When I saw that pastor and songwriter Matthew Boswell was releasing a book on Psalm 51 with Crossway, I immediately requested a copy. Boswell is known for his excellent and theologically-rich songs, including a personal favorite of mine, “Come, Behold the Wondrous Mystery,” which he co-wrote with Matt Papa and Michael Bleeker. I have also benefitted from Boswell’s booklet, What If I Don’t Like My Church’s Music?, which released around the same time as Spirit-Filled Singing: Bearing Fruit as We Worship Together.
In Spirit-Filled Singing, I write about how Psalm 51—a psalm of deep repentance—provides a template for restored rejoicing. Our journey toward joy often requires us to brave the depths of honest examination and confession. I was eager to read Boswell’s commentary on this psalm, especially as he is also a worship leader, and was eager to read Create in Me a Clean Heart for my personal devotion and professional vocation.
A Good Book
Create in Me a Clean Heart is a good book on many counts. It is theologically sound. It resonates with a pastor’s heart. It proclaims the gospel in every chapter, even, it sometimes seems, on every page. It offers useful exposition of the more unfamiliar or confusing aspects of Psalm 51, such as what it means to be washed in hyssop or for David to pray that God would not take his Spirit from him.
And yet, I feel a bit like a “lone reed.” I gave Create in Me a Clean Heart an average GoodReads and Amazon rating because I found it to be an average book, but it seems I am alone in this. Create in Me a Clean Heart has received almost exclusively four and five star reviews. Lately, I’ve been turning over the following question as I go about my day: What does it mean for Christian music, writing, and art to be just okay? I will likely blog about this later. In short, I think Christian reviewers often feel pressure—perhaps because we receive books for free in exchange for “honest” reviews—to laude books that are just okay as five-star reads.
So here’s my honest review: Create in Me a Clean Heart is not a great book, but it is a good book. It contains solid biblical food, but tends toward redundancy. It includes excellent exposition, but is overloaded with unnecessary and obvious illustrations. It reads like a compilation of sermons, which is fine, but it would have benefitted from some more overarching editing to transpose multiple sermons into a single book.
A Wise Product
I think much of this book’s success is due to wise marketing. It was given a beautiful hardcover design that makes it appealing as a gift book. Because Matthew Boswell is well-known in Christian circles, his book was highly anticipated and, I assume, sold well right away. It may seem crass to talk finances here, but they are part of publishing—a part that I have ceased to resent and, instead, find fascinating. Crossway is a nonprofit, which I respect, but they still have to stay financially viable. Publishing easy-sell books by well-known figures is necessary. In fact, it’s what allows them to also publish books by random pastors’ wives in Iowa—hi, it’s me!
As an aside, Christian publishers get a lot of hate for needing to pay their bills and, thus, needing to work with writers who bring large platforms to the bargaining table. But from my experience, Crossway balances business acumen and Christian service beautifully. (Let’s remember that Jesus himself speaks of making wise investments!) Their small-time authors are treated with as much kindness as their big-time partners. Just yesterday, I received a hand-written birthday card from them, and they sent me flowers to celebrate the birth of my son and, a few months later, my graduation from Covenant Theological Seminary.
Preemption over. I really do find the dynamics of publishing fascinating but understand you may not share my interest. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.
The Verdict
I am glad to have read Create in Me a Clean Heart. It deepened my understanding and appreciation of this magnificent psalm of repentance. I would have preferred more meaty exposition, less repetition, and fewer illustrations, but acknowledge that your taste may differ from mine. These may be what you love in books, in which case, go order a copy and dig in with gladness!
I would still recommend this book to all believers because it is thoroughly biblical. However, I think it would be most helpful to new believers or struggling believers who need to be reminded frequently of the forgiveness found in Christ. (Of course, we all need this reminder, but I trust you know what I mean.)
I am also planning to gift a copy of this book to a loved one who is struggling with dementia. For this person, the repetitive nature of the writing will actually prove beneficial. (This brings up another interesting digression: we have dyslexia-friendly bibles, Braille bibles, and large-print bibles. Are there ways we could make the Bible and other resources more accessible to people with dementia? Their faith is often the one thing they do not forget, and it would be such a gift for them to be able to read the Word with greater ease.)
All that said, I recommend this book without reservation. I simply am not sure I was its ideal reader. If Create in Me a Clean Heart sounds interesting to you, you can order a copy on Amazon or directly from Crossway. As noted earlier in this review, I received a copy from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.
