Could a book be more timely? Here is a man who has spent 40 years in the trenches of apologetics in our declining culture and who distills what he has learned and gives it to us in this volume. He sees apologetics in its noblest form—a way to lead others to Christ. I hate to use a trite designation like “instant classic”, but I believe this is the right place to use it. Mr. Guinness had me hooked in the Introduction as he perceptively diagnosed our age as the Age of the Self and the Selfie. We can never engage in this age unless we understand it first. It is the effects of that age that has done a number on what he calls “the art of Christian persuasion.” The loss of evangelism has been the greater cost, he rightly explains. He pays tribute to C. S. Lewis, Frances Schaeffer, and Peter Berger as those who have influenced him over the years and this volume is truly worthy to stand beside their works. I am shocked at how many sentences I underlined and how many paragraphs I starred all through this volume. It never lagged, it had no fluff or filler, and was masterful to the last page. I often give more of a summary of content in a book review, but in this case I just want to encourage Christians everywhere to read and interact with this volume. I fear my summary might obscure how good this book really is. I give the highest recommendation possible to this volume that will likely be as important in 30 years as it will be when first released. 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.
New Book Reviews
Luke (PNTC) by James Edwards
Looking for an up-to-date commentary on the Gospel of Luke? This latest offering in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series, edited by the venerable D. A. Carson, might be just what you are looking for. Mr. Edwards already contributed the well-received volume on Mark in this series, and this new volume has been eagerly anticipated.
The Introduction is relatively short, but its strength lies in discussing things you read no where else. If you consult several commentaries, they can at times be painfully repetitive. He makes a strong statement on the Word of God in his first paragraph, which makes you feel in good hands. His section on the testimony we get from Early Christianity is fascinating. History is his special trait throughout the entire volume actually.
I could not agree with him on sources. There is much speculation in such a discussion, and he does not just skip to the final form as some do now.
Despite my disagreement on sources, the commentary sparkled with great, pertinent detail that really gave insight into the text. For example, there was plenty of material on the birth of Christ that would help anyone teaching or preaching. In fact, I found that true in every passage I studied in it. I call attention to his masterful handling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. That was a joy to read and had profound spiritual insight as well. The Cross and the Resurrection were standout too.
I will always consult this volume on any passage on Luke that I study going forward. I predict pastors will love this volume just as I do. This is a winner!
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 Greatest Sermon Ever Preached by Tom Brennan
This volume by Independent Baptist pastor Tom Brennan tackles the Sermon on the Mount for Christians today. In thirty chapters Pastor Brennan seeks to help us apply this great sermons to our lives. He does not subscribe to the theory that this sermon is not for this dispensation, and so draws out many points.
Published by Xulon Press, this attractive volume is well written and easy to follow. His approach seemed to me to be devotional, just as you might expect a pastor to speak to his people. The intended audience is the person in the pew. He has read widely and was especially good at drawing in illustrations or quotes to bring out his points.
I might quibble with him over a few points, but he tackled even the more difficult passages in the Sermon on the Mount without dodging anything. He even dealt with the one on divorce. It appears to me that he worked really hard to put this book together.
In that we have fewer Independent Baptists writing today, you might enjoy giving this volume a try.
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 Message of Daniel (BST) by Dale Ralph Davis
Here is a fine volume on Daniel by Dale Ralph Davis, who is simply one of the best writers today on any Old Testament historical portion, in the Bible Speaks Today series. Helpful in the ways usually found in this series, this volume is also particularly so for preachers. It delivers at a level we have come to expect from Mr. Davis too.
The Introduction is short, but powerful in its easy repudiation of critical theories and dating. I would even call that section fun to read. I found myself agreeing with much of what he wrote.
Again, the history was superb here. Background on Babylon and the Jews in Babylon was illuminating. From thoughts on the diet put before Daniel and his friends to Nebuchadnezzar’s mindset or dream the reader gains much and through the more famous stories as well. He brings out the information and insights most needed
Since I have a different perspective than him on prophecy, I could not agree him on passages like, say, Daniel 9:25-27. Still, he was kind in presenting his amillennial case, and the other historical sections are well worth the price of the book. I would already label this my favorite from that prophetic viewpoint though I hold to a different one.
The book is enriching and I highly 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.
Return To Me by Mark Boda
Here is a volume the New Studies In Biblical Theology (NSBT) series that tackles the theological hot-potato issue of repentance. Author Mark Boda strives to give us “a biblical theology of repentance” with this volume in the series edited by the well-known D.A. Carson.
The most valuable feature of this book is the in-depth tracing of repentance in every part of Scripture. He divides the Old Testament in the Jewish way as he feels that is more sensible for following repentance through the Bible. He has strong convictions about the Word of God, which I appreciate. He feels the typical approach of viewing the subject through the definitions of the words involved is insufficient. Following that theory, he traces more of the big picture of repentance. Repentance is more in some parts of the Bible than others, but he succeeds in finding what degree repentance is there. He is thorough.
It was surprising that the book is 80% Old Testament, but perhaps that is only because the New Testament talks much less of it. I found it easy to agree with many things he said. It seemed a little much to say repentance was a big theme of John when the word is only mentioned once. Still, you felt in the hands of a capable scholar as you read.
He references the theological battles involving repentance, but really does not address them. He seemed to want to lay the data out there so others could take it into the battle and think for themselves. I can not imagine anyone writing on this subject again without consulting this volume. For this volume set out to do, it succeeded all the way.
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.
Perspectives On Israel And The Church: 4 Views by Brand
Here is another fine volume in B & H Academic’s Perspectives series. This volume tackles viewpoints on Israel and the Church, which means a debate between dispensational and covenantal thought. This volume, edited by Chad Brand, discusses the four most prominent views though there is even more variety out there. You will read on the traditional covenantal view (Robert Reymond), the traditional dispensational view (Robert L. Thomas), the progressive dispensational view (Robert Saucy), and the progressive covenantal view (Tom Pratt Jr.). The editor Chad Brand assists on the progressive covenantal view as well.
All the authors are scholars and some have been well known in this subject for years. Each was fairly dogmatic, as you would expect in such a series. Only Mr. Reymond seemed to go too far in harshness. While I must disclose that I do not agree with his position, I even wonder if those who hold that position would think he had a good approach. He also used extreme examples like quoting John Hagee as if he were the best representative for dispensational thinking.
All of the other three wrote more respectively and gave much food for thought. It seems issues on election, the Millennium, and other topics intersected strongly with this subject, but the authors did a good job only referencing the points that made sense to the Israel/ Church issue.
This volume did not change my mind, but it did suggest points that I needed to think through. What more could you ask for in a series like this? 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.
Do We Need The New Testament? By John Goldingay
We must applaud volumes that encourage us to see the Old Testament in all its splendor. Too many push it back to secondary status. Enter Old Testament scholar John Goldingay who makes his attempt to shake up our thinking on the subject. His aim is ” letting the Old Testament speak for itself.”
There are pluses and minuses in this volume for sure. The author writes well, knows the scholarly issues out there, and can be quite thought provoking. His chapter on “The Costly Loss Of First Testament Spirituality”, for example, covered several trains on thought that I had never thought of, particularly on the Psalms and worship.
There were also chapters, like chapter four on Grand and a Middle Narratives, that I simply could not get on with. Perhaps that says more about me as a reviewer than him as a writer–I am not sure.
I imagine some will love this book and rate it highly, but for me it was marred by his suppositions that led him far afield. He has so little regard for the historicity of the Bible, thinks books like Jonah and Ruth must be fictional, and his claims of their abiding value are undermined by his view of dating. His ideas of memory may be a trendy, new scholarly view, but it seems bizarre to me.
His last chapter fails completely in how it deals with Christology in the Old Testament, and I believe a majority of Christianity would think so. I will be curious to read future reviews. I will be curious, too, with his being such an influential scholar what will come of his discussion. He did at least succeed in making you feel he loved the Old Testament. You will have to check this one out and decide for yourself.
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.
Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi (Apollos Commentary) by Petterson
The latest offering in the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series, published by IVP, covers the last three of the Minor Prophets where most pastors and Bible students are a little less savvy. If this volume is a precursor of what is to come in this series, it is going to be incredible.
Mr. Petterson was an unknown scholar to me, but writes as well any I have seen. His judgments are conservative, logical, and mature. He brings these three prophets to life in a way that will be a help to those who teach or preach God’s Word.
He gives us a General Introduction for the three prophets in the first 40 pages. The section on Historical Context was superb and really made clear how the times fit in to these prophet’s messages. He also gave us an overview of the methodical approaches to the prophets without dragging us into glassy-eyed boredom. Ever better, he easily dispatched some of the lunacy that somehow often derails the scholarly world.
After that Introduction, each prophet is tackled individually with its own Introduction and thorough commentary. After his own translation, he gives us notes on the text, form and structure, and comment. I found the comments very helpful. I felt I had a much better understanding of these three prophets after reading in this volume.
This commentary is a clear winner and I hope Mr. Petterson gets future commentary assignments 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.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
What a joy to see Hendrickson Publishers select this title for their new Classic Biography series in lovely bindings. The series aims to reprint the greatest biographies and this title qualifies as, perhaps, the best of its kind. I am at a loss to tell you just how extraordinary The Hiding Place really is. Beyond the timeless story, the book is well written and designed for easy reading. Teenagers to the aged need this book.
To think of a simple, God-fearing family of watchmakers in the Netherlands and then watch this same family rise to the heights of faith and action when the Nazis overran their simple existence is a spiritual journey for every reader.
After the background of their lives is vividly set in an economy of words, the story of their work in the Underground to rescue persecuted Jews with all its twists is given. Had the story ended there it would have been a testament of love, sacrifice, and dedication.
But the story did not end there. They were arrested. The father died. The first prison seemed terrible until you read of the next one. This is when faith and a growing closeness to Christ really rose and becomes a challenge for every Christian reader.
The last prison was a city of horrors, but they found a way to trust the Lord and serve Him in an amazing way. The also saw the Lord do things that were truly miraculous in the midst of their incredible suffering. Getting the Word in each prison shows how the Lord reaches out to those who turn to Him. That Word sustained them just as the Lord promises it would.
They learned how to see the Lord’s hand and be thankful for it, all the way down to the fleas (read it, you will see). The sickly, broken Betsy faced death as the victor that in Christ she truly was.
This story is not merely moving biography, nor even inspiration. No, it is one of the greatest challenges of faith you will ever lay your hands on. Truly, one of the greatest Christian books of all time!
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.
Jeremiah and Lamentations (TOTC) by Lalleman
The Tyndale Commentary series, published by IVP, continues its revision in this successful replacement volume for Jeremiah and Lamentations. In fact, this volume is superior to the R. K. Harrison volume it replaces–if for no other reason, it gives us 373 pages to 240. The longest of the Prophets needed those extra pages for sure.
There are fine, succinct Introductions for both Jeremiah and Lamentations. The section on historical background was well done and fits Jeremiah into Israel’s history, as well as international influences. His life and ministry covered the final dark days of a people who had little time left for the Lord all the way through their overthrow and subsequent captivity. This history explains the hard words we often find here and makes more poignant the promises of restoration.
Their is only a little talk of redaction as the author lands on the text as we have it for commentary purposes. This is far superior and spares us the endless speculation some commentaries are compelled to encumber us with. There are other helpful discussions: the key word “turn”, how “falsehood” in false prophets is a recurring theme, and suffering which hits prophet and people alike. Finally, the New Covenant and Jeremiah in the New Testament finish out the helpful introduction.
The commentary proper offers thoughtful help. Perhaps you will still find some passages with less commentary than you wished, but that is likely only because Jeremiah is so long. Still, you will find it worth consulting.
In my opinion, this commentary is not quite as good as another commentary published by IVP and aimed at a similar audience, “The Message of Jeremiah” by Christopher Wright. Still, multiple helps on Jeremiah are so beneficial, and at this price how could you go wrong? 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.
The Reagan Review 