Category Archives: Books

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In Need of a Good Commentary?

We just wrapped up a ten-month series in Mark and will soon move on, Lord willing, to a study of Job. And so I find myself in a grand stage of sermon prep when hefty shipments of commentaries land on the doorstep.

Nothing shakes the book budget like starting a new sermon series, for good commentaries are no cheap addition to one’s library. Discerning which resources are worth the cash money can be difficult for preachers young and old. Thus, it is always good to have a few friends on speed dial when deciding on which commentaries to purchase. Here are a few companions I have found most helpful:

COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES

9780801039911mOld Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman. Even though Longman has, in the past decade, gone too far in questioning things like the historicity of Adam his survey of OT resources is still quite useful. The publisher says, “The fifth edition has been updated to assess the most recently published commentaries, providing evaluative comments. Longman lists a number of works available for each book of the Old Testament, gives a brief indication of their emphases and viewpoints, and evaluates them.”

9780801039904mNew Testament Commentary Survey by D.A. Carson. Carson’s survey is an absolute must have for every pastor. Exactly how the man continues to publish individual works, teach, preach, and still stay up to date on the most recent works published on each NT book is beyond me. The man is, flat out, a gospel-drenched machine. If you are soon to preach a series on any New Testament book, buy Carson’s survey before you purchase anything else.

Keith Mathison’s Top 5 Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible. Mathison is academic dean and professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College. He is author of many books, including From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology and a personal favorite on the Lord’s Supper entitled, Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. A few years ago he started a series of posts over at Ligonier on the top five commentaries on particular books of the Bible and I find myself rarely disagreeing with his assessments. If you are looking for quick hit, trustworthy recommendations Mathison is a fantastic friend to consult.

Challies’ Best Commentaries on Each Book of the Bible. Challies writes, “Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.” His focus, admittedly, is on recent publications, but it is nonetheless helpful in synthesizing the various recommendations of conservative evangelical scholars. Very useful.

Commenting & Commentaries by Spurgeon. If you’ve never used it before, spend some time with Commenting and Commentaries for two reasons: 1) Spurgeon will point you to valuable and lesser known commentaries from centuries gone by, and 2) his remarks are pointing and often funny. Consider what he says about Caryl’s infamous work on Job, “Caryl must have inherited the patience of Job to have completed his stupendous task (it took Caryl over twenty years to get through the book). It would be a mistake to suppose that he is at all prolix or redundant; he is only full. In the course of his expounding he has illustrated a very large portion of the whole Bible with great clearness and power. He is deeply devotional and spiritual. He gives us much, but none too much. His work can scarcely be superseded or surpassed.”

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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

9780802422996mReverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People by Jonathan Leeman. Two years ago I read this book and loved it. Two years and one re-read later I love it even more. Leeman fully understands the sufficiency of Scripture for the life of God’s people and communicates with winsome clarity. His imagery of the word going out from the pulpit and then reverberating through the church’s conversation, conduct, and mission is excellent. The book serves church leaders well as it gives consistent application for how a church runs and worships. Reverberation will help any Christan appreciate the power of God’s word to grow His church, and is one of the best discipling tools a pastor can have in his arsenal.

Big GodBig God: How to Approach Suffering, Spread the Gospel, Make Decisions and Pray in the Light of a God Who Really is in the Driving Seat of the World by Orlando Saer. I picked up this book based on the glowing recommendation of Mark Dever and, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed.  Expectations were too high I guess. I do love Saer’s intent: show how a big God (read: a God sovereign over all things) relates to our suffering, evangelism, and prayer. Yet, in spite of having content utterly grounded in Scripture, I found the book – on the whole – to be rather verbose (as the subtitle bears out). The wordiness of Big God is largely due to the overabundance of illustrations. I would have like to see him trim down the anecdotes so that the rich truth he offers doesn’t get muddied in the process.

9781433541766mWomen of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin. This is a good book. A really good book. As a pastor who has seen how often women’s Bible studies can do everything but study the Bible, I deeply resonate with Wilkin’s attempt to restore a rich place to digging deep into Scripture. She rightly says, “I believe there is nothing more transformative to our lives than beholding God in his Word” (18). The book aims to help women by first reorienting what Bible study is: God before me, and mind before heart. She then offers the five-step method of studying with purpose, perspective, patience, process, and prayer. To continue the alliteration scheme, Women of the Word is at times profound, regularly pithy and practical, so pick up and read!

The FarmThe Farm by Tom Rob Smith. I enjoyed Smith’s “Child-44 Trilogy” enough to quickly move on to his most recent novel. The Farm represents a sharp departure from Smith’s previous three books as the book consists almost entirely of one character’s recounting seminal events; a la Flynn’s recent blockbuster. The book begins with a Londoner named Daniel getting a strange visit from his mother, Tilde, unexpectedly returned from a Swedish farm. With terror and purpose Tilde proceeds to explain a labyrinthine tale about life on the farm involving sex trafficking, poison and, yes, murder. At some point in the discourse Daniel’s father calls to say, “Everything your mother believes is a lie.” And so the reader is left trying to discern what parts of Tilde’s fanciful account are true, mistaken perceptions, or outright lies.

Structuring a thriller like this is terrifyingly difficult, and Smith has a hard time with it. The book is strongest when Smith evokes the beauty and menace of rural Sweden; his skill at giving readers a sense of place is what made the Child-44 novels so compelling. Yet, as 75% of the book occupied with Tilde’s narration, the book was always going to rise or fall on her monologue. I guess it’s only fitting that her monologue feel less than lucid.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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Book to Look For

9781433543500Good books are vital friends in pastoral ministry. I hope you need no convincing on this point.

I am a firm believer that a the majority of a pastor’s reading, outside of Scripture saturation, ought to be of those books published long ago. Yet, we need to pay attention to recent publications for two reasons: 1) these are the books our members are more likely to read, and 2) many new books are outstanding resources for edification.

Case in point: Greg Gilbert’s 2010 book What is the Gospel? It’s a model of brevity and clarity on matters of first importance. If ever there was a recent publication worthy of finding its way into your church’s bookstore and discipling ministry, Gilbert’s work on the gospel is one of them.

So it is with high expectation I await the publication of his next book, Who is Jesus? Here’s what Crossway has to say about it:

About Who Is Jesus?

A famed historian once noted that, regardless of what you think of him personally, Jesus Christ stands as the central figure in the history of Western civilization. A man violently rejected by some and passionately worshipped by others, Jesus remains as polarizing as ever. But most people still know very little about who he really was, why he was really here, or what he really claimed. Intended as a succinct introduction to Jesus’s life, words, and enduring significance, Who Is Jesus? offers non-Christians and new Christians alike a compelling portrait of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, this book encourages readers to carefully consider the history-shaping life and extraordinary teachings of the greatest man who ever lived.

Table of Contents

  1. What Do You Think?
  2. An Extraordinary Man, and Then Some
  3. King of Israel, King of Kings
  4. The Great “I AM”…
  5. …Is One of Us
  6. The Triumph of the Last Adam
  7. Lamb of God, Sacrifice for Man
  8. Resurrected and Reigning Lord

    A Final Word: Who Do You Say He Is?

It’s due to drop on January 31st, so you’ll have to wait half a year. Given Gilbert’s recent track record, I’m sure this will be a book you’ll want to buy and distribute with great liberality.

Tolle lege!

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5 Theses About God’s Word

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Jonathan Leeman’s Reverberation just might be the best recent publication you haven’t heard of. Carl Trueman, whose endorsement is never glib, is right to say, “This book . . . should be read by pastors, elders, and, indeed, church members.”

Leeman’s burden is to show that “one thing is necessary in our churches – hearing God’s Word through preaching, reading, singing, and praying.” The book powerfully illustrates how the ministry of the Word begins in the pulpit and then reverberates throughout the life of the church as members echo back that word to each other in the ordinary elements of life.

5 RELIABLE STATEMENTS

Before unpacking the more practical realities of the life of the word in the life of the church Leeman offers “five statements that will be foundational for everything else in this book.” Theology before doxology is oh so right.

Because every pastor needs to continually remind himself that God’s word is sufficient for all faith and life – even the growth of a church – consider the five theses along with some choice quotes.

1. God’s Word is an Extension of God. “To hear His words that comprise the whole Bible is to hear Him. To obey His words is to obey Him. To ignore His words is to ignore Him.” “You can measure a person’s opinion of God by his or her opinion of God’s word. That’s why a person who loves God loves His word, and the person who hates God rejects what God has spoken. God’s word is an extension of Himself – His identity, purposes, affections, and power.”

2. God Acts through His Word. “God acts when He speaks. He acts in three ways: He creates, He sustains, and He both establishes and breaks relationships.”

3. God Acts through His Word by His Spirit.“God’s words have power because they move by God’s spirit and do exactly what the Spirit wishes.” “There is no greater power a church has at its disposal than preaching the Father’s Word of the Son working through the Spirit.”

4. God’s Word and Spirit Act Together Efficaciously. “Combined, the Word and Spirit make a difference.” “God’s word does not merely impart information; it creates life. It’s not only descriptive; it’s effective. It produces worship, obedience, communion, and disciples.”

5. God Speaks through Human Preachers and Human Words.“When sending seventy-two disciples out to preach, Jesus tells them, ‘The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). “God’s Word, working through God’s Spirit, is the most powerful force in the universe and in the church. Father, Son, and Spirit wonderfully conspire to pour forth their power through speech, to accomplish their single will through words.”

MINISTERS OF WHAT?

Dear pastor, remember what you are: a minister of the word. The Word that is able, in and of itself, to creates, sustain, and empower your church’s ministry. Give yourself over to the study of this word. Wash your congregation with the water of God’s word . . . and watch it grow.

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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

9780851510859mRobert Murray M’Cheyne by Andrew Bonar. I guess every pastor has their favorite, stirring figure from church history. For the longest time I thought Jonathan Edwards was mine. But am beginning to think Mr. M’Cheyne may prove to be the captain of my All-Star Church History team. His good friend Andrew Bonar surely occupies a central place in making M’Cheyene’s life and ministry prominent in evangelicalism. It’s been five years since I last read about the life and ministry of the holy Scotsman, and I am glad I took up once again. The Spirit seems pleased to use M’Cheyne’s passion for holiness and the conversion of souls in uniquely challenging ways. An excellent book!

indexGod’s Polished Arrow: W.C. Burns; Revival Preacherby Michael McMullen. I came across this book in a footnote in David Beaty’s An All-Surpassing Fellowship. Burns was the 24-year-old preacher M’Cheyne called on to occupy his pulpit during the exploratory to Israel. Said to have have a stronger voice than even Spurgeon, God reigned revival down on M’Cheyne’s congregation through Burns. Eventually Burns became a missionary to China and was a close friend of Hudson Taylor. His is a fascinating life forgotten to history. McMullen must be commended for resurrecting the story of Burns for the 21st century. God’s Polished Arrow includes McMullen’s 130 page biography of Burns as well as journal extracts, letters, and sermon notes.

0802837344mThe Gospel According to Mark by James Edwards. Lord willing, tomorrow night we finish up a sermon series on Mark at IDC and while I consulted many different commentaries throughout, I only read a few cover to cover. Edwards’ work in the Pillar series was, by far and away, my favorite resource. His work with original sources and languages is appropriately done; his application pointed, and at times, masterful; and his conclusions sound. If you are preaching through Mark and don’t have this one, buy a copy today. If you plan to preach through Mark in the near future, make sure this work occupies a prominent place during your series.

Here are the other resources on Mark I read in their entirety:

  • The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Mark by Wessel and Strauss. A lucid commentary that doesn’t unnecessarily belabor points. Solid on application as well, especially in the earlier chapters of Mark.
  • Let’s Study Mark by Sinclair Ferguson. If Ferguson has published a work on the particular book I am preaching through I will always get it. Like all the volumes in the Let’s Study Series, this one is pithy and pointed.
  • Mark by RC Sproul. Like Ferguson, if Sproul has a book on it, I will buy it. He is particularly strong on historical context and etymology. For a homiletical commentary, it’s lacking in application and implication.
  • Expository Thoughts on Mark by JC Ryle. Not as good as his Thoughts on John, but his comments are welcome in their warm brevity.

child 44Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. What a book! The pages turn quite rapidly in this thriller set in the Soviet Union of the 1950s. It’s so good that one can hardly believe this is Smith’s first offering as a published author. It’s the first of a trilogy involving a Russian security officer named Leo Demidov, a man growing increasingly disenfranchised with the Stalinist machine of which he is a part. When he uncovers a series of serial murders he is forced out of his job and left, only with the aid his wife, uncover the truth behind the murder – a crime not even recognized in the Soviet motherland. Eventually the reader finds how who the killer is, but a delightful game of, “Why did he do it ensues?” Sometimes the “why did he do it” is more enjoyable than the “who did it” twist. Read for the thrills and let the historical portrait of Cold War Russia sweep you away.

Secret SpeechThe Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith. While not as enthralling as Child 44, the second book in Smith’s Russia trilogy is still a moving portrait of the fear and personal angst that so many experienced in the Cold War Soviet states. I was delighted to find Khrushchev famous “Secret Speech” play such a pivotal – and titular – role. The reader is swept all way from Moscow, to Siberian gulags, and then to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. These books aren’t properly “historical fiction,” but they sure would fit the bill. I didn’t find the antagonist terribly believable, but the emotional angst of Demidov’s adopted daughter seeking his life is oh so compelling. On to book three . . .

Agent 6Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith. You have to give Mr. Smith some credit with this trilogy for his doesn’t fall into predictability or conformity. No two books are alike. Agent 6 beautifully highlights his dexterity. One day in New York City consumed the book’s first half, then the next two scenes jump the reader in time across 15 years and millions of miles as the Afghanistan replaces the US. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan thus becomes the perfect backdrop on which Demidov’s depression and pain can boil over. The book’s ending left, at least for me, much to be desired as the truth lurking in the shadows was apparent early on. Thus, the “reveal” was less than revelatory. The Demidov books are a  fantastically enjoyable series all around, and thankfully are free from the “salacious”. Excellent read.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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Reading for Preaching

Saving-EutychusI’ve heard many preachers offer some variation on this comment, “Don’t read books on preaching, just listen to good preaching.”

And that’s sound advice for sure. Because certain aspects of good preaching can be taught, but so much of it is caught. Thus, the best thing young and aspiring preachers can do is regularly sit under sound preaching. This is even one reason why pastors ought not fill the pulpit every single week, for they too need to sit and be sharpened. Listening to podcasts or mp3s is all fine and dandy, but it is still no replacement for the visual event of preaching.

YET, ONE COMES ALONG WORTH READING

Every once in a while, however, a book comes along on the topic of preaching and it falls into the “must read” category. For me, those books usually are not methodologies of preaching nor theologies of preaching1, they are better categorizes as “experiences of preaching.” These books come from seasoned pastors who have the correct principles of preaching in place, but the bulk of the work offers up practices for consideration. How do you prepare a sermon? Structure a sermon? Deal with discouragement in preaching?

One recent book worthy of any preacher’s attention is Gary Millar and Phil Campbell’s Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake.

As a rule of thumb, if D.A. Carson endorses a book, you need to pay attention. His recommendations are few and thoughtful. Consider what he says about Saving Eutychus:

I have read books on how to make sure your sermon is interesting, and I have read books on how to make sure your sermon is faithful to the text, but this book wants your sermon to be both. If I could, I would make this little book mandatory reading for seminarians everywhere, and then urge them to read it a couple more times during the course of their ministry. It avoids cutesy and manipulative suggestions, and makes its practical points while urging integrity, faithfulness, and imagination. Many books on preaching are published every year; this one is a ‘must.’

PUT IT INTO YOUR SHOPPING CART

Filled with humor and immediately employable wisdom, I can’t see how any preacher wouldn’t benefit greatly from this book. I found it so compelling and challenging that my prayers before preaching regularly include a petition that God would “save Eutychus.” We need more preaching books like this one.

If you haven’t read it yet, make sure to buy a copy today.

  1. Yet, such books are valuable. Click here to see my post “3 Books Every Pastor Should Read: On Preaching.” ↩
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A Series Worth Serious Investment: Vol. 3

Pastors and Reading

Among the many words one can use to describe D.A. Carson “prolific” is quite a good one.

This servant of God has published standard commentaries on Matthew and John, a perennial bestseller in the seminaries, a slim volume every pastor should own, and as good a book on prayer as you will find.

A MAGISTERIAL SERIES IN THE MAKING

What some people don’t know however is that Carson is in the midst of editing a marvelous series published by IVP titled New Studies in Biblical Theology. The series’ aim is to

. . . address key issues in the discipline of biblical theology. Contributions to the series focus on one or more of three areas: (1) the nature and status of biblical theology, including its relations with other disciplines (e.g. historical theology, exegesis, systematic theology, historical criticism, narrative theology); (2) the articulation and exposition of the structure of thought of a particular biblical writer or corpus; and (3) the delineation of a biblical theme across all or part of the biblical corpora.

Above all, these monographs are creative attempts to help thinking Christians understand their Bibles better. The series aims simultaneously to instruct and to edify, to interact with the current literature, and to point the way ahead.

If you’ve got the ability to do so, buy the whole set of 26 (more are on the way) over at WTS Books and get reading. If not, here are few individual titles well worth your money and study.1

A PLACE TO START

0830826157Dominion and Dynasty: A Study in Old Testament Theology by Stephen Dempster. Christian theologians rarely study the Old Testament in its final Hebrew canonical form, even though this was very likely the Bible used by Jesus and the early church. However, once read as a whole, the larger structure of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) provides a “wide-angle lens” through which its contents can be viewed.

In this stimulating exposition, Stephen G. Dempster argues that, despite its undoubted literary diversity, the Hebrew Bible possesses a remarkable structural and conceptual unity. The various genres and books are placed within a comprehensive narrative framework which provides an overarching literary and historical context. The many texts contribute to this larger text, and find their meaning and significance within its story of “dominion and dynasty,” which ranges from Adam to the Son of Man to David, and to a coming Davidic king.

0830826114mSalvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission by Andreas Kostenberger and Peter O’Brien. Few biblical topics are as important as mission. Mission is linked inextricably to humanity’s sinfulness and need for redemption, and to God’s provision of salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This “good news” of salvation must be made known! The saving mission of Jesus constitutes the foundation for Christian mission, and the Christian gospel is its message. According to Andreas Köstenberger and Peter O’Brien, this significant theme has rarely been given its due attention in biblical theology.

Motivated by their passion to see God’s mission carried out in today’s world, they offer a comprehensive study of the theme of mission. In Salvation to the Ends of the Earth they explore the entire sweep of biblical history, including the Old Testament, the second-temple period, each New Testament Gospel, Paul and his writings, and the General Epistles and Revelation.

9780830826018mPossessed by God: A New Testament Theology of Sanctification and Holiness by David Peterson. David Peterson challenges the common assumption that the New Testament views sanctification as primarily a process. He argues that its emphasis falls upon sanctification as a definitive event, “God’s way of taking possession of us in Christ, setting us apart to belong to him and to fulfill his purpose for us.” Simply to identify sanctification with growth and holiness, he contends, obscures the emphasis and balance of New Testament teaching and creates unrealistic expectations.  Throughout this study Peterson builds his case on the careful exegesis of relevant passages, with a keen eye for the pastoral implications of his findings.

0830826181mTemple and the Church’s Mission: Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God by G.K. Beale. In this comprehensive study, G. K. Beale argues that the Old Testament tabernacle and temples were symbolically designed to point to the end-time reality that God’s presence, formerly limited to the Holy of Holies, would be extended throughout the cosmos. Hence, John’s vision in Revelation 21 is best understood as picturing the new heavens and earth as the eschatological temple.

Beale’s stimulating exposition traces the theme of the tabernacle and temple across the Bible’s story-line, illuminating many texts and closely-related themes along the way. He shows how the significance and symbolism of the temple can be better understood in the context of ancient Near Eastern assumptions, and offers new insights into the meaning of the temple in both Old and New Testaments.

0830826211mShepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible by Timothy Laniak. Most of Israel’s pastoral imagery is grounded in two traditions: Moses as God’s under-shepherd and David as shepherd-king. These traditions, explains author Timothy S. Laniak, provided prototypes for leaders that followed, and formed the background for the ministry of Jesus, the good shepherd. The pastoral role was central to the ongoing life of local churches in the Christian movement, and today’s pastors are still called to be shepherds after God’s own heart, to lead his people, living on the margins of settled society, to their eternal home.

In this excellent study, Laniak draws on a wide range of Old and New Testament texts to develop the biblical theology of “shepherd” imagery, and concludes with some principles and implications for contemporary pastoral ministry. A wonderful resource for pastors, teachers and seminary students, as well as readers interested in the study of biblical imagery.

Click here to see previous entries in the “A Series Worth Serious Investment” series.

  1. All following descriptions are taken from the publisher. ↩
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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

BeatyAn-All Surpassing Fellowship: Learning from Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Communion with God by David Beaty. Of all the figures I’ve learned from in church history none has been more pivotal than the young Scotsman named M’Cheyne. So I’ll grant that I’m unusually predisposed to love this book. But, oh what a book it is! I can’t remember the last time I read a new publication and was this affected; tears of gratitude and repentance came from almost every chapter. Beaty is to be commended for simultaneously giving us a masterful biography of M’Cheyne and an unbelievably accessible portrait of his communion with God. Choice selections from original works, letters, sermon, and poems occupy almost every page and Beaty manages to offer it up with cohesive eloquence; a difficult feat from what I suspect is originally his D. Min. dissertation. This book now occupies an exclusive shelf in my study, the “Read at Least Once a Year” shelf.

TurleyHeart to Heart: Octavius Winslow’s Experimental Preaching by Tanner Turley. Do you know who Spurgeon invited to preach the inaugural sermon at The Metropolitan Tabernacle? Octavius Winslow. He was a giant of 19th century England, but is largely forgotten today. Turley – and Reformation Heritage Books – has done the church a favor in publishing his Ph.D. on the experimental preaching of Winslow. Not only is this work a useful introduction to a spiritual giant of centuries gone by, but a fabulous introduction to a philosophy of preaching neglected today: experimental preaching. Joel Beeke, one of the foremost experimental, or “experiential”, preachers of our time defines this philosophy as preaching that “addresses the vital manner of how a Christian experiences the truth of Christian doctrine in his life.” Turley argues for the following eight characteristics of Winslow’s preaching: doctrine, Christ-centeredness, discrimination, interrogation, illustration, persuasion, and exhortation. Although I found the treatment to be somewhat anachronistic in places,1 I believe any preacher today would profit from its salient points.

HastingsAll Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945 by Max Hastings. Sir Max is, for me at least, somewhat of a maddeningly brilliant historian. Every work of his I’ve read possesses pointed reflection and countless individual stories that give the events of old a movingly personal dimension. Hence, the brilliance. Yet, those same works also seem strikingly slim on cohesion of narrative. And All Hell Let Loose is no different. The whole book seems to operate in the following fashion: historical statement, summary, or insight followed by a personal vignette of said history. Rinse and repeat the process for hundreds of pages. Hence, the maddening part of his brilliance. I have Hasting’s Winston’s War on my shelf and it’s crying for attention. It remains to be seen if the first prong of his “maddening brilliance” will keep me away for a while, of if the latter facet will lead me to open it up next week.

Natchez BurningNatchez Burning by Greg Iles. Before picking up this book I had only read one Greg Iles book and it didn’t go so well. But when Stephen King proclaims a book to be “extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful; I defy you to start it and find a way to put it down,” I feel my literary senses challenged to a duel I cannot refuse. So I bought the book. And Mr. King’s superlative defiance is well founded, this book is marvelous. Natchez Burning is set against the dark racial tensions of Mississippi in the 1960s, tensions that span all the way into 2005 when the protagonist’s father is accused of murder. The murder sets in motion a series of events that the last four decades have managed to suppress; a series of events Iles plans to cover in a projected trilogy (with Natchez Burning being the first volume). I’m still astounded how Iles leaves most of the plot lines open, but resolves just enough of the storyline to not offend the reader’s need for some finality. It took Iles five years to write this book and I can only hope the trilogy’s second offering arrives much, much sooner.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

  1. For example, the employment and citation of Paul Tripp’s language of behavior modification versus heart transformation is out of place. Would Winslow agree with this rubric of sanctification? Most definitely. But such imposition of modern categories on older divines is, in a word, anachronistic. ↩
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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

0851514510mSpurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore. Tomorrow night I hope to preach a biographical sermon on the Prince so I reread Dallimore’s work in preparation. This simply is the finest introduction to the great Spurgeon. The prose flows nicely and while the book consistently celebrates the great preacher, Dallimore manages to steer clear of hagiography. Pithy quotations  and lively stories saturate the work, making almost every page “edifyingly readable.” After reading Dallimore, I’d move on to Lewis Drummond’s The Prince of Preachers, and then feast on Spurgeon’s magisterial two-volume autobiography. Tolle lege!

9781433528170mCovenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith by Scott Oliphint. I find Oliphint to be one of the most underrated theologians and apologists of our time. Lord willing, this latest book will broaden his exposure. Covenantal Apologetics is Oliphint’s effort to recast what has been traditionally categorized as presuppositional apologetics into something more easily explained and practiced. And I believe he succeeds. The overwhelming strength of Oliphint’s approach is how he roots persuasion (apologetics) in the Triune God’s self-revelation in Christ. His ten tenets of the covenantal approach are sound and cogent, and the sample dialogues go a long way in helping readers understand how to put their faith into practice. I still think Frame’s Apologetics to the Glory of God is the best introduction to the presuppositional approach, so I’d start there and then move on to Oliphint’s excellent volume.

DissolutionDissolution by CJ Sansom. I love historical fiction and regularly scour Amazon to find the latest and the greatest. So it was a couple weeks ago that I came across CJ Sansom and his Matthew Shardlake series. Set in 16th century Tudor England, specifically 1537, Dissolution vividly portrays a country divided between the Roman Catholic Church and newly established Church of England. The novel is fast-paced as Shardlake, a lawyer in the employ of vicar general Thomas Cromwell, is sent to investigate the murder of a royal commissioner at a monastery on the south coast. Shardlake is a fascinating character, a hunchback whom Sansom paints with a brilliantly human brush, and the lawyer uncovers all sorts of darkness in the religious institutions of the day. Sansom clearly is a gifted historian and writer, two skill sets not often brought together. PD James is right to call Dissolution a “remarkable debut.”

The TargetThe Target by Baldacci. Baldacci is, for me at least, the quintessence of “dessert” reading. You can’t survive on it alone, but it sure tastes good in moderation. The Target is Baldacci’s most recent publication and thankfully it comes in his Will Robie series, arguably my favorite character in his voluminous corpus. Robie teams up with Jessica Reel, they are becoming quite a formidable pair, for a dangerous mission sanctioned by POTUS in North Korea. Baldacci weaves this mission together with another storyline involving an old enemy of Reel, which I found more compelling than the North Korea business. While the two narratives coincide, the book’s pace is rapid. Once Reel’s old enemy disappears the book feels as though it coasts to the end. I’ve consumed much Baldacci dessert this spring and the tastiness of this dessert is become stale. Time to move on for a while.

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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title. 

9781433531316mGod in the Whirlwind: How the Holy-Love of God Reorients Our World by David Wells. What a book. After years of constructive deconstruction of modern evangelicalism in the west Wells charts a path forward for faithfulness. Wells convincingly argues that what churches must rediscover is an understanding of God’s “holy-love” (the hyphen is very important). The book’s final paragraph sums it all up quite brilliantly:

Today, we need a fresh vision of God and his character of holy-love. Our understanding of his greatness gets worn down, sometimes worn out, by the constant rubbing against our highly modernized life. It is this vision, though, this knowing of God, that puts steel into spines and fire into Christian hearts. When we are God-centered in our thoughts, God-fearing in our hearts, when we see with clarity what his character of holy-love is like, he begins to have weight in our lives. When that happens we become, not just occasional visitors to the eternal, but its permanent residents, its citizens. And that is when the church becomes more than just another organization but, in fact, the outpost of eternity in this wounded world. May the church indeed be all that it is in Christ, so that through its life the glory of God will be seen anew in all its splendor! (242)

Amen.

9781433539565mCalvin on the Christian Life: Glorifying God and Enjoying Him Forever by Michael Horton. The latest entry into Crossway’s “Theologians on the Christian Life” is a marvelous introduction to the Genevan reformer. What Mark Beach did for the Institutes Horton does for all of Calvin’s corpus. Horton wisely devotes careful attention to Calvin’s doctrine, for the Geneva reformer had not place for a dichotomy between doctrine and life. I do think that Horton’s Escondido emphases come through in his discussions on justification, union with Christ, and two kingdoms. Reader will notice a conspicuous rise of Luther footnotes in these sections. Nevertheless, if you are looking for an imminently readable and practical introduction to Reformed faith and practice, this is great place to start.

1914Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War by Max Hastings. With this year being the centenary of World War I’s outbreak, I have purposed to read several works on The Great War. Fascination with The War to End All Wars is not nearly as pronounced in our country as it is over in Europe and my historical reading has reflected such a reality. I have read dozens of books on World War II, but – as best I can tell – have only read two on the preceding catastrophe. And that is an apt title for Hastings most recent volume. The acclaimed Hasting hand on history is visible for all to see: penetrating analysis, moving personal accounts, and thoughtful questioning of the status quo. I do think, however, like many of Sir Max’s other books, this book has a penchant for so filling the narrative with personal recollections that the overall flow becomes disjointed. This may prove to be one the best publications in year filled with offerings on World War I.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.