From Death to Life – Book Update

(Photo Credit: Stephen J. Melniszyn)

I’ve had several people asking me about where I am on my current book project, so I thought I’d have a place where I could point folks to give them the latest on how things are progressing.

I’m pretty new to this book writing thing. Not that I haven’t wanted to write before, but wanting to write a book and actually completing one are two totally different things. This has been both a joyous and grueling process. Overall, I’ve loved it, but that’s not to say there have not been a few difficult times. Writing on the intrewebs isn’t quite as demanding as putting something “officially” in print.

I’ve had some friends willing to review and kick me in the shins a little. Then I had a wonderful editor who smoothed out my Arkansan enough to make this work more readable to normal English speakers. This work has really improved because of other people helping me. I cannot thank those brothers and sisters enough.

Currently, the book has gone through major edits and now sits with the publisher for a final read through or two as they make sure it accords with the type of product they desire to put out. It’s also sitting with a few folks who have agreed to write an endorsement for the book. I am humbled by the people who’ve read or who are currently reading it. (You can read an excerpt here)

So…we are close; but still a little ways to go! I’m writing this post to keep those in the know that want to be in the know, and to have the rest of you pray that this project would see completion. There have been some cost issues arise, and the Lord has provided the means to cover them thus far. For that I am grateful. I’m sure there will be some more cost issues arise so you can pray that those needs would be met too.

I’d like to share now what this book is about and who it is for.

Here’s the synopsis:

Any serious minded reader of Scripture has probably observed that the current culture’s definition of what constitutes a Christian stands in stark contrast to the Bible’s description of true believers. There are several streams that feed into this river of deception, but a key contributor is an inaccurate understanding of how a person actually becomes a Christian. In From Death to Life: How Salvation Works, Pastor Allen Nelson puts forth a biblical case for how a person passes from the realm of being an unbeliever, into the Kingdom of light. In doing so, Nelson shows that a proper understanding of how a person moves from spiritual death to life must be derived from Scripture rather than tradition. This work shows that such a biblical understanding has many practical ramifications for local churches as well as individual evangelistic endeavors. How a person gets saved is a subject important enough to spend some serious time considering and here is a gospel focused, biblically oriented book that will lead readers to do just that. Pastors, laypersons, and even unbelievers will benefit from carefully thinking through these pages and examining its contents in light of Scripture.

And, here are a few of the current endorsements:

“Allen Nelson calls us back to the true gospel in his book on salvation. His burden in this book is to see sinners who are truly saved by God’s grace in Christ. If we go astray in our theology of conversion, then our churches may be filled with members who aren’t truly believers, and both the church and the world suffer from the anemia present in such churches. Nelson explains what salvation truly is, reminding us that salvation is of the Lord. I gladly recommend this book for pastors and all who desire to understand the good news of Jesus Christ.”

— Tom Schreiner (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Professor of Biblical Theology (1997); Associate Dean of the School of Theology)

“Allen loves the gospel and the church, and he longs to see people truly converted to Christ. And yet his heart breaks for the many false converts who have been ‘made’ through unbiblical words and methods. In this book, he’s not calling us to anything innovative—and that’s exactly the point. I hear him pleading, ‘Enough with the language and practices that have done so much damage and led to so little disciple-making!’ He reminds us of what has always been and will always be God’s way for someone to be saved. The result is a book that thoroughly explains the doctrine of salvation in words that are Scriptural and understandable (you’ll love his illustrations!). I commend it strongly because if we embrace this book’s tenets, we’ll see people legitimately and lastingly converted to Jesus Christ.”

— Steve Burchett (assistant to the president, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.ccwtoday.org)

“I’ve seen in Allen Nelson a passion for souls, which shows up in an intense desire to make Jesus Christ’s saving message plainly known to everyone he can reach. From Death to Life: How Salvation Works makes every key gospel theme clear and, with God’s blessing, will be a real eye-opener, not only to many who have not yet heard the gospel, but to a multitude of churchgoers who think they know it but have missed these indispensable root-of-the-matter issues. It’s a book that will also greatly sharpen any new believer’s grasp of our great salvation.”

— Dennis Gundersen (Grace Bible Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma)

So, if you’ve made it this far, I hope this post has built a little excitement and intrigue in you. And finally, here are a few ways you could help me if interested:

1. Pray (as mentioned above)
2. Pass along this post to others
3. If there are any bloggers willing to write an honest review, let me know and I might be able to get you a copy.
4. Put a few bucks back and buy yourself a copy or two when it comes out 😉