Review & Reflection – Reformation Study Bible (2015)

The Reformation Study Bible (ESV) by Reformation Trust (2,534 pages, 2015)

Review:

Ligonier Ministries (and the teaching ministry of R.C. Sproul) have had a profound influence on a generation of Reformed believers.  It is entirely possible, however, that among its greatest legacies will be the production of the Reformation Study Bible (RSB).  The first edition of the RSB was in 2005.  Incidentally, my parents bought me a copy when it first came out, and the original RSB has been my daily reader for ten years now.  Overall, I loved it.  But as the years rolled by I noticed several features that seemed missing.  The lack of maps in the back and the curious omission of any Reformed creeds or confessions (why would something called the Reformation Study Bible not have the doctrinal statements of the Reformation included?) were just two examples that come to mind.  In 2015, however, Reformation Trust released a completely re-hauled and revised edition of the RSB.  Since the original RSB has been on the market so long, I’ll simply focus my review on the changes made in the 2015 edition.

And believe me, the new edition brings plenty of changes.  They’ve added almost 600 pages of content (including expanded introductions to each book which point out the place of each book in the history of redemption), 16 pages of high-quality color maps, new topical and theological articles, a yearly reading plan, and 10 ecumenical and Reformed creeds, confessions, and catechisms.  In addition to the expanded content, the new RSB has significantly changed it’s form.  In place of the familiar double-columns (with matching double-column study notes) the new edition has gone to a single-column format with three columns for the study notes.  The typeface is beautiful, the layout is packed with resources, and the content is outstanding.  Bottom line: this is a very good study Bible.

But it’s not perfect.  As the old saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” and all the wonderful additions come with a price as well.  The added commentary and resources means that this already large Bible (the first RSB was almost 2,000 pages) is now positively massive.  While well suited to the study it would be difficult to carry this Bible around to worship or Bible studies.  In addition, in an (unsuccessful) effort to keep the size under control, the publishers seem to have gone with a thin paper that has a good bit of ghosting.  Especially when one is on the last page of a book of the Bible you can see a lot of bleed-through.  For whatever reason, the print can also sometimes be hard to read and the placement of the cross-references on the inside of the page makes them very hard to read.

Still, in most ways, this is the study Bible I’ve always dreamed of.  The layout is attractive, the notes are sound, and it comes packed with a boatload of resources.  If you’re in the market for a study Bible (and if you don’t have one, you should be in the market) this is the one to get.  It’s not perfect, but it does some very important things well.

I would like to thank the good folks over at Reformation Trust for providing me with a free review copy of this book.  I was not obligated to provide a positive review. 

Review & Reflection – Passing Through

Passing Through: Pilgrim Life in the Wilderness by Jeremy Walker (265 pages, 2015)

Review:

How is the church to relate to culture?  How are we as individual Christians to think about and structure our day-to-day lives?  What exactly is our identity as Christians and how should this shape our actions in this present world? It is to these questions, and others, that British Pastor Jeremy Walker turns his attention in this helpful book on the Christian life.  Central to Walker’s thesis is the idea that we as Christians have lost sight of our Biblical identity and that the loss of that identity has compromised our actions in this world.  What then, is our Biblical identity?  Walker argues that we are to see ourselves primarily (though not exclusively) as pilgrims.  People who are simply “passing through” as the title puts it.  After introducing his thesis and providing a framework for our thinking in chapters 1-3, Walker develops his point by looking at various aspects of the Christian identity.  Whether it is as pilgrim-warriors (ch. 4), pilgrim-evangelists (ch. 5), pilgrim-citizens (ch. 6), pilgrim-servants (ch. 7), etc… Walker urges Christians to consider how the Biblical motif of the pilgrim life can shape and reshape our understanding of this world and our place in it.  Each chapter follows the same basic structure: first, Walker introduces the topic of the chapter.  Second, he provides a Scriptural framework for considering the topic by looking at (and carefully exegeting) various relevant passages.  Third, Walker gives some summary thoughts which not only consider the content of the given chapter, but also connect that with all that has come before.  Finally, Walker provides specific counsels which provide practical guidance for how to apply what has been discussed thus far.

Reflection:

I found the structure of Walker’s book to be very helpful.  For someone like myself who thinks in terms of outlines, reading chapters which followed the same basic shape was tremendously helpful.  Not only does Walker provide good structure, he also produces good content.  Walker writes well.  In an age when too much writing (and far too much theology) is written poorly, Walker’s sentences sing, his paragraphs flow, and his ideas are communicated vividly and profoundly.  One can tell that he has read the Puritans deeply as he shares their wonderful ability to convey truth through beauty.  Another feature I appreciated about the book was how Walker tries to spend as much time as possible fully quoting and thoroughly exegeting the actual text of Scripture.  He avoids the exegetical shortcut of simply following up his statements with a string of proof-texts and instead does the hard (but fortifying) work of showing us how and where he gets his ideas.  With all the discussion today about questions of culture and engagement I found Walker’s book to be refreshingly Biblical.  While I would not agree with every jot and tittle, the broad thrust of this book was right on target and has already begun to helpfully shape my thinking on the topic.  I would encourage everyone to pick up this helpful volume as a useful tool on this pilgrim road we trod.

I would like to thank the good folks over at Cross Focused Reviews for providing me with a free review copy of this book.  I was not obligated to provide a positive review.  Please check out their interview with the author here. 

Review & Reflection – The Quarry Revival

The Quarry Revival by Peter and Dorothy Bennett  (40 pages, 1992)

Review:

This little book is unusual in a number of ways.  It is a fairly obscure account, of a fairly obscure event, that took place in a fairly obscure corner of the world.  It was loaned to me by an older couple in my church who come from Llandudno in the north of Wales.  They acquired this booklet years ago because it was of special interest to them.  It recounts the story of the 1904-1905 Quarry Revival in the village just next to their own. 

The authors describe the scope and purpose of the booklet in the forward,

“This booklet is not intended as another history of the Revival of 1904, although very little coverage of the Revival in Llanfairfechan has, in fact been written.  Only one of the accounts given here has ever been published in English and that in a newspaper of 1904 and not reprinted until now.  Those essays and reports previously printed in Welsh have not been published together as a group.  Together they give the ‘feel’ of Revival, the effect the Spirit of God had on a community of ‘ordinary’ people.”

  As I read these collected essays and reports  I read stories of ordinary, working miners who were strangely moved of the Lord to give themselves to prayer.  At first men scoffed or ignored them, but in time the rooms, houses, and halls that they would meet in were filled to the breaking point with those who had previously wanted nothing to do with religion.  Voices that had sworn in anger now swelled with praise.  This little Welsh village found itself transformed by the power and proclamation of the gospel.  We read of, “Richard Thomas who had been called by God away from his glass of beer in the Llanfairfechan Hotel – he just left it undrunk” (pg. 14).  One report summarizes the result of the Revival after the course of a year saying,

“There was a new echo to be heard from the rocks from now on.  The old ‘Graig’ (rock) seemed to have learnt the tunes ‘Pen Calfaria’ and ‘Gwaed y Groes’ and ‘Diolch Iddo’ during that year, and the place that was full of unseemly language and all sorts of gambling at the start of the year had become in reality a Bethel to many of us, and I know some, even to this day, who look on that place still as holy ground, and feel they can get down on their knees in prayer any time they go through there, and count it as a place sanctified to the Lord” (pg. 17).

Reflection:

Though focusing on a narrow slice of local history, this little booklet gives us a remarkable, moving, and plain-speaking overview of an event that (as with all revivals) has eternal significance.  Many of these reports were written by uneducated Welsh villagers at the turn of the century, and sometimes the style shows it, but what they lack in polish and style they more than make up for in conviction and spirit.  Reading this little book truly accomplishes its goal of “giveing the ‘feel’ of Revival, the effect the Spirit of God had on a community of ‘ordinary’ people.”

Review & Reflection – A Brief History of Wales

A Brief History of Wales by Gerald Morgan  (160 pages, 2011)

Review:

In this trim volume, Gerald Morgan sets out to give readers, as the back cover puts it, “A superb introduction to the background to contemporary Wales, this book is also for anyone wishing to brush up on their history.”  Morgan sets out to accomplish this two-fold goal of both introducing and reviewing the history of Wales by offering brief chapters on Welsh history beginning with the writings of Caesar in 55 B.C. and ending with contemporary issues in Welsh political life well into the early 2000’s.  After a brief forward there are eight chapters (around 10-20 pages) followed by a fairly extensive list for further reading.  The chapters cover a range of topics but largely move forward chronologically with each chapter covering various figures and events in a given period of Welsh life.

Reflection:

I have to admit, I was disappointed in this book.  I picked it up on my last trip to Wales in the gift shop at Conwy Castle expecting to find a quick and fun intro to, and overview of, Welsh history.  I’ve studied quite a bit about England, Scotland, and Ireland, but knew substantially less about the history of Wales.  I’m sad to say that that’s largely still the case.  The biggest problem with this book is that it’s honestly a bit boring.  As a student of history I wasn’t naive enough to expect an action-adventure novel, but this book falls far short of its potential.  Rather than stepping back from the story to give us the big picture and the grand events, Morgan seems to get lost among the details.  I found myself skimming this volume as it seemed that the chapters became endless lists of names and dates.  Events which sounded like they were probably fascinating stories were duly mentioned but rarely expounded.  Characters that were undoubtedly memorable were quickly passed over in the rush to include the next name or date.  This is exactly what history shouldn’t be.  The odd exception to this rule was in chapter 7, “Riot and Respectability” which focused on the history of Wales during the Industrial Revolution.  It was as if Morgan came to life and suddenly found a remarkable knack for capturing and communicating the big picture.  We actually got a glimpse of the Welsh people as people, and it made all the difference.  It made me wonder if this period of history isn’t perhaps his true area of interest and the other chapters were simply symptomatic of his lack of familiarity with the material.  If someone already had a good grasp of Welsh history this little book might serve as a decent review, but for someone looking to learn for the first time, I suggest they keep looking.

Video Review – ESV Reader’s Bible

Above is my video review of the ESV Reader’s Bible.  Here are some of the links mentioned in the video:

You can watch Crossway’s video overview of the ESV Reader’s Bible here.

You can find the full review of the ESV Reader’s Bible over at the Bible Design Blog here.

You can pick up your own copy of the ESV Reader’s Bible at Amazon, CBD, or Westminster Bookstore.

Review & Reflection – The 100 Cupboards Trilogy

The 100 Cupboards Series by N.D. Wilson:

100 Cupboards 296 pages, 2007;

Dandelion Fire 466 pages, 2009;

The Chestnut King 512 pages, 2010

Review:

Like every other homeschooler, I’m a big fan of fantasy.  Tolkien and Lewis (in that order, thank-you-very-much) are the kings of the genre, and everyone else does their level best to write something that will remind us of their genius.  Few succeed, and with the bar set so high, who can blame them?  Thus, I’m always both excited and skeptical when I pick up a fantasy series and find myself wondering how close they’ll come to the goal.  But before I give you my thoughts about the merits of Wilson’s work let me offer a brief (and hopefully spoiler free) summary of this trilogy.

The 100 Cupboards trilogy begins with a boy named Henry who goes to live with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins, in a small town named, wait for it…Henry, Kansas.  Henry (the boy, not the town) is a sheltered misfit whose parent’s troubled marriage has left him with little clue of what normal human relationships look like.  It’s only as he finds a secret wall of magical cupboards in his attic bedroom that things begin to change.  Book one focuses on the discovery and function of these cupboards.  Here we’re introduced to some of the main characters (including the villain) and the basics of the magic is explained.  The book ends dramatically, and a bit suddenly.

In book two, Dandelion Fire, Henry gains some magical powers of his own and finds the world to which he actually belongs.  The action picks up considerably and a host of new characters and cultures are introduced.  The characters we knew already develop and grow as the peril around them grows as well.  We learn much more about the magic of the 100 Cupboards world and though longer than the first book, I found the second a much faster (and more engaging) read.

In book three, The Chestnut King, Henry steps ever increasingly into the forefront as he matures and grows in his power and character.  This book is the most epic (in the technical sense, not the college frat boy sense) of the three, and the dialogue, action, and characters build steadily throughout the book.  Though it weighs in at a not insignificant 512 pages you’ll probably find yourself going through this volume in a matter of days.

It’s a challenge giving a review without spoilers, but hopefully that meager description gives you some sense of what to expect from the 100 Cupboards series.

Reflection:

So the big question is: how did Wilson do?  Is this one more series in a long line of authors vainly aspiring to be the next Tolkien or Lewis?  Yes and no.  Wilson can write well, and he does a masterful job of drawing on various sources (from the obvious ones like Tolkien and Lewis, to classical sources of ancient Greece and Rome, medieval epic literature like Spenser’s Faerie Queen, and classic Americana tales) without falling into mere imitation.  He’s read widely, and that comes through.  His dialogue can be strong and vivid, if sometimes a bit uneven.  His characters are interesting and memorable, although some are left disappointingly undeveloped.  His world is rich and the magic is one of the best conceived and most richly imaginative I’ve seen outside of the masters.  I felt that things got better as the series progressed, but if I hadn’t had friends tell me how good the series was I don’t know if I would have continued past the first book.  I found a number of times when Wilson would lose me in the midst of the action and I was left having to scramble across the page trying to find which turn I missed.  Let me encourage you, though, to stick with it.  This is quite the ride and well worth your time.  Not a perfect series, but most definitely a good one.  Wilson gives us a strong contribution to the fantasy genre and succeeds well in his goal of bringing magic to America.  Perhaps my own thoughts will be more refined once I’ve had the chance to read the series again, but all in all, this is a good one for the nightstand.

Review & Reflection – The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill

The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill compiled by Dominique Enright  (160 pages, 2001)

Review:

Winston Churchill was one of the towering personalities of the 20th century and an infinitely interesting character.  He was a soldier and a painter, an inventor and a statesman, a writer and an orator, a man of the Old World, and a maker of the New.  Churchill was many things, but for many of us what stands out is his razor-sharp wit.  In The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill author Dominique Enright compiles and presents some of the many wonderful quotes from one of the most quotable men of the past century.

The book is divided into various sections, with quotes categorized according to their topic.  So we have chapters containing quotes on everything from Politics, Words, Animals, Speeches, Friends, the Nations, Women, Drink, Anecdotes, and Epigrams.  There is a brief biography at the beginning of the book to orient the reader.  Enright draws from a wide range of subjects and shows us some of the breadth of Churchill’s prodigious conversational repertoire.  She writes as an admirer of Churchill without falling into the temptation to idolize her subject.  Many of the quotes contained in this book will have been found in other places (and some of the quotes you may have heard in other places will be questioned in this book), but there is much here that was new to this reader and perhaps it will be entertaining to you as well.

Reflection:

This is a fun book.  Not too deep, not too detailed, and not too dense.  Enright seeks to strike a balance between quotes that are edifying and quotes that are entertaining.  I’m not sure that she always succeeds, as I found myself wishing there had been a few more “zingers” on the entertainment front.  That said, there was much here that was interesting and it was a very quick read.  I felt like the biography at the front was helpful, but I imagine that someone who wasn’t very familiar with Churchill would need more than that brief introduction to always appreciate the quotes contained in the book.  There were a few times (really very few times) where the explanation of a quote was written clumsily, but all in all, Enright selected good material and presented it well.  I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good chuckle from Churchill.

Review & Reflection – Hannah Coulter

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (190 pages, 2005)

Review:

Hannah Coulter is one of the more recent novels of the prolific and influential author, poet, farmer, and country-philosopher of, Kentucky: Wendell Berry.  Berry has published 15 volumes of fiction over the years, and all of them center on what he loves to call “the membership of Port William”.  Port William is a fictional rural township located on the western bank of the Kentucky River.  Berry’s writing follows the intertwining threads of the lives of various families and town members from 1888-2008.  Berry often explores the shift from family farming to agribusiness, and the diminution of small-town and rural life as people move off to the cities.  These themes, however, always take a backseat to the loss and joy of his characters, and it is these characters that always take center-stage.  At the end of the day, Berry’s work is always about people, and this novel is particularly about one person: Hannah Coulter.

The novel is written from the first-person perspective of Hannah as she looks back on her life as an old woman.  The gentle ruminations of this elderly woman stretch from her early life (filled with difficulties) to her middle years, (a jarring mix of loss and gain in the midst of the horrors of WWII), and on to her final days (where joy mingles with sorrow, and all is resolved in hope).  At the heart of Hannah’s story is the giving of thanks.  As Hannah herself puts it, looking back on her life: “I was grateful because I knew, even in my fear and grief, that my life had been filled with gifts.”  

Reflection:

Berry’s prose best speaks for itself so I won’t say any more about the themes or plot of the book.  I can only say that this book changed me, and continues to change me, in ways I can barely understand.  I don’t always agree with Berry, but he is always thoughtful, and thus, always thought-provoking.  I’ve never walked away from Berry’s work and not felt that I was better and richer for having listened.  If you’re new to Port William (or to Berry in general) this would probably be the place I’d recommend a start.  In it you’ll be introduced to names and faces that will become dear to you as you find your own life caught up in the story of Port William.  Berry’s novel Jayber Crow, is another wonderful introduction, but Hannah Coulter, is so brief, and so poignant, that I think I’d suggest reading it first.  As a life-long fan of biographies I always love hearing of a life well-lived.  Hannah’s is such a life.  If I haven’t convinced you to “take up and read”, perhaps a few quotes from Hannah can do so:

“You can’t give yourself over to love for somebody without giving yourself over to suffering.”

“Living without expectations is hard but, when you can do it, good. Living without hope is harder, and that is bad. You have got to have hope, and you mustn’t shirk it. Love, after all, “hopeth all things.” But maybe you must learn, and it is hard learning, not to hope out loud, especially for other people. You must not let your hope turn into expectation.”

“I began to know my story then. Like everybody’s, it was going to be the story of living in the absence of the dead. What is the thread that holds it all together? Grief, I thought for a while. And grief is there sure enough, just about all the way through. From the time I was a girl I have never been far from it. But grief is not a force and has no power to hold. You only bear it. Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery.”

“You think you will never forget any of this, you will remember it always just the way it was. But you can’t remember it the way it was. To know it, you have to be living in the presence of it right as it is happening. It can return only by surprise. Speaking of these things tells you that there are no words for them that are equal to them or that can restore them to your mind. And so you have a life that you are living only now, now and now and now, gone before you can speak of it, and you must be thankful for living day by day, moment by moment, in this presence.
But you have a life too that you remember. It stays with you. You have lived a life in the breath and pulse and living light of the present, and your memories of it, remember now, are of a different life in a different world and time. When you remember the past, you are not remembering it as it was. You are remembering it as it is. It is a vision or a dream, present with you in the present, alive with you in the only time you are alive.”

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this:
“Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks.”
I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”

Review & Reflection – “Charles Hodge”

Charles Hodge by S. Donald Fortson III (128 pages, 2013)

Review:

For the past few years Evangelical Press has been publishing a series of “Bitesize Biographies” designed to introduce contemporary evangelicals to some of the great figures of the past.  Drawing from both well known figures (such as Whitefield, Hodge, or Schaeffer) and names that have been forgotten by many (Savonarola, Renee of France, or Kivengere).  In this contribution, S. Donald Fortson (a church history professor at RTS Charlotte) offers a pithy survey of the life of that great American Princetonian theologian: Charles Hodge.

In keeping with the goal of the series, Fortson’s book is brief.  In a mere 128 pages he provides us with a timeline of Hodge’s life, an introduction to the book, eight chapters, and a list of recommended reading.  Fortson’s table of contents gives us a good feel for the scope of the book as he covers: 1) Family and Education, 2) The Professor, 3) The Great Schism, 4) Seminary Life, 5) The Church Question, 6) War and Reunion, 7) Legacy, & 8) The Impact of Charles Hodge’s Life.  Reading through the book leaves you with a sense of awe at the massive impact that Hodge made on his world.  During Hodge’s fifty years of teaching at Princeton seminary, “Dr. Hodge trained almost three thousand ministers, missionaries, and professors who had carried the gospel message throughout the United States and to many parts of the globe” (p. 11).  His position as a noted professor at the most notable seminary in the United States at the time gave Hodge tremendous influence; and his three volume Systematic Theology has had an abiding influence to this day.

Reflection:

Fortson writes well and has given us a worthwhile read in this little volume.  The chapters are brief, the content is clear, and Fortson does a good job of both orienting the reader to the landscape of 19th century American church life while also providing us with interesting facts about Hodges life (for example, did you know that when Hodge studied theology in Europe his German teacher was none other than George Müller (pg. 27) or that his wife was a descendant of Benjamin Franklin (pg. 23)?)  Hodge was certainly an impressive figure, and Fortson does a good job of giving us a sense of familiarity with his life without getting too bogged down in the details.  The theologian in me would have liked to have seen more of Hodge’s theology coming to the fore, but perhaps too much detail would have detracted from the flow of the narrative.  Fortson seemed to draw out the theme of Hodge’s ecumenical spirit quite strongly.  I was never quite sure whether this was a theme that was prominent in Hodge or simply if it was one that Fortson wished to emphasize.  Again, I’d be curious to dig deeper into the details of Hodge’s own thinking and theologizing on this point.  Nonetheless, this is a fine introduction and well worth a read.  If you don’t know much about Hodge, this is as good a place to start as any.

 

Review & Reflection – “The Hole in Our Holiness”

The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung (159 pages, 2012)

Review:

I recently finished reading Kevin DeYoung’s little book on the all important topic of sanctification.  The title itself gives us a clue as to why DeYoung wrote the book; he’s convinced that there’s something missing from our idea, and practice, of holiness.  As he puts it, “The hole in our holiness is that we don’t really care much about it” (p. 10).  DeYoung is seeking to correct an over-correction.  Anyone who has an ear to the ground of evangelicalism will have heard the frequent discussions of how we need to live under grace and not the law.  Or of how Christianity is about a relationship and not a religion.  Or about how God only cares about the intentions of our hearts rather than the actions in our lives.  DeYoung describes this tendency this way, “Among conservative Christians there is sometimes the mistaken notion that if we are truly gospel-centered we won’t talk about rules or imperatives or moral exertion.  We are so eager not to confuse indicatives (what God has done) and imperatives (what we should do) that we get leery of letting biblical commands lead uncomfortably to conviction of sin. We’re scared of words like diligence, effort, and duty” (p. 19).  In our fear of legalism many Christians have rushed to license.  DeYoung’s goal is to balance the scales.  His thesis is simple: “There is a gap between our love for the gospel and our love for godliness.  This must change.  It’s not pietism, legalism, or fundamentalism to take holiness seriously.  It’s the way of all those who have been called to a holy calling by a holy God” (p. 21).

How then, does DeYoung set out to accomplish his goal?  The book is divided into ten chapters (most of which are around 15 pages long) with a study guide at the back of the book, whether for personal or group use, and a Scripture index.  The book is not long and each chapter focuses on one central topic or idea.  Some chapters address common language or ideas like, “Be Who You Are” or “The Impetus for the Imperatives” or “Saints and Sexual Immorality”.  Throughout DeYoung keeps a personal and pastoral tone without watering down the force of Scripture or the testimony of the Reformed faith in any regards.

Reflection:

DeYoung’s main goal is to balance the scales, and I believe he accomplishes it admirably.  I can think of nothing that I would change about this book.  It’s accessible and winsome enough to place in the hands of the young Christian while simultaneously being meaty enough to do good to the most mature believer.  DeYoung has a truly remarkable gift of presenting biblical and Reformed truths in a way that anyone can grasp.  I found myself underlining and marking up my copy and I’m sure it’s a book I’ll be revisiting over the years.  I found the book helpful in correcting some of my own over-corrections and helping me to better reflect the Bible’s teaching on holiness in my language and life.  This would be great for personal reading, one-on-one discipleship, or even a group context (again, the study questions would come in handy there).  All in all, this is the best contemporary book I have ever read on sanctification.  Highly recommended!