EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, William F. Cook, professor of New Testament interpretation, discusses his new commentary, John: Jesus Christ is God, with Towers writer Andrew J.W. Smith. AJWS: There’s been so much written about the gospel of John. Why write this commentary? WC: When I wrote this commentary, I realized that some of the great commentaries in recent years…
John: Jesus Christ is God (Christian Focus 2016, $15.99), William F. Cook III Review by Andrew J.W. Smith The late New Testament scholar Leon Morris once likened the Gospel of John to “a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant can swim.” Perhaps more than any other Gospel, John’s apparent simplicity (parts…
In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783 Mark A. Noll Review by S. Craig Sanders One of the more interesting recent studies on the Protestant Reformation, historian Mark A. Noll’s In the Beginning Was the Word explores how the printing of the English Bible, its dissemination, and biblical authority shaped colonial…
Review of recent faculty publications.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Shawn D. Wright, associate professor of church history at Southern Seminary, talks about his new book, Theodore Beza: The Man and the Myth, with Towers writer Andrew J.W. Smith. AJWS: What can seminary students learn from Theodore Beza? SW: I think it’s always helpful to learn from a man who lives in a very…
Theodore Beza: The Man and the Myth, Shawn D. Wright (Christian Focus 2016, $14.99) Despite being one of the great figures of the Protestant Reformation, not much is known about Theodore Beza, French theologian and acolyte of the more famous John Calvin. In fact, what is known is often mythical and exaggerated, such as the erroneous perception…
Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer, Scott H. Hendrix (Yale University Press 2015, $35) Review by S. Craig Sanders The approaching 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation will result in a deluge of scholarly and popular works examining the life and influence of Martin Luther. But I doubt none will be as freshly insightful as Scott H. Hendrix’s…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Boyce College Dean Dan DeWitt talks about his new apologetics book, Christ or Chaos, with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: You write, “Every worldview is a novel.” And even though this book has a lot of short stories, how have you been able to portray this idea through your…
Christ or Chaos (Crossway 2016, $10.99) Dan DeWitt More than half of those raised in Southern Baptist churches leave the faith within two years of high school graduation, according to recent surveys. But precious few resources help young adults navigate the perilous intellectual and spiritual landscape of higher education. In his new book Christ or…
Essential Evangelicalism: The Enduring Influence of Carl F.H. Henry, Matthew J. Hall and Owen Strachan, editors (Crossway 2015, $22.99) Review by Jeremiah Greever Even though much well-deserved respect and admiration has been given to Billy Graham, another 20th-century leader deserving similar accolades who forever made his imprint on evangelicalism is Carl F.H. Henry. Though he didn’t have Graham’s…
One God in Three Persons: Unity of Essence, Distinction of Persons, Implications for Life, Bruce Ware and John Starke, editors Review by Jeremiah Greever The eternal relationships between the three persons of the Trinity have historically been a topic of discussion for both academics and theologians. In One God in Three Persons, edited by Southern Seminary…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Denny Burk, professor of biblical studies at Boyce College, and Heath Lambert, assistant professor of biblical counseling, discuss their new book, Transforming Homosexuality, with Towers writer Annie Corser. AC: Why did you pursue writing this book together? DB: My initial concern was driven by things I was seeing in evangelical Christianity, in which we…
Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says About Sexual Orientation and Change Denny Burk and Heath Lambert (P & R Publishing 2015, $9.99) The gospel ultimately demands a heart change from homosexuals, Boyce College professors Denny Burk and Heath Lambert write in their new book Transforming Homosexuality. Burk, a professor of biblical studies at Boyce, and Lambert, executive director…
The Owlings: Book Two, Daniel A. DeWitt (Theolatte Press 2015, $10.99) Review by Annie Corser The Owlings is a series of worldview novellas written for younger readers to introduce them to big worldview truths. Boyce College Dean Dan DeWitt wrote this series to explain deep worldview topics in an accessible format. The first book in the series…
Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul.By Simon Gathercole. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015. 128 pp., $19.99 Paperback. Simon Gathercole is senior lecturer in New Testament studies in the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge and Fellow and director of studies in theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He has published several books, such…
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Seminary, discusses his book Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification with Towers writer Andrew J.W. Smith. AJWS: As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, do you think the Lutheran understanding of justification “by faith alone” still holds…
Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification, Thomas R. Schreiner (Zondervan 2015, $19.99) Review by Andrew J.W. Smith The doctrine of justification is just as important in the 21st century as it was five centuries ago, writes Thomas R. Schreiner in his latest work, Faith Alone. The book explores salvation by grace through faith from a…
God & Churchill, Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley (Tyndale Momentum 2015, $26.99) Review by S. Craig Sanders Sir Winston Churchill is widely regarded as the greatest leader of the 20th century, but biographers have often struggled to identify what exactly set Churchill apart from his contemporaries besides his at times lone opposition to Adolf Hitler. In…
