Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas–Book Review

I was interested in reading this book since Eric Metaxas is well-known for this biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I agreed with some of the things he had to say, but the book as a whole seemed a little “off.” I couldn’t articulate exactly what was bothering me, so I had my husband, who is a Lutheran pastor, review it. He feels that Metaxas has an incomplete grasp of Lutheran theology and that’s what I was picking up on. His review is below.

Eric Metaxas has published a new book entitled Letter to the American Church. Metaxas is well- known among Christians in the U. S., especially for his best-selling biography of Dietrich Bonhoffer. In this latest work he uses information he gathered for the biography of the Lutheran martyr to argue that the American Church today is in danger of following the German Church of the 1930’s into a dark period of quiescence in the face of evil political and cultural trends. His answer to the problem is strongly encourage Christians to be active in the public square, serving as a conscience to the nation. This would include a more aggressive preaching by pastors against cultural trends and actions by government, up to and including supporting one politician against another.

While I and many others would agree with his position against this present darkness in America, there are serious theological problems with his reasoning. First, he opposes the Lutheran concept of the kingdoms of the left and right, even saying that Luther’s use of Romans 13 was overblown and should not be used as an excuse not to be politically active. His concept of the Gospel is overly broad, including many things that are Biblical but not necessarily Gospel. For example, Metaxas argues that Luther “over-emphasized’ grace and faith as the content of the Gospel. This position then leads him to attack “theologically fussy” pastors who argue that their task is to proclaim Christ’s atoning sacrifice for sinners. He names several such “fussy” preachers include John MacArthur and John Piper. The times, Metaxas contends, call for new ways to preach the Gospel and teach the Bible.

VERDICT: I cannot, from a Lutheran perspective, recommend this book.

For more book reviews see:

Three Mile an Hour God by Kosuke Koyama — Book Review

Memories of a Devil: My Life As a Jesuit in Dachau by Father Chester Fabisiak–Book Review

Loving People Who are Hard to Love by Joyce Meyer–Book Review

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Kingdom of God

“No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For more quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer see these posts:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Times of Uncertainty

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Optimism

Dietrich Bonhoeffer– Facing Life’s Challenges Like Christ

More about Peace

Yesterday I posted about the connection between wisdom and peace. Just in case you are thinking that peace is something easy to obtain, take a look at this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared. It is itself the great venture and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself completely to God’s commandment. Wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of almighty God. Not trying to direct it for selfish purposes. Battles are won not with weapons, but with God. They are won when the way leads to the cross.”

Peace and wisdom are found in accepting God’s will and trusting in His plan. It means giving up our own desire for comfort and following Christ. Can you do this? It’s a good question for each of us to contemplate as we examine our own consciences daily.

For more posts about the examination of conscience see:

Examination of Conscience

Examination of Conscience, Again

Examine Yourself

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on False Teaching

“A church which no longer takes the rejection of false teaching seriously no
longer takes truth, i.e. its salvation, seriously, and ultimately no longer takes the
community seriously, no matter how pious or well-organised [sic] it may be.
Anyone who follows false teaching, indeed who simply supports and furthers
it, no longer obeys Christ.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For more about false teaching see these posts:

False Teaching in the Church

What is False Teaching?

False Teaching

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Advent

This quote seemed to go along well with my previous post about really seeing those around us.

“Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger

For more quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer see:

A Quote on the Christian Life by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Optimism

Loyal to the End — A Quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Life Together in Christ by Ruth Haley Barton–Book Review

Life Together in Christ provides a model for studying and experiencing community in a small group setting. Using the story of the Emmaus road as her format, author Ruth Barton leads her readers through 9 topics designed to further spiritual transformation. They are:

1. Choosing to walk together
2. Welcoming the stranger
3. Choosing to listen
4. Gathering on the basis of shared desire
5. Men and Women in community
6. The Spiritual journey
7. Finding our story in His story
8. Discerning the presence of Christ
9. Being a witness

Sprinkled throughout are questions for personal reflection (good for journaling!) and at the end of each chapter are more questions and a prayer for group sharing. There are two appendices at the end which delve further into spiritual growth, community and the practice of stability. The author often relies on quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s well-known work, Life Together, to illustrate her points, so if you’re interested in Christian community, this is another well-respected book to read on that topic.

If you’re in a small group, or starting a small group, this would be an interesting choice to use. I agreed with most of what the author had to say, with the exception of her objection to single sex groups. There are certainly times and instances (in my opinion) when same sex groups are appropriate.

VERDICT: 4 STARS

For other books that could be used in your small group see:

Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren–Book Review

When Words Matter Most by Cheryl Marshall & Caroline Newheiser–Book Review

Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren–Book Review

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Confessing Our Sins

“He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final breakthrough to fellowship does not occur because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. May Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy.”

For more Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes see:

A Quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Loyal to the End — A Quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Quote on the Christian Life by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Predestination continued ….

Predestination, is the Christian doctrine that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save. Predestination has been especially associated with John Calvin and the Reformed tradition.

This is a continuation from my post yesterday. It’s taken from a sermon given by our Pastor, my husband, explaining this difficult word.

This (coming to saving faith) will happen because of a call to faith, a call from the words of Scripture, the words of the Gospel, the Good News that Christ bore their punishment and they could then experience eternal joy. And the Holy Spirit, God Himself, opens the hearts of those who are predestined to believe the Gospel, to know that Christ did indeed die for them and that He was raised for them. What a wonderful thing it is to have God bring us to such understanding! If you have faith in Christ, you didn’t do it on your own, you didn’t work it out by yourself– no indeed, you received it from God and in receiving it you were justified, made right with God, no longer estranged, but now embraced as an adopted child and heir.

Even more than that, you have been glorified. In a tiny little way, we experience the glory that will be ours in heaven when we come into contact with God, when we experience His grace, when we feel His presence, whe we trust in Christ alone. What a glory that is, but that will pale in comparison to what God has waiting for us in eternity. Many have gone before us, but there is still room for us and for all those whom He is calling today around the world, and for those whom He has predestined before Christ’s return. What a wonderful and awesome thing to be chosen by the living God for eternal life.

For more on salvation see:

Predestination?

The True Cost of Salvation

Saved by Grace

A Poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote this poem in 1944. It is a comfort that in our need, God comes to us, whether that need is sickness, hunger, or sin.

People go to God when they’re in need,
plead for help, pray for blessings and bread,
for rescue from their sickness, guilt, and death.
So do they all. All of them, Christians and heathens.

People go to God when God’s in need,
find God poor, reviled, without shelter or bread,
see God devoured by sin, weakness, and death.
Christians stand by God in God’s own pain.

God goes to all people in their need,
fills body and soul with God’s own bread,
goes for Christians and heathens to Calvary’s death
and forgives them both.

For more on Dietrich Bonhoeffer see these posts:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Hope

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Prayer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on God’s Victory

Dietrich Bonhoeffer– Facing Life’s Challenges Like Christ

“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work. ‘The kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared’ (Luther).”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For more quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer see:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Optimism

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Faith

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Times of Uncertainty