Review: Common Law and Natural Law in America: From the Puritans to the Legal Realists

Andrew Forsyth. Common Law and Natural Law in America: From the Puritans to the Legal Realists.  New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, May 23, 2019. 168 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

What is the relationship of Christianity, Natural Law and Common Law in American Legal history?  This book answers the question.  The author Andrew Forsyth has his PhD from Yale on this topic.  This book itself is part of the Cambridge University Press’ Law and Christianity Series, an academic series that has ecumenical contributors.  Forsyth in this volume tracks the shift with the understanding of what is the relationship of Natural Law and English Common Law (and also of course the relationship of Christianity as the background), where it becomes secular in the end.  Forsyth did a good job in the book of the historical work.

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Review: God without Passions: A Primer

Samuel Renihan. God without Passions: A Primer.  Palmdale, CA: Reformed Baptist Academic Press, July 21, 2015. 107 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

What does it mean when Christians say that God is immutable and that God is without Passions?  This book answers this question concerning this attribute of God in a way that is biblical and historically rooted in the sound teaching of historical theology.  I got this book and read it since I was impressed reading the author’s other book Deity and Decree.  This particular book also impressed me with Samuel Renihan’s ability to be biblical, clear, simple and yet deeply profound with regards to who God is.  This book is meant for the layperson and was originally from his Sunday School series on this topic.  Overall the book was worshipful and edifying and it lifted my soul reading this on vacation.

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Review: Nahum (ZECOT)

Daniel Timmer.  Nahum.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, August 4, 2020. 208 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for an exegetical commentary on the book of Nahum in the Minor Prophet?  This is a very good technical commentary on the book of Nahum I would recommend.  By technical I mean it’s a commentary that examine the Hebrew text of Nahum and also employ discourse analysis to point out exegetical insight of the book of Nahum.  The commentary has good grammatical and syntactical observations along with the exploration of a passage’s intertextuality.  I have previously enjoyed other volumes in the Zondervan Old Testament Exegetical Commentary Series and I consider this as another fine example in this series of how commentaries should be like.

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Review: Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit

Matthew Barrett. Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit.  Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, March 16, 2021. 368 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

There’s been a lot of discussion about controversies about the Trinity among Evangelical circles the last few years and do you want to not only be informed about these discussions but also see a defense of the historic view?  Specifically the book examines Social Trinitarianism across the theological spectrum and also the doctrine of the Eternal Functional Subordination (EFS). The author Matthew Barrett who is the Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has given us a great resource for not only Baptists but the greater Reformed world and Evangelicals and Protestants.  I found the book engaging, biblical, informative, fair to those whom he disagree with and at times funny and witty yet also God exalting and worshipful.

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Review: Living in the Light of Inextinguishable Hope

Iain M. Duguid. Living in the Light of Inextinguishable Hope.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, June 10, 2013. 224 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster |Amazon

Are you reading the Genesis narrative about the life of Joseph in the Bible specifically in the book of Genesis 37-Genesis 50?  Are you looking for a good devotional commentary that focused on the literary details on these passages that also having an awareness of the unfolding of redemptive history?  I was tremendously blessed by this book.  This would be a great resource for both pastors, teachers and general Christian Bible readers.

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Review: Living in the Grip of Relentless Grace

Iain M. Duguid. Living in the Grip of Relentless Grace.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, Mar 24, 2015. 192 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster |Amazon

Are you reading the Genesis narrative about the life of Isaac and Jacob in the Bible (Genesis 25:19-Genesis 35)?  Are you looking for a good devotional commentary that focused on the literary details on these passages that also having an awareness of the unfolding of redemptive history?  This would be a great resource for both pastors, teachers and general Christian Bible readers.

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Review: All that is in God

James Dolezal. All that is in God.  Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, July 13, 2017. 176 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster |Amazon

Are you looking for a book that looks at the doctrines of God in regards to the absoluteness of His being?  This book is helpful and the author James Dolezal has done a great service writing this for the church today, especially since some of the attributes of God that have been denied, downplayed and dangerously modified.  Dolezal also managed to present a biblical and historical view on God and answers contemporary objections of some of the hardest attributes of God, within the short space of 176 pages!    Yet thin as it was this book took me three months to finish as I was slowly working through it carefully and reflectively.

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Review: Deity and Decree

 

Samuel Reinhan. Deity and Decree.  Coppell, TX: Kindle Direct Publishing, December 1, 2020. 161 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for a book that goes pretty deep with the difficult doctrines of God while also within the range of under two hundred pages?  This book would be suitable for you.  Originally a class syllabus for his lectures in a Spanish seminary this book is by Reformed Baptist (1689) Samuel Reinhan.  I felt I grew a lot reading this book in terms of my theology proper and though it was 161 pages I read this very slowly and took notes to really understand it.  Immensely rewarding and edifying!

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Review: Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality

Gregory D. Cook. Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality: The Gospel According to Abraham.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, January 16, 2015. 208 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster |Amazon

Are you reading the narratives in Genesis about the life of Abraham?  Also are you looking for a good devotional commentary that also have a redemptive historical awareness and also conscious of biblical theology?  This would be a resource in understanding the portion of the book of Genesis.

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Review: Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer Volume 1

 

David Kitz. Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer Volume 1.  Plymouth, MA: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., December 2^nd, 2020.  262 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for a new devotional through the Psalms?  Bible dramatist, author, minister and blogger David Kitz has written the first installment of his 365 days devotionals on the Psalms.  This book goes up to Psalm 51.  After reading and using this devotional I hope there will be future volumes from the author and the publisher.

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Review: The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent

 

John Piper. The Dawning of Indestructible Joy.  Wheaton, IL: Crossway, August 31st 2014.  94 pp.

4 out of 5

Free: Desiring God

Purchase: Amazon

Looking for a devotional book on the Advent Season that would make you love Christ more and increase your joy meditating on Christ’s incarnation?  This book is by John Piper will flame your passion for Jesus.  As the subtitle states the book is a “Daily Readings for Advent.”

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Review: Genesis, volume 1: Genesis 1-11 by James Montgomery Boice

James Montgomery Boice. Genesis, volume 1: Genesis 1-11Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, May 1st 2006. 464 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

Are you studying through the book of Genesis and wish you can understand more of what you read?  A book that would be helpful is this title.  The book is an expository commentary, which is between a devotional and heavier exegetical Bible commentary. It was written by the late preacher James Montgomery Boice and covers first eleven chapters of Genesis.  Overall I enjoyed this and learned a lot of new things from the book of Genesis as the result of reading the Scripture in conjunction with this commentary as a learning tool.

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Review: Severe Compassion

Gregory D. Cook. Severe Compassion: The Gospel According to Nahum.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, April 29th 2016. 288 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster |Amazon

How many people have read the book of Nahum in the Bible?  For believers we can’t just dismiss it as an irrelevant book from the past since it is God’s Word for us today.  Yet readers will no doubt have questions since we are quite removed from the historical context.  A good help in understanding the book of Nahum would be this Bible commentary.

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Review: Ruth by Daniel Block

First Christian book finished for 2020!  And finished it yesterday while waiting at the Courthouse pending for Jury Duty.

Daniel Block.  Ruth.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, December 15th 2015. 308 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is the best technical commentary on the book of Ruth I would recommend.  If you read the book of Ruth in the Bible it is only four chapters and yet this commentary is 271 pages long (308 pages if you go by what the publishers say), filled with insights properly extrapolated from God’s Word that is exegetical in nature; that is, it is filled with grammatical and syntactical observation from the Hebrew text along with word study and exploration of a passage’s intertextuality.  An aspect of this commentary that makes it unique is the author’s use of discourse analysis.  There are many things readers will learn from God’s Word here and I was blown away with what I discover in this book that led me to worship God and Christ more!  While I have in the past enjoyed other titles in the Zondervan Old Testament Exegetical Commentary Series this one would be one that I would highly recommend.

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Review: Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness: Psalms 13-24

 

Dale Ralph Davis. Slogging Along in the Paths of Righteousness: Psalms 13-24.  Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus Publications, March 20, 2016. 192 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

Are you looking for a devotional commentary on selected Psalms?  Here is a work covering Psalm 13 through 24 written by Dale Ralph Davis, a Pastor and Professor of the Old Testament with Reformed Theological Seminary at Jackson, Mississippi.  The book is under two hundred pages covering twelves Psalms which makes it manageable in size in terms of one chapter per Psalm that can be read in one sitting.

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