Book reviews for Autumn 2017
At Home Ministry: The Spiritual Journey of Homeless People in Tokyo
Akira Watanabe (YOBEL, Inc). 144 pp. Translated by R. Murakami and M. Bost
Watanabe, a pastor at Tokyo Baptist Church (TBC), wrote this heartwarming book about TBC’s ministry to the homeless. He shares stories based on interviews with TBC members whose lives have been impacted through church ministries. In the final chapter, Watanabe looks at a theology of a banquet based on Luke 15 and other Scriptures, and outlines a message that he gives to those living on the streets. Watanabe, who also teaches Sociology of Religion at Aoyama Gakuin University, gives a helpful picture of how TBC is reaching homeless people in Tokyo.
Reviewer rating is 3.5 of 5 stars ★★★![]()
½
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place
Andy Crouch (Baker Books, 2017). 221 pp.
Crouch, executive editor of Christianity Today, has written a practical book that every family will find helpful. The Barna Research Group helped Crouch document the role technology plays in American families and the concerns held by parents and children.
Barna gives ten “tech-wise commitments” for a healthy family life with technology. Crouch spends almost half of the book on the first three choices—key decisions of a tech-wise family.
- Choosing character: “we develop wisdom and courage together as a family” (p. 47).
- Shaping space: filling the center of the home with things that reward skill and active engagement.
- Structuring time: “one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year, we turn off our devices and worship, feast, play and rest together” (p. 83).
Commitments four to eight relate to daily life with suggestions such as:
- “We wake up before our devices do, and they ‘go to bed’ before we do” (p. 111);
- “We use screens for a purpose, and we use them together, rather than using them aimlessly and alone” (p. 139);
- “Car time is conversation time” (p. 155);
- “Spouses have one another’s passwords, and parents have total access to children’s devices” (p. 165).
Crouch ends with the two biggest tasks we are made for: to worship God and to care for one another. He suggests: “We learn to sing together, rather than letting recorded and amplified music take over our lives and worship” (p. 183); and “We show up in person for the big events of life” (p. 197). Crouch ends each chapter with a “Crouch Family Reality Check,” an honest look at how his family is doing on each of these commitments.
Russell Moore, in his endorsement of the book, notes that one of the most important questions of discipleship in the digital era is how we relate to our technologies. This is a wise and humble guide to help us learn patterns of life that will prevent technology from taking over our lives.
Reviewer rating is 4 of 5 stars ★★★★☆
12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You
Tony Reinke (Crossway, 2017). 224 pp.
Reinke, a journalist and senior writer for desiringGod.org, gives a biblically informed and theologically rich study of how to live smartphone-smart (the Scripture index is four full pages!). Thoroughly researched and informed by interviews with theologians, historians, philosophers, ethicists and others (transcripts at tonyreinke.com), this book is one to savor and ponder. The question Reinke aims to answer is: “What is the best use of my smartphone in the flourishing of my life?” (p. 20). Reinke “centers on diagnostics and worldview more than application” (p. 23). He helps his readers to think carefully about how to respond wisely to the digital age.
Reinke warns of addiction to distraction, ignoring our flesh and blood, and craving immediate approval (chapters 1-3). He also warns, “We get comfortable in secret vices,” “we lose meaning,” “we fear missing out,” and “we become harsh to one another” (chapters 8-11).
But Reinke does more than just warn us: he “commends 12 life disciplines we need to preserve our spiritual health in the smartphone age” (pp.189-190). He gives 12 incisive diagnostic questions to help us think about how we use our phones (pp. 197-198) and 12 boundaries to live smartphone-smart (pp. 199-200). “Apps can help me stay focused on my Bible reading plans and help me organize my prayer life, but no app can breathe life into my communion with God” (p.194). Reinke has written a book that every smartphone user should read and digest!