Category: book review
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what kind of war?
Many Christians find it hard to justify earthly pleasure when so many people around them are going to hell. How can loving people do anything but use all their time and money to save others? C. S. Lewis partially answers this question in his important essay, “Learning in War-Time.” He says that even soldiers listen…
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rejoicing in lament
I remember when I first heard that Todd Billings had incurable cancer. Before I led my class in prayer, I told them that besides being a wonderful man with a young family, Todd was one of the good ones, a blessing to the church that we could not afford to lose. We need him! Todd…
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interview
Here is a written interview for Becoming Worldly Saints that Trevin Wax posted today. This Q/A explains why saints are inherently worldly, or they aren’t even saints.
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becoming worldly saints
Eleven years ago I published my first book, Heaven Is a Place on Earth. It didn’t move the needle quite as much as N. T. Wright’s, Surprised by Hope, which came out four years later, but it seemed to make some impact in the evangelical world and brought renewed interest in Belinda Carlisle. I proudly…
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new heaven and earth
I recommend J. Richard Middleton’s new book, A New Heaven and a New Earth, which is an encyclopedic resource on this topic. Middleton explains biblically and theologically why our final end is down here rather than up there, and makes this provocative statement that I happen to agree with. “Therefore, for reasons exegetical, theological, and…
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unbroken
I just watched the movie “Unbroken,” which surprisingly is not about Cleveland’s record of futility (fifty years this week!). When I left the theater I learned that the University of Michigan had hired a new football coach. Michigan’s AD announced that “our guy came home.” Lebron did the same thing this summer. So this should…
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compassion without compromise
Another extremely helpful book that came out this fall is from my friend, Adam Barr, and his friend, Ron Citlau. Compassion Without Compromise wisely and biblically guides Christians through the minefield of issues surrounding homosexuality. Just about any scenario that you will encounter is addressed in this book, and new ones that arise are handled…
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ordinary
Now that the semester is over, I’m digging into the pile of books I’ve been longing to read. Yesterday I enjoyed Michael Horton’s new book, Ordinary. This delightful reminder of the value of a normal Christian life covers one of the points I make in my forthcoming book, Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus…
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evangelicalism and heresy
I don’t want to do this, but a few friends and pastors I respect have asked me to respond to this popular article which essentially says that because evangelicals like C. S. Lewis they should also accept Rob Bell. The essay is written by a young man who hasn’t yet started seminary, which may account…
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benefit of the doubt?
The Gospel Coalition posted my review of Greg Boyd’s book, Benefit of the Doubt. Boyd’s book came out a month before my Despite Doubt, and it illustrates the main problem I aimed to correct.
Mike Wittmer 