NextGenKent

A reaction to Gordon T. Smith's, Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation, 2001. Gordon Smith states that “intentional reflection” on conversion has the “capacity to bring renewal and focus to our theological work”—and this hope for the reader is truly felt throughout the book (p10). Although the conversion experience is unique for each individual and “complex”, the author believes that there are “common elements” that can be drawn. Furthermore, the author is lead to conclude from his study “that Scripture calls for and assumes a conversion to Jesus Christ that includes seven distinct but inseparable elements” (p125). I would the point of “transfer of allegiance” instead to “love”. Jesus tells his followers, “everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35) and “anyone who loves me will obey my teaching” (John 14:23-24). Jesus left us with the command, “…teaching them to obey”… modeled in love. Smith takes us through a ...

A reaction to Walt Mueller's, The Space Between: A Parents’ Guide to Teenage Development, 2009. This book was an easy read—straight forward and well laid out. The book has footnotes with regards to research, but doesn’t seem to be written to be a textbook with substantial research supporting the claims that are being made. My comments will be with regards to having additional material in certain sections and clarifying remarks in others. “Some view adolescence as something to survive. Rather we should see it as a God-given opportunity to depend on God for guidance and wisdom that would not only help us point our kids to the cross and spiritual maturity, but take us there as well” (p10). I read these same words in another book several years ago and have continued to hold on to them. It helps to hear them again. In several cases parents have set their teens up for ungodly attitudes reminding them, “When you are 18 you can move out and do what you want then!” Parents need to ma...

A reaction to Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, 2nd ed. 2005. This was a great book to have read prior to many others and is very foundational to the development of the rest of my thoughts for a course in my doctoral training… and for life. I truly appreciated not only the style and manner this book was written but the biblical scholarship is very solid. I don’t agree with the author’s assessment of consecration (I believe we consecrate and God sanctifies). God won’t sanctify what we don’t consecrate. Consecrating is our setting aside those things that are to be holy. Nevertheless, I have actually vocalized what this book has taught on a couple of occasions—it is that formative and conceptualizing to me. The creation of God was declared ‘good’ and so are the laws God put into place to govern His creation. Those laws haven’t changed but we do need discover them and “have dominion over them”. This is what true science is sup...

A reaction to David F. Wells, The Courage to be Protestant: Truth-Lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World, 2008. “This disappearing trick [of the church] would never have been possible if evangelicals were still thinking in doctrinal terms. But they were not” (11). When you come across someone who is putting into writing the same things you yourself have been thinking it is rather exciting and serious business. The dissonance I felt during the “seminar movement” and their after effects producing little if any results is unnerving. I wonder if the foundational elements of the author are valid or are simply his perspective--so I am cautious of embracing them. We need to have “the courage to be faithful to what Christianity in its biblical forms has always stood for across the ages” (21). The author writes with great clarity of the dangers presented in society and how believers have been so enculturated in our thoughts and beliefs. He calls us to have the courage t...

Sometimes I joke with my children about new days and I'll say to them, "If we were Jewish, it'd already be tomorrow!" 6:00pm starts a new day for our Jewish friends. 6:00 at night. I have taken several groups to tour the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation temple and they have verified that the day begins at night. Siting Genesis 1, and those words: "And the evening and the morning was the day." "T'was the night before Christmas" came to mind as I was thinking of today...for it is the night before my flight to Boston which means many things (leaving family, going into the unknown, missing family, starting something new, day-dreaming about family, etc.) and then it hit me. Jesus was born at night. The Bible says the shepherds were in their fields at night. The angels showed up at night and spoke the message at night. This just popped out to me: It was a Jewish new day! A new day had already begun with the birth of the Messiah! And boy did it! ...