Rating: 5 out of 5
If you’re looking for a book that will help you to see God for who he is as presented in the Bible and therefore cause your heart to desire this kind of God more, Michael Reeves’ new book DELIGHTING IN THE TRINITY is the book you’re looking for. I picked it up because I thought it sounded interesting and I wanted to read a book about the trinity, but I wasn’t prepared for how truly profound this book was going to be. Reeves presents the trinity as absolutely foundational to the Christian faith. In Reeves’ reading of the Bible, believing in the trinity isn’t optional. If God isn’t triune, then much of what we believe about Christianity just doesn’t add up.
Reeves outlines the biblical revelation of God as an ultimately loving eternal Father pouring out his love on his equally eternal Son by his once again equally eternal Spirit. He does a great job of explaining what Tim Keller often calls The Dance of the trinity. The Father’s love so overflows for his Son that he wanted to create human beings with whom he could also pour out his love. God is foundationally loving toward his creation, and even when it became fallen, his love continued to overflow in sending his Son to die in our place. His love is experienced by those who trust in him by the indwelling Spirit of God. The Spirit’s indwelling catches us up in the loving Dance of God.
The book is short and is even a bit repetitive at times, but it has helped reignite a transformation view of God for me. If the trinity is true, then the way we think about some of the most common ideas in the Bible is important. Read this book, and you might find yourself challenged to embrace a bigger view of God than you did before.
I received this book for free for review from Intervarsity Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Review of GOSPEL DEEPS by Jared C. Wilson
Rating: 4 out of 5
GOSPEL DEEPS by Jared C. Wilson is a basking in the gospel of Jesus and a call to find our greatest joy in the God who so beautifully planned and completed our redemption through the gospel. From the beginning, it's clear that Wilson doesn't want Christians to be satisfied by a narrow view of the gospel that sees it as only about saving sinners from hell when they die. Instead, the gospel is meant to impact every aspect of our lives. In fact, one of my favorite chapters in the book is his chapter on cosmic redemption. Jesus means to redeem all of our lives, bringing great joy in following him. Chapter 4 is a chapter that combats the idea that following Jesus is boring as Wislson explores the idea of enjoyment.
Of course, following Jesus doesn't mean a life void of suffering, and Wilson presents some biblical ideas of why God allows suffering. However, the key to this chapter is resting in Jesus in the midst of our suffering more than about trying to find a reason for our suffering.
A couple other highlights are Wilson's chapter on the atonement and a discussion of the attributes of Christ being always present in the incarnate Christ.
While there was some areas that I was in disagreement with Wilson (he holds to a deterministic view of God's providence), I still found myself impacted by his deep love of Jesus and his authenticity in sharing some intimate details of his spiritual journey. GOSPEL DEEPS is a celebration of "the excellencies of Christ," and a focus on Christ's character and nature is much needed by believers and the Body of Christ as a whole.
I received this book for free for review from Crossway Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
GOSPEL DEEPS by Jared C. Wilson is a basking in the gospel of Jesus and a call to find our greatest joy in the God who so beautifully planned and completed our redemption through the gospel. From the beginning, it's clear that Wilson doesn't want Christians to be satisfied by a narrow view of the gospel that sees it as only about saving sinners from hell when they die. Instead, the gospel is meant to impact every aspect of our lives. In fact, one of my favorite chapters in the book is his chapter on cosmic redemption. Jesus means to redeem all of our lives, bringing great joy in following him. Chapter 4 is a chapter that combats the idea that following Jesus is boring as Wislson explores the idea of enjoyment.
Of course, following Jesus doesn't mean a life void of suffering, and Wilson presents some biblical ideas of why God allows suffering. However, the key to this chapter is resting in Jesus in the midst of our suffering more than about trying to find a reason for our suffering.
A couple other highlights are Wilson's chapter on the atonement and a discussion of the attributes of Christ being always present in the incarnate Christ.
While there was some areas that I was in disagreement with Wilson (he holds to a deterministic view of God's providence), I still found myself impacted by his deep love of Jesus and his authenticity in sharing some intimate details of his spiritual journey. GOSPEL DEEPS is a celebration of "the excellencies of Christ," and a focus on Christ's character and nature is much needed by believers and the Body of Christ as a whole.
I received this book for free for review from Crossway Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
Review of INTERPRETING THE PARABLES (Second Edition) by Craig Blomberg
Rating: 5 out of 5
I've always loved Jesus' parables, but throughout church history, not everyone has been in agreement with how they should be interpreted. In recent years, many theologians have rejected the idea of the parables as allegories, and instead argued for one main point for each parable. The rejection of allegory is understandable in light of many abuses by theologians of the past who have spiritualized every single element of a parable, pulling in ideas that are foreign to the plain reading of the text.
INTERPRETING THE PARABLES by Craig Blomberg explores the parables in detail, including the history of their interpretation and arguing for a return to recognizing the clear allegorical elements of the parables. In contrast to the one-point view of interpreting the parables, Blomberg makes the interesting suggestion that each of the characters in Jesus' parables represent a point Jesus is trying to make with the parable.
Part 1 is a lengthy exploration of the history interpretation and the approaches taken in interpreting the parables. Part 2 is the most valuable part of the book because Blomberg looks at the individual parables, drawing out their meaning according to the approach he argues for in Part 1. The final section looks at the Christological element of the parables.
The parables are my favorite genre of Scripture to study, and I enjoyed Blomberg's exploration of them. At 450 pages, INTERPRETING THE PARABLES is a thorough resource for anyone wanting to look deeper into the parables of Jesus.
I received this book for free for review from Intervarsity Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
I've always loved Jesus' parables, but throughout church history, not everyone has been in agreement with how they should be interpreted. In recent years, many theologians have rejected the idea of the parables as allegories, and instead argued for one main point for each parable. The rejection of allegory is understandable in light of many abuses by theologians of the past who have spiritualized every single element of a parable, pulling in ideas that are foreign to the plain reading of the text.
INTERPRETING THE PARABLES by Craig Blomberg explores the parables in detail, including the history of their interpretation and arguing for a return to recognizing the clear allegorical elements of the parables. In contrast to the one-point view of interpreting the parables, Blomberg makes the interesting suggestion that each of the characters in Jesus' parables represent a point Jesus is trying to make with the parable.
Part 1 is a lengthy exploration of the history interpretation and the approaches taken in interpreting the parables. Part 2 is the most valuable part of the book because Blomberg looks at the individual parables, drawing out their meaning according to the approach he argues for in Part 1. The final section looks at the Christological element of the parables.
The parables are my favorite genre of Scripture to study, and I enjoyed Blomberg's exploration of them. At 450 pages, INTERPRETING THE PARABLES is a thorough resource for anyone wanting to look deeper into the parables of Jesus.
I received this book for free for review from Intervarsity Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
Monday, September 24, 2012
Review of A LITTLE BOOK FOR NEW THEOLOGIANS by Kelly M. Kapic
Rating: 5 out of 5
A LITTLE BOOK FOR NEW THEOLOGIANS by Kelly M. Kapic is a
great biblical introduction for any theologian. Kapic defines theology as “an
active response to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, whereby the believer,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, subordinate to the testimonies of the prophets
and apostles as recorded in the Scriptures and in communion with the saints,
wrestles with and rests in the mysteries of God, his work and his world.” By
defining theology and expounding upon it in this way throughout the book, it is
clear that all believers in Christ are meant to be theologians. We all do
theology because we all think about God. Theology is very relevant to our
lives.
The book is separated into two parts. In the first part
Kapic covers why anyone should study theology. There’s some great discussion
about knowing and enjoying God and theology as a pilgrimage.
The second part of the book covers the characteristics of
faithful theology and theologians. The highlight of this section was the
chapter on doing theology as part of a community. This means allowing voices of
past theologians to speak into our study, as well as being a part of the body
of Christ and learning from other believers in their theological pursuit.
The book is titled A LITTLE BOOK FOR NEW THEOLOGIANS, but it’s
a great book for all believers whether they’re just jumping into their study of
who God is, or if they’ve been following Jesus for several years. It’s a short
book, but it’s packed full of wisdom that will lead to a humble pursuit of
knowing God.
I received this book for free for review from
Intervarsity Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my
own
Review of THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin
Rating: 5 out of 5
A government experiment goes terribly wrong and plunges the
world into chaos as human beings are either transformed into vampire-like
creatures or killed by vampire-like creatures. Contained societies find refuge
day and night in the light because darkness means death. At the center of it
all is a girl named Amy who has lived for a long time with the knowledge that
she may be the only one who can bring redemption to a world full of monsters.
THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin is the first of a trilogy, and
although it is long at about 800 pages, I was compelled to finish it by the
brilliance and emotional pull of the story. At first when I learned that this
was essentially a vampire novel, I wondered if it would be a cheesy story.
Cronin, however, tells a gripping story by using a tragically failed government
experiment and centering the story on a world in need of redemption and a
promised rescuer.
The virals (as the creatures are called) are bloodthirsty
monsters, and yet we know all along that they’re still human beings deep
beneath what they’ve become. At the same time, the group of characters we grow
to journey with see the virals as a very real threat to their own survival. As the
characters travel a long distance in search of where the viral outbreak began, you
can sense the ever present danger, especially when they find themselves having
to escape when they’re surrounded by virals.
Early in the novel, it seems likes the story is centered on
FBI Agent Wolgast and his care for Amy. I was disappointed when the story moved
away from him after the outbreak spread throughout the world. The story moves one
hundred years into the future, though, and I grew to understand, given the
grand epic story Cronin is telling, why the story had to move in this
direction. Amy is a very likable character, and though she’s absent for much of
the story, her eminent presence is still felt.
The way the story builds up to the outbreak was very well
done, in my opinion. Some readers may find it long and overly done, but I enjoyed
the email exchange that explains what happened in the jungle, as well as the
janitor’s experience of dreaming about Subject Zero.
THE PASSAGE is the first in a trilogy, and the second book
in the trilogy comes out in October 2012, and I can’t wait to continue this
gripping story. Cronin has created a memorable story of a world desperate for
redemption, and fans of post-apocalyptic stories will want to check this story
out.
(Note: This novel contains strong language and
violent content)
I received this book for free for review from
Ballantine Books through NetGalley.com, and the opinions contained in this
review are completely my own
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Review of WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron
Who the Book is For: Writers, Storytellers
Rating: 5 out of 5
According to WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron, brain science has discovered that human beings thrive on storytelling. Stories help our brains to become prepared for possible situations that may arise in our lives in the future. Stories act as a type of practice for our brains.
WIRED FOR STORY looks at the various ways the human brain is impacted by story and walks writers through the ways to apply these important insights to crafting stories that will keep readers hooked from the very beginning. Each chapter begins with a cognitive secret and then applies this to writing a great story. I especially appreciated the chapter on theme. Cron argues that every story has a point that it is trying to make, and she gives advice on how to shape the story's meaning and communicating it in a way that isn't preachy.
WIRED FOR STORY has a lot of the same advice you'll find from almost any fiction writing book. However, it looks at storytelling from a more fundamental perspective of how our brains are designed to affected by story.
I received this book for free for review from Ten Speed Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
Rating: 5 out of 5
According to WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron, brain science has discovered that human beings thrive on storytelling. Stories help our brains to become prepared for possible situations that may arise in our lives in the future. Stories act as a type of practice for our brains.
WIRED FOR STORY looks at the various ways the human brain is impacted by story and walks writers through the ways to apply these important insights to crafting stories that will keep readers hooked from the very beginning. Each chapter begins with a cognitive secret and then applies this to writing a great story. I especially appreciated the chapter on theme. Cron argues that every story has a point that it is trying to make, and she gives advice on how to shape the story's meaning and communicating it in a way that isn't preachy.
WIRED FOR STORY has a lot of the same advice you'll find from almost any fiction writing book. However, it looks at storytelling from a more fundamental perspective of how our brains are designed to affected by story.
I received this book for free for review from Ten Speed Press, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
Blog Tour Review of MORTAL FIRE by C.F. Dunn
Rating: 4 out of 5
MORTAL FIRE is a story about an English professor named Emma who takes a position in the United States because it will connect her with a mysterious 17th-century journal. She’s quickly welcomed by the staff and students of her new post a college in Maine. She is lecturer in history on the subject of torture. Soon events surrounding the journal’s secrets begin to put her life in danger.
MORTAL FIRE is the first in a trilogy, and the book will undoubtedly leave you wanting to continue the story to find out what will happen. The story is told in the first person, and it grabs you into its narrative early on in the first scene. All the characters are interesting and complex. The author’s descriptions of her scenes are very well-written and visually captivating.
The book is full of mystery. It’s about an ancient book, which is why I picked it up in the first place because I’m always interested in history and books from the past. It’s a rather long book, but the story is compelling throughout. It includes an excerpt from the next book in the series to whet readers’ appetites for the continuing of the story.
I received this book for free for review from Kregel Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
MORTAL FIRE is a story about an English professor named Emma who takes a position in the United States because it will connect her with a mysterious 17th-century journal. She’s quickly welcomed by the staff and students of her new post a college in Maine. She is lecturer in history on the subject of torture. Soon events surrounding the journal’s secrets begin to put her life in danger.
MORTAL FIRE is the first in a trilogy, and the book will undoubtedly leave you wanting to continue the story to find out what will happen. The story is told in the first person, and it grabs you into its narrative early on in the first scene. All the characters are interesting and complex. The author’s descriptions of her scenes are very well-written and visually captivating.
The book is full of mystery. It’s about an ancient book, which is why I picked it up in the first place because I’m always interested in history and books from the past. It’s a rather long book, but the story is compelling throughout. It includes an excerpt from the next book in the series to whet readers’ appetites for the continuing of the story.
I received this book for free for review from Kregel Books, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own
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