New Books – February 2009

New Books – February 2009

The God I Don’t Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith, by Christopher J.H. Wright. If we are honest, we have to admit there are many things we don’t understand about God. We don’t have the final answers to the deep problems of life, and there are areas of mystery in our Christian faith. Wright encourages us to face up to the limitations of our understanding and learn to be able to say with the psalmist: “But that’s all right. God is ultimately in charge and I can trust him to put things right”. Meanwhile, we stay near to God, make him our refuge, and go on telling of his deeds.

John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God, by John Piper. We live in a flippant and frivolous day, in which our appetite for God’s majesty has been lost. John Calvin encountered a similar landscape 500 years ago, and such weightlessness was at the root of his quarrel with the Roman Catholic Church. But nothing mattered more to Calvin than the supremacy of God, and by telling the story of Calvin’s life, Piper hopes to ignite our zeal for the centrality, supremacy, and majesty of God.

A. Lincoln: A Biography, by Ronald C. White, Jr. Mark Noll says: “Ronald C. White, an acknowledged expert on the speeches of Abraham Lincoln, has now taken in hand a full-length biography. To this task he brings the careful reading, patient attention to context, and special sensitivity to complex questions about Lincoln's religion that characterized his earlier books. The result is a first-rate study that will probably be THE biography of the Lincoln Bicentennial Year.”

VintageChurch: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods, by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. Daniel Akin says the authors are “rigorously biblical and theologically faithful as they address the doctrine of the church”, resulting in a beautiful tapestry woven of both timeless truths and timely methods.

Behind Bella: The Amazing Stories of Bella and the Lives It’s Changed, by Tim Drake. Bella was the #1 rated movie of 2007, and has been hailed by James Dobson, Rick Warren and countless others for its pro-life message and story of sacrificial love. This book tells the story of the making of the film, and the lives that have been transformed (and even saved) by its impact.

Heaven’s Calling: A Memoir of One Soul’s Steep Ascent, by Leanne Payne. Donald Bloesch sys this is a “provocative and moving spiritual autobiography that vividly portrays the ongoing struggle of a person of faith toward wholeness and healing…showing how the author has been mightily used by the spirit of God to spearhead a ministry of renewal and celebration.”

How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator, by Joe Carter and John Coleman. Shows how Jesus used logic, stories and imagery to communicate the gospel, and how we can do likewise.

Who Made the Moon? A Father Explores How Faith and Science Agree, by Sigmund Brouwer. Helping your child–or anyone else with doubts–understand the first cornerstone of faith through Genesis and science: God created the universe. The author also shows a harmonious way to approach discussions on the age of the earth and evolution.

Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children, by John A. Younts. Reminds us of how everyday talk influences our children greatly, and provides valuable talking points on everything from weather, to sex, to music.

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, edited by Nancy Guthrie. Readings for Easter, with contributions from John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Augustine, Spurgeon, Calvin, and others.

The Great Eight: How to be Happy (even when you have every reason to be miserable), by Scott Hamilton with Ken Baker. From Olympic gold medalist to cancer and brain tumor survivor, figure skater Hamilton has experienced the heights of accomplishment and the depths of disease.

Body, Soul and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible, by Joel B. Green (Studies in Theological Interpretation). A scholarly and biblical study on human personhood in dialogue with the neurosciences.

Handfuls of Purpose: Or Gleanings from the Inner Life of Ruth Bryan (1862), by Ruth Bryan, and The Marvelous Riches of Savoring Christ: The Letters of Ruth Bryan. Two titles by Ruth Bryan, of whom Joel Beeke says: “Ruth Bryan (d. 1860) stands in a class of great female devotional writers…whose Christ centered correspondence has helped hundreds of God’s people drink more deeply of the wells of salvation. These 19th century letters are a rich treasury of mature, experiential, and practical divinity that still meets the needs of believers today”.

Word Pictures in the New Testament: Concise Edition, by A. T. Robertson, edited by James Swanson. This is an abridged edition of the classic 6-volume work by Robertson originally published in 1933, which for 75 years has been bringing biblical Greek to life in a user-friendly format.

The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditations on Faith, by Timothy J. Stoner. Some feel the new Emergent theology embodies the true spirit of the gospel, while others believe it is a heresy. The author celebrates the good within Emergent, while providing a thoughtful and balanced critique.

COMMENTARIES: Matthew, Vols 1 and 2, by David Doriani (Reformed Expository Commentary).

ADULT/FAMILY DVDs: The Star of Bethlehem, by Rick Larson. Scholars argue about whether the Star of Bethlehem was a legend of the early church or a miracle marking the advent of Christ. In this presentation, Larson explores the exciting truth of scripture, reveals the evidence for God’s existence as seen in the stars above, and walks us through the Biblical and historical clues for the star of Bethlehem as a real, astronomical event.

ADULT FICTION: This Side of Heaven, by Karen Kingsbury; Ninth Witness, by Bodie and Brock Thoene (A.D. Chronicles #9); One Perfect Day, by Lauraine Snelling; Until We Reach Home, by Lynn Austin; Rachel’s Secret, by B.J. Hoff (Riverhaven Years #1); Dark Pursuit, by Brandilyn Collins; Joelle’s Secret, by Gilbert Morris; Freedom’s Shadow, by Marlo Schalesky (Winds of Freedom #2); Kiss, by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.

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