Category: Reading

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Review)

July 15, 2013

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Crown & Covenant, 2012) is a bloodbath. It’s littered with crucified clichés. Her story, and its deft retelling, remind us that death is death and life is life, and neither are anything but revolutionary. Butterfield was a tenured English professor at Syracuse University specializing in … More The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Review)

The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms by Gordon Wenham (Review)

July 1, 2013

The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms (Crossway, 2013) is a collection of insightful essays by seasoned OT scholar Gordon Wenham. Wenham promotes using the Psalms in worship, reading the Psalms through canonical, messianic, and ethical lenses, and valuing the imprecatory psalms. Emphasizing a canonical approach throughout, Wenham seeks to interpret a particular psalm in light … More The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms by Gordon Wenham (Review)

A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (Review)

June 27, 2013

“Family worship” is an archaic phrase—and an increasingly archaic practice. It sounds austere and intimidating, like an outdated tradition for über-conservative, tightly sheltered, hyper-Christian families who care more about spiritual solemnity than family warmth. Jason Helopoulos, assistant pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, puts the lie to these misconceptions and seeks to … More A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (Review)

Weakness Is the Way by J. I. Packer (Review)

June 17, 2013

James Innell Packer was born in Gloucester, England on July 22, 1926. Oxford, teaching, authorship, and a long life of Christian service would follow. Now at the back end of an influential life, J. I. Packer lives in Vancouver and serves as the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College. He is 86 years … More Weakness Is the Way by J. I. Packer (Review)

Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King (Review)

May 31, 2013

The Bible contains a rich tapestry of interwoven themes, intricate layers, and imaginative development. Reducing its grand story to a sterile set of platitudes or a disposable heap of shallowly constructed contradictions is naïve at best. As I go deeper into the unfolding themes of Scripture, I continue to marvel at its intricacy and sophistication. … More Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King (Review)

Interview with Dr. Douglas Huffman: Keeping Up with Your Greek

March 18, 2013

I recently reviewed Dr. Douglas Huffman’s very helpful Handy Guide to New Testament Greek. Dr. Huffman was kind enough to answer a few questions about biblical Greek and the value of keeping up with the biblical languages. How did you get into biblical Greek, and what made you enjoy it enough to continue studying and eventually teach it? I first took biblical … More Interview with Dr. Douglas Huffman: Keeping Up with Your Greek

Wisdom for Would-be Authors: Interview with Crossway’s Senior Editor Dave DeWit

January 2, 2013

I have written a little, and would like to write more. Dave DeWit is Senior Editor at Crossway and has spent nearly three decades in the Christian publishing industry, mostly with Moody Publishers. I met Dave on a recent trip to Chicago, and after hearing some of his experience and perspective in person, I wanted to hear … More Wisdom for Would-be Authors: Interview with Crossway’s Senior Editor Dave DeWit

The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek by Douglas Huffman (Review)

December 14, 2012

“If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Most Greek teachers have brandished some version of this educational proverb in the relentless battle for student motivation. The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek by Douglas Huffman (Kregel Academic, 2012) provides a concise summary of grammar, syntax, and diagramming, adding a well-crafted weapon to the arsenal. This power-packed book will … More The Handy Guide to New Testament Greek by Douglas Huffman (Review)

Convictional Leadership: The Legacy of Albert Mohler

December 6, 2012

The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler (Bethany House, 2012) is his legacy in the form of principles. Mohler does not aim to join the conversation about leadership but to change it (15). He is calling not for adjustments in managerial technique but a paradigm shift in the way we think about leadership. I was … More Convictional Leadership: The Legacy of Albert Mohler

Biblical Theology Briefing (#2)

October 15, 2012

On November 6, Zondervan will release what looks like a helpful new compare-the-approaches book on biblical theology: Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice by Edward W. Klink III and Darian R. Lockett. Klink and Lockett both teach at Biola University in Los Angeles. PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION Understanding Biblical Theology examines the five major schools of … More Biblical Theology Briefing (#2)

Review of Eckhard Schnabel’s 40 Questions about the End Times

June 6, 2012

Eschatology, the study of the end times, is one of the most difficult theological subjects to grasp. Full of complexity and often conjecture, contemporary discussions and debates about eschatology often discourage Christians rather than encouraging us. Eckhard Schnabel has helped bring clarity to the issues with his 40 Questions about the End Times. You can … More Review of Eckhard Schnabel’s 40 Questions about the End Times

Biblical Theology Briefing (#1)

June 4, 2012

The new “Biblical Theology Briefings” are an opportunity to share observations, arguments, outlines, books, articles, reviews, sermons, videos, diagrams — anything I’ve found that could foster a clearer understanding of the Bible’s parts as they relate to its whole. “Biblical Theology” is a specific discipline within biblical studies (it doesn’t mean “theology that’s biblical in … More Biblical Theology Briefing (#1)