Wolf Hall - A Short Review

This is an award-winning book about Thomas Cromwell’s role in the events surrounding Henry VIII’s overthrow of papal power in England. This is the first book in a series of at least three, with the third still being written, I believe. It definitely feels like a part of a series, since its conclusion is hardly satisfying. It points toward the next volume. I prefer that books I read in a series be more able to stand on their own.

The other issue I had with this book was that it was sometimes difficult to determine who was speaking. I guess part of this comes from the simple fact that there weren’t a ton of different surnames used in those days. There are lots of Thomas’s and Henry’s in the book. The other thing is that the book is written from Cromwell’s perspective such that he is rarely identified when he speaks or thinks. The result is that, normally, if you can’t quite tell who is speaking, it is safe to assume that Cromwell is the speaker.

Those gripes aside, I did enjoy the book. That period of English history was a dark one, and reading this book further convinces me of it. As an American, the social difference between the nobility and the peasants on display in the book is fascinating and disgusting. Cromwell, born a commoner and a self-taught, self-raised individual, becomes the most powerful man in England (arguably, beside the king) in spite of his background, and he is hated for it.

I look forward to reading the other volumes of the series in order to see the conclusion of the unfolding tale.

Transformational Church - A Short Review

True life transformation is what is supposed to happen when a person comes to salvation. We ministers say it often, but it bears hearing once again – God doesn’t save a person from the punishment for sin only but also from sin itself. This is the transformation I so desperately want to see in myself and in the Christians around me – an end to sin. I will take it even if it is incredibly slow, as it so often seems. However, what I all too often find is Christians who make no discernable progress, over years. That is a huge problem. Really, it strikes at the heart of the Gospel because, if Christians are no different after years of belonging to Christ, then either we are doing it wrong or there is no real power in the Gospel. This should scare a bunch of us enough to do something drastic about it. And that is what this book is really about.

Stetzer and Rainer have done a ton of research to figure out which churches in America are seeing life transformation (Transformational Churches or TCs) and to study them to determine what they are doing that leads to transformation. What I want to do for the rest of this review is to briefly detail each of the steps (though they aren’t done in an order so much) that mark how a church can promote transformation.

Missionary Mentality – This is so critical. Our churches have become so inward focused, that we don’t even see the needs and opportunities that exist outside our doors. We’ve got to turn out to see the world and to love them.

Vibrant Leadership – As with nearly everything, leadership is key. We can’t stagnate and expect to grow.

Relational Intentionality – We church people think we’re friendly because we greet visitors on Sunday morning, but we only rarely really offer friendship to others. There is a huge difference, and it is true friendship that people need and are looking for, not just a nice welcome.

Prayerful Dependence – The authors mention that this will likely be the starting point for a church wanting to shift into a TC, and I completely agree. Prayer costs nothing out of the budget, but God can change everything through it. There is no church too poor or too small to pray, but there is also no church so rich or large that it can afford to skip prayer. Yet, most of our churches pray only in passing and on the surface. We must pray deeply and along with the Father’s heart.

Worship – Really, what else are we supposed to do well when we gather? I mean, we even call the service a “worship service.” This is so central that it’s almost silly to be here, but we still fail. We treat this act of love toward God like it’s really an opportunity to hear our favorite songs.

Community – I felt like this had some overlap with Relational Intentionality, but that’s OK. I’ve been trying to learn about discipleship on a larger scale, and this is a big part of that. Churches need to find a way to get more and more of their people into small groups.

Mission – Actually sharing Jesus in word and action is what is meant. Interestingly, I feel like most churches I’ve been a part of have a pretty good handle on how to do this, in terms of events/organization. The issue for most churches is not what to do, but all of the other elements in TCs (see above) are missing. As a result, God is largely missing when churches get together, and what are you left with without His Presence? Not much.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the read. It did give me more hope about the future of the church in America. I want to learn more about how this can become a reality in my church. I want to see lives transformed!