“It takes a while to really get into the story. It’s not boring, there’s just a lot of that you have to see through Birdie’s eyes first before delving deeper. This book is not a fast read, but it’s one to savor. I feel that it will touch many readers and pull some heartstrings. Perfect for a lazy fall’s day.”

http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/search/label/B%20and%20H%20Publishing

Powers by John B. Olson is the sequel to Shade, but you don’t need to read that volume to be completely hooked by this compelling thriller. Mariutza has been raised in seclusion by her grandfather, taught to fight, to use her mental abilities to outwit the enemy, and to fear the outside world. But when he is killed by mysterious hooded figures, she flees from the swamp that has been her only home to the city of New Orleans to seek the mysterious prophet Jaazaniah. Jazz Rechabson is just trying to make enough money to make the rent playing piano at a music club when he has a vision of a man surrounded and killed by strange beings. When he comes to, he finds himself being pursued by those same beings and the emergence of strange abilities he has no idea how to control or use. The two must pair up to find out the secret that binds them both and just may hold the key to their survival. The first 50-75 pages were a bit of a rough read for me. While the action was intense, I couldn’t figure out if this was our world or a world similar to ours and just what was going on. Then I relaxed and just let the story flow, and pretty soon the hours flew by, and I couldn’t put it down. The reader is much like Mariutza: in a strange world, disoriented, with no grasp of the circumstances. Olson dribbles out the information in enticing tidbits that keep the pages turning. A sure-fire hit with fans of urban fantasy or the supernatural, as well as regular thrillers, this weird, astonishing read is a true treat.

http://christysbookblog.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results

T. J. Higley has once again piqued my interest with a fascinating glance at history. She brings a richness to the past with her attention to detail thus creating a fabulous atmosphere in which to immerse the reader. Her characters vary widely from servants to rulers, and each plays an integral part in the ensuing drama. I just love being taken on an adventure, and Ms. Higley definitely takes you on an expedition to ancient Egypt. She has carved her own niche in the inspirational genre with this amazing historical loaded with action, intrigue, and romance. GUARDIAN OF THE FLAME is a page-turner, and I highly recommend any of the Seven Wonders Series.

<http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=24898>

Guardian of the Flame is the third in Higley’s Seven Wonders series. Part romance, part suspense, and part political novel, it defies a standard categorization. I have reviewed several inspirational novels for HNS and found this to be a cut above most. I enjoyed Higley’s retelling of the Beauty and the Beast myth in the unlikely romance of the plain, surly Sophia and cultured Bellus, as well as her blending of fact and fiction to create a suspenseful story leading to one of the most famous fires in history.

http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/the-review.htm

Carie’s writing is incredibly detailed and full of actual historical accounts. Her writing reminds me of Jane Austen, depicting the plight of women during a time where a woman’s only hope was to be wed to suitable mate.

Carie, like Austen, gave her female heroine strength and a keen mind, and the ability to save not only her family but also Christophe’s.

I don’t typically enjoy romance novels, but Love’s First Light kept my attention till the end. I also came away with an intense desire to learn more about French Revolution, and the atrocities that took place during this barbaric period in the history of man.

Love’s First Light can be found, with Carie’s first three titles, Wind Dancer, The Duchess and the Dragon and Snow Angel, at Mardel’s Bookstore for $14.99 or at Amazon.com for $10.

Newcastle Pacer

Type: Daily Newspaper

DMA: Oklahoma City, OK

Bryn Seymour was only nine years old when her mother died mysteriously on the same day as the Apollo 11 moon landing. Forty years later, a divorced, cynical Bryn meets conspiracy theorist Howard, who thinks the two events may be connected. Although Bryn tries to find closure in Howard’s ideas, Howard’s son, a Christian, presents a different road for her to follow. Verdict Sharp prose and an appealing love story make this tale a winner. Ellis (Elvis Takes a Back Seat) sensitively delves into the subject of trying to come to terms with losing a parent. 

LJones@reedbusiness.com

A search-and-rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Brannon Callahan is distinguished by her faith and her rescue record. She is pushed to her limits, though, when she must rescue U.S. Marshal Roark Holland from a dangerous blizzard after his plane crashes. Together, they must race to get a heart to a transplant recipient who happens to be the only witness in a human trafficking case. Verdict Making her B&H Fiction debut, Caroll (Bayou Justice) combines suspense with a burgeoning romance in a fast-paced tale that will please readers of this genre. 

LJones@reedbusiness.com

In 1808, Emma, the daughter of a prominent St. Louis family, believes she has met and married her dream man. But she soon discovers that Eric Montclaire is not who she thought he was. Controlling and merciless, Eric insists that Emma join him in a westward expedition following the trail that Lewis and Clark had broken a few years earlier. When Emma meets cartographer Luke Bowen along the way, her life is already in turmoil. Verdict This acclaimed author (Snow Angel) spins a captivating and complex story of forbidden love and redemption. Historical fiction and inspirational romance fans will enjoy this well-woven tale. 

LJones@reedbusiness.com 

Most biblical Hebrew grammars currently available on the market introduce the features of biblical Hebrew through a traditional grammar-translation approach. Garrett & DeRouchies’s grammar adopts this traditional approach. The authors supplement the Textbook with ancillary materials on a CD, on a website, and with a fabulous Workbook of exercises… Garrett and DeRouchie have produced a very good and very intense grammar of biblical Hebrew. Its structure is excellent for those who wish to teach using a traditional grammar-translation method, but it leaves very little room for flexibility for those who wish to include interactive activities in the classroom.

As a Hollywood stuntman I want action and drama in every project I read. ENEMIES AMONG US provides both in a dynamic portrayal of the intensity and discipline it takes to fight the shadow war in the streets of America. As a stuntman I know it takes discipline and patience to be successful. After reading Bob’s first book, THE LAST UNDERCOVER, a non-fiction chronicle of his life in the FBI and now reading about a new fiction action hero, Matt Hogan, I realize it takes discipline and patience to be successful undercover. Thanks Bob for another great read.

 Buddy Sosthand, winner of the TAURUS AWARD at The World Taurus Stunt Awards in the best fight category for Pirates of The Caribbean 2 Dead Man’s Chest.

Enemies Among Us is a suspenseful thriller that engages your mind, while giving you great insight to the FBI undercover world.  Bob Hamer a true Hero, brings realization to the frightening world of terrorism, all too often missed by many, as to just how close to home it can hit at any moment.

                       - Laura Orrico, Actress, www.lauraorrico.com

So, I’m giving this one four out of five bookmarks…and attaching a blue marble as a charm. Let your fascination with the galaxies drive you into the Arms of the One who created it all!

 http://deenasbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/once-in-blue-moon-by-leanna-ellis.html

Double Cross by James David Jordan is the sequel to Forsaken and continues the story of Taylor Pasbury, a brave twenty-nine year old woman who runs her own security company. Taylor is living with Kacey, daughter of a good friend who was murdered in the Forsaken. She promised to watch out for Kacey and the two have become as close as sisters. When the two women go to confront a former worker of Kacey’s father who appeared to have been embezzling from the business, they instead find her dead of an apparent suicide. The pieces just don’t add up to Taylor who can’t let the investigation go, especially when it seems to involve her newly returned mother, Hillary. Hillary and Taylor have been estranged for over twenty years, and their reunion is more than bumpy. Taylor is a fabulous character who is just learning what it means to be a Christian. Her faith has helped her beat her addiction to alcohol, but she still struggles with understanding just what being a Christian means. She’s enormously fun to read; her interior dialogue keeps the reader smiling, and wait until you see how she takes one bad guy down! When her friend Michael says, “They didn’t know what they were getting into” referring to messing with Taylor, he’s right on the money. Taylor is smart, funny, and tough, and I can’t wait to read what she does next.

http://christysbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/double-cross.html

I enjoyed this and thought it was a good sequel to Forsaken. Taylor is a very strong person but she also has quite a few issues, so it’s interesting to see how she handles things that come her way. The relationship between Taylor and her mother was quite interesting because her mother is quite a character.

 http://ineedtoread.blogspot.com/2009/10/double-cross-by-james-david-jordan.html

“Numerous introductions to the NT continue to appear, which is hardly surprising since they serve as textbooks in beginning NT classes. The volume under consideration may be the best of the recent crop. The work begins with a useful study of scripture and the canon, which is fitting given the claims made by the documents studied. The second chapter ably surveys the historical context in which the NT was written, which is a very helpful addition for professors who want to expose students to the NT world but do not wish to add another book to the required reading list.”

 - Thomas R. Schreiner, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Read the entire review here… (pdf)

Introduction to Evangelism is a text book written for the collegiate or seminary student who is serious about evangelism. Consequently, there are some “thick” parts that necessarily need to be “waded” through if being read by a non-seminarian. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is the convictional basis for evangelism.

Even though this is a textbook on evangelism and is written to Bible school or seminary student, this book should be made available in every evangelical church. If the truth were told, many Christians would say that they do not evangelize because they feel they are not properly equipped. Alvin Reid takes that excuse away and offers an experienced and educated understanding of evangelism.

- Terry Delaney at Christian Book Notes

Read the entire review here…

Love’s First Light illuminates a dark time in history while directing readers to the true source of light in everyone’s life. Author Jamie Carie knows how to bring the principles of the past to today’s readers in a relevant and riveting tale.

A trip fraught with danger from all sides, Emma is locked in her cabin, abused by her husband and driven to the edge and back. Seeing a honored and respected judge die in her arms, drives Emma to realize only she can save herself. Seizing the opportunity, she grabs the judge’s gun and shoots her husband, and then flees. On the run Emma is determined not to trust anyone, even the nice young cartographer, who has helped her so many times and who has come with her. 

Heads up readers, there’s a new kid on the block writing stellar romantic suspense with grit, authenticity and heartfelt emotion. Robin Caroll hits it out of the park in Deliver Us From Evil as Search and Rescue helicopter pilot, Brannon Callahan comes face to face with US Marshal Roark Holland in a wild blizzard. Sparks and bullets fly with equal abandon in this action packed novel! Tackling the despicable evil that is child trafficking, Robin brings awareness to this hidden trade in humans and the frightening toll on young lives. Tempering the painful truths in the story is the burgeoning relationship between Brannon and Roark that is simply a delight to read. Robin’s talent for building romantic tension is second to none, her plot twists intriguing and her faith elements quite uniquely woven into the tale. I am now a devoted follower of Robin’s books and am eagerly awaiting Lincoln’s story, Brannon’s SAR partner in Fear No Evil, releasing in August, 2010.

Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis reminds us all that reconciliation can help heal family

wounds. If you have ever enjoyed the classic The Wizard of Oz, then you’ll have to check this

one out! Enough said. www.leannaellis.com

Susan Choy Lee aka The Reading Mom

www.readingmom.net

Forsaken was one of my favourite stories of 2008 and James David Jordan has made the wait for another Taylor Pasbury tale well worth it in the sequel, Double Cross. Attracting trouble like a bee to honey, Taylor continues to struggle with the fallout from Simon Mason’s death while searching for an extortionist and caring for Simon’s daughter, Kacey. Action packed with an emotional punch, Double Cross combines the elements of a thriller with a contemporary woman’s search for love and meaning. It is a credit to Jordan’s skill as a writer that he makes Taylor so accessible despite her unusual career choice and ability to place any man in a choke hold! Taylor is one of the most complex and engaging characters you will find and I can’t wait for more of her story to unfold in future offerings from this author.

Rel Mollet

Book Reviewer

www.relzreviewz.blogspot.com 

Guardian of the Flame by T.L. Higley is a Seven Wonders novel that takes you back in

history to 48 BC. Sophia is the keeper of the famous lighthouse of Alexandria Egypt and her

former student Cleopatra, Greek Queen of Egypt has the power to change history. If you love

history, then you’ll love this fictional story built around many historical facts!

The author’s intense, suspenseful writing, filled with unforeseen plot twists and turns, leads to an unexpected, but satisfying ending that leaves the reader wanting more.

–Gail Welborn 

Set in 1808 in Saint Louis and along the path and trails of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Angels den opens with us meeting Emma, the daughter of prominent parents, an only child. A bit spoiled, but a lovely young woman. Her wedding is her dream come true, at least that is what she thinks. However after the wedding, she realizes that the man she thought she loved and the man she married are worlds apart.  

Eric Monclaire, famed and acclaimed as the most handsome man west of the Appalachians, is not all that meets the eye. A cruel, dishonest, and conniving man, he abuses his new wife. Forces himself upon her and forces her to go on a yearlong expedition to the Pacific Ocean.  

A trip fraught with danger from all sides, Emma is locked in her cabin, abused by her husband and driven to the edge and back. Seeing a honored and respected judge die in her arms, drives Emma to realize only she can save herself. Seizing the opportunity, she grabs the judge’s gun and shoots her husband, and then flees. On the run Emma is determined not to trust anyone, even the nice young cartographer, who has helped her so many times and who has come with her. 

Double Cross by James David Jordan

Taylor Pasbury, has a history. A violent history. Only 29 and raised by a father who was a former Special Forces Officer, abandoned by her mother at nine, Taylor’s life has not been easy. Her father was murdered when she was only seventeen and she was alone. All the training from her father has caused her to turn to a career in private security.  

Simon Mason World Ministries, needed a security officer, and Taylor was perfect for the job. A huge international ministry, Simon Mason has been threatened by a blackmailer, and his daughter was kidnapped, and he went to rescue her and was murdered. These are all things of the recent past, and this novel takes up the story, setting the scenario described.  

Half a million dollars is missing from the ministry, and fingers originally pointed at Simon Mason. However, after his death an internal audit shows that it is his assistant Elise, who has misappropriated the funds. A visit for confrontation is scheduled. Only when Taylor and Kacey, Simon’s daughter arrive, they find Elise in her car in the garage dead. Suicide is the initial ruling. But something is not right. Follow this story as Taylor dives into a investigation that will endanger her, Kacey and her mother, who has reappeared into her life.  

James David Jordan, has written an excellent mystery for all suspense lovers. This book will keep your interest and you will finish wishing for more. Most definitely a book to share with others! A five star rating is well deserved for this author and book.

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

Wow… Really…Wow!  James Rubart hooked me immediately in his fascinating, awesome novel, Rooms!

If you want to read the whole review you can find it here: 

http://ipbookreviewer-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2009/09/review-rooms-is-one-of-best-books-ive.html

Set in Alexandria Egypt, 48 BC Guardian of the Flame is truly like no other book I have read. A book that will grab you, lead you to a comfy chair and keep you there first page to the last page. Truly a fascinating book. 

Sophia, a woman of great tragedy, loosing her husband and baby in a shipwreck years earlier, has hidden herself in the lighthouse for years. As the Keeper of the Light, she is responsible for keeping the light burning in the lighthouse. A woman of means, and great learning, Sophia takes pride in her position. Her family has been the Keepers of the Light for generations.

Cleopatra, co-regent to the throne of Egypt, a student of languages at Sophia’s knee, is playing with fire. More exactly she is giving her heart over to the Roman conqueror Julius Caesar Taking a gamble that will keep her as a ruler of Egypt, she sneaks into the castle of her upbringing and joins herself to Caesar. 

The Roman Army is in the city of Alexandria, war is bound to break out as the Ptolemy’s jostle and juggle for leadership of the nation of Egypt. This story will unfold, with great mystery, romance and heartbreak. Love will find its way back into Sophia’s life. Romantic love? Or familial love? Read this wonderful story and join in the search for love that Sophia has felt she does not deserve. 

A book in the Seven Wonders series T. L. Higley has truly written a novel that deserves a five star rating. She has done extensive research, as the writing in the book will reveal. A book set in the times of idolatry and worship of false gods, T. L. Higley weaves the love of the one true God into this story. A wonderful book, with a believable, plausible story line, most definitely a book to keep for the home library.

by Cindy Love

“MGBH does succeed in providing a wealth of information, making it one of the most thorough introductory grammars on the market.  All in all, Garrett and DeRouchie have put together a nice grammar and should be commended for their work.”

Adam Couturier

Read the entire review here…

Professors Stewart and Haykin, along with all the authors of The Advent of Evangelicalism, have done us biblical, Reformed, evangelical Christians a great service. They give us confidence that we are standing on the solid ground of historic, biblical Christianity as we serve Jesus Christ and his church faithfully and fruitfully in the ever-changing contexts of our lives.

Dr. Neil Neilson, President, Covenant College

Read the entire post on Dr. Neil Neilson’s blog…

T L Higley’s third instalment in her Seven Wonders series, Guardian of the Flame has left me in the same state as Shadow of Colossus and City of the Dead ~ bleary eyed from reading way into the night and deeply satisfied from a fascinating journey to another place and time. Combining exceptional writing, accurate and interesting historical detail with unique characters, intriguing romance and dangerous adventure, Tracy Higley is truly a gifted storyteller you must not miss. Be assured there are no run of the mill characters in Tracy’s books or poor plotting. Sophia, Bellus and even Cleopatra’s uncommon personalities hold great appeal and the antiquity of the story is both eye opening and riveting. Guardian of the Flame is a tribute to Tracy’s abilities as an historian and author, and to the amazing Wonders of the Ancient World.

“Powder covers a multitude of sins.” (p.50)

The sins that Emma Daring powdered over were those perpetrated upon her by an angel – an angel straight from the pits of hell. Jamie Carie’s upcoming novel, Angel’s Den, is a journey into the darkness of human depravity. Jamie takes the reader into the nightmare of an abusive relationship, into the quiet place that an abused person escapes to from their horror, into a hopelessness and terror-filled life that will steal your breath away. 

Yet…there is still redemption to be found. Using God’s traits of mercy and long-suffering, Jamie introduces the character of Luke, and latter Judge Littleton. Through their faith and their unwavering trust in God, Jamie reminds the reader that even in life’s most horrific, dark moments, God has not left us alone. Emma lives for a time in this story as little more than a prisoner, although she is surrounded by people. As she is moved out West under the most unusual of circumstances, God begins to quietly work in her heart and life to prepare her for the trial of her faith that lies ahead. Emma becomes a heroic figure in many ways simply because she endures even when it seems that death itself would be a preferred option.

Angel’s Den has to be Jamie Carie’s most riveting work to date. She shares the gospel by exploring the broken lives of her main characters and then through the grace offered by those who are obedient to reach out to them despite the risk it might involve. There are unexpected twists and turns throughout the story that will keep you reading at a frantic pace, and there comes a point when the reader feels rather desperate for some relief from the tension-filled plot. Looking into the heart of a depraved sinner is no easy task, but the realization that God’s love has pierced that veil for each of His children, that we are offered grace when we are so undeserving – well, dear reader, this is a story that will stay with you long after the final scene. 

I’ve been blessed to meet Jamie Carie, and as I read this story I could picture her seated at her computer, tears streaming down her face, as she tells Emma’s story. It wasn’t until I sat to write this review that I realized Emma’s maiden name – Daring – is probably the most suitable and telling name that Jamie could have ever chosen.  I imagine, if I were to ask her, she would tell me that God chose the name, and she just shared the story! 

Angel’s Den. A story not to be missed. A story that defines grace. A story that will cause you to fall on your face before Holy God and Praise HIM for His son, Jesus!

Kim Ford

Window To My World

This book is a military thriller. The story was written in short, quick chapters from rotating point of views–and there were a fairly large number of point of view characters.  

The book was fast-paced. The author clearly explained the equipment and jargon used in the story without bogging down the pace with too many details. Every moment was full of tension and conflict, both at home with the team’s families and on mission with the team. The conflict and reactions all felt realistic and plausible.  

Characters were varied and engaging. Several of the characters were Christian. Their faith mattered to them and made a difference in how they reacted in difficulties, but the Christian content was never preachy.  

There is no sex in this book and all the swearing is of the “he swore” variety rather than actual printed cuss words. Overall, I’d highly recommend this book as a “good, clean fun” novel. 

 ~Reviewed by Debbie M. 

Book Bargains

Julie Carobini’s writing is really superb, and Sweet Waters is chick-lit at it’s very best! There seems to be a bit of everything in this book, from romance, to drama, to adventure! The book is chock full of it all so you won’t be bored! It was a fun, relaxing read.

~Reviewed by Kim F.

I loved everything about Scarlett & Christophé’s story ~ the location, the historical setting, the characters, their interaction and the circumstances that led them together. You won’t find colourless, stilted interaction in a Jamie Carie novel, her characters are vibrant, full of passion and angst in equal measure, as they face tragedy in the turbulent years of the French Revolution, a period of time that changed the world. Christian publishing needs authors like Jamie, who provide engrossing, vivid tales of flawed characters seeking both love and faith, with zeal and fervor. Love’s First Light is a top notch read for anyone who loves to be transported to another time and place for the mere price of a book!

 http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/08/loves-first-light-by-jamie-carie.html

Jamie Carie has once again seamlessly woven her in-depth research into an exciting and passionate page-turner. Her heroine’s character reminds me of a wild mustang running full gallop across the mesa, incredibly beautiful and too magnificent to tame. If you like plenty of action and emotion packaged into a historical romance, then WIND DANCER fits the bill.

    — Reviewed by Susan Miura

http://www.faithfulreader.com/reviews/9780805445343.asp

Seeing Things by Patti Hill is a tasty treat for a summer’s afternoon. Birdie Wainwrights prides herself on her independence and zest for life, even at the age of 72 and suffering from macular degeneration. When she starts seeing hallucinations of flowers in the middle of her living room, she starts to doubt her sanity, and when she ends up breaking her ankle because of them, her perfect life is turned upside-down. Birdie is forced to recover while living with her son Andy and wife Suzanne whose busy lives keep them on the run and away from son Fletcher, who has memorized baseball stats as a form of prayer in his lonely life. Things get even crazier when Huckleberry Finn shows up and starts talking to Birdie, and the faith of the whole family is tested. I absolutely adored the character of Birdie, and I hate that the book had to end! Hill precisely renders the conflict between aging parent and busy child when it comes to assisted living centers and independent living. Birdie wants only to heal and please her family, but she is forced over and over again to turn their care over to God. Her interpretation of putting them through the roof on a mat is one I will remember and use myself. The characters feel real, full of passion and life, like people you know personally, and the story has just the perfect amount of humor, faith, and love.

“For several years now increasing numbers of ministers and parents have begun recognizing the failure of the current system of youth ministry to disciple a generation to change the world through the gospel. However, the response to this failure has included everything from helpful critique to extreme overreaction which breeds its own set of problems. Timothy Paul Jones has provided the Church a valuable resource to help navigate these difficult waters. Read this book and consider its wisdom!”

- Alvin Reid, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Action, passion, murderous plots and interesting twists pervade everyone’s time in Paris. Old friends reunite, as do old enemies. Scarlett’s baby is born in Robespierre’s home. Christophé is caught by his enemy and nearly killed, but rescued by an unlikely heroine. And one thought dead is very much alive. Through it all, Jamie Carie’s attention to period detail easily transports the reader to late 1700s France, where culture, education and passion have made way for hunger, fear and violence. Carie captures the reader with her tale of romance, but faith and family loyalty play just as big a role in this captivating story. From imagery and pacing to dialogue and setting, she grabs the reader with the first page and holds on tight until the end. Historical romance fans will love it, but so will those who don’t normally read this genre.

Carie’s talent for merging in-depth research into a variety of historical fiction novels is to be commended. Whether her books are set during the French Revolution, England’s Regency period or the early days of America’s frontier, Carie weaves a beautiful tapestry of historical fact, passion and multi-faceted characters into an engaging plot. Readers are sure to enjoy LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT, as well as WIND DANCER, THE DUCHESS AND THE DRAGON and the award-winning SNOW ANGEL.

    — Reviewed by Susan Miura

James David Jordan has penned two other novels prior to Double Cross. Mr. Jordan has degrees in law and journalism and an MBA from the University of Illinois. Currently he works as a business attorney in the greater Dallas, Texas area where he is generally well received. He has a wife and two children. (Back cover, 2009) For more information about this author and his other works please log on to his personal web site at www.jamesdavidjordan.com. 

First of all let me say that I would easily hold Mr. Jordan in the same esteemed company as authors; James Hall, Patricia Cornwell and Stuart Woods. From the first pages of Mr. Jordan´s novel Double Cross until the final conclusion he manages to entertain and create drama/suspense for the reader. The lead character is a woman in her late twenties, Taylor Pasbury, who herself has a tragic past yet managed to reach the highest levels of law enforcement, the Secret Service before retiring to own her own security company in the Dallas area. 

Ms. Pasbury has recently taken on a famous tele-evangelist as a client in her security firm. He is being blackmailed. In the course of this new endeavor Ms. Pasbury gets as close as family to the preachers young college-aged daughter and the preacher himself. As she investigates the blackmailing many more dark things occur. These incidents are seemingly unconnected until she [Ms. Pasbury] digs deeper into her own and the tele-evangalist´s past. This story takes many unlikely twists and turns before its surprise ending. Is it someone he [the tele-evangelist] works with or someone from outside of this religious network?

By the end of this tale Ms. Pasbury has found out some pretty revealing things about herself, as well as, solved this mystery. Because it is a murder/mystery/blackmail conspiracy that takes place in the religious sector there are some religious undertones, but they are well placed and well served in the greater context of this story. 

I give James David Jordan a thumbs up! Thank you Mr. Jordan for a very good read! 

Review by Michelle Malsbury, BSBM,MM

Certain Jeopardy

This is a realistic look into the lives of six men and their families as the men in a Special Operations group are activated to a secret mission in Venezuela.  There are rumors of an Al-Qaeda training camp, but it turns out to be something far different.  A Canadian nuclear scientist has been kidnapped to help Iran create their own nuclear weapons using a nuclear waste technology that he has perfected.  In order to force his compliance, his family have been kidnapped, and are being held in Venezuela.

Eric Moyer is the leader of this fearless team of men.  This was expected to be just an observe and discover mission, but the kidnapping changes the mission to Certain Jeopardy.  They may have to end the life of an innocent man to save many others, as the Iranians work to escalate their nuclear program.  One Christian on the team is deeply troubled by this fact. They also know they might lose their own lives in trying to rescue the hostage family.

As a decorated member of the US Army’s elite fighting team, Jeff Struecker has lived the sort of action he writes about. He was one of the heroes of Black Hawk Down, and has over twenty years fighting experience in Panama, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq, crowning his achievements with an assignment as a military chaplain. His research is impeccable, the characters realistic and sympathetic, and the action is riveting.  The scenes with the families of these soldiers really give you an unblinking view of just what the families of the Special Ops guys go through, never knowing where their loved ones are, or when, or even if, they are coming home.

Struecker takes you right into Chavez’s Venezuela and the action gets violent in a hurry. Give yourself plenty of time to finish this book once you start it…I couldn’t put it down.  This Special Ops team would make an exciting series…I hope to see more of them.

Review by MyShelf.com

“Since most church education programs do not have the semester hour time constraints that educational institutions do, From Pentecost to Patmos, again with Jesus & the Gospels is a preferable choice over many other NT introductions as it focuses on simple commentary and the text, while still giving enough background and critical material to help a new student or reader engage in all the issues in NT study.”

Daniel Doleys at Text, Community, and Mission

Read the entire review at Text, Community, and Mission…

“This volume is truly a magnum opus. Congratulations on its publication.”

Dr. Bruce Metzger, April 26, 2006

As Robert Smith, Jr. observes in his book Doctrine that Dances, our fathers in the church were building on an image, a metaphor that was woven through the scriptures. We are a people who are created in the image of God and who therefore have dance in our very genes. Miriam danced when she reached freedom. David danced before the Lord. (Fortunately, Dr. Smith does not advocate naked doctrinal preaching!) Smith also observes that he is not the first to liken preaching to dance – Eugene Lowry employed an image suggested by David Buttrick to entitle his homiletical text, Dancing the Edge of Mystery. But what Robert Smith does do is invite the preacher into a fascinating, creative exploration of our genetic make-up and challenges us to become better dancers. 

Lucy Lind Hogan, Wesley Theological Seminary in Homiletic Review, July 2009

Read the entire review here… (PDF)

“David Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain (1989) was quickly recognized as a major contribution to our understanding of the history of this movement. This substantial work offers a critical study of aspects of his thesis. The chapters range from a survey of the book’s reception since 1989 by Timothy Larsen and ‘Evangelicalism and the Enlightenment’ by Michael Haykin to regional studies covering Scotland (Andrew McGowan), Wales (Densil Morgan). England (David Ceri Jones). New England (Thomas Kidd), and the Netherlands (Joel Beeke). In addition, there are era perspectives on Martin Luther (Cameron Mackenzie), Calvin and Toplady (Paul Helm), Thomas Cranmer (Ashley Null), Puritanism (John Coffey). Jonathan Edwards (Douglas Sweeney and Brandon Withrow), and nineteenth-century perceptions on the origins of Evangelicalism (Ian Shaw). The last section of the book covers evangelical doctrines including ‘Evangelical Conversion Narratives’ (Bruce Hindmarsh), `Enlightenment epistemology and assurance’ (Gary Williams). `Evangelical Eschatology’ (Crawford Gribben), ‘The Evangelical doctrine of Scripture’ (Kenneth Stewart), followed by a response from David Bebbington.

As a result of this scholarly interaction it is clear that a more refined understanding of Evangelical activism post 1730 emerges than previously understood. On the contested subject of assurance, it appears there was a greater degree of continuity between the Reformers and later Evangelicals in Scotland and the Netherlands. but less so amongst the Puritans in England and Jonathan Edwards in New England, therefore assurance was a more complex matter than Evangelicalism had previously allowed. On the topic of the Bible, Stewart demonstrates that it was mistaken to claim Louis Gaussen as the first to argue for biblical inerrancy as there were earlier defences of the absence of error in Scripture. The majority of the Bebbington thesis, however, has withstood this critical scrutiny. It is an impressive work, highly commended.”

 - Brian Talbot, Broughty Ferry, Scotland, January, 2009 Baptist Quarterly.

Although written by a pastor with immediate application to pastors, this book should find an audience among all sorts of leaders: parents, teachers, businessmen, etc. – anyone who desires to receive encouragement and sound practical advice in leading others for the glory of Christ.

Iron sharpens iron. Hunt’s book sharpened me.

online.worldmag.com

Sweet Waters is as delightful as dipping your toes in lapping waves on a sunny day! Julie Carobini has excelled in creating an inviting beachside community without compromising the realities of human nature and the difficulties of small town living. Tara’s painful rejection by her fiance and the revelation of devastating family secrets are tempered by gentle humour, feisty and honest sibling rivalry and make for a heart-warming and inspiring read. The interaction between Tara and her sisters is spot on, reminiscent of sisters everywhere and the burgeoning attraction Tara feels for firefighter Josh, a man burdened by his own frailties, totally captivating. 

Sweet Waters is the perfect combination of playfulness, charm and enrichment. Julie Carobini has a winner on her hands and I am longing to return to Otter Bay for the next adventure!

Review for Love’s First Light

I love the setting and the plot of this book. The 18th century France, is a subject I have never read about before and it was fun to get to know some of the issues that people faced at that time. I worried that I would be overwhelmed reading a ‘Christian’ novel. I was pleasantly surprised that the religious mentions where not as abrupt and distracting as I thought they might be. Actually, the people of that time were much more religiously aware then the people of today, so it fit quite well. The only negative comments that I might add were that I wish some parts had been developed more, for instance when Christophe makes his decision it seemed so hasty. Otherwise, a solidly written book. If you enjoy historical romance this book is worth your time.

~Reviewed by Trin F.  - Book Bargains

While there are many OT surveys available on the market today, Broadman and Holman Academic’s Old Testament Survey 2nd Edition and accompanying student’s guide deserves your attention. Because it was originally written with an emphasis on the literature and narrative structures of the OT and then was expanded at length to focus on the historical and geographical components of the OT makes this particular OT survey first among equals.

Read the entire review at Christian Book Notes…

Tara Sweet has had it with life in Missouri and decides to head home to coastal California where she has memories of a wonderful childhood before her father died. She expects to regain the happiness she once knew but instead discovers a complicated family history. A possible romance with a handsome firefighter and a future at the beach may not be enough to bring Tara the healing she seeks. VERDICT Carobini’s third beach-themed chick-lit title (after Truffles by the Sea and Chocolate Beach) is competent young women’s fiction and will appeal to readers who like Melody Carlson or Kristin Billerbeck.

I really liked the gentleness of this story. You could feel the raw emotions that both Christophe St. Laurent and Scarlett were going through. They each were fighting a different battle where with the help of each other they could overcome them. To be honest I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. Luckily because of all the above reasons that I just stated, I not only enjoyed Love’s First Light but I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good love story with strong characters. Jamie Carie showed me a whole new light. I can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with next.

Julie Carobini’s writing is really superb, and Sweet Waters is chick-lit at it’s very best! And I LOVE this line…”I’ve learned that moving on requires letting go of everything – except my faith.” (p. 311) Isn’t that the truth? You won’t believe all that takes place before that statement can be made by ANY of the characters in this story! God is so faithful! Originally, this book was scheduled to release from B&H in August, but I just learned it’s already available! So please visit B&H and learn more about this great book!

NASHVILLE, TN (July 7, 2009) – Check today’s most popular books in the iTunes App Store and, amidst teen favorites like Twilight and Transformers, you’ll find a surprising pick.  The Love Dare: 40 Dares, an App based on the New York Times #1 best selling book The Love Dare, has climbed steadily on iTunes charts since its release earlier this month.

But then, The Love Dare has shattered expectations in every medium it has touched.

The movie Fireproof surprised Hollywood by becoming the top-grossing independent film of 2008.  It tells the story of a firefighter struggling to save his crumbling marriage who is given a book called The Love Dare.  The book offers “dares” that become pivotal in rebuilding his marriage.  Touched by the story of transformation, Fireproof’s early audiences asked where they could find this life-changing book.

The Love Dare, a book that presents the same 40-day challenge for husbands and wives who want to strengthen their marriage, was released by B&H Publishing Group to coincide with Fireproof’s national theater premiere.  The book became a best seller on the New York Times advice list, and has spent 39 weeks to date in the list’s top ten with more than 3 million copies in print.

Now, the same message is brought to an even wider audience with the release of three Love Dare-based “Apps” (software applications) on Apple’s online store, iTunes, that markets specifically to iPhone users.  Powered by BibleReader, a mobile Bible study program created by Olive Tree Bible Software, these Apps aim to transfer the complete Love Dare experience to the iPhone for mobile users.

This digital release broadens the unconventional outreach strategy that has brought the faith-based message of The Love Dare to a wide audience using channels, like movie theaters, music stores, online communities, and electronic distribution, that have traditionally been dominated by secular media.

There are three Love Dare Apps available on iTunes (see them here).  “The Love Dare: eBook + HCSB BibleReader” presents the full text of The Love Dare book, along with live links for each scripture reference and complete access to the full Holman Christian Standard Bible translation.  “The Love Dare: 40 Dares” features each of the book’s 40 dares with scripture reference pop-ups, and a place to check off completed dares, along with the complete text of the King James Version Bible.  “The Love Dare: Reminders” includes 365 inspiring quotations from the book that users can mark as favorites and email to friends, adding personal notes. 

###

B&H Publishing Group is best known for books by Beth Moore (Praying God’s Word), Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God), and Vicki Courtney (TeenVirtue) and for developing the Holman Christian Standard Bible™ translation and its related products including The Apologetics Study Bible. The company also published Oliver North’s recent New York Times bestseller, American Heroes, and is a leading producer of church supplies and Spanish Bibles.

Contact: Paul Mikos
paul.mikos@bhpublishinggroup.com
Tel. 615-251-2528
http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/apps

Olive Tree Bible Software provides Bibles and study tools for iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm OS, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC), smartphone, and Symbian cell phones.  The BibleReader™ application offers easy reading, quick navigation, rich formatting, customizable display, and powerful search capabilities.  Olive Tree publishes over 500 electronic resources including 100+ translations of the Bible, commentaries, reference works, devotionals, and Christian eBooks.  Original Hebrew and Greek texts with parsing tools are also available.

Contact: Sarah Peterson
sarahpeterson@olivetree.com
Tel. 509-465-0302
http://www.olivetree.com

T.L. Higley does a remarkable job researching the characters and era of this time. The actual individuals from whom the characters are developed left lasting impressions and amazing creations in the land of Egypt. Higley is known for her travels to unusual places and landmarks, learning their history, and creating novels of great interest based on the knowledge she acquires from her journeys. While we are not all so fortunate as to travel the great world and see the amazing sights Higley has been privy to, she does us all a great deed through her novels, allowing us to experience, even in this fanciful mix of fiction and nonfiction, what she herself has seen.

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com

“This collection is wonderful, especially in combination with the previous collection Passionate Conviction. It really does provide excellent essays to rationally and reasonably defend the truth of Christianity.

The best thing about this book is that it deals with numerous contemporary issues and concerns. It is hard since the popularization of Dawkins and Erhman for one to simply jump to the gospel, without first having to sort out “delusional” issues or “mistranslations” or ”corruptions.”

This book provides some of the necessary tools. Now looking at the essays covered, one will realize that other issues that are important are missing, namely that of relativism or comparative religions. So it is not a complete guide, but if one picks up passionate conviction those issues are addressed.

Therefore one might want to see which issues are of most concern to you and thus pick volumes accordingly.

The minor let down, was getting the book and starting to read Craig’s critique of dawkins only to find that it was about 3 pages (other authors give a more substantive analysis). Although it did address some issues, I wanted a lot more. Additionally, if one owns a huge collection of apologetics textbooks, one may ask is it worth it? For example Craig Evans has a chapter on Fabricating Jesus, but he has written a whole book on the issue. There are other instances of this (mostly with the Jesus of History section), in which I owned the book, in which the expert has written and from which the article may have been derived or adapted.

Moments like those made me wonder if I was getting my full money’s worth (or if i own too many books !) , but in the end I was pleased as it was a great recap and so there is so much good material in a portable compact volume.

It is an excellent volume, especially recommended for those new to the issues and challenges of the New Atheists.”

- Lemaro Thompson, customer review at Amazon.com

Charles Spurgeon’s designation of John Broadus as the “greatest of living preachers,” and the declaration by another that Broadus is “perhaps the greatest man the Baptists have produced,” warrant a new look at the almost forgotten teacher, scholar, preacher and statesman. David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and Roger Duke, assistant professor at the Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, Tenn., have provided a fresh, dynamic, informative, and inspiring perspective of this humble servant of God.

This book from Broadman & Holman Publishers is part of a new series on the history of Baptists, designed to inform and strengthen not only Baptists but also others who love the truth. Series editor Michael A. G. Haykin says: “Given the many significant changes that the world is undergoing in our day, Baptists are being tempted to divorce themselves from their theological and spiritual roots. Behind this series is the conviction that such would be suicidal and that the volumes in this series will provide a way for Baptists to learn from the past how to live faithfully for God in the present.”

- Robert L. Mounts, Florida Baptist Witness

Read the entire review…

“In a culture whose spirituality is a mile wide and an inch deep, Kent Edwards’ call for preaching deeply is irresistible. Deep Preaching is a cogent and heartfelt call for preaching beyond the status quo. As one who loves to preach, this book makes me uncomfortable about the level of passion in my heart and creates a hunger to taste the Biblical text so that when I stand to preach people will be drawn into the heart of God.”

Brian C. Stiller
President, Tyndale University College & Seminary

“Biblical scholars and systematic theologians usually grab the headlines during contemporary debates over evangelical identity. Church historians are called to testify as even-handed observers who place the debate in context. But this context itself is often the stuff of legendary dispute among historians. David Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, published in 1989, has set the terms of theological discourse by describing the historical context from which the modern movement emerged. In time for the book’s 20th anniversary, a team of renowned scholars has published The Advent of Evangelicalism, where they reflect on Bebbington’s vast influence and challenge several of his most controversial claims.”

Read Collin Hansen’s full review at Christianity Today…

Review for Deliver Us from Evil

“In Exposure, Robin Caroll has done what most novelists fail to do. She has

discovered the holy grail of fiction; she has found the truth.”

Brandt Dodson Author of Daniel’s Den by Harvest House Publishers

“With great plot twists, strong characters, and just the right amount of romance, Deliver Us from Evil is a high-octane, must read!  Robin Caroll nailed the gritty, tough world of law enforcement and brought to light the tragedy of human trafficking in this powerful novel.”

—Mark Mynheir, homicide detective and author of The Night Watchman.

Robin Caroll hits it out of the park with this thrilling new novel. Exposure picks you up on page one and takes you on a ride you’ll love page after page. And when all is said and done, you’ll want to read it again just for the pure pleasure of wonderful storytelling. Can’t wait for the next novel from this author. A must read!!

Wanda Dyson – best-selling author – Shepherd’s Fall

The kind of novel ‘Ripped from the headlines’ was meant to describe. Compelling. – James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Try Fear and Decieved

Jammed full of thought-provoking statistics and analysis, Lost and Found is a must for those actively involved in youth ministries. If you have at least a fairly strong interest in youth ministries, it’s the kind of book you’ll want to discuss, and argue, with friends.

Within the last few months, the American media has run a number of stories that should be worrisome to Christians. I’m not referring to the nonstop “Is Barack the Messiah?” articles, but articles such as the Christian Science Monitor’s “The Coming Evangelical Collapse” the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s recent article on the ban of Florida hospice chaplains using the word “God,” or Newsweek’s recent “The End of Christian America.”

Many churches across our fruited plains are, following Europe’s lead, dying out with the passing of older members and a dearth of young members to take their places. This hits home for me personally when I periodically worship at a Japanese church in California where the average age of members is close to 70 years old – seventy and rising.

With that as background, the 2009 release of Ed Stetzer’s Lost and Found – The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them seems to have come at a fortuitous time. There are a lot of statistics and tables to digest and mull over, particularly in the first part of the book, so don’t think this is an easy read to be done while checking e-mail or watching TV with one eye.

“There is something raw and achingly beautiful about Jamie Carie’s writing. Jamie takes history and brings it to your heart and mind with words and phrases that wring the emotion out of you and leave you hungry for more. Love’s First Light will release from B&H Publishing in July, and I want to urge everyone to read this breathtaking saga  – set amid the terror of the French Revolution!”

–Window to My World

Cowan and Spiegel are charitable as they consider views they don’t hold, while also providing reasons why they believe those views are wrong when the views go against the clear teachings of Scripture. They illustrate the difficult topics with countless examples that are clear and instructive. The one shortcoming of the book is that some of the “Questions for Reflection” should have an answer key- particularly those in the logic section that ask the reader to identify soundness and validity of arguments or fallacies. Perhaps more questions with objective answers and a key in the back of the book would be helpful for readers who aren’t reading or discussing the book with a group of people. This is hardly a criticism of the book’s content, however, since regardless of one’s use of the questions, reading The Love of Wisdom is immensely worthwhile even for those who have a passing interest in philosophy.

- Roger Overton

Read the full review at the A-Team blog…

Readers will be particularly thankful that the editors elicited a response to these many critiques of Bebbington’s theses from Bebbington himself who demonstrates that he has read these essays carefully and with a readiness to learn from them.  With regard to each of seven issues (activism, transcultural missions, the doctrine of assurance, the relationship of that doctrine to the Enlightenment, revival, the Bible, and the place of Methodism), Bebbington ponders ways in which his position might need to be revised or nuanced. He then identifies seven points which he believes can be reaffirmed in light of the conversation offered by this book: (1) there is agreement upon the nature of evangelicalism; (2) the evangelical movement “has been strongly tinctured by its cultural setting” (426); (3) the early evangelicals shared much common ground with the Englightenment, though this would not be accepted by all contributors to this volume; (4) there was both continuity and discontinuity between the evangelical movement and earlier expressions of Protestantism, but there was “a higher degree of continuity with the Puritans than the book of 1988 recognized” (427) and the chronology of the early stages of the movement “needs to be extended in both directions” (428); (5) a substantial shift in churchmanship occurred, which encouraged “an undenominational temper” (429) and made the gospel prior to all other concerns, including churchly issues; (6) early evangelicals and their predecessors had different attitudes to matters of public concern; and (7) evangelicals were passionate about truth and its importance to the propagation of the gospel.

As one would expect, given the obvious expertise of the numerous contributors to this work, the result is a book that will have lasting value to all who are interested in better understanding evangelicalism, its nature and its development. The editors have done the church a significant service. The work has a nice tone, modeling a conversation between scholars who respect one another even when they significantly disagree. This is valuable particularly because it presents evangelicalism in a way that commends the gospel around which we are united. These essays move forward the historical theological conversation about who we evangelicals are and where we came from, demonstrating both the complexity of these issues and the importance of studying them for the health of the movement which is, by nature, dynamic. It is a book to which I expect to return often for its many insights both historical and theological.

Reading the book as a Baptist who has worshipped in a Mennonite congregation for the past 20 years, I was struck by how marginal the Radical Reformation was to the development of the movement we call “Evangelicalism,” despite the fact that so many heirs of this wing of the Reformation are happy to identify themselves as evangelical. But, I have been blessed to read of the many godly and courageous people whom God graciously saved by the good news of the work of Christ and whom he used mightily in the propagation and defense of that gospel; the fruit of their labours is now found around the world.

Terrance L. Tiessen for Didaskalia
Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology and Ethics
Providence Theological Seminary

“I do not know of a single resource on the New Testament and the contemporary importance of community and family that is so well resourced and easy to read as Hellerman’s When the Church was a Family.  But this book is not simply a detailed factual and biblical analysis of Western individualism and biblical community.  Its pages brim with deeply moving, hope-filled points and insightful practical application.  This book should be required reading in seminary classes on the nature of the church and by pastoral staffs who wish to develop community among their people.” 

- JP Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, and author of Kingdom Triangle.

“Community is a word that can mean so many different things to different people. Family is a beautiful metaphor for the church, yet it is often not experienced by the church. In When the Church was a Family Joe raises a hopeful look at how the church today can glean what biblical community was from the early church and translate that to what community would look like today.”

— Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus but not the Church.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am now starting my third reading, this time underlining more and highlighting as well.  It has been more help to me than any other single book I can recall.  I am recommending that we teach it in our Sunday School as an elective subject because I feel there are many who have had the same experiences I have in understanding the whole story and being able to share it effectively.”

Mary Lynn Griswold
Read the entire review at her blog…

“Excellent work. I lead a church in Melbourne, Australia with about 6000 people attending each week (10 church gatherings in 4 locations). The learnings were very helpful for us. Being so far away from the USA, its a bit hard to keep track of all that is going on, and Multi-Site Churches gave us a terrific overview of what other churches are doing, especially beyond 2-3 sites.” 

Mark Conner, CityLife Church

I just wanted to thank you and your team for your excellent work on the
book ‘Multi-Site Churches’. I lead a church in Melbourne, Australia with
about 6000 people attending each week (10 church gatherings in 4
locations). The learnings were very helpful for us. Being so far away from
the USA, its a bit hard to keep track of all that is going on and this book
gave us a terrific overview of what other churches are doing, especially
beyond 2-3 sites.

Keep up the good work and let us know if you do any more on this topic.

God bless

Mark Conner
CityLife Church
www.citylifechurch.com
www.blog.markconner.com.au

“T.L. Higley has done it again! Guardian of the Flame has the strong characters, rich description, and attention to historical accuracy that have become her hallmarks. Many series begin to go downhill after the first book or two, but Higley’s Seven Wonders novels keep getting better.”

 Rick Acker, author of Dead Man’s Rule and Blood Brothers

From Relz Reviewz

Guardian of the Flame weaves history into a completely absorbing tale that doesn’t let the reader go even after the last page is turned. The Seven Wonders of the World, and the people whose lives are intertwined with them, come alive in this imaginative, engrossing series. I can’t wait for the next one!

Janelle C. Schneider, Author

“A Distant Love”, a novella in the collection Christmas Duty

It’s a modern-day Wizard of Oz with Cinderella undertones. But this is no fairy tale or fantasy, with magical resolutions and guaranteed happy endings. It’s a deeply moving story of hurt and healing, of love and loss, of hope and redemption. Immensely entertaining, it is chock full of wit, grit, humor and heartache. Truly unforgettable, Ruby’s Slippers has the potential to be a classic. 

Delia’s Reviews, Interviews and Writing News

“Chuck Lawless and Jim Shaddix assess the Emerging views of evangelism, advocating some of the positive aspects of the movement while critiquing others in light of Scripture.”

“Overall, I heartily recommend Evangelicals Engaging Emergent for being an evangelical contribution to the conversation that actually lives up to its title.”

Read the entire review at Kingdom People…

Readers are here introduced to several of the doctrinal issues involved in thinking of Jesus in Trinitarian terms as well as the key biblical passages that prove such is a necessary component for being faithful to Scripture. The book will prove to be a great resource for evangelical undergraduates, interested lay folk, or pastors looking for a refresher in Christology. And the listing of key terminology, reading recommendations, study questions, and christological axioms make the book extremely useable for classroom discussion and general study.

James R. A. Merrick
King’s College, University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

 read the entire review at Themelios…

Why such a broad scope? Because the book is in honor of John Warwick Montgomery, and he is a man of intense scope. He has more PhD’s and Graduate degrees than I have fingers, in essence he has a hand in about every field and the book reflects on his contributions and has essays in the fields in which he has worked. As for the clincher, the quality of the essays? Names such as J. I. Packer, Dembski, Yamauchi, I. Howard Marshall, Geisler, Habermas and Lutzer should signal there is quality and editors such as Dembski and Schirrmacher ensured the final product was coherent and enjoyable.

- customer review at Amazon.com

Read the entire review at Amazon.com…

JW Montgomery is a lost gem in Christianity, likely because he is of a another intellectual level from most. Astounding can only begin to describe a career filled with books on numerous subjects as well as doctorate degrees to back them up, and then his debate history with major players such as Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Thomas Altizer, and recent ones with likes of major Muslim apologist, and then his legal case history winning major human rights issues.

44 contributors to this volume are organized into six groupings: Christian Worldview; Nature of Nature; Doctrinal Integrity; Defending the Faith; Law, Ethics, Society; Tribute. What surprised me somewhat is the non-Lutheran contribution here, with there only being four that I could identify, allowing that some of the laypeople might be as well.

Having read at least two in each of these categories, I can relate that they are superb for the most part. They are captivating, whether or not your view concurs with that being offered.

- customer review at Amazon.com

Read the entire review at Amazon.com…

When Bill Dembski employs his characteristic brilliance and boldness to illuminate one of theology’s thorniest problems, as he does in The End of Christianity, the result is a book that deserves a wide readership, and serious attention from the experts.

Phillip E. Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial.

I don’t know about you, but I am fascinated by the stories of real life men and women both highly trained and wholly committed to defending our country, often at great personal sacrifice. As I was in the midst of devouring reading this novel, the story of Navy SEALS rescuing a kidnapped merchant ship captain dominated the news. Heroism, bravery, and sacrifice inspire us, rightly so, and all are present in Certain Jeopardy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a fast paced adrenaline ride that will keep you reading until the last page is turned.

5minutesforbooks.com

“Saving Freedom is a new Declaration of Independence, a call for the American people to reclaim America. Jim DeMint’s passion for the cause of individual liberty and personal responsibility is evident in this manifesto. It needs to be read—and acted upon—by every citizen of this republic.”

— Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

“Jim DeMint has delivered a ‘how to’ plan for avoiding a future that we neither want nor deserve. For those of us who want to keep America the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave,’ Saving Freedom is a must read!”

— Oliver North, USMC (Ret.), author of New York Times best seller American Heroes

“Once again, as we did in 1776, Americans must choose between freedom and oppression. In Saving Freedom, Jim DeMint describes the clear and present danger posed by big government – and what we must do to preserve individual liberty and personal responsibility. Every American needs to read this book.”

— Sean Hannity, host of the Sean Hannity Radio Show and Hannity’s America on FOX News Channel

“It’s comforting to know that someone like Jim DeMint is standing in the gap as we see so many of our nation’s founding principles eroding. I view Saving Freedom as a blueprint for the effort that all concerned Americans must join to restore and protect the freedoms we depend on.”

— Steve Forbes, president and chief executive officer of Forbes and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine

“Between this volume and Carson and Moo’s standard, An Introduction to the New Testament, evangelical students are very well served indeed!”

Justin Taylor, Between Two Worlds

Read the entire review at Between Two Worlds…

“When I was in college at the University of Arkansas, Steve Cowan was there doing his Ph.D. in Philosophy. I came to know him through various contacts in Christian circles there, and we’ve stayed in touch as we’ve seen each other at ETS meetings and such.

I’m thrilled to say a hearty congratulations to him on B&H’s publication of The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy.

May this volume foster much love of wisdom: true philosophy in the fear of the Lord under the Lordship of the world’s true King, the incarnation of Wisdom, Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jim Hamilton at For His Renown

Unchurched young adults are more open to your church than you might have thought previously, according to Lost and Found. This book shows surprising research about the spiritual attitudes of unchurched 20-somethings. It will also introduce you to churches that are successfully reaching this tough-to-find demographic – and the principles they use to do so. If you’re looking for ways to help young adults in your community connect with God and your church, you’ll want to read this book.

Seeing Things skillfully weaves together the hard reality of afflictions
with the whimsical side of life. While captivated by entertaining episodes,
profound insights seep into your soul-setbacks don’t have to defeat us,
troubles don’t need to bring gloom, and physical afflictions can usher
adventures rather than limitations.

Janet Perez Eckles, international Christian speaker and author.

“Among available New Testament introductions for theological students this one stands out for meticulously thorough coverage, bibliographical fullness, attention to canonical issues, juicy pastoral reflections, and lashings of masterful common sense. I recommend it highly, as a leader in its field.”

J. I. Packer
Professor of Theology
Regent College
Vancouver, BC

“Of making of New Testament Introductions there seems to be no end, and the use of them is often a weariness of the flesh for the student. Yet from time to time, fresh breezes blow life into the genre, and such is the case with The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown. Here we have a substantive, up-to-date introduction to the New Testament, for those preparing for ministry in the church. While broadly conversant with New Testament studies in general, the authors keep their target audience squarely in view, using information boxes, review questions, and even devotionals to good effect. Graded blocks of information for beginners, intermediate students, and those more advanced demonstrate an awareness of the range of competencies found in almost any classroom. This introduction should prove helpful to professors and edifying to students for many years to come.”

George H. Guthrie
Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible
School of Christian Studies
Union University

“Augustine as Mentor builds on sound scholarship and research. Smither not only displays his own familiarity with a multitude of secondary works but more impressively his extensive working knowledge of the voluminous Augustinian corpus from the Latin sources. The volume’s style is straight forward, systematic and well organized. No fluff is found here. Often using a question and answer format, Smither intentionally assists the reader in not getting bogged down in too much detail.”

By Dr. Jerry Sutton
Associate Professor of Christian Proclamation and Pastoral Theology
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

 Download the entire review here… (pdf)

During a time when there are so many astonishing and confusing things being claimed about the Bible, this volume brings exceptional clarity and careful scholarship to the task of introducing the New Testament. The authors not only provide the reader with a solid orientation to every NT book, but they also directly address a broad range of issues that scholars have raised. The end result is a richly informative text that is very readable and abundantly helpful. I enthusiastically recommend this volume to all who want to better understand their New Testament.

Clinton E. Arnold
Professor and Chairman, Department of New Testament
Talbot School of Theology (Biola University)

“Köstenberger, Kellum, and Quarles have written a very useful introduction to the New Testament for beginning college and seminary students that provides an up-to-date survey of the individual books of the New Testament as well as succinct and helpful essays on the nature of Scripture (canon, text, inspiration), backgrounds (historical, political, and religious), the life of Jesus (sources, quests), the life of Paul, unity and diversity, and a helpful glossary of terms. The material is very readable and understandable and is certain to prove a very popular text for evangelical students.”
 
Robert H. Stein
Senior Professor of New Testament Interpretation
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“When I first encountered Learn to Read New Testament Greek by David Alan Black a few years ago, I stayed up all night and into the early hours of the morning—going through—what I thought was a clear and user-friendly beginner’s Greek grammar.

Now this noteworthy grammar, as of March 2009, returns in its third edition, and this time around, it is accompanied by a user-friendly Workbook.”

Read the entire review here…

“At times ticklish and charming (oh, that Huck Finn!), at other times deeply moving, Patti Hill’s Seeing Things kept the pages turning despite the hour. This grandmother’s quest to put her family on the mat and lower them through the ceiling of pain and past mistakes, right to Jesus’s feet, is a tale I could read again and again.”

 Tamara Leigh author of Faking Grace and Leaving Carolina

“It’s no secret that young adults are unplugging or never getting plugged into to a local church. Lost and Found tackles this trend head-on to uncover the disconnect between them and the church . . . One of the refreshing things about Lost and Found is what it does not do. The authors do not get distracted by trying to dive into a myriad of sidelining issues regarding what’s wrong with the church or our belief system, nor do they try to paint a picture of what the church will look like in 50 years. Instead, the material remains unapologetically focused on two questions: Who are the young unchurched? And how can they be reached with the Good News of Jesus?

To this end, Stetzer, Stanley and Hayes explore nine common characteristics of churches who are successfully reaching the young unchurched. These congregations are intentional about creating a deeper community and making a difference through service . . . Lost and Found is a good resource for those trying to reach the next generation and understand how they think.”

Read the full review here.

From sbcIMPACT:

 “Ed Stetzer is a genius—he is able to make statistics interesting!  He speaks with both authority and humility . . . but he is careful not to use research as the basis of truth. He recognizes that truth comes from God’s Word— something Lost and Found is careful to remember. He is not trying to derive truth from statistics, but to use his research to show the church how to communicate its eternal truth more clearly . . . I was also surprised to find that music was not one of the key issues in young people’s minds. They wanted authenticity, community, depth, truth and responsibility more than they wanted rock-and-roll. This is not a book to be read once. It is a book to be slowly digested and considered over time. Buy it. Read it. Think about it. Pray about it. Implement its recommendations. The younger unchurched in your community will receive better ministry if we do.”

“Oh, dear reader, do you know what it’s like to have life go terribly wrong? Out of control? Becoming an overwhelming mess? Then you have asked yourself the same questions that Meg asks in Rebecca Seitz’ final installment of Sisters, Ink. Perfect Piece is the crown jewel of this marvelous series . . . Don’t miss this incredible finale! Your heart will be blessed, and you will better understand God’s precious gift of mercy and grace!”

“In her second Seven Wonders novel, T. L. Higley transports the reader to Ancient Egypt and the wonder of the Great Pyramids that stand to this day. Her research is impeccable, and I was completely immersed in the culture of the day and the political posturing of Pharoah Khufu, a man who believed he was god on earth. Tracy’s characterization is second to none, her pacing perfect, and the suspense and intrigue had me engrossed from the start. Weaving fascinating historical facts into a fast paced mystery and a touch of romance, City of the Dead is an exceptional read.”

From Alison’s Attic blog:

 “Wind Dancer is an amazing story of strong-willed Isabelle Renoir and her journey in finding her true meaning in life . . . This was the first book by Jamie Carie that I have read, but it won’t be the last. I was pulled in by the interesting time period of the American Revolution.”

“T. L. Higley’s City of the Dead brings the long-lost past wonderfully alive. The mystery at the heart of this tale will keep you guessing until the final pages. Though the characters are drawn from a remote time and place, their dreams and passions are as contemporary as this very moment. City of the Dead is a spiritual journey down the River of Time that you’ll remember as long as you live.”

 —Jim Denney, author of the Timebenders series and Answers to Satisfy the Soul

“City of the Dead, the second of T. L. Higley’s Seven Wonders novels, is the story of the man who oversees the building of Egypt’s Great Pyramid. Higley once more gives readers a fascinating and too-seldom-offered glimpse into one of the greatest achievements of antiquity. This series is a wonder in itself.”

 —DeAnna Julie Dodson, author of In Honor Bound  

“Captivating! With vivid characters and a spellbinding plot, T.L. Higley’s City of the Dead kept me mesmerized from cover to cover. I heartily recommend this book for anyone looking for can’t-put-it-down fiction in an exotic, fascinating setting. I’m eagerly looking forward to more from this exciting author.”

—Marlo Schalesky, author of If Tomorrow Never Comes and Beyond the Night

“City of the Dead is a fascinating tale of deadly secrets that lead to multiple murders in ancient Egypt. With characters fascinatingly real, this is an absorbing thriller you won’t want to put down.”

 —Sharon K. Souza, author of Lying on Sunday

“T. L. Higley masterfully evokes the sights, sounds and society of ancient Egypt while weaving a powerful story of buried secrets, bizarre murders, unexpected love, and undeserved forgiveness. City of the Dead is a book to savor.”

 —Rick Acker, author of Blood Brothers and Dead Man’s Rule

From Window to My World blog:

“I have never read such a passionately written novel . . . Wind Dancer is a book with characters that leap from the pages and reach into the deepest recesses of your heart and mind . . . a jewel in Jamie Carie’s crown!”

From ChristysBookBlog.com:

 “Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis is a haunting story of a woman’s quest to know her earthly father and (discover) her Heavenly Father . . . Ellis very cleverly plays on the conceit of the title. The slippers are supposedly from The Wizard of Oz, and several themes from the movie are used throughout the book (which) never becomes a parody or silly; Ellis handles the similarities carefully to please fans of the movie without annoying anyone who isn’t . . . This powerful novel brought a smile to my face.”

From Surviving the Chaos Blog:

 “The more I read Patti Hill’s The Queen of Sleepy Eye, the more wonderful the book was. It wasn’t just some surface ditty. It was meaty and excellent. I highly, HIGHLY, recommend it. And in case you didn’t notice, I don’t say that often.”

From ChristysBookBlog.com: 

“(Wind Dancer by Jamie Carie) takes all of the standard ingredients in a historical romance: fiery heroine, mysterious hero, extreme circumstances and makes them stand above the rest of the genre. Isabelle has an amazing, wild kind of faith in God that makes even the Shawnee stand up and take notice. Isabelle is a wonderful heroine; she’s assertive without being aggressive, her faith is beautiful, and her strong will makes her a true woman of God.”

TitleTrakk.com says Jamie Carie’s latest novel is “An electrifying romance . . . Wind Dancer is engaging and has a unique heroine that readers will enjoy.”

“A Peek at My Bookshelf blog calls Certain Jeopardy by Captain Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky “an up all night, pray on every page novel that will force you to thank God for the men who serve (America) and the families who wait at home. I’m rating Certain Jeopardy the Golden Bookmark for writing authenticity and realism, and voting it “Best Military Suspense of 2009.” I can only hope these two great men collaborate on something new soon. I haven’t gotten enough of Moyer and his crew!”

From ChristysBookBlog.com:

“Certain Jeopardy by Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky is like the TV show ‘The Unit’ on steroids! A group of six men appear to live normal American lives, but at any time they can be called to report to a Special Operations group performing actions for the safety of their country at the risk of their lives. The men are called to Venezuela to investigate rumors of a Al-Qaeda training camp. Instead they stumble into the kidnapping of a nuclear scientist who can empower Iran to create their own nuclear weapons. To rescue him and his family that is being held hostage for his cooperation will force them to use every skill they know and may cost them their lives. I’m not usually a fan of military thrillers, but this book grabbed me on page one and didn’t let go until I finally remembered to breathe again at the end . . . a powerful look at Army life. I hope that the authors will revisit this team, because I would love to read more!” 

From the All About Romance blog:

“I haven’t read an inspirational in years, mostly because the only inspirational I had read was drearily conservative and written in such a cheesy and sentimental way that it put me off the subgenre altogether. So it was with some trepidation I approached Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis, which is both an inspirational and a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, a favorite movie of mine, and I was glad to find that I liked it.

“The best feature of Ruby’s Slippers is its style. When Leanna Ellis describes the surroundings the characters find themselves in, and their reactions to it, her writing is alluringly sensual and evocative. Several times, I found myself rereading a passage for the simple beauty of it, reveling in the colors and smells and sounds.”

From A Peek at My Bookshelf:

“Leanna Ellis is rapidly becoming another of my ‘must read’ authors . . . in Ruby’s Slippers, she not only has captured my smile, she has taken my heart captive as well. This story is fun, lighthearted at moments and drawing tears at others. This is Leanna Ellis at her best! I’m giving Ruby’s Slippers five out of five bookmarks.”

“My point is simply that  there is much to be learned by carefully and sympathetically hearing the heart beat of preaching, and teaching about preaching, from another tradition.  Smith’s home in the African American tradition of preaching offers up a sustained mining of its strengths for preaching more generally.  He consistently takes up scriptural examples, piling them on top of each other for emphasis…”

“Smith places a very welcome emphasis on the holistic character of preaching with respect of the preacher and the integrity of life lived, and the necessary, even if underdeveloped, Trinitarian convictions that sustain this account.”

- Andy Draycott, Teaching Fellow, University of Aberdeen

Read the entire review at Theology Forum…

“Of course, one could wonder whether Smith is talking specifically about good doctrinal preaching, or just good preaching in general. His definition of doctrinal preaching is “the escorting of the hearers into the presence of God for the purpose of transformation.” I think that this offers an excellent definition of every kind of preaching, which begs the question whether every kind of preaching ought to be doctrinal, at least to some degree. Throughout my reading of the book I found myself saying, he’s not just describing good doctrinal preaching, he’s just describing good preaching! What I am suggesting is that this book cannot be dismissed as limited to a particular brand of preaching.”

 - Kent Anderson

Read the entire review at preaching.org…

“Tony Merida has provided a resource that will prompt the next generation of preachers to preach God’s Word faithfully. They will be inspired to take their work in the pulpit seriously, and the seasoned preachers passing the baton of biblical exposition along to them will be eager to share a copy of Faithful Preaching with them.”

Argile Smith
Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Biloxi

“The glory of God is the goal of preaching, and Tony Merida has sounded a call for a new generation of preachers to be faithful to the purpose God has entrusted to them. Faithful Preaching balances the theological acumen of a professor, the practical advice of a pastor, and the personal warmth of a man in love with God and His Word. I wholeheartedly recommend it and look forward to seeing and hearing preachers who heed this call to preach the Gospel with passion in the church and to all nations.”

David Platt
Senior Pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, AL

“Tony Merida is serious about raising up a new generation of faithful preachers.  In an age of weak and watered-down preaching, Merida is raising the bar for his generation to preach with power and conviction the Word of God.  Whether you are a seasoned pastor who needs some encouragement, or a student of preaching beginning your journey, Faithful Preaching will minister to your mind and heart.”

Greg Heisler
Associate Professor of Preaching and Speech at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Author of Spirit-Led Preaching

“Tony Merida has a reputation across the country for the weightiness of his ministry, and the power of his proclamation. This book will show you why the reputation is deserved. More importantly, this book will show you what Tony’s learned about how to speak for God, as one who has authority and not as one of the scribes.”

Russell Moore
Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Author of The Kingdom of Christ

“During my last years at New Orleans Seminary, God gave me the privilege of rubbing shoulders with a unique group of young preachers – humble young men who displayed a passion for biblical preaching, right theology and God’s global mission. Tony Merida was part of that group. Now he’s put his holistic heartbeat in print in Faithful Preaching where he reminds current and future generations of preachers that God has not called us to be successful, but faithful. This book especially is an urgent, clarion call to the next wave of preaching shepherds to consistently wed textual integrity and theological accuracy in proclaiming the sacred text of Scripture. Then and only then can they adequately equip and mobilize Christ’s Church to carry out His redemptive mission on earth.”

Jim Shaddix
Senior Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church, Denver, CO
Author of The Passion Driven Sermon

“Faithful Preaching: A Call to the Next Generation of Preachers is a wonderful book that is rightly titled.  For indeed, in this excellent work, Tony Merida has trumpeted a bold call for faithful expositional preaching. This splendid contribution to the field of preaching will prove to be immensely helpful not only to college and seminary students, but also to seasoned preachers of the Word.  I am enthusiastic about this volume and pray that Merida’s warm-hearted commitment to expository preaching will be multiplied in pulpits across the land.”

David S. Dockery
President, Union University

“Tony Merida has given a clarion call for the renewal of expositional preaching among the rising generation of ministers.  I am gratefully encouraged that this word has gone out from such a faithful practitioner of the craft, and I pray that it will be heeded by old and young alike.  May God raise up a new cadre of Word saturated proclaimers in the tradition of Alexander McLaren, John H. Jowett, Martin Lloyd-Jones, John Stott, and W. A. Criswell!”

Timothy George
Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University
A Senior Editor of Christianity Today

“Tony Merida wants to encourage a new generation of preachers to embrace the power and warmth of expository preaching that is true to the text, true to the Gospel and directed at real life.  Faithful Preaching: A Call to the Next Generation of Preachers honors the generations that have preceded while helping to prepare the present generation of preachers to honor the apostolic call to preach the Word accurately, compassionately and courageously.”

Bryan Chapell
President and Professor of Practical Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary
Author of Christ-Centered Preaching

“In God’s Indwelling Presence, James M. Hamilton, Jr. undertakes to trace out a biblical theology from the whole testimony of the scriptures, but most particularly the Gospel of John, in order to discover a biblically-consistent testimony regarding Old Testament pneumatology; the result is a thorough, up-to-date, and compelling case for a position which may be surprising to some, but in support of which Hamilton has laid out some very compelling evidence. All in all, this is a very insightful and engaging work, and deserves a reading far beyond the borders of the scholarly community.”

 - Nathan Pitchford

Read the entire review at reformedbooks.net

One of the limitations of much previous study [of the covenant in Paul] has been the failure to advance discussion methodologically. In that respect alone, Jason Meyer’s work is to be warmly welcomed. By taking up and developing the kind of approach that opens up, rather than closes down, possibilities, Meyer shows that there is much still to do in understanding Paul’s notion of the old and new covenants. As a result, he pursues several new areas of exploration, and puts forward an eschatological approach that certainly merits consideration.

Stanley E. Porter
President and Dean, and Professor of New Testament
McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

In this careful study, Jason Meyer decisively shows that the “newness” of the “new covenant” is that of the age-to-come and the eternal life that God has brought into this world through Jesus Christ alone. The implications of this truth for the life of churches, for Christian preaching, and for Christian living are inestimable. I hope that Dr Meyer’s work will have wide influence.

Mark Seifrid,
Ernest and Mildred T. Hogan Professor of New Testament
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

 To read Jason Meyer’s The End of the Law is to enter into the thrill of seeing the abundance of grace and power God has unleashed through his radical new covenant in Christ and the Spirit.  …  To see the new covenant for what it is—God’s answer in Christ and the Spirit to the intransigent sinful rebellion of his people—is to celebrate the greatness of the gospel and the surpassing richness of God’s gift to his people in his Son and in his Spirit.  What joy to know that the law has ended and new life in Christ has come.  Meyer’s development of these themes, so central to the gospel, is simply superb.
 
Bruce A. Ware
Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Dr. Meyer’s synthesis of Paul’s theology of the old and new covenants is grounded in careful and thorough exegesis of Paul’s writings, is clearly expressed, and is informed by the most recent research on the subject. The book provides a helpful model for guiding others in the task of developing a truly biblical theology. … This combination of scholarship and worship makes The End of the Law immensely readable and instructive.

Charles L. Quarles
Vice-president for integration of faith and learning, & associate professor of religion
Louisiana College

 One of virtues of this work is its elegant clarity. Meyer defines terms succinctly and clearly, so that readers are not lost in a forest of obscurity. Even more important, Meyer advances his case with in-depth and convincing exegesis. NT scholars are known for their exegetical skills, but Meyer’s exegesis is coupled with theological rigor and insight which one finds too infrequently among biblical scholars.

Thomas R. Schreiner
James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation
The Southern Theological Baptist Theological Seminary

For the last forty years of my ministry no biblical issue has proved more recurrent or more vexing than the nature of the Mosaic law as it relates to the gospel and the New Covenant. … The pastoral implications for how you preach the gospel, aim at sanctification, comfort strugglers, give assurance, and admit people to membership in the church, are huge. Jason Meyer is a good guide. I found myself writing YES! in the margins repeatedly. And there were enough “Aha” moments of fresh discovery to make me want to keep going. I thank God for this younger scholar. His book is a precious gift to the church.

John Piper
Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis)

The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown is a comprehensive and informative introduction  to the New Testament. Written from a convictional evangelical perspective, this marvelous volume carefully interacts with the most up-to-date issues in modern scholarship. This well-written textbook invites students to grasp the meaning of the various books of the New Testament in their historical, religious, political, cultural, and geographical setting while offering applicable theological insights into the New Testament’s message for today. I have no doubt that this splendid work will become a standard resource for New Testament studies for years to come. I offer my heartiest congratulations to the authors for this fine publication.

David S. Dockery
President, Union University

For too long those of us who have studied the emerging church have had to choose between the voices of effective practitioners and those of careful theologians. Evangelicals Engaging Emergent changes that trend. This work gives a fair, sympathetic look toward the strategies of those trying new things to reach a postmodern culture, but through the lens of historic Gospel orthodoxy. As they note, reaching a secularized Western world will certainly require creative thought and new methods, but never at the expense of truth and integrity of life. Evangelicals Engaging Emergent is a great tool to constructing a faithful, and effective, ministry to a new generation.

J. D. Greear
Lead Pastor of The Summit Church, Durham, NC.

“Few issues are as incendiary and as confusing to contemporary Christians as those related to the so-called ‘emerging church.’ In this volume, a diverse group of evangelical Christians look at this discussion in detail. Any Christian interested in this ongoing converstation should start with this book.”

Russell D. Moore
Dean, School of Theology
Senior Vice President for Academic Administration
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“What are the real issues that really do matter in the Emergent Church? Drs. Henard and Greenway have done the Church a great service in answering questions that really matter in the Evangelical Church that must be past to the next generation.”
 
Johnny Hunt
President, Southern Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA

There is a fresh wind blowing in the church in the world of family ministry! This book is foundational and practical at the same time. These authors recognize that family ministry is not a program but a mindset that must be worked into every part of the church and home. I haven’t read a better book to help us follow the biblical mandate to help families succeed. It’s well researched and well-written. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to get their arms around family ministry.

Jim Burns, Ph.D.
President, HomeWord
Author, Partnering with Parents in Youth Ministry 

Seeing Things is a delight for the senses. Patti Hill is gifted with the ability to provide a colorful illusion with words, in which I could see better through the eyes of an older woman with macular degeneration than I can see through my own eyes. The story is honest about family struggles, filled with realistic characters and gentle humor–a literary treat.

Hannah Alexander
author of A Killing Frost and the Hideaway series

“There is only one biblical foundation for a Christian’s assurance of salvation: that God the Son came to be our propitiation and advocate. Only when faith is solidly founded there can a believer go on to apply these rigorous tests: Is my belief correct enough? Do I live a holy life? Do I love other believers? These tests are important and biblical, but what’s even more important is that they don’t usurp the place of the one foundation.”

“That’s the argument of Christopher D. Bass in his new book, That You May Know: Assurance of Salvation in 1 John (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2008). It’s an important topic, obviously central to 1 John. In fact, 1 John has so much to say about assurance that the real interpretive task is to bring all those statements together into a unitary picture. “

Read the entire review at The Scriptorium…

Happily, there are many good books being written today. But it is rare, indeed, to find a book that towers over the others in profundity and quality. William Dembski’s The End of Christianity is such a book. It is so interesting and well-written that I could not put it down. But more importantly, I have read very few books with its deep of insight, breadth of scholarly interaction, and significance. From now on, no one who is working on a Christian treatment of the problem of evil can afford to neglect this book. It is vintage Dembski and I highly recommend it. 

– J. P. Moreland
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University and author of The God Question

Addressing the problem of a perfect God in an imperfect world, this book offers the most coherent answer to this question I’ve ever read. William A. Dembski has given us a bold and uncompromising theodicy that both confirms Christian orthodoxy and makes peace among our family of believers. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path.” This book eschews the “negative path” by launching a peace offensive offering a positive solution that meets the demands of natural and revealed theology. Reconciling the many points of an issue that has confounded generations, this is the most important contribution to the question of God and evil since Leibniz defined it nearly 300 years ago. 

– Michael A. Flannery
Professor and Associate Director for Historical Collections, University of Alabama, Birmingham

William Dembski’s latest book, The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World, shows how the traditional Christian doctrine that sin entered the world through humans is not refuted by the evidence that natural evils (earthquakes, storms, disease, death, etc.) are chronologically much older than humans within the universe. Because time within the created universe need not follow the same order as the logical process of God’s creation of the universe, human sin could have caused earlier evil. There are many aspects of the problem of evil left mysterious by this book (and indeed by all other attempts to solve the problem), but I strongly recommend The End of Christianity as a refreshing approach that maintains the traditional theistic doctrines of God’s omniscience and omnipotence. 

–Don Page
Professor of Physics, University of Alberta, Canada

This book is an example of philosophical theology at its best. It contains fascinating and even exciting new perspectives on the problem of evil. While I am not convinced of every point that the author makes, The End of Christianity should be read by anyone who is interested in a Christian approach to natural and moral evil.

–Stephen T. Davis
Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College

William Dembski’s profound interdisciplinary expertise in writing about the most contested terrain at the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion is enormously impressive and valuable and puts him in the exalted company of contemporary authorities such as Stanley L. Jaki and Alister McGrath. He knows, and shows, that “the only way to avoid metaphysics is to say nothing,” and his work is a noble, tightly-argued protest against both reductive scientism and premature fideism in the interest of reason, truth, and ethics.

–M. D. Aeschliman, Ph.D. (Columbia)
author of The Restitution of Man: C. S. Lewis and the Case Against Scientism
Professor of Education at Boston University
Professor of English at University of Italian Switzerland

William Dembski is a first-rate scholar who has focused his attention on the perennial challenge to Christianity: Why does God allow such evil and cruelty in the world? While staying well within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy, Dembski offers fresh insights that can truly be described as ground-breaking. Whether you end up embracing his solution or not, The End of Christianity is a book all Christians and even non-Christians need to wrestle with. We enthusiastically recommend it.

 –Josh and Sean McDowell
co-authors of Evidence for the Resurrection and More Than A Carpenter

I am deeply grateful for Dr. Dembski and his work. Theologians have long known that the problem of evil is one of the biggest threats to traditional Christianity. Here Dembski boldly tackles the problem and offers a thoughtful and clearly written approach to it. His overall argument, that all evil can be traced to the fall of man (even in a trans-temporal way), deserves serious consideration. Even if you might find particular points on which to differ with his judgments, you will do well to incorporate his insights into your own thinking. And the final two chapters, on thankfulness and purpose, show that this book supports a vigorous love for God in daily life. Thank you, Dr. Dembski, for using your talents so well!

–C. John (“Jack”) Collins
Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

The End of Christianity is very different from William Dembski’s previous books, most notable of which were the academic classic The Design Inference and the popular best seller Intelligent Design. The present book deals with perhaps the most profound question to challenge humankind, the problem of evil. Like everything else Dr. Dembski has written, this book will be controversial. However, the readers of The End of Christianity will be greatly rewarded with a rich intellectual/philosophical/theological feast.

–Henry F. Schaefer III
Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia

As his books prove with monotonous regularity, Bill Dembski’s brain runs circles around my own (and just about everyone’s, I naturally like to believe), but like all the others, The End of Christianity is also intellectually honest, generous, and respectful­and not, I’m convinced, as merely a gambit. Christian readers will find Dembski’s theodicy devotionally worthwhile, all of us intellectually so. Nice combination, not easily achieved.

–Mike Bryan
author of, among other books, Chapter & Verse: A Skeptic Revisits Christianity, and The Afterword, a novel about a new deity

For much too long, theodicy has been little more than a boutique topic in theology, a justification for the world’s misery that lets God off the hook. William Dembski’s new book goes a long way to restoring theodicy’s original claim to be a master science of intelligent design. It is arguably the most worthy successor to Leibniz’s own Theodicy, which artfully showed how a rational theology, properly understood, could retain its role of queen of the sciences in the modern world. No doubt the book will stir controversy among both the religious and the secular, as Dembski intertwines quite specific interpretations of Scriptures with equally specific interpretations of an array of physical and biological sciences, all in clear prose and with a deft philosophical touch. However, Dembski is no dogmatist, and all along he suggests alternative lines of thought that readers might pursue. Here we finally see in open view the full potential of intelligent design theory to put an end to the intellectual segregationism that has limited science-religion relations for much too long. 

–Steve Fuller
Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick, UK.
Author of Dissent over Descent: Intelligent Design’s Challenge to Darwinism.

“The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown sets a new standard for excellence among textbooks dealing with New Testament Introduction. In addition to the usual matters associated with general and special introduction relative to the discipline, this book offers a veritable gold mine of information often found only in several texts. The authors’ exhaustive research in a wide range of primary and secondary sources and insightful interaction with various approaches to the subjects under consideration are in evidence throughout the work.

Carefully conceived and organized with the student in mind, each New Testament book is consistently examined in accordance with the “hermeneutical triad” consisting of historical, literary, and theological data. In addition, the text contains many helpful sidebars, tables, and maps designed for the reader’s benefit as well as goals for personal development, study questions, and a compendious bibliography for each section. The result is a distinctively unique textbook that displays not only careful and balanced scholarship, but is lucidly written and “user friendly.”

—Richard D. Patterson
Emeritus Professor
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

“Clear, thorough, up to date, and engaging all the contemporary alternatives people are putting forward. Not only that, but this book is discerning and judicious. What more could one want from an NT Introduction? Well done and highly recommended.”

—Darrell L. Bock
Research Professor of New Testament
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas, TX

“The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown rightly takes its place among the standard works in the field of New Testament Introductions. It is simply an outstanding work. Its up-to-date research alone makes it an invaluable resource. Add to this its comprehensive survey of the crucial issues related to New Testament studies and you have a textbook well suited for the college or seminary classroom.  This book will be widely used and the Church of the Lord Jesus will be blessed by the instruction it provides.”
—

Daniel L. Akin, President
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, NC

 Well-written, well-argued and highly accessible, The Love of Wisdom is a marvelous example of what an introductory philosophy text should be. Not only do Cowan and Spiegel provide an up-to-date map of the often perplexing philosophical landscape, but they do so in a way which encourages readers to take every thought captive for Christ. 

Doug Blount
Dallas Theological Seminary

This volume ranks among the finest such studies of recent decades in classic matters of “New Testament introduction.” What sets it apart includes: 1) attention to theology and the history of interpretation, 2) extended presentation of the history of New Testament times and the rise of the canon, 3) appropriate rigor, 4) frequently creative layout features, and 5) conceptual clarity. It is also written with Christian conviction. Beyond an impressive digest of scholarship, it is an appeal to faithful appropriation of the New Testament’s message. It will and should see widespread graduate classroom use.
 
Robert W. Yarbrough
Professor of New Testament and Department Chair
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Deerfield, IL

Reading Sweet Waters is like taking a beach vacation from the comfort of your own living room. 

Julie Carobini paints a beautiful story of fresh starts, painful secrets, and the depth of a family’s love. The small town beach setting is as soothing as the sound of waves, and so well drawn I could almost smell the salt in the air. Engaging, fast paced, and romantic. Highly recommended.

Kathryn Cushman
author of A Promise to Remember and Waiting for Daybreak

This collection of brilliant essays is a must read for contemporary church leaders and thoughtful Christians.  The essays critique both the strengths of the “doctrinally friendly” stream of the Emergent toward culture sensitivity and the weakness of the “doctrinally wary/averse stream’s” penchant toward moral, biblical and theological relativism. The essays are thought-provoking, thoughtful, well-researched, judicious and readily accessible. 

Bruce Waltke, Professor of Old Testament
Reformed Theological Seminary

The so-called “emerging church” has now become a major focus of evangelical attention–and for good reason.  This new movement presents a significant challenge to evangelical Christianity in this generation, and it both deserves and demands a fair and thoughtful consideration.  Bill Henard and Adam Greenway and their team of writers provide us all a much-needed evaluation of this movement.  This book is timely and genuinely helpful.

R. Albert Mohler
President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“If you’re looking for a thorough study of assurance, or if you’re teaching or preaching through 1 John, you’ll want to get your hands on Chris Bass’s new book, That You May Know: Assurance of Salvation in 1 John, which is volume 5 in the NAC Studies in Bible and Theology.”

Read more from Jim Hamilton at For His Renown…

Jamie Carie has once again seamlessly woven her in-depth research into an exciting and passionate page-turner. Her heroine’s character reminds me of a wild mustang running full gallop across the mesa, incredibly beautiful and too magnificent to tame. If you like plenty of action and emotion packaged into a historical romance, then WIND DANCER fits the bill.

Read the full review from Susan Miura at Faithfulreader.com…

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul warned Gentile believers not to be arrogant toward Israel, which was becoming hardened by unbelief and was soon to experience national judgment. For the most part, the history of Gentile Christian thought has failed to heed that warning. Instead, many have dismissed Israel from having any future place in the plan of God. Oftentimes, this is done by re-conceptualizing the meaning of Israel and reinterpreting its place in the biblical text. The end result is the same; Israel has been excluded from the plan of God in any real, national sense.

Challenging this mindset, which has fixed itself in the traditions of Christian thought over twenty centuries, is the aim and purpose of Barry Horner’s book Future Israel. Of particular concern for Horner is the oftentimes strident supersessionism, or replacement theology, that characterizes much of Reformed thought, Horner’s own tradition. After setting the historical context, Horner profiles contemporary manifestations of Reformed supersessionism both in their actual claims and in their hermeneutical operations. He then counters them with biblical arguments for the future of a national Israel in the plan of God, focusing particularly, but not exclusively, on Paul’s argument in Romans 11…

Overall, Future Israel is a significant work, and this reviewer hopes that it receives the attention it deserves. Horner not only explains why Christian anti-Judaism must be challenged (as his subtitle reads), but he has in fact challenged it, and in the opinion of this reviewer, effectively so.

The significance, however, should not be limited to eschatology alone, if one considers eschatology as simply one area of theological thought – the last, coming at the end, after all other theological considerations have been finished. Actually, to see eschatology this way is, in my opinion, to misunderstand it and to impoverish theological thought generally. The significance of Horner’s work lies in its challenge to the generally held overall understanding of the story of the Bible, a challenge to the entire structure of biblical theology as it is understood by many today. Recognition that Israel has a future in the plan of God is the first step. Tracing out the ramifications for the scope and structure of that plan must follow.

Download and read the entire review here...

“If you are looking for an encouraging read for the holiday season, The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner is not it.  However, if you are looking for a book that adequately diagnoses the current state of the church and the individual members of your church, this is a must read.  Waggoner and the folks over at Lifeway Research interviewed 2500 people who attend church at least once a month and asked them a wide range of questions to to get some bearing on their spiritual maturity.  Many of the findings may shock you.”

Read the rest of Craig Thompson’s review at passionforpreaching.net

The relationship that Augustine established with others engaged with him in pastoral ministry has fascinated scholars for decades. Now a new perspective is brought to the question by this book. It looks at how Augustine was the mentor of his disciples and, indeed, how this relationship was for more common in the early church than has hitherto been recognized. This is an important book not just for students of Augustine but for anyone interested in the theology of ministry in the Christian church.

- Thomas O’Laughlin, professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales-Lampeter

The church today is becoming ever more aware of its need to look to the ancient fathers for wisdom. Christian leaders who wish to draw on patristic insights need to read Ed Smither’s useful study of Augustine as a spiritual mentor. Smither investigates ancient practice with the expertise of a scholar and the heart of a pastor. His conclusions about Augustine’s approach to mentoring are as relevant in the twenty-first century as they were in the fifth.

Bryan Litfin, associate professor of theology, Moody Bible Institute

Works on the subjects of mentoring and disciple-making have blossomed in recent years, but rarely are such practices linked to similar expressions in the early Christian centuries. Few topics are more central to ministry and few scholars are more qualified than Augustine, who enacted this process in the lives of others. Smither, an exceptional church historian, combines these results into an excellent sourcebook of applied theology.

- Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor, Liberty University

“David Dockery writes about how Broadus’ legacy was carried on by A.T. Robertson. Broadus was a careful scholar. The biblical text reigned supreme. Broadus’ legacy was earned by his devotion to biblical exegesis, expositional preaching and church-focused theology. Robertson learned from Broadus. He never feared taking into account recent developments in critical scholarship, but he held fast to the authority of the Bible.

Beecher Johnson’s chapter is the most practical. He uses Broadus as an example of a preacher who could preach “marketable messages,” but without “selling out the Savior.” How did Broadus manage to avoid sensationalistic preaching and yet still captivate his congregation? By modeling his preaching philosophy after Jesus’ teaching. Broadus encouraged his students to emulate Jesus, not chase the current fads.”

Read the complete review at Kingdom People…

It is the great strength of The Great Commission that, taking impressive cognizance of this profusion of mission research of the last decades, it presents the mission history of the last half-millennium in a form assimilable by upper division undergraduates. 

Whereas the standard volume of Neill viewed the global expansion of Christianity from a decidedly European and late colonial standpoint, The Great Commission has an understandable interest in how the missionary mandate was pursued (for good or ill) within and from the Americas. Particularly of note in this respect are the admirable chapters of Jon Hinkson, ‘‘Missions Among Puritans and Pietists,’’ and Bradley Gundlach, ‘‘Early American Missions from the Revolution to the Civil War.’’ Particularly the first of these goes far to show how deficient was Neill’s treatment of pre-Great Awakening Protestant missions. Further, whereas Neill had been content to rehearse the oft-told tale of meager Protestant missionary interest in the age of Refor mation, Glenn Sunshine’s chapter, ‘‘Protestant Missions in the Sixteenth Century’’ serves the interests of balance well by pointing out that initially early Protestant regions, because landlocked, had neither access to the sea nor any share in the building of seaborne empires. Their early missionary focus was, for the time, ‘‘home’’ mission. The well-crafted chapter of Timothy George, ‘‘Evangelical Revival and Missionary Awakening,’’ helpfully draws attention to the ways in which eighteenth-century missionary effort stood on the shoulders of earlier efforts. 

Most striking of all is the fact that The Great Commission has chapters on mission in Latin America and Africa written by J. Daniel Salinas and Tite Tie ́ nou, scholars native to the regions they describe. In a way very much in keeping with the emphases introduced by Andrew Walls, there is a happy emphasis on the indigenous missionary movements within the various cultures of these continents. Their point is not that western missionaries were never needed, but that, they having introduced the gospel into receptor cultures, the real ‘‘legwork’’ of spreading and contextualizing the Christian message was and is largely the work of nationals. 

Kenneth Stewart
Read the entire review as published in the Westminster Theological Journal (PDF)

“My final estimation of this work is that it is extremely helpful and thoroughgoing in its presentation.  Comfort isn’t afraid to disagree with the experts where he feels they have missed and he does a great job of explaining textual criticism in a way that is easy to understand.  Unfortunately, textual criticism is still quite boring for me and Comfort hasn’t been able to make it exciting, but he has been able to teach me things that I didn’t know prior to reading this work, as well as reinforcing some things that I did.  Encountering the Manuscripts is worthy of four stars and I’d recommend it to any beginning student of textual criticism.  I even think that the salty veterans could benefit from this volume for quick reference when something isn’t fresh in their memory.”

Read the entire review at Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth…

W. David Buschart, Associate Dean, and Professor of Theology and Historical Studies at Denver Seminary writes, “…the cluster of issues and questions which animate parts of the book are important and too-long neglected.  Yarnell possesses a great deal of historical and theological knowledge related to these issues and questions, and this book serves to introduce and analyze many of them.”

Read the rest of the review at Denver Seminary…

“For some strange reason, books on preaching either tend to emphasize study, work, and preparation or the Holy Spirit.  Very few books find the balance between the indwelling Spirit and the necessary work that accompanies the act of preaching the Word.  Greg Heisler has done just that in his book, Spirit-Led Preaching.“

Read more at Passion for Preaching…

Enlightening. Inspiring. Readable and practical. Jaye Martin and Terri Stovall have given us a much needed tool for ministry to women in the local church. This book will be used in seminaries, colleges, and churches to teach women the importance of women leading women. It’s an invaluable resource. I highly recommend it.

Mary Kassian
Author, The Feminist Mistake
Distinguished Professor of Women’s Studies
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Whether you are a long-term veteran of Women’s Ministry or a novice wondering exactly where to begin, Women Leading Women is a must-read for you. Expect to glean valuable wisdom from these two seasoned professionals who carefully lay the Biblical foundation for Women’s Ministry then build upon it using the insights learned by their hands-on, personal experiences in ministry. This book is foundational, inspirational, and exceedingly practical.            

Marge Lenow
Director of Women’s Ministry
Bellevue Baptist Church
Memphis, TN

Between them Jaye Martin and Terri Stovall have decades of experience in women’s ministry. Their lives exemplify God’s plan for women to reach women through evangelism and discipleship. Their book on leadership provides those of us who are called to minister to women with an invaluable resource. This volume is filled with biblical principles, church-based paradigms, leadership strategies, and personal reflections. It approaches leadership from several perspectives—based on foundational truths of God’s Word it honestly confronts the challenges of our culture while equipping leaders of today and tomorrow to minister to women God’s way.

I highly recommend this relevant resource and plan to use it as a primary textbook for my classes on leadership for women. I will also recommend it personally to women’s ministry leaders in local churches. Women’s ministry leaders will benefit immensely from the wisdom of this work!

Rhonda H. Kelley, PhD
President’s Wife and Professor of Women’s Ministry
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

If there has ever been a time for people in the church to be mentored, it is now.  Jaye Martin and Terri Stovall are attempting to help the church in a great way by giving us the biblical model for women from God’s Word – women reaching women, and then choosing to mentor them until they are fully engaged, in the context of God’s family, being used by Him to reproduce themselves, even as the person who reached them had someone who cared enough to invest.  
 
This book will bless the entire ministry of your church.  Read it and be blessed!

Johnny Hunt
President, Southern Baptist Convention
Pastor, First Baptist Church Woodstock

Jaye Martin and Terri Stovall have rendered a valuable service to the Church of the Lord Jesus. Women Leading Women is delightful, insightful and practical. Even more important, it is faithful to the Word of God. Churches and individuals, colleges and seminaries will be guided and helped by this excellent work.

Daniel L. Akin
President
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

THE EMERGENCE OF EVANGELICALISM
Ed. By Michael A.G. Haykin and Kenneth J. Stewart

Our inspiring heritage
In 1989 the historian David Bebbington published his landmark study, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: a history from the 1730s to the 1980s. It was a significant achievement and has proved highly influential. My own battered copy, avidly read on holiday flights in the summer of 1989, is evidence of frequent use and lendings.

In this book, Professor Bebbington, an active member of a Baptist church in Stirling, maintains that evangelicalism is distinguished by four qualities: conversionism, activism, biblicism and crucicentrism. This description has been widely adopted: a standard essay topic nowadays is to discuss this ‘Bebbington quadrilateral’, and it is frequently employed in discussions of present-day evangelicalism.
Other contentions have proved more controversial. Bebbington dated the start of evangelicalism to the 1730s because he maintained that ‘the evangelical version of Protestantism was created by the Enlightenment’. Following John Locke, evangelicals believed that certain knowledge could result from experience and experimentation. This led to evangelicals having greater assurance than their predecessors among the Puritans and Reformers, which in turn produced their greater activism, especially in evangelism and missionary work. Although there was much continuity with earlier Protestant traditions, ‘Evangelicalism was a new phenomenon of the 18th century’.

Expressing reservations
The last 20 years have seen lively debate of these issues. This volume draws together some of the reservations about them in articles by 19 historians from both sides of the Atlantic, under groupings of regional perspectives, era perspectives and doctrines. Not all are critical of Bebbington. In Wales, the evangelical movement was, indeed, something unprecedented. However, in Scotland, A.T.B. McGowan demonstrates how Scottish Presbyterianism consistently displayed the four traits from John Knox onwards. Joel R. Beeke argues that the Dutch ‘further Reformation’ of the 17th century did likewise. However, in New England a clear discontinuity is evident in evangelicalism from earlier forms of Protestantism, as people had ‘new expectations for seasons of revival, or outpourings of the Holy Spirit’.

Martin Luther described his faith as ‘evangelical’ and Cameron A. MacKenzie shows how his faith was Bible-based, Christ-centred and active in love. Paul Helm adduces evidence that John Calvin could be characterised by all four of the traits, while Augustus Toplady regarded himself not as part of a new evangelical movement, but of a God-given revival of historic Calvinism.

Ian Shaw looks at how 19th-century historians regarded the development of 18th-century evangelicalism and finds that most claimed that it had a continuous pedigree back to the Puritans, Reformers and Lollards. Spiritual narratives are explored by D. Bruce Hindmarsh, who discovers that evangelical conversion ‘did in fact emerge … as a new, distinctive and identity-giving mark of Christian experience in the modern period, but that it did so about a century before the revivals of the 1730s and 40s’.

Crawford Gribben argues that there was, indeed, discontinuity in views of eschatology from the Puritans to 18th-century evangelicals.

Many of the contributors focus on ‘activism’, based allegedly on greater assurance, as being the most problematic of Bebbington’s ‘quadrilateral’. Garry Williams explores how John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards and John Newton gained assurance of salvation, and shows how they urged believers to examine their lives for evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. Edwards may have expressed his views in language relevant to his times, but this does not mean that he derived them from Enlightenment sources. For Newton, assurance grows as it is based on knowledge of the person and work of Christ — which sounds reminiscent of the Puritans.
David Bebbington’s reply at the end of the book is typically gracious in accepting refinement of some of his earlier contentions, but forceful in providing further supportive evidence for others. He concludes that, ‘notwithstanding the weighty legacy from the past, the emergence of evangelicalism did represent a revolutionary development in Protestant history’.

Well-mannered
This book is a model of well-mannered disagreement among Christian scholars and an absorbing read. But does it all really matter, or is it just an example of the enjoyable games that historians play? Dean Inge is reputed to have said, ‘A religion without a history is a nervous disorder’, and Bishop Ryle certainly was anxious ‘to repudiate with scorn the vulgar charge of novelty’. More controversially, but compellingly argued, Garry Williams maintains that, if evangelicalism began in the 1730s with John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards, then it is divided equally between Arminian and Reformed theology. If, however, evangelicalism began with the Reformers and Puritans, then it is clear that Reformed theology is foundational.
Professor Tom Nettles suggests that the book leads to ‘a more satisfying grasp of evangelical identity … as a matter of self-knowledge for thoughtful action to the glory of God’. In layman’s terms that means that understanding our evangelical heritage should inspire us to more committed service of our Lord and Saviour.

Joy Horn,
member of Cranleigh Baptist Church, formerly on the staff of the London University Institute of Historical Research
Evangelicals Now (U.K.) November 2008

“This is the old Puritan Teaching”

What does the word Evangelical mean? The Evangelical emphasis on the Bible, the cross and conversion we may also find in the Reformers and the Puritans. Yet there is a different tone.

The one who wants to know what Evangelical means cannot ignore the 1989 work of David Bebbington, professor of history at the University of Stirling, Scotland, “Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s”. This study drew immediate attention after its appearance and now functions as a standard and landmark. Bebbington cites four characteristics for Evangelicalism: the focus on the Bible, the meaning of the cross of Christ, repentance and the active character of Evangelicalism. In his estimation, there was in Evangelicalism something new compared to the Protestantism from which it arose. That something new was associated with the newly emerging Enlightenment. With the Enlightenment Evangelicalism shared an emphasis on clarity and simplicity. While Puritanism believed that assurance of salvation was for the few, the eighteenth-century Evangelical, as depicted by Bebbington, expected that faith would regularly be accompanied by assurance.

The analysis of Bebbington is not endorsed (in this volume). The key objection which has emerged is that he has found too little continuity between Evangelical Protestantism and earlier Protestantism. In 2005, a number of researchers gathered together under the auspices of the Evangelical Theological Society to discuss their objections. The result is a collection of essays with the title “The Emergence of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities.”

The regular emphasis in each contribution is that we also find three of the four characteristics: the Bible, the cross and conversion in the Reformers and the Puritans. Apart from the Wesleyan Methodists, who stand in greater discontinuity, we see that other Evangelicals understand themselves to be the theological and spiritual heirs of the theology and piety of the Reformation and Puritanism. Not discontinuity but the continuity was their conception. Not for nothing did they speak of an “Evangelical revival”. It was a revival of what was still present in germ and had earlier been such a force. It was also experienced by others. A hearer of George Whitefield said of the content of his preaching: “This is the old Puritan teaching of the covenant of grace.”

Regarding the assurance of faith, we do Puritanism an injustice if we only stress their distinction between faith and the assurance of faith. They also knew of a close relationship between the two. Moreover, not every Puritan had exactly the same emphasis. The latter qualification applies even more for the eighteenth-century Evangelicals. They knew both that assurance of faith is a possession which is subject to variation and that there is also an assurance that is a false assurance. The mature Jonathan Edwards who expressed critical judgment on purely emotional experience believed in immediate assurance. He explains this in his work “On the Religious Affections”. The Wesleyan Methodists were less critical on this point.

With regard to the activist character of Evangelicalism there is also continuity with the past. We need only think of the great attention Puritans gave to pastoral care. Bebbington proposes that the missionary movement should be seen as characteristic of Evangelicalism. That is not wrong. But it should be noted that in the thirties of the eighteenth century this was not the case. The strong mission sending consciousness is really only reflected at the end of this century.

Nevertheless it remains the case that with all the continuity between Evangelicalism and the earlier Reformation and Puritanism, even where the theology is similar, yet there is a different tone. That has to do with the strong international character of the Evangelicalism. In many ways there were contacts across national boundaries. While the Reformation and the Puritans strongly believed in a Christian society and a Christian government, we see that the eighteenth-century Evangelicals valued individual initiative and looked to individuals to exercise their Christian calling. The genesis of the many religious societies comes about at the end of the process. Much more influential than for earlier Protestants was the acceptance by the Evangelicals of the pluriformity of the Church; they looked for cooperation across denominational boundaries. Very clearly, this attitude is displayed in George Whitefield. This Anglican preacher had ties with as many Dissenters as with Anglicans.

Theologically, the Evangelicals were self-consciously Calvinist (with the exception of the Wesleyan Methodists). Their Calvinism ranged from severe to moderate. There was less interest in theology and science among the Evangelicals than among the Puritans and Reformers. The theology was more heavily focused than previously on leading sinners to Christ. At the same time, there was a reduced sense of continuity with the church before the Reformation. The Evangelical movement looked forward and not backwards. Time and again, however, when it comes to generalizations, exceptions are not hard to find. What is certain is that Evangelicalism to this day largely shapes world Protestantism; Evangelicalism also can never be understood without attention to its roots in the Reformation of the sixteenth and the Puritanism of the seventeenth century.

Reformatorische Dagblad 05-11-2008 | | Dr. P. de Vries

David Bebbington’s characterization in 1989 of ‘the Evangelical version of Protestantism’ as ‘created by the Enlightenment’ has caught on so well, albeit comfortably simplified, in some influential quarters of UK Evangelicalism as to serve as a stick to belabor as ‘modernist’ their unfavourite varieties of the contemporary evangelical mainstream. Only the post-modernist brand, it seems, can hope to escape this baleful genetic identity. Since my (and David Bebbington’s) generation of Evangelicals grew up regarding ‘modernism’ as the rationalistic antithesis of classical biblical orthodoxy, there is urgent need for clarifying scrutiny of his thesis. This symposium, carefully contstructed by its editors, will prove a significant contribution to that task. The range and quality of its chapters and their authors will surely advance our historical understanding of the manifold matrices of what Bebbington also calls “an adaptation of the Protestant tradition through contact with the Enlightenment”.

David F. Wright
Edinburgh

Debating the origins of evangelicalism

Two Canadian scholars presently teaching at theological schools in the United States are likely to garner widespread attention with the publication of The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities (B&H Academic, 2008).

Michael A.G. Haykin (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY) and Kenneth J. Stewart (Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA) co-edit a substantial undertaking. Over the course of seventeen penetrating essays, the expatriate tandem sets its sights on a highly-acclaimed 1989 opus initially hailed with such designations as classic, indispensable and magisterial. Haykin and Stewart, nonetheless, effectively plead “hold everything!” to a proposition that has single-handedly impacted the study of evangelicalism for nearly twenty years.

David W. Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A history from the 1730s to the 1980s (Unwin Hyman, 1989) has elicited responses from a virtual “Who’s Who” of scholars both conversant with and, in many cases, personally committed to, an evangelical interpretation of Christianity.  Among the almost one hundred books that at least partially engage Bebbington’s thesis are works by Alister McGrath, John Stott, Pamela Walker, Donald A. Carson, Bruce Hindmarsh, Mark Noll, Douglas Sweeney, George Hunsinger and Linda Woodhead.

In registering several insightful caveats concerning the esteemed British academic’s perspectives, Haykin, Stewart and team take on both a scholar and a school of thought that have obtained something of iconic status in the field. The sparring is congenial yet vigorous.

Bebbington’s oft-reprinted work asserts: “Evangelical religion is a popular Protestant movement that has existed in Britain since the 1730s.” The author argues that four essential characteristics coalesced during the Whitefield-Wesley era to historically define evangelicalism: conversionism, activism, crucicentrism and Biblicism.

An impressive array of capable academicians from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom collaborate in The Advent of Evangelicalism to pose numerous perceptive challenges to Bebbington’s fundamental premises. Among the most provocative essays are the following.

Haykin questions the validity of Bebbington’s claims that evangelicalism was dependent on the Enlightenment and distinct from seventeenth-century Puritanism. Were the Puritans truly as negligent of the “activism” component of Bebbington’s four-part evangelicalism as he indicates?

Scottish theologian, A.T.B. McGowan, contends for an unbroken line of evangelicalism beginning at least with John Knox in the sixteenth century.

David Ceri Jones, a Welsh historian, protests that Bebbington’s thesis is a typical Anglocentric interpretation of British history. Another Welshman, Densil Morgan, states: “If conversionism, activism, Biblicism and crucicentrism form the defining attributes of Evangelical religion, such a religion was becoming widely accepted in Wales as embodying the essence of true Christianity.” Historian Thomas S. Kidd of Baylor University underscores the presence of prominent evangelical sentiments in New England in the late 1600s. Reformed pastor, Joel R. Beeke, faults Bebbington’s dependency on a “largely discredited book” for the latter’s problematic understanding of the Puritan doctrine of assurance of faith.

“Martin Luther was an evangelical,” Cameron A. MacKenzie insists, arguing Whitefield and Edwards saw themselves in fundamental agreement with Luther and sixteenth-century Protestants. “And they were not wrong,” he adds.

In addition to Haykin, three other Canadians (Paul Helm, Bruce Hindmarsh, Stewart) contribute equally strong articles that evaluate Bebbington’s interpretations from the standpoint of John Calvin’s theology, the emergence of evangelical conversionism about a century before the 1730s, and the suggestion that interest in verbal inspiration was not as novel to the eighteenth-century revivals as Bebbington avers.

The irenic nature of the dialogue is affirmed in a response from Bebbington concluding the exchange. While graciously conceding weaknesses in some of his premises, Bebbington nevertheless boldly counters MacKenzie to maintain that most evangelicals will part ways with Luther’s view that infant baptism initiates conversion.

The reader thus comes away suspecting the final bell hasn’t yet sounded in this informative conversation.

A Calgary-area pastor, college instructor and writer, Tim Callaway is presently pursuing doctoral studies in Canadian church history.

Just released in the USA under the title The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities (Broadman and Holman, October 2008), this collection of essays marks almost twenty years of reflection on David Bebbington’s groundbreaking work, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A history from the 1730s to the 1980s (London: Unwin, Hyman, 1989). 

Professor Bebbington’s work on the nature and rise of evangelicalism was a scholarly attempt to analyse the phenomenon in its historical and social contexts. No discussion of any aspect of the evangelical movement – particularly in the United Kingdom – could ignore his work thereafter. My own doctoral studies on George Adam Smith and the rise of liberal evangelicalism within the nineteenth century Scottish church interacted both with Bebbington’s definitions and his analysis of historical context. Professor Bebbington was also the external examiner for my PhD, and his gruelling two hour viva only enhanced my admiration of his scholarly approach to all aspects of this subject.

My admiration was not unqualified, of course. Even in my interaction with him, I realised the inadequacy of his quadrilateral definition of evangelicalism, in which he has famously highlighted the elements of Biblicism, activism, crucicentrism and conversionism as the fundamental principles of the evangelical movement. In The Emergence of Evangelicalism, Andrew McGowan rightly points out that these four elements are not of equal ultimacy, and suggests that activism is not nearly as important as conversionism (p64). One might also ask whether the topic of the church is fundamental to evangelicalism? Did evangelicalism ever exist without regard to the church? Bebbington’s own discussions of revivalism and nonconformity show that it did not; it is more than passing strange, therefore, that such a crucial element should have been missing from his definition. Perhaps, however, Oliver Barclay’s observation is more fundamental still: ‘What I think is chiefly missing in Bebbington’s description is something so fundamental that it is easy to take it for granted – though it must never be taken so. That is, the essentially Christ-centred nature of the evangelical position’.

The quadrilateral was, however, only one element in Bebbington’s thesis. The other main aspect of his approach was his view on the relationship between evangelicalism and the Enlightenment. For Bebbington, the rationalism of the Enlightenment was not a threat to evangelicalism, but actually provided its impetus: ‘when the Enlightenment impinged on Calvinism’, he writes, ‘the result was not necessarily a doctrinal downgrade. From the 1730s onwards it could generate the new light of the gospel’. In other words, it was the Enlightenment which acted as the catalyst for the Evangelical movement of the subsequent eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. On top of this, Bebbington argued that the doctrine of assurance was a major catalyst also. The older Puritan doctrine, reflected in the teaching of the Westminster Confession of Faith that assurance of salvation may be lost on those who are saved, was hopelessly befuddled; it took a new Calvinism – an enlightened Calvinism – to recover the epistemological ground. So Evangelicalism arises in the period in which assurance ‘is the normal experience of the believer from the time of his conversion onwards’.

The contributors to The Emergence of Evangelicalism all engage with Bebbington’s argument on the relatively new character of eighteenth century evangelicalism, and few are willing to accept his thesis uncritically. The topics covered in the book range further than a debate on the genesis of the evangelical movement, but at their heart is an almost common conviction that the characteristic features of evangelicalism pre-dated the Enlightenment. 

Tim Larsen’s opening essays surveys the reception given to Bebbington’s work since its publication. It is not often that reviewers are themselves reviewed, and Larsen’s essay is as entertaining as it is enlightening (sic.), tracing not only the reviews that have appeared, but the abiding influence of the points and emphases Bebbington originally made. 

Michael Haykin then reassesses the general thesis of continuity between Enlightenment and Evangelical thought. He examines the evangelical view of reason, of the future and of social conscience, focussing then on the issue of assurance. For Bebbington the differing attitudes to assurance among the Puritans and then among the evangelicals was what allowed the Enlightenment to ‘create’ Evangelicalism. Haykin, however, is concerned to note the continuities between Puritans and Evangelicals, both in the areas of doctrine and of pragmatism, and questions whether Bebbington was right to drive such a wedge between them. 

Following these introductory essays, the book is then divided into ‘Regional Perspectives’, ‘Era Perspectives’ and ‘Evangelical Doctrines’. Under the first of these headings, there are contributions from Andrew McGowan on the Scottish dimension, Densil Morgan on the Welsh connection, David Ceri Jones on Calvinistic Methodism and the English dimension, Thomas Kidd on evangelicalism in New England, and Joel Beeke on evangelicalism in Holland. 

All are concerned to show that evangelicalism in these various geographical locations all predate the Enlightenment, at least to the extent that the defining elements of the movement were present earlier than the eighteenth century. Andrew McGowan argues that the Enlightenment served to drive a wedge between liberalism and evangelicalism, thus making the latter more distinctive (rather than ‘creating’ it). Densil Morgan is more sympathetic to Bebbington’s position, arguing that late eighteenth century Methodism did witness the creation of something novel: a revivalism which would ultimately prove revolutionary.

David Ceri Jones suggests that were Bebbington to write his book today, he would re-think the inclusion of English Evangelicalism, a feature which he considers lacking in the original volume (a view I do not share). Jones’ essay does have the merit of locating evangelicalism in England in a wider European context, and argues that the eighteenth century evangelical revivals drew on a twofold stream of Puritanism and antecedent Pietism. He also wishes to include within the catalysts for change not only the Enlightenment but the profound social changes which were taking place, not least in rise of the middle class and the effects of the Industrial Revolution. He does not disallow continuities with the past, but does want to speak of ‘a different religious configuration’ in the eighteenth century. 

Thomas Kidd’s essay also emphasises continuities, but highlights another element of New England religion: the expectation of revival. Kidd’s study of the Stoddardean and Edwardsean theologies is a tour de force of evangelical thought prior to the Great Awakening, and fitly argues that what was new in the eighteenth century had only been expected back into the seventeenth. 

Similarly, Joel Beeke’s study of Dutch evangelicalism charges Bebbington with too little emphasis on the continuity between the earlier Puritan tradition and the later evangelicalism of the Dutch Further Reformation (the Nadere Reformatie). Beeke has little sympathy for Bebbington’s position, accusing him of ‘regurgitating the historical inaccuracies of Kendall’. He also suggests that it would be more profitable (and accurate) to speak of Evangelicalisms, in the plural, rather than melt all the strands of eighteenth century Protestantism in the one pot.

The section on Era Perspectives contains some fine studies. Lutheran scholar Cameron MacKenzie’s essay on the evangelical character of Martin Luther’s faith demonstrates that the break with Medieval Catholicism was a catalyst in Luther’s time for the forging of an evangelical faith. Although there is little interaction with Bebbington in the essay, there is an emphasis on the overlap between Lutheran dogmatics and the quadrilateral of a later day. Paul Helm does much the same in his study of John Calvin and Augustus Toplady, although his argument explicitly refutes the idea that the four ‘isms’ of the quadrilateral can be argued historically – ‘the thesis’, argues Helm, becomes ‘more psychological, even psychoanalytic, than historical’ (p219).

Essays on Cranmer, Edwards and the Puritans further develop these areas of tension in the Bebbington thesis. Ian Shaw’s essay on nineteenth century perceptions is a salutary reminder that contemporaneous writers always assess things differently from later researchers!

The final section on evangelical doctrines Bruce Hindmarsh’s essay on spiritual autobiography makes the important point that Bebbington’s thesis runs the risk of over-periodisation. Hindmarsh argues that conversion narrative does appear as a new mark of evangelicalism, but in a period pre-dating the era under consideration. Gary Williams’ essay focuses on the relationship between Enlightenment epistemology and evangelical assurance, and argues that on Bebbington’s argument, evangelicalism is fathered by Edwards and Wesley, allowing much more room for Arminianism than Calvinism. It is an interesting observation that by seeing the roots of evangelicalism in an older Protestant tradition, ‘Reformed theology becomes the authentic evangelical mainstream of three centuries’ (p374). 

An essay by Crawford Gribben on eschatology is an interesting examination of the ‘Puritan hope’, although it engages little with Bebbington. Ken Stewarts study of the doctrine of Scripture from 1650-1850, on the other hand, demonstrates that evangelical formulations of verbal inerrancy and infallibility were ‘widespread by the mid-seventeenth century’ (p396), and that it was not the case, as Bebbington argues, that verbal inspiration came late in order to shore up inerrancy. 

Professor Bebbington’s response is a gracious, yet firm, rejoinder, in which he defends his quadrilateral, notwithstanding the ‘family likeness’ (p425) which finds elements of later evangelicalism in earlier Protestantism. His complaint that Methodism was not properly reflected in the volume is probably true, although the original plan did include a contribution from a Methodist scholar. Bebbington’s concession that ‘the contributions to this volume go a long way towards advancing our understanding of the relationship between the evangelicalism of the eighteenth century and its antecedents’ (p431) is as gracious a statement as one would wish to find in a volume that is by no means a unilateral stamp of approval on his original work. 

The appearance of this symposium is itself, of course, an indication of the influence of the position mapped out by Bebbington some twenty years ago. That is not to say that it stands merely as a tribute to the scholarship of Evangelicalism in Modern Britain (although it does no less than that). It is itself an indication that the historiography of both the period and the evangelical movement is still incomplete, and the data is still open to interpretation. Clearly the eighteenth century revivals saw the emergence of something new in the evangelical world, but the consensus of this volume is that evangelicalism itself was rooted in much earlier movements. 

That, necessarily, brings us back to the beginning: how is evangelicalism to be defined? Without consensus on that position, a definitive judgement on origins is impossible. It is arguable that Bebbington’s thesis of origins stands or falls on his fourfold definition of what it means to be evangelical. The exploratory essays that make up this important volume make a helpful contribution to our understanding of that all-important question.

Iain D. Campbell

Romantic Times gives John B. Olson’s supernatural thriller Shade four-and-a-half out of five stars, saying “readers will be taken on the ride of their lives in this hang-onto-the-bar thriller. Olson’s writing and ability to blend reality and fantasy will have them clamoring for more.

“Hailey Maniates was just saved by a homeless man–or was she? She’s not sure if it really happened or if it was just in her head. Doctors believe she’s suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and start treatment.

“Melchi is trying to keep Hailey and himself safe from a monster that’s after them. When Hailey starts having doubts about his intentions, he will have to do everything in his power to prevail, or all is lost.”

Christian Home & School magazine has reviewed Shadow of Colossus, the new novel by T. L. Higley, calling it “a fantastic read. Its moving and captivating plot push (sic) the reader into another world. It is impossible to set this book down.” Learn more here.

RelzReviews has posted an insightful interview with Pamela Binnings Ewen, author of the acclaimed new novel The Moon and the Mango Tree. The writer talks about her relation to other acclaimed novelists including James Lee Burke and Andre Dubus III. Learn more here.

The Suspense Zone has named Forsaken by James David Jordan as its October 2008 Book of the Month. “Don’t miss this book!” writes reviewer Susan Sleeman. Read the entire review here.

Bookpleasures.com has posted an enthusiastic review of T. L. Higley’s new novel, City of the Dead. It says:

“Story teller par excellence, T.L. HIGLEY transports the reader into the revived world of Ancient Egypt within the City of the Dead. Hemiunu or Hemi, is the main character of this exciting read.  As the main architect and Grand Vizier of Khufu, he is overseeing the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. An incident, which happened a decade ago, comes back to haunt him and his king, Khufu . . . Higley has thoroughly researched how life must have been at the time of the Ancient Egyptians. The settings, the mood, the weather, the inundations, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, tombs and mastabas, are all very credible. As well, the characters become so familiar that you believe them true to life. Definitely, an exciting thriller for all. An unmissable read.”

TitleTrakk has posted a great review of award-winning author Jamie Carie’s second novel, The Duchess and the Dragon. It says:

“The Duchess and the Dragon stands head and shoulders above the crowd of others in its genre. Here, you will not find sappy saints prancing about and having all issues resolved with a kiss. In fact, parts of this novel are a bit racy, and not all issues are totally resolved by the end. (Jamie Carie’s) writing is skillful, and well fleshed, and the choice to make Serena a Quaker lends a more interesting element than the more generic choice of simply Christian . . . I would certainly recommend The Duchess and the Dragon to both readers of romance and historicals (and historical romance). The story is unique and well written, and you’ll fall in love with her characters.”

CBA Retailers & Resources has reviewed John B. Olson’s new supernatural thriller Shade. The review says:

“Shade is a story that will captivate your imagination and make you wonder about things that go bump in the night! . . . I’d recommend this intriguing story of romance and supernatural intrigue to all who enjoy a thrilling page turner that’s difficult to put down. If you like Olson’s Fossil Hunter (Tyndale) and Adrenaline (Bethany House), you’ll love Shade.”

Novel Review has posted an enthusiastic account of Forsaken, the new novel by James David Jordan wherein a popular televangelist is faced with a seemingly impossible ultimatum: to renounce his Christian beliefs on international television in order to free his daughter who has been kidnapped by Muslin extremists.

“I found myself holding my breath . . . definitely a page turner and something I had to finish before I went on with anything else that day . . . It was exciting but very deep and contemporary . . . This story got my attention and never let it go. I definitely wanted to read more by James David Jordan.”

The Great Separation has posted a review of David Aikman’s novel, Awaken the Dragon, calling the action-based story of a U.S. news correspondent in China who crosses paths with the underground Church “a great read.” The review continues

“Aikman does an incredible job of embedding Chinese culture, politics, religious, and the underground Church in an action filled fiction story.

“Given today’s international tones this book was all the more interesting. The author’s background and knowledge with China helped to give a stronger feel of reality to each aspect of the book.

“The characters were all well developed and brought to life. As were the character qualities of Christianity, especially in places of our world where it is under suspicion and attack. As a sideline, this book reminded me of my responsibility as a Christian to be faithful in my prayers for the faithful in China.

“The main story plot, that of a missing American, was exciting. The steady development of the action made this book very hard to put down. Even when I finished it, I wanted more. I would recommend this book to anyone.”

RelzReviews has posted a review and interview for James David Jordan’s acclaimed new novel, Forsaken. The site declares:

“I have read many enthralling suspense novels, enjoyed meaningful love stories and delved into books that challenge my thinking and purpose but never has a novel combined all three elements, and with such adeptness, as Forsaken. (This) is one excellent ride, complete with unexpected twists and turns, that neither men or women should miss!”

Daniel L. Akin, president of The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has endorsed The Shape of Faith to Come, a new book by Brad J. Waggoner. He says:

“The Shape of Faith to Come is a wake up call for the Church of the Lord Jesus. The fact that many Christians fail to think like a Christian is deeply troubling. It is also a failure to love God with our mind, which is a sin of blatant disobedience. Brad Waggoner exposes the problem and provides wisdom to solve the dilemma. This a timely and important work that will, by God’s grace, provoke healthy conversation in the days ahead.”

RelzReviews has posted an enthusiastic review of John B. Olson’s new supernatural thriller, Shade:

“Be prepared to bend your mind in more ways than one as you delve into the harrowing journey of Hailey, Melchi and their battle with evil. Shade is chock full of action, terror, mind games and tender emotion as John B Olson tosses Hailey into a real life nightmare and makes her squirm! The initial chapters had me all at sea and I felt a little of what Hailey feels, confused and somewhat frustrated but as the story opened up, I found my feet and launched in to the battle for Hailey’s mind, body and soul. Melchi is an amazing character with untapped depths. A brief glimpse in to his childhood is horrifying and sets the scene for his adulthood, a man striving for righteousness while being choked by his failings, ignorant yet with a wisdom of the ages, fearful yet willing to fight with unsurpassed courage. How John manages to weave in attraction in this supernatural thriller is anyone’s guess but it works! I am more than a little intrigued with where John will take this series but I am strapped in for what is going to be a ride of supernatural proportions! If you like your novels to be thought provoking, dark with plenty of heart pounding action, very evil bad guys with not just a little weirdness, Shade is just the ticket!”

The Christian Manifesto gives John B. Olson’s new supernatural thriller, Shade, a great review, saying:

“John B. Olson offers up a fresh and surreal tale beautifully set in the streets of San Francisco. On the surface Shade is a mysterious tale laced with vampire themes and supernatural thrills. However, just when we think we know where the story is going, Olson effectively pulls the rug out from beneath us and takes us in yet another mind-boggling direction. This story is fun and captivating, supported by strong characters and smart writing. Shade is a classic good vs. evil tale that is told in a fresh new way that will resonate with readers long after the end. I can only hope we will see more of these characters from Olson in the future. If you haven’t discovered John B. Olson by now, there is no better place to jump in!”

According to new research, 70 percent of 18 to 22 year-old Americans are leaving the church. A new book coauthored by Thom S. Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, explains why they leave and how to bring them back.

“I did not see church as essential to my life,” says one young man interviewed for Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts.

Surprisingly, their reasons for leaving have less to do with “losing religion” and more about desiring authentic spiritual community that goes beyond maintaining the status quo. Among the top ten were:

* Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical.

* Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.

* Became too busy though still wanted to attend.

“We truly believe it is possible to reduce this outflow of young adults from our churches,” write Rainer and his son, Sam Rainer III, a research expert and pastor who also contributed to Essential Church? “Two-thirds of the people in this age group are leaving. But the good news is that most of them would like to find a church that is healthy (and) wants more than business as usual.”

Equipped with clear data on church dropouts and compelling case studies of churches that are engaging this audience, the Rainers unpack four components for the church that will make group worship an essential part of these young people’s lives again:

* Simplify (Get the Structure Right).

* Deepen (Get the Content Right).

* Expect (Get the Attitude Right).

* Multiply (Get the Action Right).

For a limited time, you can download Essential Church? absolutely FREE at:

www.ChurchLeadershipBooks.com/EssentialChurch

Thom Rainer also coauthored the #1 bestseller Simple Church, winner of a Christianity Today Book Award and Outreach magazine’s Best Outreach Leadership Training Resource of 2007.

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B&H Publishing Group is best known for books by Beth Moore (Praying God’s Word) and Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God) and for developing the Holman Christian Standard Bible® translation and its related products including The Apologetics Study Bible. The company has also recently published The Love Dare (as featured in the new motion picture Fireproof) and Oliver North’s New York Times bestseller, American Heroes, and is a leading producer of church supplies and Spanish Bibles.

Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick, authors of The Love Dare and producers of FIREPROOF, will join FIREPROOF actor Kirk Cameron on Dr. Phil, Thursday, September 25. Check Dr. Phil’s website for airtimes and station listings. Every person in the audience will receive a copy of The Love Dare.

Historical Novels Review says T. L. Higley’s new Shadow of Colossus novel “makes ancient Greece feel gritty and real . . . readers of Christian fiction will appreciate Biblical values applied to a pagan society.”

The September 2008 issue of BookPage says James David Jordan’s new international thriller Forsaken (B&H Publishing Group) “is a highly readable book, and (main character) Taylor Pasbury is a character who is worth another visit.” The novel tells of a troubled former Secret Service agent who is hired to protect the world’s most famous televangelist. When the latter’s daughter is kidnapped by Muslim extremists, they offer her release only if the preacher will deny his Christian faith on worldwide television.

Publishers Weekly has given Shade, the new novel by Christy Award winner John B. Olson, a shining review. Here’s an excerpt:

“With breathless pacing, a sharp sense of suspense, memorable descriptions and a churning plot, this novel is a must-read for those who enjoy such authors as Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. Readers will appreciate carefully woven themes from Dracula, science, faith, conspiracy theory and divine battle. Christian themes surface in the supernatural warfare, and a Christian character, Susan Boggs, helps Hailey see beyond the physical world to a deeper reality.”

Bob Logan, founder and president of CoachNet International Ministries, has endorsed a new book by Steve Ogne and Tim Roehl entitled TransforMissional Coaching: Empowering Missional Leaders in a Changing Ministry World. He says:

“TransforMissional Coaching brings three essential elements of successful ministry together:  coaching, mission, and transformation.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to coach future generations in ministry.  Steve and Tim understand coaching younger leaders—the chapter on empowering postmodern leaders alone is worth the price of the book.”