New Books–April 2011

Complete New Book List

April 2011

The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism, edited by John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow. The first comprehensive reference work devoted exclusively to Second Temple Judaism (586BC-70AD). This was the Judaism into which Jesus was born.

Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia, by Mark A. Noll with Carolyn Nystrom. Seventeen profiles of Christians from Africa and Asia give textured detail to the tapestry of global Christianity.

Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, by Russell D. Moore.

These Last Days: A Christian View of History, edited by Richard D. Phillips and Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer. Many Christians believe “the last days” refer to the period right before the second coming of Christ, but the Reformed view is that “the last days” began with the first coming of Christ and continues even today. These contributors discuss the Reformed views on eschatology and “the present evil age” we live in. Contributors include D.A. Carson, Michael Horton, Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg and others.

The Gospel Commission: Recovering God’s Strategy for Making Disciples, by Michael Horton. Whose kingdom are we building? God’s? Or our own?

Ten Myths About Calvinism: Recovering the Breadth of the Reformed Tradition, by Kenneth J. Stewart. Historical theologian Stewart sets out to identify ten misunderstandings of Calvinism that are gross mischaracterizations of that theological stream.

Who Chose the Gospels? Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy, by C.E. Hill. A lively, engaging, and authoritative account of the origins and early history of the four-fold gospel. D.A. Carson says “not many books that are so informed are such a pleasure to read”.

Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy, by Paul C. Gutjahr. A “carefully researched and thoroughly readable study of the ‘Pope of Presbyterianism’”. Hodge, who died in 1878, labored faithfully at Princeton Seminary as one of the most influential religious thinkers of the 19^th century, and a staunch proponent of conservative Calvinism.

With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution, by James L. Nelson. Bunker Hill was the first time a genuine, organized American army took the field against the British, and it became the volley that rocked Britain’s Parliament and King George III to the core, as it showed the British that the Colonials might actually prove to be a formidable fighting force.

George Washington’s Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution, by James L. Nelson. In early 1781 after six years of war, Washington feared his army could not survive another campaign season, and came to realize that only an effective counter to the British naval superiority would allow him to defeat the British army. So he gambled everything on the ability of the fleet of his French allies to do what it had failed to do before. This is the story of the sea battle that won the American Revolution, leading to the surrender of Cornwallis six weeks later.

Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N.T. Wright, edited by Nicholas Perrin and Richard B. Hays. New Testament scholar Wright and nine other prominent biblical scholars and theologians gathered at the 2010 Wheaton Theology Conference to consider Wright’s extensive body of work. Responses by Wright to each of the contributor’s essays are included in this volume.

Evangelism: How to Share the Gospel Faithfully, by John MacArthur and the pastors and missionaries of GraceCommunityChurch.

Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, by Michael Card (Biblical Imagination Series). Singer/songwriter/author Card invites us to enter into Scripture as he does, at the level of imagination.

Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-41, by Ian Kershaw. A re-creation of a dramatic sequence of ten decisions made by leaders of the world’s six major powers—Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Mussolini and Tojo—between May 1940 and December 1941 that reshaped human destiny. Kershaw is the author of the highly acclaimed Hitler: A Biography.

The Pox and the Covenant: Mather, Franklin, and the Epidemic That Changed America’s Destiny, by Tony Williams. Conventional wisdom often charges religion with opposition to the progress of science. But during the smallpox epidemic in Boston in 1721, it was Puritan Pastor Cotton Mather and one lone doctor who carried out an inoculation program in opposition to the medical establishment and the public, which opposed it. Included in the harsh opposition was a young Benjamin Franklin. Cotton Mather, who despite being the target of an assassination attempt, was a spiritual man and loving father who wanted nothing more than to save his family and his city. Within the decade, it was Franklin who did an about face on the inoculation issue.

Aren’t They Lovely When They’re Asleep? Lessons in Unsentimental Parenting, by Ann Benton.

Berlin At War, by Roger Moorhouse. A riveting account of daily life for ordinary Germans in the capital of Hitler’s Reich during World War II.

Embraced by the Spirit: The Untold Blessings of Intimacy with God, by Charles R. Swindoll. The author welcomes you as a fellow pilgrim to a deeper, more intimate walk with God through a greater understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Four Views on Divine Providence, edited by Stanley Gundry. The four views are on whether God causes all things (Paul Helseth), directs all things (William Lane Craig), controls by liberating (Ron Highfield), or limits his control (Gregory Boyd).

Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views, by Dan O. Via and Robert A.J. Gagnon. Conservative versus liberal views on the relevant biblical texts on the subject of homosexual behavior and orientation by two NT scholars.

A Visual History of the King James Bible: The Dramatic Story of the World’s Best-Known Translation, by Donald L. Brake with Shelly Beach. Contains a full-color layout with over 85 illustrations.

COMMENTARIES: The Letter of James, by Scot McKnight (NICNT); 1&2 Kings, by Peter Leithart (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible); Zechariah, by George L. Klein (New American Commentary).

ADULT FICTION: Twilight’s Serenade, by Tracie Peterson (Song of Alaska #3); Dead Reckoning, by Ronie Kendig; False Pretenses, by Kathy Herman (Secrets of Roux River Bayou #1); Leaving, by Karen Kingsbury (Bailey Flanigan #1); The Tapestry, by Gilbert Morris and Lynn Morris (The Tapestry #4); Digitalis, by Ronie Kendig (Discarded Heroes #2);

CHILDREN’S CDs: Bible Stories with Mrs. G (Joshua; Moses; Isaiah), by Kitty Anna Griffiths.