Archives: review

Book review: “Christ and the future”

Review

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Christ and the Future: The Bible’s teaching about the last things
Cornelius P Venema
Banner of Truth, Edinburgh, 2008. 240pp.

True story: I’m at a bowling club, and a slightly drunk middle-aged man approaches, recognizing me as the local Anglican minister. We get chatting as he waits for his lift. I ask whether he has any church connections. It turns out his wife’s sister is married to a Baptist pastor. “Is that a fact?” I say. “Do you ever talk to your brother-in-law about what he believes?” He says he doesn’t see him that often, but he’s a pretty good bloke, and he did lend him a book recently, which he read. (Praise God!) “What did you make of it?” I ask. He says it was pretty interesting stuff; it was called Left Behind. Have I read it? (more…)

Naked God

Review

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Naked God--cover

Martin Ayers has recently published his first book, Naked God (AUS | US). Paul Grimmond caught up with him recently to talk about what motivated the book and what it’s like to be an author for the first time.

Paul Grimmond: What’s it been like to write your first book? (more…)

Kids@church/Click: Some great material for your children’s Sunday School

Review, Sola Panel

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I teach Sunday School for children regularly, but I don’t always have the time and energy to write my own lessons. So last year I found myself in the market for Sunday School material.

Thanks to a friend trawling through the shelves at a Christian bookshop, what I discovered was kids@church, put out by Youthworks in conjunction with CEP. (In Britain, it’s published as Click by The Good Book Company). I suspect that lots of churches in Sydney are familiar with this material, but many other churches aren’t.

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Book review: “Outrageous Mercy: Rediscovering the radical nature of the cross”

Review

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If you’re reading this, you probably need no convincing that regular reflection on the cross is a pretty good idea. But maybe you’re not sure that Outrageous Mercy: Rediscovering the radical nature of the cross deserves a place on your ‘Want to read’ list. I certainly wasn’t convinced; I’d never heard of William P Farley before this book came across my desk. What’s more, since I do like to judge a book by its cover, it didn’t immediately strike me as essential reading. With so many great books on the cross available, I confess that, on first glance, Outrageous Mercy looked a little too light and a little too American to really grab me. (more…)

Busting the myths about the Crusades

Review

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Across the 12th and 13th centuries, the noblemen of Europe conducted a series of ‘Crusades’ in the Holy Land. Over six or seven centuries, this period history was largely neglected, but then the 20th century saw a resurgence of (negative) interest in these Crusades, which generated a number of myths that took over popular opinion.

I don’t know how many times over the years I have found myself flummoxed in evangelistic conversations when the question is thrown at me, “What about the Crusades?”

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Calvin and Sandy’s survey

Review

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I’m sorry, Sandy, at the end of a fairly exhausting year, during which God has continued to show his goodness and kindness in all sorts of ways, I lack the will and strength to fill in your survey about books I’ve read this year. Although may I take this moment to recommend the most brilliant—and, in fact, the only—book ever released by Matthias Media under the title Encouragement, as well as the chortle-worthy, friendly but occasionally disappointing Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Michael Palin. (more…)

Book review: “1 Samuel – Looking for a leader”

Review

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1 Samuel

1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader

John Woodhouse

Crossway, Wheaton, 2008. 672pp.

 

The rise of President Barack Obama and the adulation he’s received says a lot about the way we view leaders. They inspire us. We look to them for hope and security. We believe that if we find the right leader, all will be well and we’ll be in good hands. (more…)

Book review: “Respectable Sins”

Review

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Every now and then, a book comes along that is a must-read. It completely changes the way you think. It changes your attitude towards God. It changes your behaviour. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges is such a book—a must-read for all Christians. (more…)

Give me Fervr

Resource Talk

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The arrival of the iPhone in 2007 redefined the template for the exploding markets of both mobile phones and PDAs. But it signalled something maybe even more significant: the expanding reach of the worldwide web. Since the early 90s, the web has operated primarily through home or work computers. But more recently, we see it penetrating into almost every aspect of life. Now it’s not uncommon to find the web in your car, your phone, your cafe, your school, your fridge and maybe even your parents’ home! (more…)

24

Everyday Ministry, Resource Talk, Sola Panel

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I am one of the few who doesn’t regularly follow the worldwide hit show 24. My days are certainly not as action-packed as Jack Bauer’s. But I know that Bauer’s work isn’t as important as what I’ve been involved in over the last 24 hours of my life. Here are just the climatic scenes:
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