Category: Book Reviews
-
Review: An Enquiry
William Carey, 1792, 85 pages, 4 of 5 stars Every Christian interested in missions should read William Carey’s An Enquiry. The word “enquiry” means investigation. In this book, Carey examines missions in a way never done before. The full name of the book is An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for […]
-
Review: Missions
Andy Johnson, Crossway, 2017, 126 pages, 3 of 5 stars You’d be surprised how many books on missions never get around to actually defining “missions” or “missionary”. John Piper’s acclaimed book on missions, Let the Nations Be Glad, waits until the second to last page to give a somewhat nebulous definition of a […]
-
Review: Mission Affirmed
Elliot Clark, Crossway, 2022, 253 pages, 4 of 5 stars (Full summary) I’d much rather eat a cheesecake baked by a great cook than a Black Forest gateau baked by PhD-holder in cuisine. And I’d much rather read a missions book by a missionary than a missions book by a missiologist. Missiologists are often armchair missionaries. They write […]
-
What I Read in 2020
Better late than never. In 2020 I read five, 5-star books and eighteen 4-star books, which doesn’t mean much to you, but a lot to me. You can find the whole list here. My book of the year was Life Under Compulsion by Anthony Esolen. My missionary teammate loaned it to me and even let […]
-
Review: The Price of Panic
Axe, Briggs and Richards, Regnery, Oct. 2020, 287 pages, 4 of 5 stars This post could also be called Fourteen Reasons Not to Fear Covid, or, RIP (Read if Panicked). The media wants you to think RIP will be on your tombstone this year if you don’t separate and scrub daily. The three authors of this timely […]
-
Review: The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World’s Most Notorious Atheist
Larry Alex Taunton, Thomas Nelson, 2016, 212 pages, 4 of 5 stars Summary Sentence: A compassionate but uncompromising account of the friendship between a Christian author and Christopher Hitchens—one of the world’s most notorious atheists. Summary Conclusion: A surprisingly good read by Taunton. This kind of book isn’t easy to write. It could appear the […]
-
Review: Flags Out Front
Douglas Wilson, Canon Press, 2018, 2016 pages, 4 of 5 stars Summary: a satirical novel mocking the worst of evangelicalism to show all things rest beneath Christ’s feet This book brims with current and vital themes in the church: courage under fire; weaponized apologies; strong, chivalrous masculinity; talented, clever femininity; the leprous effects of spineless […]
-
Review: The New Pastor’s Handbook
Jason Helopoulos, 2015, Baker, 208 pages, 4 of 5 stars Summary: forty-eight brief chapters of warning and encouragement for new pastors The genius of this book by Helopoulos (current pastor of University Reformed in Michigan) isn’t necessarily the insight or profundity but the short, direct, biblical, and practical chapters. One can imagine a busy pastor […]
-
Review: Do More Better
Tim Challies, 2015, Cruciform Press, 120 pages, 4 of 5 stars Summary: a brief, contemporary, biblical, and practical guide to productivity A couple years ago I reviewed a book on productivity by Kevin DeYoung. This paperback by Challies is about half the size, more practical and just as good. Tim Challies is a family man and […]
-
Review: Marriage as a Covenant
Gordon Hugenberger, Baker, 1998, 340 pages, 5 of 5 stars Summary: Malachi 2:10-16 teaches conclusively that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman. Years ago I wrote my seminary thesis on polygamy. I thought the most difficult question would be: “What should I do with polygamists wanting to join my church?” I […]