The Church should be allergic to the world

Tozer connects another lethal blow to man's self-centered sufficiency in this newly discovered, unpublished work. 47 years after his death, Tozer is still absolutely critical for the modern church to take heed. Tozer's lifelong message of battling entertainment in the church and an insidious form of Christless mysticism still rings truer than ever. Listen to Tozer in his own words: "The average person, unable to understand this passion for intimacy with God, fills his life with things, hoping somehow to satisfy his inward longing. He chases that which is exterior, hoping to satisfy that inner thirst, but to no avail."
This work of Tozer is a basic walk through the book of Hebrews guiding the reader into an opening of the scripture. The modern church still has so much to learn from the simple message of real Christianity that Tozer champions. Tozer was able to see the danger signs in the road of post modern, post Christian American churchianity and his message in this new book needs to be heard and applied. Our churches our filled with entertainment seeking, sin cauterizing conscience, spiritual lethargists.
Here is another great quote to sum up this book and it's importance to us: "From my reading of the Holy Scriptures, church history and Christian biography, I find that there is nothing in the church that appeals to the world, and nothing in the world that appeals to the true Church of Jesus Christ." Tozer's problem with the Church was that worldliness was creeping in and taking over. "Christianity, I fear, is not allergic to fads and fancies." Tozer's simple Christianity from a simple study in the book of Hebrews is another wake up call for us, the modern church. Are we still hitting the snooze button?

Jesus Manifesto

Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ
by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola



Who do you say that Jesus is? Where does He fit in your thinking, your life, your church? In Jesus Manifesto Sweet and Viola help the reader and thus the church flesh out freshness to our understanding of the Christ. Could it be that the church has become so occupied with Christianity that we miss Jesus? The authors believe it is so and so do I.

Who does the world say that Jesus is? More important, though, is this question: who do you say that Jesus is? This book very directly and simply gives us the answer. Do we really need another book about Jesus? Surely the Bible itself and the countless thousands upon thousands of books written about The Christ is sufficient? Well, yes and no. Yes, the Bible is all that we need for life and godliness. Certainly out of the countless books written about Christ there are no doubt more than enough that are worthy to be read and enjoyed. However, like anything else in this life, seeing and savoring the savior through another set of eyes is always wonderful. Can one have too many pictures over the years of our children going through stages of life? Another book, a good book that is true to Scripture, is always needed. I believe this is one of those books.

To start with, I like the premise behind this book even though the title threw me off and seemed a bit on a cultic twinge. However, the content is very much orthodox and helped me in my walk with God. I believe I need a constant freshness in my view of Christ and this book delivered that for me. This course correction for a modern church that is more interested in having a dialog about justice or going green than in the worship and exaltation of Christ is straightforward and long overdue. This book can reach into emergent, missional, moderate, conservative and even liberal churches in a way that some authors with great books about Christ might not reach. These two authors hand deliver and gift to our churches that is worthy of small group studies throughout Christendom.

Here is the cool content that draws me to and helps me easily recommend this book to my friends. These guys get the questions right and even more importantly they get the answers right. “Who do you say that I am?” “Do you love me?” In these questions lies the premise of the book. The answers are just as profound and fill the pages as they flow over our souls like gentle waves lapping at the shore of our need. Here are a few of these little nuggets to capture your interest. Every scripture and every biblical story points to and is about Christ. “He is the Rosetta Stone of the Bible.” Did you know that? Jesus, the son of man, is the human being, the way human beings were supposed to be before sin. He died the perfect death after He lived the perfect life and all this to please and magnify the Father as we reap the benefits. The book opens with this challenge and I will close this review with it. So what is your chief occupation in life and ministry? Here’s a hint: Whatever you are occupied with comes out of your mouth. It’s what you talk about most of the time.” Is it Christ or something else? That’s why you should read this book.

I was given this book as a free copy to review and blog. I was not told in any way what to say by Thomas Nelson publishers.

When the lights go down in the city

Following five major world changing super powers by spending time walking the streets of their main cities is a nice way to tour history. I gained many insights into the significant impact each empire had on their own times and subsequent generations. Wilson is a good writer, fine historian and excellent story teller. This is not an in depth history of each culture for 200 pages could never tell an adequate story of one of these cities let alone five. But within these pages the reader enjoys a world tour, a trip through time like a carriage ride in Central Park on a crisp fall evening daring a look at views of history like so many interesting quips from the driver. I came away from the book with not so many, "Oh I never heard that before!" but more reminders of how people, cultures and their main cities shape the world we inhabit and prod us to understand their influence on us.

A few notes of interest about Wilson's views on life will, I hope, encourage you to give this book a try. His view of the first city, Jerusalem was indeed very interesting. During King Solomon's reign he believes that the world was their play ground even over to the American continent in search of riches and trading partners. As I read the book I was once again reminded that ancient man was not as primitive as we always assume because they lacked some novel electronic or motorized gadget. Where they lacked in harnessing electricity they made up for in resourcefulness and industry. He continued to lure me in to his story by adding zingers such as ‘the Helen’ being a unit of feminine beauty and “in the long run, stupidity doesn’t work.”

His final words on liberty make for modern application and will allow this book this same liberty to reach modern minds who may indulge in seeing an aspect of history that may challenge many preconceptions. Jerusalem, the model of spiritual liberty reminds us that the city itself is not necessary for liberty. Athens' intellectual liberty encourages us to continue reaching for reason and logical answers in a day of self truth making. Rome with a reminder of the limitations of liberty is a neon sign of repetitious history does so because we forget that it does. London liberty of words lives on to this day as does its many words even in this book and this blog on this book. Finally New York, the liberty of commerce and trade it is indeed. The freedom to earn money, make a living, and do what we please with the money captures our interest and cautions our liberty in excesses and what we are going to allow to bridle our freedom. Stupidity does indeed wear out its welcome in due time.

"The truth will set you free," Jesus said, and if that is indeed the case, then allow this book the liberty to liberate your view of history. Will this book influence anyone in two generations? Probably not. Will these five cities influence anyone in two generations? Oh most certainly. A taste of liberty has a way of moving us off the porch and into the streets of freedom.