Book Reviews
Recommended Books (Winter 2023)
Arctic storms, shortened daylight hours, and rainy/snowy weather forces us indoors during the cold winter months. Even as we appreciate and enjoy the austerity of this time of year, it also encourages us to look forward to spring and resurrection. So, as we fill the longer nights with family activities and time indoors, we have great opportunities to reach for new books. Below, you will find reading suggestions from our group that come from a wide range of disciplines and topics. We think these selections will be great for personal and family...
read moreRecommended Books (Autumn 2022)
Every generation undoubtedly feels a sense of dislocation, but the world seems to be growing increasingly strange. The old liberal order fashioned in the nineteenth century and bludgeoned horribly during the twentieth appears to be tottering in the early twenty-first—wars in Europe, spasmodic breakdown of social order in major cities in the West and East, COVID-19 and the ensuing social chaos and governmental overreach, and economic instability. As a result, it is tempting sometimes to be consumed with the present crises, emotionally tied to...
read moreReview of God in Eternity and Time: A New Case for Human Freedom by Robert E. Picirilli
In this succinct yet erudite work, Robert E. Picirilli brings a fresh perspective to the age-old debate regarding divine sovereignty and human freedom. That debate, as Picirilli views it, is often predicated “on the concept of God as formulated in metaphysical philosophy rather than on God as he reveals himself in the biblical narrative, mutually influencing and being influenced by the race of human beings he made to bear, or be, his image.”[1] Consequently, theologians often read the Bible through the lens of whatever philosophical...
read moreRecommended Books (Summer 2022)
As summer comes to a close and last-minute vacations are squeezed in before the school year begins, we would like to take time to recommend some of our favorite reads from recent months. Below, you will find offerings from a wide range of disciplines and topics. These suggestions reflect our various interests and concerns that we think you might share with us. Please leave us your favorite reads in the comment section. ____________________ Paul F. Bradshaw and Maxwell E. Johsnon, The Eucharistic Liturgies: Their Evolution and Interpretation...
read more40 Questions About Arminianism by J. Matthew Pinson (Kregel Academic, 2022)
Reviewed by Dustin Walters In 40 Questions About Arminianism, author J. Matthew Pinson[1] has written a “survey of Arminianism that is more didactic than polemical, but which every reader will see engages at times in hard-edged debate” with scholars from differing perspectives.[2] This book examines “what brings all Arminians together” and is biblically, historically, and doctrinally satisfying.[3] Some might wonder why issues over doctrine matter in an age when Christians should seek unity to advance the gospel. Doctrinal debates are...
read moreRecommended Books (Spring 2022)
Beautiful days are back! Spring has sprung in most areas of the country, and we are all excited about the possibility of getting outside and soaking up some wonderful vitamin D. However, we should not let the outside lead us away from sharpening our minds and spirits through good books. Below you will find a collection of reading material that we have found beneficial. We hope you will find some to place on your reading list for the coming months. If you have a good recommendation, please leave us a comment. ____________________ D. G. Hart,...
read moreGlimmers of Grace: A Doctor’s Reflections on Faith, Suffering, and the Goodness of God
For the past few years I have been training to be a professional chaplain in a medical setting. One training regimen involved exposure in a level 1 trauma center and behavioral health unit. In my current professional setting, I work in Hospice care where I spend each day in this liminal space of death and dying. The patients I currently see are required to have a terminal diagnosis; given natural disease progression, these patients have six months of life or less to live. These spaces and places, whether in an emergency room, behavioral...
read moreRecommended Books (Winter 2022)
At the start of the year, many people set goals to accomplish over the ensuing twelve months. Some enjoy preparing reading goals that push them to explore new areas of literature, review old classics, or discover new authors. Others simply set a number of books they intend to finish by year’s end. Keeping notes on your reading habits serves to encourage more intentional and consistent reading. Reading partners and book discussion groups are another great motivator for reading new books. The reflection and conversation that follows adds an...
read moreRecommended Books (Autumn 2021)
If you have not yet noticed, we are all very limited. Our wisdom flickers and fails constantly. Of course, the ultimate source of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, but we can also garner wisdom from observing the created order. It is especially helpful to consider the thinking of others who have devoted time to study subjects with which we are unfamiliar. Even authors who write on topics with which we are expertly familiar offer new and interesting perspectives that help us to refine our understanding of the world that God has created. Below...
read moreReflecting on Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga
Sometimes people ask you about your favorite this or favorite that: your favorite color or animal or food or movie or book. For my part I hesitate to answer in such superlative terms because I like all kinds of things. Additionally, the identification of a favorite anything creates heightened expectations in others’ imaginations upon which reality cannot deliver. We have this experience when everyone you know says, “That movie is great,” but then, upon seeing it, you respond with “meh.” This experience is not a big deal for things that lack...
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