Things That Cannot Be Shaken: Holding Fast to Your Faith in a Relativistic World

by K. Scott Oliphint

It's a quickly changing world out there. A world enamored with anything new. But all that "progress" comes with a we now live in a relativistic culture that appears to be missing an anchor. All authority is questioned. Truth has been thrown out with traditional views. And nothing seems sure. Especially not matters of faith. Not even for Christians. So how do we find our spiritual moorings? In environments that seek to undermine faith at every turn, how do we solidify our thinking so that our faith will not waver? By holding fast to the "things that cannot be shaken" (Heb. 12:27), say authors Scott Oliphint and Rod Mays. For every challenge you're likely to face in the dorm, the classroom, even the workplace . . . Things That Cannot Be Shaken equips you to respond biblically, with certainty and confidence. It will also challenge you to set aside those sins that cling so closely and to let what cannot be shaken become the defining characteristic of your walk with Christ.

Genres: Christian Living, Theology, Christianity

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2008

About the author

Dr. K. Scott Oliphint Is professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of West Texas State University (B.A., 1978) and Westminster (M.A.R., 1983; Th.M, 1984; Ph.D., 1994). An ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Dr. Oliphint served in pastoral ministry in Texas before coming to Westminster in 1991. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith; Reasons For Faith; Revelation and Reason; "Epistemology and Christian Belief," (Westminster Theological Journal, Fall 2001); "Something Much Too Plain to Say," (Westminster Theological Journal, Fall 2006).

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally published in 2008 as Things That Cannot Be Shaken. The title--and the arrangement of the book perhaps--was inspired by a hymn written by John Newton, "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken." It definitely uses the hymn--and the Scriptures its based on--as a starting point for its theological discussions.

I do not believe there is one central theme in this one. I think it would be easiest to say it's about living the Christian life well. It is about some central truths of Christianity and how those truths are being attacked (by some) within and without the church. I would not go so far as to say it was an apologetic book with a primary focus of how to defend the faith or how to witness to a skeptic.

The book does spend some time on the Bible, on defending the Bible and establishing it as the authority in the Christians' life.

Favorite quotes:

The truth of God and the authority of God are summed up in what God has spoken in His Son.

The fact of the matter is, if we fail to see Holy Scripture as authored by God, and therefore as the ground of its own authority, we will fail to understand what Scripture actually is.

We have to "own" the truth of God's Word if we honestly claim to believe it.

To think biblically about the Lord's presence is to put to death those dark and hidden places of our hearts in order that the light of the gospel might overpower us.

A heart that is only sinful will sense no tension in its perpetual disobedience.

The pattern of the Christian life looks something like this: the more we grow and obey God's Word, the more sin we see in our lives; the more sin we see in our lives, the more we want to get rid of it and know God's forgiveness. The Christian life is a struggle for holiness; as Christians, in this life we are always at war. This is the normal Christian life.

Daily, real faith in Christ looks like a battle.

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a bit different. After a bit, I really liked the format. He quotes a famous Hymn and then expounds on the Biblical truths contained in that song. It has given me a whole new appreciation for some of those older hymns. They are so deep.
Starting the book with a discussion of ‘our sure foundation’ is perfect. He points us so clearly to the surest foundation: the written Word of God. That chapter is really good.
Next, he explains what we really need. He goes back to Genesis to give us a complete picture of what is really wrong with humanity.
That discussion about the Holy Spirit gave me a lot to think about. Some things confused me, and I’ll have to study more on that in the future.
Are we ever truly alone? How does answering that question correctly affect our actions and beliefs?
I may be odd on this point, but I really didn’t like the illustration he chose in chapter 4. He uses the scene from Narnia where the White Witch confronts Aslan over Edmund. That scene has always bothered me. Why did Lewis use the term ‘deep magic’ as code words for the plan of redemption? Isn’t magic forbidden by God? (Deuteronomy 18:10-14) Why confuse the issue by using the name of a forbidden practice as the name of the saving plan? Couldn’t it have been the Mysterious Law or something, anything else? Anyway, that was the illustration used over and over again in this chapter.
The actual study of what the Bible has to say about God’s plan of salvation from before the founding of the world is really good. There is just a touch of Calvinism, but it’s not very prominent though he does quote Calvin, Luther and the Westminster Confession of Faith a lot. The use of Old and New Testament verses to teach is very refreshing. It helps give a complete picture of God’s plan.
That final chapter is so uplifting. What greater example, leader, and foundation can we have than our Lord? It’s almost a triumphal chapter. The Victory is won. Sin in conquered. We are free. Will you follow the Lord to Heaven?
I was rather rushed as I went through this book. When I have more time, and am not trying to get the review back in a timely fashion, I am looking forward to going through this study again, looking up all of the references not just the one or two I did this time, answering all of the questions after more thought, and studying more into some of the concepts it touches on. Of course, there were minor points here and there that I didn’t agree with completely, but that’s what personal study is for. It's not KJV, but at least he sticks to one translation through the whole book. I would still recommend it.
I received this book free from NetGalley and P & R Publishing for a review was not required, but I enjoyed writing it.

[Laramie Gildon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think of anything in this book that I could see being removed. He properly exegetes the texts he puts forward and applies them to the reader with a very pastoral care. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I cannot say it was anything earth shattering but it was a great fundamental read to remind us to hold fast to the faith in this broken, fallen world. It's a quick and easy read. He doesn't use heady words or waste any of the words he does use. I look foreword to reading more books by Mr. Oliphint. #SoliDeoGloria

[Trenton Cleveland · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading Unshakable, I, at first, was prepared for another rehashing of how postmodernism is terrible. In college ministry during this present time, it can be very exhausting to talk about postmodernism for the umpteenth time. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by a rather thorough yet readable delving into what it means to have faith that is not easily shaken. Moreover, as the title suggests, what it means to have a faith that is present in a culture that is constantly changing, shifting, and correcting itself.
I especially loved using of Scripture, hymns, and familiar stories to help illustrate the author’s points. Many could see the inclusion of novels like The Chronicles of Narnia as laziness. However, I found it to be thought-provoking and stimulating since I had not pondered these scenes in such a way even when I read the books when I was younger.
As well, the idea of “spiritual amnesia” is very applicable to many a Christian. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we frequently forget the great things our God has done for us. We want to move on to whatever fresh new something has come along to entertain us and satisfy us.
When you have been in the college ministry pipeline for a bit, it can be easy to read books like these to roll your eyes and skim through them since they are all things you have “read before.” However, when I overcame this feeling in myself, I did find a delightful book that helped me form and reevaluate these things.
My only criticism would be that some explanations seemed drawn out more than I would have liked. Nevertheless, I must remember that everyone needs different levels of explanation. So, ultimately, this is not a demerit against the book as a whole.
Overall, this is a good book and an easy read. I would recommend this book to students I was discipling to help them better understand why it is necessary to have faith that is not being moved around by the shifting of the culture. This book also includes practical examples for its readers on how to work and think through these things rather than just talking broadly about the concepts it is speaking of.

[Leslie Yong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book with some basic profound sound advice, which most believers often overlooked and taken for granted. The deception of “Spiritual amnesia” is what we all need to overcome.
As the author rightly said, this book, Things that cannot be shaken- equips us to respond biblically, with certainty and confidence it also challenges us to set aside those sins that cling so closely and let what cannot be shaken become the defining characteristic of our walk with Christ.
If you think you’ve confidently read through all the good books, wait till you try this book.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle skews the trajectory most people have when thinking about what this book would be focused on. It is not a book on postmodern relativism, but rather a book on an unshakable faith as the true title delineates. To that end, it is rather basic and will have aot of familiar content to anyone who has read widely on issues of apologetics and faith.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

For RTS -- Pastoral Counseling.

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting our hopes on that which is unseen and eternal.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up for stars)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
In the preface, after a brief sketch of Newton's life and his career as a hymn-writer, the authors talk about how they're going to use one of his hymns as a framework for their discussions. Because older hymns help us remember that we're not the first believers to have to deal with certain aspects of life -- and they help us remember those things that are important and distinguish them from those that are fleeting. Now, why of all the Newton hymns one could choose, they picked "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken," I don't know. I looked, and realize I may have missed their explanation (and will feel pretty embarrassed when it's pointed out to me). I don't think it's a bad choice, I just don't understand why this one.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an interpretation of or meditation upon Newton's words. But each chapter draws on the themes of the verses of the song, and shows some of the ways you could talk about those issues and themes today. I guess you could label this an application of Newton.

Thanks to the framework of the hymn, the book covers a range of issues - the foundation of knowledge/understanding, the nature of authority, technology's effect on our thinking, cutting, God's promises, sin -- and from time to time, I stopped reading and wondered how they started at X and ended up at Y, but the transitions were all so seamless that the text flowed easily from one to the other -- and honestly, it turns out that X was related to Y, after all. Not only do they address a wide range of topics, they do so using the whole of Scripture, so you get a range of Biblical perspectives.

The authors use illustrations that should be familiar to many -- you don't have to be steeped in Evangelicalism to follow their arguments -- A Christmas Carol, Neil Postman, Shakespeare, The Man Who Wasn't There, for example. Chapter 4's discussion of redemption begins with an extended look at a portion of Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I'm not sure I needed the close reading of the White Witch's plot to kill Aslan in exchange of Edmund, I'm not sure anyone over the age of 6 needs it to see how it applies to Christian redemption. But that's a minor complaint.

It is really a deceptively easy read. The prose is smooth enough that you can get through the text without noticing the deep thoughts you're encountering. I remember looking down and wondering how I could be 25% with a Oliphint book so quickly. It has to be Mays' influence.* But when you read closely (as you really ought), Mays and Oliphint are dealing with important topics that everyone needs to think about, and they don't do so in a cavalier or surface-level manner. An easy-to-read manner, yes, but not surface-y.

I even liked the discussion questions - I almost never like them and wonder why authors/publishers bother. But, these were helpful and I think would be great fodder for discussion groups.

Unshakable is a very useful, thought-provoking work that's pretty accessible for a wide-ranging of readers: believer, unbeliever, student, older-than-typical student. I heartily recommend it.

Disclaimer: In exchange for my honest thoughts, I received this book via NetGalley and P&R Publishing. Thanks very much!
--
*that's not a criticism of Oliphint, just underlining how easy a read it was. My only criticism of Oliphint's work is that there are so few of them.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors brought out a number of strong ideas for me in this, especially in terms of what makes a "normal" Christian - it's relentless war against sin, knowing that even though the battle has been won in the larger sense, our fallen flesh remains with us so every day will be a struggle. But we shouldn't lose hope: we will be wounded in this battle but we will not fall because it's not our self-confidence that wins the day; it's our belief in Jesus and what he's done and in his continuing work to transform our hearts from rock to flesh. I also found the commentary on the Holy Spirit enlightening because that's been a heard concept to understand but this text makes it a little more relatable as a creator, applying the Word of God on earth, cleansing us of chaos and giving us a new life and a new spirit - things that were only possible after Jesus righted the cosmic scales of justice for us.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25/5: A timely, temporally-relevant treatise on timeless, truth-foundations, insightfully elaborating on the solid bedrock of Hebrews: our eternal priest-king Melchidezek.

The reading of this thin weighty tome which had been lying on my shelf's to-do list for some years, deeply cut to the heart as the subtly-intertwined explanation of portions of John, the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Chronicles of Narnia (as well as contemporary movie Memento, among others), gently, firmly, points us, all of Zion's chosen citizens by faith, towards rightful Christian response in maturing and standing firm, individually and corporately, in this postmodern age.

[Eric Molicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful encouragement from foundational truths in a world of contradictions.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great.

[Jennifer Tse · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book about the theological aspect of holding onto your faith. I thought it'll be more practical examples but it wasn't as applicable as I expected.