Walking out of the lounge room on Wednesday nights last year, I always performed a ritual of huge significance: the issuing of instructions to record the latest escapades of Mulder and Scully as they probe the unknown in The X-Files. As for many Australians, this show, with its extra-terrestrials, UFOs, supernatural occurrences, stories of the mysterious, the psychic and the bizarre has become required watching for me. Even though I have no time for the conspiracy theories and stories portrayed and implied, I’m addicted. There is something about this genre which captivates me.
Category Archives: Book Review
Top Shelf: Jesus the Man (Review)
Review
Books about the historical Jesus tend to come out of a ‘position’ about him, depending on whether or not the authors have accepted the Gospels’ presentation of the Man.
Simply convincing
Review
The Truth about Jesus
Paul Barnett
Aquila Press, Sydney, 1994.
$14.95. 164pp.
Paul Barnett has developed a reputation for thorough, persuasive and easily understood presentations of the truth of biblical history. His previous books, whether commentaries or history or apologetics, have all defended a reasonable belief in the events that the New Testament describes.
Top Shelf: Suffering (Review)
Review
Top shelf: A guide to the must-read books in important areas of evangelical thought and life.
- A .Van De Beek, Why: On Suffering, Guilt and God. Tr. J Vriend, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
Should we write ‘Christian’ fiction?
Review
Wisdom Hunter
By Randall Arthur
I like computers. Eight years ago I bought one on which to write talks and to catalogue books and articles. Four computers later, I have disks full of talks, and have finally begun to catalogue my library. Like many computer users, I have tried out a few of the thousands and thousands of public domain or ‘shareware’ programs that are available for computer users. Basically, these programs are written by people with various degrees of expertise who then circulate their program in the public domain. If you like what they’ve done and would like to use it on a regular basis, you pay a reasonable registration fee and receive a manual and any upgrades that might be forthcoming.
Building the Christian library: A coffee-stained gem (The Everlasting God)
Review
The Everlasting God
DB Knox
Lancer, 1988.
I well remember listening to the 1979, Moore College lectures (which comprise the content of this book) and wondering how anyone could speak so quickly. I was awash with one theological gem after another. I bought the book as soon as I heard it was on the shelves, and have never been disappointed. My copy bears the tell-tale signs of coffee stain in one corner, marks in the margins, and that funny musty smell that books get after many handlings. I refer to the book regularly because it is so simply written and so clearly set out.
Building the Christian library: Theology (Know the Truth)
Know the Truth
There are many books outlining Christian theology, including In Understanding Be Men, which was reviewed in our last issue. Another one of the best available is Know the Truth by Bruce Milne. This book covers all the basic areas of Christian theology under seven headings.
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Building the Christian library: Systematic Theology (In Understanding Be Men)
Review
In Understanding Be Men
T.C. Hammond (IVP)
There are many books on Christian doctrine, but the one to start with is In Understanding Be Men. It is thoroughly Evangelical. Hammond’s intention was to present “the main outline of evangelical thought”. (more…)
Building the Christian library: Biblical Theology (Gospel and Kingdom)
Review
Gospel and Kingdom: A Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament (Paternoster, 1981)
“The boy David defeated the giant Goliath with God’s help. Like David, we too can beat the giants in our lives, boys and girls. All we have to do is rely on God.”
Commentary: Colossians, Philemon, Esther
Review
Colossians/Philemon
The letter to the Colossians gives us precious insights into aspects of Paul’s teaching that are only alluded to in his other writings. As the apostle deals with false teaching, he develops a magnificent picture of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and its implications for us. Most commentaries on Colossians also deal with the letter to Philemon which reveals Paul in another light, dealing with a particular problem of personal relationships. (more…)
Commentary: Philippians, Ezra, Nehemiah
Philippians
Philippians may at first appear to be insignificant compared with other Pauline epistles but it contains some important theological statements and shows how Paul dealt with practical issues in one of his less troublesome congregations. (more…)
Building the Christian library: Basic Apologetics (The Case Against Christ)
Christian apologetics means defence. What are we to defend, you may ask? Christianity, of course—a Christianity that considers Christ and his work as the centre of its message. (more…)
Commentary: Ephesians, Chronicles
Ephesians
The epistle to the Ephesians confronts the reader with a number of issues relating to the church and the Christian life that are not fully developed in other Pauline letters. (more…)
Building the Christian library: The Bible Overview
One book which is very useful in the Christian’s library is the book which offers an introduction to, and overview of, the whole Bible.
Commentaries: Galatians, 1 & 2 Kings
Galatians
Although the epistle to the Galatians is not large compared with Romans or the Corinthian letters, it is a highly significant document for discovering the mind of Paul and thereby the mind of God on some really important issues. (more…)