The Cross and Christian Ministry

     BOOK REVIEW:   Today, the cross is sanitized. It adorns churches, dangles from necklaces, gleams from lapels. Yet in the first century the cross was a grotesque and abhorrent image, a symbol of evil, torture, and shame.
     Which of these is the cross that calls us to Christian ministry? The one made of shiny precious metals? Or the one fashioned of rough wood and stained with the blood of Christ?
     In The Cross and Christian Ministry, D. A. Carson explains what the death of Christ means for ministry and why the focus of ministry must be on what is central, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through his exposition of 1 Corinthians, Carson explores the issues of factionalism, servant-leadership, and shaping "world" Christians in order to present principles for dynamic, cross-centered worship that compel us to share the Good News.

     MY REVIEW:   This book took me a bit to get focused on, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. D. A. Carson is not a name I am familiar with, but it seems I have heard it somewhere.
     The centrality of the cross seems to be disappearing amidst the "pleasing" Gospel being preached in many circles today. Carson here brings it front and center and reminds why it has to be there.
     One point I especially liked was the message of the cross.....is "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1Cor 1:18). There are many distinctions dividing people today, but the only one that matters is "saved" vs "unsaved". Another is the example of Paul, whe was not able to preach on any account without drawing it to the cross.
     More than just the cross itself, Carson talks of the life and character of a truly cross-centered Christian. They will suffer with Christ as well as share His Glory. They will boast in the Lord, not in any way themselves. They will not judge harshly, for they know they cannot see the whole picture, and that judging is for God alone.
   
  I received a copy of this book from BAKER BOOKS, and was not required to write a positive review.