Book De-recommendations (Part 1)

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. Pastor Steve was just waxing eloquently about special Kevlar clothes and such, and I thought, �Well, we should just turn on the show.�

Let�s start the recording. Welcome to No Compromise Radio, Steve. Give you great insight. Thank you for having me.

It�s a pleasure to join you all the way from beautiful downtown Burbank. We used to do shows at Burbank, didn�t we?

I think we talked about doing shows from Burbank. It was probably a wish list kind of item.

I was in Glendale not that long ago, and they have kind of an old -school downtown Glendale on the north side of 134.

Maybe we should start recording there. Okay, let�s do it. I just opened up the

Book of Common Prayer to St. Thomas the Apostle, and it says, �The

Collect.� We need some appropriate, you know, music. I don�t know. Who does the song?

People like the Wayne Newton Donkeyshane stuff. They like that in the background. Yeah. Well, I don�t really know if that�s appropriate for the

Book of Common Prayer. I know, but what�s the collect? Here�s the collect. �Almighty and ever -living

God, who for the greater confirmation of the faith did suffer thy holy

Apostle Thomas to be doubtful in thy Son�s resurrection, grant us so perfectly and without all doubt to believe in thy

Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us,

O Lord, through the same Jesus Christ, to whom with thee and with the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, now and forever.

Amen. That�s Thomas Akempis, �The Collect.� �The

Collect.� See, when you say �The Collect ,� yes, I have a phone call for you. It�s �The

Collect.� See, there was a day that everybody knew about collect calls, but I don�t think young kids know that any longer.

They should. I mean, there�s, you know, the only, I mean, I have so many great memories of pay phones, only not,

I mean, I can remember I would literally, when I was in the Army, I would go to the bank and get rolls of quarters, you know, so I could call home.

Well, you are more righteous than I was, at least externally, because my pay phone experience are, you know, the memory of pay phones.

I lived in Newport Beach. I was working for Duracell Batteries, I think, at the time, and my territory was in downtown

LA. Well, some days I didn�t really want to work, but they would know you make phone calls from where and from when, so this is before the mobile phones.

So I would have to drive to downtown LA, find a phone booth, do my, you know, my card, my credit card, you know, phone card or whatever.

It would show that I was calling from downtown LA, make a few phone calls, and I could drive back home. Dumbo. Yeah, just had to punch the clock, huh?

I know. I mean, I would go home and then probably, you know, make calls there or, you know, work on presentations or shoot baskets or something.

Steve, anything happening in your life we need to know about? Anything going on with Sunday school? You're teaching from a confession.

You confessionalist. Yeah, well, I� Yeah, where are you in that?

Sanctification? Yeah. You know, I'm being challenged. We were talking about it, you know, is sanctification monergistic, is it synergistic?

Is the answer yes? You know, so it's a lot more challenging than, you know,

I thought it would be, and it's good to read. So you would think sanctification, yes, it's monergistic, and yes, it's synergistic.

How could both be yes? That's what I'm working on. Well, I mean, you know,

I think� So maybe we should say that it's monergistic, but there is responsibility when it comes to sanctification?

God is sovereign, man is responsible, and, you know, just like in salvation,

God commands us to believe, right, but then He has to regenerate us, grant us the faith, etc.

But then we have to believe. We must believe that, you know, both are true.

God is sovereign, and man is responsible, so. All right, well, no matter what you teach about sanctification, as long as we still believe what the

Bible teaches, I'm fine with that. Okay, good. You work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Yes, we do. That's true. Because God doesn't work.

Oh, see, why do we forget those last bits? I don't know, because it's easy to forget. Steve, we have in front of us our own copies of Christianity Today.

And I thought we would just do a show. You know how we put so much effort into the show and time, and we plan it out and we�

Literally ours. Yeah. We literally alliterate things. And the very first page,

I opened to the inside cover, and it's got the NIV from Zondervan.

And you know what? I just think there's a typo there, because it says, �outrageously thin, outrageously readable.�

And I think there's one more, �outrageously� that they forgot to put in there. Inherent. Inherent. Incredible.

Outrageously. What happened? Was that 15 years ago, when the

NIV said, �Hey, we're going to sneak in this other stuff ,� and there was, you know, they got caught in the little fibster?

Yeah. I don't remember how long it was. I mean, 1977 was the last decent translation from �

Oh, you're talking about the NAS from �77? Oh, you're right. You're right. It was �84? NIV was �84.

84 was the last time they did a decent job of it, right? I mean, doesn't it go back? Was it did it first come out in 84?

Is that right? Well, maybe that was for the whole Bible Maybe you're thinking New Testament or something in 77 77 think makes me think of NES.

Yeah, but they came out later like I think it was about 15 years ago 2002 2001 or something like that with the

New international version update or whatever they called it So they did the update even though they said they weren't going to update and then they did the

TN IV that 30 % change whatever then now with this one They've got part of the update if I remember correctly, and I know they have some of the

TN IV in here So it's outrageously thin outrageously readable and outrageously Combinable I like what they say here though unfit to read it any size

Oh Wait, wait, they did. No, I'm sorry. I'm my bad. It says easy to read

Well, it does say here on the bottom. This part is true choose from 63 sizes and colors

Oh, and and the other thing they've done between the 77 the 84 the

TN IV the updated version You can pick and choose any kind of conglomeration with those three different versions choose from 63

Different hybrids of the TN IV in the 84, so that's kind of nice Yeah, if you're uncomfortable with non -inclusive language

That's fine. Yeah. Well, we just give these out at the church After we give the bumper sticker that says all welcome here.

Mmm It's like a rainbow, you know, there is something to be said for the NIV The old -school

NIV I would pick it up and read it You know, it's kind of like a gust and pick up and read, you know, the kids song and there's a lot of a

Lot of good you could get out of it. I just don't like this newer hybrid version But what do you do when you see a brand new mom come to the church and she's got her

NIV? Paper back. Do you say anything to her? I just wait till she sets it down and then

I Secretly take it throw the dumpster and switch it out and substitute in you know

Something more Profitable switch it out. Yeah Anything else in this magazine you'd like to make some comments on ESV?

they do have the advertisement about the Conqueror series the plan the battle plan for purity

Combating pornography obviously pornography is a huge issue. I did think it was interesting though on that They've got like MRI scans brain scans and Here's how they they promote this advertisement.

They've got the picture of the the book. It's got a guy with a sword he's like up in Mordor or someplace and Then it's got three three brains and this is

I'm not joking. Here's your brain and it's this greenish yellowish Orb looking thing it's it to be honest.

It's not all that attractive. Yeah, right But then it has here's your brain on heroin and it's it's kind of clumpled and it's purple

Yeah, it's uglier than the regular right and then it has got another one. Here's your brain on porn and And honestly,

I'd rather be on heroin than porn. Yeah, according to these pictures. Well according these pictures. Yeah Anyway, it's talking about how porn restructures the brain and not in a good way.

That's exactly what it says I Just think this problem with pornography is gonna get bigger and bigger and bigger.

I think I'd probably take a different approach than Showing three pictures. This is you know, this is your brain

This is your brain on drugs and I think of the commercial with the with the eggs and stuff the scrambled eggs

Well, I I did read what I read maybe about a week week and a half ago that it does physiologically

You know alter your brain. So I thought that was interesting. I don't know that they can represent

What it does, you know in a picture like this I'm dubious Well, I'm so dubious that it's on the the opposite page of the healthcaring

MediShare kind of Christian Sharing thing so when it comes to medical insurance, I'm just as dubious

It says in Ephesians chapter 5 therefore be imitators of God. That's pretty amazing. By the way be imitators of God as beloved children walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a

Fragrant offering and sacrifice to God if you'd like to know what love really is You can take a look at the cross and you see

Jesus's sacrifice there The just dying for the unjust but then the opposite of love is

Selfishness because love sacrifices agape love with we think of Ephesians 5 1 here

Then it says but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness Must not even be named among you as is proper among the

Saints and then it talks about even You can't even talk about it filthiness or foolish talk or anything else

And so when it comes to this issue I'd like to see us get back to the

Bible. Hopefully they're doing that and talk about laziness and Things like that, but I guess people could buy a book maybe sexual fidelity or something like that.

That'll be an outstanding purchase Do they get anything free with their order?

Hey, you know, it's interesting Steve. I said online Or maybe on the show. Hey, if you want to order 10 or 20,

I'll give you a great deal Somebody just order 20 good call. I know be good for a men's. Yeah, and I charge them double instead

Okay, so we're all leading up to this right now and that is the best Christian books of 2017 in Christianity today.

So what page do we have that on Steve? There's no page numbers on yeah,

I know it's kind of tricky So if you just look for the Christmas buying guide, I think it's the next page Okay This is high -tech radio right here, yes super.

Okay next page. Yes. Are you ready to make your mark? There it is. Okay How many of the gospel coalition?

No. No. Yeah together for the gospel people out of the ten. Would you go see? Together for the gospel.

Yeah Yeah, not very many. Mm -hmm. Yeah. Well off the top of my head We don't have the the pictures in front of us mark ever.

I'd go see I'd see Deborah. Yeah, I'd see MacArthur Yeah, I'd see MacArthur. Uh -huh. I'd see Kevin de

Young. Mm -hmm, and I would see Ligon Duncan. Yeah But pretty much the rest

Black Lives Matters that interest you at all Are they gonna be speaking there? No, but to beat he's there.

Oh, he's he's hedged around that stuff Yeah, I'm really and somebody asked me, you know, what wouldn't what would the

LA County Sheriff's Department do? You know if Black Lives Matter leader was put in charge of it

And I just said well, I think they'd probably all mark time until they resigned and went to other departments

Interesting, but it is Christmas. And so we'd like to have some buying guides And so we probably need some good Christian books good

Christian books the top the best Christian books of 2017 according to the

Christian Book Award people who give out the Medallion of Excellence Awards, I know that medallion is strikingly similar in looks to the brain not on porn

Just for the record Mike has never smoked cigarettes You know what as I was laughing

I was thinking about that very thing now to the credit of this little book award Deal, there are books here from Zondervan, Crossway Waterbrook, Cook, Thomas Nelson.

In other words, this is not a book award given to a company that's making the advertisement, right? Right. Okay.

So and at the bottom there's parable Barnes & Noble Christianity Today Amazon etc

Christian book dot -com I don't know who orders books from them anymore, but I don't see how they keep that warehouse and Peabody open

It's a lot of overhead It's a mystery well, you know what I actually I did order something here not too long ago from them because they had a great deal on the

HCSB or HSCB or whichever the Southern Baptist Translation of the

Bible and I just thought well, okay, I'll get one So what if Parliament the band came out with the translation would you buy that P funk?

Probably not Okay, there's something bad about the Holman standard version that got

Well, yeah, they took out they were gonna they were gonna use Yahweh and then they took it out Yeah, well that and I think it's 1st

Corinthians chapter 16 act like men the new Holman Christian standard, which is concrete.

No, no is be courageous Weak. Well, that is about as weak as it gets. Weak sauce

You know, it's one of the places where I really do like the King James a Quit you like yeah quit you like men.

That's pretty good. I know so we've got all these books here The people may or may not buy and these have have won some awards and so you're pointing at something

Because I just thought this is this is just so awesome We're just talking about the NIV. How about the

NIV cultural backgrounds? steady Bible Well now when you read something and you can see

Oh cultural background like in Luke 15 that you know, normally, you know Fathers don't roll up there, you know

You know robes or whatever and run but that was a sign of love. What if it had something like that? Boy, I hope that's what it has

Somehow I'm dubious of that Yeah Well, you know what you might maybe it's a manners and customs thing

Steve I I just I you know, I'm just looking at this list though, and I'm like I Some of these books

I'm sure are really good now before you go into any other book I'd like to turn to the section where it says now

Here's how you get your husband or you go into Boaz's tent lay by his legs uncover his feet.

Now, what would that mean? They're gonna have to address that kind of stuff sure.

Yeah Okay, when you want to try to wing over the win over the king Esther Here's what you do six months of special cosmetics and doing all that other stuff and you get one night with a guy

What would that what would that mean? You know,

I think I I'm just looking at this list I'm sure there are some really good things and even some books. I'd like to read but that Study Bible just by virtue of the fact that it's

NIV would be one discouraging thing, but I'm also looking and I'm like, okay best books

Tim Tebow shaken Discovering your true identity in the mist.

Oh Yeah in the midst of life's storms, you know one time Steve I found my identity in the mist of a storm in the midst.

Uh -huh. Well, you can find it in the mist to Jonah and the fish. I'm sure it's a great kids book and I'm sure it's very

God -centered Well, if I had to pick one book out of here, yeah out of this list, mm -hmm two four six

Twelve twelve books. What would you pick? You have to pick how do these one to read? Yeah I Will see

Well, I mean I'd be most interested in the Union with Christ book Okay, and so who's who's got that?

What's who's publishing that David C. Cook? So, I wonder how a David C. Cook published book on Union of Christ could be

I don't know But I mean it would be at least interesting to me. But yeah, so I don't know.

So what we've got here We've got unblemished is for young people. I think this is kind of This is maybe good vampires or something like that.

Maybe unblemished. You've got marriage by Ortlund Yeah a union with Christ.

Mm -hmm. It says David C. Cook, but that's not the oh, yeah I think that's just a publisher and Rankin Rankin Roger.

He's with English beat. Oh Rankin will born Yep, whom I've never heard of courageous faith by Charles Stanley Interestingly, it's on Howard books a division of Simon and Schuster and you know who?

Simon's daughter was of Simon and Schuster No, Carly Simon.

Really? That's true. I haven't got time for the pain. Yeah. Well, you're so vain Yeah, I probably think the song is about you

I was listening to a German version of that song on Spotify And it was funny because they they well,

I can't pronounce German words very well, but they couldn't pronounce English words very well We've got

Jonah the fish that's a kid's book 75 masterpieces every Christian should know Baker Bush Baker books.

That's by Terry Glass fee I can hardly read it print so small right spectacle of glory by Johnny Erickson Tata Oh that would begin a history of Western philosophy and theology by P &R.

That's John frame Parenting by trip that is Paul David trip leadership mosaic crossway by Daniel Montgomery Shaken and then study

Bible culture. So those are the those are the 12 Now I like Johnny Erickson Tata.

I just I read her book on heaven That was a sweet book, but it's not really, you know,

I'm a pastor and a radio celebrity and stuff So I'm not really into that Kind of, you know spectacle of glory stuff.

Mm -hmm What about the masterpieces every Christian should know? What's a masterpiece?

Is that a book? Is that a it looks like it's starry night on the front there. That must be I think it looks Yeah, it looks to me like I mean again, we're talking about we're trying to read something that is, you know

It's a it's a picture of a book and the picture is about an inch and a half tall by three quarters of an inch

Wide, so it's pretty tough Yeah, by the way, any church named mosaic our book named mosaic that's already out.

Yeah. Yeah. What if we had a church named flea? That's FLEE Flea from the wrath to come that's what the flea

Yeah, because I don't want you to think about the Red Hot Chili Peppers flea like the bass player FLEA That that I mean talk about a seeker sensitive church name flee from the wrath yeah, but well

Yeah, it's short from yeah flea flea because you have to just I know it's so funny.

It's catchy. Yeah flea Yeah, I was once at a at a concert Playing pinball that tells you how long ago it was in Long Beach, California Yeah playing pinball and the guy next to me came to play the pinball

Game as well a different ones that was right next to mine So he put the quarter in you know, you've got three games

One game for 10 cents, so you got the deal for 25 cents, right and you know back in those days It was five balls per game right not three three, right then they change it to you know, three for 25 cents

Anyway, the angle of inclination was too great for this particular person next to me So he he got some kind of coasters and stuff and picked up the pinball machine at the front

Jammed the coasters underneath so the angle of inclination was less and then he played it and it was flea from the

Red Hot Chili Peppers He was a pinball Now would you read any

Paul David Tripp books on parenting and stuff Well, I'm pretty much done with Parenting books.

It's grandparenting books. He wrote a grandparenting book. Would you would you read it? I Yeah, well,

I mean, I think probably what he writes is from the Bible and it's biblical and is a reformed perspective

But I don't like it if I have to go to his website and I think he's changed it the old days it said You know, this is how much it was gonna cost and there was a fee and I think now it's just how big's your church

There is gonna be a fee I don't know if the new website says you can't like distribute his messages that he gave there

And maybe it's all under the auspices of he's not a pastor He has to make a living this way, but that stuff kind of rubs me the wrong way.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on it myself Well, if you'd like to give to no compromise radio, you can go to the website

As we as we close the year and we look to balance. Oh, it's very it's been another tough year

Steve It's very tough. I feel like I should be shaking something, you know, but you know our headphones

They're not giving us black speckles anymore, I know our Crack team of technical experts fix it.

Wow. That is pretty amazing We're still sitting in back breaking chairs, but uh -huh.

Yours is the wiggly one. Mine is the one that your son -in -law destroyed Well, Joey sat in this thing and tried to fix it for me and he sure put the fix on it the fixes in the fixes

In what podcast do you listen to these days? I'm you know, honestly,

I've been listening to the book by Sinclair Ferguson and I've not been listening to podcasts I was talking to pastor

Bob Bowman a couple weeks ago and we were talking about the book by Sinclair Ferguson He said yeah the whole

Christ and he said He had listened to that book four times the book on tape four times and I'm like I don't really blame you because here's what happens and this is why

I'm not a huge podcast guy Because I I mean I'd rather listen to sermons

I've been because it just has to be something that really keeps my interest the books on tape

I listen to him and I'm like, it's just not the same as Sinclair Ferguson talking to me, right?

it's some guy reading what Sinclair Ferguson wrote and Unless you've got a really compelling voice and a compelling delivery.

I can't listen, you know I've kind of fade in and out and So I can understand why

Bob's listen to that four times on top of the fact that the material is is very

It's academically Stimulating I would say that Steve. I think they probably could have paid

Sinclair some money to Record it. I would pay him some money to to do that Yeah, and I'm not saying he would only do it for the money, but I'm saying there's a way to motivate authors to do things yeah, and and and I think you know because I Think the advantage the author has

When it's in his voice and he thinks about well, yes, I remember what I was thinking about when I Said this when

I wrote this he will then Emphasize certain things and you know say them in a different way and it just kind of it draws you in It's like if somebody's just reading scripture and they just kind of go, you know, and the

Lord said, you know I mean, there's there are ways of Emphasis and enunciation and everything else that just kind of draws people in as opposed to You know not drunk

I guess as opposed to not driving well said Steve Well, we went over our time a little bit

But here's the thing Steve now that it's not on the local radio station. We can do whatever we want Yeah, the other day when I interviewed

Daryl Harrison, I think I went 40 minutes. Did you really? Yeah We've never gotten 40 minutes.

We were talking about white privilege and such Mmm, I'm gonna have to listen to that. I saw you. I saw you had

Kofi too. I did Yeah, and I asked Kofi about a variety of different people and he gave me his honest answers

I had a Linton about a Gaddafi one and We're just yeah, is that I say his name?

I I don't know I just you know, I I still regret the day when I had to stop calling Linton Abraham.

So Anyway, you can write us info at no compromise radio .com

No compromise radio with pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston Bethlehem Bible Church is a

Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life Transforming power of God's Word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text