The Titus Mandate by Ted Bigelow

Bigelow believes the Bible mandates a plurality of elders as the God-given form of church governance. I don't necessarily disagree with his thesis. I do take issue with the way he presents his case (all 324 self-published pages). This is a long review, a section by section critique of Bigelow's argument. (It is equivalent to three pages.) If you are not interested in the critique, jump to the very end and my conclusion.

Part One
Bigelow defines the Titus mandate based on Titus 1:5. In this verse Paul instructs Titus to appoint godly men (elders) to lead the church. Eldership is God's designated design for church government. Elders create a framework of accountability. “In true eldership, the elders are given authority to remove wolves without congregational permission.” (41)
He covers the qualifications of an elder and assures readers, “Once in office, men of this kind will sacrificially serve Christ's agenda in the church.” (38) “...[E]lders are not under the congregation's authority, nor a bishop's authority, nor a pastor's authority, but under God's authority.” (39) “...[E]lders alone are granted the authority of appointing other elders.” (44) Yet, “...each person in the congregation was empowered to determine who was and was not in leadership.” (45) Any member (actually, two or three witnesses) of the congregation may object to an elder appointment based on observed violations of the biblical list of qualifications for elder. “In a biblical eldership appointment process, each member of the church with a Bible has total power.” (45, italics in the original)
If an elder no longer lives up to the list of qualifications he becomes disqualified and is to voluntarily step down. (45) If he refuses, the other elders are to verify the charge (based on multiple witnesses), and publicly rebuke the man in front of the entire church.
It is at this section I have my initial question as to Bigelow's statements. He says, “The full level of biblical authority is granted to each Christian who may justly fulfill the role of a witness and investigate the claims of sin in an elder.” (47) Yet, the elders must verify any accusations, and there must be multiple witnesses. (45) He says each member has total power when it comes to elder appointment (45) yet elders have rule over the individual's accusations. Each member of the church does not have total power! The elders have the final say and total power.
Here is another problem area. “Each believer has authority to call his church to heed all of God's commands.” (56) This is based on the concept of the priesthood of every believer. However, “When qualified elders possess the authority granted them in Scripture... Then, and only then, can the believer's priestly authority be honored.” (57) So let me get this straight: I, as a believer, have authority but that authority will only be honored when the elders have the authority granted them in Scripture. Ah.
And, the elders have no one overseeing them. “...[E]lders were completely free from all hierarchy and external human authority.” (69) Now, wait a minute. I though Bigelow said each congregant had total power! I though Bigelow said Titus had the authority to appoint elders! So, are elders free from external authority or do congregants have total power?

Part Two
Bigelow reminds his readers that any decision-making needs to be one hundred percent. Each elder possess veto power.
Bigelow predicts a“dire future for your church if you do not have the leadership he is advocating. “The downward descent into apostasy starts with compromise in leadership. Every church that compromises in leadership is only a few decisions away from denying the gospel itself.” (157)
The example of Third John is given. Bigelow notes that John specifically identifies himself as The Elder (not an apostle). He also notes that John, as an apostle, “oversees” this church. (169) John's “...call as an apostle is to oversee multiple churches...” (171) Odd. I thought Bigelow argued back on page 39 that the elders of a church were “under” no one's authority – they are “overseen” by no one!
There is an additional problem with the example of Third John. Bigelow says, “In calling himself the elder John placed himself on the same level as Diotrephes [the sinning elder] because his excommunication of Diotrephes would not come 'from above,' that is, from an apostle, but from the same level, from an elder, setting a pattern the church would follow.” (176-7) Does that mean, then, that an elder from a distant church has the authority to excommunicate an elder in another church? Bigelow also says, “[John's] opening words served notice that, from now on, he alone as the elder, and the present elders are disqualified.” (177)
Bigelow says that if local elders are unresponsive in dealing with sin, the individual “should request help from other church's qualified elders...” (186) There is no record in 3 John, however, that anyone in the troubled church asked for John's intervention. It would seem that John, as an elder, exercises his authority over the elders of another church.
An aspect of Bigelow's exposition of Titus 1:5 that bothers me is his claim that churches in each town merged into one or were shut down. “The precise language Paul uses in Titus 1:5 doesn't allow for any other meaning.” (187) “Guided by Paul's apostolic command, Titus must have evaluated a great many churches, including plants, and brought them to a swift end.” (188) I find it odd that no commentary I consulted recognized this “precise” language.
Bigelow assures his readers that the example of Titus does not mean there is to be only one church per town. “...[N]ot every city in the Roman Empire had only one church, or was supposed to have one church. If we were to assume that The Titus Mandate is a call for one church in every city or town, we would be mistaken.” (191) So why did Titus have to see to it that churches merged or were shut down so that there was only one per town?
Essential to Bigelow's argument is that, “In apostolic times, there was one church in the city of Jerusalem.” (207) First, I find that hard to believe that if towns in Crete had multiple churches, Jerusalem didn't. Acts 2:46 and 8:3 seem to indicate more than one house church in Jerusalem. (A quick Google search yielded many articles on house churches in Jerusalem during apostolic times.)

Part Three
The third part of the book is “a defense of The Titus Mandate for those demanding the scholastic and exegetical underpinnings of apostolic reformation.” (213)
Bigelow mentions that Paul visited Crete churches while on his way to Rome as a prisoner. The passage is Acts 27:7-15. When you read that passage, it seems that the ship never made landfall. As the ship approached the shore, a wind came up and blew the ship out to sea (13-14).
Then, “Once out of prison several years later, Paul quickly made his way back to Crete and initiated The Titus Mandate.” (216) While it appears from Titus 1:5 that Paul did visit Crete with Titus along at some time after his first imprisonment, it is misleading to say Paul “quickly made his way back to Crete.” No one knows the time frame and Bigelow's comment makes it sound like Paul was desperate.
Bigelow argues that the instructions for Titus to appoint elders “in every town” means not “in every church.” Bigelow takes that to mean Titus reduced the number of churches in each town to one. The logic fails me. (John Calvin, noting that subsequent verses mention teaching, calls the appointees pastors. He says, “In saying that every town should have a pastor, Paul is not saying that no town should have more than one pastor but that every town should have a pastor.” Clearing up the double negatives, Calvin says Paul is not precluding a town having more than one pastor but each town has to have at least one pastor.) Paul is saying that every town needs elders. He is not precluding a town having more than one “set” of elders. Claiming that there could be only one church per town, only one set of elders per town, is reading something in to the text that is just not there.

Even Bigelow admits, “We simply don't know what happened to Crete's churches in early history.” (222)
With respect to the Corinthians, Bigelow admits, “Paul never acknowledges or mentions any recognized leadership of any kind in the church of Corinth. The two letters in the New Testament are virtually silent on the leadership in the church of Corinth.” (277) Bigelow declares, “...what they needed were godly elders to shepherd them week by week.” (278) If that is the case, then why didn't Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tell the Corinthians that!
Part Three of the book must be as long and detailed as it is because of some Baptist denominational influence. He takes a great deal of time showing that the congregational form of church governance is not right. Southern Baptists are certainly congregational and Bigelow may be preaching to them. Coming from my own elder/deacon governance church, I found this section boring.
Bigelow's conclusion, “...twenty of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament were written to churches, plainly teaching them how to function as churches. … The Bible's instruction on eldership and elder authority is clear, copious, and commanding.” (307) “...[T]he evidence in Scripture is overwhelming that the churches structured by Christ's apostles always had a plurality of elders.” (308) Sorry. You haven't convinced me. Paul's letters to the Corinthians, failing to mention elders, is a case in point. Another, as Bigelow says himself, is 2 John. He admits, “The book of Second John describes a church that does not have elders...” (314) Yet, John does not instruct the recipient to appoint elders! Remember, John calls himself “the elder” in 2 and 3 John. Instruction on eldership is not “clear, copious and commanding,” by any means!

My Conclusion
I do not necessarily disagree with Bigelow advocating eldership. I attend a church that is over 100 years old, has (elected) elders and deacons, and preaches the gospel! What I do not like about Bigelow's book is the way he tries to argue his point. He makes assumptions and draws conclusions which, I think, are unfounded or a real stretch of Bible interpretation. Sometimes his footnotes are really disappointing. For example, a footnote referring to “the contemporary books on the topic” (229) yields a reference to two books written seven years ago. A footnote on the possibility of multiple churches in Jerusalem (272) yields information on churches in Antioch. And, Bigelow does not address the role of deacons, leaders I think essential in the church and God ordained.
Bigelow's book is the kind of theological book that must be read with discrimination. His thesis may be sound but his argument is not.

I received a copy of this book from The B & B Media Group, on behalf of the author, for the purpose of this review.

Book availability: http://www.thetitusmandate.org/

CreateSpace/January 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4538-3127-4/352 pages/paperback/$14.95

His church ministry: http://www.gracechurchministry.org/index.php

Book of Days by James Rubart

“What if it's true? That our lives are written down, recorded, every one's life?”

His wife had asked Cameron that, years ago, before she had died. He'd teased her about it then. “What, like some cosmic yearbook” But his father, right before he died, had told Cameron he must find the book with all his days in it. Cameron had brushed off his father's semi-lucid ramblings for eight years.
But now Cameron is losing bits of his memory and he fears he is traveling down his father's dementia strewn path. He is desperate to believe the book exists and is determined to find it. He plans to take time away from his business and search for this unknown book in Oregon.
Ann, foster sister to Cameron's wife, is longing to find out about her mother. She has a photo that is leading her to Oregon as well. While Cameron and Ann have always had an antagonistic relationship, they agree to meet in Three Peaks to pursue their individual mysteries.
Three Peaks has its own mysteries and people determined to keep them hidden. The town also has its own religious guru who is bent on finding the book at any cost.

Rubart has written another fine novel. His father began to loose treasured memories in 2000 and Rubart found Psalm 139:16 a great comfort. Rubart knew that his father's memories would be returned to him when he crossed over into eternity. (377) And then he got to thinking. What if God's “book” could be found on earth?
This is a fine story, well written and thought provoking. I highly recommend it. The discussion questions at the end would make this a great read for book groups.

Find out more at http://www.jimrubart.com/.

B & H Publishing Group, 381 pages.

Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst

God created us with a longing to be filled. “God made us capable of craving so we'd have an unquenchable desire for more of Him; and Him alone.” We must “make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them...” (16)

Lysa calls us to recalibrate our souls – spiritually, physically, and mentally. It isn't about the scale. It's about the battle that rages in the heart.
The basic question: Do we love and rely on food more than we love and rely on God? We have to be honest and admit we crave food more than we crave God.
We were made for more than satisfying our taste buds. We were made for more so we can know Him better. Lysa encourages us to intentionally position ourselves to experience God. That involves being willing to deny ourselves. She embraces 1 Cor. 10:23, realizing that food is not sinful, but giving up some food may be spiritually and physically beneficial.
We tie our happiness to the wrong thing – food. We must learn to attach our happiness to the only “eternal stability” there is. Satisfied, fulfilled, complete people find their joy in Christ (John 15:9-12). Incomplete people think an accomplishment, a person, a food will fill them up. “Expecting anything outside the will of God to satisfy us is idolatry.” (159)”After all, remember the ultimate goal of this journey isn't about making me a smaller sized person but rather making me crave Jesus and His truths as the ultimate filler of my heart.” (125) “If we fail to understand how to fill our souls with spiritual nourishment, we will forever be triggered to numb our longing with other temporary physical pleasures.” (129)
Lysa has written a penetrating book on the real reason we over eat. She deals with why diets don't work, how to face emotional eating, and thinking life is just not fair! She reminds us that it is not about choosing the right food. It is about living God honoring lives. She has convicted me!

Great resources accompany this book. There is a DVD series as well as a free 21 day devotional you can have emailed to you (see below).

Lysa is the co-founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries.
 
website: http://madetocrave.org/

FREE 21 day challenge: http://madetocrave.org/21-day-challenge/
Author website: http://www.lysaterkeurst/

Zondervan, 213 pages.

Glaen by Fred Lybrand

College student Annie is trying to deal with her mother's recent announcement that her parents are getting a divorce. A mysterious white haired professor, Glaen, shows up on campus and offers Annie a class in which she must write an original work of nonfiction. She plans to write about Christian relationships.

She has two theories and wants to put them to the test. Theory 1 is traditional dating, exclusive, a time of getting to know each other, often with intense romantic desires. It is a date-break-up routine. Hoping for the right relationship usually ends up in a misery cycle. Theory 2 is the more old fashioned idea of engaging in social activities before courting, and includes emotional, financial and spiritual aspects. The long term goal is marriage with courting a way for God to reveal His will to all involved. She finds that both kinds of relationship building actions can disastrously end in hurt.
Newton as an example, Glaen helps Annie begin to observe how God made things to work. If Annie can observe relationships and have faith God designed a way they truly work, she will discover what she is looking for.
She discovers lies, such as there is no harm in acting married. Dating like that only causes pain and heartache. Other lies include, God has only one person for you to marry, if you follow the right process you will have a great marriage, men and women are the same, and so on.
Romance is a trap. Romance is about the unusual and exciting so it leads to sex, the highest aim of romance.
Through experiences and personal interactions, Annie learns why relationships go bad (truth, love and freedom are missing). “The most important skill for success in relationships is Control-Free-Relating.” (131)
The author has added a summary at the end of each section, highlighting the truth contained in that part of the story.

Lybrand's book is an example of one writing a novel to explain a truth or convey a message. Rather than weaving the message throughout the novel, the message is the novel. It is painfully apparent through out the book that Lybrand has a message and has created scenes to convey that message. For me, it was to contrived.
 
I received an egalley of the book from the author for the purpose of this review.
 
Free study guide: http://glaen.com/STUDY-GUIDE.html.
Learn the principles in Glaen: http://www.glaen.com/
Author: http://www.fredlybrand.org/.
Blog: http://www.glaen.wordpress.com/
The Barnabas Agency/ISBN: 978-0-578-04652-5/softcover/171 pages/$14.99

The Fight of Our Lives by William Bennett & Seth Leibsohn

If you think President Bush could do no wrong and President Obama can do no right, you'll love this book. If you think it is America's responsibility to be the savior of the Middle East, you'll love this book. If, however, you tend to be a little more objective, this book may just irritate you.

It's been ten years since the tragedy of 9/11. Most Americans assumed the response to the horror of that day would be short work. Yet the lead instigators remain at large, the authors remind us, and the U. S. appears to be unsure about the continuation of this war on terror.
The authors seek to refocus American attention on the war against radical Islam and the necessity of the defense of our culture. They believe “we are in the fight for our lives right now, the fight for our very survival, the fight for Western democracy...” They believe the next presidential vote could very well mark surrender.
Their focus is on the natures of the threat and the response we should be completing. The authors speak highly of President Bush and his war rhetoric. They quote him, especially his “Islam is peace” speech at the Islamic Center of Washington, very positively.
They praise the Bush administration “for getting a lot of the war right” and criticize the Obama administration for getting “a lot of the war wrong” and then disdaining and scorning it. They are critical of president Obama's new priority of “ending wars abroad, not winning them...”
They do admit that by the 2008 election the nation was war weary. That was because the Bush administration did not keep the motive for the war in the forefront, they argue.
Regarding the Iraq war, the authors can't believe that anyone would criticize “military action against a regime whose record of barbarism and terrorism was virtually unparalleled.” They are unhappy with Obama apologizing for anything America has done.
The authors show that the Koran is much more violent than the Bible. There are “several active commands to jihad and physical violence in the Koran.” The authors are dismayed that there are too few Muslims willing to speak out and call for reform. They note that American Muslims have failed to call for moderation.
The authors argue that, “America as a strong force in the Middle East did not bring terror to our shores.” It is not because America is “occupying” any place in the Middle East. Of Islam, they say, “It is a corrupt philosophy that, when acted upon, has led (and will lead) to untold slaughter and death.”
In the Epilogue the authors say there needs to be a great relearning. We need to teach history without denigrating our own story. We need to cultivate heroes and statesmen. We need to be reminded of our great moral and intellectual inheritance.


One failure of the authors is to note how Bush's Iraq war changed the balance of power in the Middle East. For example, the authors say, “Given the current trajectory, Iran will become a nuclear power on the watch of President Barack Obama.” The Iraq war destroyed the long standing war between Iraq and Iran. Powerful Iraq balanced powerful Iran. Now, with Iraq in shambles, Iran is a rising and very threatening power.
Another failure of the authors is that they say nothing about areas of horror other than in the Middle East. If the U.S. Is to be the savior of the world, shouldn't we have gone into Darfur? (Oh, that's right, there's no oil there.) Do we only go to war when thousands of Americans get killed and not when thousands in another country are killed?
And, help me here. Why was it OK for Bush to say Islam was a “religion of peace” shortly after 9/11 but it is terribly wrong for Obama to say that now? Now “it has become jarring, if not offensive, to constantly be told – lectured at – that Islam is a religion of peace.”

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Maybe we have lost our focus. Maybe we should fight radical Islam. I am just not so sure invading Iraq (or any other Middle East nation) is the answer. Despite what the authors say, I think America's presence in the Middle East prior to 9/11/2011 (bases, military personnel) did precipitate feelings against America.

I received an egalley of this book from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of this review.

Possession by Rene Gutteridge

D. C. detective Vance Graegen is burned out after investigating a sniper case.  Wanting to make a new life for his family, he quits the force and moves his wife and son to California with plans to open a sandwich shop.  When they arrive they find the mover is holding their possessions for ransom.
It soon becomes clear that Vance has more to worry about than his possessions.  Someone is out to ruin his life altogether.  Secrets from his past emerge to haunt him.  He tries desperately to control the situation while suffering from headaches and hearing voices - post traumatic stress from the sniper case.  And then his wife and son are kidnapped.
I have read several books by Gutteridge, her humorous ones.  This is the first of her serious fiction I've read.  At first I was disappointed.  For two hundred pages I was nearly bored.  But I persevered and was rewarded.  The second half of the book is a true page turner!  The plot is based on true accounts of moving companies that Gutteridge read about.
I still think Gutteridge's best writing is in the area of humorous novels. 

Tyndale House, 366 pages.

People of the Book by Kathi Macias

Farah is a young Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia. During the month of Ramadan she has committed to deepening her devotion to Allah. She fasts and prays and is dismayed when she does not feel any closer to Allah. Then one night she has a dream and Isa, the prophet Jesus appears to her. He says he is there to draw her to him. She is puzzled by the experience.

Nura is Farah's cousin. Unlike many other young Muslim women, Nura's father allows her unlimited access to the Internet. She begins to frequent a chat room in which Muslims discuss Jesus. There she meets Sara, a young woman in the United States. While Sara is of Muslim descent, she is now a Christian.
But Sara has her own problems. Her brother Emir has been shot in a gang incident and is near death. He is in rebellion to God. Sara and her parents are concerned about his salvation.
Nura and Farah become believers in Isa (Jesus) but their new found faith is discovered. The consequences are deadly.
Macias has woven an interesting story around Islam and Christianity. One learns much about what it means to be a Christian in a country where such belief is forbidden.

I love it when an author writes about the Pacific Northwest in a way that rings true: “There was a hint of moisture surrounding them, but scarcely enough to be noticeable to two teen aged girls who had been raised in the Pacific Northwest. Rain was simply a way of life, and unless it came as a deluge, they seldom even bothered with umbrellas.” (58)

I received and advanced copy of this book in egalley form from New Hope Publisher for the purpose of this review.

Author's website: http://www.kathimacias.com/

Author's blog and a trailer on the book: http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com/2011/01/people-of-book-is-almost-here.html 
 
New Hope Publishers, 318 pages.

Life Promises for Success by Jim Tressel

How would you define success? Some think it is having money or ascending the corporate ladder. Tressel says success is not about what we have or what we've done. It's about who we are.
Tressel understands it is hard in our society to keep success in proper perspective and not base our sense of self-worth on what we do. He should know. As head coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes since 2001, he led the team to bowl games, Big Ten titles, and a national championship. It's not achieving your goal, he says. “The thing we should most enjoy about any endeavor is the road we travel together to get there.” (9)
Through quoted sayings, Scriptures, poems, stories of successful people, and his personal thoughts, Tressel encourages readers to be the best they can be. It is a life long adventure.
There is a peace of mind from knowing that you have done your best. You have to have faith , placing your trust in something bigger than yourself. You have to have belief, the outward expression of that faith.
For those who want to reach their full potential, Tressel says, “you first need to keep in mind that achieving excellence means becoming the best person you can possibly be...” (61) You could be a stellar performer, but if you are not living an upright life, you won't achieve your full potential. He inspires his readers to have hope. He calls for humility and love. He gives encouragement in overcoming adversity, being persistent, being selfless, overcoming setbacks, teamwork, etc.

My favorite of Tressel's quotes: “Hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone expects of you.” Henry Ward Beecher (37) My favorite of his own writing: “Promise yourself...to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others...” (187)
This book would make a great gift for a graduate or anyone else needing inspiration.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers for the purpose of this review.

See: http://www.coachtressel.com/ and http://www.thewinnersmanual.com/

Publisher information.