Book Reviews

The Imperfect Pastor

November 20, 2019 by Peter Dubbelman Leave a Comment

I began to read Eugene Peterson’s books on pastoral ministry decades ago. They helped me frame my thoughts on what it means to be a pastor. For me, pastoral ministry is a ministry of presence. It is also a ministry that helps set the overall standard and tone for the local church. This of course is done as an extension of the Chief Shepherd of our souls. Within this framework of thought, the Sunday morning sermon is effective, because it is lived out by the preacher from Monday through Saturday. Read More »

Fatal Discord: Erasmus, Luther, and the Fight for the Western Mind by Michael Massing

November 6, 2019 by Peter Dubbelman Leave a Comment

Given all that has been published on the Reformation, can one more book about it be helpful? This one is. Michael Massing is an accomplished writer: He is the former executive editor of Columbia Journalism Review, author of several celebrated books, and a fellow for both the MacArthur and Leon Levy Centers for writing. This successful […] Read More »

A Christmas Thought, a Consideration for the New Year

December 26, 2018 by Peter Dubbelman 2 Comments

Applying this one key idea to my everyday life helps me develop as a person, causes me to worship God with greater clarity and thankfulness, and allows me to both understand spiritual development and help others mature in Christ. Read More »

Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now

June 9, 2018 by Peter Dubbelman 2 Comments

The title of this book sums up nicely a key theme of Sabbath, which Brueggemann expounds upon in an easily understood manner: “[Sabbath] declares in bodily ways that … we will not be defined by busyness and by acquisitiveness and by the pursuit of more, in either our economics or our personal relationships or anywhere in our lives. Because our life does not consist in commodity.” Read More »

New Creation Life

March 23, 2018 by Peter Dubbelman Leave a Comment

So many Christians have a “form of godliness” but do not experience God’s life-changing reality. Yet the Apostle Paul wrote that the gospel “is the power of God” (Rom 1:16). I believe that by this gospel, God commissions and ethically empowers a person to turn his or her heart affectionately to both God and neighbor. For the Spirit of God creates a new heart in the person who believes in Christ. Read More »