Book Review: Erasing Hell, by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

There's been a big stir lately about heaven and hell. Between people trying to guess the day of Christ's return, and books causing some people to steam, it seems like a lot of unpopular topics are starting to get people talking.

I don't want to add to the controversy that has taken place or provoke people on either side to become angry, but I do want to know what the Bible says about topics like eternal judgement. There are a lot of books out there with people's opinions and "what ifs" and "maybes"... but why not take an honest look at what God has to say about it. After all, isn't He the one who knows the answer anyway?

A great book has come out that helps us do exactly this. It's called "Erasing Hell" and was written by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle. Francis, many of you will know as the "Crazy Love" guy. He's a great teacher and wonderful pastor. Preston is less known, but serves as an elder at Corner Stone Church (formerly pastored by Francis) and is a professor at their affiliated Bible college. He is an incredibly intelligent and informed man, earning a PhD in New Testament. Who better to walk us through what the Bible says?

The book is great. At first, I was concerned that it would be an attack against a particular pastor who's been shaking people up lately. But Chan and Sprinkle, with wonderful grace, approach this topic with humility. They genuinely seem to be seeking God's views on the topic and instead of trying to prove themselves "right" or somebody else "wrong". They just want to know what the truth is.

This view point was so refreshing. A lot of books out there try to come at a topic from an angle. The author has their own opinion, as we all do, and tries to pick and choose Bible verses to support their claims. Such books seem like they're trying to "sell" a particular doctrine. But not Chan and Sprinkle. They line up their own beliefs against the Word of God, and in some cases are forced into an uncomfortable corner. On more than one occasion, Chan admits that what he wants to be true, isn't. In order words, the teachings he would love to preach and write about just aren't found in scripture, and thus he was forced to change his mind on some difficult topics.

Probably the most encouraging theme throughout this book is the humility. Chan and Sprinkle constantly remind us that we do not define morality, God does. They talk about certain things in scripture that people have a hard time wrapping their head around, and some people are tempting to say "if I were God, I wouldn't do that". But that's kind of the point: we are not God! Chan points to Isaiah 55, where God says "Your thoughts are not my thoughts, and your ways are not my ways".

God does things that we would never think to do, that's what makes Him God. Would I offer my one and only son (if I had one) for sinful people? No, I wouldn't. But God did! And praise His Name for that! Why did He do it though? What logic was going through His mind? We don't know, and we can't know... because His "thoughts are not [our] thoughts".

I would highly recommend this book, both from a purely informational point of view and as a reminder of the sovereignty and grace of our Lord.

Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up By Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle In Erasing Hell, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle take on the topic of hell and our eternal destiny, with a sense of humility and a deep respect for the inspired Word of God. They will address questions such as "Will everyone be saved?" and "Does God Get What He Wants in the End?" as well as reviewing in depth, everything Jesus said about Hell. Chan and Sprinkle lay all the evidence on the table and present all the facts from Scripture, so that people can decide what to believe for themselves.

"Sin Salvation & Shadowmancer" Review

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book. Recently, I finished "Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer". It's really different from what I normally read. It's the testimony / biography of Graham Taylor, better known as G. P. Taylor, the guy who wrote Shadowmancer. For a guy who wrote a fantasy series that rivaled Harry Potter in the UK, I figured he must have a pretty cool story to tell. Turns out, he does.

The book is incredibly well written. Despite covering many decades of his life—from his childhood experimentation with the occult, up to when he became an Anglican priest and Christian novelist—it all flows very well and ties each season of his life nicely into the next.

It's not all biography, though. There is some insightful commentary from Graham, looking back on certain events in his life and realizing now, years later, how God had used that seemingly unfortunate circumstance for His glory. It's very comforting to be reminded of God's sovereignty, even over the parts of our lives we'd wish never happened.

The book has some humorous parts. I usually don't laugh at books, but this one make me laugh more than once. There's a great incident involving a whole squad of police officers helping Graham chase a rampaging kangaroo throughout a small English village.

Probably my favorite part of the book is how honest Graham is. It's shockingly honest, in fact. Some of his feelings he expresses towards God would likely be considered inappropriate to say in church. But I was inspired by the prayers (more like protests) he makes to God during times he felt God let him down or abandoned him. It was real and raw and you could tell that this guy was seriously steamed at God. But I think God is okay with that. God knows that we get frustrated and knows that it's difficult to go through life without seeing the whole picture. In a strange way it was comforting to see Graham get angry, confused, and sometimes even lose hope. It reminded me that even priests or famous Christian authors don't have all the answers, but God still works in their lives.

I strongly recommend this book, both as a biography and for learning about the grace and sovereignty if God.

G.P. Taylor: Sin, Salvation & Shadowmancer By G.P. Taylor & Bob Smietana Laced with humor and filled with incredible twists and turns, Taylor's life story is not unlike the plots of his best-selling novels. From rebellious student and punk rock roadie to police officer and Anglican priest, he shares how he became "hotter than Potter" on both sides of the Atlantic.

Clairvaux Manifesto

I wanted to share something a bit different today. My good friend and teacher Kirk Bartha had the opportunity to be on TV today and share about his book. I first met Kirk when he traveled to Newfoundland back in 2005 and I've had the privilege of hearing him speak several times since then. He has probably had the biggest spiritual impact on me of any person I've ever known, other than the Lord Himself. I had the honor of attending his book launch celebration at Victory Church in St. John's and I'd encourage you all to check out the book. I trust it will be as much of a blessing to you as it was to me.

Here is a link to Kirk speaking on TV. It's long and the hosts are a bit goofy, but Kirk used the opportunity to share his heart for God.

Get a copy of "Clairvaux Manifesto" at Chapters

Holy Discontent

A little while ago I wrote a little review for a booked called "The Me I Want to Be". I just finished another book, so I thought I'd say a few things about it.

The book is "Holy Discontent" by Bill Hybels. I figured a book by Hybels must be good, because I've heard him speak several times and his messages are always incredible. However, this book seemed like kind of a dud to me.

I don't mean that nothing in the book was relevant or true—because it all made a lot of sense. I just found that each chapter tended to repeat what the last one said.

In the book, Hybels lays out his theory, which he calls holy discontent. Basically, God has wired us all to be "discontent" with some issue in the world; poverty, the spiritually lost, the AIDS crisis, etc. Hybels suggest that instead of accepting the world for the way it is, we should embrace our holy discontent and allow it to fuel us as we change the world in one small way. This is a great idea which Hybels supports with solid scripture in the first chapter.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much all you need to read. Very little new information or expansion on the idea is presented in the rest of the book. It's still an interesting read, as Hybels shares stories of people he knows who have embraced their holy discontent to make an impact on the world. He even gives some examples from his own life about how his holy discontent over lukewarm churches drove him to build Willowcreek, which as you probably know is one of the most influential and thriving churches in the world today.

This book is definitely not a bad one by any means; it's very well-written and has some good inspiring stories in it. I got really excited over the first chapter but was disappointed to discover that the remainder of the book was basically just a series of rewordings.

However, if you're a person who doesn't quite have your own "holy discontent" quite figured out yet, this book could definitely help. There are tons of inspiring stories that might just trigger something in your heart and show you what God might be calling you to do with your life.

A "ministry leader" guide is also available for the book, which I haven't had a chance to read. If anyone's checked that out, please post a comment letting me know how it is.

Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision By Bill Hybels

Living and Leading from Your Holy Discontent: A Companion Guide for Ministry Leaders By Bill Hybels & Ashley Wiersma

"The Me I Want to Be" review

I'm going to try something new today and discuss a book I recently finished reading. The book is called "The Me I Want to Be" by one of my favorite authors and teachers, John Ortberg. As most of his other books, this latest work talks about Spiritual Formation; the transforming of human character through authentic experiences with God.

The book is an encouragement to become the version of yourself that God intended you to be. The book doesn't actually call anyone to change who they are, but instead to become more of who you are. Everything about you was created by God for a purpose. The way you worship, the way you learn, your interests and desires have all been selected by God to create a one-of-a-kind you. Throughout the book he gives examples of how we don't (and shouldn't) all worship in the same way, nor should we feel guilty about it. Some sing, some dance, some pray for hours on end, some write, some talk over coffee, some serve... but nobody should feel guilty if all of those expressions of worship don't appeal to them. Instead, Ortberg suggests we find out which expression of worship we feel most connected with God, and then do that more often and more passionately. Become more of who you already are. He uses a few scriptural examples of different forms of worship... Martha was a server, David was a song writer, Paul was a missionary, and Esther was a beauty-pageant winner. All of them were different, but used what they had to worship God in they way He created them to be.


But this isn't a "you're perfect so don't ever change" sort of book. It does acknowledge sin and pleads for repentance. In fact, it argues that your uniqueness means that you sin in a way that is unique to you. There's an entire chapter about "signature sins", common areas of struggle faced by people of certain personality types.

There was only one apparent down-side that I noticed. It might be a little nit-picky, but I found that a lot of the scriptural references didn't include the book or verse numbers, which made it more difficult to look up the verse for yourself later.

Overall, this is a great book is John Ortberg's humorous yet convincing style. The book also includes a card with an access code for "Monvee", an online spiritual-accessment tool. This code will allow you to complete a test that will reveal things about you, like how you learn, how you relate to people, what sort of sins might be problematic for you, and even which biblical characters are most similar to you. I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for purpose or struggling to accept themselves.

The Me I Want to Be By John Ortberg