Shelf Life

"There is no more searching test of a theology than to submit it to dramatic handling; nothing so glaringly exposes inconsistencies in a character, a story, or a philosophy as to put it upon the stage and allow it to speak for itself. Any theology that will stand the rigorous pulling and hauling of...

If poetry has any benefit at all for the Christian (and it does), then certainly one of its more valuable functions is to show us that things are not always straightforward and simple; that our lives are both complex and beautiful, both miniscule and meaningful. Poetry is, in a way, then, a...

Amazing Grace attempts to tell the story of the British MP, William Wilberforce, and his long crusade against the British slave trade. Wilberforce was born in Hull in 1759. The son of a merchant, he inherited his father's wealth when he died, and was later rewarded by his uncle's will. As a result...

Biographies of William Wilberforce regularly highlight his noble statesmanship and tireless efforts at reform. He is often labeled in those biographies as an activist who knew what he believed in and would not give up till he accomplished all he set his mind to do. And though such an evaluation of...

There's nothing like a good debate to stir the juices and make you think! To listen to a bunch of intellectual heavyweights slugging it out verbally is more than just spectator sport, it's a healthy exercise in personal mind-expansion. The Four Views series published by IVP taps into this...

2009 ushers in the 500th anniversary of the birth of Genevan Protestant Reformer John Calvin. A conference is scheduled to be held in Geneva next summer and several books are slated for release in commemoration of the grand occasion. Two of these have already seen the light of day. Both hail from...

The Rule of Love: Broken, Fulfilled, and Applied By: J.V. Fesko 152 p. Reformation Heritage Books The law of God, as expressed in the Ten Commandments, is one of the greatest gifts ever given to mankind. The Ten Commandments not only serve as a guide for us in the Christian life, but they are a...

J.I. Packer and the Evangelical Future Edited by: Timothy George 253p Baker (October 2009) Festschrift, like schadenfreude and blitz , is reckoned to be an untranslatable German word. The OED has a go, however: a festschrift is 'a collection of writings presented to a scholar to mark an occasion in...

Risking the Truth: Handling Error in the Church By Martin Downes 247p. Christian Focus (July 2009) You emerge from the darkness, eyes blinking. Before you there are two chairs, black leather. A fierce spotlight illuminates the scene. Seated on one chair is the Interrogator. His job is to question...

This is a profoundly misleading and disappointing book. Or maybe you want to know what I really think! The title, Pagan Christianity, is misleading, even if the subtitle is clear. I was doubtless asked to review this book because of the many years I have spent studying ancient and modern paganism...