Believers are often the question is asked by the skeptic, “How do you know what you believe is right?” This is increasingly true today with reality of a culture baptized in relativism. Christians then, ought to have an answer.
K.Scott Oliphant and Rod Mays aim to help Christians better answer such questions in their new book Things that Cannot be Shaken. The book flows out of the hymn by John Newton, Glorious things of Thee are Spoken. The authors walk through the hymn and interact with Scripture to reinforce biblical truth.
It seems, though not stated explicitly, that the book is written for those in the university scene. If this was not the intention then it is an ideal application. Those believers who are interacting with worldviews on college campuses must have some basic things nailed down.
One of these things is the issue of authority. I love that Oliphant and Mays attack this first, for it is the basis for reason and discussion. In the context of asking questions like, “But what about the Koran? What about the Book of Mormon? Is there really only one way to God?” The authors state:
“The problem posed in reconciling biblical truth with apparent contradictions in experience of course, is the problem of authority. This problem is not a new one.”
What I really enjoyed about this book is the explicit gospel-centeredness of it. The authors were continually reminding me of the cross and the gifts that were purchased. They talked much about the Holy Spirit, the battle of sanctification, and the joy of salvation. So in this sense it is not so much a book on apologetics but a book on the greatness of the realities of the gospel, which then becomes an informed and passionate apologetic.
I enjoyed the writers’ style in this book. They were no doubt intentional in appealing Christians who live in culture. They were relevant. They used a lot of everyday illustrations to communicate truth. In a personal favorite they write:
“The newer generations living in the twenty-first century have never known what life is like without television or videocassete/CD/DVD recorders or TiVO. Because of technology, we can, at least in some sense, ‘create’ the reality we desire. It is now possible, for example, to program electronic screens with what we want to see when we want to see it. We can use pre-selected iPod tunes as the soundtrack for our lives. This has the double effect of on the one hand, creating the feelings and ambience we desire and on the other hand, letting the rest of the world go by.”
They also talk about the relationship between pornography, drugs, self-mutilation, sports fandom, sex and the gospel. Further, they go on at length about the movie Momento and its counter cultural effect.
Overall, I was challenged, encouraged, and refreshed by this quick read. The authors serve believers well in reminding us of the Things that Cannot be Shaken.
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