Book Reviews
Reclaiming the Sufficiency of Scripture: Book Review
Few books are being published today on the sufficiency of Scripture. Canon, hermeneutics, and other topics within biblical theology are much more in vogue. While the interest in these topics is positive in some respects, what doth it profit evangelicalism if it loses the soul of Scripture? The soul of Scripture is our willingness to let it impact our thought and conduct in every realm of life since it is truly God’s Word. Free Will Baptists should be grateful that its denominational publishing arm, Randall House Publications, has helped make...
read moreBook Recommendations (Spring 2015)
School’s out for summer! Whether we spent the last several months slogging through assigned reading, reading students’ assignments, or helping our children with homework, we all feel a sense of relief when the semester finally ends. However, don’t let that relief translate into a lazy reading regimen! Below we at the Helwys Society Forum have provided some of our recent finds and favorite repeat-reads from the last several months. Find something to help you profitably spend those hours on the beach, mountains, or front porch. You’ll notice...
read moreA Change of Heart: Book Review
Many have observed a burgeoning interest in ancient Christianity in the last decade or two. Specifically, this interest has focused on the early church period. In addition to conferences, symposia, and the inclusion of Patristic studies emphases within institutional curricula, InterVarsity Press has published numerous ancient commentaries on Scripture and biblical doctrine. Yet apart from the conversion of one Methodist theologian, much of this would have likely been a fad instead of a trend. The book jacket of A Change of Heart: A Personal...
read moreBook Recommendations (Winter 2015)
Learning to apply the principles of Scripture to our daily lives is a matter that demands serious contemplation and commitment. We desire to be good stewards of what God has given us, including our abilities, opportunities, finances, and responsibilities. Often it can be helpful to work through the implications of biblical principles with a friend—two heads are better than one after all. This quarter’s selection of recommended books represents many from whom we have learned these past few months. Our recommendations span the last two...
read morePracticing Christian Doctrine: Book Review
Over the last several years, my studies and ministry have taken me through a fascinating exploration of the relationship between beliefs and practices. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that evangelicals have not emphasized this subject as much as it probably deserves. Even in lamenting the unhealthy disconnect between thinking and living, it’s difficult to avoid the suspicion that part of the blame is due to the way that theology is written. That said, the publication of Beth Felker Jones’ Practicing Christian Doctrine (Baker Academic) is an...
read moreBook Recommendations (Autumn 2014)
The Helwys Society Forum (“HSF”) is pleased to share with its readers the Book Recommendations of its contributors. We believe strongly in the importance of reading for all people, but especially for those men and women who hold leadership roles in the local church. We hope to encourage our readers to engage with these texts and to provide resources for life and ministry. Each main HSF contributor (six in total) will share two books each quarter that they have found particularly helpful or meaningful over the previous three months. Each...
read moreBook Review: Essential Eschatology
Since Jesus ascended, eschatology (or the study of “last things”) has been a major topic of conversation. As Christians, we eagerly await and anticipate Jesus’ coming. We often wonder when that time will occur. Over the centuries since the ascension, many predictions and much controversy have ensued concerning when this will occur. Into this discussion steps John E. Phelan Jr. with his newest book Essential Eschatology (IVP Academic 2013). Phelan reminds us that eschatology plays a significant role in Christianity, and he points out that the...
read moreReCreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life
by Nathan Trimble “Our lives may be utterly broken, but they are not irretrievably broken.”[1] This is the message of ReCreatable (Kregal, 2014) by author and pastor, Kevin Scott. Scott is an ordained pastor, who currently serves on the pastoral staff of Stephen Ministries in St. Louis. There he writes, leads project teams, and teaches at workshops and training courses. For six years, he has served as a bi-vocational pastor in Indiana. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree (Bible and Theology, Welch College), and an M.A. (Exegetical Theology,...
read moreBook Review: Resounding Truth
by M. Grady Calhoun Music is everywhere. It has infiltrated almost every culture, especially modern Western culture, from all sides. One scarcely enters a coffee shop, mall, airport, or arena where music isn’t belted from a sound system. Music is present to help manage our moods for whatever everyday task with which we find ourselves engaged. It so surrounds us that we often forget its presence. This may leave us wondering: “How is music shaping us? Does it possess intrinsic value? Do our Christian convictions effect how we approach music?”...
read moreRenewing the Evangelical Mission: Book Review
A recent Forum essay explored the theological contributions of David F. Wells, particularly those over the last 20 years. His work has been appreciated by so many that it wasn’t surprising when the Forum recently acquired a copy of Renewing the Evangelical Mission (Eerdmans, 2013), a volume dedicated to Wells. Edited by theologian Richard Lints, Renewing is a collection of essays based upon a symposium about a collaborative project that began in the early 1990s. This project included Mark Noll, Cornelius Plantinga, and David Wells, who were...
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