Book Reviews - 5/10/2010

The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence, Thabiti Anyabwile, 2010, Moody Publishers, Chicago, ISBN 9780802471116, 176 pages, $12.99, softcover.

Thabiti Anyabwile’s The Gospel for Muslims should not be confused with the myriad of “how to reach…” books on the market today. In fact the title is intentionally misleading, as his introduction makes clear that no matter who you are talking to about Christ—Islamic or otherwise—the power of the Gospel remains unchanged.  No “gimmicks” are needed when evangelizing—the Gospel speaks for itself.

However, Anyabwile does have some keen insight into the Muslim world (especially the ins and outs of the Quran), as he was a devoted Muslim himself before coming to Christ. He delineates very clearly the points in the Bible on which a Muslim might agree or disagree with you. These topics include issues like repentance, the true identity and mission of Christ, the role of faith, etc. He is, in essence, giving the reader a “heads-up” with quotes from the Quran and Bible based on his own life and experiences with Muslims since his conversion.

As he discusses the various encounters he has had with Muslims as a result of leaving Islam for Christianity, he does not sugarcoat them. Sometimes Anyabwile felt utterly unable to respond to a Muslim whose questions caught him off guard, but he also explains how grateful he is to now be regularly asked to debate Muslims in public universities—a clear opportunity for the deceptions and claims of Islam against Christianity to be shown false through the authority of God’s Word.

This book does not promise that the reader will be able to debate Muslims and win them immediately to Christ after having read it (as I said, even Anyabwile, a pastor, does not always feel he has given a satisfying answer), but that God will use readers’ new knowledge from this book as a starting point for understanding the questions of Muslims and how, ultimately, they can point back to the cross of Christ as the means of salvation.      

Rachel Lonas

Target: All
Type: Apologetics/Evangelism
Take: Highly Recommended

The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16^th Century Catechism, Kevin DeYoung, 2010, Moody Publishers, Chicago, ISBN 9780802458407, 247 pages, $14.99, softcover.

To most Protestants, the word “catechism” probably conjures up images of Roman Catholic youths being drilled by nuns and reciting by rote memorization the doctrines of the Church. Catechesis is not often practiced in today’s churches, and it seems somewhat medieval, smacking of works salvation and dry faith.

Kevin DeYoung, a pastor and author from East Lansing, Mich., begs to differ. In The Good News We Almost Forgot, he takes a long look at the Heidelberg Catechism, a 16^th document commissioned by Elector Frederick III of Germany to unite Protestants after the break from Rome and to instill in the people the core teachings of the Reformation. The Heidelberg is still used today in several Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. Through the course of the book, DeYoung shows how the Catechism deftly outlines the Christian faith and serves as an effective means of teaching biblical truth.

The Catechism consists of 129 questions and answers arranged into 52 “Lord’s Days”, designed to be taught each Sunday of the year. Accordingly, DeYoung’s book is broken into 52 chapters, each one a commentary on one week of the Catechism. Working his way through the lessons, he offers a compelling reminder that the Gospel is Christianity and vice versa—the whole of our faith rises and falls with the narrative of creation, fall, and redemption through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Catechism itself is divided into three sections—the misery of man, the redemption of man, and the gratitude of man—that cover the full measure of what anyone would need to understand in order to believe and live out the faith.

DeYoung’s purpose in writing is to show readers the vital importance of remembering just how good the Good News is and passing on a legacy of Gospel-centrality to the next generation of believers. He offers the Heidelberg as one means of instilling truth because of its thoroughness, concision, and ease of learning. Truth that is ageless and new is worth memorizing and repeating often.

Justin Lonas

Type: Church Life/Creeds
Target: All
Take: Highly Recommended