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New & Notable Book Reviews

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I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I’ve collected over the past few weeks. (Note: I’ve formerly titled this feature “Reviews I Didn’t Write.”)

David: Man of Prayer, Man of War by Walter Chantry. Review by Joshua Harris: “The last book my mother gave me before she passed away was David: Man of Prayer, Man of War by Walter Chantry. It had been a great encouragement to her during a difficult season … . Chantry does an outstanding job sharing the highs and lows of David’s life and drawing from them spiritual guidance and wisdom for Christians. Even if you consider yourself well acquainted with the story of David’s life I think you’ll benefit from it.” (Shop for this title at Amazon)

Herman Bavinck: Pastor, Churchman, Statesman, and Theologian by Ron Gleason (who happens also to be an old family friend and former pastor of mine). Review by Tony Garbarino: “This was a wonderful read that I would recommend to anyone interested in the history of the Reformed Church, the Netherlands, or Herman Bavinck. Gleason is readable, intelligent and witty.” (Shop for this title at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke. Review by Jesse Johnson: “Lit is one of those books that pays dividends. Reading it will cause you to read other books more frequently. View it as an investment. If you want to read more, read this, and it will help you not only read more, but read better.” (Shop for this title at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Together: Growing Appetites for God by Carrie Ward. Review by Kristen Narara: “In her brand new book Carrie Ward shares a refreshingly honest account of her struggle with discipline and consistent Bible study and how the Lord gave her a new hunger for him amidst the chaos of motherhood.” (Shop for this title at Amazon)

A Week in the Life of Corinth by Ben Witherington, III. Review by Michael Haykin: “When I finished reading this novella by the well-known New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III, the first thought I had was that this would be an ideal text for a course I teach on the Ancient Church in its Graeco-Roman context.” (Shop for this title at Amazon)


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    A La Carte (November 7)

    A La Carte: Where abortion policies stand now / Misconceptions about sports betting / You shall surely die / Does evolution care about you? / Ministering to orphans in Africa / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Not a Complimentary Gospel

    It Is Not a Complimentary Gospel

    I think we have all felt the temptation to modify the gospel, to preach a gospel that is inaccurate or incomplete. I think we have all felt the desire to avoid the reproach that may come upon us when we preach the whole gospel and true gospel—the gospel that is so very bad before it…

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    A La Carte (November 6)

    A La Carte: A warning about having children / Leave church a little tired / Making virtues out of what isn’t virtuous / Is Exodus a myth? / A theology of leisure / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (November 5)

    A La Carte: Why women use pornography / I want God’s wrath on my enemy / Looking at photos with my mum / 10 things you should know about your conscience / I love being a pastor / and more.

  • A Beautiful 40-day Illustrated Devotional of Classic Literature

    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing. In the newest release by Leland Ryken, A Treasury of Nature, he joins great works of poetry, hymnody, prose, and art with accessible literary analysis. As Ryken says in the Introduction to his book: “The overall goal of this anthology is to enable nature to be…

  • Four Years After Our Hardest Day

    Four Years After Our Hardest Day

    Yesterday marked four years since Nick went to heaven. I find myself calling him “Nicky” more often now—a name I hadn’t used for him since he was a child. I wonder if it reflects that in some ways he is becoming dearer to my heart and younger to my mind. After all, I keep aging…