Review of Two Biblical Counseling Booklets (November 2015)

Here are two reviews of biblical counseling booklets that I read and used recently.

Problems: Solving Them God’s Way

Jay Adams. Problems: Solving Them God’s Way.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, September 2^nd, 2012. 32 pp.

This is a short booklet ideal for Pastors counseling a member in his congregation.  I enjoyed this booklet since it lays out the principles for dealing with problems in general; there are place for specialize books and booklets for counseling but sometimes it is important to step back and ask what are sound biblical principles for various situations.  To that end I appreciated this book since the author Jay Adams provides an eight point procedure in addressing issues.  These are God-centered and practical.  He gave a few examples of the eight point procedure being applied to concrete examples.  The biggest take away for me was how Jay Adams taught that there are problems we are meant to solve and other problems that are beyond our control and are not meant for us to solve.  This was helpful. Equally helpful was the booklet making the distinction between the two kinds of problems we are supposed to solve:  Those that we brought upon ourselves and those that was thrust upon us.  This would be a good book to have a counselee go through in working on the bigger issue of problem solving and not just a specific problem.

Purchase:Westminster | Amazon

 

Conflict: A Redemptive Opportunity

Timothy Lane.  Conflict: A Redemptive Opportunity.  Greensboro, NC: New Growth  Press, July 1^st, 2006. 20 pp.

I had our church’s couple’s group go over this booklet.  I appreciate the author’s attempt to construct a biblical view of conflict that approached conflict as a redemptive opportunity.  I feel often times counseling booklets are either really good or they were okay but weren’t necessarily that profound or life changing.  During my first reading I felt this booklet would be in the category of being biblical but wasn’t as profound.  After I went through this booklet again and reviewed what I highlighted I think it was much more helpful than I first thought.  I thought the best part of this booklet was the author’s discussion of how to properly diagnosed what one’s problem truly is in a conflict; and secondly I thought the discussion of three ungodly strategies towards conflict to be helpful.  I think this booklet would be a great asset for counseling or discipleship, including pre-marital counseling.

Purchase:Westminster | Amazon

 

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Is it Okay to Murder Safely?

This is an example (Focus on the Family) of the horrendous errors concerning some in the pro-life movement. There is no solemn statement concerning the killing or the sin of abortion as being murder. Where is the message of repentence, true faith, sexual immorality, and the clear and uncompromising Gospel message? Where is the heightened sensitivity of the baby who is the victim due to their parents’ destructive and immoral choice? I encourage Christians to also research the different pregnancy crisis centers in their communities before fully supporting and financially backing them. Inquire to see if they also do biblical counseling.

Focus on the Family is basically telling people how to safely murder someone in the womb. Parents are not terminating a pregnancy, they are terminating a precious life, made in God’s image.

Have they forgotten Exodus 20:13? Why would you give one an option to kill innocent life, when God never does? To go contrary from His clear Word on the sanctity of life (as seen in the info graphic) is to be complicit in murder.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/f712f0bb-8ce4-4335-84f9-78b72614f98e

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Table of Content: Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God

Last week we finished our Saturday four-part outline series on “Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God.”

I thought I put together a table of content for easy access to the series.

1.) Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: How has God revealed Himself? Part 1: General Revelation

2.) Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: How has God revealed Himself? Part 2: Special Revelation

3.) Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: How has God revealed Himself? Part 1: General Revelation

4.) Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: How has God revealed Himself? Part 2: Special Revelation

 

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Blaming the Prolife Movement for an attack on Planned Parenthood is like blaming the abolitionist movmement for the attack by John Brown

 

 

I’m at a retreat where I’m a guest speaker so this will be quick.

I heard there’s a shooting near Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs and it looks like there’s not a lot of clear information yet but I already see on social media the pro-abortionists already are heating up the blame game rhetoric against the pro-life cause.  I think its unfounded.  Why? Two reasons.

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Christmas Recommended Books on Presuppositional Apologetics for 2015

This is our blog’s sixth year in which we post our recommendations of books as Christmas gifts on the subject of Presuppositional apologetics or the Christian worldview.

Here are the recommendations from previous years, and if you are new to the whole thing with Presuppositional apologetics I highly recommend the listing from 2014 which we highlighted in bold:

• Christmas wish list in Presuppositional Christian Apologetics (2010)
• Christmas Gift Book Lists on Christian Worldview and Apologetics Discipleship 2011 (2011)
• More Christmas Gift Book Lists on Christian Worldview and Apologetics Discipleship (2012)
• More Christmas wish list in Presuppositional Christian Apologetics (2013) (2013)
• Christmas Recommended Books on Presuppositional Apologetics for 2014

This year list’s of recommended books on Presuppositional apologetics are more for those moving beyond introduction.  Each category has one book with a brief description, a link to my review and where one can purchase the book.

For Those Moving Beyond Introduction

The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (A Theology of Lordship) by John Frame

Description: John Frame’s work is helpful in making one become biblically conscious of theological method.  This is a good way to come to a biblical view of epistemology (theory of knowledge).  My Review can be found by clicking HERE.  Purchase: Westminster | Amazon.

 

John Frame’s Selected Shorter Writings Volume 2 by John M. Frame

Description: By shorter writing this book means essays and this book is a good example of how shorter chapters can be filled with substance and be thought-provoking.  Essays on theological method, apologetics and philosophy of education for training those for ministry. My Review can be found by clicking HERE. Purchase: Westminster | Amazon.

For Those Wanting to Go Deeper

Traces of the Trinity: Signs of God in Creation and Human Experience by Peter J. Leithart

Description: Hands down the most interesting book I’ve read this year and I was pretty skeptical of the book in the beginning.  I have concern for Leithart’s theology in other areas but he hits it out of the ballpark in this book.  If you enjoy Van Til’s use of the Trinity to address the philosophical problems of the One and the Many, you would like this book alot.  My Review can be found by clicking HERE. Purchase: Amazon.

A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John Frame

Description: This is a good look at the history of philosophy and how it impacts theology.  A new book this year!  My Review can be found by clicking HERE.  Purchase: Westminster | Amazon.

For Those Wanting to Gain Insight from Non-Van Tillian Presuppositionalists

In Defense of Theology by Clark Gordon

Description: I’m commited to Van Til’s apologetics but I have benefited from Gordon Clark.  This work is accessible to those who are new to Clark’s work.  My Review can be found by clicking HERE. Purchase: Amazon | Also Available as E-Book from Trinity Foundation.

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Have a Blessed Thanksgiving (2015)

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving brothers and sisters.

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Prayers for Blogger Mike, whose wife recently passed away

Some of you guys know Mike from the UK who blogs at Exercised to Discern and also runs the resource on Church website called Repository of Christian History, Etc.  He frequently comments on here and have been a friend and a brother in Christ over the last few years.

His wife of 32 years has recently passed away on November 23rd, 2015 after a battle with cancer.

Please pray for him and his family in this difficult time.  He’s been blogging about grief, the Lord and his wife on his blog.

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Apologetic Sermon Illustration #29: FBI going after terrorist network and not just individuals and importance of refuting worldviews

GO TO PART 28

Point: Some Christians engage in apologetics in a piecemeal fashion.  They give evidence here and there.  They refute an objection here and there.  They don’t see the importance of Presuppositional apologetics’ emphasis of going beyond the individual point and pursuing refutations at the level of worldviews.

Picture: Earlier this year I read a book on counter-terrorism titled Counterstrike by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker.  There was a conversation in the book that really stayed with me in terms of the FBI’s post-9/11 change of strategy against terrorism.  Instead of going after an individual they were now going after networks.  Here’s an excerpt from page 38 and 39:

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Review: A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John Frame

Note: For a basic topical introduction to Philosophy by John Frame check out We Are All Philosophers by John Frame

 

John Frame. A History of Western Philosophy and Theology.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, October 23^rd, 2015. 864 pp.

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This year (2015) is one of John Frame’s most productive years in terms of the quantity and quality of books published.  For many the most anticipated book among them is probably A History of Western Philosophy and Theology.  The following is my review of this book.

If there is anyone today that is qualified to give a biblical evaluation and exposition of Western philosophy and how it shapes theology it would be John Frame.  This book is the result of the author’s experience with teaching and writing on philosophy, theology and apologetics over the last few decades.  Like other works by Frame, this work reflects his commitment to Scripture and the Christian worldview.  At the same time Frame is knowledgeable of philosophy.  Frame is a great model of a Christian scholar:  He is charitable but does not shy away from refuting error.  All this contribute towards making this work a great book.

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Sye Ten Bruggencate’s Thug Life: Atheist has no Faith but Confidence?

I never understand the atheist game of saying they have no faith or belief.

So here’s this clip from the recent “The Existence and Attributes of GOD Debate” from the 2015 Bahnsen Conference in Southern California:

Sye handles it and someone made a short Thug Life video out of it.

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Presuppositional Apologetics Links: Third Week of November 2015

These are links concerning Presuppositional apologetics gathered from November 15th-21st, 2015.

1.) Ethical Relativism

2.) Biblical Apologetics Sessions in “You Will be My Witnesses” Saskatoon Evangelism Conference

3.) The Lynchpin of Purpose

4.) Ancient & Medieval Philosophy: Roman Period

5.) Review: Apologetics to the Glory of God

 

Missed the last round up?Check out the re-blogged post from a friend

 

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Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: How has God revealed Himself? Part 2: Special Revelation

How has God revealed Himself? Part 1

Here in this fourth and final outline of this series we are in part two of how has God made Himself known.

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Reason for no post today

I want to give the reason for no post today.  Which ironically is a post.

Busy today with ministry obligations.

God’s primary vehicle of working in this world today is through the Church.

Don’t forget the importance of ministry in the local church more than blogging and social media.  I’m not saying don’t be involved online–obviously we are here too.  But remember the order.

 

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Reflection on Video of Father and Son discussion after Paris Attack

I’ve been thinking about this video that went viral on Social Media of a father and son discussion after the attack on Paris.

I think one of the reason it went viral is because it’s so human.  Here’s a young boy and his father.  That itself is beautiful.  It’s also such a contrast to the previous day’s event of terrorism.  People need to see some form of humanity after such horrific news.

I imagine those who love kids were drawn to it too.  I myself have children about the child’s age and children that are younger.  So a part of me was drawn to watch the video when I saw it being shared online.

But I am also a bit disturbed by the video.  Actually my feelings are mixed.  I tried to be understanding about people grieving and that this is a child.  I gave this some time and several days before I blogged about it.

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The inter-relationship of loving what is good and hating what is evil and the priority of love

I think in the biblical worldview loving what is good and hating what is evil are not mutually exclusive.

Loving what is good and of God is a given for many Christians.  But hating what is wicked?  The Psalms have multiple references to hating what is wicked with the referent being God and man:

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