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What Pastor Blair Has Been Reading (from April 2017 through June 2017)

Beeke, Joel R. Friends and Lovers: Cultivating Companionship and Intimacy in  Marriage. Adelphi, MA: Cruciform Press, 2012.

 

I have to confess that I did not have high expectations of this small volume on marriage, but once again Joel Beeke has proven me wrong. The contents come from a marriage retreat which was led by the author (a topic he admits from the outset that he does not normally address). But for the short 93 pages, the book does an excellent job instructing the reader about healthy marriage. Beeke begins by reminding couples that their spouses are to be their friends first and foremost. He gives good practical advice about how to cultivate that friendship after one is married. The second part of the book advocates a healthy sexuality based upon Biblical principles. He as a great line here- ‘Sex does not make a good marriage. Sex is the fruit of a good marriage.’ That is sound advice. Another advantage is that Beeke introduces the reader to what the Puritans thought about sex (they were not the spiritual duds that most would think). At times Beeke is trite, but overall the substance of the book is well worth the time discussing with your spouse. 

 

Chantry, Walter. Call the Sabbath a Delight. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1991.

 

Chantry has produced an excellent volume of sermons that teach the principle stated in the title. He has re-invigorated my celebration of Sunday as a Sabbath Day. At first, I was concerned he might have a legalistic approach as he establishes the principle of the Sabbath. But as I continued to read I began to understand that the author also produces a balanced approach when it comes to the practice of the Sabbath (meaning we must be careful not to violate one another’s conscience on what is acceptable recreational activities on Sunday). I also think that Chantry has a reasonable argument as to why the Sabbath should be celebrated on Sunday and not Saturday. If you want to learn to appreciate and to enjoy a regular Sabbath, I highly recommend this book.

 

Hackett, Horatio. A Commentary on the Original Text of the Acts of the  Apostles. Boston: Jewett and Co., 1852.

 

This was Horatio’s Hackett’s Magnus opus. Considering the time period in which it was written, it is pure genius. In writing this commentary, Hackett’s purpose was not to define doctrine. He wanted to present the meaning of the text within its historical setting. He firmly believed with the accurate portrayal of the text, the Holy Spirit would guide the reader into truth. He interacts with all his contemporaries on the subject. I have noticed that many current writers on Acts still find value in Hackett’s work.

 

Hackett, Horatio. Illustrations of Scripture: Suggested by a Tour of the Holy  Land. Boston: Gould and Lincoln, 1863.

 

Horatio Hackett’s knowledge of scripture was astounding. He took a tour of Egypt and Palestine in 1852 in order to immerse himself in the environment of the Biblical writers. I found myself enjoying this volume more than I thought. Hackett describes his joy and fascination with coming face to face with the scenery that many Biblical characters lived within. I was particularly moved with his description of the clear night sky when he was traveling by caravan in the desert. The starry expanse reminded his of the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Hackett’s accounts are not as dated as one my suspect. Think Indiana Jones meets Bible scholar. This was well worth the time reading.

 

Paretsky, Sara. Words, Works & Ways of Knowing: The Breakdown of Moral  Philosophy in New England Before the Civil War. Chicago: University of  Chicago Press, 2016.

 

Paretsky is known for writing detective novels. But before she entered into composing fiction, she got her Ph.D. at Chicago studying the Calvinists of New England. I would gauge that she is not an evangelical, but she is certainly sympathetic to the men she studied in the decade of the 1970s. She has just recently published her thesis. Her argument is that the orthodox Calvinists lost their hold of the major New England seminaries when Biblical studies began to appropriate other disciplines to interpret the Bible. She notes that men like Edwards Parks unwittingly divided theology from science and B.B. Edwards divided philology from hermeneutics. Hence it became a case of the tail wagging the dog, the Bible could no long self-authenticate itself. It needed other measures to explain it. A notable example is trying to redefine the interpretation of Genesis to accommodate old age as promoted by geologists. Prior to that point, Biblicist took a six day creation at face value. As this became more frequent, theology lost its place as the queen of the sciences. Her analysis and her research are spot on. It’s a shame it took forty years for this work to be published.

 

Parrott, Les. Crazy Good Sex: Putting to Ben the Myths Men Have about Sex.  Grand Rapids: Zondervans, 2009.

 

Parrot is a best-selling clinical psychologist. He and his wife have been featured on Christian radio shows and at marriage conferences around the nation. The strength of this book is that Parrott corrects the assumptions regarding sex that men carry into their marriages that they learned from the world. With the exception of his views on masturbation (Parrott refuses to come down the issue either for or against), I hardily agree with his assessment of the baggage that most Christian men bring into the marriage bed. The weakness of the book is that the author relies more on his clinical research than he does the Bible. That is not to say that he doesn’t use scriptures well (there were a few places I questioned his exegesis) or that he doesn’t apply scripture to the situation. But he doesn’t lead with the Bible. And in his attempts at humor and to lighten the mood I find some of his comments and quotes inappropriate (of course, that could be me). However, there is a lot of beneficial information in the book. This is material that I wish could have been ‘packaged’ a little better.

 

Thorn, Joe. The Life of the Church: The Table, Pulpit and Square. Chicago:  Moody Publishers, 2017.

 

This book is the third in series of books that is intended to provide an overview of the concept of the Church. Each book is short, comprehensive and accessible to the layperson. In this third volume, Thorn speaks to the activity of the church. What is the church intended to doonce it assembles. To describe this, he uses the metaphors of table, pulpit and square. The table represents what the church does as a family- small groups, hospitality, etc…The Pulpit represents the corporate worship of the church. And the square (meaning the ‘town square’) is how the church is to affect the rest of the world. While oversimplified (as to be expected in a work like this), Thorn affectively communicates the activity of the church. As a pastor I love to see the bits of systematic theology and church history sprinkled in to lead the reader into discovering more.

 

Wills, Gregory A. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 1859-2009. New          York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

 

Wills is currently the Dean of Theology at Southern. But his background is in history- particularly 19th century southern American history. He is uniquely qualified to write this volume. It was composed for the 150th anniversary of the seminary and coincided with the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville. He traces the history of the

School from its founding, through the many controversies of E.Y. Mullins and the liberalism of Duke McCall up to the embattled conservative resurgence when Mohler became the school’s president. It is only by God’s providence that Southern survived. The book is far superior to the previous history of the school by Walt Mueller. Wills mastered the primary sources. At times, he is a little redundant from chapter to chapter. And I would have preferred more on the last two decades of the school. Wills devoted very little to the recent history. But the story of the school was made for compelling reading. I highly recommend it.