The Potter’s Freedom
The Potter’s Freedom. By James White. Amityville, NY: Calvary Press Publishing, 2000. I. Introduction One thing Calvinists can never be accused of is failing to present their views. Of all the books written by Calvinists during the past ten years, James White’s book The Potter’s Freedom is perhaps the most polemical. And because it is […]
Masonic Rites and Wrongs: An Examination of Freemasonry
Masonic Rites and Wrongs: An Examination of Freemasonry. By Steven Tsoukalas. (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1995), 241 pp. Paper, $12.99. My father was a Mason and Shriner. He almost never took off his large Masonic ring. My sister was a part of Job’s Daughters when she was growing up. My dad encouraged […]
Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology
Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology. By R. C. Sproul. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000. R. C. Sproul is the author of forty books, founder of Ligonier Ministries, and the daily radio teacher for the nationally broadcast “Renewing Your Mind.” He is also known as one of the easiest to follow communicators from […]
New Revised Standard Version
The New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press, USA, 1991. I. Introduction In May of this year the latest and most thoroughgoing revision of the RSV appeared, sponsored by the National Council of Churches. I must confess that I have been having my morning devotions in the NRSV for the last several months.1 The reason […]
Worship Evangelism
Worship Evangelism. By Sally Morgenthaler. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. 320 pp. Cloth, $19.99. Finally there is some sound theology and reasoning injected into the controversy over church worship styles. While expecting another book of church-growth ideas and formulas on how to make the church service appeal to unchurched “seekers,” I found instead a […]
No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came from, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful
No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came from, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful. By Andrew David Naselli. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017. 123 pp. Paper, $17.99. I came to faith and grew via the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. It taught a higher-life view of the Christian life, with two types […]
The Doctrines of Grace in an Unexpected Place: Calvinistic Soteriology in Nineteenth-Century Brethren Thought
The Doctrines of Grace in an Unexpected Place: Calvinistic Soteriology in Nineteenth-Century Brethren Thought. By Mark R. Stevenson. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2017. 320 pp. Paper, $37.00. This book explores the presence of Calvinistic soteriology among the Plymouth Brethren. JOTGES readers will be especially interested in Chap. 7, “‘What Must I Do to be Saved?’: […]
Perspectives on Israel and the Church: 4 Views
Perspectives on Israel and the Church: 4 Views. By Chad O. Brand, Tom Pratt, Jr., Robert L. Reymond, Robert L. Saucy, and Robert Thomas. Edited by Chad O. Brand. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2015. Vii + 317 pp. Paper, $29.99. As Charles Ryrie explained in his classic work on Dispensationalism, the first aspect of […]
Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King
Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King. By Matthew W. Bates. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017. 234 pp. Paper, $24.99. Matthew Bates received his Ph.D. from a Catholic school (Notre Dame), and he teaches at a Catholic school (Quincy University). But Bates says, “I am a Protestant” (p. […]
What Is Faith?
What Is Faith? By R. C. Sproul. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2010. 67 pp. Paper, $2.50. This booklet is divided into four chapters. The first two chapters are good. The last two are not. In Chap. 1, “A Hopeful Vision,” Sproul takes Hebrews 11 as his main text. He emphasizes that the promises of God […]