Reviews
As the leader of an organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping Christians to become better stewards of their lives and the world that God has given us, I enthusiastically offer my endorsement to Ethics as Worship by Liederbach and Lenow. This text is refreshing in that it develops the biblical foundations for why before explaining the biblical commands that guide our what and how. Too often, discussions of ethics fall on the side of moralistic legalism or vague calls to love one another. This text, however, avoids both extremes, seeking instead to place the entire ethical enterprise in context of loving worship of God, which in turn guides our obedience to the commands of Scripture. By focusing on both the Old and New Testament themes of worship, the authors show how pursuit of the person of Christ ought to both drive a passionate devotion to God and result in transformative flourishing in individuals and society as a whole. In this way, the discipline of ethics is transformed from an enumeration of duties to an adventure of joy that ends in human flourishing under the lordship of Christ. This book is a well-ordered, biblically sound, and theologically satisfying exploration of the discipline of ethics. --Matthew Sleeth, Executive Director, Blessed Earth Ethics as Worship is a theologically framed, deeply informed, and richly integrated guide to thinking and living--each day--as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Liederbach and Lenow instruct and invite, equipping and inspiring the reader to both 'be' and 'live' ethics as worship. --W. David Buschart, Professor of Theology and Historical Studies, Denver Seminary As our world spirals further into confusion with every passing day, the study of ethics has never been more important. This excellent volume by Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow is exactly the kind of book that we need for this moment. Drawing from biblical and theological foundations, it demonstrates that, rightly understood, ethics is about worship of the one true God. Christians of every perspective will want to read and digest this book. -- Jamie Dew, President and Professor of Christian Philosophy, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Ethics as Worship is a most intriguing title. In our world, ethics is often a manipulative game to justify what our group wants to do. Basing ethics on our relationship with the Lord of Exodus 34:6-7, however, is a graciously firm foundation. Thus, ethics is not about specific choices but about what makes the character of our Lord visible in our deeds, which flow from our loving him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Since he is Lord of all, that sort of ethic will guide every part of our lives as individuals and in community. The unique foundation, careful metaethical development, and wise application in the most difficult issues make this a magnificent contribution to worshipful living.--Gerry Breshears, Professor of Theology, Western Seminary Ethics as Worship is an excellent and comprehensive work that orients and overlays ethics as an expression of worship to the glory of God. As I teach seminary worship classes, I emphasize the place of corporate gathered worship in equipping the people of God and transforming them into greater Christlikeness in a way that is lived out missionally between Sundays in all of life as worship. Ethics as Worship has great potential to introduce, enhance, and bring this focus into the field of ethics, including substantial application to eleven presenting issues that we as the people of God face in our day-to-day lives. --Mark Dalbey, President and Professor of Applied Theology, Covenant Theological Ethics as Worship is the book that I have been waiting for. Authors Liederbach and Lenow approach ethics in a way that is biblically faithful, philosophically robust, and accessible to students. By framing ethics as worship, this book brings issues of applied ethics into the realm of discipleship where it belongs. Not only will readers grow in their understanding of ethics, but, more importantly, they will grow in their love of Jesus and in faithfulness to him. --Adam Groza, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services, Gateway Seminary I have been in the world of Christian ministry and education for more than four decades. I have been a part of the Southern Baptist Convention for all my adult life. I have ministered and preached in churches and have taught and led in various schools and institutions of higher learning. I have interacted with men and women from many different denominations and religions, and I have had the privilege of speaking of the name of Christ around the globe. Throughout all these experiences, I have seen evangelism strategies come and go. I have seen religious ideas and fads ascend in popularity and then rapidly decline. I have seen many seasons when particular moral issues have garnered heated attention and then faded from prominence. And I have read many books on ethics that have followed these strategies, addressed the hot topics of the day, been popular for a season, but ultimately disappeared because they lacked staying power. But amid the flowing tides of culture, the changing demands of ministry circumstances, and the coming and going of various moral debates, some books on ethics remain as 'must-reads.' Over the years of serving our Lord, I have come to realize that a few things must always remain constant and must always anchor our souls to historical orthodoxy: a high view of God, a clear understanding and articulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and a total commitment to the Great Commission. Books that capture these elements and set them as foundational stones are the books that tend to last and be treasured on the shelves of any worthy library. Because they manage to keep those things that are central to the story they tell, they have the potential to outlast the fads and cultural tides. This is what I believe Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have done, and done well, in Ethics as Worship. First, they speak clearly and biblically to many of the pressing issues and concerns of our day. Second, they adeptly shed light on the complexities of these modern moral issues, bringing greater clarity and understanding. Third, they direct us to see the One from whom light comes and then look at the issues with his light. They have reminded us that only in and through Jesus Christ's penal substitutionary atonement can we be restored to a place where ethics is transformed from mere obedience to joyful worship. Fourth, they have highlighted our desperate need to rely on the Holy Spirit's empowerment to become in practice what God created and redeemed us to be as his image-bearers. Fifth, they have cast the entire ethical endeavor in the context of God's mission to make disciples of every people, tribe, tongue, and nation so that he receives all the glory, praise, honor, and worship that he is due. This book is not a discourse in dos and don'ts. Nor is it a book about rights and wrongs or goods and evils. While it certainly speaks to these things, this is ultimately a book about God, his worthiness, and the praise that he is due. It is a book about the person and work of Jesus Christ and the whole-life response we ought to have to his wondrous gospel. It is a book that focuses our attention not on our actions, character, or circumstances, but on the wonder of the Holy Trinity and the joys awaiting us as we live in light of God's eternal plan and for his eternal purpose. It is a book about finding our small story caught up in God's eternal and infinite story. It is a book about worship in every waking moment because God is a God worthy of each of those moments. I have known Mark and Evan for many years. My love and respect for both is difficult to put into words. They walk with integrity and live gospel-saturated lives. I have looked forward to the publication of this work, and now that it is here, I hope and pray that it will become a standard in the field of ethics for years to come--it is that well done. Bravo, brothers! You have served our Savior well in your labor of love. --Daniel L. Akin, President and Professor of Preaching and Theology, Ed Young Sr. Chair of Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary In a time and context when Christians need to rethink both their private and public ethical approaches, Liederbach and Lenow's Ethics as Worship is both timely and helpful. The text assists Christians in navigating difficult topics by viewing them through a biblical lens and by reconsidering ethical behavior as worship through an expression of love and care for neighbor. Given a long history of evangelical Christian approaches to slavery, the civil rights movement, abuse, and even modern justice struggles, this text should help believers navigate a complex modern world. Ethics as Worship will help seminary students, college students, and all others who want to more deeply consider their ethical framework as Christians living for the kingdom--Otis W. Pickett, Associate Professor of History, Mississippi College In an age when orthodoxy is too often severed from orthopraxy, the church needs a work such as Ethics as Worship: Moral Discipleship to the Glory of God, which puts right belief and right action back together again. This comprehensive text not only has a firm biblical foundation, but fairly and effectively engages with our broader cultural context and its countervailing perspectives. This is a work of serious scholarship and of immense worth in practical application. -- Karen Swallow Prior, Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books; coauthor, Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues In classical ethical theories, ethics is about the actor, the character of the person making the virtuous choice. In modern ethical theories, ethics is about the action, the choice that the person makes. Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow demonstrate clearly from Scripture that ethics is about God and our whole-person worship of him. This volume is God-centered, biblically rigorous, pastorally helpful, and delightfully refreshing. Read it as an act of worship. -- C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy (ret.), Union University; former editor, Ethics and Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics; Senior Fellow, Academy of Fellows of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity In Ethics as Worship, Liederbach and Lenow connect conservative Christian theology and biblical interpretation to the call for Christians to live out our worship of Jesus in a variety of life's most challenging situations. This volume grounds its ideas in a clear, mature, and nuanced framework that provides a balanced biblical perspective that will challenge Christians on both sides of our current political divide to love Jesus more deeply. Christians who engage this text will consider their actions and life more clearly, ponder their motivations and outcomes more sincerely, and recognize more urgently the need to worship Jesus now and forever. --Peter Link Jr., Associate Professor of Christian Studies, Charleston Southern University It is common to think of ethics as merely an exercise in abstract navel-gazing. What Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have done is the opposite: situating ethics as an expression of our love for God--and there's nothing abstract or dispassionate about loving God. We're told by Christ to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Add to that ethics. I look forward to seeing this book make an impact in the wider evangelical orbit. --Andrew T. Walker, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Liberty for All Liederbach and Lenow fill a void that has long been missing in the study of Christian ethics by beautifully balancing a classic deontological ethic with a biblically informed virtue ethic. Their well-researched treatment of contemporary ethical issues is biblical, pastoral, and missional. They show that ethics flows more from a life of discipleship than from an application of rules. --John K. Tarwater, Associate Professor of Finance, Cedarville University School of Business Administration Liederbach and Lenow provide a robust survey of Christian ethics. The discussion of theology's interaction with metaethics and normative ethics is especially helpful.--J. Alan Branch, Professor of Christian Ethics, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have made a wonderful contribution to the field of Christian ethics. Ethics as Worship offers fresh insights for Christian moral reasoning on contemporary issues ranging from metaethical foundations to emerging issues in applied ethics. Liederbach and Lenow's extensively researched, nuanced, and charitable treatment of each issue sets an example of what evangelical ethics should be. --Tim Yonts, Instructor, Christian Ethics; Associate Director of LU Serve, Liberty University Right behavior is one of the most important ways in which gospel-transformed people worship their Creator. We must grasp this insight or our gospel will remain too narrow to change our lives, and our ethics will remain either permissive or legalistic. Ethics as Worship zeroes in on this essential issue for a church that desperately needs to reconnect ethics with religious experience.--Greg Forster, Director, Oikonomia Network This book is an important contribution to the field of Christian ethics and ultimately to Christian discipleship. Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow get to the heart of ethics by articulating something that is often missed in other resources: the end of ethical living is the worship of God. They not only present a good big picture of ethics as worship to God, but also provide areas of application in ways that challenge us how to think rightly about Christian morality. Their work is an asset to the field of Christian ethics and will be a valuable resource for years to come.--RaShan Frost, Executive Director, 1 Charleston; Lead Pastor/Church Planter, The Bridge Church, Charleston, South Carolina; Adjunct Professor of Christian Studies, Charleston Southern University This important book tells us to ascribe to the God of the Bible all he deserves from the entirety of our holistic selves as an act of loving devotion. Once ethics as worship becomes our regular orientation, we can tackle all the sticky cultural issues of our day. Please use this very helpful resource in your classrooms, in your churches, and with your families. --Dwayne Milioni, Pastor, Professor, and Board Chairman, Pillar Church Planting Network Too often the discipline of ethics focuses on minutiae that can become overwhelming to students and generalists. Ethics as Worship, however, focuses on the glory of God and the alignment of God's will, God's Word, and the behavior of God's people. The result is a mixture of exaltation and practicality, orthodoxy and orthopraxy, as Liederbach and Lenow carefully unfold their approach with wisdom and discernment. --Gene C. Fant Jr., President and Professor of English, North Greenville University Yes! An understanding of ethics that centers on God, is saturated with the gospel, and is inextricably tied to the mission that Jesus has given his church to make disciples of all nations. Ethics as Worship provides desperately needed ballast for our souls amid a sea of ethical confusion that surrounds us in this world. --David Platt, Pastor, McLean Bible Church, McLean, Virginia; author, Radical, Follow Me, and Counter Culture
"""As the leader of an organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping Christians to become better stewards of their lives and the world that God has given us, I enthusiastically offer my endorsement to Ethics as Worship by Liederbach and Lenow. ""This text is refreshing in that it develops the biblical foundations for why before explaining the biblical commands that guide our what and how. Too often, discussions of ethics fall on the side of moralistic legalism or vague calls to love one another. This text, however, avoids both extremes, seeking instead to place the entire ethical enterprise in context of loving worship of God, which in turn guides our obedience to the commands of Scripture. By focusing on both the Old and New Testament themes of worship, the authors show how pursuit of the person of Christ ought to both drive a passionate devotion to God and result in transformative flourishing in individuals and society as a whole. In this way, the discipline of ethics is transformed from an enumeration of duties to an adventure of joy that ends in human flourishing under the lordship of Christ. ""This book is a well-ordered, biblically sound, and theologically satisfying exploration of the discipline of ethics.""--Matthew Sleeth, Executive Director, Blessed Earth ""Ethics as Worship is a theologically framed, deeply informed, and richly integrated guide to thinking and living--each day--as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Liederbach and Lenow instruct and invite, equipping and inspiring the reader to both 'be' and 'live' ethics as worship.""--W. David Buschart, Professor of Theology and Historical Studies, Denver Seminary As our world spirals further into confusion with every passing day, the study of ethics has never been more important. This excellent volume by Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow is exactly the kind of book that we need for this moment. Drawing from biblical and theological foundations, it demonstrates that, rightly understood, ethics is about worship of the one true God. Christians of every perspective will want to read and digest this book.""-- Jamie Dew, President and Professor of Christian Philosophy, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Ethics as Worship is a most intriguing title. In our world, ethics is often a manipulative game to justify what our group wants to do. Basing ethics on our relationship with the Lord of Exodus 34:6-7, however, is a graciously firm foundation. Thus, ethics is not about specific choices but about what makes the character of our Lord visible in our deeds, which flow from our loving him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Since he is Lord of all, that sort of ethic will guide every part of our lives as individuals and in community. The unique foundation, careful metaethical development, and wise application in the most difficult issues make this a magnificent contribution to worshipful living.--Gerry Breshears, Professor of Theology, Western Seminary Ethics as Worship is an excellent and comprehensive work that orients and overlays ethics as an expression of worship to the glory of God. As I teach seminary worship classes, I emphasize the place of corporate gathered worship in equipping the people of God and transforming them into greater Christlikeness in a way that is lived out missionally between Sundays in all of life as worship. Ethics as Worship has great potential to introduce, enhance, and bring this focus into the field of ethics, including substantial application to eleven presenting issues that we as the people of God face in our day-to-day lives.""--Mark Dalbey, President and Professor of Applied Theology, Covenant Theological Ethics as Worship is the book that I have been waiting for. Authors Liederbach and Lenow approach ethics in a way that is biblically faithful, philosophically robust, and accessible to students. By framing ethics as worship, this book brings issues of applied ethics into the realm of discipleship where it belongs. Not only will readers grow in their understanding of ethics, but, more importantly, they will grow in their love of Jesus and in faithfulness to him.""--Adam Groza, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services, Gateway Seminary I have been in the world of Christian ministry and education for more than four decades. I have been a part of the Southern Baptist Convention for all my adult life. I have ministered and preached in churches and have taught and led in various schools and institutions of higher learning. I have interacted with men and women from many different denominations and religions, and I have had the privilege of speaking of the name of Christ around the globe. Throughout all these experiences, I have seen evangelism strategies come and go. I have seen religious ideas and fads ascend in popularity and then rapidly decline. I have seen many seasons when particular moral issues have garnered heated attention and then faded from prominence. And I have read many books on ethics that have followed these strategies, addressed the hot topics of the day, been popular for a season, but ultimately disappeared because they lacked staying power. ""But amid the flowing tides of culture, the changing demands of ministry circumstances, and the coming and going of various moral debates, some books on ethics remain as 'must-reads.' Over the years of serving our Lord, I have come to realize that a few things must always remain constant and must always anchor our souls to historical orthodoxy: a high view of God, a clear understanding and articulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and a total commitment to the Great Commission. Books that capture these elements and set them as foundational stones are the books that tend to last and be treasured on the shelves of any worthy library. Because they manage to keep those things that are central to the story they tell, they have the potential to outlast the fads and cultural tides. This is what I believe Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have done, and done well, in Ethics as Worship. ""First, they speak clearly and biblically to many of the pressing issues and concerns of our day. Second, they adeptly shed light on the complexities of these modern moral issues, bringing greater clarity and understanding. Third, they direct us to see the One from whom light comes and then look at the issues with his light. They have reminded us that only in and through Jesus Christ's penal substitutionary atonement can we be restored to a place where ethics is transformed from mere obedience to joyful worship. Fourth, they have highlighted our desperate need to rely on the Holy Spirit's empowerment to become in practice what God created and redeemed us to be as his image-bearers. Fifth, they have cast the entire ethical endeavor in the context of God's mission to make disciples of every people, tribe, tongue, and nation so that he receives all the glory, praise, honor, and worship that he is due. ""This book is not a discourse in dos and don'ts. Nor is it a book about rights and wrongs or goods and evils. While it certainly speaks to these things, this is ultimately a book about God, his worthiness, and the praise that he is due. It is a book about the person and work of Jesus Christ and the whole-life response we ought to have to his wondrous gospel. It is a book that focuses our attention not on our actions, character, or circumstances, but on the wonder of the Holy Trinity and the joys awaiting us as we live in light of God's eternal plan and for his eternal purpose. It is a book about finding our small story caught up in God's eternal and infinite story. It is a book about worship in every waking moment because God is a God worthy of each of those moments. ""I have known Mark and Evan for many years. My love and respect for both is difficult to put into words. They walk with integrity and live gospel-saturated lives. I have looked forward to the publication of this work, and now that it is here, I hope and pray that it will become a standard in the field of ethics for years to come--it is that well done. Bravo, brothers! You have served our Savior well in your labor of love.""--Daniel L. Akin, President and Professor of Preaching and Theology, Ed Young Sr. Chair of Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary In a time and context when Christians need to rethink both their private and public ethical approaches, Liederbach and Lenow's Ethics as Worship is both timely and helpful. The text assists Christians in navigating difficult topics by viewing them through a biblical lens and by reconsidering ethical behavior as worship through an expression of love and care for neighbor. Given a long history of evangelical Christian approaches to slavery, the civil rights movement, abuse, and even modern justice struggles, this text should help believers navigate a complex modern world. Ethics as Worship will help seminary students, college students, and all others who want to more deeply consider their ethical framework as Christians living for the kingdom--Otis W. Pickett, Associate Professor of History, Mississippi College In an age when orthodoxy is too often severed from orthopraxy, the church needs a work such as Ethics as Worship: Moral Discipleship to the Glory of God, which puts right belief and right action back together again. This comprehensive text not only has a firm biblical foundation, but fairly and effectively engages with our broader cultural context and its countervailing perspectives. This is a work of serious scholarship and of immense worth in practical application.""-- Karen Swallow Prior, Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books; coauthor, Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues In classical ethical theories, ethics is about the actor, the character of the person making the virtuous choice. In modern ethical theories, ethics is about the action, the choice that the person makes. Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow demonstrate clearly from Scripture that ethics is about God and our whole-person worship of him. This volume is God-centered, biblically rigorous, pastorally helpful, and delightfully refreshing. Read it as an act of worship.""-- C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy (ret.), Union University; former editor, Ethics and Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics; Senior Fellow, Academy of Fellows of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity In Ethics as Worship, Liederbach and Lenow connect conservative Christian theology and biblical interpretation to the call for Christians to live out our worship of Jesus in a variety of life's most challenging situations. This volume grounds its ideas in a clear, mature, and nuanced framework that provides a balanced biblical perspective that will challenge Christians on both sides of our current political divide to love Jesus more deeply. Christians who engage this text will consider their actions and life more clearly, ponder their motivations and outcomes more sincerely, and recognize more urgently the need to worship Jesus now and forever.""--Peter Link Jr., Associate Professor of Christian Studies, Charleston Southern University It is common to think of ethics as merely an exercise in abstract navel-gazing. What Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have done is the opposite: situating ethics as an expression of our love for God--and there's nothing abstract or dispassionate about loving God. We're told by Christ to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Add to that ethics. I look forward to seeing this book make an impact in the wider evangelical orbit.""--Andrew T. Walker, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Liberty for All Liederbach and Lenow fill a void that has long been missing in the study of Christian ethics by beautifully balancing a classic deontological ethic with a biblically informed virtue ethic. Their well-researched treatment of contemporary ethical issues is biblical, pastoral, and missional. They show that ethics flows more from a life of discipleship than from an application of rules.""--John K. Tarwater, Associate Professor of Finance, Cedarville University School of Business Administration Liederbach and Lenow provide a robust survey of Christian ethics. The discussion of theology's interaction with metaethics and normative ethics is especially helpful.--J. Alan Branch, Professor of Christian Ethics, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow have made a wonderful contribution to the field of Christian ethics. Ethics as Worship offers fresh insights for Christian moral reasoning on contemporary issues ranging from metaethical foundations to emerging issues in applied ethics. Liederbach and Lenow's extensively researched, nuanced, and charitable treatment of each issue sets an example of what evangelical ethics should be.""--Tim Yonts, Instructor, Christian Ethics; Associate Director of LU Serve, Liberty University Right behavior is one of the most important ways in which gospel-transformed people worship their Creator. We must grasp this insight or our gospel will remain too narrow to change our lives, and our ethics will remain either permissive or legalistic. Ethics as Worship zeroes in on this essential issue for a church that desperately needs to reconnect ethics with religious experience.--Greg Forster, Director, Oikonomia Network This book is an important contribution to the field of Christian ethics and ultimately to Christian discipleship. Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow get to the heart of ethics by articulating something that is often missed in other resources: the end of ethical living is the worship of God. They not only present a good big picture of ethics as worship to God, but also provide areas of application in ways that challenge us how to think rightly about Christian morality. Their work is an asset to the field of Christian ethics and will be a valuable resource for years to come.--RaShan Frost, Executive Director, 1 Charleston; Lead Pastor/Church Planter, The Bridge Church, Charleston, South Carolina; Adjunct Professor of Christian Studies, Charleston Southern University This important book tells us to ascribe to the God of the Bible all he deserves from the entirety of our holistic selves as an act of loving devotion. Once ethics as worship becomes our regular orientation, we can tackle all the sticky cultural issues of our day. Please use this very helpful resource in your classrooms, in your churches, and with your families.""--Dwayne Milioni, Pastor, Professor, and Board Chairman, Pillar Church Planting Network Too often the discipline of ethics focuses on minutiae that can become overwhelming to students and generalists. Ethics as Worship, however, focuses on the glory of God and the alignment of God's will, God's Word, and the behavior of God's people. The result is a mixture of exaltation and practicality, orthodoxy and orthopraxy, as Liederbach and Lenow carefully unfold their approach with wisdom and discernment.""--Gene C. Fant Jr., President and Professor of English, North Greenville University Yes! An understanding of ethics that centers on God, is saturated with the gospel, and is inextricably tied to the mission that Jesus has given his church to make disciples of all nations. Ethics as Worship provides desperately needed ballast for our souls amid a sea of ethical confusion that surrounds us in this world.""--David Platt, Pastor, McLean Bible Church, McLean, Virginia; author, Radical, Follow Me, and Counter Culture"
