Jim Berg, Dean of Students at Bob Jones University, has just finished writing another book.  I was excited to read it, having profited much from his previous book, Changed Into His Image.  I was disappointed though.  I had a difficult time understanding where he was going with the book.  I went back and read the introduction a couple time trying to get the 'big picture.'  It started to come together a little bit more for me at the the end though.

 

What is clear is that the book is largely from Ephesians.  It is not a commentary, and it does not explain all of the epistle.  Berg attempts to explain topics in the epistles following the flow of the text.  In other words, he explains stuff in Ephesians 1 before moving to Ephesians 2.  He has great illustrations.  He will help you to understand and remember various truths in the book of Ephesians.  The problem is that you will have to read 300 pages to get that 'clarification.'  There are many other books I would recommend before this one if you want to understand Ephesians.

 

Part 3 of the book contains 3 chapters all dealing with the subject of the fear of God.  These are no doubt the 3 best chapters.  He talks about how the fear of God determines how you will submit to authority (this is a big issue at Bob Jones University because they have ridiculous rules that everyone hates which gives opportunity for the evil in students' hearts to revolt) and how you will be a good leader.

Berg keeps going back to the music issue.  I mentioned this in my review of Changed Into His Image.  Here is what I said about the previous book:

Berg assumes that rock music is wrong.  He does not make a big deal about it by trying to prove that it is so.  He gives an illustration describing a boy that listens to rock music.  Most readers will stumble at that point not getting Berg's point.  Remember that he assumes rock music is wrong.  He does not think that some rock music is wrong, but that all of it is - the very beat itself. 

Berg finds ways to talk about music.  In this book he says that people will not 'give up' their rock music because they desire it.  This discussion is in a chapter about not living according to your desires.  He does not explain why they should give it up though.  That is always the problem when fundamentalists discuss music. 

 

Here is what he says: "Most people make their value judgments today based upon one thought: "But I like it!"  They do not make principled decisions.  They make decisions based upon what will give them the most pleasant experience and what will tingle their sensations.  They are happy for you to 'like' the old hymns, but they 'like' the pulsing, and often sensual, sound of Christian rock.  No matter what biblical principles you bring to bear against Christian rock, they are all swept aside in their minds because they still 'like' the music."

 

Although he gives a bogus example about music, his point is good.  Many times we do make choices based solely on what we like.  First Thessalonians 4.4-5 address this kind of living.  We should instead discipline our bodies so that we may honor God.

 

Berg says that rock music is 'pulsing.'  I guess it is.  But, many things in life pulse.  Is that bad?  He says that rock music has a 'sensual' sound.  Understand that he is not saying that some rock music has a sensual sound.  We would all agree with that.  He is saying that all rock music has a sensual sound.  It is the 'pulsing' beat that is sensual.  Wow!  I don't know what biblical principles there are that tell us that 'pulsing' rock music (all rock music) is sensual.  Here are the 'biblical principles' that "are all swept aside in their minds":

 

Why is it wrong?  These are some answers that you might get (with my immediate thoughts in brackets):

• It just is.[No, its not!] Yes, it is! [No, its not.]...

• There was some music in the Bible that was bad...so rock music is bad. [Why was the music bad? In what way?  Was it rock music?  Did God actually say it was bad?]

• Why do you think people get so violent at rock concerts? [Why do they get violent when they are cutting the lawn and the mower runs out of gas?]

• It has a 'driving beat.'  [Okay, I guess it is 'driving'...and?]

• You can't worship God any way you want to, and I can show you that from the Bible (this is why 'Christian rock' is bad) . [I now that.  I don't touch the Ark of the Covenant because He said not to.  But, God never said that rock music is bad.]

I don't need to go any further.  It is fun to write some of this though.  You, most likely, have never even met anyone that thinks that all rock music is sinful.  You probably never will.  There aren't that many people that do believe it.  They aren't making many converts either.  The only converts they seem to have are people that love fundamentalism before they know what it is.

 

So, you probably don't want to read this book after reading this review.  I hope you had fun reading the review though. :)  Actually, you will learn much from reading the book.  There is no wrong doctrine that will 'suck you in.' (I am not worried that you will burn your rock music)  You will understand more clearly many themes in the book of Ephesians.  You will understand better what it means to have hope in God.  He has some good discussion on hope.

 

Read it and reap...some!