Christian Book Notes

Murphy, Martin and James Vickery.  Making Godly Choices: What Does the Word of God Say?  Chipley: Theocentric Publishing Group, 2011.  184 pp.  $12.95.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

Martin Murphy is no stranger to Christian Book Notes.  He has published a number of books from his own pen in recent years as well as publishing many other resources (most of which have been reviewed here).  James Vickery wrote Joy in Worship earlier this year.  Both men have shown themselves to be godly men of character through their writings.  Making Godly Choices may explain why.

Summary

Divided into sixteen chapters and two basic parts, Making Godly Choices begins with a look at the truthfulness of our ability to make real decisions that have consequences.  After introducing this basic concept in the first two chapters, the authors spend chapters 3-12 (ten chapters) discussing the Ten Commandments and how they are to be our guide in this New Covenant to right decision making.

The final four chapters offer sound advice and sage wisdom from men who have been there and done that as the reader seeks to implement what has been read.

Review

Sue Thielke wrote on the back of the book, “I devoured Making Godly Choices in three days.  After reading it, I understand why.  There have been a number of books on the Ten Commandments that I have read.  Some were better than others.  This particular resource helps the reader to understand the function of the Ten Commandments for the church today.

With great pastoral care Vickery and Murphy offer experienced insight into what the “Big Ten” mean for us today.  Often this is lost on the church at large and many believers are left thinking that the Ten Commandments are not meant for us today which then leads to the slippery slope that the Old Testament as a whole is of no use.  This is not true and Making Godly Choices is the cure for the amnesia that is rampant today within Christendom.

Recommendation

If you are looking for a resource that will explain the use of the Ten Commandments for the New Testament believer today, then you would do well to pick up a copy of Making Godly Choices.  It is written with the believer in mind and therefore is applicable to all who call on the name of Christ.  I recommend this resource to all.  Read, be enlightened, and be equipped to understand how we can know when we are making Godly choices.

Murphy, Martin.  My Christian Apology – Apologetics: Explained and Applied. Chipley: The Theocentric Publishing Group, 2010.  92 pp.  $7.95.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

Martin Murphy has written a number of books which have been reviewed here at Christian Book Notes.  His latest to be published, My Christian Apology, is his attempt at calling the believe back to rational discussion of God, meaning, and reality.

Summary

Murphy offers a brief synopsis of Jonathan Edwards’ apologetics as well spending some time offering a smattering of theologians from the Southern Presbyterian Church, specifically, Dr. Francis Beattie.  The book begins with a classical definition of the field of apologetics and moves straight into a discussion of Edwards’ use of apologetics in his sermons and writings.

We see how Jonathan would attack and reason from a common ground that we all share.  As Murphy moves through Edwards he arrives to the 19th century Southern Presbyterians–the longest chapter of the book.

Perhaps the most important chapter is his chapter entitled Understanding Natural Law for Apologetics.  Here, Murphy lays out his…um…apologetic for a classical view of apologetics.  After having laid his foundation in Edwards and the 19th century, Murphy’s argument for Natural Law and apologetics is a force to be reckoned with.

Review

At only 92 pages, this is not a long read.  Neither is it a difficult read.  While Murphy does say that the book is not elementary students, it is definitely and easy read as far as apologetics go.  If you have studied apologetics at all, you will find that Murphy offers a compelling argument.  If you have never studied apologetics, this is a good place to begin.  As I said above, the chapter on Natural Law for Apologetics is worth the price of the book.

Also, I believe this to be Martin’s best book to date.  His writing style seems more equipped for this writing approach–laying out a defense for believing and sharing the Christian faith.  The book is engaging and the footnotes will point the reader in the right direction as he seeks to better understand a classical apologetic.

Recommendation

I highly recommend Murphy’s My Christian Apology.  It is thought provoking and should drive the Christian to want to be able to better defend what he believes when talking with unbelieving acquaintenances.  It will also help to dispell misunderstandings regarding a classical approach to apologetics.

Murphy, Martin.  The Essence of Christian Doctrine: A Brief Study of the Apostle’s Creed and Basic Christian Doctrine. Dothan:  Theocentric Publishing Group, 2010.  192 pp.  $12.95.  Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

I have had the pleasure of interviewing Martin Murphy about his books and his new publishing group, Theocentric Publishing.    You can check my review of his two other books, The god of the Church Growth Movement and Theological Terms in Layman Language.

Summary

The Essence of Christian Doctrine is a systematic approach to understanding biblical doctrine that is a bit more than a systematic theology.  Murphy begins with a short, but very helpful treatise on the Apostle’s Creed.  Using the Apostle’s Creed as the structural basis for the rest of the book, we are treated to an exposition of what each element of the Apostle’s Creed means from both a historical understanding as well as what it means for believers today.

There is one chapter on God followed by five chapters on Jesus Christ.  He then moves to the Holy Spirit and the church body.  Moving through the Creed, we come to the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body to everlasting life.

At this point, Murphy moves from the Apostle’s Creed to the basic Christian doctrines.  Here he begins with the Bible and then moves to God’s plan from eternity past in His created order.  After establishing God as creator, the reader is treated to chapters on sin, salvation, sanctification, and church government.  The book concludes with understanding what it means to live by God’s law, biblical evangelism and the principles of reformation and revival (continually striving for a biblical understanding of the Christian life and church).

Review

I appreciated the style in which Martin wrote The Essence of Christian Doctrine. By sticking to the Apostle’s Creed, the first half of the book appeals to all Christians across a wide panorama of denominations.  He offers a fairly objective treatment on each doctrine but drives home the importance of understanding what the Bible says about each point found in the creed.

The second half of the book breaks away from the creed but offers some keen insight on the importance of Scripture and the doctrines such as sin and salvation.  Here, Murphy offers much technical information but does so in a way that anyone can understand what he is saying.

The book would have been made much better by including the Apostle’s Creed in its entirety somewhere within its pages. While he does offer the creed in part throughout the book in the respective chapters, it would have been extremely helpful to read it before delving into the study.(Editor’s note: with the third edition of The Essence of Christian Doctrine the author has included the Apostle’s Creed at the beginning.)

Recommendation

The uniqueness of this systematic treatment of Christian doctrine makes this book an excellent resource for the pastor, the Sunday School teacher, or the small group leader.  If you are going to teach through the Apostle’s Creed, this book will be an invaluable resource.  If you want to know more about historic Christian faith, The Essence of Christian Doctrine is perfect place to start.

The Essence of Christian Doctrine by Martin Murphy is on sale until Reformation Day (31 October 2010) for $7.95. This amazing price is cheaper than the Kindle price! You can read my review of Essence here, but you will need to click here to purchase the book for only $7.95!

Murphy, Martin. Return to the Lord: A Brief Commentary and Exposition of Hosea. Dothan: The Theocentric Publishing Group, 2010. 130 pp. $8.95. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Martin Murphy is no stranger to the readers of Christian Book Notes. He has been reviewed and interviewed here a few times. You can read those reviews here. He is also one of the co-founders of The Theocentric Publishing Group.

Summary/Review

Just as the subtitle alludes to, this book is a commentary and exposition of Hosea. This is not like your typical commentary, however. What you will find is a guided tour of not just the main highlights of Hosea, but a gentle push to delve deeper into the Word of God.

As with any commentary, Martin’s “perspective” is inevitably obvious at some points though he leaves the door wide open for the reader’s interpretation. His use of pronoun’s like “I” is the main reason for this comment, but overall, he does an excellent job of remaining objective…a trait that is difficult when writing any commentary or expositional thoughts on a book of the Bible.

I appreciated most his questions sprinkled throughout the book. Those questions, while not loaded, will direct the reader to some profound thoughts on what it means to be in covenant with God. (As believers in Christ Jesus, we are in a covenant with Him!)

Recommendation

Return to the Lord can be used for personal edification or for preparing a lesson. What is more, this resource can be used for sermon preparation. It will not give you “Martin Murphy’s thoughts on Hosea” as many commentaries offer. Rather, it will lead, guide, and direct you as you seek to understand the central message of this Old Testament Prophet. In the end, you will be asking yourself, “Have we returned to the Lord?”

Author Martin Murphy, over at his blog, Rational Christian Thoughts, wrote a post this past Saturday about a 19th century preacher speaking of the decline in the church and culture in his day. Read the few choice quotes Martin has shared and leave a comment with your thoughts. Here is the first paragraph of Martin’s post:

Dr. James Henley Thornwell served the Lord from 1835 to 1862. His life and ministry manifested a desire to know God and a passion to serve Him through the ministry of the church. I read the Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell years ago and recently reviewed it to refresh my memory. Reading his letters makes me wonder; was yesterday, today? Thornwell’s discernment and insight should have awakened the church leaders during his life time. I’ll share a few quotes from Thornwell’s letters that were written over 150 years ago.

Read the quotes and the rest of the article here.

This week’s Winsday giveaway is sponsored by Theocentric Publishing Group. They are giving away an autographed copy of both The Essence of Christian Doctrine and Theological Terms in Layman Language. You can read my interview with the author and publisher here. Simply fill out the Contact form for your chance to win.

This weeks interview is with Martin Murphy.  Martin has just recently started a brand new publishing company, the Theocentric Publishing Group.  This brand new publishing group is dedicated to publishing solid, Christian books.  If you have a book you would like to see published, check them out.  You can read reviews of Martin’s books here.

Christian Book Notes (CBN): Please share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior.

Martin Murphy: My conversion from agnosticism to Christianity took place when I was 32 years old. All of us have kairotic moments (a turning point), an antepenultimate moment, when something changes the way we think or we have an experience that changes the way we live. I was hospitalized for what may have been a life threatening problem and while I was in the hospital I started reading the Bible. My unbelief turned into faith in Christ and my life has never been the same since.

(CBN): Could you share a little more about yourself?

My wife was the religious person in the family, so she was in the background praying that I would become a Christian. After I was converted, I started reading the Bible and attending worship at a local church and going to every Bible study I could find time to attend. My appetite for understanding God’s word and discovering the truth about God was not satisfied, so I decided to pursue studies at a reputable college. I found Columbia International University , formally known as Columbia Bible College and Seminary, and spent four years as a full time student graduating with a B.A. in Bible.

Without any break I pursued my graduate work at Reformed Theological Seminary and finished with an M. Div. After seven straight years of education, I decided to consolidate my gains and began research and writing while I continued to preach and teach in the local church. I believe a wise reckoning of time is necessary to allow opportunities to develop from the knowledge God has given me, so now I devote much of my time writing books and posting essays on my web site Rational Christian Thoughts.

(CBN): You recently wrote a book about church growth. In it, you are pretty negative towards most church growth concepts. Is there anything good to be found in what they are doing?

First let me give you a little background. I was instrumental in planting two churches early in my ministry. I attended a church growth seminar and there I realized a serious problem existed that was intrinsic in the church growth movement. A very popular and well known minister held the seminar on preaching. He made one comment that turned me against the movement: “people don’t listen to preachers.”

That was in 1990 and I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the subject of church growth and especially the church growth movement. I compared what I read to the word of God on the subject of church growth and found serious conflicts. The emphasis among many of the advocates of the church growth movement is relational theology, managerialism, psychology, and worship that is “non-threatening” to the unbeliever.

The Bible speaks clearly about relationships among Christians in the two dozen of more one another commandments like love one another, teach on another, et al. The Bible speaks abundantly about stewardship, but it does not teach that elders, especially the pastor, should use unbiblical management to make the church prosper. There is nothing wrong with psychological analysis, unless the remedy is contrary to the word of God. The primary purpose of life and existence is to worship God, the way He desires, not the way that will make unbelievers comfortable. The one good thing that I find among the church growth movement advocates is their zeal to see unbelievers come to the Lord. Unfortunately, I believe they are doing it the wrong way.

(CBN): You have also published a pocket dictionary of theological terms. What prompted the writing of that book?

I had a seminary professor that gave a mid-term exam using nothing but theological and philosophical terms, names, and concepts. The student was required to define them using no more than two sentences. I started saving and defining unusual and important terms and eventually believed that other Christians, especially laymen, may benefit by having a book of those terms.

(CBN): Can we expect anything more from your pen?

If the Lord gives me health, strength, and a sound mind I plan to publish 10 to 12 books over the next couple of years. I’ve just finished the manuscript entitled “The Essence of Christian Doctrine.” It is written so layman or church leaders will have a summary of necessary Christian doctrine.

Most of the upcoming books will be brief commentaries on books of the Bible. I’m working on the first one now entitled “Religion in Reverse” and will consist of 17 chapters. The next one will be from 2 Corinthians entitled “The Ministry of a Minister.” Then I will alternate doing an Old Testament book and a New Testament book. I’d like to squeeze in a novel, based on my experience with churches, and finally I pray the Lord will give me the time to write a sequel to “The god of the Church Growth Movement.” It would be entitled “The God of Church Growth” based on my study and research from the Book of Acts. By the grace of God, D.V.

(CBN): If you had one chance to say something to anyone, what would it be?

I wish every preacher and every church member would read my sermon notes on Ezekiel 33: 1-11. I believe the Holy Spirit would use that text to bring about reformation in the church.

(CBN): Where can we find more about your books?

Yes, the name of the site is “Writing My Books.” It is so named because I asked my wife what should I name the website. She said “writing my books.” She said “every time I ask what you’re doing you say ‘writing my books.’”

Murphy, Martin. Theological Terms in Layman Language. CreateSpace Publishers, 2009. 140 pp. $9.95. Purchase at Amazon.

Review

I have reviewed Martin Murphy’s book The god of the Church Growth Movement. I found that book to be a nice introduction to the discussion on the the idol that has become church growth. Now, he has published a dictionary of theological terms with the pew sitter in mind.

This dictionary is not just for theological terms as the title would indicate. Rather, it includes theologians and philosophers from throughout history as well as theological phrases. The book also includes theological and philosophical terms.

Included in some of the definitions, Martin offers some opinion, but for the most part he gives straight-forward definitions.  Below are a couple examples of the definitions from the different categories.

Descartes, Rene. A French philosopher of the 17th century who sought to explain the relation and interaction between matter and thought.  He sought to understand the relation between extension and non-extension.  Descartes described matter as extension and thought as non-extension.  He coined the phrase “Cogito ergo sum,” I think therefore I am.

Mediator. One who attempts to reconcile two parties in conflict.  In the Old Testament the priest was the mediator between God and man prefiguring the true Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.  As the God-man Jesus Christ represents both sides God and man.

There is nothing written in here that would keep me from recommending it to a member of my congregation. At $9.95 (cheaper at Amazon), this book is worth purchasing for that Sunday School teacher just getting started or that new Christian “chomping at the bit” wanting to learn more about God and the Bible.

Murphy, Martin. The god of the Church Growth Movement. 1996. 93 pp.  $8.95.  Purchase at Amazon.

Review

Martin Murphy served as pastor/teacher for over twenty years and has been instrumental in planting many churches.  He obtained an M.Div from Reformed Theological Seminary.  As one who strives to see God’s church continue to grow, he takes to task the modern movement of church growth.  He writes at RationalChristianThoughts.com and can be found on Twitter at

He first describes what the church is according to scripture (hint: it is not a building) and presents a succinct history of the problem of modernity infiltrating the church in the first three chapters of the book.  The final four chapters take a look at the goals and philosophy of the church growth movement through literature espousing church growth and what is being said from the pulpit of these types of churches.

Throughout the book, Murphy writes some excellent exhortations.  For example, on page 13 he writes, “Christians should reconsider the nature of the church and reexamine what the Bible says about the nature of the church.”  In most cases, I find this statement to be absolutely true.  Many in our churches today have no idea what the Bible says about the church.   He goes on to write on page 22 that the “primary purpose of the church…is worship.”

Also throughout the book, he makes some very strong indictments against the consumer mentality found in many churches and pulpits.  He takes to task the CEO model of church staffing and even calls out para-church organizations to come under the authority of the local church.  Some of his statements are extremely strong, but I believe ought to be listened to with a discerning ear.

While I hope Mr. Murphy would expand some of his chapters in the future (for example, give some examples of the poor preaching he rails against in chapter 6), The god of the Church Growth Movement is a nice introduction to a biblical response to the idolatry taking place in many church buildings and denominations.