{"id":379,"date":"2008-03-11T02:01:34","date_gmt":"2008-03-11T02:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/03\/chuck-colsons-blog-tour-seventh-stop.html"},"modified":"2008-03-11T02:01:34","modified_gmt":"2008-03-11T02:01:34","slug":"chuck-colsons-blog-tour-seventh-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/03\/chuck-colsons-blog-tour-seventh-stop.html","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Colson\u2019s Blog Tour: Seventh Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"the<\/a>Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett have just published a new book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters<\/em><\/a> (Zondervan, 2008). In order to promote this book, Chuck Colson is doing a “blog tour,” in which he “visits” nine different blogs, responding to a question from the host blogger and sparking conversation with blog readers. Markdroberts.com is the seventh stop of Colson’s tour. For the other stops, check out the Zondervan Blog<\/a>.
\nColson is due to stop my my blog on tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12. In anticipation of his visit, I thought it would be good to do a brief review of The Faith<\/em>. (Note: In this review, I’m going to speak as if the book was written by Colson. It bears the mark of his personality and life experience, and is written in the first person. I expect that Harold Fickett, an outstanding writer, took Colson’s ideas and stories and turned them into a very readable, engaging book.)
\nIn his Preface to The Faith<\/em>, Chuck Colson say that he “wanted to write an accessible gook that would summarize in about 240 pages the basic truths of Christianity” (p. 9). If you count the Appendix, The Faith<\/em> has exactly 240 pages. And I can vouch for the accessibility of the writing. Though Colson deals with all major Christian doctrines, including some of the tricky ones (like the Trinity), this is a book that can be easily digested by someone with a basic education. Most high-school-aged readers would be able to make it through this book without extraordinary effort.
\nColson intends to present the faith “once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). His is an exposition of classic Christian orthodoxy, those matters of doctrine on which most Christians have agreed for centuries. When it comes to doctrines on which orthodox Christians disagree, like the sacraments or the nature of the church, Colson states his preference, but doesn’t insist that his is the only right way. This will, no doubt, be unsettling to Christian readers who tend to emphasize differences within Christendom. For example, I expect Colson will get some flak for his positive comments on Evangelicals and Catholics Together, an ecumenical movement in which Colson participated (see, for example, p. 143).
\nSome Christians will also cringe when Colson tells the story of baptizing his thirteen-year-old grandson, Max. In this story Colson advocates believer’s baptism (which makes sense, given that Colson is himself a Baptist), and he explains how he was ordained by his church for one day so he could baptize Max. Here Colson stands clearly outside of the mainstream of Christian tradition, which advocates infant baptism and allows only those ordained to clerical ministry to do the baptizing. I know quite a few Christians who would say Colson’s notion of the “the faith” is out of step with traditional Christianity in this regard.
\nBut Colson’s story of baptizing Max is part of what I love about this book, even though it wouldn’t fit within my Presbyterian tradition. He did something special for Max out of love and faithfulness to God. Max, because he is autistic, wasn’t able to be baptized in public in the ordinary manner. So did something unusual, stretching the boundaries even of his Baptist tradition. Even as he upholds orthodoxy and argues for it passionately, Colson isn’t simply laying out the truths of Christianity. He is continually illustrating these truths with compelling stories.
\nAnd these stories, often moving and always well-narrated, are part of what makes The Faith<\/em> distinctive and engaging. They come not only from Colson’s personal experience, especially in his prison ministry, but also from around the world and throughout Christian history. Each story says: Here is what it means to live out the truth faith. Take away the stories from this book and you have a fairly ordinary introduction to basic Christian orthodoxy from an evangelical Christian perspective. Add the stories, and you have a gripping account of what it means, not only to believe the right things about God, but also to live out these beliefs in the world.
\nColson exposits Christian faith in the context of threats in today’s world. This is another quality of The Faith<\/em> that makes it distinctive. What are these threats? They include: radical Islam; secularism; atheisim (really anti-theism); liberal Christianity (which doesn’t embrace historic faith); and watered down, discipleship-less Christianity that’s found in many apparently evangelical churches today. Colson takes these threats seriously. But he doesn’t advocate a defensive strategy so much as an offensive one. Christians don’t need to fight against the threats we face so much as to stand strongly on the solid ground of Scripture and proclaim orthodox Christian faith without apology.
\nI’ll have more to say about The Faith tomorrow, in the context of Colson’s “visit” to markdroberts.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett have just published a new book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters (Zondervan, 2008). In order to promote this book, Chuck Colson is doing a “blog tour,” in which he “visits” nine different blogs, responding to a question from the host blogger and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nChuck Colson\u2019s Blog Tour: Seventh Stop - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/03\/chuck-colsons-blog-tour-seventh-stop.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chuck Colson\u2019s Blog Tour: Seventh Stop - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett have just published a new book: The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters (Zondervan, 2008). 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}