Letters Along the Way: A Novel of the Christian Life

Rating:
Summary: Great book, though hard to encapsulate it in short compass
Review: Carson and Woodbridge have done an excellent job telling the story of a man's life from a conversion to Christianity in college until he is mature and serving as a Presbyterian minister later in life. The struggles he deals with, both spiritually and intellectually, become focal points for the authors to share their own insights as professors in one of the foremost evangelical seminaries of our time (and at least Carson was once a pastor also). The story is told in the form of letters from a seminary professor who had been a friend of the main character's father, and the relationship continues and deepens over the years. While the story itself is interesting, the bits of reflection "along with way" are the real gems. The main character and the professor reflect on many topics from relating to our culture, American or otherwise, recent trends in theology and biblical studies, signficant issues of practice in the church today, and just how best to serve God in different contexts. This book is well worth reading no matter your place "along the way".

Rating:
Summary: A Journey With Carson and Woodbridge
Review: D.A. Carson and John Woodbridge have given to the young convert, minister, or seminarian a great gift indeed. It is a compiliation of fictitious letters between a professor and a young Christian who journeys from convert to pastor, and along the way there is distilled a great amount of helpful information about the Christian walk, seminary study, pastoring, evangelicalism, all done in bite sizes.
The metaphor of a journey as the Christian life is appropriate, and well chosen, though it is not, of course, original. The ideas within are not original, nor is the style, approach, or much of anything, but what makes this so valuable is the approachable manner in which introduces the subjects dealt with and who the authors are. The authors are respected, well-known contributors to their specific fields of academia, and they are well known outside of their fields as devout Christian scholars and speakers. One can be sure the advice given within is not the surmising of arm-chair theologians, but the tested wisdom of two men well-acquainted with the academic and practical sides of Christian ministry. Really well done are the chapters on choosing a seminary, and building a library. There is also a great discussion on the difference between academic responsibility and respectability. There is a vast difference between the two!
For the young Christian interested in the pastoral ministry and seminary I highly recommend this volume.