Book De-recommendations (Part 2)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on

the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for

even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for

you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial.

Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and

glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry.

It is another Tuesday with Pastor Steve here, back in the

laugh tracks room.

We�re just recording some new laugh tracks.

I�m back.

Hey, here�s Steve.

Hey, haters.

Hey, skaters.

That Steven Furtick, �Hey, haters video, and then somebody put the funny voice on

there.

It was so funny.

Was it like bad lip -reading?

Oh.

You know, I�m going to pull it up on this while we�re talking a little bit, but before we� Hi, because I haven�t seen that.

I haven�t seen that.

I mean, even watching the real thing makes me laugh because it�s so bad.

Why does anybody go to that church?

Well, I�ve got a question.

Why didn�t anybody, you know, why didn�t someone say to him, �This, you know, is what you think and

believe, but let�s not put this out.

This would be a bad thing to kind of put out.

� Hmm?

I couldn�t tell you.

Well, I mean, it�s like there are some people in life that no one�s ever said no to, you know, and he

might be one of those guys.

Well, you know what?

Here�s what we have, Steve.

As many athletes have never been told no, right, because they�ve been coddled at junior high level,

at senior high level, at college level, at pro level, and they become these people.

Basically, no one can tell them no.

We have a word for that, �psychopath.

� But they�re functional psychopaths, many of these professional athletes, because nobody can ever tell them no.

They don�t want to damage the goods that they receive from them or whatever.

I wonder if there�s a realm of evangelicals like that, that nobody can ever say no to them.

Well, especially in the pastorate, you know, if you�re at a church and the church is really growing,

who comes alongside you and says, �You know what, Steve, that�s probably not the best idea.

� And the answer is nobody, because what do you know?

You�re not the one blowing the church up, you know?

You�re not the one who�s taken this little band of 75 people and seen it go to 2 ,000,.

You know?

Steve, if I was making this church

millions upon millions of dollars per year, it would be very hard to tell me no,

right?

Because I�m the cash cow.

It wouldn�t be hard for me.

That�s my job.

Yes, but I�m saying, if it�s my name that makes all the money, you know, just kind of like, you

know, the NOCO radio ministry, all the money that that makes.

The billions that come in, that pour in from all around the world.

Anyway, just make it harder.

Mostly from Russian banks.

Here is the Max Holliday dub.

That�s called the Duracell ad.

But here comes the Max Holliday dub, �Hey, Haters �Church

Day Soleil.

� Here we go.

It�s showing his suit.

See, they can�t, the radio audience can�t see this.

Hey, haters, I hate to sue you, but your day is done.

See, we�re done with the way you sling shame and blame in the face of anyone who doesn�t say what

you say and see what you see, read what you read, think what you think, and do what you do, how you

do what you do.

It�s not about you.

Well, it was a long intro, but still very funny.

I don�t know how we got onto that subject.

I don�t know.

Oh, books.

Here�s what I want to say before you turn that page to that book.

Christian Book Deal, Christmas Gift Buying Guide.

There�s an Illuminated Bible, ESV, and it says

Art Journaling Edition, the Illuminated Bible.

Ooh.

Now, here�s my positive than negative comment.

Positive comment is ESV, I think, has done a good job generally trying to market a

Bible for the masses with an evangelical philosophy, and when we�ve worked

with them, they�ve tried to give us, you know, Crossway has tried to give us deals, and people can�t afford Bibles,

and they have done a much better job than NES has.

Well, NES has tried to bury the Bible translation they have.

ESV has tried to market it in a good way.

But then there�s a couple of these kind of dopey things, because when I think of Illuminated Bible, Steve, I would have picked something

else, call it an Art Journaling Bible, because the Illuminated Bible, it�s a misnomer,

right?

When there�s revelation, inspiration, and illumination, when it comes to the Holy Spirit and His

work with the Word, if we want to say past tense or future tense or current tense, but

present tense, Illuminated Bible, when the Spirit of God illumines the Bible,

right, to the minds of the people, I want to talk that way, not when you journal it, it becomes

illuminated.

Yeah.

When I see this, I just think, boy, when I�m reading it and, you know, something really strikes me, then

do those words just light up?

It�s Illuminated Neo -Bartian Bible. Yes.

Neo -Orthodoxian Bible.

It�s illuminated to me, you know, so yes.

But I�m a visual learner.

Well, come on.

Instead of reading the ESV study notes to the side, which I think actually are pretty good, I like to doodle some.

Oh, yeah.

Uh -huh.

Uh -huh.

A little doodle will do ya.

That�s the old -fashioned kind of commercial.

Well, I mean, does this come with a 64 -pack of Crayolas, or how does it work?

Yeah, but you know what?

The thing is, the back, when it�s got that little sharpener, it never seems to work very well.

No.

All my best colors and stuff.

Well, since it�s the illuminated one, shouldn�t it come with like a laser sharpener in the back?

I think there was a big to -do about Crayola crayons and the colors that were in there.

They had all kinds of, I don�t know, chartreuse and sky blue pink and periwinkle and everything.

And then maybe they had something that was skin color or flesh or something like that, and it was more of a lighter

pigment, so that was causing all kinds of problems, that that was the flesh color.

I think the question they have to answer is, can they paint with all the colors of the wind?

Well, I think there�s a Hey Haters video for that.

You don�t even know what that�s from, do you?

It�s Pocahontas or something.

Okay, you do know, okay.

Of course, I wasn�t born in a barn.

Barn in a barn.

Actually, the word �born� and �barn� in New England, they sound the exact same.

We�re born in a barn.

Were you born in a barn?

Now, that is funny.

That is so funny.

Were you born in a barn?

So, anyway, this whole idea of illuminated Bible, that was really a bad call.

How about the wonderful, the wonder of the greatest gift?

What would that be like?

Reveal the propensity to pick a fight and hide the light, nitpicking every single pixel of

God�s brilliant picture, seeing only your side and only his.

Oh, man.

It just makes me think, you know, what�s the snowman from Frozen?

What�s his name?

It�s not Frodo.

What is his name, anyway?

He kind of talks like that, and I�m like, you know, this is like, what if Steve Furtick was that guy from

Frozen?

That�s what it sounds like to me.

It�s hysterical.

You know what?

I�ve seen Pocahontas, but I have not seen Frozen.

I�ve not seen Despicable Me 1, 2, or 3.

I�ve only seen little clips.

You know, the kids love those minions.

You can pull up minions, like, you know, a couple -minute thing of minions on YouTube.

The kids will watch it for, you know, days.

I think it�s fascinating now.

Any little kid knows.

If you pull out a phone, they come right over to watch.

They know something good�s coming out of that phone.

Yeah, well, Declan, you know, the youngest of I mean, he�s not even a year and a half yet, and he�s, like, already trying to use

Janet�s iPad and, you know, all that stuff, so.

Or they go to the TV and start swiping.

Right?

It�s a touchscreen.

They do that on my computer, and I�m like, you know.

Uh -huh.

I know.

I know.

I know.

Well, here at the special advertising section, it has actually, you know, there�s something good there that�s the ESV study

Bible.

I like that.

A journaling Bible, you know, if you want to have some, you know, write some stuff on the side about who God is, that�s fine.

I�d like to know, though, if I went to your journaling Bible, Steve, would I find more about this is who God is,

and his Word, or would I find more about how I feel about a particular passage?

What would I find in such a journaling Bible?

Dear journal, today, I mean, if your journal Bible

reads like, you know, a 13 -year -old girl's diary, bad move.

Especially if you're a 13 -year -old girl.

It's like Sarah Young, Jesus Calling.

The Jesus that she writes about in that book sounds like a middle -aged single woman who's an

author.

Funny how that works.

Cat lady.

Yeah.

I don't know if she's single or not, but that was just my guess.

Does she have cats?

I don't know, but she probably does.

She probably does.

Probably the worst one on here, though, is the Charles F. Stanley

Life Principles Bible.

And it says that there are 30 principles that have guided him through his ministry.

Controversy.

Congregationalism.

Any other ones that start with a Z?

I don't know, but we're about to get controversial.

That was funny.

Let's talk about this so there can be something edifying on the show.

When we read the Bible, is it a book of life principles?

Is that what we're looking for when we read the Bible generally?

I'm not saying there isn't a principle in the Bible, you know, pay off your bills and don't loan your

coat if it, you know, blah, blah, blah.

Ninedunka.

Yeah.

So tell me, when you read the Bible, how should you read it?

If you don't look for life principles, what should you look for?

Well, let's see.

Let's just back up a minute.

What is the Bible?

God's revelation to man, right?

Where he discloses himself.

So when I read the Bible, I want to read what God wants me to read, which is about him,

right?

Am I going to see about people?

Absolutely.

You know, am I going to learn about myself?

Absolutely.

But that's going to be the overflow.

The number one objective as I read scripture should be to learn more about God, to understand him better, and to,

you know, have a better relationship with him.

When I think of J. Gresham Machen's 1923, Erdman's book, I think

it was 23, Christianity and Liberalism, the liberals were the ones that wanted to do the

principalization.

That sound right?

Yes.

Principalizing.

They're the ones.

So you get the Bible.

It's a handbook for living.

We get some principles.

Let's ignore some of the stuff, you know, Jesus is the only God, or reprobation, or.

You know, any of that kind of stuff.

There's no place I can flee from his spirit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

I just need a principle.

What's my principle?

Because I've got some living to do.

Right?

I think that's a good country song.

I've got some living to do.

Maybe George Jones sang that song.

To this day, Steve, you know I'm not a big country music fan, but I'm fascinated by George Jones.

Well, you know, the fact that you're not, you should be fascinated by Merle Haggard.

There are a lot of people that should fascinate you, and Merle Haggard is pretty fascinating too.

Well, when I listen to Lance Armstrong talk about, what's his name, who's the guy, the marijuana

guy?

Willie.

Oh, Willie.

Willie seems like a, he seems like a decent fellow.

I'm not talking about anything spiritual at all.

No.

Yeah.

So back to principalization.

You have a Bible.

Is it, let's just think bigger picture, Steve.

Is it okay to have a study Bible?

Shouldn't it just be you and the Spirit of God only?

No.

You know, and I say this all the time, and I'll say it again.

If it's just you and the Holy Spirit, what you're really saying is, I can ignore 2 ,000 years of church history,

all the gifts that God has given over the centuries to the church, and just kind of come up with my own sort of

theology.

I think Joseph Smith tried that.

How'd that work out for him?

It didn't work out very well.

Yeah.

No.

If I have a Bible, and I want to use a study Bible, I try to pick a study Bible, Steve, that helps

me understand what the text says and means.

I don't want it to teach me what the application is, right?

So years ago, they had the life application Bible, and I remember Romans 12, it was talking about some dopey

psycho therapy.

Psychotropic drug.

Psycho!

Well, you take psychotropic drugs in the tropics, it's really weird.

There you go.

Because that humidity exacerbates the problem.

Dude.

Dude.

We've got the study Bible, and it helps me with application.

But you know, lots of times you just have these general statements in the Scripture or imperatives, let's just give a

couple.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Do you really need to tell people these are 10 ways that could be fleshed out?

You could, when you're preaching, certainly say, here's a few ideas about how to love your neighbor.

Or who is your neighbor to love would be a better question, but what does God mean when He

says, love your neighbor as yourself?

I think that's what we're really after in the context of the paragraph, the book, the New Testament, the

Bible itself.

What does it mean?

And I think when I have a study Bible, Steve, I want a study Bible that helps me understand the meaning of

the text.

So those kind of study Bibles, I like.

So when I was growing up as a new Christian, it was the Ryrie Study Bible, that's what everybody had.

Then the MacArthur Study Bible, Reformation Study Bible, the ESV

Study Bible.

ESV Study Bible, yeah, I didn't think I was going to like those notes, but a lot of those notes I like.

The chapters with the topics in the front or the back, I actually like those a lot too.

I actually like the ESV Study Notes better, maybe, than the ESV translation itself.

How's that?

It's not too surprising.

But how about having a life application Bible, or the life principle Bibles from Charles Stanley?

Well, he says here, you know, as you explore practical life examples and learn how to make them a part of

your everyday life, you know, is that, I mean, again,

there might be some decent illustrations for a sermon or something here, but is

that helping me understand the Bible better, I think is the right answer, or the right question to ask.

And the answer, even by the description here, is no.

Steve, it's funny to me on this page, it has these different Bibles, and there's the Evidence that Demands a

Verdict Study Bible, that's fascinating to me, and the Ann Voskamp, The Wonder of the Greatest Gifts Study

Bible, that's pretty fascinating.

It's actually not a study Bible.

But they do have the Swindol Study Bible.

I didn't say Swindle, I said the Swindol Study Bible.

And what would you expect if you had a Charles Swindol Study Bible?

I like to hear Chuck Swindol speak.

I used to attend, even as an unbeliever, E .V. Free in Fullerton, California.

Did you know that?

I would expect to hear a lot of great stories, because he's got a ton of them.

So he's funny, he's practical, he's a great storyteller,

he can spin a yarn.

Yeah?

Would that be true?

I mean, he's like the really saved version of Andy Griffith, you know?

It's just like, you know, homespun kind of humor and stories.

I heard him at Mount Hermon several times, and as a camp speaker especially.

Yeah.

He's a great camp speaker.

He's up there in his shorts, and he's talking stories about, you know, worry and anxiety and trust in the Lord.

I really like...I like him, and I like his storytelling.

Will I like a study Bible, though?

That's another question.

Yeah.

It says here, this study Bible was designed with you in mind.

Danger, Will Robinson.

Now, maybe he didn't write that, you know, you have these publishers.

As you read the Scriptures, imagine me—oh, I guess this is him talking—imagine me setting beside

you and sharing personal stories, important insights—insight for living—and hard

-earned lessons that will encourage you to walk more closely with Jesus Christ.

After all, that's why God communicated His Word to us, that we may become like His Son, Jesus Christ, the central figure of His book.

Now, is that part true?

Is that, like, seminary president true?

This is why he wrote the book, that we might become like Jesus?

That we might walk more closely with Jesus Christ.

Here it says, this is why God communicated His Word to us, that we may become like His Son.

I think it's one of the effects of it, but is that why?

I think the answer, I think it was that we might believe, you know, that God is who He

says He is and that Jesus is who He said He was, you know.

So, I think that part is true.

And, you know, does He use His Word to conform us in the image of His Son?

Yes, clearly.

I mean, this is, it's just a little too mushy for me.

It says, trusted wisdom, practical application, refreshing insight.

Now, I don't think Chuck has any, you know, I'm in it for the money kind of thing.

That's not my point at all.

No, because it comes with a free app.

Well, that's nice.

I thought that was like nachos and cheese or what?

It's an MRE.

A free appetizer.

Yeah, you know what?

At the back...

A free application.

It's an MRE that they have attached to the back.

And it's the nacho.

Nachos and jalapeno MRE.

Tell me about MREs.

Did you like them?

I never had MREs, actually.

When I was in, we were still eating the, one of the older ones than the MREs, the

really nasty...

I mean, they were like from World War II and the Korean War.

I mean, they were old.

Probably packaged in lead and such.

I mean, they were packaged for the long...

Things like you needed a can opener for beef stew and stuff like that.

So if you couldn't eat or heat up the beef stew, the potatoes would be like tree roots.

I mean, they were like solid as a rock.

So that would be like pre -Diddymore beef stew?

Oh, it was bad.

Steve, what was the worst thing in military service when you served?

How long were you in?

Four years?

Three years.

Three years.

What was the worst thing?

What was the worst thing?

I think this...

I know you will.

I think it's going to contain...

The sentence is going to contain the word knucklehead.

No, I think...

I mean, directly involved with the duties, I would say every time

it snowed, we had to...

When I was in Maryland, we had to go straight down to the motor pool.

We'd form up and march down to the motor pool to check on our Jeeps.

I never understood that, but that's what we do every single time.

And it really struck me as being odd.

We'd go make sure they'd started and everything else.

And I'm like, okay, this doesn't make any sense to me, but all right.

I just didn't like going out in the field.

I did not enjoy that at all.

Playing Army, digging the trenches and

sleeping in tents and doing all that stuff.

And then coming home and at like seven o 'clock in the morning or whatever, after we just got back, going and

cleaning up our equipment and then falling into formation right away.

So that just wasn't my thing.

What if you had, though, in the middle of all your glamping experiences, every man's Bible?

What if you had that?

Because this is a man's type of Bible.

Straight talk about the challenges of life.

Every man's Bible has thousands of notes on topics from, any guesses, work,

sex, and competition to integrity and trusted advice from the pros,

just for men.

This is from the author of the best -selling series, Steve Arterburn.

So if you want to know a lot about what the Bible says about sex, this is the book for you.

Yeah, well, I've seen, we saw Steve Arterburn speak down at Saddleback.

He filled in for Rick Warren, and I believe he told a diarrhea joke.

I, all I can remember, I do remember this, the intro, because it was so bad.

The whole thing was so bad.

He said, after the music was done, and the music is, you know, top drawer there.

And he said, man, he said, I feel like I'm in Las Vegas.

And if you recall, I said loudly, amen.

And everybody was turning around and looking at me like I was a troublemaker.

And things went downhill from there.

Well, you remember that.

And I remember thinking, okay, this is Saturday service number

three or two or whatever it was.

It wasn't the 4 .30 service.

It was 6 .30.

So he's already told the diarrhea joke once.

Now, if I told a diarrhea joke from the pulpit, you probably, at the end of the first service, would say, Mike, you know what?

We all do dumb things.

Just, you know, let's not repeat that.

We don't need to do that.

You know, any kind of, like, scatological references in the sermon outside of our righteousness is like, you

know, dung.

We should just avoid.

Don't you think?

– I think that would be wise.

– So every man's Bible.

If you have a Bible and you're reading it, we are very glad for that.

If you don't have a Bible, you can't afford one somehow.

I think we could probably help you.

If you have a study Bible, we suggest you get a study Bible that helps you understand the text better.

And something like the Reformation Study Bible would help you even with categories to think about different categories.

– And if you're not much of a reader, you can get one of these.

– Yeah, yeah.

So we turn the page and what do we find there?

We find the biggest story, ABC, Kevin DeYoung.

I have that at home.

– Yes.

– And you know what?

It's really good.

It's just not supposed to be in place of the Bible.

– Well, you know, but if you're a really bad reader.

– Yeah, yeah, because it's ages one to three.

– Yeah.

– All right.

I think NIV is at eighth grade, so this ABC is from

first year.

Now, we have a girl's life application study Bible.

And so the men's Bible, to use their order of importance, is work and sex.

Let's see what they've got for the girl's life application.

Does it say sturdy Bible or study Bible?

Why would the men need the flimsy Bible, outrageously slim, and the girls need

the sturdy Bible?

That seems opposite to me.

– It's study.

– Oh, okay.

– Okay.

The tween girl in your life is precious to you, and her life is rapidly changing right before your eyes.

The girl's life application study Bible was personally designed to help her discover

how to take the car in the middle of the night without you finding out as she...

Wait a second.

– Don't intersperse your life stories with...

– Oh, well, hey, that's sturdy advice.

– Yeah.

– So it doesn't tell us what it's actually talking about, but it's for the tweeners.

– Mm -hmm.

– Yeah.

So what if they had an iPhone study Bible?

Do you think they'd be more apt?

No joke, no pun intended, apt to read it?

– Yes.

– All this stuff, though, you know, why are there so many study Bibles?

Why are there so many different Bibles printed, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?

Why is that, Mike?

– Well, on bad days, I wake up thinking it's money.

– Oh, no.

Come on.

On good days, I've got teens, so then I get the teen life application study Bible, NLT, because I need

a stocking stuffer.

– NLT.

I prefer the BLT translation.

– Uh -huh.

Well, you know what?

A little avocado on that really helps, too.

– Mm.

– Uh -huh.

We call that the BOLT.

Bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomatoes.

– Some people really like the NLT, the mutton, lettuce, and tomatoes.

So I was in India once, and they said we were

going to go speak all day and night and come back, and they didn't have a whole lot of money at this particular home that we were staying

at, and so it was a lot of veggies, or as they would call them, wedgies.

I said, no, I don't need any more wedgies, thanks.

But they said, would you like chicken or mutton?

And they were really going to go out of their way to buy some meat for the guests, the special speakers, and I wanted to try

to be nice, and here's how I tried to be nice.

Do you know what?

Eat the ones fine by me, right?

I don't want to put you out.

That was my point.

So since I didn't say they bought both, and so I had mutton with Bill Shannon and chicken.

– Mm.

– I didn't get sick.

Bill got really sick.

The last time I saw Bill, he was taking a train down to Hyderabad, and I was going to the airport

to fly to Austria or something.

– Poor Bill.

– I know.

– You know, he just turned 67 the other day.

– 67.

– Yeah.

– Is he a nicer?

Aren't you supposed to get nicer when you get older?

– He's so nice, anyway.

– I know.

– He's a nice man.

– I know.

So anyway, if you like a study Bible, we suggest getting a Bible that you can read and understand what the

text says and means better, and we don't think you need to have any more niche Bibles.

Is that what we would say here at the show?

– No, we'd say niche.

– Is it Nietzsche or Nietzsche?

– No, it's Nietzsche.