It's time to announce the winner of the Back to Books Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, 19 people entered. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:
captainliss40 who won The New Answers Book, Vol. 2
Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.
For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of this book from your favorite bookstore or see if they have it at your local library.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Back to the Books Giveaway Hop
As a part of the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop, you can enter to win one of the following two books. This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.
How Do We Know the Bible is True? edited by Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge.
In this book, over 20 relevant issues are discussed including: Is the Bible totally without error? Did the resurrection really happen? How do we know that the 66 books of the Bible are from God? Does the Bible contradict itself? How were people saved before Jesus came? What is the purpose and meaning of life? Did miracles really happen? Was Genesis derived from ancient myths? How should we interpret the Bible; should Genesis be literal? Do you have to believe in a young earth to be saved?
The New Answers Book, Vol. 2 edited by Ken Ham.
This book explores over 30 exciting and faith-affirming topics, including: The fall of Lucifer and the origin of evil When does life begin (and why does it matter)? Is evolution a religion (and why should I care)? Archaeology, Egyptian Chronology, and the great flood. Could early biblical figures like Noah really live to over 900 years of age? What was the Star of Bethlehem (and how did the wise men follow it)?
To enter the giveaway:
1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @christfocus. Enter me in the giveaway for [title of the book you wish to win]."
OR
2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and stating which book you'd like to win. Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.
This giveaway ends September 7th at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on September 8th on this blog.
If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within seven days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.
I hope everyone has fun with this!
The blogs participating in the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop:
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The World of the Early Church by Simon Jones
 | The World of the Early Church
|
Source: Review copy from Kregel.
Book Description from Cover:
In the first decades after Christ a small movement from the Middle East became an empire-wide phenomenon. Soon there were Christian communities from Jerusalem to Rome, all trying to figure out how to live their new-found faith. But how did they live their daily lives?
The World of the Early Church answers just this question, exploring what life was like for the first Christians. Surveying archaeological evidence and contemporary accounts, Simon Jones answers questions like:
- What was the role of pagan religion?
- What did people do for entertainment?
- What was family life like?
- How did they earn a living?
- How was society structured?
- What was the role of women?
Illustrated throughout with photographs, maps, and reproductions, The World of the Early Church is a fascinating survey that brings this period vividly to life.
My Review:
The World of the Early Church provides the social background information that will help you more fully understand the New Testament--mainly Acts and the letters to the churches. The author explained a lot of interesting information in an easy-to-understand way. He also did an excellent job of giving us a balanced view of what life was probably like while also acknowledging the various views out there.
He used archaeological findings and writings from the time to help explain what life was like, and he quoted some of the Roman writers on what life was like from their viewpoint. The text was illustrated with interesting full-color pictures of archeological finds and remains of ancient buildings, paintings, illustrations, reconstructions, and more.
The author also referred to passages in the New Testament that can be confusing and explained how the social context of the time helps to make sense of it. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book. I'm very impressed by it, enjoyed reading it, and plan to immediately read through it again.
Topics covered: city life, homes, work, food/eating, entertainment, social position, the family, Roman religion, and more.
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:
Table of Contents
Read an excerpt
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Daily Life at the Time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh
 |
Daily Life at the Time of Jesus
|
Source: Bought through Half.com.
Book Description, my take:
Information about daily life at the time of Jesus based on ancient writings and archeological evidence and illustrated with full-color photographs, drawings, and maps.
My Review:
Daily Life at the Time of Jesus gives Bible background information about daily life that helps readers better understand some things that are referred to in the gospels. The author based her information on ancient writings, the New Testament, and archeological findings. The text was accompanied by full-color maps of Israel, photographs taken around Israel and of archeological items, and illustrated artist reconstructions of daily life and buildings. There was also a timeline (with 4 B.C. for Herod's death, for those who are interested in that) and a family tree from King David to Jesus.
It's written at a level for Middle Schoolers to adults. I learned some new and interesting information, and I really liked the chart telling how much the various coins would have bought back then. Though each section was brief, this book covered some information I haven't seen elsewhere. Overall, I'd recommend this book.
The author started with a brief history of Herod the Great up to the time of Jesus. It then talked about Jerusalem, the Temple, the Sanhedrin, pilgrimage, the Antonia Fortress, the Roman Army, crucifixion, a wealthy household in Jerusalem, the village, a village house, working in the fields, domestic animals, the shepherd, olive press, blacksmith, carpenter, weaver, grain mill, synagogue, education, a wedding feast, food and drink, fishermen (including information about fishing net types and how to use them), a country manor, wine press, doctor, burying the dead, Qumran, balsam production, Dead Sea scrolls, Masada, mosaics, Herod's other palaces, Caesarea, a pagan temple, city gate and market, and money and prices.
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.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
On the Road With Jesus: Birth and Ministry by Ben Witherington III
 | On the Road With Jesus: |
Source: Review copy from the publisher.
Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Travel to the Holy Land with New Testament scholar Ben Witherington and experience the birth and ministry of Jesus. With the help of Dr. Witherington's knowledge and perspective, you will visit the places Jesus walked and ministered. You will learn about places such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and more.
My Review:
On the Road With Jesus is a Bible background book which discussed how the Jews of Jesus' time would have viewed Jesus and the events surrounding his birth, baptism, calling of his disciples, and early ministry. The author did give some insightful historical background information, some of which isn't frequently found in other books.
However, he did make some theological comments without spending much time defending his doctrinal position. So people from some denominations might be offended by his seemingly breezy dismissal of a doctrine held by them.
While most of the historical information he gave wasn't controversial, he did spend a lot of time arguing that Lazarus was the true author of the gospel of John. His argument was built on a lot of speculation rather than actual, solid evidence, and I found his argument highly unconvincing. Overall, I felt like the DVD by the same title would appeal to a wider audience as it didn't get sidetracked into controversial issues.
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.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
On the Road With Jesus: Birth & Ministry DVD
 |
|
Source:Review copy from the publisher.
Publisher's Description:
Travel to the Holy Land with New Testament scholar Ben Witherington and experience the birth and ministry of Jesus in this four-session video study.
Filmed throughout the places Jesus walked and dwelt among us, On the Road with Jesus, with Dr. Witherington's knowledge and perspective, will help you see God's grace at work and bring us back to lives of true meaning and purpose. As believers see places such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and more, our faith will be deepened while following along the paths Jesus journeyed during his world-changing life and ministry.
This DVD can be used in small group study with the book by the same name.
My Review:
Birth & Ministry is the first DVD of the "On the Road With Jesus" series. If you've never had a chance to travel around Israel and you can rent or borrow this DVD, then I'd highly recommend you do. It had some nice footage from a variety of places in Israel. Seeing this will help "bring the Bible alive," and the information discussed will help you better understand the gospels.
The host, Ben Witherington III, mainly focused on "Bible background" historical information relating to Jesus' birth and baptism, the Sea of Galilee, the wedding at Cana, and Nazereth. It was good, interesting information. Some of the information is fairly well-known, but some was less so. It was a nice balance. The host gave some of the same information as in the book by the same title, but there was a lot of different information on the DVD as well.
I was impressed with the smooth camerawork. The camera would slowly pan over what the host was talking about or pointing out so you could see the whole thing. It had a sort of "show and tell" format.
Session 1 - 11 minutes 2 seconds long - Talked about Jesus birth. We saw views of a farm field in Nazareth, Herodium from afar, the Judean wilderness, the Church of the Nativity, a shepherds field and sheep pen near Bethlehem, and a first century house.
Session 2 - 16 minutes 9 seconds long - Talked about John the Baptizer and Jesus' baptism. Views of the Dead Sea Scrolls cave, the Qumran community (ruins), the Jordan River, the Judean Wilderness, the Mount of Temptation and the Monastery of St. George.
Session 3 - 13 minutes 29 second long - Talked about Jesus calling his disciples, the Sea of Galilee, and some events in Jesus' ministry that took place around the Sea of Galilee. Views of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum (statue of Peter, the ruins of Peter's mother-in-law's house, and a synagogue), and water jars that were used for purification.
Session 4 - 10 minutes 34 seconds long - Talked about Sepphoris, synagogues, and Jesus' visit to Nazereth after his ministry started. Views of Sepphoris' synagogue, a first century synagogue in Nazereth, and the Mt. of Beattitudes.
If you've watched this DVD, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the DVD in the comments.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Coming to Grips with Genesis by Dr. Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury
 | Coming to Grips with Genesis |
Source: Review copy from the publisher.
Book Description from Back Cover:
Fourteen theological scholars address key topics related to the age of the earth, which is the crucial issue of debate in the church today regarding origins. Bringing to bear rigorous biblical, theological, and historical arguments in favor of a six-day creation, the global Flood, and a young earth, they also provide much-needed critiques of a number of contemporary old-earth interpretations of the book of Genesis.
This fresh defense of the literal history of Genesis 1-11 nicely complements other studies which focus more on the scientific evidence of young-earth creationism. As such, this book can serve as a versatile supplement to other works, but is also designed to be used as a standalone text for seminary and Bible college professors and students, pastors, missionaries, and others who want in-depth apologetic resources.
Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth includes:
- Forewords by Dr. John MacArthur, President of the Master?s Seminary and Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA; and the late Dr. Henry Morris, Founder and President Emeritus, Institute for Creation Research
- Detailed analysis of the verbs of Genesis 1
- A defense of the Genesis 5 & 11 genealogies as strict chronologies
- Reasons for rejecting millions of years of death and natural evil before Adam's sin
- Careful reflection on Jesus' teachings regarding a young earth
My Review:
Coming to Grips with Genesis is a collection of 14 articles discussing the different interpretations of Genesis 1-11. Though written by 14 separate scholars, there's surprisingly little overlap of material and a high consistency in quality.
It's written in a formal tone. Some articles get somewhat technical when talking about the original language, and the authors assume you know something about Hebrew grammar. However, the footnotes explain a technical point in more detail for those who don't know this information. There's excellent footnoting, so you always know where the information or quote came from. I also liked that the authors quoted the people in question so the reader could see for themselves what was said. Overall, if you have questions about the topics covered or want to be better able to argue the points, then I'd highly recommend this book.
Chapter 1, 2, 3, and 14 explored how Christian theological leaders before the 19th century viewed Genesis 1-11, especially how long they thought God took to create everything. Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 discussed the different ways Genesis 1 & 2 are interpreted, how to properly interpret Scripture as a whole and how that applies to Genesis 1 & 2, and is nature/general revelation equal in authority to Scripture/special revelation.
Chapter 9 talked about Noah's Flood, especially about the timeline of what happened and what one would expect to find now in the rock layers as a result of the Flood. Chapter 10 discussed the type of genealogies are in Genesis 5 and 11 and how accurate they are for chronological purposes. Chapter 11 and 12 pointed out how Jesus and the apostles viewed Genesis (as real history and real people or otherwise). Chapter 13 discussed how having death and suffering before creation was completed (as long geological ages demands) affects Christian theology.
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 from Chapter One:
The opening chapters of Genesis are the most foundational in all of Scripture. Indeed, for the Christian faith, nothing makes lasting sense if these chapters are undermined. Here the foundation of nearly every major Christian theme can be found. This explains in part why the early Church writers dealt so much with these chapters, reminding us in the process that the history of theological development is essentially the history of exegesis.
From the early days of the Church, appeals to patristic exegesis have always played a key role in theological debate and helped to clarify the parameters of orthodoxy. The controversies over Christological, Trinitarian, and canonizing matters were intense, and sometimes took centuries to resolve. But what God-fearing Christian today is not profoundly grateful for those like Athanasius in the early community of faith, who risked even their lives to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3; NKJV).
Fast-forward to our day, where the controversy over the age of the earth continues. There has been a renewal of interests in the Church fathers, and how they handled matters such as the length of the creation days, the age of the earth, and the Genesis Flood. Since their voice on theological matters has always been coveted, it would be expected that, along with a cautious use of their wisdom, there is also a tendency with some to misread the patristic literature. The teachings of the fathers can be just as surely taken out of context, eisegeted, or muffled altogether, as the Scriptures can be.
It is not insignificant that notable authors have recruited some fathers as accepting the idea of deep time. Scholars like William G.T. Shedd believe some in the patristic era taught the day-age theory. Henri Blocher claims Augustine held to a framework type view. Arthur Custance finds a champion of the gap theory in Origen. Such diversity of opinion can be highly confusing to the layperson, and leads us to ask four important questions. First, which specific ancient treatises were these modern scholars using to class the ancients into such post-Darwinian sounding categories? Second, were there any treatises or resources these modern writers overlooked? Third, if there were overlooked resources, was this innocent oversight due to perhaps consulting only secondary sources? And fourth, if these men were presented with sufficient patrological counter-evidence, would they acknowledge this in subsequent writings? This chapter aims to counter some of the misreadings of the fathers, and provide clarity by analyzing the original sources to see if their writings aid and abet modern deep-time theories.
Contemporary Misreadings of the Fathers
Proponents of the day-age view and framework hypothesis claim six-day creationism is of fairly recent vintage, and a reactionary movement against uniformitarian or proto-Darwinian ideas. They propose that prominent early Church exegetes pursued theological meaning as of the highest priority (rather than historical meaning), and would not identify with modern young-earth theses.
While some may wonder whether their views have any relevance in the current debate, others, such as Hugh Ross, know the value that a theological position has if it can claim the imprimatur of the Church fathers.
Thus, like Shedd, Blocher, and Custance, Ross makes an attempt to buttress his old-earth position with some patristic clout. And four common lines of reasoning seem to link all their proposals. First, these modern old-earth advocates think that at the time when the Church was clarifying and fortifying its creeds, the age of the earth was less vital to the fundamentals of Christianity. Second, it is implied (if not stated), if these God-fearing men from the past (the fathers) felt comfortable with a wide spectrum of exegetical method and hermeneutical conclusions on the age of the cosmos, we should emulate them. Third, they say, we have sufficient patristic confirmation that young-earth creationism was not the position of the Early Church, and definitely not compulsory to classic orthodoxy. And, fourth, when modern scholars invoke Augustine and others as comfortable with deep time, the pivotal premise seems to be that belief in millions of years is not a fallback concession brought on by uniformitarianism, but has always been a position compatible with orthodoxy.
Christians should be aware of the great cloud of witnesses in Church history, and a judicious use of the fathers can be both relevant and edifying. And even though the Christian’s highest and final authority should always be Scripture, the more knowledge of Church history one has, the better. In being tutored by the fathers, we will be better armed to discern and respond to the novel theological heterodoxies in their day and ours.
Read the Table of Contents and an excerpt from Chapter One.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
