12 Top Christian Book Reviewers

Yesterday in Feast On a Good Book, I asked the question,

“How do you know whether a book is worth buying and reading?”

My answer:

“A recommendation by someone you trust sure does help.”

I then linked you to my RPM Ministries Book Review site, plus provided direct links to nearly two dozen of my favorite book reviews.

What About Other Christian Book Reviewers? 

There are many excellent Christian book reviewers on the Net. So, today I’m linking you to folks whose reviews I always benefit from—even when I don’t always agree with 100% of their review.

All of these folks do much more on their blogs than review books.

By the way, “Christian book reviewers” means a Christian who reviews books from a Christian worldview. This is different from focusing on reviews of Christian books from any perspective. Ponder that one…

My Dozen Favorite Christian Book Reviewers

In alphabetical order, my 12 top Christian book reviewers…

• Thabiti Anyabwile: Articulate, courageous, informed and informing…

• Aaron Armstrong: Theologically-astute, fair, focused, challenging, stretching…

• Tim Challies: Discerning, prolific, quality and quantity, a “Berean” mindset…

• Nathaniel Claiborne: Fearless, pointed, thorough, engaging…

• Brian Croft: Pastoral…clear recommendations, a shepherd’s heart, encouraging, to the point…

• Kevin DeYoung: Robust, blending pastoral ministry and theology, well-spoken, insightful…

• Brad Hambrick: Detailed, generous, practical, focused on life change…

• David Murray: Enjoyable, comprehensive, seeing with new eyes, thinking outside the box, articulate…

• Andy Naselli: Robust, theological, cutting-edge…

• Paul Tautges: Pastoral, practical, gracious, speaking the truth in love…

• Justin Taylor: Well-spoken, focused, deep, clear, doesn’t waste words…

• Trevin Wax: Enlightening, edifiying, instructive, profound… 

Bonus Feature: My Three Favorite Christian Book Review Sites

In addition to individual book reviewers, I recommend the following three Christian book review sites (listed alphabetically).

• The Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Book Review Site: Over a dozen book reviewers provide book reviews, author interviews, and book video trailers. Visit the BCC’s Book Review Site for reviews of books related to biblical counseling, pastoral ministry, marriage, parenting, and Christian living.

• The Discerning Reader Book Review Site: Originally launched by Tim Challies and now directed by Mark Tubbs, Discerning Reader is a leader in Christian book reviews. Find out for yourself here. 

• The Gospel Coalition Book Review Site: TGCR provides robust reviews on a wide variety of topics. Read TGCR reviews here for an Evangelical Christian perspective on books in the news.

Join the Conversation

Which of these reviewers do you read and enjoy? What additional Christian book reviewers would you add to this list? Why?

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Challies, Discerning Reader, Gospel Coalition, Reviews

Feast on a Good Book

How do you know whether a book is worth buying and reading? 

A recommendation by someone you trust sure does help.

Because it’s somewhat tucked away on my site, you may not be aware that I do a lot of book reviewing. Visit my RPM Ministries Book Review Site for links to over 350 reviews. 

To encourage you to visit often, in today’s post I point you to a number of sources for my book reviews, plus a sampling of some of my favorite reviews.

Book Review Sites Where I Post Reviews 

1. The Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Book Review Site

Along with a dozen other reviewers, I provide book reviews, author interviews, and book video trailers. Visit the BCC’s Book Review Site for reviews of books related to biblical counseling, pastoral ministry, marriage, parenting, and Christian living.

2. The Gospel Coalition Book Review Site 

I provide biblical counseling and pastoral ministry reviews for The Gospel Coalition’s Book Review site. You can read my TGC reviews here. 

3. The Discerning Reader Book Review Site 

I provide reviews of a wide array of books at the Discerning Reader site. You can read all of my DR reviews here. 

4. Amazon Reviews

I’ve reviewed over 350 books at Amazon.com. Read my Amazon reviews here. 

Sample Some of My Favorite Book Reviews at My RPM Ministries Book Review Site

For direct access to this sampling of some of my favorite reviews posted right here at RPM Ministries, click on the title to any of the books below.

The Biblical Counseling Movement by David Powlison. 

The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams by Heath Lambert. 

Counsel from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick. 

Counsel One Another, Comfort Those Who Grieve, and Counsel Your Flock: The Paul Tautges Trilogy. 

CrossTalk by Mike Emlet. 

Faithful Feelings by Matthew Elliott. 

Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick. 

Glory Road by Anthony Carter. 

The Heart of Addiction by Mark Shaw. 

Helpful Truths in Past Places by Mark Deckard. 

A History of Pastoral Care in America by E. Brooks Holifield. 

If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn. 

The Mystery of the Holy Spirit by R. C. Sproul. 

Out of a Far Country by Christopher Yuan. 

Putting Your Past In Its Place by Steve Viars. 

Psychology in the Spirit by John Coe and Todd Hall, Review Part One, Review Part Two, and Review Part Three. 

The Radical Disciple by John Stott. 

Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande. 

Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison. 

A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper. 

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. 

When Life Is Hard by James MacDonald. 

Join the Conversation

Which of these books has most impacted you? Or, which of these books do you most what to read?

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Biblical Counseling Coalition, Book Reviews, Books, Discerning Reader, Gospel Coalition

The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams by Heath Lambert, Reviewed by Bob Kellemen

Note: This review was first posted at The Gospel Coalition and is re-posted with permission. You can read it there at The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams. 

Book Details

• Purchase a Copy: The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams

• Author: Heath Lambert

• Publisher: Crossway

• Publication Date: September 2011

• Pages: 224

• Category: Biblical Counseling, Church History

• ISBN: 978-1-4335-2813-2

• Retail Price: $17.99

• Reviewer: Bob Kellemen

What Is Biblical Counseling?

During a recent presentation at the Evangelical Theological Society, I was reminded that well-informed Christian leaders continue to hold stereotypes about “biblical counseling.” During the Q/A time after my paper on A Theologically-Informed Approach to Sexual Abuse Counseling, one attendee stated, “That’s a more robust and relational approach to biblical counseling than I’ve heard before. Previously, I would not have referred a victim of sexual abuse to a ‘biblical counselor’ because I assumed they would simplisticly and heartlessly quote Scripture at them, and not empathetically grieve with them.”

Heath Lambert’s, The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams, addresses whether that was ever an accurate depiction of “first generation biblical counseling”—Jay Adams’s nouthetic counseling. It also explores whether it is an accurate portrayal of “second generation biblical counseling”—the focus of Lambert’s work.

Understanding the Historical Context 

From the outset, Lambert clarifies several important misconceptions. First, he notes that “counseling is ministry, and ministry is counseling. The two are equivalent terms” (p. 21). Second, Lambert explains that “if counseling is equivalent to ministry, it means that it must be informed by the Bible and that those who do it are theologians” (p. 21).

He notes that even conservative, Bible-believing, Christ-exalting ministers of the gospel fail to grasp that counseling is an essential part of ministry. “They demonstrate the misunderstanding every time they say things like, ‘Oh, I don’t counsel people; I’m a preacher.’ Or, ‘Counseling takes too much time way from my other ministries.’ Or, ‘I don’t think the Bible has anything to say about this problem; you need to see a professional’” (p. 22).

It is at this point that Lambert connects his own view of biblical counseling to Adams’s original purpose and calling in launching the nouthetic counseling movement. “I was captivated by Adams’s vision to reclaim counseling as a theological and ministerial task and of his mission to make counseling an enterprise that was centered on Christ, based on his Word, and located in the local church” (p. 23).

This is one of numerous times where Lambert demonstrates his understanding of the historical context behind nouthetic counseling and his respect for the role that Adams played in returning the church to the personal ministry of the Word. Lambert traces the history of pastoral counseling in America and builds the case that “the absence of theology in counseling was the order of the day when, in 1970, Jay Adams published Competent to Counsel” (p. 35). It is impossible to understand or appreciate the pioneering work of Adams apart from grasping that “it was the role of Adams to begin to restore to the church an understanding that it had held before the American Civil War, namely, that counseling was within the realm of the church, every bit as much as its counterpart in public ministry, preaching” (p. 36).

Lambert is careful to express his appreciation for Adams. “This is a book about how biblical counselors have grown up and matured since the initial leadership of Jay Adams, but it is not a strike against Adams…. His work revolutionized the way thousands of people do ministry…. God has used him mightily to recalibrate the church’s thinking about how to help hurting and struggling people. I have no interest in any sort of unkind or ungodly attack on a man to whom the church owes much” (p. 47).

A Family Metaphor

That said, The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams is not hagiography. “Jay Adams’s work was imperfect…. Adams built a movement from scratch, almost alone, and was doing so against powerful forces opposed to his model. It is my goal to honor Dr. Adams by carefully considering his work and the context in which he built it and by highlighting the efforts of the men laboring in the tradition he began, to improve upon the good work he started” (p. 47).

It is within this context that Lambert selects the family or generational metaphor. He references Adams as “the first generation of biblical counseling” and refers to the leadership of David Powlison and others who followed him in improving Adams’s thoughts as “second generation biblical counselors.”

It is here that Lambert’s solid historiography could have been strengthened. In introducing this second generation, Lambert opines that “…by the late eighties and early nineties new leadership began to rise up, mostly out of one of the organizations founded by Adams, the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF)…. The new blood consisted of men such as Ed Welch and Paul Tripp, but the clear leader was David Powlison” (p. 44).

While many familiar with the biblical counseling movement might agree with Lambert’s summary, he provides only anecdotal support for who should be considered representative of each generation. Lambert’s two-generational model could have been reinforced by an operational definition of first generation and second generation biblical counseling followed by a quantitative examination of the literature over the past forty years to determine who best represents which generation. This might have raised to the surface additional counselors and organizations that could have broadened, deepened, and enriched the contrasts/comparisons between these two proposed generations of biblical counselors.

Families Grow and Develop 

Still, The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams is a valid and valuable book for anyone who wants to understand what makes biblical counseling truly biblical, and how the modern biblical counseling movement has developed over the past forty years. Throughout the book, Lambert focused on three areas of advancement from the first to the second generation:

• Advancements in Counseling Theory/Conceptual Models: How counselors think about counseling; fundamental beliefs; counseling models of people, problems, and solutions.

• Advancement in Counseling Methods: How counselors do counseling; foundational roles; the process of change.

• Advancement in Counseling Apologetics: How counselors talk to and about other counseling systems; the tone of the conversation; the level of engagement and investigation.

In each section, Lambert culls from Adams’s writings to summarize Adams’s approach to theory, methods, and apologetics. He then compares and contrasts Adams’s views with those of second generation counselors like Powlison, Tripp, Lane, Welch, and a few select others.

Advances in How Biblical Counselors Think about Counseling

Lambert highlights two areas of perceived development in counseling theory: advancement concerning sin and suffering, and advancement concerning human motivation.

Regarding sin and suffering, Lambert provides a helpful summary of his view of the contrast. “The model that Jay Adams developed included a heavy emphasis on confronting sin patterns observed in counseling. While the second generation has not abandoned the need to confront sin, it has sought to advance the movement by seeing the counselee in a more nuanced way as both a sinner and a sufferer” (p. 50).

Lambert places Adams within his historical context—the need to draw the church back to a focus on responsibility. He sees Adams as someone who understood human suffering and the Bible’s teaching on it, but who, because of the historical context, did not develop a robust theory or methodology for counseling the suffering.

In contrast to the stereotype illustrated in the beginning of this review, Lambert provides copious documentation of second generation biblical counseling writings about a parakaletic approach to sufferers. Their biblical “sufferology” includes biblical comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-11), biblical connection (Romans 12:15), biblical compassion and identification (Hebrews 2:10-18; 4:14-16), and much more.

The section on advancement concerning human motivation is likely to be hotly debated by people “within and outside the movement.” Lambert explores the charge that Adams’s model was behavioralistic (a charge Adams ferociously denies), and he provides documentation proposing that second generation biblical counselors have constructed a more thorough understanding of heart motivations.

Advancements in How Biblical Counselors Do Counseling

Lambert begins this section by noting several areas of overlap between first and second generation biblical counseling methodology. He then contends that Adams’s overall methodology was “overly formalized” (p. 87), and that “Adams’s emphasis on pastoral authority tended to obscure the importance of building loving relationships with counselees” (p. 88).

While appreciating the historical context behind Adams’s strong emphasis on formality and authority, Lambert applauds second generation methodological advancements. These include counseling that: is familial (pp. 90-91), demonstrates affection (pp. 91-92), is sacrificial (pp. 92-93), is person-oriented (pp. 94-96), sees the counselor as a fellow sinner and sufferer (pp. 96-97), and addresses suffering before sin (pp. 97-98).

Advancement in How Biblical Counselors Talk about Counseling

Lambert tells the fascinating story of eight stages in the history of biblical counseling dialogue with “non-biblical counselors.” In the process, he outlines three primary areas where second generation apologists matured:

• Construct: To “construct” is to highlight a positive focus on the development of a robust biblical model of helping people with their problems.

• Confront: To “confront” is to speak the truth in love out of concern by demonstrating how secular models fail to understand people, and fail to offer people the hope that is found only in the living Word (Christ) and the written Word (Scripture).

• Consider: “In a tertiary way, biblical counselors should consider what there is to learn from alternative models” (p. 116).

In this section, the changing tone (more gentle) and attitude (more respectful) of the second generation counselors was touched upon, but could have been examined further.

Increasingly Competent Counseling 

Readers who are unfamiliar with the modern biblical counseling movement would be wise not only to read The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams, but also The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context by David Powlison. In many ways, Lambert’s work is “the sequel.”

While not everyone will agree with all of Lambert’s contrasts and comparisons, especially those most loyal to Jay Adams and his nouthetic counseling model, the book successfully breaks down many still-existing stereotypes about the modern biblical counseling movement. More importantly, it articulates a robust, relational approach to one-another ministry while teaching about the history of the movement.

Join the Conversation 

What is your evaluation of The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams?

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Book Review, Heath Lambert, Jay Adams, Nouthetic Counseling, The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams

Blog Tour Morsels, Part Four: Equipping Counselors for Your Church

I’m very grateful for the many bloggers who have reviewed Equipping Counselors for Your Church.  

I’ve collated links to a dozen of the reviews and interviews. They’ll be running throughout this first week of 2012 with brief “snippets” from each review and a link back to the full review.

In Part One, I posted samplers from David Murray, Brad Hambrick, and Thabiti Anyabwile.

In Part Two, I posted summaries from Jonathan Holmes, Paul Tautges, and Andy Naselli.

In Part Three, I posted selections from Mark Tubbs, Phil Monroe, and Mark Kelly.

Today you can enjoy review “morsels” from Elizabeth Hankins, Julie Ganschow, and Conrad Yap.

Elizabeth Hankins, Part One

“Equipping Counselors for Your Church is helpful for all those who are passionate about one-another ministry. It helps the reader establish a Biblical vision for God’s Church and personal ministry. There are a number of useful lists within this book including Scripture passages and doctrine/theology to study; qualifications and proficiencies to pursue, character traits to cultivate; and commonly used materials for Biblical counseling. One of my favorite features is the excellent evaluation/application questions throughout the text and at the end of each chapter.”

Julie Ganschow 

“I recently had the pleasure of previewing a fantastic new resource for those interested in how to equip others for the work of Biblical Counseling and Discipleship. Our work goes by many names, but it is essentially intensive biblical discipleship. Bob Kellemen’ new book, Equipping Counselors for Your Church, may just be the most complete resource I have encountered on how to equip others for this task.”

Conrad Yap 

“Kellemen’s teaching passion and wisdom is evident. His experience is wide, and his knowledge deep. Obviously, the material is compiled from his many years of teaching and ministry. I recommend this book for Church leaders, boards, and anyone in the congregation who is passionate about equipping the called.”

Join the Conversation

What resources do you recommend for equipping one-another ministers in the local church?

Note: If you are a blogger and would like to review Equipping Counselors for Your Church, email rpm dot ministries @ gmail dot com

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Blog Tour, Book Review, Equipping, Equipping Counselors for Your Church

Blog Tour Morsels, Part Three: Equipping Counselors for Your Church

I’m very grateful for the many bloggers who have reviewed Equipping Counselors for Your Church.  

I’ve collated links to a dozen of the reviews and interviews. They’ll be running throughout this first week of 2012 with brief “snippets” from each review and a link back to the full review.

In Part One, I posted samplers from David Murray, Brad Hambrick, and Thabiti Anyabwile.

In Part Two, I posted summaries from Jonathan Holmes, Paul Tautges, and Andy Naselli.

Today you can enjoy review “morsels” from Mark Tubbs, Phil Monroe, and Mark Kelly.

Discerning Reader/Mark Tubbs, Part One 

“Equipping Counselors for Your Church is the climax of Bob’s many decades of work in the biblical counseling and pastoring fields. What this book is not: a resource only for senior pastors and denominational executives. It is also not a book about creating and equipping a ‘professional’ corps of biblical counselors. No, Bob’s vision is far more sweeping than that. Rather, this book is an apology for both formal and informal biblical counseling in the church, which Bob defines biblically as every member speaking the truth in love to each another. The aim is to cultivate Christians who are ‘4C’ disciples: biblically convicted, Christlike in character, competent in counseling, and an integral part of Christian community.”

Discerning Reader/Mark Tubbs, Part Two 

“This section on enlisting was refreshing on numerous levels. Kellemen employs Nehemiah’s leadership qualities in a fresher and more faithful way than many preachers through the decades have done. He uses Old Testament Nehemiah and New Testament Paul in harmonious counterpoint, demonstrating how these two leaders were themselves changed people so that they in turn could shepherd others through change. The primary change being, as Kellemen is at pains to point out, reconciliation with God leading to whole-life worship.”

Mark Kelly 

“Dr. Kellemen is a dear friend from whom I have learned much through his resources he’s printed, email conversations we’ve had, and face to face discussions about a variety of topics. I pray that our own church, Calvary Baptist, would consider using Equipping Counselors for Your Church as we move forward in evangelism and discipleship.”

Phil Monroe 

“Why is Equipping Counselors for Your Church an important book? Here’s why:

• Most prior books on this topic present lay counseling either as an anemic listening only task or speak only in theological terms and fail to actually train lay counselors to listen well. This book considers both the biblical basis for lay counseling AND is concerned about listening skills as well.

• Most prior books forget to bring the WHOLE church along in the vision of biblical counseling. Bob has the readers consider the church culture and health. If the church (leaders)aren’t buying in to this, there won’t be a counseling ministry.

• Bob focuses on the character of the counselor. This is HUGE. What’s worse than a poorly trained counselor? One who is well-trained but arrogant and un-reflective.

• Bob covers practical matters of a counseling ministry including the ethics of lay counseling. This is extremely important if a church doesn’t want to make mistakes that could lead to lawsuits.”

The Rest of the Story

Tomorrow you can read some “samplers” from Elizabeth Hankins, Julie Ganschow, and Conrad Yap.

Join the Conversation

What resources do you recommend for equipping one-another ministers in the local church?

Note: If you are a blogger and would like to review Equipping Counselors for Your Church, email rpm dot ministries @ gmail dot com

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth 

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Blog Tour, Book Review, Equipping, Equipping Counselors for Your Church

Blog Tour Morsels, Part Two: Equipping Counselors for Your Church

I’m very grateful for the many bloggers who have reviewed Equipping Counselors for Your Church.

I’ve collated links to a dozen of the reviews and interviews. They’ll be running throughout this first week of 2012 with brief “snippets” from each review and a link back to the full review.

In Part One, I posted samplers from David Murray, Brad Hambrick, and Thabiti Anyabwile.

Today you can enjoy review “morsels” from Jonathan Holmes, Paul Tautges, and Andy Naselli.

Jonathan Holmes 

“In this seminal and landmark work for the church, Equipping Counselors for Your Church, Dr. Bob Kellemen has given us a go-to manual for raising up a new generation of counselors while nurturing the ones currently in our care. Built and crafted from years of experience and based on the solid foundation of God’s Word to us, this book will be a vital, practical, useful manual for generations to come.”

Paul Tautges, Post One 

“Equipping Counselors for Your Church is like having a personal conversation with a private consultant who is committed to coming alongside church leaders—walking step-by-step and hand-in-hand—to equip us to empower the Body of Christ toward biblical, one-another ministry that progressively moves believers toward Christlikeness. I highly recommend it!”

Paul Tautges, Post Two

“Today, I draw your attention to one of the best pages in the book, which calls us to the mutual ministry of comfort. Bob effectively argues for balance in two areas of biblical counseling: confrontation and comfort. Both, he rightly affirms, are Scriptural priorities we must grow in as we counsel one another. Here’s a lengthy quote that received a smiley face and a ‘Yes!’ in the margin of my copy. In the context of this quote the author has just finished explaining the importance of noutheteo, warning, and now urges for the equally-important ministry of parakaleo, coming alongside in mutual ministry to comfort and strengthen one another.”

Andy Naselli 

“Endorsed by Paul Tripp, Elyse Fitzpatrick, Ed Welch, and several others, Kellemen’s 4E’s teach: 1.) Envisioning God’s Ministry, 2.) Enlisting God’s Ministers for Ministry. 3.) Equipping Godly Ministers for Ministry, and 4.) Empowering/Employing Godly Ministers for Ministry.”

The Rest of the Story

Tomorrow you can read some “samplers” from Mark Tubbs at The Discerning Reader, Phil Monroe, and Mark Kelly.

Join the Conversation

What resources do you recommend for equipping one-another ministers in the local church?

Note: If you are a blogger and would like to review Equipping Counselors for Your Church, email rpm dot ministries @ gmail dot com

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Biblical Counseling, Blog Tour, Book Review, Equipping, Equipping Counselors for Your Church, One Another Ministry