Month: September 2023

Daniel Rowland by Eifion Evans

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Here’s another offering in the long line of biographies of Christian heroes by Banner of Truth of men who are, sadly, far too little known. They seem to especially mine Welsh preachers, not because Wales is better than anyplace else, but because of the landmark revival experienced there. The Great Evangelical Awakening there had less of the excesses of some revivals, which, perhaps, partially corresponds to the main players in it. They were dedicated, magnetic while maintaining humility, doctrinally consistent, and zealous. In what stands out from the pack, their zealousness was fully for Christ rather than an unholy mixture of carrying the Gospel and self promotion. Daniel Rowland is a good fit in this string of biographies.

Eifion Evans has written previously on Revival as it was clearly his niche. The full title is “Daniel Rowland and the Great Evangelical Awakening in Wales.” In my opinion, this book succeeds more on the history than on pure biography of Rowland. I suspect a lack of source materials is the culprit. The trail of humble men doesn’t often lead back to themselves.

Still, Rowland was an incredible man worthy of our revisiting his life. He was, as you will see in this biography, far more stable than Howel Harris. In my view, Rowland was on the right side of the divide with Harris.

There’s plenty of exciting revival described here. To the author’s credit, the bumps along the way were given too. The division that popped up didn’t diminish the beauty of the revival as I read as it only reminded me that we have a wickedly diligent enemy that probably hates revival as much as anything. You could also see the enemy could not ultimately prevail.

Beautiful book. Beautiful cover. Beautiful read. What more could you want?

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 Royal Priest (NSBT) by Matthew Emadi

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Biblical Theology shines in this latest NSBT series. Every volume in this series flourishes with information for the Bible student, yet some of them sing. This one sings.

This volume is not a retread of God’s Mediators, an earlier entry in this series, but something that dives into the the idea of priesthood at its loftiest heights in Melchizedek, the divinely intertwined ideas of king and priest, its standing with the Levitical priesthood, and all coalescing in Psalm 110.

Pages 4-5 outline what Emadi is up to, so you shouldn’t go astray. It’s deep wading so read slowly. My only caveat is the sometimes overly academic language. There’s no need to hide treasure behind rocks. At times, I wonder if these authors are writing exclusively for Mr. D.A. Carson, the editor, or at least, only for colleagues. It’s us regular Jimmy and Joes who can most use a book like this to advantage. Still, the flow of argument is good and what is shared is golden.

In the middle of the book there’s a full-blown exegesis of Psalm 110 (it’s needed), but then he goes back (after a side trip to the intertestamental period) to the big picture again with the New Testament. Jesus in Mark’s Gospel and the Book of Hebrews serves as the framework.

As far as I’m concerned the NSBT series can keep entries like this one coming!

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.

Isaiah (BCOT) by J. Gordan McConville

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Here’s a major new commentary on the pivotal OT book of Isaiah in the newly emerging Baker Commentary on the Old Testament (BCOT) series. I had seen Mr. McConville’s names on some older works, but had not been immersed in his writings overall. I would judge this new work as a major commentary on Isaiah.

With 728 pages of text this is a thorough work, but not overly prolix as Isaiah gets two volumes in many series. The work itself is in-depth, scholarly, clearly written, and winsome. The only downside is that for me it’s simply too liberal in places. The discerning reader can still glean a great deal.

These traits become quickly obvious in the Introduction. On the one hand, there’s good background material and a sufficient discussion of structure. On the other hand, the obsession with redaction skews conclusions at times and can even read like old-style redaction. The Introduction also is a bit brief.

The commentary proper is much more valuable even if some underlying assumptions remain. It’s value is clearly its exegesis. On that score it’s excellent. The footnotes show careful scholarship too. Perhaps the theology is not the caliber of the exegesis, but it still has value.

This book will give an alternate viewpoint in some cases to, say, the NICOT, but it could easily be turned to profitable ends and so I recommend 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.

Life Counsel Bible

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Here’s a major new Bible release aimed at those interested in counseling. Think of it like a two-for-one special. On the one hand, there is a regular, quality study Bible while on the other there is a counseling resource.

First, as for the study Bible, it has all that you’d expect, and I suspect, all that some other CSC study Bibles provide. Each book of the Bible has a helpful Introduction. Word studies pop up throughout the text and the selections are judicious. Cross references and alternate renderings abound. The collection of maps at the end really pop.

Second, there’s the counseling material that really presents itself as a collection of articles interspersed throughout the text. They don’t necessarily coincide with the text nearby, but it you’re reading through the Bible they will show up at a rate that would not bog you down as you journey through the Bible. The articles are filled with biblical wisdom, professional sensitivity, and real life appropriateness.

Who is this Bible aimed at? Not professional counselors most likely. I’d imagine that common people who want to speak Bible wisdom into their own lives and those they minister to would be the successful target. Some seasons of your life might find this Bible even more of a treasure. This Bible is worth a look.

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.