Review

Book Review: A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3 (90-150) by Allen Ross

August 11, 2016

Every generation of Christians must study and apply the Scriptures afresh in order to hear the voice of God speaking by his Spirit to his church through his Word. Wisdom does not neglect past interpreters, teachers, and authors; we lean on them for insight and wisdom as we dialogue with the dead. But we must always “bake … More Book Review: A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3 (90-150) by Allen Ross

Lessons from the Real Count of Monte Cristo

April 21, 2016

In the 2002 film The Count of Monte Cristo, handsome sailor Edmond Dantès is betrayed by his friend Fernand Mondego, robbed of his beautiful fiancé, and wrongly sentenced to prison in the Château d’If. Deep in despair, Dantès befriends a fascinating old priest and polymath who becomes his multidisciplinary mentor. Dantès later escapes, creates a new identity, and exacts all … More Lessons from the Real Count of Monte Cristo

A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) by Allen Ross (Review)

October 26, 2014

A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) (Kregel Academic, 2013) is the second installment in Allen Ross‘s multi-volume commentary on the Psalter in the Kregel Exegetical Library series. Ross currently serves as Professor of Divinity in Old Testament at Beeson Divinity School. This second volume covers Books II-III of the Psalter (42-89). Ross introduces each psalm with … More A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) by Allen Ross (Review)

When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael Law (Review)

February 19, 2014

When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael Law (Oxford University Press, 2013) is a narrative retelling of the rise and fall of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. I have chosen to limit my review to general impressions since (1) I am a … More When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael Law (Review)

The Apostolic Fathers: Holmes’ Text and Wallace’s Lexicon (Review)

February 10, 2014

When evangelicalism turns to books, our functional motto is: “The newer, the truer.” We stir our hearts with fresh devotionals, hone our skills with modern ministry manuals, deepen our discernment with cultural exposés, and study our Bibles with contemporary commentaries. When it comes to the freshly published word, we have an embarrassment of riches. But our … More The Apostolic Fathers: Holmes’ Text and Wallace’s Lexicon (Review)

The Story Bible (Review)

February 7, 2014

Teaching our children the Bible is the highest responsibility we have as Christian parents. This teaching involves love, shepherding, discipleship, and modeling, but it never involves less than reading the Scriptures. Nothing can replace the reading and memorization of the normative English Bible. However, children’s story Bibles can be a helpful supplement for smaller children. The … More The Story Bible (Review)

What the OT Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible (Review)

December 9, 2013

The tree of the New Testament rises from the roots of the Old; the roots of the Old Testament break out in the tree of the New. The New Testament is nonsensical without the Old; and the Old Testament is unfulfilled and ultimately uninterpreted without the New. Therefore, I’m grateful to Jason DeRouchie of Bethlehem … More What the OT Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible (Review)

Letters and Life: On Being a Writer, On Being a Christian by Bret Lott (Review)

December 2, 2013

Bret Lott is a writer, he’s a creative writer, and he’s a creative Christian writer. I don’t think he would write a normal review — summary, strengths, and interaction. That would be the easy route. That would, in terms of its category, “borrow from the vast steaming pile of clichés we always have ready at … More Letters and Life: On Being a Writer, On Being a Christian by Bret Lott (Review)

Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Review)

November 29, 2013

How are you shaped ethically? What experiences nuance your beliefs and behaviors? What factors determine your rights and wrongs, creating your categories of good, bad, and ugly? I am convinced that everything we experience shapes us. What we see, what we hear, what we feel — everything. Human beings are a startling blend of two … More Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Review)

The Case for the Psalms by N. T. Wright (Review)

November 27, 2013

The Psalms are the pulse of the saints. The Psalter expresses the peaks and valleys of God’s people throughout the centuries, mapping the landscape of our lives and echoing the rhythm of our hearts. What would Christians do without the Psalms? The Psalter is the only God-breathed hymnbook, and it’s as magisterial as we might … More The Case for the Psalms by N. T. Wright (Review)

Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God’s Kingdom by Michael Barber (Review)

September 16, 2013

The Hebrew Scriptures are adorned and haunted by their crown jewel — the Psalter. The Psalms fathom the depths of evil, suffering, and betrayal, and scale the heights of devotion, deliverance, and steadfast love. Through the centuries, Jews and Christians have turned to the Psalter both as individuals and communities to lament, repent, question, declare, and … More Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God’s Kingdom by Michael Barber (Review)

The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition (Review)

July 29, 2013

With four children ages 5-7, I care deeply about children’s Bibles. If the Bible is the sacred book we believe it is, then the selection of stories, their emphases and implications, the language and tone, the artwork — everything matters. The tagline of the popular Jesus Storybook Bible (ZonderKidz, 2009) reads: “Every story whispers his name.” In the introduction … More The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition (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)