New Books – October 2005

Does Christianity Squash Women? A Christian Looks at Womanhood, by Rebecca Jones. The author says that “becoming a real woman is believing and acting on the truth that we have been set apart for a special job by Jesus Christ our Creator and Savior who was Himself born of a woman”. Jones was a missionary in France for 17 years, a mother of seven and grandmother of six, and is on the board of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement, by Douglas A. Sweeney. A short and easy to read history, yet detailed enough to apprise readers of what evangelicalism is all about.

God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself, by John Piper. “This is what God’s love is: his commitment to do everything necessary (most painfully the death of his only Son) to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying—namely, himself”.

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. The emphasis is on the God who made us sexual creatures for his glory.

The Unexpected Journey: Conversations with People Who Turned from Other Beliefs to Jesus, by Thom S. Rainer.The stories of 12 people who became Christians from such varied belief systems as Unitarianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Satanism, et al.

Masters of the English Reformation, by Sir Marcus Loane. Tells the story of the English Reformation by focusing on five key leaders: Thomas Bilney, William Tyndale, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer.

C.S. Lewis’s Case for Christ: Insights from Reason, Imagination, and Faith, by Art Lindsley. Charles Colson says this book “presents the vast sweep of Lewis’s worldview in clear, bite-sized pieces”. Lindsley also points out the obstacles to Lewis’s faith in God as well as the ways he carefully worked through them in his mind and heart.

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts series). John Piper says “when you taste the pleasantness of painful and precious truth, you want more. I thank God for the heart-awakening, holiness-advancing, Christ-exalting ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss”.

Surrender: The Heart God Controls, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts series). Struggling with stubborn habits, spiritual strongholds, or entrenched sin? The author says the issue isn’t how committed you are to the battle, it’s how surrendered you are to God.

The Soul of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by Gene Veith. A guide through Narnia, a strange and enchanting world that may be more like our own than we ever imagined.

Lost Women of the Bible: Finding Strength and Significance Through Their Stories, by Carolyn Custis James. How ten unsung heroines of the Bible shaped and expanded the kingdom of God and continue to bolster the faith of the church.

Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology, by T.M. Moore. Opens our eyes to see the glory of God in the works of His hands, resulting in a deeper enjoyment of creation and higher praise for the Creator. Moore also uses the poetry of Hopkins and Cowper, and reflects on Jonathan Edwards as the patron theologian of creational theology.

Scripture Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine, by R.C. Sproul. A collection of Sproul’s best writings on this pivotal doctrine.

I Grew Up a Little: Finding Hope in a Big God, by Patsy Clairmont. The author, who at 5 feet even is a popular speaker and humorist, was a rebellious teenager and high school dropout, a bride at 17 and a mother at 20 who became a victim of agoraphobia, shackled by fear in her home and lost in depression. There seemed little

hope for her. But now a grandmother of two, she tells how she “grew up a little”.

PrayerStreaming: Staying in Touch with God All Day Long, by Janet Holm McHenry. Praying without ceasing as exemplified by the lives of Madame Guyon, Andrew Murray, Teresa of Avila, Brother Lawrence, and others.

A Genuine Faith: How to Follow Jesus Today, by Rodney Reeves. Learning to follow Him according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew writes a disciple-training manual for disciples. Mark uses analogies to illustrate sowing the seed of the gospel. Luke emphasizes living generously as if the kingdom of God has already come. John shows us what an ideal disciple is like. Though different from each other, each path can show you the way to be a disciple.

A Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper in the Life of the Church, by Gordon T. Smith. Given that so much of Jesus’ incarnational ministry takes place around meals, we are not surprised that he reconfigures the worship life of God’s people around a holy meal. In fact, eat and drink are the only verbs of worship explicitly commanded by Jesus. The author takes the reader through Scripture and church history to demonstrate the significance of this corporate action.

One Nation Under Man? The Worldview War Between Christians and the Secular Left, by Brannon Howse. This conservative author details the consequences of going to the left and rejecting the laws of nature and nature’s God.

55 Answers to Questions About Life After Death, by Mark Hitchcock. Answers to frequently asked questions about death, future life, heaven, and hell.

Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study, edited by Darrell L. Bock and Gregory J. Herrick. Useful references from pagan, Jewish, and Christian texts to provide illuminating backgrounds for specific passages in the Gospels.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering, by David Gregory. What would you discuss over dinner with Jesus? That is the dilemma facing a cynical but successful businessman who accepts an invitation to join Jesus of Nazareth for dinner at a local restaurant in this fictional account.

To the Rising Generation: Addresses Given to Children and Young Adults, by Jonathan Edwards, 1703-1758. During his nearly 30-year pastorate at Northhampton, Mass., Edwards met regularly with the young people of his congregation to evangelize them and see them grow in their faith. Also included is a list of Bible Questions for Children of Northhampton that Edwards expected his young people to know—some of which would prove difficult for today’s seminarians.

Far As the Curse is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption, by Michael D. Williams. The author aims to help readers understand the Bible’s covenantal structure and character, glory in God’s covenantal faithfulness, and see in Jesus the fullness of God’s covenant now and forever.

Could the Rapture Happen Today?, by Mark Hitchcock. Examines the five main views of when the rapture will occur, and answers ten commonly asked questions.

Rescue Your Love Life, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. Changing those dumb attitudes and behaviors that will sink your marriage.

The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man, by J. Budziszewski. Describing the political effects of Original Sin, the author shows how man’s suppression of his knowledge of right and wrong corrupts his conscience and accelerates social collapse. Charles Colson calls this a “brilliant critique of secular political attempts to provide a satisfactory notion of human good”.

Two Views on Women in Ministry-Revised Edition, edited by James R. Beck. The Egalitarian view presented by Linda Belleville and Craig S. Keener, and the Complementarian view presented by Craig L. Blomberg and Thomas R. Schreiner.

The Four Seasons of Marriage, by Gary Chapman. The author says that marriages are perpetually in a state of transition, continually moving from one season to another—perhaps not annually, as in nature, but just as surely. What season is your marriage in?

Healing Is a Choice: 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and the 10 Lies That Can Prevent You from Making Them, by Stephen Arterburn.

The Child’s Book on the Fall of Man, by Thomas H. Gallaudet, 1787-1851. The author had a passion to make Biblical truths understandable to young children.

COMMENTARIES
Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory, by Philip Graham Ryken (Preaching the Word); Colossians, by John Davenant, 1576-1641 (Geneva Series of Commentaries).

PURITAN CLASSICS
Hope, by Jeremiah Burroughs, 1599-1646; The Case for Family Worship, by George Hamond,1620-1705; The Glory and Honor of God: Previously Unpublished Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 2, by Michael D. McMullen.

ADULT FICTION
London Refrain, Paris Encore, and Dunkirk Crescendo, by Bodie and Brock Thoene (Zion Covenant #7-9); The Homeplace, by Gilbert Morris (Fair Hope #1); Hurricane, by Janice A. Thompson (a novel of the 1900 Galveston hurricane); The Martyr’s Song, by Ted Dekker; By Way of the Wilderness, by Gilbert Morris (Lions of Judah #5); The Captain’s Bride, Deep Harbor, and Midnight Sun, by Lisa Tawn Bergren (Northern Lights #1-3); Fourth Dawn, by Bodie and Brock Thoene (A.D. Chronicles #4); The Ezekiel Option, by Joel Rosenberg (a thriller based on end-times prophecies).

ADULT AUDIOs
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YOUTH/CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Dial M for Mercy and The Don’t-Touchables, by Doug Peterson (The Mess Detectives); Grave Shadows, Phantom Writer, Double Fault, and Canyon Echos, by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (Red Rock Mysteries #5–8).