Book Reviews

God gave men stewardship of the land and all life on it. All tasks man undertakes in God’s world can be seen in relationship to that original commission.

‘J.C. Ryle’; ‘Biblical Authority After Babel’; ‘You Are What You Love’; ‘Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians’

R. Albert Mohler Jr., editor Confessing the Faith: The Living Legacy of Southern Seminary’s Abstract of Principles (SBTS Press 2016, $16.99) Three decades ago, when R. Albert Mohler Jr. enrolled as a student at Southern Seminary, some of his professors openly disagreed with the institution’s confession of faith. Written by Basil Manly Jr. in 1858 as the…

Leadership Mosaic: 5 Leadership Principles for Ministry and Everyday Life Daniel Montgomery with Jared Kennedy Review by Craig S. Sanders You should judge this book by its cover. When I received my review copy of Leadership Mosaic, I marveled at artist Don Clark’s illustrations depicting the five leadership principles Sojourn Community Church pastors Daniel Montgomery and…

I have two categories of a top 10 list: One category of books that explain how to think through pastoral ministry as you do it; the other set to help a pastor remain steadfast in the work.

Gregg Allison and Chris Castaldo, The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants After 500 Years (Zondervan 2016, $16.99) Hot takes and the social media echo chamber have rendered civil discourse on vital issues nearly impossible in recent years. As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the need for clarity and…

Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical Timothy Keller Review by Andrew J.W. Smith In 2007, Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, wrote his rational defense of the Christian faith in The Reason for God. The book was a strong counterargument to postmodern skepticism, offering a compelling case why…

In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship (B&H 2016, $16.99), David E. Prince My sports career flamed out in freshman year of high school, but playing football, basketball, and baseball as a teenager instilled a work ethic and discipline I may not have learned anywhere else. Playing sports also helped me deal with…

Biblical Church Revitalization:  Solutions For Dying & Divided Churches Brian Croft Review by Sean W. Corser With over 1,000 Southern Baptist churches closing their doors each year, many aspiring pastors will undoubtedly find themselves in some form of church revitalization. Louisville pastor Brian Croft, who is senior fellow of the SBTS Mathena Center on Church…

EDITOR’S NOTE:  In what follows, Juan Sanchez, SBTS assistant professor of Christian theology and senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, talks with Towers writer Andrew J.W. Smith about his book 1 Peter For You.   AJWS: What does the church today need to hear from the book of 1 Peter?   JS: Well, particularly in…

1 Peter For You (The Good Book Company 2016, $22.99), Juan R. Sanchez As any regular listener to “The Briefing” or anyone paying attention to the current political climate can attest, Christians live in a world growing more hostile by the day to their distinctive message. Keystones of Christian theology like the sanctity of marriage…

KJV Creedal Bible Tom J. Nettles Review by S. Craig Sanders In an age marked by staggering biblical illiteracy in the pews and even less awareness of historical theology, retired Southern Seminary professor Thomas J. Nettles delivers in the newly-published KJV Creedal Bible a brief commentary of the early church’s four seminal creeds and a defense of…

If you, as a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, have taken Greek Syntax and Exegesis, you know required books for the course seem to be as numerous as all the principal parts you have to memorize. Not only are there are plenty of substantive intermediate-level Greek grammars for professors to choose, from Robertson…

Four Views on Hell  Preston Sprinkle, ed.  Review by Andrew J.W. Smith Five years removed from former pastor Rob Bell’s book on hell, Love Wins, the doctrine of hell is still an incendiary topic. In the newest installment of Zondervan’s Counterpoints: Bible & Theology series, Four Views on Hell, four evangelical scholars offer their interpretation of biblical teaching about…