Review of Two Spiritual Booklets Read in Late 2017

Here are two Christian booklets I read towards the end of this year.

William P. Smith.  When Bad Things Happen: Thoughtful Answers to Hard Questions.  Greensboro, NC: New Growth  Press, September 1st 2008. 22 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This was a helpful and edifying booklet.  It is a “minibook” that is part of the “Resources for Personal Change” series published by New Growth Press.  The author William Smith is an adjunct faculty in the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation has written an excellent resource for those who are going through trials and asking the question of why God allows bad things to happen.  It is an excellent resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give the counselee and have them read and highlight/underline for study and meditation.  For my own use I read this title along with a church member I was discipling and counseling as a pastor.

I really appreciated that the author was able to accomplish in such a short amount of space, especially since this booklet comes in at twenty two pages.  Readers should not judge this booklet by its size.  Just two pages into the booklet the author laid out the biblical case that God does understand our suffering; yet it isn’t a dry academic truth but very personal in how the writer argues that.  I thought that the booklet making this point in the beginning of the book was very important since often those undergoing trials and difficulties often need to understand that God knows what they are going through.  In fact practically speaking when people go through difficulties it isn’t just academic solutions they need but practically they need the presence of God.  The meat of the book goes over how God uses suffering.  The reasons listed are very helpful and biblical.  The book also ends with a section titled “Practical Strategies for Change” which I thought was beneficial.

I recommend this booklet.  In fact the person I read this with immediately want to share this work with others who need it as well.   That to me is compelling of why biblical counselors and counselee should read this book.

 

Vern Poythress. What Are Spiritual Gifts?  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, May 1^st, 2010. 31 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This is another booklet that is a part of the Basics of the Christian faith series published by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.  This particular title focuses on spiritual gifts.  I used this particular series as a discipleship tool with a brother in our church who was curious about this topic in light of his experience while visiting certain churches while he was out of state for an internship.  We both read it together with the intent of understanding better what spiritual gifts are.

In other works I have appreciated the analytical mind of the author Vern Poythress.  You see it in this short booklet as well.  I enjoyed out how early in the book he lays out a chart that laid out the biblical passages that mentioned spiritual gifts along with the specific gifts mentioned so that you see where specific gifts are overlapped in being mentioned.  I also thought it was neat to see Poythress’ observation of the Trinitarian participation with God giving the church spiritual gifts; I haven’t really seen that mentioned in other works before and I think it is to Poythress’ credit that he’s conscious of the inter-relationship of doctrines and foci in theology.  To use a theme that is the title of one his other books, there’s a beauty in this book of “symphonic theology.”  Readers also should note his discussion of the functions of spiritual gifts in terms of being prophetic, kingly and priestly; the pyramid of giftedness was also a helpful didactic tool.

There is a lot that was covered in such a short booklet, more than what I mentioned in this review.  If there is one constructive criticism I wished Poythress would have come out stronger for his position concerning whether the more “supernatural” gifts are for today.  Still one can benefit with this booklet on this topic.