No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan

     The nation of India is full of children who will never know anything other than poverty. They were born into the Hindu caste system, beneath the lowest caste. They are less than human, untouchable, unwanted. They are forced to work in fields and factories so they might be able to eat one meal each day. Many are kidnapped or sold into child labor or sex trafficking. These are the slumdogs, living in the slum villages throughout the country. For thousands of years these people, the Dalits and Other Backward Castes, have believed that they deserve this life because of the Hindu beliefs of karma and reincarnation. They barely survive each day, and some don’t. Children die when the resort to eating toxic mud to fill their empty stomachs.

But there is hope! That’s what this book is about. K. P. Yohannan describes the work done through Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope program. Through these centers children all over India have an opportunity to get an education, nutrition, love, support, and most importantly the knowledge of Jesus. In this book, Yohannan share stories of a few of the children who have come to the Bridge of Hope centers. Some of the stories are told in the words of the child, or a parent. The Bridge of Hope program is helping these children break out of a cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and oppression. They are learning that they are precious children of a loving God. The children take this knowledge back to their families and villages and the transformations are incredible! I could go on and on about this book, but you should really read it for yourself because it has the potential to change your heart and your life. Read these words by K. P. Yohannan:

The need is almost overwhelming. The sheer numbers drive us to our knees. But don’t be daunted by the size of the task; you can make a difference in the life of a child… Let’s not let what we can’t do stop us from doing what we can do.

The point? It’s this: sometimes we feel like if we can’t save them all, why bother? Why help one when millions more will still be in danger? But what if everyone thought that way? The children who have been saved by the Bridge of Hope would most likely not be alive, or they would be in bondage as laborers or sex slaves. But you can help one child get out of this life. You can help one child break this horrible cycle. That one child will touch others. The impact of helping that one child has no limits. There are currently tens of thousands of children enrolled in Bridge of Hope centers throughout India. Can you make it one more?

Please visit the section of GFA’s website dedicated to this book. There, you can watch videos of some of the stories told in the book and see a video from the author, and GFA founder, K. P. Yohannan. You can also purchase the book for only $5.

If you’re still hesitant, you can request the book for free by visiting this site. That’s totally free. No shipping charges, no further obligations.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a child through Bridge of Hope, please go to the GFA Bridge of Hope website. Remember that with Gospel for Asia 100% of your donations go into the field. You can read about how they are able to do this on their website.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

     “Erasing Hell” is a response to Rob Bell’s “Love Wins.” Chan and Sprinkle delve into the Bible to see what God said about Heaven and Hell. Using Scripture as their main source, they also discuss what ancient Jewish and Christian writers had to say about Hell, as well as more contemporary Christian writers. Their goal is to present the truth, even if it may be hard to take.

Scripturally sound, this book presents Hell as the Bible does. While Biblical authors do not give detailed descriptions of Hell, we are given impressions of what Hell will be like and who will go there. The question is: will you accept it? Francis Chan freely admits that he asked Preston Sprinkle to help him write this book because of the seriousness of the topic and because of Sprinkle’s theological background (PhD in New Testament) and ability (Sprinkle did most of the research). The effort is evident as sources are cited in abundance. This book is the perfect counter to “Love Wins” and Universalism as a whole.

Chan includes a prayer that I think we all should pray as we are likely all guilty of it in some degree:

Please forgive me, Lord, for wanting to erase all the things in Scripture that don’t sit well with me. Forgive me for trying to hide some of Your actions to make You more palatable to the world. Forgive me for trying to make You fit my standards of justice and goodness and love. You are God; You are good; I don’t always understand You, but I love You. Thank You for who You are.

This is by no means an extensive work, but I recommend this book to anyone who has any doubts about the existence of Hell in the afterlife.

5 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N

Love Wins by Rob Bell

     In his controversial book “Love Wins,” Rob Bell explains his views on Heaven and Hell. How do you get to Heaven? Who goes to Hell? Is that really the point of it all?

My summary of the book is short. A LOT shorter than I usually do a summary. There’s a reason for that. If I could choose just one word to describe the way this book left me it would be this: confused. First, let me say that there are times when I was able to say, “He makes a good point here.” This mostly occurred when he described the way the church in general interacts with the world and the fact that shouting at people that they’re going to Hell doesn’t really show God’s love. Other than that, this book was filled with questions. Tons and tons of questions that Bell never gives an answer to. His use of scripture within his arguments often left me confused and wondering… so… does he believe in Hell or not?

Ultimately, the impression that I got was that he does not believe in an eternal Hell, but believes that rejection of Jesus leads to a living hell in this life. The things that bothered me most about this book is Bell’s flippant, often mocking tone and the fact that the book never really answers anything and seems to have no point. You would think that at almost 200 pages I should be able to type up a decent summary for this book, but it is written in such a way that it becomes the theological equivalent of the philosophical “do I really exist at all?” Question after question with no real answers. Unfortunately, this makes whatever good points he made go out the window as they get lost in the jumble of everything else.

Finally, one thing that I strongly disagree with is Bell’s belief that people who are Heaven-minded (always thinking of, or focused on, Heaven) don’t think much about the needs of this world: i.e. the homeless, the hungry, the abused, etc. I have seen people and organizations who are very Heaven-minded who put in relentless effort to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people around the world.

I read this book because it had so much controversy around it, and I really don’t like to take other people’s word on things like this. I wanted to read it for myself. I have, and I’m glad I did if only for the fact that I can say I read it for myself. I’m not taking the word of anyone else. My opinion? There are books out there that make the same good points that Bell makes here and do it in a better way, with better scriptural support, without the mocking tone, and with actual answers.

I give this one 1.5 out of 5

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

     What does a Holy Spirit-filled life look like? How many of us can say we truly long for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives? Do you pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit in every decision you make, or just when serious “spiritual” decisions come up? What we tend to forget is that if we neglect the Holy Spirit, we are neglecting God. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit… He lives inside of us, so how can we ignore His presence?

Reading this book immediately after Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love” I did notice many similarities. The premise is the same: the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives should change us in a way that people acknowledge God. This book, however, focuses specifically on the Spirit. It’s a challenge to open ourselves up to what God wants to do in our lives through the Holy Spirit. For some, this may require a serious step outside of our comfort zone. Chan gives several examples of what a Spirit-led life can look like through stories about people both from the Bible and modern times. He explains why he believes the American church is missing out on the fullness of the Spirit, saying, ” …I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him, and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we are).” I tend to agree with him.

One more quote that I loved from this book has to do with a job of the Holy Spirit that we seem to have taken on as our own responsibility: “… I cannot convince people to be obsessed with Jesus. Perhaps I can talk people into a prayer, but I cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So by every measure that actually counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately.” I think this book will challenge you to look at your relationship with God in a way that you’ve never done it before.

I give this one 4 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

     Think about your average day? Would it look any different if God didn’t exist? If the answer is no, then there’s a problem. According to Francis Chan, based on Scripture, the life of a believer should be different because God does exist. People should be able to tell from our actions, the way we live our lives, that we are Christians. We shouldn’t have to tell them. With examples from the both the early church and the modern world Chan shows what the “radical” life of a believer can look like when our full trust is in God.

The overall message is clear, if we’re not even thinking about God in our daily life then we are lukewarm and possibly not even truly saved. It’s a hard truth to take, but we should examine our faith. Think about what the Bible says: even the demons believe that Jesus is God and tremble… even Satan can quote Scripture. We need to examine our own personal relationships with God and think about how that relationship has changed how we live our lives. The most important question to ask is: Do I honestly love God? Not what God can do for me (including getting me into Heaven), but do I love God just because He’s God?

I think the biggest problem people will have with this book is the extreme nature of the examples given, though Chan admits that not all are called to be missionaries, or sell their house and give the money to the poor. The effect of the examples given can make you feel a bit worthless, but I don’t think that was the intent of the author. I’ve heard Francis Chan preach, and I’ve seen his love for both God and people. I honestly believe that this book was written in love, with an honest call for people to examine themselves. I also know that there are people who will say he is promoting salvation through works, but that is not the case. Francis Chan always preaches Grace… salvation by faith, through Grace alone. The works he’s talking about are what should come as a result of us being saved, keeping in line with the commandments to love God and our neighbor.

I give this one 4 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N

Words Are Cheap, But the Gospel Is Priceless

 If I told you I have a proven way to help share the Gospel, and all I need from you is a small donation, how much would you expect me to ask for? How much would you be willing to give? $100? Too much? Ok, how about $50? Still no? Well, what about $10? $5? How about $1? That’s it… just $1! That’s all Gospel for Asia needs to produce 200 Gospel tracts to give to their missionaries. These tracts are easily portable, and can be passed from person to person. Think of the lives that could be touched by just one tract! Take a minute to read a few stories about people who have come to know Jesus through Gospel tracts:

http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/one-tract-can-change-a-life/
http://www.gfa.org/send/one-piece-of-paper-begins-a-glorious-new-chapter/
http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/from-a-single-tract-comes-a-desire/
http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/a-gospel-tract-leads-a-witch-doctor-to-jesus/

200 tracts. That’s 200 people hearing the Gospel, possibly for the first time. Now imagine that half of those people pass that tract on, then half of those, and yet half of those. Literally hundreds of people can be reached with the love of Jesus for just $1! Is that worth a dollar? It’s worth SO much more! But it only takes 1… just $1. It’s probably the smallest sacrifice you will ever be asked to make… for something so important.

Please consider donating just $1 to produce 200 Gospel tracts (or even just $5 to produce 1,000 tracts!).

Who Loves Bible Study? I DO!

Professor Rob Plummer has declared the month of May  “Read a Historical Theology text month.” What is historical theology? Plummer describes it as, “the academic discipline that looks at the development and articulation of Christian doctrine throughout church history.” He has decided to read about 30 pages a day from Gregg Allison’s “Historical Theology.” This book has been on my radar for a few months now, so I’ve decided to read along with Prof. Plummer. I ordered the book from CBD, which has it on sale for $28.99. I should get it next Thursday, and I’ll probably start it right away to give myself a little extra time as I am also using other textbooks right now to help in my Bible study.

Today I will finish the last assignment in Chapter 3 of “Grasping God’s Word,” a textbook that helps you learn how to really dig into the Biblical text, drawing out the meaning that was actually intended instead of reading meaning into the text. I also plan to read through Chapter 4 and do at least one assignment from that chapter. I’m using the second edition (which I also purchased from CBD), mostly because I got impatient and couldn’t wait for the third edition that is being released in May. There is also a workbook that goes along with it, which I highly suggest to you get if you use the textbook. So far, the material has been about practice, practice, practice… but I’m loving it, and I can’t wait to get to the deeper stuff.

I’ve also started over with Greek. I’m actually pleasantly surprised that I have retained even a little bit of what I had learned before. I am using Bill Mounce’s Greek Grammar and workbook (second edition… there is also a third edition available now) which I purchased a couple of years ago. I really want to learn this, but it’s very hard doing it alone. One of my goals for this year was to pick this up again, and I have… and I’m determined to stick with it.

I’m all-in right now. I purchased a few other resources as well, but I may not get to those for a while as I’m still doing other reading as well. Busy, busy, busy. But loving it!

The Right Way by Robert O. Russell

     “The Right Way” is the autobiography of Robert O. Russell. He takes us through the events of his life, always within the scope of how God was involved. Through the loss of his father at a young age, sexual abuse, and various downward spirals, Russell has been able to see God in every event in some way. His hope is that his story will reach out to someone who may be going through similar struggles, helping them to find or see God.

Mr. Russell is not the most eloquent writer. I would imagine he writes just as he speaks, which actually gives his story a very down-to-earth feel. The grammarian in me (years of grammar drilled into my head in my school years) found this a bit frustrating at times, especially at the beginning, but I adjusted… and I’m glad I did. Mr. Russell was very brave to be so open about his experiences. Many would not have the strength. I’m sure his story will touch many people. His openness will likely lead people to search for Jesus, whom he puts the focus on throughout the book. He does not get into theology, just his life with Jesus and the things he’s experienced. It makes for a very good read.

I give this one 4 out of 5.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book for review purposes from SilverWood Books.

Where to buy the book: Amazon | B&N

3 Free E-books by Francis Chan

         

Available at eChristian until 11:59 Pacific time, TONIGHT! 3 free e-book downloads of Francis Chan’s Crazy Love, Forgotten God, and Erasing Hell. You do need to have an account, but it’s very quick to sign up, and it’s free. Check out these videos by Francis Chan that give you an idea what the books are about.

This first video is for Crazy Love, and is actually the first in a series that goes through the book chapter by chapter:

Forgotten God:

Erasing Hell:

 

 

The Cross of Christ by John R. W. Stott

     Simply read the title… that’s exactly what this book is about. In “The Cross of Christ” Stott discusses the purpose of the Cross, its effects, and how it should affect our lives today. He explains how the Cross worked to satisfy both God’s love and justice. The depth of this book is amazing. Stott discusses theological theories that have come up through the years as to exactly what was done at the Cross. Were we truly justified? Or are we supposed to be moved to justify ourselves by our behavior? Did Jesus really take our punishment? Did He die to defeat Satan? How does any of this apply to me today? This book has it all.

I can’t even begin to fully process this one after just one reading. This is a book I will read again and again. I think I’ll see something new each time. There’s just that much information. This is not a light read, though it is easily understandable. I think my favorite thing about this book is that the Conclusion actually summarizes (and even clarifies) the entire book very nicely. It’s a great refresher of what you’ve been reading.

Tim Challies suggested this book last year, and again this year, as one of his Easter reads. I’m glad I chose this one, and the others he suggested are on my wish list.

I give this one 5 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N