Book Review: “Why I Am Roman Catholic"

“Why I Am Roman Catholic” by Matthew Levering

I went into reading this book thinking only that it would help me better understand the Catholic position on matters of life, faith and doctrine. What I didn’t expect was that my heart would be so stirred for Jesus, and my faith increased. While there were certainly some things that Levering wrote about that I disagreed with, those things took up very little space. For most of the book I felt like I was reading the challenging, encouraging, inspiring, Christ exalting words of another Christian brother, which I was!

In just under two hundred pages Levering takes readers through six unique chapters: 1) Why I Am a Christian, 2) Why I Am a Catholic, 3) What I Have Found Especially Beneficial About Being Catholic, 4) What I Have Found Difficult About Being Catholic, 5) Catholics and Ecumenism, and 6) Catholic Theological Exegesis. The amount that Levering fits into each one of these chapters is impressive. Even more impressive though is his obvious knowledge of Church History, and the number of sources he relies on and incorporates into each chapter. He rarely gets through a paragraph without having cited and/or quoted at least two different historical voices, plus Scripture. This doesn’t take away from his own writing, it enriches it by giving it a firm historical foundation, and by providing an amazing bibliography!

While the whole book really was exceptional, the standout chapters for me were Why I Am a Christian and Why I Am a Catholic. Reading chapter one, Why I Am a Christian, was a needed and uplifting reminder to my own heart as to why I am a Christian. As Levering told his own story of struggle and conversion, and as he basked in things like the glory of the cross of Christ, the goodness of God and the harmony of the Scriptures, I couldn’t help but remember why being a follower of Christ is not even a question for me. As Peter once rhetorically said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6.68). Or as Levering writes himself, “As soon as I believed there was a God, I understood that I could not do anything other than live for him” (Why I Am Roman Catholic, 25).

Reading chapter two, Why I am Catholic, was a similar experience to chapter one but with some more education involved. I came away with a better understanding of some of the points of disagreement between Levering and myself, such as the Catholic view of Mary and certain parts of the Eucharist. And more than that, I came away again spurred on to love Jesus more. Even without agreeing wholeheartedly, I couldn’t help but say ‘Amen’ as Levering expounded on the Lord’s supper and talked about God’s love for and purpose in marriage. Again, it was like reading the wonderful words of a brother in Christ from a neighbouring denomination.

Now, all of that being said, my caution to readers (non Catholic readers that is) as they read this book is that Levering does indeed seem to consider Protestants as a little less or a little lost compared to Catholics. His chapter on ecumenism is very encouraging and welcoming, but there are still statements like, “While Catholicism is the full realization of the church of Christ, other Christian churches - Orthodoxy first and then the Reformation churches - participate in that church in varying degrees” (130). Of course, in Levering’s defence this a great movement forward from other times and voices that would not put Catholicism and Reformation churches in the same sentence. And on top of that, Protestants would probably make similar statements if they were writing “Why I am a Protestant.”

All in all, a great read. I don’t doubt that this will be an important book for Catholics. I think it is just as important of a book for Protestants. It is a well written reminder not only of where Protestant and Catholics disagree but, and more importantly where they are united. In the words of my Catholic brother, “I love Christ’s cross because, like St. Augustine, I know I need it” (29).

Book Review: “A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended"

“A Theology of Play: Learning to Enjoy Life as God Intended” by Kevin M. Gushiken

As soon as I saw the title, “A Theology of Play,” I was intrigued. I am not the kind of person that struggles with finding time and motivation to play. That part comes fairly naturally to me. But I have wrestled often with wondering whether God even wants me to play and to have fun? Like, is it alright to go skateboard, or should I be reading Scripture in all my free time? More then that, if play is a part of God’s design and intentions for me, then how can I make skateboarding and other activities of play glorifying to God?

Gushiken provides answers to those questions and many more in his book. He addresses the person like me who loves to play but carries some level of guilt about it, as well as the person who doesn’t make time for play but needs to. He examines things like the common barriers to play, the need for spontaneous play, the relationship between suffering and play, finding freedom from guilt and shame in play, and magnifying God’s glory in our play.

Of course, the most important part for me of these aspects of play is not Gushiken’s thoughts on them, but God’s. Does the Bible provide answers to my questions about play? Can a person actually discover a Theology of Play in Scripture without distorting verses to try and justify it?

My impression from page one and on was that Gushiken is a man who is well versed in the Scriptures, who gives great exegetical thought and care to his study, and who, in this book in particular, was/is seeking to know what God’s Word has to say on the subject at hand. This is not to say that you shouldn’t read this book and then like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so. We should do that with any book we read. But I do think you can read this book with confidence that Gushiken is equipped to and devoted to genuinely and intelligently finding insights into play that are absolutely found in and based on Scripture.

All that being said, if I had any greater hopes for this book, it would be that Gushiken would have provided further insight into his study. Again, he does a good job of showing the biblical basis for each chapter, but I would have loved to see even more! With Theology in the title, I was hoping it would be a little bit more technical than it was. But, in his defence, then the book may have been less accessible to a wide range of readers.

All in all, a great book. It is a strong and biblical argument for play being something designed and ordained by God, for our joy and His glory.

If you struggle with seeing a reason to play, or if you struggle with guilt in your play, this one’s for you!

Book Review: "The Soul-Winning Church"

“The Soul Winning Church: Six Keys to Fostering a Genuine Evangelistic Community” by J.A. Medders and Doug Logan Jr. The Good Book Company, 2024.

I am probably the thousandth person by now to make a post like this about the “Soul-Winning Church,” but I have to say it. This book was fantastic. It was to my heart what kerosene is to a fire. Fuel!

I have lived and pastored for a long time now with an always increasing frustration and confusion as to why our churches aren’t making more disciples. Why are the baptismal waters so still? Why is so much church growth dependent on other church’s decline? What are we doing wrong or missing all together? What needs to change? I have walked around with these questions swirling around in my head, but not ever really being able to put them into words, let alone find their corresponding answers. And then this book showed up in the mail.

In only 164 pages (making it super accessible and easy to hand out to almost anyone) Medders and Logan do a massive job, and they do it well. They give hope to pastors like me that our little churches can be soul-winning churches; that evangelism can be ingrained in the culture of our churches and not just be another category of ministry, and that we can love the people that come from other places, without settling for transfer growth as the ultimate means of growth.

Medders and Logan identify in the book six key areas of focus for becoming a church that reaches the lost. Each key is just as convicting, convincing and compelling as the next, well at the same time being so obviously biblical. I am not lying when I tell you that I only made it through chapter one before stopping to spend the next week reflecting on the first key and laying out plans for walking through the chapter with my elders at our next meeting (which is exactly what we did).

I think if you’re a pastor you need to read this. I think if your plumber you need to read this. I think that this book needs to be read by home groups, men’s groups, women’s groups, youth groups, and by everyone else in the church that’s not in a group. At the end of the day, I don’t think that I am the only one feeling this perplexing frustration about the lack of souls being won. Something is missing, and Medders and Logan identify that missing piece. They remind readers how central soul-winning is to the mission of the church, and then they go to work on equipping the church for that mission.

We have got to be churches that are consumed with winning souls, because Christ is consumed with winning souls! And if there is a book that can play even the smallest part in further fueling that passion and preparing Christians to walk it out, then in my mind, that is a must read.

As Spurgeon writes (and as Medders and Logan quote him saying), “Soul-winning is the chief business of the Christian minister; indeed, it should be the main pursuit of every believer. We should each say with Simon peter, “I go afishing,” and with Paul our aim should be, “That I might by all means save some.”[1]

Grab it, read it, and lets go!

[1] C.H. Spurgeon, The Soul Winner: How to Lead Sinners to the Savio (Fleming H. Revell. 1895), p 9.

Book Review: "Honor"

“Honor” by Adam Ramsey. The Good Book Company, 2024.

I have been so encouraged, inspired, challenged and fed by The Good Book Company’s “Love Your Church” series. Every book that has come out in this series so far has been a gift to me both as pastor and simply as another Christian disciple. They are short enough to be quick reads, but dense enough to have substance. Rich with Scripture and biblical insights, and ascetically pleasing too!

All that to say, as I picked up Adam Ramsey’s latest contribution to the series I had high expectations, and they were absolutely met.

As the title suggests, Ramsey writes on the topic of honor. His main ambition in the book is to paint for readers a biblical picture of what honor is supposed to look like in the Church and in the lives of believers. Of course that sounds simple enough, but it may just highlight for you how little you actually understand honor as it is defined and described in the Bible (at least that’s what it did for me).

While defining honor Ramsey at the same time casts a vision for what an honouring church could and should look like. What does a church look like that properly honors God, that has an honorable witness, that honors its leaders, that is led by honorable leaders?

Let me just say, that I needed this book. In my home, in my community and in my church, I fail on a weekly basis to honor others, lead honorably and to give all honor to God. Ramsey spoke so clearly to the shortfalls in my life when it comes to honor. More than that though he stirred in me something that needed to be stirred up; a conviction and a passion to want to be an honorable and honoring Christian and pastor, leading an honourable and honoring Church.