The Table of the Lord, Part 3
Eric Svendsen1 I. THE MEANING OF “TO BREAK BREAD” The meal instituted by Jesus for His church goes by a variety of titles in the NT, including Lord’s Supper and Agape. Another designation is “the breaking of bread.” It eventually came to refer to the meal proper, at least in Christian circles. There is general […]
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. By Robert Alter. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018. 3500 pp. Hardcover, $125.00. Christian interpreters of the OT run into two common struggles when reading the OT. The first is the tendency to read our Christian perspective into passages where it is not warranted. The […]
Tethered to the Cross: The Life and Preaching of C. H. Spurgeon
Tethered to the Cross: The Life and Preaching of C. H. Spurgeon. By Thomas Breimaier. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020. 271 pp. Hardcover, $24.64. Thomas Breimaier is a professor at Spurgeon’s College in London. In this work, he analyzes Spurgeon’s approach to hermeneutics. C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) was perhaps the most famous preacher of […]
Without a Doubt: How to Know for Certain That You’re Good with God
Without a Doubt: How to Know for Certain That You’re Good with God. By Dean Inserra. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020. 79 pp. Paper, $7.99. Great title. Great subtitle. But then I read the book. There are some Calvinists like David Engelsma who believe in the certainty of everlasting life. Calvinists like Engelsma base assurance […]
Grace Revolution: Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat
Grace Revolution: Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat. By Joseph Prince. New York, NY: FaithWords, 2015. 384 pp. Paper, $15.99. In Grace Revolution, Joseph Prince notes that many people try to mix grace and law in Christian living: “Yet today many believers are still living in confusion, and get law and grace all mixed […]
We Will Not Be Silenced
We Will Not Be Silenced. By Erwin W. Lutzer. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2020. 280 pp. Paper, $14.43. Erwin W. Lutzer served as senior pastor of Moody Bible Church for 36 years. He is a featured speaker on radio and has written several books. This is his most recent. There is a spiritual, cultural, […]
The Potter’s Promise: A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology
The Potter’s Promise: A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology. By Leighton Flowers. NP: Trinity Academic Press, 2017. 175 pp. Paper, $16.91. Leighton Flowers is a former Calvinist Baptist minister and is currently the Director of Apologetics for Texas Baptists. In The Potter’s Promise, he describes how he gave up on his belief in Calvinism. It […]
Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife
Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. By Bart D. Ehrman. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2020. 326 pp. Hardcover, $28.00. What can an agnostic historian with atheist leanings tell us about heaven and hell? To those of us who believe the Bible, not much. Yet, he can tell us two important things. […]
Five Points Towards a Deeper Experience of God’s Grace
Five Points Towards a Deeper Experience of God’s Grace. By John Piper. Glasgow: Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 2017. 96 pp. Paper, $9.99. John Piper is a popular writer and retired pastor. He is a devoted proponent of Reformed Theology and Calvinism. In this short book, Piper tries to answer the question, “How did God save […]
Examples of the Four Soils in the Gospel of Mark
Kenneth W. Yates EDITOR I. INTRODUCTION The Parable of the Four Soils is found in Mark 4:3-8. The Lord interprets the parable in 4:15-20.1 At face value Jesus says that the Word concerning Him and His coming kingdom will go out through His teaching and the teaching of His disciples. People will respond to that […]