Book Deal on “Embracing Obscurity” Kindle Edition

If you’re looking for a good read, you ought to check out this new book from Broadman & Holman: Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything. I have reviewed the book, and also given away a copy here on my blog. And I’ve been recommending people I know to get it! So I wanted to also pass along a great deal on the book that is available for a short time.

The Kindle version of the book is available for only $2.99. I’m not sure if this is a limited time promotion or not, so jump at the chance to get this book for such a great price. Read my review or watch the book trailer for more on this book. If you want to take advantage of the deal, just click this link. Oh, and you can read Kindle books on your computer using free software from Amazon if you aren’t one of the vast majority of book lovers who already own a Kindle.

Book Deals of Note: “Body Broken” and “The Creedal Imperative”

I want to highlight two special deals on important books. The books come from different publishers and cover different topics, but both are worth getting and are on a special sale right now.

Body Broken: Can Republicans and Democrats Sit in the Same Pew? by Charles D. Drew (New Growth Press)

Description: I wish I had time to give my full review on this book. I think it is especially important to consider given how we close we are to November. Charles Drew makes us think and challenges us to consider how American our Christianity has become. Do we share more affinity with Republican talk show hosts than with Christians who think differently than us about politics? Is our church different than the sharply divided nation we live in? Drew spells out biblical considerations for doing politics and explains how political theory gets messy in the real world, sometimes.

The publisher’s description might say it better:

Drew helps Christians develop practical biblical convictions about critical social and political issues. Distinguishing between moral principle and political strategy, Body Broken equips believers to maintain the unity of the church while building their political activism upon a thoughtful and biblical foundation. Drew helps Christians of all political persuasions understand how to practice servanthood, cooperation, and integrity in today’s public square.

Book Deal: New Growth Press is offering this book at 40% off through their website, through 5pm Eastern time, Friday 9/28. (I know, I’m a little slow in posting this, hopefully you can take advantage of the deal in time). That’s a discounted price of only $9.59. If you miss that deal, Westminster Bookstore has it at 11% off, and Amazon for 10% off (although they have some used copies just over $9).

The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman (Crossway)

Description: This is a new book who has been making waves. Justin Taylor has an excellent write up on it. And like anything from Carl Trueman, this book promises to be an engrossing read.

Trueman makes the point that “no creed but the Bible” is an inaccurate statement. Even those who shun creeds and confessions the most, still operate by an unstated creed. A few years ago I highlighted an article where Trueman made this very point, and Justin Taylor shared some fuller quotes from the book of Trueman on this very point.

Here’s the publisher’s description:

Recent years have seen a number of high profile scholars converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy while a trend in the laity expresses an eclectic hunger for tradition. The status and role of confessions stands at the center of the debate within evangelicalism today as many resonate with the call to return to Christianity’s ancient roots. Carl Trueman offers an analysis of why creeds and confessions are necessary, how they have developed over time, and how they can function in the church of today and tomorrow. He writes primarily for evangelicals who are not particularly confessional in their thinking yet who belong to confessional churches – Baptists, independents, etc. – so that they will see more clearly the usefulness of the church’s tradition.

This sure seems like a must-read book. Learn more by watching this video clip of Carl Trueman talking about his new book.

Book Deal: Westminster Bookstore has the book at 41% off, for only $10.00, now through 10/2. And if you buy multiple copies, you can get it for as low as 53% off. Details on the discount are available here. Meanwhile, Amazon has single copies for 43% off, for only $9.60 (but no word on how long that price will last).

Big Sale on Minibooks from CCEF and New Growth Press

New Growth Press has a special sale running now through Friday, Aug. 31 (5pm EST) on their excellent minibooks (many of them produced by the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation). I have reviewed some of these minibooks before, and was very impressed with them. These books are Gospel-centered and extremely practical. They help the average church goer connect the life-changing power of the Gospel with their life problems. Topics include dealing with divorce, singleness, pornography, anger, depression and more.

Here is another endorsement of these books:

Our church displays these minibooks so that people can begin to connect their personal struggles, whether sin or suffering, to the power of the Gospel. While these books clearly reveal the realities of living in a fallen world, they also lead people to the living hope found in Jesus and give a clear framework for living both wisely and compassionately. We hope the books serve as a first step as people seek help and more specific counsel from the body of Christ, whether from a pastor, small group leader or friend. I highly recommend these materials. They have been very helpful in my own counseling ministry over the years. ~ Jim Bates, Associate Pastor, Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church (Quarryville, PA)

There are 77 books in all, and they are available for $2.50 each (regularly $3.99), and all of their five-packs are available for $9.99 (regularly $15.99). Be sure to take advantage of this special offer! Hurry, the sale ends Friday, Aug. 31 at 5pm Eastern time.

Book Recommendation: “The Temple and the Church’s Mission” by G.K. Beale

A few years back, in a biblical theology Bible institute class, my instructor highly recommended this book by Gregory Beale: The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. In that book, Beale unpacks the central place that the Temple and Tabernacle play in the Biblical narrative.

In Genesis, Eden was the first Temple, complete with a sanctuary, cherubim and God’s presence. In fact the creation of the earth is actually described in temple-building terms. The building of the Tabernacle uses language only found in Genesis 1 for the description of the candlestick, and there are other parallerls. At the end of the Bible, Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem in terms of a garden temple, very much like Eden. Significantly, there is no need of a temple there, since God the Father and the Lamb dwell there.

Beale traces this theme of God’s presence throughout Scripture and he compares the Biblical idea of temples and God’s presence with its prevailing ancient near Eastern counterparts. Such a comparison proves quite instructive, and I trust the book will flesh out how all of this impacts our understanding and appreciation of the Bible.

I haven’t finished the book yet, but so far it has proven a technical and careful study opening new wonders at every turn. Beale’s mastery of exegesis, the Biblical languages and ANE literature is quite impressive. Even more so is his humble sincerity and the awe he displays before the Word of God. I highly recommend picking up this intriguing, and impactful work. You can see a preview of the book’s contents, here.

Now through at least Tuesday (June 21), Westminster Bookstore has a 40% off sale of this title, and all others in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series from IVP. If you purchase 5 titles from that excellent set, edited by D.A. Carson, you can get a 50% discount. I encourage you to pick up this book directly, or check out the listing of titles in this series (scroll down at this link), and take full advantage of this great offer.