Tony Evans (1)

This slim volume packs a powerful punch! Tony Evans brings hope the various crises facing our nation in this book, "Kingdom Citizen". With only five chapters (plus appendices), this book is a fairly quick read. Without being partisan, Evans uses solid Biblical truth to invite believers to a course of action to truly become a citizen of Christ's Kingdom here on earth.

I loved reading his reflections from the book of Nehemiah. He describes how the community in Nehemiah's day was broken, full of show more discord, and all kinds of bad things. But God raised up one man, Nehemiah, to bring about a change in his community and nation--all by submitting himself to God and utilizing the tools set before him to create a lasting impact.

With another election season looming in our nation, political pundits preying on fear and "doom and gloom" scenarios, and the news filled with everything but the good, it's easy to feel like there is no reason to have hope. But Evans argues poignantly that there is a reason for hope. That hope lies in believers fully submitting to God and stepping out in faith, the church moving beyond her walls and seeking to impact her communities, and true disciples being made. I believe this book is a must-read for any Christian, particularly in this stage of our nation's history.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.) show less

There is a certain strand of politicized Christianity running through the church, and while it has lessened in the last decade or so, it is still pervasive and problematic. It actually comes from two sides -- Dispensationalism on the Right, and Emergent on the Left. Evans is a case of the former, and this book is a really bad example of what a problem Dispensationalism creates when trying to accurately interpret the Bible.

That problem is when the text is disconnected from what it actually show more means and attached to whatever goal the reader is trying to achieve (in this case, a political result). The Scriptures in this book is a wax nose to be twisted into whatever shape it needs to be to make it seem like God's Word is with Evans.

In some cases it's the fear of Dispensational eschatology that causes Evans to interpret things the way he does. He believes that the anti-Christ is centralized government, and that fear causes him to label any centralized government as idolatrous (chapter 2). One wonders what he thought of David's centralized reign.

In other times he is just desperate to make his own preferences a matter of theology. He likes division of power in the government. Me too. But in chapter 1, he states that the nature of the Trinity requires division of power in secular governments. Really?

Or when he claims God divinely ordained the Republic form of government to be the right one in Exodus.

These are goofy, but the saddest part of this book is the conclusion he comes to -- which is to follow your conscience in voting alone, and that we should not tell others that their vote is wrong. He does say that abortion is wrong (thankfully), but he allows for people to vote for abortion if their consciences tell them to.

One of the jobs of a pastor is to guide his congregation in righteousness. To fail to make it clear in a book about Christian voting that voting for abortion is an outright sin and must be condemned is a horrible failing.

In short, Evans takes things that are not commanded in Scripture (form of government, etc) and says that God has commanded these things, but then he takes something that is commanded in Scripture (that we mustn't murder) and refuses to affirm them. show less

Eternity: Understanding Life After Death by Tony Evans is a short, although very informative book based on biblical scripture on what we have to look forward to after death. Depending on rather we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior or not. I've found myself drawn to so many of these type books lately, after sitting by Mother's bedside, and watching her suffer, as she was dying from cancer.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is...
"we are in the land of the dying on our way show more to the living" page 7
I love that and it is so true!

Pastor Tony Evans has used biblical scripture to describe both Heaven and hell. He also explains how to know that you are on your way to Heaven. This is a quick read and easy to understand, for anyone.

This is something we can't afford to get wrong, eternity is a long time! I have both family and friends that believe I am nuts for my believes. But if I am wrong about God, I have only wasted my life, if the non-believers are wrong they have wasted ETERNITY! It is each person's right to choose for themselves their path and where they want to spend eternity.

Another quote from this book that I loved regarding this topic says...
"Forever is too long to miss Christ. Eternity is a long time to suffer torment and the pain of regret. For Christians, this life is the only hell they will ever know. But for non-Christians, this life is the only Heaven they will ever know." page 12
Gives you something to think about doesn't it?

PLEASE I ask all of my family, friends, and even people I don't know, give this some thought on where and how you want to spend eternity.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, for like it or not, we all are going to spend eternity somewhere. It is up to each of us to decide where that will be.
I received a FREE copy from Moody Publishers in exchange for honest review on this book show less

Tony shares a lot of good insight, and an impressive amount of source language detail for a work of this kind. Being a bit of amateur linguist, I'm always cautious of reading my own experience in, and especially when dealing with a language with historical distance. Dr. Evans was a little less than careful in this regard, the primary reason for my rating. If reading, I would say to take care to follow up with commentaries and other materials when dealing with the history and language show more nuances.

Otherwise, there is a lot to be gained by reading and studying this book. Spiritual warfare is something we should be aware of and responsive too. The emphasis on prayer is definitely appreciated, and sound guidance. Devotionally, it is sound, though I might quibble with a point made here or there. show less