Introducing Christian Doctrine (2nd edition, 2001) by Millard J. Erickson, Brief Review

Finished reading this book last week but I don't think I can write a proper review due to lots of work this month. Here is a brief one: This is an abridged, less technical version of Erickson's classic Christian Theology. When I was a new staff, this is one of the books that we use for theological training. Back then I read it just for reference but this year (that's after so many years!) I decided to read it from cover to cover. It was life-giving! Perhaps due to an increase in understanding or Christian experience or growth in the knowledge of the Scripture or all of it and more factors, although it is still somewhat academic and formal, I find that this book is enjoyable to read.

Why you should study doctrine and theology? Here are the first two (2) reasons that the late Erickson points out: 1) "Theology is important because correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the relationship between the believer and God" and, 2) "Theology is necessary because truth and experience are related. While some would deny or at least question this connection, in the long run, the truth will affect our experience. A person who falls from the tenth story of a building may shout while passing each window on the way down, 'I’m still doing fine,' and may mean it sincerely, but eventually, the facts of the matter will catch up with the person’s experience."

I have other things to say on this subject, and perhaps recommend other theological books for beginners... But time and space won't permit it. Until then!

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheologyMatters #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Kidding: Childlike Solutions to Bullsh*t Adult Problems (2018) by Laura Jane Williams, Brief Review

I decided to make a very brief review of this one. I bought it from BookXCess last week and finished it during my wait for a delayed and turbulent flight from KL. It was a good read. Fun, light, and direct, and I already believe the core thesis of the book, namely, connect with your "inner child to make your mundane, complicated adult life much simpler (and happier)." At least, on the non-life-and-death stuff, I say, why so serious? It's NOT about being childish but childlike.

What I like: The author's storytelling ability, conversational writing style, vulnerabilities, and practical wisdom. Simple writing/thinking exercises inside the book are also very helpful for self-discovery. And, of course, hardcover.

What I dislike: Feminist-bend is obvious on this one, although very mild. Fault language. Very minimum backup research to support her claims, most are based on her experiences.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #Kidding #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Reading Can Activates Your Potential #LeadersAreReaders August 2022

Without reading and writing, there will be no progress to speak of. Without reading and writing, we'd be stuck in the Stone Age. Without reading and writing, there will be no civilization as we know it. These gifts of God to humankind are keys to unlocking our hidden potential. These gifts, writes Burke Hedges, author of Read & Get Rich, "liberates us and activates our dormant minds, much like a catalyst activates an inert chemical solution. Without the catalyst, the chemical just sits there. Add the catalyst and - boom! - there's an explosion of activity."

This reminds me of an old, true story. A young Italian sculptor named Agostino had a huge block of marble delivered to his studio. He had great plans to sculpt the block into a marvelous statue but unfortunately, he found the marble hard to work with. Frustrated, he had the marble removed to make room for a different project. About 40 years later, another Italian sculptor named Michaelangelo spotted the marble block hidden in an abandoned garbage heap. When he saw it, he ordered it sent to his studio. You know what happened next, right?

In case you don't... For many years, he studied the marble block, sizing up its potential, measuring it over and over again, testing its hardness with his chisels, making endless sketches, etc. Slowly but surely he gently smoothed his completed status with his chisels. The result was a masterpiece, the famous statue of David! You see, my fellow social media friends, Michaelangelo did what Agostino failed to do: he saw the full potential of the marble block and released that potential with his talent, patience, genius - and his chisels. Like that marble block, we are rough and unrefined at first (otak pun keras!) but we have such great potential! Reading (and writing) is the chisel that releases our potential and reveals the work of art within.

Ernest Carr puts it this way, "Not to be able to read is like one world with one door to enter and nothing is there... Because of literacy, I have been freed from this dark world. Because of literacy, I have 1,000 doors that I can enter now." So you see, reading not only activates your POTENTIAL but also POSSIBILITIES. Read! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Give Thyself To Reading #LeadersAreReaders July 2022

 At this writing, I'm finishing a book by Jason Dorsey and Denise Villa entitled Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business — and What to Do About It (2020). It is obvious from their research that Gen Zers are more attracted to visuals and videos than words. The immediate implication is that reading actual books are in decline. With social media, Netflix, and video games competing for our attention (not just Gen Zers), the side effects include a shortened attention span and a limited ability at deep and critical thinking. I wrote "our attention" because I'm fully aware that the temptation of consuming content for the sake of entertainment only and mindless viewing are real. If I'm not careful (or don't control it), I can be sucked into the vortex of shallowness. I'm horrified by the thought of not being able to think deeply and critically. God forbid!

One of the best antidotes (not the only one, of course) to this deathly sin is by reading books. I can quote lots of positive research that has been done to prove this but let me choose the most authoritative of all: The Bible. Particularly, the example of the apostle Paul. When he was in prison, waiting for his sure execution, he wrote to Timothy. His last request in the letter is to ask Timothy for a cloak to keep him warm and to bring his books! (read 2 Timothy 4:13). Charles Spurgeon, my favorite preacher of the 19th century, reflected on Paul's request:

"He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He has had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up in the third heaven and had heard things unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He has written a major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every Christian, ‘Give thyself to reading.’ The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves he has no brains of his own.”

Be inspired by Paul's love of books (actually, I'm also inspired by Charles Spurgeon's love of books too. Read his biographies!). Protect your mind. Think deeply and critically. Love knowledge. Savor God's wisdom in His Book and enjoy His general graces in human books too. Give thyself to reading! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #LifeLongLearner

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Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been (2018) by Jackie Hill Perry, Audiobook Review

Regardless of who she is becoming or her theology may have been shifted a bit today, objectively speaking, judged by this book alone, I love it! Jackie Hill Perry writes in a very poetic way. It is not just beautiful but also truthful too. With compassion and conviction. Lots of vulnerability and yet not self-centered. As a poet and rapper, Jackie is no doubt an expert storyteller. Although a bit preachy in the end and in between, as a reader, I know her origin story as an ex-gay girl a.k.a. lesbian but above all, I know the good God that she is writing about, "To tell you about what God has done for my soul is to invite you into my worship."

Jackie grew up fatherless, a marijuana user, a pornography addict, and experienced gender confusion. The back cover states: "She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could?" This book tells her journey toward change and wholeness. I can imagine what the LGBTQ+ people might think about this book: it's a cliche. A gay girl found a good God, let go of her old lifestyle and married a man, etc. But it's more than that. For one, Jackie admits that temptation does come and go. Yet "I don’t believe it is wise or truthful to the power of the gospel to identify oneself by the sins of one’s past or the temptations of one’s present but rather to only be defined by the Christ who’s overcome both for those He calls His own." Amen!

I have a few unresolved issues about the book though: What happened to her girlfriend after she ended the relationship? After a few years of marriage with Preston, does same-sex attraction (SSA) occur again? How about non-practice SSA who wish to be celibate, any words for them? (or maybe I missed it). Overall, it is a good book to understand how one person can be changed by the good God. "Because a good God made the woman, then being a woman is a good thing." For sure, Jackie writes from the 'tradition' view, not from the 'progressive' view. Some people might disagree with her interpretations, and some will affirm her Biblical view (I'm one of them). This is a story of one person, so, don't use this book to be the standard to measure and judge all SSA or LGBTQ+ people. There is no one size fit when it comes to the sexual issue. It's messy. Continue to listen, learn and explore - and read the Scripture, that is, the Word of God, rightly.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GayGirlGoodGod #JackieHillPerry #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Why You Should Finish A Book? #LeadersAreReaders June 2022

Last month [June 2022] I only managed to finish two books. Since the relaxation of quarantine, the works of ministry are getting momentum - and then some. Most of the time, I read for references, and not enough space for leisure reading. I hope for the months to come, I can catch up with other books that I've bought during The Hills Book Fair. Before I share why once you start a book you should finish it is a wise rule, I want to confess that I sometimes break this rule myself. Quitting a book is not a sin. This is a wise rule, not a divine law. Having said that, here are FOUR (4) REASONS why you should finish a book:

1) SURPRISES. When you stop short, you risk missing something incredible. I can’t count how many books have bored me in the beginning only to later amaze me with their insights and thrills. I experienced this when I read Dan Brown's Origin (2017) and James Garvey's The Persuaders (2016). Also, when I first read the Book of Leviticus I find it very boring and irrelevant. But after I endure to the end and studied a little more on the subject, I find that is a very enriching book of truth!

2) PLEASURE. Finishing a book is like completing a mission or a race. The sense of accomplishment and a small win will motivate you to want to read more. It's like you have done something great amid never-ending challenges in the world today. I remember when I finished reading a big volume of Martyn Lloyd-Jones's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (1984), I felt like a champion and filled with awe by Lord Jesus's teachings and Lloyd Jones's expositions. The intellectual pleasure makes me happy and the spiritual pleasure makes me glad.

3) DISCIPLINE. Perhaps this is not a popular word nowadays. But to start a book means you want to acquire the discipline, to begin with, and it requires discipline to finish it. What I mean is this: You need the discipline to begin and you will gain discipline when you finish it. It's like reading the Bible. As Christ believers, you know you should read the Bible but most of the time you don't feel like you want to read it. So what's the solution? After asking God to give you spiritual hunger for the Word of God, the most basic way is to JUST read it. Once you discipline yourself to start to read it and do it daily, the habit will start to form and soon or later you just can't live without it for more than a week! You'll start to love it and finish it.

4) RESPECT. "Never judge a book by its cover", right? Hmmm... sometimes I do. I think we can bring that a step further in a much more practical way: Never judge a book by some bad chapters. Yuval Noah Harari, I think, has written two very important books, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015). I recommend both. I enjoy Harari's insights, intelligence, and train of thought. But I do not necessarily agree with some of his theories and conclusions. In fact, there are chapters and sentences that I just can't tolerate. Yet, out of respect, I need to judge his books as a whole. Never give up a book just because you disagree with some of their arguments. Trying to understand other people's opinions without compromising your values is the key. Even if you want to criticize the author, make sure you read the book to the end.

There are more that I wanted to say but the four reasons above should be enough, right? May you find a book or two or more that can make you say what Lailah Gifty Akita wrote: "I wish I could fall asleep. But with a good book in my hands, I stay awake to finish reading.” #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #FinishABook #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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I Remember John Sung (1976) by William E. Schubert, 2nd Book Review

I read this for the fourth time because it is so inspiring and challenging book. Dr. J. Edwin Orr writes, "John Sung was one of the most colorful characters of all time, an evangelist of striking spiritual power as well as a prophet whose eccentricities matched some of those known through the Old Testament." Perhaps the last statement is putting John Sung too highly than he really was but it's not without merit. If you read this together with the other biographies and some of his sermon samples in the appendix, you can see why John Sung should be on your list of heroes of the faith.

Too often, churches and seminaries in Asia make much of the Reformation figures - yes, they are important and should be known - like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, etc. but lack excitement when it comes to Asian heroes of the faith like John Sung, Watchman Nee, Sadhu Sundar Singh, etc. People like these men (and oh, wonderful Christian women too!) must be rediscovered and highlighted because young Christians nowadays need actual heroes beyond the MCU and DCEU fictional superheroes! What's amazing is that, if you read Christian biographies, you can see how flawed women and men like John Sung can be used by God for His glory and to extend His Kingdom on earth. Their shortcomings can make you relate to them and their passion and zeal for our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word can put us to shame, which if you let the Holy Spirit works in you, can become a source of challenge and inspiration.

In the closing remark, William E. Schubert says: "As we remember John Sung, we pray that God will produce another, perhaps even greater, evangelist in this century. God often calls His leaders from the ranks of Jesus' persecutors. When this man, or men, come on the scene, then China and the Far East will be aflame for God with the preaching of the irresistible Gospel." In the same way, may God raises such leaders in Sarawak, Malaysia, Asia... again! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #JohnSung #HeroesOfFaith #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

Read my previous book reviews about John Sung here:

1) I Remember John Sung, 1st Review
2) A Biography of John Sung (2004) by Leslie T. Lyall
3) I also like to recommend Asian Awakening: John Sung (1988) by Timothy Tow

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