I am happy to host a giveaway for a free copy of an intriguing new documentary: “Is Genesis History?” The DVD was released this month from Compass Cinema and the winner of this contest will get a free copy, compliments of the publishers. This movie is a first-class production hosted by Del Tackett, the host of The Truth Project. He interviews several of the sharpest minds in young earth creationism against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty — from the Grand Canyon to the Virgin Islands — all captured in high definition.
My full review will be coming later this week, but I wanted to share the trailer and the opportunity to win your very own copy. The contest ends Saturday night at 8pm Central time, so be sure to enter right now.
To enter the contest, just fill out your name and email address. I’ll need to get your mailing address if you win, so please use an email that you check regularly, or another winner will be selected.
**UPDATE**Curtis was the winner of the contest. Thanks for trying!
If you are looking for a great read this summer, you should check out Oswald by Edoardo Albert. This is the second book in “The Northumbrian Thrones” series. The books follow the rise and fall of key British kings from the seventh century.
In the first book, Edwin becomes High King of Northumbria and embraces Christianity. In this book, Oswald returns from exile to claim his crown. The history behind this fiction is well researched. The names and spirit of the book are authentic, and the characters developed masterfully.
Check out my review of Edwin (book 1). I’ll be reviewing Oswald later this month. I’m looking forward to following another thrilling journey of a Christian king from the seventh century.
Here’s an excerpt from my review of Edwin which illustrates what you’ll find in this book too:
Edoardo Albert, writer and historian in his own right, tells the story of Edwin with as much power as any scop or bard from times past. Edwin is a fictional account yet most of its key plotlines and characters are historical. The book is the first in a trilogy called The Northumbrian Thrones.
The tale is fast paced and moving. Albert adds such historical detail that he makes you believe you are there….
The history of medeival Britain has long fascinated me and so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy fantasy fiction in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, or Stephen Lawhead, this book will delight. Learning that it is mostly true to life will surprise you as it did me. I encourage you to give it a try.
Pick up a copy of this book from any of the following retailers:
Crossway is releasing a new book and is encouraging people to take the following quiz. I thought I’d share it with my readers.
The book, Blind Spots by Collin Hansen (foreword by Tim Keller) is short, accessible and so far has been incredibly helpful. This book aims to promote Christian unity and understanding – and all in an effort to magnify the impact of our outreach to the world. I’ll be posting my review of this book next week.
As a former pastor’s kid (and assistant pastor’s kid, and later a missionary’s kid), this book intrigued me. As a former member of John Piper’s church, this book had special relevance for me. The author is Barnabus Piper, one of Pastor John’s sons. As a Christian who is recovering from legalism, this book was especially helpful for me.
In The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity (David C. Cook, 2014), Barnabus opens up about the struggles of growing up in a fish bowl. The author doesn’t claim to be a guru, but he is a pastor’s kid who struggled and erred, but also grew and matured and looks back on his time as a pastor’s kid and feels the need to share his experience both for the benefit of pastors but especially for the help of fellow pastor’s kids who may not have turned out as well as he. There are a lot of pastor’s kids, and some of them have jettisoned their parents’ faith and are jarred by the experience. Other’s may not yet have come to grips with why they struggle so much in particular ways.
This book explores the unique challenges of pastor’s kids and yet doesn’t burn the parents and blame them for all the problems. Pastor John actually writes the foreword and while Barnabus spares no punches, one gets the sense that their relationship is in-tact and both respect the other.
This is part memoir, and part self-help. And it isn’t all Piper’s memoir, as he shares stories from countless pastor’s kids he interviewed in preparation for the book. Some of them are not in the faith anymore, and it does us good to wonder why. Barnabus’ prescription calls for grace and care for children, and a proper set of expectations. He also gives hope to those who have been burned, or are wondering what they can possibly due at this stage in the game.
I particularly appreciated his emphasis on legalism. This excerpt resonates well with me:
Not everything is right or wrong, true or false, yes or no. The PK needs some maybes and sort ofs. If every question is answered in black and white and every decision judged as right or wrong, the PK never learns to make value decisions. In fact, he never learns values at all. He just learns to dance the morality two-step and avoid getting out of step with what’s ‘good’ or ‘true.’ If every question is given a concrete answer and no room is left for exploration or doubt, the PK is forced to either acquiesce or bury his doubts where they can fester and rot his faith. (p. 83)
I listened to the Christianaudio.com version of the book. This was extra special in that Barnabus Piper himself was the one reading his book. This made listening to the book more poignant as his passion for his book’s message was evident.
This book is well-written and preaches an important message. I don’t know of any other similar book that is designed to both help those who have been hurt, and equip those in the ministry now who are raising another generation of children. Cautions are raised and challenges issued, but grace and hope pervade the book. This is must reading for churches, pastors and of course, pastor’s kids.
For more on the book, watch this video clip from the author:
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Christianaudio.com. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.
Another year has passed and that means it is time to post my “Bob’s best books” list! This will be my sixth annual post of listing the top books I read or reviewed in the past year.
The following titles represent the very best of the books I read or reviewed in 2014. If you are looking for some books worth reading this year, I hope you’ll give these titles some serious consideration.
Bob’s 10 Best:
Best “Theology” book — God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth by G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim (IVP). This was the book I was most eager to read. G.K. Beale’s larger work, The Temple and the Church’s Mission (IVP) is perhaps the best biblical theology title ever written. It certainly is a paradigm-shifting, transformative work that unpacks the significance of the temple theme from Genesis all the way to Revelation. The one draw-back of that title is its headiness. It is scholarly to the extreme and requires a firm mind and lots of effort to wade through the work and unearth its many treasures. Mitchell Kim has done us all a favor in taking Beale’s excellent work and bringing it down to the bottom shelf where everyone can enjoy it. With Beale as co-author, the work is not only simplified and clarified, it is also updated. The result is the best takeaway that biblical theology can offer – a pastoral application of the temple theme for Christians here and now. This is now my go-to book to recommend and encourage anyone interested in biblical theology to read. It is accessible and truly life-changing. I hope this book receives as eager a reception as its predecessor did, and I trust it may make an even more lasting impact. Read my full review for more on this book.
Best “Commentary & Reference” book — Judges for You by Tim Keller (The Good Book Company). Any book by Tim Keller is worth reading. This commentary is no exception. He has a gift for knowing where people struggle with something, and where it is that careful explanation will especially help. Judges is a book that is easily “out-of-touch” for modern Christians. And more, it provides some jarring contrasts with our modern sensibilities and the acts of genocide that are found there. Keller masterfully handles all this while emphasizing the Gospel message found in Judges. He applies the text and explains it, and provides helpful discussion and study questions. The book would be great for a small group study. Read my full review for more on this great commentary.
Best “General Christian Interest” book — The Pastor’s Kid by Barnabus Piper (David C. Cook /ChristianAudio). I was interested in this book for two reasons. First, I, myself, and a pastor’s kid. My dad was an assistant pastor, a pastor, then an assistant pastor again, and finally a missionary. Don’t know what kind of acronym that gives me! Second, I was a member at John Piper’s church for a few years, and Barnabus is one of his sons. The book did not disappoint. Piper had helpful advice for both the PK trying to recover from his experience, and the pastor in the midst of rearing a PK. Piper interviewed several pastors kids for his book, and is honest about the fact that some have jettisoned the faith altogether. Piper has not, but he opens up about the struggles unique to a pastor’s kid. What I found most helpful was his grace-centered thoughts on the dangers of legalism. My review of this title will be forthcoming.
Honorable Mention — The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Crown and Covenant / ChristianAudio). I had heard a lot about this book, and was eager to listen to the author read her own story on the ChristianAudio production of this work. It did not disappoint. The author’s story of conversion of a lesbian chair of women’s studies at Syracuse University into an evangelical Christian who went on to marry a Reformed pastor. Personal testimonies are always encouraging but this tale has a caution as well. She challenges the church to be more loving and welcoming to homosexuals, and to recognize where we needlessly offend. Read my review for more on this fascinating book.
Best “Christian Living” book — Isaiah by the Day by Alec Motyer (Christian Focus). I may be stretching this category a bit, but this devotional from Alec Motyer is perfect for anyone. The book includes helpful devotional readings from the book of Isaiah. The text is a fresh translation by the author, complete with textual footnotes that help clarify the meaning of the original Hebrew. Each reading is situated within the scope and flow of the book as a whole, and it is this outline and care for context that I found so helpful. With such a large book as Isaiah, it is easy to get lost, as it were. Motyer has lived and breathed Isaiah for a good portion of his teaching ministry. And this is no stale study, the devotional comments that conclude each reading apply the text to our contemporary situation. Over and again I was blessed, first by Isaiah and then by the insights Motyer pulled from the text. Don’t look for a critical breaking-apart of this magisterial book, Motyer’s portrayal illustrates why we can view the entire book as written by a single Isaiah. In all, this scholarly book would make for a very helpful devotional for anyone. My full review will be forthcoming, but for now enjoy a sample reading in this post.
Best “Missions & Church Life” book — Can We Still Believe the Bible? by Craig Blomberg (Brazos Press). I wasn’t sure what to expect from this title. The full title made me interested in it, Can We Still Believe the Bible?: An Evangelical Engagement with Contemporary Questions. Today there are certainly a lot of “contemporary questions” and no shortage of critics who malign the uniqueness and validity of Scripture. Additionally, not a few evangelical scholars are quick to throw bones to today’s critics as more and more they move further from historic biblical orthodoxy. Blomberg’s interaction with common objections to Christianity is refreshing. He writes from a clear stance of faith. And while at times he does add nuance and demur from a typical enangelical position, for the most part he brings the best of evangelical scholarship to bear on the thorniest problems, defending the canonicity of the NT, the authenticity of the biblical text, a conservative position on inerrancy and more. There will be areas where not everyone will agree with him, but the end product is incredibly helpful by almost any measure. My review is forthcoming. For more on this title, check out Michael Kruger’s helpful review.
Best “Church History & Biography” book — Basil of Ceasarea by Marvin Jones (Christian Focus). I enjoy learning about church history and this book introduced me to Basil. He lived and ministered when the biblical doctrine of the trinity was under attack from all sides. Basil’s writings helped solidify the orthodox position. He also critiqued the practice of how monks kept their order in his day. Over time his views changed as he read and studied more, and in time his ministry and writings ended up impacting the church in significant ways. Chances are you don’t know much about him, and my brief summary here only scratches the surface. Pick up this title to learn more of the man, Basil, and read my review for more on this book.
Best “Childrens & Family” book — Jonathan Edwards by Simonetta Carr (Reformation Heritage). Almost every year I have a book by Simonetta Carr on my list. She has a gift for bringing the lives of significant figures from church history to life for children. Her Christian Biographies for Young Readers series is a beautiful set to own, thanks to the brilliant illustrations. It is also perhaps the best series for teaching children to respect and learn from church history. Jonathan Edwards is a favorite of mine, and this account of his life brings out many details that adults may be quick to overlook, such as Edwards’ careful description of the flying spider and his allowing his ten year old son to travel in the Indian territory as a junior missionary. Like other titles in this series, intriguing facts, maps, pictures and other sidebars abound in this book, all the more to help engage and educate the readers. Read my review for more on this book.
Best “Fiction” book — A Draw of Kings by Patrick Carr (Bethany House). I enjoy well-written fiction. Clean fantasy is my favorite genre. So I was elated to find this magnificent series by Patrick Carr. This book is the thrilling conclusion of his “The Staff and The Sword” trilogy. The world created in this series includes a kingdom, a magesterial church, and a heresy which turns out to be more orthodox than it seemed. Oh, and it includes another sector of society, those gifted with the ability to cast lots. An unlikely hero and an impossible confontation come together in the culmination of this epic tale. I compare Carr with Stephen Lawhead or Terry Brooks. I was truly impressed and caught up in the tales until I finished all three. If you’re looking for a great new series to try this year, look no further than this set. Read my review for more.
Honorable Mention — The Advocate by Randy Singer (Tyndale House / ChristianAudio). This was a very long book but a fascinating piece of historical fiction. The life of Theophilus is imagined and his 1st Century world described in a masterful way. Theophilus is an advocate, and studied under Seneca, but found himself in the service of Pontius Pilate. The book spends a lot of time developing the main character and pushing forward a romance, and at first Christianity is only a tangential concern. But as the character’s life progresses, in time he is called to put faith in Jesus Christ. The tale is much more complicated than that, there is a complicated love triangle, gladiators and conspircies, and two maniacal emperors. The tale becomes engrossing the longer it goes and by the end you are loathe to leave Theophilus behind. I was completely impressed by this story and hope to sample other works from this author. My review is forthcoming.
All the Rest:
This year was busier than most, and I only managed to read 35 books and review 20. My total of book and media reviews is now 187 from more than 35 different publishers. You can see all my reviews listed here. If you’re interested in seeing all of the other books I read this year, you can check out that list at Goodreads.
For my previous “Bob’s Best Books” lists, see below.
Best “Theology” book — 
Best “Commentary & Reference” book — 
Best “General Christian Interest” book — 
Honorable Mention — 
Best “Christian Living” book — 
Best “Missions & Church Life” book — 
Best “Church History & Biography” book — 
Best “Childrens & Family” book — 
Best “Fiction” book — 
Honorable Mention —