Christ Crucified by Thomas R. Schreiner

Christ Crucified
by Thomas R. Schreiner

ISBN-13: 9781433581304
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Released: August 27, 2024

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In a time marked by confusion and change, the pathway to salvation for the Galatians seemed unclear. While the false teachers contended for circumcision and obedience to the law as necessary for justification before God, Paul presented the truth of the gospel and redrew the lines of salvation around the cross of Jesus Christ.

In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, scholar Thomas R. Schreiner addresses the conflict between Paul and his opponents in Galatia, examines the gospel itself, and shows what it looks like to live out the truth of the gospel in the new era. After examining the dominant biblical-theological themes of Galatians, readers will be reminded of the gift of grace Christ offers through his death on the cross—the only possible path to salvation and true unity among believers.


My Review:
Christ Crucified discussed the theology found in Galatians. Each chapter examined a topic found in Galatians, like: Paul's apostolic authority, how to treat circumcision or the law in light of the gospel, justification by faith, who makes up Abraham's linage, etc. The author provided verses from other biblical books to help give background to the debate and looked at things like grammar and word meanings. The tone was scholarly, but I didn't have any trouble understanding his arguments. I'd recommend this book to those who'd like a deeper look at the arguments made in Galatians.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Imagine...The Ten Plagues by Matt Koceich

Imagine...The Ten Plagues
by Matt Koceich

ISBN-13: 9781683223801
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books
Released: March 1, 2018

Source: Bought.


Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The last thing fourth-grader Kai Wells remembers is being confronted by a bully on her walk home from school. What happens next can't be explained as Kai finds herself on the run for her life in ancient Egypt! An exciting adventure series for kids ages 8 to 12.


My Review:
Imagine...The Ten Plagues is an adventure story for ages 8 to 12. It's only very loosely based on the Bible account about the Exodus and didn't stay true to details given in the Bible. Even the historical details consisted only of a brief description of Egyptian clothing and temple and several mentions of how primitive things were. The characters were poorly developed, and little motive is provided. For some reason, Kai is protected by the first Egyptian who sees her even though this brings harm to him. Kai risked her life to help a Hebrew girl, and for some reason the Egyptian guards become obsessed with capturing or killing Kai. Kai isn't affected by the plagues, and we never learn why. And so on.

The focus was more on Kai trying to escape the Egyptian guards than on the Bible account of the plagues or the reason for them. There's only a brief mention of Moses confronting Pharaoh in the distance for the first plague. In the story, the plagues never affected the Israelites, but that protection didn't actually happen until the flies (Exodus 8:22). Many of the plagues happened at the wrong times and after only minutes (at most hours) had passed since the last plague, unlike the biblical account (Exodus 7:25, etc.). The Israelites were portrayed as living in a huge tent city near the Egyptians rather than in houses in a separate region (Exodus 12:22), and the firstborn died in the middle of the day rather than at midnight (Exodus 12:29). The Israelites left their tents behind as they fled and could be seen from that spot as they immediately escaped through the parted Red Sea. No army was after them, only two Egyptians chasing after Kai (Exodus 14). You get the idea.

While Kai did call out to God to help her when attacked, she concluded, "...the longer I'm in your world, the more confidence I find to believe in myself." She isn't in awe of what God's doing to prove His power or even how He's protected her but is pleased that she can face armed adults and survive. Sorry, but I didn't like the story and wouldn't give it to kids.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Imagine...The Great Flood by Matt Koceich

Imagine...The Great Flood
by Matt Koceich

ISBN-13: 9781683221296
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books
Released: August 1, 2017

Source: Bought.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The last thing ten-year-old Corey remembers was the searing pain in his head after falling while chasing his dog Molly into the woods. What happens next can't be explained as Corey wakes up and finds himself face-to-face with not one but two lions! An exciting, brand-new epic adventure series for kids ages 8 to 12.


My Review:
Imagine...The Great Flood is an adventure story for ages 8 to 12 and targeted at boys. It's only very loosely based on the Bible account about the Flood. Corey wakes up to see Shem leading lions toward the ark using a magical staff. Shem asks Corey to help him go out to where animals are gathering and lead them some distance back to the ark. But evil giants try to prevent them, threatening Corey's life, even leaving him in a pit to die. The focus was on the giants more than the ark or Noah. Corey sees how God has helped him against the evil attackers and decides to trust Him with the unknown future.

The characters were poorly developed, with only Corey showing some depth. The cover is deceptive as Corey was not on the ark during the Flood but is left behind. Genesis 7:9 says that the pairs of animal kinds came to the ark, so Corey wouldn't have needed to travel to help gather every species. Also, in this story, the rain began before all the people and animals were on the ark rather than God closing the ark's door 7 days before the rain started (Genesis 7:9-10,16).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Turning Toward Joy by David Jeremiah

Turning Toward Joy
by David Jeremiah

Kindle ebook: 258 pages
Publisher: David C Cook
Released: March 22, 2013


Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The apostle Paul's most personal letter was sent to the Christians of Philippi. This intimate and loving epistle was written to believers who lived in the shadow of the Roman tyrant Nero. Paul himself was in a Roman prison, facing an uncertain future. Surprisingly, he wrote to the Philippians of the importance of Christian joy. As they were together in a worshiping community, in the midst of their difficulties, they could experience the joy that Jesus promised those who follow him. In this pastoral and practical book, David Jeremiah will lead you through the book of Philippians so that you can learn to experience the joy of the Lord in your daily life.


My Review:
Turning Toward Joy is a commentary on the book of Philippians. The author worked his way through the verses in Philippians. He included word studies and background information to help readers understand the verses, provided his commentary, and quoted others that he thought made good points about the verses. His points weren't difficult to follow, so anyone who wants to study Philippians can benefit from this book. Overall, I agreed with his theology and gained some new insights from reading this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Action Bible: Faith in Action by Sergio Cariello

The Action Bible: Faith in Action
by Sergio Cariello

ISBN-13: 9780830787005
Hardcover: 832 pages
Publisher: David C Cook
Released: February 6, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
This engaging reimagining of the mega-selling The Action Bible combines 230 epic stories of biblical heroes with vibrant comic-book-style illustrations and an immersive online experience.

Young readers will explore seven dynamic attributes of God’s story, earn Faith in Action Badges representing those qualities, and discover even more through QR codes in every story that take them to a safe online adventure of games, videos, spiritual activities, and more.

Since its release in 2010, The Action Bible has received widespread acclaim for its high-energy engaging graphics and over 230 spiritually transformative Bible stories. Introducing the Faith in Action program that reinvents the bestselling comic book-style Bible with a systematic approach to experiencing the Word of God for the next generation.

In addition to a complete interior color redesign, the all-new features of this exciting edition: A Faith in Action Badge for each story that corresponds with one of seven Biblical courage, faith, hope, love, service, trust, and wisdom. Discoverable QR codes in every story that take readers to a safe online experience to explore engaging content such as videos, games, digital Scripture index, prayers, Bible facts, devotions, playlists, reading plans, interactive maps, Bible study sessions, and more. A reading challenge chart to spur young readers on to discover God's Word.


My Review:
The Action Bible: Faith in Action is a graphic Bible, comic-book style, for children of all ages. I've previously reviewed the Action Bible here, and since then they expanded that with more content. I also like the expanded edition. In this latest edition, they've added QR codes to link to online content. The stories are labeled as examples of courage, faith, hope, love, service, trust, or wisdom. QR codes are in many of the stories, and they connect to online videos, interactive games, devotionals, maps, prayer guides, and more. Unfortunately, there are no URLs for those kids who don't have access to a smart phone or who don't choose to use QR codes. The actual panels (illustrations and words) look the same as the previous edition of The Action Bible, but the title area for each story and some of the framing and background colors have been changed.

As for the Action Bible, I'd personally call this Biblical fiction rather than "a Bible" since extra-Biblical comments, commentary, and historical information was worked into the book's summary of Biblical events. Some Biblical events were left out. Sexual content and gore was largely smoothed over (using euphemism or implication) or skipped entirely. The author always indicated "based on Judges 16:1-20" or whatever verses and, overall, did a good job accurately summarizing the Bible accounts. While I wouldn't use this book as a replacement for the Bible, I'd certainly recommend this book over children's Bible story books.

I really liked that the events were in chronological order and shown in their historical setting. Several psalms were worked into David's life story and several proverbs into Solomon's story. The prophets gave their (summarized) prophecies during the actual events where they were given, and Paul's (summarized) letters were shown as written when they really were written during his travels. There were even some maps of Paul's missionary travels. Also, the Old Testament flowed into the New Testament through a brief (and clearly marked as not in the Bible) historical summary of the events that happened between the two. So the Bible came across as a continuous historical account of God relating to man with a redemptive plan in action (rather than as disconnected morality tales about heroes of the past).

I was also very impressed by the vivid, detailed illustrations. The illustrator did an excellent job of correctly showing the character's age, ethnicity, and culture. The Action Bible is an excellent foundational overview of the Bible. Overall, I'd highly recommend this Action Bible for use with elementary aged children as an engaging way to teach them about the Bible.

Here's a video showing the type of online content available through the QR codes.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy edited by Michael Rydelnik, Edwin Blum

The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy
edited by Michael Rydelnik, Edwin Blum

ISBN-13: 9780802409638
Hardcover: 1440 pages
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Released: October 1st 2019


Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
As Jesus walked the Emmaeus road, he showed his companions how the whole of Scripture foretold his coming. Yet so often today we’re not quite sure how to talk about Jesus in the Old Testament. How do you know what applies to Jesus? And how do you interpret some of the strange prophetic language? Get answers and clarity in this authoritative and reliable guide to messianic prophecy from some of the world’s foremost evangelical Old Testament scholars.

In this in-depth, user-friendly one volume resource you get essays from scholars on the big ideas and major themes surrounding Messianic prophecy, a clear and careful commentary on every passage in the Old Testament considered Messianic, and insights into the original Hebrew and helpful analysis of theological implications. Watch the Scriptures come into full color as you see new meaning in familiar passages and further appreciate God’s masterful handiwork in preparing the way for Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.


My Review:
The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy is a collection of academic essays on the topic of Messiah references in the Old Testament. Each chapter is written by a different author, but they're all written in an academic tone and have plenty of end notes. The initial essays were more generalized essays about the word Messiah, where it is found in the Old Testament, and what was said of the Messiah, and things like that. Then the authors would take a group of verses and talk about context, word studies, and such showing how this is a reference to the Messiah. This book appears to be written to counter the critics claims that the Messiah is not mentioned in the Old Testament, so the essays argue the case for these verses referring to the Messiah. Overall, this huge book takes a long time to read from front to back but it gives an interesting look at the messianic verses of the Old Testament.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Live the Let-Go Life by Joseph Prince

Live the Let-Go Life
by Joseph Prince

ISBN-13: 9781455561339
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: FaithWords
Released: October 1, 2007

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Are You Overwhelmed by Stress, Worry, and Anxiety? Unending daily to-do lists. The frantic pace of modern living. The race to stay relevant in the face of disruption. The very real threat of superbugs and terror in our everyday lives... It's not hard to see why so many people today are experiencing stress, worry, and anxiety attacks. Unfortunately, these aren't simply innocent states of emotion-they can insidiously develop into chronic depression and psychosomatic illnesses, and lead to destructive behaviors.

In LIVE THE LET-GO LIFE, Joseph Prince shows you how to beat stress and anxieties that come with the everyday demands and pressures of modern living. Discover how you were not designed by God to live under stress, but called to live the life of rest. You will learn how to let go of stress and see His grace flow unabated in the worry-free areas of your life.


My Review:
Live the Let-Go Life focused on God's amazing grace toward us and how that changes how we deal with situations that could cause us stress and anxiety. It's very Bible-based, and he quoted many verses (in correct context) to support what he was saying. He comes from a bit more of a 'God wants to pour blessings like health and wealth on you if you'll let him' background that influences his views, but I generally agree with what he teaches. I think everyone would benefit from hearing about or being reminded of God's wonderful, amazing grace toward us, and this book does a good job of that.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.