Andreas J. Kostenberger, Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 270 pages, ISBN 9781581349708.

As suggested by the title, Kostenberger’s interest in “excellence” has to do with Christian scholarship. For Kostenberger, Christian scholarship is the “pursuit of truth on mission for God in the world” (p. 66). The study of Scripture “must always lead to application” (p.80). The goal is “always obedience” as “there is no place in the Bible where God’s people are enjoined to study solely for the sake of study” (p. 80). The pursuit of excellence is different from the pursuit of perfection. Excellence is to not settle for mediocrity. It is pursued in order to fulfill one’s calling effectively, whatever that calling may be and to “bring glory to God.” Kostenberger’s purpose is “to identify, describe, and encourage those virtues essential to fulfilling the specific call to glorify God in the finest way possible through Christian scholarship. Rather than an end in itself, as adding to our own learning, Christian scholarship is a means of “engaging the unbelieving world with the truth of God’s gospel” (p. 65).

Fundamental to “excellence” in Christian scholarship are holiness and spirituality and he relates them not so much to the process of communication as to the person who is doing the communicating. The character of the scholar “bleeds through” what one says or writes and can have either a positive or negative effect upon the hearer or reader. In part two of the book, Kostenberger identifies six different virtues that lead to vocational excellence. These are diligence, courage, passion, restraint, creativity, and eloquence. His recommendations are priceless. This reviewer encourages any would-be writer to take to heart what Kostenberger shares in this part of his book.

Jerry Tousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam International. He has also served as a church planter in the Muslim world. This volume is sure to be a source of great encouragement to those who seek to bring others to Jesus, particularly if the “others” are Muslims. While Muslims might be difficult to reach, this book shows that they are reachable. In fact, they are coming to Jesus in large numbers in some parts of the world. This book is an interesting combination of information, strategy, and testimony.

In this book the author not only tells us that a great many Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus but he also shares some of the significant factors that are helping to make this happen. Prayer is, of course, essential because evangelism is a spiritual battle as light seeks to invade darkness. One thing that the Lord is using to reach Muslims is Discovery Bible Studies. In order to set up one of these Bible studies a Christian worker goes into a Muslim area and looks for a “person of peace.” This individual is one who is open to the gospel. Once this person is located he or she is encouraged to gather their family and friends for a Bible study. In this way the ministry is not directed to an individual but to a group of people. What is interesting about the Discovery Bible Studies is that they are not primarily evangelistic in emphasis. They do not seek to make converts; instead, they seek to make disciples. This may sound backward to those of us who live in the West, but it is in fact very biblical (Matthew 28:19-20). The Bible study is designed to expose the people to God’s Word and then to ask them how they should respond to what they have read. The book lists a number of texts and topics that are good for these studies. The topics include: creation, the fall, and redemption. The studies are geared toward moving the hearers toward obedience to the biblical text. As amazing as this may sound, this approach actually works.

The author also mentions some other things that contribute to the success of the gospel among Muslims. I will mention two of them here. The first is a sense of frustration or disillusionment with Islam among Muslims who are spiritually hungry. The other is dreams and visions. The Lord is giving dreams and visions to many Muslims in our day. These supernatural encounters are having a profound impact on them, in many cases bringing them to faith in Jesus.

This book is easy to read and contains encouraging reports of what the Lord is doing around the world today. I think that the Discovery Bible Study method is one that we in the West should take a closer look at and consider using here. It may prove very beneficial in moving us on from gathering converts to making disciples who produce other disciples, which is what Jesus called us to do.

Reviewed by John P. Lathrop