Book Review: 10:10 Life to the Fullest by Daniel Hill

10:10 “Life to the Fullest”

Daniel Hill

*I received this book for free from Baker Books in exchange for my reviewing it, and I was not required to write a positive review.

Daniel Hill states on page 33 that the purpose of his book is “to paint a biblical picture of holistic, multidimensional faith, and to inspire and equip you to step into that as a new dimension of life in Christ.”  Hill certainly paints pictures, but does he actually reach his goal?  I would argue he does not.  

Hill is a great communicator.  His stories are gripping and his illustrations are on point.  But Hill lacks good exegesis.  He gives the background of his spiritual journey through various denominations and churches in which he realized that people from all of these various backgrounds had the same problem. Something was missing…Hill says it is faith.   He then goes on and describes holistic faith through three sections 1. Faith and Fear 2. Faith and Intimacy and 3. Faith and Missions.  Hill spends 4 chapters in introductory matters (and waits until chapter three to give any sort of thesis statement).  I worried during the first two chapters if Hill would ever actually refer to the Scriptures at all.  Instead it was a very self-centered description of his own journey.  When he does refer to Scripture he frequently takes parables out of their context to to align with a particular story and point he is trying to make.    

I found it ironic that his conclusion was faith and yet he does not emphasize two important things about faith.  First, Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” While Hill tries to tie Hebrews 11 into his argument he does not emphasize the fact that true faith only comes through the submission and devotion to the Scriptures.  All through out the Scriptures (Genesis 1, Deuteronomy 6., Joshua 1, Psalms 1, 19, 119 etc) there is an emphasis on knowing God through the means He has given us.  His Word.  Therefore. the more we read Scripture the more we come to know God, the bigger our view of God is the more we fear and obey and LOVE Him.  This is how faith is increased and rightly changes our lives. Hill though completely misses at urging his readers to read and obey the Scriptures.

Secondly, all throughout the gospels and especially the book of Acts the words “faith” and “repent” are used interchangeably.  Therefore to truly have faith is equal to repenting and vice versa.  Hill, however, does not go into the topic of repentance.  Instead in chapter 10 Hill emphasizes our own fears and Satan as what hinders us from having true faith.  Hill never gets the the main thing that separates mankind from God, SIN.  When one reads throughout the Scripture one thing becomes clear.  Man is sinful and God is Holy.  This is what makes grace so amazing, that a Holy God would conquer sin in order for us to be with Him again.  Hill misses a great opportunity to call his readers to repentance.  

Readers will certainly like Hill’s stories and the fact that he will appeal to your flesh and seem to give a new approach to what “real” faith is but ultimately he falls short.  If you are a new Christian or someone who has run away from rules and regulations then this book might appeal to you…but it won’t ultimately point you in the direction you need to go.  I would recommend “Desiring God” by John Piper instead.  John 10:10 is certainly a wonderful promise…just one that Daniel Hill does not right exegete.

Book Review: Dynamic Women of the Bible

Dynamic Women of the Bible
Ruth A Tucker
Baker Book 2014

I signed up to begin reviewing books for publishers.  I received my first group a few weeks ago and have finished up the first batch and will post reviews within the coming days.  

Unfortunately the first book review is not one that I'd recommend.  If you are looking for a good women's book the check here. 

        "Dynamic Women of the Bible" seemed to have potential, I wanted it to be a resource I could pass onto women in my church and maybe use for women’s small group studies and such. However this book is dangerous. Don’t get me wrong, Tucker shows in some sentences she is a scholar but then it goes down hill. Fast. One of the primary things you learn from studying hermeneutics (how to study the Bible) is that context is king. Tucker goes throughout the Bible and takes women out of their intended and beautiful contexts, provides a brief info and then gives her own interpretation. This is where this book becomes dangerous. Tucker adds in the “what if’s” and basically turns each character into who she wants them to be. This is known as eisegesis and is the opposite of exegesis. When you read someones thoughts on someone else's words it is important that the one commentating uses exegesis and not eisegesis so that the point the original author was trying to make is what is conveyed to the reader. Tucker fails at this. Repeatedly.  
Tucker is right that women in the Bible are authentic and approachable (xiii), she briefly mentions that Joseph is a type of Christ (xiv) and that briefly mentions the importance of Genesis 3:15 (the protoevangelium page 5-6) but other than a few glimpses of scholarship, the rest is all down hill. Rapid down hill and it was difficult to read. I am all for asking questions and wondering but when it comes to Scripture there are boundaries one must have when questioning to stay within the context and intention of the authors.  
For instance when talking about Eve, Tucker questions if she even understood Genesis 3:15(5-6). What Tucker fails to do is allow what Moses is trying to say be heard. Instead of asking questions and giving our opinions on things that the Scriptures are silent on, we should be asking and interpreting what is given. The point of Genesis 3 is that Adam failed.  Adam failed to communicate God’s word accurately to Eve. Adam failed to protect Eve and rule over the animals. But after they fall the glorious thing about Genesis 3:15 is that it is the gospel. Adam and Eve were told is you eat of this tree you will die. They eat.  Then they hear you are not dying today. That’s grace, that’s mercy and how do they respond to this news? They both have faith. How do we know? Because the text tells us it is after all of this that Adam then names his wife Eve. What does Eve mean? Mother of the living!  Adam and Eve believe Genesis 3:15 and they are saved by grace through faith like everyone else since. They are then clothed by animals skins by God and in Genesis 4 we do have actual words (though brief I agree) from Eve and what is she doing? Praising God that she has gotten children. Why? Because it will be though women having children that all of mankind will be saved. What an important and glorious role to celebrate and live in.  Tucker fails at giving what is there in the text.  
Tucker forces things into the text of Genesis 1-4 by saying things like “Eve has no way of knowing that she had been formed out of this man-creature’s rib (3).” Again Tucker says of Eve “does she know God personally the as Adam does(4)?” This is clear eisegesis. Tucker is forcing her own understanding of something that happened 6000 (approximately) years ago and in doing so belittle’s Eve and God. Unfortunately is doesn’t get any better through the rest of the book. Whether it’s bashing Sarah (and almost exalting Hagar) and neglecting to mention that she is the only woman in the Bible that other women are called to emulate (a huge miss on Tucker’s part) or saying things about Mary’s appearance and thoughts about Jesus never really having a childhood (240), Tucker misses the golden opportunity that her title speaks of. Instead of looking at the dynamic women of the Bible as the Bible presents them this book is simply Tucker’s misleading thoughts or comments about women in the Bible. I cannot recommend it in anyway. It was painful to see such an opportunity missed completely. 

*I received this book free from the publisher to write this review. 

Old Testament Survey

          This past monday I completed teaching Old Testament Survey for a class going through the BTCP training in our association.  BTCP is essentially a non-credited mobile seminary used to train pastors world wide.  It is a fantastic and transferable way to train pastors and leaders.  There are 10 total courses and it was a privilege to teach the Old Testament.  Normally in seminary you have 2-3 courses that cover the Old Testament (typically OT I and OT II) and spend anywhere from 24-28 weeks going through each book.  Even in Seminary this was not an easy task to complete.  
           
           For this class we chose to meet for 20 weeks (a huge commitment) for 3 hours on Monday night.  I chose to follow the Hebrew text as far as the outline and schedule. We want to approach the Old Testament in the same manner that the New Testament looks at the Old Testament and specifically how Jesus looks at the Old Testament.  The best passage is Luke 24 where Jesus breaks down the Old Testament into three books or categories: Torah (Moses), Prophets, Writings (Psalms). This is how the nation of Israel referred to the Old Testament as well as the authors of the New Testament.  The Scripture of the Hebrews was also referred at the TaNaK.  This is an acronym for the headings of the three sections.  Torah (Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings/Psalms).  Here is the order of the Old Testament books as presented in the Hebrew Bible.


Torah (Moses) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number, and Deuteronomy
Nevi’im (Prophets) Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve
Ketuvim (Writings/Psalms) Psalms, Proverbs, Job, The Five Scrolls, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah, Chronicles.

          The author of Chronicles is traditionally been recognized as Ezra (though no official author is ever stated within the book itself). As Ezra is a part of the rebuilding project of the Temple after the exile and return from Babylon he is realizing that though there has been a physical return back to the Promised Land there has not been a spiritual return or exodus that the prophets have indicated would happen. Therefore Chronicles ends with the decree of Cyrus, one of the two Servants prophesied about by Isaiah.  By ending in this manner, the Chronicler has organized the Old Testament in such a way to provoke hope in the Messiah.  The second Servant mentioned in Isaiah.  That is what the nation of Israel and the world is waiting for as the Old Testament closes. We are looking for the seed of Adam, the seed of Abraham, and the Seed of David.  Which is why, Matthew begins his book with a genealogy about Jesus, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 

          It was a joy to teach and train students in the Old Testament and I look forward to doing it again in the future.  The books that influenced my teaching and approach the Old Testament the most were:
Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster
God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment by James Hamilton
Kingdom through Covenant by Stephen Wellum and Peter Gentry
The Temple and the Church's Mission by GK Beale
The Faith of Israel by William Dumbrell

Though there are many more that could be included and have shaped my view of Scripture these were the primary resources I used week in and week out.