Category: Book Reviews
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Review: Friends of Calvin
M.A. van den Berg, 2006, Eerdmans, 266 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: Twenty-four biographical sketches of Calvin’s closest friendships This wasn’t a page turner but I’d still recommend the book because the chapters are short and the topic of friendship is sparse today in Christian literature. I should say books on godly masculine friendship are rare, […]
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Review: God, Greed and the (Prosperity) Gospel
Costi Hinn, Zondervan, 2019, 224 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: an autobiography of Benny Hinn’s nephew and how he finally left the prosperity gospel and found Christ. You want a history of the prosperity gospel (PG) in America? Read Bowler. A theological treatise against the PG movement? Read Strange Fire. But suppose you have a buddy at work with […]
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Review: African Christian Theology
Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, Hippo Books, 2012, 250 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: a simplified and abridged theology covering the major themes of systematics and applied to African life today Samuel Waje Kunhiyop (SWK) wants to be true to Scripture and writes African Christian Theology (ACT) in an effort to take the African situation seriously. This is a […]
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Review: A Company of Heroes
Tim Keesee, Crossway, 2019, 288 pages, 4 of 5 stars Summary: poetic journal entries of known and unknown missionaries and their stories Below is my endorsement of Tim Keesee’s excellent recent work: “Peopling that great heavenly choir is among the missionary’s greatest motivations. Tim Keesee compels us to sit at the feet of this great […]
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Review: The Case for Classical Christian Education
Douglas Wilson, Crossway, 2003, 253 pages, 5 of 5 stars Summary: Because all education is religious and incapable of being morally neutral, classical Christian education is the solution. Wilson has been a head honcho in the classical and home school educational universe for decades. In his view, classical education (CE) is not a luxury but […]
Read more: Review: The Case for Classical Christian Education
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Review: How to Get Unstuck
Matt Perman, Zondervan, 2018, 288 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: it’s not enough to protect your time. You must protect your focus. “The Preciousness of Time” by Jonathan Edwards is the best teaching I’ve read on time management because of its theological rigor. From a productivity standpoint, however, Unstuck was more profitable. Matt Perman, a Christian that […]
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Review: The Heart of the Bible
John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson, 2005, 143 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: a list and explanation of fifty-two key passages every Christian should memorize John MacArthur wanted to encourage his congregation to memorize more Scripture. He chose 52 passages that reflected ten main themes–the heart of the Bible. The 2-3 page explanations on each passage […]
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Review: Blessed
Kate Bowler, Oxford, 2013, 337 pages, 5 of 5 stars Summary: a lucid, concise and superbly researched historical account of the prosperity gospel—the best in print. Bowler took years visiting health and wealth churches around the US in research for this book. Ironically, incurable colon cancer struck this young Duke professor as the book was going […]
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Review: What’s Your Worldview?
James Anderson, Crossway, 2014, 112 pages, 3 of 5 stars Summary: an interactive storyline designed to help the reader identify and clarify their worldview and its implications. Don’t read this little paperback from cover to cover. Follow the “Choose Your Own Adventure” plot to help you discover the consequences to your worldview (e.g. atheism, polytheism, […]
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Review: Boyhood and Beyond
Bob Schultz, Great Expectations Book Co., 2004, 217 pages, 4 of 5 stars Jane Austin wrote that surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable. Even more surprising than quoting Emma in a review on masculinity is the shock I received after reading Bob Schultz’s book on raising boys. He’s […]