Book Review: The Call to Wonder

The Call to Wonder: Loving God like a Child by R.C. Sproul Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Different authors do different things to me when I read. Some make my brain hurt as I have to read and reread paragraphs. Some make my heart hurt as they point out my sin and drive me to confession. Some make me feel like I have been in a boxing ring. R.C. Sproul Jr. centers me. Whenever I get the feeling that I am directionless, especially with my family I go back to Sproul Jr. When I read him I feel at peace. That may sound strange, but he directs me back to the center of my faith and my vocation as a father and husband. This book is no exception. With his typical love for Christ and trust in his Word R.C. settles our hearts by reminding us that our Father is worthy of our trust. He will not let us down. We are to follow him with joy as a child.

I would add here that Sproul Jr's own experiences, the death of his wife and daughter, add great depth to this book, even though they occurred after the book was written. He has lived in child-like faith through some very dark valleys. The book has been lived by him, which gives it weight and authority.

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Take Up and Read: Thursday Edition

Justin Taylor takes a brief look at Martin Luther's home life. I am continually amazed at how poor the reformers were, how much they got done, and how many people they had in their homes.

R.C. Sproul Jr. has been one of my mentors as I have grown in the faith. His love for Christ and his  family have spurred me on during difficult times. His love for the good life has also brought me a lot of joy and helped clarify what it means to follow after Christ. During the Christmas season he lost his wife Denise whom he loved so dearly. Here is a moving tribute to his wife and the influence of God's Word upon her life.

Trevin Wax does a good job of helping pastors to ask the right kind of questions when approached about sexual issues. Several things struck me as I read. First, in previous generations the mom or dad discussed sex with their children. It was a family matter. Now children learn about sex from friends, books, movies, or the opposite sex. Second, we live in a culture that is drowning in pornography. As a pastor, I cannot expect my flock or new converts to have a correct perspective on sex. That means it should probably be brought up more regularly in private with the man or the couple. It cannot be ignored, but it also cannot be discussed in most public forums.

Finally, here is a post by James K.A. Smith on worship music. He addresses it to praise bands, but it will help anyone involved in worship music to think through certain things. I thought his emphasis on the congregation being able to participate was good.

Take Up and Read: Thursday Edition

As I noted last week, several evangelical scholars have come out recently denying that a historical Adam ever existed. Evangelicals should be all upset by this jump into heterodoxy, but in general they are not. It seems that we have better things to do than defend the historical Adam. Here are two posts which address the problem. First, Kevin DeYoung gives us ten reasons to believe in the historical Adam.  Second, the Bayly Brothers show how a seminary can corrupt a young man, particularly on the issue of evolution. What is a man to do when one of the most "conservative" seminaries in the country from one of the most "conservative" denominations allows a man to teach who doesn't believe Adam existed?

Here is a short blog post by R.C. Sproul Jr. on myths or half truths evangelicals believe. I thought number 1 was especially good.  When we make all sins equal it is usually to make our sins look not so bad and the other person's sins to look terrible.

Al Mohler shows how President Obama's compromise on contraception was not really a compromise at all.

Rachel Jankovic lists ten ways to love your kids. I found this one, "Don't change your behavior toward you children in public" convicting. It is a fear of man, not love of God that causes us to have one standard for our children at home and another in public.