Michael Bird has quickly become one of my favorite New Testament scholars.

He recently published a helpful introduction (Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message) to the life and letters of the Apostle Paul. His most recent book (Are You the One Who Is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question) makes a persuasive case for believing that the historical Jesus understood his vocation in messianic terms.

Mike is also one of the funniest theologians on the planet. (Check out his dry sense of humor in this video.) I am grateful for his endorsement (in all seriousness!) of Holy Subversion:

Today we live in a land of self-made men who love to worship their creator. Sadly, this very same attitude has crept into the church. Quite rightly then, Trevin Wax challenges us to see what it means to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. To embrace and rejoice in the sovereignty of Jesus Christ over all things.

But this book is not about the doctrine of Jesus’ lordship; it is about how you live out Jesus’ lordship in every sphere of your life.

In an age where there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’ bidding for our allegiance, Trevin Wax calls the church to throw down these idols and to order their lives according to the story, symbols, and values of the Lord Jesus Christ. He encourages us to get our knees dirty by bowing them and our hands dirty by serving him.

This is a book that every serious follower of Jesus should read and heed.

- Dr. Michael F. Bird
New Testament Lecturer
Highland Theological College/UHI Millennium Institute

When I was a teenager, two different ministries shaped my understanding of the Christian worldview. The first ministry was an event that took place in a period of two weeks. I attended Summit Ministries in Colorado – a “worldview boot camp” of sorts for teens and college students. Summit taught me how to think critically. Even now, though I might not agree with all that I was taught at Summit, I still owe a great debt to this ministry for giving me the tools with which to use my mind to the glory of God.

The second ministry that influenced my thinking is World magazine. World introduced me to a Francis Schaeffer-influenced evangelicalism. During my years in Romania, I continued to subscribe to World and didn’t mind receiving my copies weeks after their publication.

I am thankful for Marvin Olasky’s good work as the editor of World. I especially enjoy his summer reading lists and the short blurbs he writes about books he has read while on the treadmill. Here is Olasky’s endorsement of Holy Subversion:

In Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals,Trevin Wax provides good advice on how to turn away from the idols of success, money, leisure, sex and power.

- Marvin Olasky
Provost, The King’s College, New York City
Editor-in-chief, World

One of the reasons I feel blessed to be a student at Southern Seminary is the opportunity to study under such a superb faculty.

In the past couple of years, Dr. Tom Schreiner has become one of my favorite professors. He is a terrific scholar (check out his commentary on Romans). He is also very warm and personable. I can’t wait to dig into his brand new theology of the New Testament.

I am thankful for Dr. Schreiner’s endorsement of Holy Subversion:

The Apostle John warns us to “keep ourselves from idols.” Trevin Wax in this incisive, convicting, and elegantly written book considers the false gods that insidiously corrupt our lives.

I was reminded afresh what it means to confess that Jesus is Lord and that glorifying God expresses itself in the concrete realities of daily life. What a joy to read a book that is theologically faithful and practically compelling!

- Thomas R. Schreiner
James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Christian George describes himself as a writer, speaker and PhD student. I read and reviewed his book Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Thoughts on Intimacy, Community, and Eternity (Moody, 2008) last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am glad that Christian enjoyed Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals and I’m grateful for his endorsement:

In this book, Trevin Wax returns us to a God-centeredness displayed in the Scriptures.  He reminds us that faithfulness is more important than success, humility more desirous than fame, and Christian unity can be achieved even in the face of great diversity.

I highly recommend this for anyone seeking an authentic relationship with the God who transforms our lives, our passions, and our world.

Christian George – author of Godology and Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Thoughts on Intimacy, Community, and Eternity

Tullian Tchividjian is the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the author of Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different and Do I Know God?: Finding Certainty in Life’s Most Important Relationship. Tullian is also a friend of mine who looked over early versions of Holy Subversion and offered valuable encouragement.

I’m thankful for Tullian’s friendship and for his kind words about Holy Subversion.

“With Francis Schaeffer-like instincts and insight, Trevin Wax aptly identifies the idols of our time and compellingly calls Christians to live against the world for the world.

He blazes a trustworthy trail for those who yearn to make a long lasting difference in the world by showing that Christians make a difference by being different; they don’t make a difference by being the same.”

–Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and author of Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different.

Dr. Gregg Allison is a professor of Systematic Theology at Southern Seminary and is the author of Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus And Why and Truthquest Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why. I took Dr. Allison for one of my Theology classes and found him to be an excellent teacher with an appreciation for art. He is also an expert in Roman Catholicism.

I called “Dr. A” and picked his brain when I was first starting work on Holy Subversion. I am grateful for his recommendation.

Using a definition of subversion as “pushing something back down into its proper place,” Trevin Wax seeks to subvert the idols of our society—self, success, money, leisure, sex, and power—in a theologically responsible and challengingly practical way.

These false gods must be thrust back into their proper place, and that subversion is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ—the message about the crucified and resurrected God-man who is Lord over all bogus lords—equips us to do.

Wax wonders, “What would it look like today if we reclaimed the subversive nature of Christian discipleship?” Read this fine book if you wish to live as the true Savior and Lord Jesus Christ would have you live.

- Gregg R. Allison, Ph.D.
Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

A few years ago, when Corina and I were still living in Romania, I remember calling my parents one Sunday afternoon. Mom was raving about the guest speaker who had been in church – Dr. Danny Akin, who was at that time still at Southern Seminary.

Since that time, Dr. Akin has become the president of Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. His visionary leadership for a Great Commission Resurgence is an inspiration to many young servants (like myself) in the Southern Baptist Convention. You can check out my recent interview with Dr. Akin here.

Needless to say, I am very grateful for Dr. Akin’s endorsement of my book.

“Simple yet succinct, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals exposes the idols of modernity and provides the biblical arsenal needed for their complete destruction. Trevin Wax provides medicine for the heart in this short, powerful study. Read it and be blessed. ”

- Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

A few years ago, I picked up a book provocatively titled, Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God by Dr. Michael Wittmer, professor of Systematic Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. I listed it in my Top Ten favorite reads of 2005 and subsequently interviewed Mike here.

I am grateful for Mike Wittmer’s endorsement of Holy Subversion.

Trevin Wax deftly uses Scripture and his cross-cultural experience in Romania to convict North American Christians of the subtle ways that we conform to our culture’s idols. His tough love inspires us to surrender to Jesus’ ownership of the world, and his bold plan for change shows us how.

This book forces each of us to reconsider the most important question of our lives: whether Caesar or Jesus is Lord.

- Michael Wittmer
Professor of Systematic Theology
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary
Author of Heaven Is a Place on Earth and Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough

In just a few short months, my book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals will be published by Crossway. Over the course of the next few Saturdays, I plan on posting endorsements from those who have graciously given of their time to read Holy Subversion and put their name behind its message.

These endorsements (often called “blurbs”) are important for readers. Whenever I pick up a book in a bookstore or consider buying a book online, I usually look to see who has endorsed the work. Key endorsements matter most when I am unfamiliar with the author.

Blurbs have their place. They help the reader discern the stream in which the author swims.

For example, if I see endorsements from Mark Dever, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney and John MacArthur, I can safely assume that the author is part of the young Reformed, Together for the Gospel movement. If I see endorsements from Dan Kimball, Scot McKnight, and Erwin McManus, I can safely assume that the author might run in the more conservative circles of the Emerging Church. You can see how blurbs help readers “locate” the author within one stream or another.

As an author who has solicited endorsements, I can tell you that the desire for book sales has not been my primary motivation in determining who I should ask. When I finished my initial manuscript of Holy Subversion, I made a list of people whom I respect, have benefited from spiritually, and whose opinion matters to me personally. Only two or three of these people on that list would be considered “key” endorsers (meaning, their endorsement would translate into book sales). So I could have contacted two or three “key” people and stopped there.

But for me, the blurbs for my book mean much more than book sales. They represent a personal stamp of approval from the people whose opinion matters to me – people whose theology or ministry has influenced me. That’s why I asked several Southern Seminary professors to review my work. Their feedback and approval means something to me personally.

I did not ask Paul Negrut (president of my alma mater, Emanuel University of Oradea) to write a recommendation, hoping his name might convince thousands of Romanians to purchase my book. No… Bro. Paul has had a significant influence on my theology, and he is the pastor who married Corina and me almost seven years ago. In choosing to ask him for a blurb, my personal and professional respect for his ministry come together, and I receive encouragement from his words of affirmation.

I asked Tullian Tchividjian to consider writing a blurb because I consider him a friend and because we see eye-to-eye on a great number of subjects. Since he wrote his endorsement, he has become pastor Coral Ridge Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL, but I certainly wasn’t anticipating that when I first sent him my manuscript.

I asked Christian George to consider writing a blurb because I love the way he writes. The same is true for Wheaton professor Nick Perrin, whose recent popular level work on the reliability of the Gospels serves as a great introduction to the transmission of the Gospel texts. Likewise, I wrote Marvin Olasky because I am a long-time World reader and my thought has been shaped by the contribution of World to evangelical thought. These are just a few examples.

A handful of people have declined to write a blurb. Some are unable to devote the time to reading my work. That’s certainly understandable. Others may look over the book and not find it consonant with their own vision or thought. That’s fine too. If everyone likes your work, you might not be saying anything of substance.

So… here are some suggestions for book readers who see a number of endorsements for a certain book.

First, see who the “key endorsers” are (usually on the back cover). Those names will tell you what the target audience is.

Next, look at the endorsements that are on the inside first pages. Sometimes the interior endorsements tell you more about the author than the main blurbs, because they show you who the author is reading and benefiting from.

Another reason you should look at the “inside” blurbs is because there is only so much space on the back cover. Sometimes the endorsement is shortened for the back cover and the full endorsement is on the inside.

You might also watch to see what kind of language the endorser uses. Recommending a book for “consideration” is different than saying “this is the best book on the subject” or stating full agreement with the author’s thesis.

Don’t rely exclusively on blurbs when trying to decide whether or not to buy a book. But use these endorsements as a way of figuring out where the author is in the overall scheme of things.