The Christianity that shapes our world today, was profoundly influenced by the Reformation — Roman Catholicism as much as evangelical Protestantism. For conservative evangelicals who prize the notion of sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), the Reformation represents a great restoration of the importance of Scripture and a revival of the true and saving doctrine of justification by faith on the basis of the merits of Christ alone, and by God’s free grace.

Any study of the Reformation does well to focus on the many documents and books written in that era. Some of the truly great Christian writings hail from that era. Luther’s commentary on Galations, and Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion deserve the attention of Christians of our own era as much as they shaped those in the midst of the Reformation. But there are scores of additional writings by other lesser known figures of that time, which do much to open our understanding of what actually was happening in that time, now nearly 500 years ago.

A Reformation Reader, edited by Denis Janz, brings these lesser known documents, and figures, to light. Zwingli’s Swiss Reformation work and writings; the Anabaptist movement and their writings – most notably the the Schleitheim Confession; and the English reformers Cranmer and Cromwell all are illuminated through Janz’s inclusion of key documents and insights into their role in the Reformation era. The context of the Reformation is made more vivid and clear by his inclusion of pre-Reformation Catholic authors and sentiments, and a discussion of the counter Reformation and the Catholic Council of Trent.

Janz introduces each section with a brief introduction to that segment of the Reformation. The pre-Reformation, Luther, Calvin, Swiss Reformation, Anabaptist movement, English Reformation and the counter Reformation movements are all represented. Janz brings up various scholarly disputes in how to interpret the Reformation. He does a good job staying neutral and explaining what the questions are. He presents documents that are able to challenge both viewpoints, and he encourages a study of the texts themselves.

This book includes a wide array of material. It certainly would serve well as a text book for covering the history of that era. The role of women in society in that day is explored alongside the other more typical theological disputes. Janz includes the writings of female characters throughout the book to serve that goal.

The book is more than a textbook, however. It provides a fascinating amount of material for the average Christian lay reader to explore. I enjoyed the historical perspective and the inclusion of many of the original writings of the key players in the Reformation. Most readers today don’t acquaint themselves with historical writings of that era, and so the selections from Calvin’s Institutes and Luther’s writings, for instance, allows for a first encounter with some of the key leaders in the Church’s history. It is hoped that this book will spur on its readers to desire a deeper reading of the classic writings of the Christian faith. I know it has done that for me.

I will point out just a few of the many interesting selections I enjoyed here. They are selections from Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, Erasmus’ The Abbot and the Learned Lady, some of the actual indulgences of the era of Luther, Luther’s 95 Theses, Luther’s Preface to the New Testament, Zwingli’s Of Freedom of Choice in the Selection of Food, Zwingli’s 67 Theses, the Anabaptist Schleitheim Confession, an autobiographical account of Calvin’s life, letters and judgment concerning Servetus, and Thomas Cranmer’s Preface to the Great Bible.

I highly recommend this book, and the study of this important time in Christian history. My thanks go out to James Pfeiffer of Augsburg Fortress Press for providing me with a review copy of this book at my request.

Be sure to pick up a copy of this book from Amazon.com or support a Christian retailer, Westminster Bookstore.  The link to Westminster’s store carries the product with a CD as well.

This review is availalbe in .pdf format.  You can see all my reviews on my blog, at Amazon.com, or at Goodreads.

The article I want to share with you all is entitled: “Don’t Retire; We Need You“.  In it, Alex challenges those of retirement age to invest themselves in the next generation through the context of their local church.  It’s a great challenge that all should consider.  Please read his article.

For more resources on this issue, I recommend Pastor John Piper’s booklet, Rethinking Retirment (Crossway).  Learn more about that book here, or download a .pdf of the booklet for free.

The post links to a chart describing the different groups within fundamentalism.  The chart goes on to describe a few groups within evangelicalism as well.  I’m always impressed by such charts, and the word “taxonomy” just sounds so smart.  No, actually, it really does help, especially for those who have changed from one category to another (as I have).

I am in general agreement with the chart as a whole, although there will probably be exceptions to the rule, and a few people listed that don’t fit exactly where they are listed on the chart.  I think it’s a helpful chart all in all, and wanted to point you to it.

Click here to find the chart (you can also save it, as it is a .pdf file).

The chart splits Fundamentalism up into 3 categories: Hyper Fundamentalism, Historic Fundamentalism, and New Image Fundamentalism.  Evangelicalism also finds itself a tripartite being: Evangelical Right, Broad Evangelicalism, and Evangelical Left.  Then there’s Neo-orthodoxy and Radical Non-orthodoxy.  Currently I find myself at times within the Evangelical Right category and at times in the New Image Fundamentalism category.

Let me know what you think, and be sure to read the next parts of Straub’s assessment of fundamentalism.

My thanks go out to Angie Cheatham and Michelle Bennett at Crossway for furnishing me with a review copy of this book.

In recent years, Evangelicalism has seen a number of challenges to the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. Chief among these have been new insights into the cultural and historical background of the Old Testament provided by newly found ancient Near Eastern sources (ANE for short). A recent turmoil was raised by a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary named Peter Enns who published a controversial book Inspiration and Incarnation. Eventually he was deemed to have violated the Westminster Confession of Faith in his views and was removed from his teaching post at Westminster.

In scholarly journals, G.K. Beale responded to Enns’ book and open questioning of the popular understanding of biblical inerrancy. Enns and Beale responded back and forth to each other in a series of journal articles, which in a slightly emended form make up the first four chapters of this book. I’m glad that G.K. Beale chose to put the discussion in a book for a wider Evangelical audience, as he has done us all a great favor. His book, The Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism: Responding to New Challenges to Biblical Authority addresses this issue head on and offers a confessionally faithful model of approaching ANE parallels to Scripture.

I must admit that when I began this book, I was skeptical of Beale’s position and open to what Enns had to say. By the end of the book, I realized that Enns had indeed erred, and that Beale represented a careful scholarly approach worthy of consideration. Still, the objection could be raised that Beale is making a mountain out of a molehill and is just interested in muddying Enns’ image, even as he threatens the scholarly Evangelical community with the same if they dare tip the sacred inerrancy cow. Such is not the case however. Let me allow Beale to explain his rationale for the book:

… most of the problems that [Enns] poses are not that hard to solve, though he gives the impression that they are difficult to square with a traditional view of inerrancy. Indeed, this is partly why I felt a burden to write the review (of Enns’ book) that I did. Instead of helping people in the church gain confidence in their Bibles, Enns’s book will likely shake that confidence—I think unnecessarily so. (pg. 66-67)

After laying out the issues, Beale jumps right in to the back and forth between Peter Enns and himself. He splits the discussion into two topics: recent OT studies’ developments and the study of the Old Testament in the New. For each he gives his rejoinders to Enns and Enns’ responses. While at times the back and forth leaves the typical reader dazed and confused (at times one feels like he’s looking over the various scholars’ shoulders or that the discussion is moving on too quickly to follow), key issues and main points are driven home through these first four chapters. Differing approaches to ANE myths and their implications for Genesis, and second Temple Judaistic hermeneutical principles and their bearing on our understanding of the New Testament are fleshed out.

After the various approaches are displayed through the back and forth of chapters 1-4, the book moves on to the unity of Isaiah as a case study. Will we trust the Bible’s witness to itself when it comes to Isaiah’s unity, or move with the scholarly winds and deny that which Jesus and the apostles appeared to assume? While Beale is a NT scholar, he handles the Isaiah question capably, referring to recent scholarly evangelical assessments on this point.

Beale then provides a fascinating discussion of Gen. 1 and a biblical cosmology model in the form of the universe as God’s temple. In this section, Beale really shines as he develops a compelling case for the tabernacle, Temple and indeed Eden and the universe as a whole as all being models of God’s true cosmic temple. This applies to the book in general because to understand Gen. 1-2 as a temple cosmology allows one to assimilate insights from ANE studies without defaulting to teaching that the early chapters of Genesis are intended to be taken as a myth.

Two appendices are also provided. One is a rather detailed discussion of postmodernism, epistemology and the like. The second is an exposition of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

This book is not for the average reader. Beale develops a case and brings you into the world of Biblical scholarship today. He explains how one can maintain a high view of Scripture and assimilate insights from scholarship successfully. He also warns of the dangers of forsaking inerrancy. I learned a ton in reading this book, but the part I enjoyed the most was when Beale left polemics aside and focused on a positive development of his cosmic temple idea concerning Gen. 1-2. Beale has written an entire book on that subject (The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God), and I’m interested in picking it up soon.

I recommend this book, but have to admit it was put together in a piecemeal fashion. Still it has great value and needs to be read by anyone interested in OT scholarship.

Be sure to pick up a copy of this book from Amazon.com or support one of these fine Christian retailers: Monergism Books or Westminster Bookstore.

This review is availalbe in .pdf format.  You can see all my reviews on my blog, at Amazon.com, or at Goodreads.

As a father of four girls (currently ages 6 – 23 months), I’m constantly keeping an eye out for good Christian kids’ books. Every toddler loves a boardbook, and the “God Made” series by Michael Vander Klipp, are excellent books for little hands.

The books are colorful, with a rainbow “handle” of sorts, that fits little fingers nicely. Each small page (and the book is small, measuring apx. 5 by 4 inches) has a beautiful picture and a word. “God Made Stones” with a picture of stones. “God Made Frogs” with a picture of frogs. The pictures are clear and sharp, and the colors on the books are bright.

The books have a simple God-ward message. There are other books with animals and natural objects in them. These books focus on the fact that God made the things we see. A little heart can begin to see God’s hand behind everything their eye discovers.

At the end of each book, a pertinent Bible verse is shared. Jer. 10:12 for the God Made the World book, and Job 12:7-9 for the God Made Animals book. The Scripture verses are taken from the New International Reader’s Version to be simple for young children. Two other books are available in the series: God Made Food and God Made My Body.

The books seem as durable as any boardbook, and they include a spiritual message. I recommend these books for little children particularly ages 18 months through 3 years.

My thanks go out to Leslie Paladino of Kregel, for giving me these two books to review.

Be sure to pick up a copy of these books, or the entire “God Made” series, at Amazon.com or another retailer.  This review is available in .pdf format.  See all my reviews on my blog, at Amazon.com, or at Goodreads.

If you have time or if this topic interests you, why don’t you check out the discussion over there.  Here are the links:

• Legalism and the Christian School Movement– part 1, part 2, part 3 (this is truly an excellent series)
• Are Rules Dangerous?– part 1, part 2 (I’ve been commenting on part 2)
• Josh Gelatt’s post: Sharper Iron- Younger Faces, but is it the same old legalism?

My thanks go out to Andrew Rogers at Zondervan for furnishing me with a review copy of this book.

The typical Bible student has choices galore when it comes to commentaries on the Bible: big ones, skinny ones; multi-volume sets and single-volume tomes; commentaries by men now dead for hundreds of years, and those by budding scholars. Some commentaries are geared to specific audiences: laymen, preachers, pastors, scholars, teachers. How is one to know which commentaries are best? Don’t worry! There are whole books devoted to helping you choose the right commentary!

I think a good commentary should discuss the particulars of the Bible text at hand. It will answer the tough questions and will bring relevant historical information to bear. It will unfold the setting of the biblical book and in a sense transport you there. The best commentaries don’t leave you there, however. They bring you back to our world equipped with truth from the text. They aim to apply the Biblical text to the questions of today. This is where the NIV Application Commentaries excel, in my estimation.

Joshua isn’t my first sampling of the NIV Application Commentary. I have the 2nd Corinthians volume on my shelf (my collection of commentaries is a motley crew of mismatched rummage sale finds and a few gifts or purchases sprinkled in). But this is the first volume I’ve examined at length.

Robert Hubbard follows the NIV Application Commentary pattern well as he examines Joshua. The book of Joshua is broken down into fifteen or so passages. Each passage is then approached from three different angles in sections that are standard throughout the book and the commentary series. The “original meaning” section, gives a detailed analysis of the passage much like you would find in a typical critical commentary. Word meaning, syntactical relationships, parallels with other literature and other parts of the Bible are explored, etc. The “bridging contexts” section focuses more on themes that bridge the context of the original passage to today’s concerns. It is in a sense a biblical theology section covering the biblical theological themes as found in the given passage. The “contemporary significance” section focuses in on just a few topics and situates them (often by means of illustrations) in the contemporary context in such a way as to make the text’s true significance and meaning come alive.

Let me offer an example of how the three angles work in Joshua. In chapter 12, the “original meaning” section focuses on the listing of the defeated kings. Then “bridging contexts” hones in on Yahweh’s sovereignty as a theme throughout Scripture. “Contemporary significance”, then applies all of this to Christian’s today by focusing on Christ’s kingship. Hubbard includes a liturgical reading (suitable for church use) on the kingship of Christ that is very much in the spirit of the list of defeated kings in Joshua 12.

Before the book turns to the text of Joshua, a fairly in-depth introduction is provided. There Hubbard sets the stage by bringing up key questions modern readers have of Joshua (why all the killing?) and providing an excellent historical background of the book and major interpretive questions surrounding it (when and how was Joshua written?; does archeology prove the truth of Joshua’s accounts?). I must admit, however, the commentary would have been better with just a few less prefaces. Before the introduction, one is asked to wade through a “series introduction” and a “general editor’s preface (to Joshua in particular)”, and finally the author gets to provide his preface. But this is just a minor quibble.

Throughout Joshua, Hubbard maintained a good balance of discussing scholarly issues and keeping the discussion open to lay readers. He wasn’t afraid to be tentative in some of his own positions, as when discussing the question of archeological support for the destruction of Jericho, or in discussing the timing of the Exodus.

Hubbard did an excellent job of tracing themes within Joshua, as in comparing the Gibeonite situation with the Ai debacle. He also pointed out several connections with Joshua and the Pentateuch and other OT books (for instance comparing Ezekiel’s description of the renewed land with Joshua’s depiction of the as-yet-unconquered land). Most importantly, he doesn’t hesitate to bring out connections between Joshua and NT thought. He gives an excellent comparison of Joshua’s commission in chapter 1 and Christ’s great commission to the church. Still, at times he doesn’t find connections that could be made, as in his discussion of the herem problem. There he failed to mention obvious parallels with Saul and the command to wipe out the Amalekites and the Psalms that mention “dashing (the children of Israel’s enemies) against the stones”. These parallels call into question his conclusion on the herem debate.

In discussing the book of Joshua, astute readers will wonder what Hubbard’s take on the land question would be. I found his discussion of it to be in line with my covenantal perspective on the issue. He highlights how 11:23 declares officially that the land promise was fulfilled. He also intriguingly explains how Joshua’s depictions of the land intentionally embellished and expanded the picture to be “huge and fabled”. He later quotes Hagner approvingly “Abraham ‘knew that what God ultimately had in store for his people transcended security and prosperity in a parcel of real estate on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.’” So Hubbard takes the view that the NT views the land typographically, yet he still holds a future for Israel is to be found in Rom. 11 and a future conversion to Christ.

I can’t recommend this book enough. My estimation of the NIV Application Commentary series was enhanced through my study of this particular installment. I learned a lot about Joshua and appreciated how Hubbard navigates the careful reader through some fairly problematic issues all the while maintaining a deep evangelical commitment to a inerrantist, gospel-prizing approach to Scripture.

Be sure to pick up a copy of this commentary that’s only been available for the last few months.  You can find one at Amazon.com or support a fine Christian retailer with your purchase through Westminster Bookstore.

This review is available in .pdf format. See all my reviews on my blog, at Amazon.com, or at Goodreads.

So what should I do?  I believe trodding forward slowly is the best course of action for now.  I still think there are a few unturned stones around here, and some unfinished business.  This kind of decision is always begging for the attention of bloggers.  When do you call it quits on your blog?  When is it’s life over?

I think the KJV Only blog is picking up steam, and that’s where I’ll be blogging more consitently with posts pertaining to fundamentalist concerns.  Over here, I’m pretty much focusing on my reviews for now.  I also want to finish fleshing out some things.  I”d like to pack things up in a tidier fashion and put out some posts examining different issues, and looking at fundamentalism as a whole, etc.  I”d like to do more writing, but I think reading and real life take precedence over all that.

My blogging friend Damien, just pulled the plug on his blog.  His last post is worth reading.  For now, I”m going to keep mine running.  But I’ll plan on taking it a bit slower than it was.  Hope it remains useful for my readers.  I’ll continue my twitter use.  On my twitter feed you’ll see lots of blog-worthy links and etc. shared.  I just don’t have the time to turn them all into blog posts.

Okay, now that I’ve explained myself, back to real life….

Head on over to Jason Skipper’s Pastoral Musings blog, to enter for a chance to win a free copy of Understanding English Bible Translation: The Case for an Essentially Literal Approach by Leland Ryken (compliments of Crossway).  Contest ends Tuesday.

The Bible covers a lot of ground in 66 books. Written over a period of 1600 years, in a variety of genres by multiple human authors, its readers have often puzzled over its meaning in any number of places within its pages. Ron Rhodes is here to help, with his book Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations for the Difficult Passages.

Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses is a mini-commentary covering the entire Bible. It tries to focus on just the sorts of questions the average church-goer would have. The questions are even pulled from Rhodes’ own ministry experience as a traveling speaker. Rhodes does an excellent job of providing succinct and simple answer to most of them.

This book can’t cover every issue or every question, but the following list provides a sampling of the sorts of points that are covered in this nice little volume.

• Are the 6 days of Creation 24 hour days?
• What was the mark of Cain?
• Who is the “angel of the Lord”?
• How can capital punishment be justified in light of God’s command to not murder?
• Should Christians worship on Saturday (the Sabbath) or Sunday?
• What does it mean when the Bible says God “repents”?
• Is Proverbs 22:6 a promise or a principle regarding raising our children?
• What is the new covenant?
• What is the abomination that causes desolation?
• Is it wrong to take oaths?
• Did Jesus really die on Friday?
• Is baptism necessary for salvation?
• Are Christians required to evangelize going house-to-house (or door-to-door)?
• Does God have blood?
• Should I be seeking the gift of tongues?
• What is “baptism for the dead”?
• Are Christians permitted to drink wine?
• Does the Bible condone slavery?
• In Tit. 2:13, is Jesus called “God”?
• Can a Christian skip church?
• Is James really teaching a person is justified by works?
• How are the elect chosen by God?
• Why are Dan and Ephraim excluded from the list of tribes in Rev. 7?
• If Jesus is the beginning of God’s creation, is He then a created being?
• What is Armageddon?

Not everyone puzzles over each question, nor are they equally important. But this is just a smattering of the kinds of issues addressed in Rhodes’ book. The book is arranged by Scripture reference, so it can be a handy companion to your personal Bible study. If you are in a passage and have a question or can’t understand a verse, try out this book. If your verse isn’t listed in the book, check the topical index, in case the question is still answered by the book.

Rhodes’ approach seems to be from a conservative, dispensational, creationist position. He will address alternate views often, and tries to be fair to other interpretive viewpoints, but the book is clearly biased by his own theological perspective. Then again, which book written by a human author isn’t? Sometimes his answers are given as his personal perspective, as in his treatment of the tongues’ question. He lists his reasons for believing tongues have ceased. Other times, as with the question of the “baptism for the dead”, he is content to give a few positions and not really come down on any one view. With other questions, he presents another view and then details problems with that view. Occasionally, he just gives his own perspective and doesn’t discuss an alternate view. On a few points, he is very careful in laying out a systematic case for his view, as in his discussion of the differing positions on election (he prefers the Calvinistic position).

Some of Rhodes’ questions would only come from a conservative evangelical or even a fundamentalist perspective. That makes the book perhaps more useful to these readers. He explains how Prov. 22:6 isn’t a guarantee that one’s children will automatically turn out right if we just do the right thing as parents. He shows how “house to house” was a description of teaching being done from home-group to home-group, not a prescribed method for evangelizing. He discusses that the Bible permits moderate drinking, but holds that wine in Bible times was weaker than it is today.

Sometimes I found myself upset with the simplicity of the answers. Other times I was impressed. For someone who is aware of all the above points of controversy, the book may not be as useful. But for many Christians, it will be a great tool for help in understanding Scripture more. So I’m happy to recommend the book.

My thanks go out to David Bartlett of Harvest House Publishers, for supplying me with this review copy.

This review is also available in .pdf format. You can see all my reviews on my blog, at Amazon.com, or at Goodreads. This book is available for purchase at Amazon.com.