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Rod Loy, 3 Questions: A Powerful Grid to Help You Live by the Grace of God (Springfield, MO: Influence Resources, 2011). $14.99, 208 pages.

In 3 Questions, Rod Loy uses Paul’s letter to the Galatians to diagnose our motive, source of power and wisdom, and willingness to speak truth. Filled with humor, spiritual insight, and practical advice, 3 Questions will help you see, in Loy’s words, that “everything I have, everything I am, and everything I’ll ever do is a product of God’s amazing grace.” The book comes with study questions and is useful for individual and small group study.

P.S. If you found this brief review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.

In this video, I interview David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group and author of You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church…And Rethinking Faith. Great book, by the way! You can read my review of it here.

I’m interviewing David Kinnaman regarding You Lost Me on Thursday, November 3, at 2:00 p.m. on MinistryDirect.com/live. If you would like to ask David questions, email them to questions@ministrydirect.com, tweet them using #MinistryDirect, or enter them in the Facebook messaging tool on the live page. (You must be logged into Facebook to use the messaging tool.)

You can read my review of You Lost Me here.

David Kinnaman with Aly Hawkins, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church…And Rethinking Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks, 2011). $17.99, 256 pages.

“The ages eighteen to twenty-nine are the black hole of church attendance,” writes David Kinnaman. Most church leaders and Christian parents know this. And most believe that the “next generation” will return to church once they’ve married and had kids. There’s some truth to this belief. Church involvement among Boomers and Busters followed predictable patterns, with participation in childhood and adulthood sandwiching non-participation in young adulthood. And yet, this generation—referred to as Mosaics—may very well be different than preceding generations. The goal of You Lost Me is to “define the dropout problem [of Mosaics] and interpret its urgency.” No church leader or Christian parent can read Kinnaman’s research and remain complacent about the absence of Mosaics. It is an urgent problem requiring thoughtful solutions.

The culture in which Mosaics have grown up is “discontinuously different” from the culture of preceding generations. “The next generation is living in a new technological, social, and spirituality reality,” Kinnaman argues; “this reality can be summed up in three words: access, alienation, and authority.” Access refers to “the changing means and methods of communicating and finding information.” Alienation refers to the “very high levels of isolation from family, community, and institutions” experienced by Mosaics. And authority refers to “[t]he changing spiritual narrative” told by the culture, leaving Mosaics asking “new questions about what to believe and why.” Mosaics have more information, fewer role models, and more questions about what constitutes truth than preceding generations. These social realities “have deeply affected the cognitive and emotional process of ‘encoding’ faith” in the next generation.

But though subject to the same social realities, not all Mosaic dropouts have dropped out in the same way. Kinnaman reminds readers that “every story matters,” but the stories themselves take one of three narrative forms. For nomads, “faith is nomadic, seasonal, or may appear to be an optional or peripheral part of life.” Prodigals are “young people who leave their childhood or teen faith entirely.” Exiles are “those who grew up in the church and are now physically or emotionally disconnected in some way, but who also remain energized to pursue God-honoring lives.” Notice that nomads and exiles continue to identify themselves, in varying degrees, as Christians. Only prodigals are hard dropouts, that is, deconverts from Christianity, and they make up a small share of all dropouts. Given these distinctions, Kinnaman concludes: “The dropout phenomenon is most accurately described as a generation of Christians who are disengaging from institutional forms of church.”

Why they are disengaging, and what to do in response, take up the bulk of the book. Based on extensive surveys of Mosaics, both quantitative and qualitative, Kinnaman offers “six reasons” why the next generation is disengaging from church.

1. Overprotective: “The church is seen as a creativity killer where risk taking and being involved in culture are anathema.”
2. Shallow: “Easy platitudes, proof texting, and formulaic slogans have anesthetized many young adults.”
3. Antiscience: “Many young Christians have come to the conclusion that faith and science are incompatible.”
4. Repressive: “Religious rules—particularly sexual mores—feel stifling to the individualist mindset of young adults.”
5. Exclusive: “Although there are limits to what this generation will accept and whom they will embrace, they have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance. Thus Christianity’s claims to exclusivity are a hard sell.”
6. Doubtless: “the church is not a place that allows them to express doubts.”

Church leaders and Christian parents need to read this section of the book non-defensively. Many dropouts exhibit a keen interest in spirituality generally and Jesus Christ particularly. But they don’t like e church—the church that their leaders and parents have worked hard to build. When they say, “You lost me,” they are pointing fingers. At least that’s how leaders and parents might feel. Moreover, they might have strong disagreement with Mosaic ethics, particularly with regard to sexual behavior—as well they should. Rather than reading defensively, however, church leaders and Christian parents should read these chapters to learn the unique social forces that are shaping (and in some cases misshaping) the next generation.

By reading non-defensively, leaders and parents may also see new, biblically faithful ways of being Christian in community that have been neglected by their generation of Christians. On this issue, Kinnaman does not merely describe the dropout problem, he prescribes potential ways of moving forward. The penultimate chapter of the book outlines three things Kinnaman has learned from his research: “(1) the church needs to reconsider how we make disciples; (2) we need to rediscover Christian calling and vocation; and (3) we need to reprioritize wisdom over information as we seek to know God.” The final chapter surveys Christian leaders—both inside and outside of church ministry—and offers “50 Ideas to Find a Generation.”

I highly recommend You Lost Me to church leaders and Christian parents who are concerned about “the black hole” in their churches. It will help them understand how their Mosaics think, why they are disengaged from church, and what might be done to hand on the faith to a new generation.

P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.

P.P.S. I’ll interview David Kinnaman live via Skype on Thursday, November 3, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on MinistryDirect.com/live. Submit your questions via email to questions@ministrydirect.com, via Twitter using #MinistryDirect, or via Facebook using the interaction tool on the live page.

UPDATE: Here’s the video of my interview with David Kinnaman:

 
Interview with @DavidKinnaman, Author of “You L…, posted with vodpod

THE TULIP DEBATE: In the video below, I interview Roger Olson regarding his new book, Against Calvinism.

I wrote a dual review of For Calvinism and Against Calvinism here. I also reviewed Against Calvinism here.

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HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH: “John Stott: Four Ways Christians Can Influence the World.”

Do you want to see your national life made more pleasing to God? Do you have a vision of a new godliness, a new justice, a new freedom, a new righteousness, a new compassion? Do you wish to repent of sub-Christian pessimism? Will you reaffirm your confidence in the power of God, in the power of prayer, of truth, of example, of group commitment—and of the gospel? Let’s offer ourselves to God, as instruments in his hands—as salt and light in the community. The church could have an enormous influence for good, in every nation on earth, if it would commit itself totally to Christ. Let’s give ourselves to him, who gave himself for us.

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EVADING THE MORAL QUESTION: “The Supply-Side Economics of Abortion.”

The pre-Roe data illustrate that the farther women must travel for an abortion, the lower the abortion rate will be, and that travel distance is a greater obstacle for less-advantaged women. Thus, if a “blue state–red state” distribution of abortion services evolves, the pre-Roe racial and socioeconomic patterns will probably reemerge. Women with resources will travel substantial distances for an abortion, whereas less-advantaged women will travel less.

History suggests that there will always be abortions. The goal should be to reduce the abortion rate by reducing unintended pregnancies, while providing safe, legal services for women who need them. Making access to abortion unnecessarily costly will probably result in clandestine abortions and unintended childbearing among families with the least resources and the fewest options.

Perhaps, but the article evades the crucial moral question: Is abortion right or wrong? Can you imagine an article called “The Supply-Side Economics of Rape” or fraud or theft or assault and battery? Of course not! If one assumes that abortion is morally acceptable, then this kind of article makes sense. If not, then not. Surely we have to keep that simple point in mind.

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FOLLOW THE LEADER? “Religion and Support for Capital Punishment: Contrasting Leaders and Laity.”

Looking solely at the Christian groups, Evangelical Protestants show the lowest opposition to the death penalty at 23 percent, followed by Mainline Protestants at 28 percent, Catholics at 37 percent, and Black Protestants at 45 percent. So if Carter, Sharpton, and Prejean voice official or semi-official views from their respective religious traditions (Evangelical, Black Protestant, and Catholic), we can see here that most affiliates in their traditions don’t agree with them. Notably, even if we look only at the “church-going” crowd (a shorthand way to describe anyone who attends church at least twice a month or more), there are no differences in the overall pattern.

What do we make of this incongruity? While none of the three religious leaders I mentioned are expert theologians, they aren’t uneducated or non-practicing representatives of their faith traditions either. Why is there such limited Christian opposition for capital punishment when various Christian leaders have voiced it?

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A CLEAR LINK: “Sold for Sex: The Link between Street Gangs and Human Trafficking.”

The facts from hundreds of criminal cases show a clear link between dangerous street gangs and the scourge of human trafficking. Over the last decade, the United States has passed numerous laws to address criminal gang activity. Similarly, in 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to curtail trafficking in persons. But the enforcement of each law has developed independently of the others, with little, if any, integration. This is unfortunate and represents a missed opportunity not only to save the victims of a terrible crime, but also to add another prosecution weapon against the dangerous street gangs that endanger our communities and our nation.

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IF HE’S SO EASY TO REFUTE, WHY NOTE DEBATE HIM? “Why I refuse to debate with William Lane Craig.” In this essay, Richard Dawkins explains why he won’t debate William Lane Craig. He argues that it’s easy to refute WLC, all one has to do is quote him. If that’s the case, why not demonstrate how easy it is to refute WLC by quoting him…at a live debate?

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NEWS YOU CAN USE: “Holy Unhealthy Eating: How to Stop Churches from Sending People to Heaven Early.”

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FROM BRIAN MCLAREN, NATCH: “Why I’m Joining the Occupation.”

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QUESTIONS NO ONE’S ASKING (BUT LAWYERS): “Is the Declaration of Independence Legal?”

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CHURCH, TAX, LAW: “The Value of Tax-Exempt Status.”

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FROM CATALYST LEADERSHIP: “The Gospel in Focus.”

Here’s the video of my interview with Roger Olson, professor of theology at Truett Theological Seminary and author of “Against Calvinism” (Zondervan).

Here are the questions I asked as well as the minute marks at which Olson answered them.

• 1:05 Are you against everything Calvinism stands for, or only particular things?
• 2:40 What is the historical background to TULIP, “the five points of Calvinism,” or what Calvinists refer to as “the doctrines of grace”?
• 5:02 What is the unified testimony of the ante-Nicene church regarding these issues? Why don’t Calvinists take this testimony into account?
• 8:32 Can you demonstrate that Jesus, Paul, or other New Testament writers were not theological determinists? What about Romans 9-11?
• 15:50 Why do the “good and necessary consequences” of Calvinist doctrines make God a “moral monster,” despite Calvinists’ best intentions?
• 24:00 How does an Arminian deal with the many verses in the Bible that speak about election and predestination?
• 28:00 Examples of cooperation and competition between Arminians and Calvinists in evangelical history.
• 30:00 How can Arminians and Calvinists disagree without being disagreeable? (I interrupted Olson in the middle of his answer with a question about which Arminian books and theologians he would recommend.)
• 36:00 Given its biblical deficiencies, why does Calvinism have a dominant presence in the American church?
• 39:33 What do you appreciate most about the “New Calvinist” movement? (I interrupted Olson with a further question about Calvinism and evangelism/missions.)
• 42:03 What is “middle knowledge”? I asked how, on an Arminian basis, God can predestine based on foreknowledge if, as Olson argues, middle knowledge is impossible.
• 48:05 What are Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism, and how is Arminianism distinct from them? Is “Arminianism of the head” susceptible to Pelagianism or semi-Pelagianism?
• 53:32 Are universalists Arminians?
• 56:38 How to disprove limited atonement.
• 59:18 The Assemblies of God’s fourth reason for being is compassion. Does Arminianism or Calvinism sit better with an emphasis on compassion ministries?

Michael Horton, For Calvinism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011). $16.99, 208 pages.

Roger Olson, Against Calvinism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011). $16.99, 208 pages.

In 2009, just in time for the 500^th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, Time magazine declared “the New Calvinism” as one of “10 Ideas Changing the World Right now.” Christianity Today scooped Time on this story with a 2006 article by Collin Hansen entitled, “Young, Restless, Reformed,” which Hansen later turned into a book (and Time referred to). The rise in popularity of this centuries-old theological system with young people seems surprising at first, but given the dearth of in-depth biblical and theological teaching in evangelical churches, it’s not totally unexpected. Christians long for an intellectually rigorous expression of the faith, and the New Calvinists aim to please.

In For Calvinism, Michael Horton offers a thoughtful explanation and defense of what Calvinists refer to as “the doctrines of grace.” At the popular level, these doctrines are known by the TULIP acrostic: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Horton grounds each of these doctrines in the biblical text, quotes relevant comments from John Calvin on each topic, and deals with philosophical objections along the way. What emerges from Horton’s presentation is the evangelical character of Calvinist soteriology. That is to say, Calvinism articulates the gospel of Jesus Christ and the life that flows from it. Horton’s main concern throughout his book is to defend the gracious character of God’s offer of salvation.

Proverbs 18:17 says, “In a lawsuit, the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.” Horton’s case is indeed persuasive, until one reads Roger Olson’s cross-examination, Against Calvinism. Olson’s main concern throughout his book is to defend God’s reputation against what he considers the “good and necessary consequences” of four Calvinist doctrines: meticulous providence, unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace. Horton notes that Arminians agree with Calvinists on total depravity and disagree among themselves about perseverance of the saints. He argues that a Calvinist understanding of meticulous providence logically entails divine determinism and that unconditional election entails double predestination. He denies that the Bible teaches limited atonement, a doctrine that apparently even Calvin did not advocate. And against the monergism of irresistible grace, he argues for synergism, the cooperation of God’s grace and human faith. For each of the controverted doctrines, Olson shows the possibility of a legitimate, Arminian interpretation of the relevant biblical texts.

I found Olson’s critique of Calvinism the more persuasive of the two books. It is hard to understand how—given Calvinism’s doctrine of meticulous providence—God is not the author of sin. Moreover, it is hard to understand why God would unconditionally elect to save some but not all, when universal salvation is clearly—on Calvinist terms—within his power. If God can save all, then the fact that he does not save all seems to indicate a lack of good will toward his creatures. Calvinism, thus, harms God’s reputation.

Regardless of which author one agrees with, both Horton and Olson are to be commended for their thoughtful, irenic debate. At the end of the day, Calvinists and Arminians are colaborers in the Great Commission. If we cannot come to agreement on doctrine, we should at least learn to disagree agreeably. Horton’s and Olson’s books model the way such debate should take place. I highly recommend reading both books.

P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page. You can read my longer review of Against Calvinism here.

P.P.S. I’m interviewing Roger Olson about Against Calvinism on Thursday, October 20, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. (CST) on MinistryDirect.com/live. If you’d like to ask Olson a question about his book, email it to questions@ministrydirect.com, tweet it using #MinistryDirect, or enter it in the Facebook interaction tool on the live page. (You must be signed into Facebook to use this tool.)

P.P.P.S. You can watch my interview of Roger Olson about his book, Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, here:

• Hey, baby! Your name must be grace because you’re irresistible.
• You know your mouth your mouth is saying no, but unconditional election is saying yes.
• Girl, it is predestined. God rearranged the alphabet and put U and I together.
• I hope you believe in the perseverance of the saints, because my heart is forever yours.
• Baby, you are so fine, it is women like you who make particular redemption a necessity.
• I would ask God to bless you, but I can see he already has.

Apropos of this (somewhat), I’m interviewing Roger Olson about his new book, Against Calvinism, this Thursday, October 20, at 1:00 p.m. (Central) on MinistryDirect.com/live. If you would like to ask Prof. Olson questions, email them to questions@ministrydirect.com, tweet them using #MinistryDirect, or use the Facebook interaction tool on the live page.

Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011). $16.99, 208 pages.

In 2009, just in time for the 500^th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, Time magazine declared “the New Calvinism” as one of “10 Ideas Changing the World Right now.” Christianity Today scooped Time on this story with a 2006 article by Collin Hansen entitled, “Young, Restless, Reformed,” which Hansen later turned into a book (and Time referred to). The rise in popularity of this centuries-old theological system with young people seems surprising at first, but given the dearth of in-depth biblical and theological teaching in evangelical churches, it’s not totally unexpected. Christians long for an intellectually rigorous expression of the faith, and the New Calvinism aims to please.

Roger E. Olson is none too pleased with Calvinism’s renaissance, however. In Against Calvinism, he argues that although Calvinists do not intend to slander God’s good reputation, they inadvertently do so through the “good and necessary consequences” of their doctrines. Which doctrines? Olson focuses on four: “meticulous providence,” “unconditional election,” “limited atonement,” and “irresistible grace.” He argues that “meticulous providence” is nothing more than “divine determinism,” which robs humans of moral responsibility for their actions and makes God the author of sin. He argues that “unconditional election” amounts to “double predestination” and “arbitrary choice,” for God’s sovereignty is all-determining, and his choice to save some but damn the rest apart from their faith is capricious. Olson argues that Calvin himself did not limit the efficacy of the atonement to the elect and that the logic of Calvinist soteriology rather than biblical teaching is what necessitates limited atonement. Finally, he argues that “irresistible grace” like “unconditional election” is dispensed arbitrarily. If God could give grace to all, why wouldn’t he?

That question seems to be the nub of Olson’s brief against Calvinism: If God could save all, why wouldn’t he save all? The inability of Calvinism to answer that question, or rather, its assertion that God could save all but doesn’t is what constitutes a slander on God’s reputation for Olson.

Against Calvinism makes its case by extensively quoting mainstream, representative Calvinists (e.g., Calvin himself, Jonathan Edwards, Loraine Boettner, R. C. Sproul, and John Piper). He points out flaws in their interpretation of Scripture. He identifies conundrums in Calvinist theology that can be resolved only through rejection of its distinctive doctrines. And he exposes the verbal gymnastics that Calvinists use to downplay or soften the logical implications of those doctrines.

As an alternative to Calvinism, Olson invites his readers to investigate Arminianism, an alternative that makes better sense of Scripture, the tradition of Christian doctrine, reason, and experience. Interested readers can pursue further study on this alternative in Olson’s Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities. I interviewed Olson regarding Arminian Theology in the video below. I hope to interview him regarding Against Calvinism in the near future.

Interview with Roger Olson regarding Calvinism …, posted with vodpod

P.S. If you found this review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.”

In this video, Pastor Tommy Sparger talks about North Point Church’s strategy for making a difference in its community. You can read more about that strategy in Sparger’s new book, “The Impact Effect: A Revolutionary Vision for Compassion in Your Community and the World,” published by Influence Resources.

I interviewed Sparger about his book in the video below: