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Looking for a Book on Gospel-Centered Parenting?

It’s far too easy for Christian parents to fall into the trap of parenting by the law instead of by grace, forgetting that a child’s fallen human nature can’t be effectively shaped by law. In Give Them Grace, Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson show parents how to rely on the love and grace of Christ rather than rules to raise godly children. Check out what reviewers are saying:

Tullian Tchividjian
“It’s the best parenting book I’ve ever read because it takes the radical, untamable, outrageous nature of the gospel seriously and applies it to parenting. It’s nothing short of revolutionary—not because the gospel theology in it is so new but because the gospel theology in it is so old.”

Jamie Caldwell
“The two words that best describe my reaction to this book are Shock and Awe. Shock because even though I have been a follower of Jesus and a pastor for quite some time, I have not allowed my parenting to be distinctly marked by the simple truth of God’s grace. Awe because even though I have sinfully neglected the grace of Jesus in my parenting, it is still there.”

-kd316
“You don’t even need to be a parent to sit and just drink in the focus on grace in this book by Elyse and her daughter.  I finished it being encouraged in my personal life and also more to want to be a parent one day and how hard that task is going to be!”

Tota Scriptura
“This one of the better parenting books out there and one I would gladly recommend for its unyielding devotion to God’s glory as seen in His grace given through Christ our Lord and Savior and how all of this is relevant to the task of parenting.”

Gospel Community Culture
“I think possibly my favorite part of this book is the writing style and intentionality of the language…Give Them Grace was not written in Christianese, but in a blunt, culturally relevant dialect. The gospel is explained repeatedly, grace is explained and then applied with surgical precision to the heart of the reader.”

Bargain Books and Previews
“The concepts here are so simple yet have a significant impact. It is one of the best parenting books I have ever read.”

Bought by the Blood
“If you want to apply the gospel to parenting and have your parenting be saturated in the gospel then I could not encourage you enough to buy this book.”

While We Sojourn
“They don’t give readers a formula for parenting; there are no “three steps”… Instead, they remind us that it is God, and not parents, who determines a child’s destiny in this life and the next, and that we need His grace as much as our children do.”

Learn more about Give Them Grace.

June 24, 2011 | Posted in: Books,Parenting,Reviews | Author: Crossway Staff @ 6:00 am | 0 Comments »

Posted in Books, Parenting, Reviews | No Comments »

How Can We Clowns Construct Good Theology?

Guest post by Christopher Morgan, co-editor with Robert Peterson of Crossway’s Theology in Community Series

“As clowns yearn to play Hamlet, so I have wanted to write a treatise on God.”

Such are the opening words of the 1973 classic by J. I. Packer, Knowing God. What humility! And yet this humility does not keep Dr. Packer from writing a remarkable book about God, for just as he feels the burden of his finitude, he also knows that “God has spoken.”

Still the challenge is enormous. How can we clowns construct good theology? Though that massive question requires more time, space, and insight than I have, five contours of such an answer include:

  1. By realizing that we do not create theology, but interpret, analyze, and synthesize God’s own gracious self-revelation, which is historical, progressive, personal, verbal, true, sufficient, and life-changing.
  2. By accepting that while the depths of these truths about God and his truth will remain out of our reach, by God’s grace and through his self-revelation, we can and do know in part. Thus, formulating theology is like wading in a vast ocean: we may have some experience and knowledge of the sea, but we can make no pretense of plumbing its immense depths. So rather than seeking to develop some sort of definitive theology, we humbly work toward such theology.
  3. By following a sound theological method, which centers on carefully examining the key passages, themes, and teachings of the Old and New Testaments, relating them to each other, and relating them to historical and philosophical concerns.
  4. By developing our theology in community with others. Theology is not an individualistic enterprise, but is rightly done together—by the church and for the church.
  5. By applying the subsequent truths to pressing pastoral, missiological, and personal concerns. Theology matters! It shapes our worship, evangelism, mission, preaching, leadership, and preaching. It fosters our faith, hope, love, unity, and holiness.

Theology that is biblical, humble, sound, church-centered, and applied—this is precisely what Robert Peterson and I are trying to foster in our series, Theology in Community.

The volumes in the series now include:

Upcoming volumes in the series include The Kingdom of God, Sin, Heaven, The Love of God, The Resurrection of Christ; and more.

It is our prayer that these volumes will assist pastors, teachers, students, and church leaders as God uses them to strengthen his church.

June 23, 2011 | Posted in: Author,Books,Theology | Author: admin @ 6:00 am | 0 Comments »

Posted in Author, Books, Theology | No Comments »

When Money Becomes Your Master

Money is a terrible master. It doesn’t seem to start that way though. First we simply desire it. Then we become tenacious in our pursuit of it, vicious in our protection of it, committed in our devotion to it, and finally we find ourselves in love, deceived, and enslaved.

Josh Moody, author of No Other Gospel, gives us some helpful reminders as we think about money today:

  • Money is a great tool but a very bad master.
  • When money is your master, you cannot sleep at night for worry about your investments.
  • When money is your master, the one who inherits wealth is ruined by it, for he finds no motivation to succeed.
  • When money is your master, the Bible would say, Christ is not.
  • When money is a tool, you invest it in heaven.
  • God does not need your money. He is looking for your heart.
  • To wean us off money, he asks us to give it away.
  • The rich man who gave $2.5 million anonymously to a project did so out of his riches; the shaky handwritten note sent with a dollar bill came out of a woman’s poverty. I remember both, and Christ looks on the heart.
June 22, 2011 | Posted in: Books,Idolatry,Money | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 8:39 am | 0 Comments »

Posted in Books, Idolatry, Money | No Comments »

5 Things All Christians Have

Adapted from Am I Really a Christian? by Mike McKinley

How do you know if you’re really a Christian? This can be a dangerous question if taken the wrong way, so you have to check your intentions (not asking as a means to judge others or to beat yourself up for an area in which you think you fall short).

At the same time there’s a concerning trend: There are far too many people who think that they are Christians, but aren’t actually in Christ. We have a genuine love and concern for those in the church who may assume salvation is by association. Are we depending on church attendance, family background, and good intentions?

Genuine faith shows evidence of regeneration. Scripture gives us five criteria by which you can evaluate faith. If these things are present in your life, they are indications that you are truly being transformed by a vibrant and real faith.

  • Belief in true doctrine. You aren’t a Christian if you simply like Jesus. Lots of people like Jesus. Gandhi wrote fondly of Jesus’ gentleness, the Dalai Lama applauded him as “enlightened,” and most people enjoy seeing his face around Christmastime sprinkled somewhere in the commercial jungle. To be a genuine Christian, you must have sincere faith in Christ and his atoning work on the cross. That must be the central drive of your life. (Rom 16:17-18; Eph 4:11-16; 1Tim 4:6-8; 1Tim 6:3-5; Titus 1:9)
  • Hatred of sin in your life. All Christians struggle with sin. But if you have real faith, you will not enjoy your sins, but work to stamp them out. We all sin, Christians and non-Christians alike. The difference lies in the the effort and desire to improve ourselves and sin less vs. allowing sinful practices to be the enjoyable, ongoing trajectory of our lives. (Psalm 38:18, 119:11; Mark 9:42-47; John 8:11; Rom 6:1-2, 11-18; 1Tim 5:20; Heb 12:1-4; 1John 3:9-10)
  • Perseverance over time. You’re not a Christian if you don’t persevere in your faith and endure through the spiritually dark times. God is certainly there to sustain you, but you are also responsible for making the conscious, and sometimes painful, effort to endure in the faith. (Col 1:21-23; 2Tim 3:14-15; John 15:4-11; 2John 1:9; Heb 3:13-14)
  • Love for other people. Genuine Christians have care and concern for other people. This includes brothers and sisters in the faith, the poor and downtrodden, and, hard as it is, your enemies. (Matt 22:36-40; Luke 6:35; John 13:34-35, 15:12-13; Rom 12:9-10; Gal 5:13-14; Heb 13:1-3; 1John 2:9-10, 3:17)
  • Freedom from love of the world. You aren’t a Christian if the things of this world are more valuable to you than your faith in God. Prosperity is not inherently bad, and it can be evidence of obedience and wisdom. But it is tremendously easy for those with wealth to rely on money more than God. Money has an uncanny power of numbing peoples’ need for the Lord. Only God can meet your greatest needs. (Matt 16:24-26; Mark 4:2-20; Luke 14:25-33; Rom 12:2; Gal 4:3-9; Heb 13:5; 1John 2:15)

Learn more about Am I Really a Christian? or read a sample chapter.

June 21, 2011 | Posted in: Books,Identity in Christ | Author: Crossway Staff @ 8:31 am | (2) Comments »

Posted in Books, Identity in Christ | 2 Comments »

Video: What if Praying a Prayer & Liking Jesus Isn’t Enough?

Is it judgmental to help people examine themselves to see if they are actually a Christian? What if it’s possible to be deceived? What if a Christian is not somebody who has simply “prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, raised a hand, signed a card”? What if liking Jesus isn’t enough?

Mike McKinley talks about his new book, Am I Really a Christian?.

  • 1:34 – Why do you use new birth as a means to define what a Christian is?
  • 3:06 – Why is it important for a believer to be living life in the context of the local church?
  • 4:50 – 5 marks from the bible that characterize a true Christian

June 20, 2011 | Posted in: Author,Books,Video | Author: Angie Cheatham @ 9:47 am | 0 Comments »

Posted in Author, Books, Video | No Comments »