Owen Among the Theologians by Kapic & Kieser

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I’ve always enjoyed reading Kelly Kapic. I’ve also noticed that he’s always ready to talk about John Owen as often as possible. Probably, then, this title was inevitable. Though I wasn’t as familiar with Ty Kieser, he must live in Kapic’s usual domain. As for John Owen, though clearly a brilliant writer, I’m really not sure what has brought on the phenomenon of his fairly recent ascendancy in popularity. Whatever it is, it must be catching because I too was intrigued by this title.

The design of this book was quite novel for a theological title. It takes various (random ?) subjects and compares Owen’s take versus that of some other famous theologian. Sometimes the difference is substantial while at other times it is minute. What is consistent is the breadth of knowledge displayed in every comparison.

After an Introduction to Owen and particularly his themes of writing, the book dives into comparing Owen and Didymus the Blind on the subject of Inseparable Operations. It was one of the best in the book, but perhaps that’s because I’ve always been fascinated by that subject and once had to spend a lot of time studying it. Owen agreed far more than he sparred on this one.

The chapter comparing Owen with Macrina on Christian dying was warm and compelling. I enjoyed it more on a devotional level than other chapters in the book. The next chapter on Cain as the prototypical sinner again did not have wide divergences between Owen, and in this case Augustine, but was just enough to be great teaching.

The next chapter put Owen and Bernard of Clairvaux in dialog on the Song of Solomon. I love hearing these older writers talk about the Song because I tend to believe their approaches over modern writers. What modern scholarship has reduced the Song to is a sad thing in my opinion.

Next, when John Owen meets Thomas Aquinas on divine simplicity it seems more a splitting of hairs to me, but maybe that was my own shortcomings. From there, Owen and Luther on justification was exactly what you’d expect. The following chapter was like a powerful joint presentation between Owen and Calvin on the Ascension.

I would have preferred a different subject for the heavyweight comparison of Owen and Jonathan Edwards. Owen with Lemuel Haynes was the most unexpected of the book and was far better than I expected while the battle between Owen and Barth was more nuanced than I expected.

While this book will not appeal to everyone, it is rich fare for lovers of theology. Members of Owens’ fan club are likely to salivate over it too. Mark me down (even if the design is a bit far fetched) as really liking this book as well.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Joshua (CSC) by David Howard

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This fantastic commentary has here an update from its NAC iteration. I applaud Mr. Howard getting the nod to carry the commentary over into the CSC and extend its usefulness for decades to come.

In the introduction, I was at first fearing that there was going to be very little updating from the earlier edition. I think that was because some of the earlier topics were things he just fully still agreed with and saw no reason to expand. It was farther along that he tackled some new subjects beautifully. He had an elaborate section on ethics as there are many ethical questions in the text of Joshua. Further, he expanded explaining the archaeological evidence for the major sites found in Joshua. There’s a very telling section that described why the Israelites were attracted to the culture of Canaan too. That certainly is a worthy question and I agree with his conclusions.

He also broached the subject of the large numbers in Joshua and the rest of the Old Testament. Critics love to pound away on this subject. He concludes that it is best to comment on them as if they were accurate. I am prone to take them as is and believe them.

Modern political thinking has forced new subjects to be especially looked at in the biblical text. For example, to some people the book of Joshua reads like ugly imperialism. He writes magnanimously and in such a way that his careful laying out of the issues and options are its greatest strengths. You will leave the introduction with a firm grasp of all the issues and what is at stake in the book of Joshua. I must commend this introduction and its additions from the earlier edition.

The commentary proper is excellent. He is a wise evaluator of the issues all while fulfilling the exegete’s task. There is much help for the preacher or teacher here. I already thought the earlier edition was outstanding, and I can only say it’s even better now.

I am compelled to say that this is the best commentary for a pastor or teacher on Joshua that we have. It’s the balance of depth and good conservative conclusions that make me feel that way. The competitors of this volume are either those with less detail or those possessing some glaring defect in one category or the other; e.g., theology or historicity. If you can only have one commentary on Joshua, this is it. 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Spurgeon’s Pastoral Wisdom by Geoffrey Chang (Books on Ministry #27)

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A new Spurgeon book! What could be better? I never tire of reading this marvelous preacher. Don’t let the thought of this being a collection of articles steer you away. Surgeon could not be dull if he tried. And though he ministered in the 1800s, his writing is always fresh and up-to-date. As I read through this book, I marveled at how many things never change. The London of the 1800s seems so different than the world you and I live in now, but ministry was and is still ministry.

The book is compiled by Geoffrey Chang. From what I have read, he has become quite the Spurgeon expert. In any event, the selections were perfect for a book on pastoral wisdom. I also appreciated how he organized the book as well as his writing very short but meaningful introductions to each section.

In part one that was articles on the Church, I so appreciated Spurgeon’s balance. He was a brave man who lived without the fear of man, but he could still be quite judicious in his use of discernment. For all I thought I knew about Spurgeon, I still learned many things here. I especially loved how he was always looking out for up-and-coming pastors or neglected pastors. Additionally, I loved how he never lost his zeal for revival.

Even though some of his more famous books gave great help on preaching, this book was full of wonderful counsel. He talked about sermon preparation, faithful preaching, and sermon delivery. I can’t think of a brighter light to guide us on this subject.

Strangely enough, I was even fascinated by the few articles he wrote on “Spurgeonism”. I hadn’t really thought much about how his fame must’ve been challenging to live with and keep your head on straight. From all appearances, it seems that he did.

The book was full of those pithy quotes that Spurgeon is so famous for. One that really stood out to me was how he once said that really being rich was not about having much, but having enough. How profound! And there were little phrases like this throughout.

Banner has given us its usual beautiful presentation of a book. The writings of Spurgeon are beautiful enough on their own. Can you tell that I love this book? 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Daniel (BECOT) by Stephen Cook

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This commentary is a trip. I’m not sure where we went, but it was quite a ride. Mr. Cook took a few curves too fast, but occasionally the scenery was spectacular. I know I saw the blue lights behind us on several occasions, but he would just smile and press the gas pedal a little harder. I’m sure he didn’t fully know where he was going either, but his outward confidence never wavered. I know it’s easy to be trite and say a commentary is different, but this one IS different. In fact, this is the very commentary that makes many others seem exactly alike.

Perhaps the aspect that makes this commentary unique is his views of how to process apocalyptic literature. Be sure to read his Preface as he lays it out. He also attacks approaches that moralize the stories of Daniel. Many do that and say to keep the Gospel primary, but that’s not exactly his angle. He has a very precise view of Wisdom. To my mind, his definition is not as different as the traditional one as he thinks. I liked how his views made him dig a bit deeper in places even if I couldn’t especially agree with him. His historical conclusions didn’t hold up for me either.

He is for sure an interesting writer. He quotes from so many unusual sources. I mean when was the last time Alice from her Wonderland was quoted in a commentary you were reading. Crazy? Yes. Interesting? Yes.

He also draws from unexpected disciplines. I saw philosophy and psychology often and several others. I kept expecting physics at any point.

Even if he travels in his own lanes, his work is well researched. There are footnotes galore throughout. I would not make this commentary my first choice on Daniel, but it is one that I will likely check going forward. If you are looking for a work that is captivating in new ways, I suspect this is the one for you.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Biblical Theology by Kostenberger and Goswell

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This book offers a mass of help. As an added bonus, it is a gorgeous book. I guess the publishers knew they had something special and so gave it the gold treatment. The authors are widely respected and were a good choice to handle what must have been a Herculean task. When Mr. Goswell listed William Dumbrell as major influence, it all made sense.

Chapter 1 sets the agenda on what biblical theology is exactly as they carefully distinguished it from other approaches (You can sure tell D. A. Carson guided their thinking here). They even present a case study to explain the practice of biblical theology. I appreciate how they uphold biblical inspiration, which is the vitality of biblical theology. As you have probably surmised, this chapter serves as the introduction for the entire book.

The next chapter talks about book order, though that is something that’s never particularly interesting me, but it’s laid out in great detail for you. From there, the next chapter dives into the Pentateuch. Now it’s time to slow down because this book starts getting really good. Many of the things you find are written in other places, but it is a boon to us to have it all brought together here. Each book in the Pentateuch is discussed in terms of themes, ethics, and the book in the storyline of scripture. That is a fantastic way to approach the biblical theology of these books. I found myself agreeing with so many points that were made. Finally, the Pentateuch is looked at as a whole in the same three categories as mentioned above.

From there, he tackles the Prophets (remember he follows the Jewish organization of the OT rather than that in our Bibles), followed by the Writings. He follows the same pattern mentioned above. Some books of the Bible take less pages for him to describe than others, but obviously that makes sense.

The NT follows the same pattern. There’s coverage of book order but with little consensus. Next there’s discussion of the relationship between the testaments. The look at parallels was the most fascinating part there. When the NT use of the OT is explained, it’s taken book by book. Then each book of the NT is looked at exactly as done in the OT section. The farther I get into the book, the more I like that set up.

This is an epic book. I have a few others in my library that try to tackle biblical theology in this way, but I found this one to be more consistently even. The amount of research that went into this volume is mind-boggling. If you don’t believe me, just notice the footnotes! I’ve heard the publisher may be printing the Old and New Testament sections of this book in separate editions in the future. You simply can’t go wrong with this gorgeous book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Genesis 11:27-50:26 (CSC) by Kenneth Mathews

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Now that this volume completes the set on Genesis, we can evaluate where this volume stands. Its old iteration in the NAC was already a top pick, but this revision only raises its value. The other two that rivaled it most were always thought to be Wenham (WBC) and Hamilton (NICOT), but it appears they will not be revised by the original authors. Wenham no doubt was theologically brilliant, but his capitulation to some critical theories was maddening. Hamilton laid out all kinds of amazing details, but perhaps the larger picture was not always in view. In contrast, Mathews has no deficiencies. The theology is good and the exegetical work outstanding, all while adding conservative outlooks and fantastic scriptural connections. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Mathews is now all alone at the top.

Since the arrival of Abraham is such a shift in Genesis, he has an Introduction for this volume as well. He discusses the setting for the Patriarchs and does a fine job in covering theology, themes, and motifs. This Introduction runs 66 pages. The coverage of the motif on Sibling Rivalry and the one on Deception were the most captivating. If that weren’t good enough, notice at the end of the book that there is one fantastic excursus after another. Perhaps Jacob was the star of that section, but all were theological astute.

Strangely, I had a similar experience to that which I had a few years back when the earlier volume came out. I was wanting to study some Genesis passages, particularly some on Joseph, and I found the commentary so well done. Again, the parallels to other parts of Genesis in the Bible at large were fascinating. There were so many things that came up that I simply hadn’t thought of before.

This is a great commentary that I highly recommend. Perhaps the best recommendation I can give it is that I cannot imagine ever doing any major Genesis study I the future without consulting this grand volume.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

God in the Desert by Noel Forlini Burt

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This book fooled me. Late in chapter one I simply didn’t like it. It struck me as a book working down a political list attempting to place its checkmark line by line. The Introduction showed the subject, what the desert is biblically, had great potential. But in chapter one I was about to grab my parachute and jump. Had the ideological pronouncements been more in line with my own perhaps I would not have really cared. But they weren’t and I felt they really did not touch the desert motif at all.

With faint amounts of hope I entered chapter two and everything flipped. What the author shared about the desert resonated now and pulled me in. More importantly, the biblical text was expertly parsed to arrive at her conclusions. Her writing was engaging. She even worked in some of her own experiences without crossing the cringe line. Suddenly, I was finding myself underlining many lines.

The chapter on the darkness of disorientation was particularly captivating. Our God who is light is still often described as being in the thick darkness and that is a fascinating study. What really makes the book a success is how she is able to draw out the theology while leaning into what we might call spiritual formation concerns. That’s a hard balance to pull off for many writers, but she did it well.

Since our times are so divided, and since Christians are as well on the issues of the day, it is so much better to just dig into the timeless truth of scripture and allow that to speak to current issues as it will. This book is perfect proof. I am on the other side of some current issues from this author, and her little foray in those issues almost pushed me away. To what purpose? In any event, I think the theology of the wilderness as described in this book could be a blessing to you no matter where you fall on the theological spectrum. It is that rare theological book that also has potent devotional qualities as well.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

You Can Change (2nd Ed.) by Tim Chester

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In the Introduction the difficulty of change is realistically presented. Chapter 1 ties powerfully change to our being made in the image of God. I enjoyed the questions raised in chapter 2 about why would we like to change. You will see why that’s really important.

When you get to chapter 3, I find the presentation to be a bit muddled. On the good side, there is a wonderful explanation of our utter dependence on Christ, or you might say, on the power of the Gospel. Clearly, there is no change without the grace of our Lord. On the bad side, though, he completely misunderstands the spiritual disciplines as if they of necessity must be legalistic. He explains, or at least it appears to me he does, that if we use spiritual disciples we will without fail tell ourselves that we have affected the change and glory in it. Mr. Chester is a well respected theologian ( I too would rank him as such), but I hardly think that he would really believe that if he thought more deeply about it. Prayer, for example, is one of the spiritual disciples. Is all prayer legalistic? Even prayer for major change? I know he would reject that idea. What if I am using the spiritual disciples merely to access the grace of my Lord? Isn’t the goal of such disciplines to make Christ more real in my life, and therefore make me depend more on Him and less on me? To be sure, I need the same grace to go on in the Christian life that I did to become a Christian. No thinking person would dispute that point. Strangely enough, however, it’s surprising just how much similarity his approach has to the “Let go and let God” approach that those of Mr. Chester’s stripe would find so abhorrent. Perhaps he tells us the danger of one ditch (if I did allow myself to view the spiritual disciplines I’m employing legalistically) at the expense of fully describing the road itself.

On page 53, for example, he says “We also have a new motivation to battle against sin”. That’s for sure. Why couldn’t we employ the spiritual disciplines in that battle as a funnel for grace? In terms of this book review, he writes passionately about his approach and says many wonderful things about the beauty of the Gospel. Perhaps I’m a bit (overly?) passionate myself as a former pastor who now leads a Christian Men’s recovery program. You as the reader can weigh this issue yourself and raise or lower your rating of this book accordingly.

Though chapter 3 was like hitting a pothole for me, the book grew in helpfulness from there. By the time he got to chapter 6 I found his doctrinal thoughts really resonating with this idea of change. His discussion of repentance and mortification has real potential in being distinct help. Then chapter 7 evens tops it! What stops you from changing—a profound question.

Chapter 8 tackles support and he champions the local church. That is ideal, but I’ve seen so many cases that a church wasn’t particularly good at taking this role. You can say such churches are then failing, and perhaps that’s true, but it’s still a reality for some individuals. The thoughts on having others to speak into your life, however, is spot on.

The final chapter reminds me that he has worked practically every major doctrine into this work. Sanctification is part of the explanation of change for sure.

One thing that deserves praise in Mr. Chester is his penchant to admit his own struggles. Those admissions also seemed genuine and avoided glorifying the sin itself. That attitude is beneficial to helping others contemplate change.

This is a helpful book. Hopefully I wasn’t too picky in my criticism above, but I’d be the least able of anyone to answer if I was. I pray this volume helps many work through change.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Matthew (Interpretation Bible Commentary) by Mark Allan Powell

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In this new round of Interpretation Bible Commentary volumes, Mark Allan Powell tackles the Gospel of Matthew. Let me say up front that this is a more critical series where more conservative readers like me will find many points of disagreement. In a series like this one I’m especially looking for creative theology that might push my thinking to new, interesting places even though I might bail out in a few paragraphs along the way. Now that you know what I’m looking for, let me say that this volume delivered the goods. Since it is well written, more critically oriented readers will likely especially love it.

The Introduction was stand out because of its unique approach. Rather than tackling traditional introductory items, which I likely would have found little sympathy with anyway, he developed a whole new approach. The bulk of the Introduction covers 16 themes in Matthew. It’s amazing the mass of helpful material you get here. The thing that makes it so great is that after describing the thematic item, he lists everywhere Matthew demonstrates it. I could see myself using this section as much as the commentary proper.

The commentary proper provided the theology and creativity I hoped for in a writing style that really holds your attention. Though I strongly couldn’t agree with many conclusions from that perspective, I did find exactly what I’d hoped for.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Letter to the Ephesians by Thomas Schreiner

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Here’s a good one. Its niche is clearly stated as being an exegetical and theological commentary. It actually delivers that very thing, amazingly, in less than 400 pages. I’ve seen TNTC volumes of that length. Don’t let that throw you off though. Don’t you want sometimes a very mature commentary that can come through both succinct and thorough? You might have guessed that Thomas Schreiner would be the guy who pull it off. He did.

His Introduction of 13 pages answered all burning questions. When you expertly dismantle influential, ludicrous scholarly conclusions apparently that’s all the space you need. At least it was all he needed. The thing that stands out to me throughout the Introduction was how easily I found myself following him to agreement.

I just happened to be in need of studying the early part of Ephesians 2 when it came time for me to review this book. It was so distinctly helpful to me. I really loved it. He is a master exegete.

When I got to the household code in chapter 5, he still kept convincing me in both the larger picture and many small details. (I didn’t perfectly keep count, but it appeared that he agreed with Thielman the most). I can think of a whole bunch of scholars who would be up the creek trying to argue against the wisdom of what he shared there.

This is a great commentary. It delivers the goods in less pages than many other volumes and sometimes that can be a really great plus. I recommend this one all the way down the line. 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.