Review of Two History Books: Fall 2021

I’m reviewing two history books…because Pastors also need a break!

 

Thomas E. Ricks.  Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom. New York, NY: Penguin Books, May 1, 2018. 352 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

A book on Churchill and Orwell?  Both men at first glance seems so different; so what does these two men have in common?  Both men love freedom and opposes totalitarianism.  With so much talk about fascism and also with the increase statism we are seeing worldwide today this book might be quite relevant to read.  The subject matter and the two individuals that are the focus of the book are interesting enough to read as a dual biography in its one right but what further propelled me to read this is because this is authored by Thomas E. Ricks.  It seems as I grow in my intellectual and thought life one can mark it with different milestone based upon books published by Thomas Ricks, from my high school years with Rick’s early book Making the Corps that was about Marine Corps boot camp when I was a high school kid dreaming about joining the Marines and then when I was a Marine and Marine veteran of Iraq with Ricks’ book The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 by Thomas E. Ricks and The Generals by Thomas E. Ricks.

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Review: Spurgeon’s Catechism: With Scriptural Proofs

Note: For fans of Spurgeon have you checked out my Review: Charles Spurgeon Framed Art Print?

Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon’s Catechism.  Apollo, PA: Ichthus Publications, August 16, 2014. 54 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you looking for a resource to go over with kids about Christianity?  This might be a resource for you to consider!  I know some reading this review might think “Catechism?” and wonder if this might be Roman Catholic.  It is actually Baptist.  This Catechism was edited by the Prince of Preacher Charles Spurgeon from a Catechism based upon the Baptist Catechism of 1693.

This booklet consists of 82 questions and answers.  I used this to go over it with my kids and they enjoyed it.  I did explain to them that ultimately we are to go with what the Bible says but we also do appreciate what others learn about what the Bible says whether at our present local church or also in the Past.  It was helpful to look up the Scriptural citation in context and discuss the passages that are Scriptural proofs for the answers and doctrines.  I was struck at the questions at time being of great depths for my kids (you can’t say this work is shallow) and also its simplicity.  I also appreciate that it wasn’t just all doctrinal (and doctrines matter!) but also it has a lot of questions for the ten commandments.

The biggest thing that I found helpful with these questions and answers is the conversations I have with my kids because of it.  I plan to go over other Baptist Catechisms with my kids after this one and this was a good place to start with my elementary school age kids.  I used this as a family worship going over one or two questions each time.  They were part of my family worship plan in which I would go over the book of Genesis with my girls and days when I was exhausted from all the preparation of studying through Genesis I would use this Catechism.  I do recommend this as a resource.

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Review: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!

 

Brian Augustyn.  Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. New York, NY: DC Comics, March 12, 2013. 112 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Can you imagine Batman being a crime fighting superhero during the Victorian era of the late 1800s?  I think that would be a cool setting for Batman!  And this trade paperback edition definitely did not disappoint!  This is part of DC Comic’s alternative world series they called Elseworlds where they have various characters in different era. Previously I have read a story from the Elseworlds series titled Batman: The Blue, the Grey, and the Bat in which Batman is a hero during the era of the American Civil War.  I enjoyed that story enough that when I heard of this story (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight), I knew I had to read it!  As I researched more about this book I learned that this is the first volume in this series.  Although this Trade Paperback edition was published in 2013 originally the issues that’s collected in this volume was published in 1989.  I started being a fan of Batman comics relatively late compared to most fans (in my late 20s) and have found stories like this one from the 1980s were really enjoyable.

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Review: The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer

Andrew David Naselli. The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer.  Wheaton, IL: Crossway, November 3, 2020.  160 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

Looking for a book that will make you be enchanted with the beauty of the Bible?  This book might do it for you!  The author Andrew David Naselli is a professor of the New Testament at Bethlehem College & Seminary and he did a masterful job of showing how the Bible has the theme of a hero that fights a monster/dragon in a great epic that results in the rescue and deliverance of many people.  This isn’t just a minor theme; rather it is a subject that spans the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  I believe this book makes a unique contribution in biblical theology and as the book progresses I am convinced that Nasellis is right of how serpent slaying stories found in many legends around the world echoes the greatest story ever told in the Greatest book of all namely the Bible.  It was not only educational but also a fun read!

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Why Should I Believe Christianity? James Anderson Interviewed by Rooted in Revelation

James Anderson is an apologist that is truly a gift to the church today.  He goes against the sterotypes some assume that Presuppositional Apologetics are just not educated.  Anderson has written a book titled Why Should I Believe Christianity? which I reviewed here: Review: Why Should I Believe Christianity?.

Rooted in Revelation Podcast recently interviewed James Anderson.

Here’s the interview:

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Review: Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

I am reviewing this book for this weekend’s leisure reading review because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  I hope to share more reviews from the reading I finished while I was on Vacation.

Nathaniel Philbrick.  Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution. New York, NY: Penguin Books, May 9, 2017. 448 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Want to read a book on the American War of Independence and the infamous general Benedict Arnold and his relationship with George Washington?  This book might be for you!  Benedict Arnold was the general who betrayed the American cause and helped the British.  About eight years ago I read The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin and reading this book jogged my memory of what I previously learned about Benedict Arnold whether from the previous book or other readings and lectures.  Yet I still learned some new things about Arnold from the book.

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Review: What If I’m Discouraged in My Evangelism?

Edited: I did enjoy this work but someone brought to my attention that the author’s politics is not something I support.

Isaac Adams. What If I’m Discouraged in My Evangelism?  Wheaton, IL: Crossway, March 10, 2020.  64 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Have you once love to share the Gospel but lately have not been sharing the Gospel to unbelievers?  Do you realize you might be discouraged with evangelism?  Is there any help from God through the resources of His Word and books based upon His Word?  In this booklet titled What If I’m Discouraged in My Evangelism? the author write pastorally to minister to those discouraged or have stopped evangelizing.  I thought this booklet was very helpful and packed a powerful punch despite the booklet’s size.  It is written in an easy to read matter and yet it was profoundly biblical and Gospel-centered.  This might be a booklet a believer might have to read more than once and during different seasons when they feel discouraged to share the Gospel with others.

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Review: The Impossibility of the Contrary by Greg Bahnsen

Greg Bahnsen. Against All Opposition: Defending the Christian Worldview. Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, May 2020. 254 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: American Vision

Looking for a book that teaches how to apply Presuppositional Apologetics?  Greg Bahnsen is one of my favorite Christian apologist and surprisingly most of his books are published after his death than when he was alive.  This latest book is published in 2021 by American Vision that is edited from the audio teachings of the last Greg Bahnsen from an apologetics’ conference during the 1990s sponsored by American Vision.  One might ask why another Bahnsen book on Presuppositional apologetics?  David Bahnsen, the son of Greg Bahnsen in the Foreword said it is his favorite book by his father (vii).  Reading David saying that made me want to read the book even more.  I thought this book is worth reading even if you read older published works by Greg Bahnsen since in this volume he does cover more refutation of false worldviews than some of the other books published pre-2020 and that’s a big plus for Bahnsen fans.  Please don’t think this book is just a repetition of materials in other books (there are of course some things that are constant).  Plus I think its always good to sharpen and be reminded of how Presuppositional Apologetics works and how is it applied; I don’t think this is going to be the only time I read this book especially when it comes to discipling others in apologetics. I also think for those new to Presuppositional Apologetics this book does give readers a good intro.

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Review: A History of Fort Sumter: Building a Civil War Landmarks

This is one of the books I finished while on vacation!  A weekend non-fiction fun read as a break from heavy theological reading: Because Pastors need a break also!  Haven’t done one of these in a while!

Patrick Hendrix. A History of Fort Sumter: Building a Civil War Landmark. Charleston, SC: The History Press, March 4, 2014. 161 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Most people have probably have heard of Fort Sumter from their history book as the place where the Confederates fired the first shot that launched the Civil War but did you know there were battles and military operations concerning Fort Sumter and around Fort Sumter between the Confederates and the Union after the first attack?  This book examines Fort Sumter not just with the historically memorable artillery barrage by South Carolians against Union troops in the Fort but it also goes over the history of the founding of the Fort, the tension between South Carolina and the fort for decades leading up to the attack and also the history of the fort militarily after the fateful attack of April 12-13, 1861.  And it was an interesting book written by the author even for a general reading audience.

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Review: Hey, Charleston!

A wee-kid Wednesday book review, this afternoon we look at a Christian Children’s book we recommend for your family!

Anne Rockwell.  Hey, Charleston! Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, January 1, 2013. 32 pp

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Want to read a book to your children or grandchildren of how God uses ordinary Christians to make a difference that can make a big impact in more than one area?  This book was a lot of fun for me to read to my kids, and specifically to read to them while I’m on vacation!

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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: Heirs of the Founders

A weekend non-fiction fun read as a break from heavy theological reading: Because Pastors need a break also!  Haven’t done one of these in a while!

Cody Cassidy.  Who Ate the First Oyster?. New York, NY: Penguin Books, May 5th 2020. 240 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Have you ever wonder happened after the American founding father faded away?  Who was the second generation Americans?  In this book titled Heirs of the Founders author H.W. Brands look at three key important politicians that come to define the generation that was given the mantle of leading the United States after the first generation.  These three politicians are Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and John Calhoun.  These three figures were all US Senators and were leaders of their respective regions: Henry Clay representing the West, John Calhoun the South and Henry Clay the North.  I got this book to read since from other previous studies and reading I’m convinced that some of the later problems in US history was defined more by this second generation of Americans as opposed to the first generation of Americans (the founding fathers).

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Review: Presup Shark Polo Shirt

Now for something fun!  I’m reviewing something I haven’t done before on this blog: a Christian polo shirt!

If you can tell from yesterday’s post and different posts on my blog I love Presuppositional Apologetics.  I love it enough that I got something related to Presuppositional Apologetics besides books.  I got a polo shirt!  

The above is a picture of the shirt I ordered that is on this online Christian shirt shop called “The Powerful Christian.”  You can go to the store directory by clicking here.  (Its not me lol).  The shop have merchandise related to Presuppositional Apologetics and also Reformed theology.

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Review: Dreaming Eagles

A weekend historical fiction comic book review!  Because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading…

Garth Ennis. Dreaming Eagles.  Sherman Oaks, California: Aftershock Comics, October 5th 2016. 161 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Have you heard of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War Two?  If not, buckle up for an adventure and also a history lesson told the art form of a graphic novel.  History buffs who love comics will also enjoy this trade paperback.  I am glad that a well-known comic book writer has written this story that pays tribute to not only the famous “Red Tails” squadrons of brave African-American pilots who fought the Nazis in the air, but also the effort of the 1960s Civil Right era.

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Free PDF and Review: Psalm 139 by Charles Spurgeon

Note: For fans of Spurgeon have you checked out my Review: Charles Spurgeon Framed Art Print?

Charles Spurgeon. Psalm 139.  Pensacola, FL: Chapel Library, June 22nd 2017. 20 pp.

3 out of 5

Free: Chapel Library

Purchase: Amazon

Do you want to learn about God’s attributes from the well treasured Psalm 139 and wonder what the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon has to say about this famous chapter?  This booklet is an excerpt from Spurgeon’s Treasury of David, Spurgeon’s classic commentary on the Psalms.  I picked out this booklet to go through it with our church youth (pre-teens and teens) as I want them to think about God’s attribute and also because I have benefited from other booklets by Charles Spurgeon that was published by

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