This is another review that never saw the light of day at this venue. Review: On the Shoulders of Hobbits: the Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis, by Louis Markos, Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2012, pbk, 234 pages. When I came across this book at a bookstore I was weighing its purchase against another, more “academic” work that I had in my hand. Just a few years ago I’m ashamed to say I would have put this book down without going to the …
Category: Book Reviews
This is an older review that never saw the light of day here: Book Review: Schaeffer on the Christian Life, by William Edgar, Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2013, 206 pp, pbk. This book is one of Crossway’s Countercultural Spirituality series. Of all the volumes in the series perhaps the most natural choice for inclusion is Francis Schaeffer. Schaffer it was whose lectures and writings urged upon a docile church the responsibility of engaging the culture. His L’Abri mission epitomized a way of …
A review of David B. Capes, Matthew Through Old Testament Eyes, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2024, 389 pages, pbk. I have already reviewed the previous volumes from this series. All three were what I would call average to above average works, containing useful content, although my repeated refrain was that in my opinion they fail to live up to the title. If you want to write a NT commentary “through OT Eyes” then you really can’t superimpose the NT on it. …
When a father writes a book about a beloved and departed daughter there is a good chance that it could turn into a rather sentimental panegyric; a balm for the families wounds, but not a right representation of the subject. This wonderful book does not fall into that trap; avoiding it scrupulously by several reminders from the author that he does not want the reader to leave with that impression, and also because the book is really about Jesus Christ. …
Part Two The next essay in the book is by Ryan Martin and is about Israel and the Church and the issue of supersessionism with a concentration upon Romans 9 – 11. I want to say at the outset that Martin does not really deal with supersessionism very fully in this piece, so those wanting a clear refutation of that teaching may be disappointed. However, he does present a patient and reasonable exposition of the section with useful exegetical notes. …
Part One After Beacham’s excellent offering we get one by Kevin Bauder. Bauder is one of the best representatives of Dispensationalism, and any contribution by him will be eminently worthwhile. He writes on Israel and the Church and his chapter is welcome because of the way Bauder tackles the subject. First he addresses the question of just what is meant by “a people of God” (72-79). This is perhaps a little long-winded but at the same time the delineation is …
A review of Dispensationalism Revisited: A Twenty-First Century Restatement, edited by Kevin T. Bauder & R. Bruce Compton, Plymouth, MN, Central Seminary Press, 2023, 294 pages, paperback. This book was written to commemorate the life and teaching of Charles A. Hauser, Jr, a man who did not have a high profile ministry but who had a big impact through his faithful service to the Lord, and the tributes at the back of the book are not to be missed. Dispensationalism …
A review of Douglas Van Dorn, Giants: Sons of the Gods, revised & expanded, Dacono, CO, Waters of Creation Publishing, 2023, v + 385 pages, pbk. This review is certainly a departure from what I normally decide to write about (though see this). Yes, it is a book about the giants of the Bible and the ancient (and not so ancient) world. The author is a sober-minded pastor of a Reformed Baptist church in Colorado. Van Dorn is an amillennial …
A review of Benjamin P. Laird & Miguel G. Echevarria, 40 Questions About the Apostle Paul, Grand Rapids, Kregel, 2023, 319 pages, paperback. This is another of Kregel’s generally excellent “40 Questions” series, several of which have been reviewed at this blog. The book is divided into three parts: Part One answers questions about the Apostle’s life. Part Two focuses on Paul’s writings, and then Part Three is about Paul’s theology. The first section does a great job of covering the bases of Paul’s …
Part Four Part Four of the book contains essays on “Jesus and Israel’s Future.” Michael Wilkins is well known as an expert on the Gospel of Matthew, and his piece considers how the Gospel tackles Israel’s future is portrayed in light of the negative reactions to Jesus’ ministry (e.g., 314). Wilkins’ long essay includes several interesting facts surrounding the Gospel and expositions of several Matthean statements. I appreciated the fact that “almost every use of the title “Son of David” …
