children. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it a few more times with my children.

During the month of June, LOGOS is selling the complete works of Jonathan Edwards $79.95!  This product usually sells for $129.95.  Simply enter EDWARDSJUNE in the coupon code box when you place your order.  This offer expires June 30.

Key Features Included

* Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards
* Henry Rogers’ “Essay on the Genius and Writings of Jonathan Edwards”
* Complete family tree and list of descendants of Jonathan Edwards
* Letters and correspondence

Electronic Titles Included

Volume 1

* Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards
* A Careful and Strict Inquiry into the Prevailing Notions of the Freedom of the Will
* Dissertation on the End for which God Created the World
* A Dissertation on the Nature of True Virtue
* The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended
* A Treatise Concerning the Religious Affections
* Narrative of Surprising Conversions
* Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England
* Inquiry Concerning Qualifications for Communion
* Misrepresentations Corrected and Truth Vindicated, In Reply to the Rev. Solomon Williams
* A History of the Work of Redemption
* Five Discourses on the Soul’s Eternal Salvation
* 925 pages

Volume 2

* Twenty nine sermons, including “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
* Eighteen Theological Discourses
* Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God
* An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement
* Life and Diary of the Rev. David Brainerd
* Observations on Important Theological Subjects
* Remarks on Important Theological Controversies
* Observations on Angels
* Types of the Messiah
* Notes on the Bible
* Seventeen Occasional Sermons
* 972 pages

Dockery, David S. and Roger D. Duke. John A. Broadus: A Living Legacy Studies in Baptist Life and Thought, ed. Michael A.G. Haykin.  Nashville:  Broadman and Holman Academic, 2008.  260 pp.  $19.99.

Introduction to John A. Broadus – A Living Legacy

This book is first in a series of books that looks back at the history of Baptist life and thought.  The series editor is Michael Haykin who is Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality as well as the Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This particular book is edited by David S. Dockery and Roger D. Duke.  Dr. Dockery currently serves as the president of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.  Dr. Duke is assistant professor of religion and communication at the Baptist College of Health Services in Memphis, Tennessee and is an adjunct assistant professor at Union University.  More importantly, Dr. Duke is a new contributor to Said at Southern Seminary. Read more…

Murray, Ian H.  Lloyd-Jones, Messenger of Grace.  Edinburgh:  The Banner of Truth Trust, 2008.  267 pp.  $28.00

Iain Murray really needs no introduction to most readers here at Said, but in case you are new to the area, I would like to share a bit about Ian Murray.  He is perhaps best known for his biographies on men like Jonathan Edwards, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and John Murray.  However, he has written quite extensively in other areas of church history including Revival and Revivalism and The Puritan Hope.  In all, Ian Murray has written 20+ books for Banner of Truth Trust which he co-founded in 1957.

Of special interest to this particular volume is the fact that Ian H. Murray served with Martyn Lloyd-Jones for a season.  Because of this, Murray knows the rather private Lloyd-Jones unlike most people save Mrs. Lloyd-Jones and maybe a few others.  In this book, Messenger of Grace, we learn more of the “insider” knowledge Ian Murray possesses of the modern-day Puritan.

Summary of Messenger of Grace

This book is not like a biography in that it does not follow a chronological order of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ (ML-J from here on) life.  Rather, the author takes a more thematic approach to the ministry of ML-J.  The book itself is separated into two parts.  The first part deals more with an apologetic and description of various facets of his ministry.  Part two has a pretty neat twist on it that lends to a quick synopsis of a few major “events” in ML-J’s ministry.

Part one consists of the legacy of ML-J and how some unfair tags were placed on the man because of the choice of what was published and what was not.  For example, many claim that ML-J was not evangelistic because of his Romans and Ephesians series that have been published.  Murray argues, and shows, that ML-J was probably more evangelistic in his speaking than expositional even though every sermon was expositional.  Murray says as much on page 231, “Through fifty years, he preached more evangelistic sermons than those of any other kind.”  ML-J rarely preached through a book, except in the case of Ephesians, but would rather preach through passages as directed by the Holy Spirit.

We are treated to a chapter on how ML-J prepared his sermons and how he went about constructing his message.  The amazing component of this process was that while it was a routine for him, he never allowed himself to become reliant upon this.  Chapter five, in my opinion, is worth the price of the book for those 10 pages.  There is also a valuable chapter where Murray compares Spurgeon and ML-J.  Interestingly, ML-J was not a great reader of Spurgeon even though he was a great admirer of the Prince of Preacher.

A couple other chapters in part one deal with key controversies that ML-J found himself involved with during his life.  Ecumenism was one of those controversies and Murray attempts, I believe he does an adequate job, of defending ML-J’s actions which included a split with J.I. Packer that saw their involvement together in the Puritan Conference come to an end.

Part two begins with the actual letter ML-J sent to Packer that resulted in the end of the Puritan Conference.  This letter is valuable in and of itself because much has been written against ML-J due to this letter.  This is the first time the letter has been made public.

Chapter ten is nothing but 19 pages of quotes in different doctrinal areas.  It will definitely be a resource for many young ministers who like to look for quotes from past saints.  Chapter eleven is a listing of many (it is not exhaustive) of ML-J’s sermons.  Chapter twelve is an exhaustive synopsis of all of the sermons that comprise the eight-volume series on Ephesians.  Finally, Murray concludes with a short review on the book Is the Reformation Over that was not favorable to ML-J.

Critique of Messenger of Grace

The first thing I will discuss I only discuss because it is quite humorous in my mind.  In the preface, on page xiii, Murray writes on the last line of the page, “…heard and I am thankful it can now be heard by so many more for…”  As I turned the page to xiv I read the same exact line.  I was reading the preface late at night and merely wanted to get past the preface before I fell asleep.  I bet I flipped back and forth three or four times before I realized the same line had been printed twice!  What made it even funnier to me is the last sentence in the preface where Murray says, “I am indebted to my wife for her close and necessary attention to the text at the proof stage” (xiv).  I know full well that she had nothing to do with this oversight, but since I was so tired, and I have a strange sense of humor in the first place, I found myself laughing out loud at the mistake in that context.

Anything else that is under the heading of critique is positive in nature.  For example, Murray’s personal anecdotes that are mixed in throughout this book are priceless.  He offers insight into this man that few can.  It is abundantly clear that this book was necessary to “clear the air” on a few issues because ML-J still speaks to us today.  There is a new generation just now learning about this man and the ministry God gave him.  I believe every young minister should learn from this man as though he was a contemporary of Edwards, Whitefield, or Spurgeon.

Conclusion

I have struggled with how to recommend this book.  I am not sure if it would serve best to read before you read the biography (a must read) or if you should read the biography first and then fill in the gaps with this book.  There is also the simultaneous problem of where should you read Preachers and Preaching (again, a must read)?  The one thing that is absolutely true is that this book is a must own and read.  Even if you only read chapters five and ten, you will be blessed beyond measure.

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Bull, Josiah.  The Life of John Newton.  Edinburgh:  Banner of Truth Trust, reset edition 2007.  322pp. $14.00. Buy From Westminster Bookstore

As best I can tell, Josiah Bull only wrote this biography of John Newton and edited another book entitled The Letters of John Newton.  This biography was first published in 1868 under the title But Now I See.  It was first published by Banner of Truth in 1998 with the title But Now I See:  The Life of John Newton. This particular edition consists of a resetting of the typeset; i.e., the font was changed.

Summary of The Life of John Newton

Bull breaks down Newton’s life into three parts:  Early life and residence at Liverpool, Curate of Olney, and Rector of St. Mary of Woolnoth.  In 20 pages, we move from his birth in 1725 to his marriage to Miss Mary Catlett on 12 February 1750.  Glossing over some of the finer details of his life, we learn that he went to sea with his dad when he was only 11.  His dad passed away and he later transferred to a slave ship where he was abused by the commander.  He was rescued and became commander of his own ship.  His conversion took place on 10 May 1748, a day he would celebrate for the rest of his life.  He “quitted the sea” in 1754 where he had served as a slave trader due in large part to a serious illness.

By 1757 he was struggling with a call to the ministry upon which he answered that call in 1764 when he became the Curate of Olney.  Josiah shares with us how Newton sympathized with the likes of Whitefield and Wesley and how he longed to be a part of spiritual awakening that was taking place.

Newton suffered much for his faith during this time.  For example, he lost all of his property, his wife became very ill, he became extremely ill, he watched as his friends began to pass away from various illnesses, and he faced charges of meddling with politics (see Wilberforce).  In 1779, he accepted a call to become the rector of St. Mary Woolnoth.  Of special note to most readers is that it was during this time at Olney that Newton wrote Amazing Grace.

He continued his work for the final 27 years of his life at S. Mary Woolnoth where he died a gradual death in 1807.  During his life, John Newton “ran with the big dogs” if I may use that phrase.  He became friends with the likes of William Cowper, William Wilberforce, William Carey (a lot of William’s!), George Whitefield (who became a mentor of sorts to Newton), John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards though he really didn’t get to know Edwards as much as the rest.  It was almost as if John Newton was a “Forrest Gump” type because he never sought to be what he became.  John simply wanted to see the grace of God explode among the nations during the awakening that was happening during his life.  The aim of his regenerated life was to share the gospel and give all glory and honor to God.

While Newton is most known today for his being a slave trader saved by grace and then writing the ultimate song about grace, there is so much more to the man that must be understood to better appreciate his works (especially his hymns).

Critical Evaluation of The Life of John Newton

Can one begin to be critical of a work such as this?  I was unable to find anything that would pose a negative to the reading of this book.  I am intentionally sketchy on the summary because there is so much in the book that I did not know that would be of interest to the modern reader that a simple summary would not suffice.  It is my prayer that you would pick up a copy of this book to read.

Banner of Truth has done us the favor of keeping the original language from 1868.  This helps us to “feel” the life of John Newton even if it may be difficult at times to read.  By the time this book was written in1868 there were already a handful of biographies of John Newton.  Josiah Bull felt it was necessary to write this one because a diary that was unknown to previous biographers had been found.   Another element that Bull added was an oral history handed down by friends and family that the other biographers did not have access to.  For these reasons, and the test of time, this biography of John Newton stands, in my humble opinion, over all the rest.

Conclusion

For fourteen dollars, this is a must own biography of one of the giants in the faith.  It is important that the modern Christian understand that John Newton was more than a slave trader who wrote a great song.  By reading this biography, they will quickly see what drove the man to do such great things.  John Newton can be called as David was, “A Man after God’s own heart.”  His entire regenerated life had the aroma of a living sacrifice as per Romans 12:1.  To be able to peer into the life of John Newton is amazing grace indeed.

Duriez, Colin.  Francis Schaeffer:  An Authentic Life.  Wheaton:  Crossway Books, 2008.  221pp.  $24.99. Buy From Westminster Bookstore

Introduction

Colin Duriez was fortunate enough to not only have studied under Schaeffer when he was younger, but he was also able to interview him about his life when Schaeffer was near the end of his time here on earth.  In this authoritative biography of one the great philosophical minds of the 20^th century, Duriez writes from much oral history from many around the world who knew Francis Schaeffer.  He also used the archives found in the Presbyterian Church of America as well as the many other writings by Francis Schaeffer and other family members.  Needless to say, the subject of this book was studied and researched exhaustively before pen was put to paper.

Colin Duriez has written numerous other books ranging from literary works (six books) to biographies (three if you include this one) and a history book entitled AD 33:  The Year that Changed the World. When Duriez writes a biography, you get the feeling that he attempted his best to walk a mile in that man’s shoes.

Summary of Francis Schaeffer:  An Authentic Life

The book is a bit different in that it approaches the earlier life and “career” of Francis Schaeffer with much more detail than most other biographies.  The chapters are broken down chronologically into eight sections.  The first six sections comprise the first forty-eight years of his life (before L’Abri) while the final two chapters blitz one through the last twenty-four years of his pilgrimage.

Colin spends a chapter detailing his childhood leading up to Schaeffer’s role as a pastor and denominationalist in what would later come to be known as the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America).  Of interest to some readers may be learning how much J. Gresham Machen influenced the young Schaeffer in his ministry.  During this time in his life, he resided in St. Louis, Missouri.

The middle chapters detail the travels of the Schaeffer family from Holland to Switzerland and stops in between.  By the end of the book, we wind up in L’Abri where Schaeffer set up a school of sorts to teach people how to wrestle with the culture and to look at situations from another’s point of view.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the book is at the very end where Duriez shares his interview with Schaeffer from 10 September 1980.  In this interview, Schaeffer takes a very introspective look back at his life.  This conversation is an interesting peek into the person we know as Francis Schaeffer.  What is most amazing is to see how Schaeffer lived what he believed and how what he believed impacted his worldview thus changing his life forever.

Critique of Francis Schaeffer:  An Authentic Life

I thought Duriez did a wonderful job of showing the early life of Francis Schaeffer to an audience that may not be aware of how the man came to be the man we know.  What I would have liked to have seen is a bit more detail on the final twenty-four years of his life.  I realize there is quite a bit of writings regarding this time frame in Schaeffer’s life, but I believe we all would have been blessed all the more to have read it from the detailed mind of Colin Duriez.

The writing style was extremely engaging.  I could tell that much of what was written down came through oral history and conversation.  Rarely was there a dry paragraph in the book.  What I mean by “dry” is that most biographers feel the need to quote extensively from the works of the person about whom they are writing.  While Duriez does quote extensively from Schaeffer, he does so strategically and with great care.

Conclusion

This is a must read for anyone who wants to know what made this prophet of the 20^th century tick.  Not only is this book a quick read, but it could easily serve as a devotional of sorts.  Many Christian college students would do themselves a favor if they were to pick this book up and read it from cover to cover and plumb the depths of one of the greatest minds (not limited to just Christianity) in the 20^th century.

Francis Schaeffer still helps people understand what they believe and why they believe it even 25 years after his death.  We would all do well to sit at his feet and learn how God used this man to reach so many people.

Piper, John. Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007. 76 pp. $7.99. Purchase at Westminster books for $5.99.

Introduction and Background

John Piper, pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, has become a noted biographer in recent years because of his 4-volume Swan Series books where he takes a quick look at the lives of some of the saints that have gone before us as well as his more in depth looks at the life of Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller just to name a couple. This book on the life of William Wilberforce is along the lines of the others. It is short and full of information. In no way does John Piper pretend that this is an exhaustive sketch of the life of Wilberforce.

Summary of Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce

Piper introduces this biography by asking the question, “What made him tick?” The answer, “was a profound biblical allegiance to what he called the ‘peculiar doctrines’ of Christianity” (p.20). These peculiar doctrines were so important to Wilberforce that he wrote a book entitled, A Practical View of Christianity, that set forth the necessity of these doctrines for the Christian believer. He then spent the rest of his life and career seeking to establish these as a way in which one should live their life at all times.

Wilberforce’s early life was a bit troubling. He was orphaned at age nine and sent to live with his aunt and uncle. It turned out that God was in this, as Wilberforce would later acknowledge, because one of the family friends wound up being a man they called “Old Newton.” This was none other than John Newton.

The story of how he met his wife is impressive to read because of how fast it happened. He had been a believer for about 12 years when he met a woman named Barbara on 15 April 1797. “He fell immediately in love. Within eight days he proposed to her, and on May 30 they were married, about six weeks after they met” (p.28). They stayed married until William passed away. “In the first eight years of their marriage they had four sons and two daughters” (p.28).

His conversion came about during a time of travel with a friend, Isaac Milner, in 1784. It was at this time that Wilberforce reached a biblical view of man, God and Jesus at an intellectual level. However, his intellectual assent slowly became deep conviction. He later referred to this move from intellectual assent to deep conviction as “the Great Change.” After his conversion, Wilberforce struggled with whether or not he should leave politics altogether and go into the ministry.

A visit to “Old Newton” helped him to see that he was better able to serve God in politics than if he were to leave politics. Through this meeting, Wilberforce began the process of the abolition of slavery in Britain. Though this is what he is most noted for, Wilberforce was involved in much, much more. He was active at one point in his career in sixty-nine different initiatives. He also sought to evangelize his fellow politicians with the gospel.

Getting back to the abolition of slavery, Wilberforce began his quest in 1787. After numerous defeats, he witnessed the abolition of slave trade in 1807. He was able to see a complete abolition of slavery in 1833 just before his death in the British colonies. Thus, William Wilberforce was allowed, by the grace of God, to begin and see the completion of the total abolition of slavery in Britain.

Critique of Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce

Though this short biography was very informational, I did note two areas that I thought detracted from the book as a whole. First, there is a discrepancy in terms of the timing of the complete abolition of slavery and the death of Wilberforce. Jonathan Aitken, who writes the foreward says that Wilberforce died three months after slavery was outlawed (p. 15). John Piper says that his death took place three days after the abolition of slavery (p. 19).

I do not believe this would have been noticed had it not been for the mere four pages between the two statements. However, since it occurs so close to the beginning of the biography, it can cause a little bit of concern as to the historicity of all the facts presented. This is especially true because Aitken is Wilberforce’s biographer and Piper has become known for his biographies. I was unable to find much resolution as to the date of the abolition of slavery in relation to Wilberforce’s death, but am not too concerned because they all have the same year (1833).

I offer the second critique with the qualifier that I completely agree with the doctrine of Calvinism that John Piper discusses in the context of his biography. However, I do not see why he believed this to be necessary to insert into the biography-especially in the context that he did. In discussing what other people thought about William Wilberforce, John Piper says the following:

Hannah More, his wealthy friend and a co-worker in many of his schemes for doing good, said to him, ‘I declare I think you are serving God by being yourself agreeable…to worldly but well-disposed people, who would never be attracted to religion by grave and severe divines, even if such fell in their way’ (p.61).

Piper continues,

In fact, I think one of the reasons Wilberforce did not like to use the word “Calvinist,” is although the faith and doctrines he expresses seem to line up with the Calvinism of Whitefield and Newton, was this very thing: Calvinists had the reputation of being joyless (p. 61-62).

Piper gives a lengthy footnote as to the use of the word Calvinist as well as to the friends Wilberforce kept. The last sentence of footnote 17 found on page 62 says, “As I completed his book, A Practical View of Christianity, I could not recall a single sentence that a Calvinist like John Newton or George Whitefield or Charles Spurgeon could not agree with” (p. 62).

As I said, I am in complete agreement with these doctrines myself; however, I do not see how this is important to the context of the life of William Wilberforce given that this is only a 76 page introductory biography. It gives an appearance that John Piper wants Wilberforce to be a Calvinist even though he never came out and said as such.

Conclusion

As a short biography of one of the great Christian men in the history of the world, I would recommend this book. It is extremely readable and can be read in one sitting perhaps during an evening. I also think it would serve in a school situation where a student is learning about slavery and/or a history of Britain.

This book has whet my appetite personally to learn more about William Wilberforce and to read his book A Practical View of Christianity. This short biography can also interest the reader into wanting to know more about great men (and women) of the faith throughout history. Piper’s writing style is just conversational enough and full of just enough historical information that you feel as though you are dialoguing with a historian.