Book Reviews

 

Legalism and the Sins of the Church

L., Roger Sockwell

©2002 Xulon Press

ISBN 1-931232-43-1

Topics: 

  • The need for Christians to live the 'great commandment'

  • Legalism

  • Anti-Christian attitudes in today's church

 

Recommend reading for:

     Church leaders and pastors.  The writer speaks from the standpoint of a church leader who had experienced some frustrating times in his ministry.  A little too straight forward in parts for the person who has not experienced some similar frustrations as the writer.

 

Review:

     One term that best describes this book is 'straight forward'.  The first chapter is not the best gauge for the majority of the book.  The author has gone through some frustrating and challenging times in church ministry and that comes through very loud and clear in the first chapter.  But, the author makes some excellent and well needed points about legalism in today's church.  The topic of the desperate need for the 'Great Commandment' (do unto other as you would have them do unto you) is also a clear and well discussed topic in the book.  

     Here are a few challenging points made in this book: (all the following bullets are direct quotes from the book followed by page number.)

  • "LEGALISM MUST BE UNCOVERED AND ATTACKED. IT IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FIERY DART IN SATAN'S QUIVER" (x)

  • "Our business as ambassadors for Christ is not to deluge men and woman with rules and "weigh men down with burdens hard to bear" (Luke 11:46), but to "Bear one another's burden, and thus fulfill the (true and real and Great Commandment, the) law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2)." (11)

  • "A person may be genuinely happy ONLY by refusing to be legalistic-by refusing to levy requirements on others." (55)

  • "definition of legalism...: ELEVATING THE VALUE OF A RULE ABOVE THE VALUE OF A CHILD OF GOD" (114)

     In conclusion, this book is a straight forward discussion of legalism and other unscriptural attitudes that have been coming more and more frequent in today's church.  The author's general attitude throughout this book is one of passion for real, grassroots change at the core level of today's church.  This is a challenging book for today's church leaders and the topics discussed deserve and command some sincere self reflection and evaluation. q

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly

Marva J. Dawn

©1989 Wm. B. Eeedmans Publishing Company

ISBN 0-8028-0457-8

 

Topics: 

  • The importance of a non-legalistic Sabbath celebration

  • The Jewish traditions in Sabbath keeping

 

Recommend reading for:

     Christians who have an interest in the purpose of the Sabbath in the Old Testament and the need to take time to rest and focus on the Lord.  Those interested in Jewish culture may find this an interesting read.

 

Review:

     This book outlines and discusses the Godly design of humans to take one day a week to rest and focus on the Lord.  The topic of legalism is one of the first discussed in this work.  It is plainly stated that the Sabbath was never meant to be a legalistic endeavor (even in Old Testament times), but an activity done out of a genuine desire to focus more and more on God.  It is also mentioned that in New Testament times, Christians must seek there own unique and personal way to enjoy (there is the key word...enjoy) the Sabbath.   The major topics of discussion in this book are: ceasing, resting, embracing and feasting.  The author uses the Jewish traditions for Sabbath keeping as her person guide in discussing Sabbath keeping.  Many points made in this book would be beneficial for the Christina in today's fast paced and performance based culture.  

     Following are a few challenging  points made: (all the following bullets are direct quotes from the book followed by page number.) 

  • "Sabbath keeping is never meant to be legalistic. ... I do not want you to adopt blindly any of the ideas in this book.  My goal is to make clear how practical the notion of keeping the Sabbath is and how many benefits are attendant upon such practice." (xiii)

  • "God's design of the Sabbath rhythm was never meant to impose a legalistic duty." (7)

  • "Moreover, a day especially set aside for worship teaches us to carry the spirit of worship into our work.  Furthermore, to give ourselves a day's break from emotional and intellectual problems enables us to come back to them with fresh perspectives, creative insights, and renewed spirits." (53)

     In conclusion, this book is a good study of the need for a weekly Sabbath rest.  The book is thick with Jewish culture and traditional references to Sabbath keeping.  Although the author has no intent to promote legalism, some of this traditional reference does run some danger of promoting a legalistic view of the Sabbath.  The reader must keep in mind that the authors intent is to share her personal practices of Sabbath keeping.  This book gives interesting input on the ways the Jewish traditions of Sabbath keeping focused on the Lord.  There are other books written on the topic that offer more practical, modern day suggestions on how to keep your own Sabbath style day of rest and focus on the Lord.q

 

 

 

 

COMING SOON

Breaking the Bondage of Legalism

Neil T. Anderson

Rich Miller

Paul Travis

 

 

 

 
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