Book Reviews
What’s All the Fuss About “The Benedict Option”?
by Christa Hill with Matthew Steven Bracey For several years now, Rod Dreher, prominent conservative thinker and journalist, has been talking about the Benedict Option. For nearly as long, several of Dreher’s critics and allies have not had a clear understanding of what exactly he is proposing. Finally, Dreher published The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation in 2017. In this 262-page volume, Dreher outlines what he believes to be the best way for Christians to preserve the faith in the midst of an...
read moreANYONE CAN BE SAVED: Book Review
by Richard E. Clark From General/Arminian to Particular/Calvinist, Baptists have struggled to locate themselves along the theological spectrum. Some have unsuccessfully tried to avoid the debate, labeling themselves Calminians.[1] Others, however, have attempted to escape the paradigm altogether and articulate a unique theological identity for themselves. Anyone Can Be Saved (Wipf & Stock, 2016) is a collection of essays expounding upon what is being referred to as “Traditional Southern Baptist soteriology.”[2] This book...
read moreRecommended Books (Spring 2017)
When the sweet showers of April have pierced The drought of March, and pierced it to the root, And every vein is bathed in that moisture Whose quickening force will engender the flower; And when the west wind too with its sweet breath Has given life in every wood and field To tender shoots, and when the stripling sun Has run his half-course in Aries, the Ram, And when small birds are making melodies, That sleep all the night long with open eyes, (Nature so prompts them, and encourages); Then people long to go on pilgrimages.[1] So begins one...
read moreThe Lost World of Genesis One: A Review
In 2009, IVP Academic published John H. Walton’s The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Walton is a professor at Wheaton College, teaching courses in Old Testament (OT), Hebrew, and archeology. He’s involved in numerous professional societies and has published extensively. Walton’s The Lost World—also the title of that second, less-than-stellar Jurassic Park film—has nothing to do with dinosaurs but concerns the ancient world of human origins. Overview The Lost World is divided into eighteen chapters, or...
read morePreaching: A Review
Mark Dever rightly notes, “Right preaching of God’s word is central to the church’s worship, forming its basis and core.”[1] It is the main role and responsibility of an elder of the local church to study and preach God’s Word. Paul tells young Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2) and to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The responsibility of preaching God’s truth from His Word is at the very heart of what it means to be a...
read moreDestroyer of the gods: A Review
Early Christians were strange people in the eyes of Roman citizens. That was due in large part to their distinctive practices. Larry Hurtado,[1] in his newest book Destroyer of the gods (Baylor University Press, 2016), presents a fascinating, two-fold argument. First, he contends that early Christian worship practices were markedly different from all other Roman religions, cults, and philosophical societies. Second, Hurtado argues that much of what comes to mind when we think of “religion” is a result of the influence of Christianity and was...
read moreRecommended Books (Winter 2017)
The New Year is always full of reading possibilities. If you’re like us, reading time comes at a premium and can’t be wasted on poor selections. Below are some of our favorite titles from the past quarter that we think were worth the time. Hopefully you’ll find some of your old favorites here and some new titles for consideration. Be sure to let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments section. ____________________ Christopher Ash, Zeal Without Burnout: Seven Keys to a Lifelong Ministry of Sustainable Sacrifice (UK: The Good Book...
read moreThe Family Life of the Christian Leader: A Book Review
Part of the task of the pastor is not only to mine out unfamiliar truths for his people, which is indispensable (Mt. 28:18-19; 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:16; Heb. 4:12), but also to call them to remember truths that they already knew to be true. Part of the human condition is that we suffer from a certain “spiritual amnesia,” forgetting the vital truths of God in our lives and regressing into the nature of our old self. Therefore, the pastor, empowered by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:6), should consistently call his flock to remember and refocus on the...
read moreTop Books of 2016
Preparing to enter into the new year includes taking stock of the preceding months—what went well, what did not. The same goes for our reading selections. When we looked back over the previous year’s publications, we found a few that were especially good and wanted to pass them along to you. A couple of our recommendations actually came out during the latter half of 2015, but we thought they were worthy of mentioning here. In addition, several contributors to the Helwys Society Forum were published this year. Matthew Steven Bracey and W....
read moreThe Promise of Arminian Theology: A Review
by Emily Vickery Growing up in the Free Will Baptist denomination, there were a few names I heard spoken often and with much respect. These were the names of our theologians, those who sought to explain and defend the tenets of our Reformed Arminian doctrines. One of these names was Mr. F. Leroy Forlines. In The Promise of Arminian Theology: Essays in Honor of F. Leroy Forlines (hereafter The Promise), published by Randall House Academic, the fifteen authors, well-acquainted with and influenced by Mr. Forlines’s personal and professional...
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