Eleven titles offered by B&H
I am grateful for the opportunity to write this column for my fellow Missouri Baptists, and I hope that you find it useful in selecting or discovering new books. This year saw the release of many great titles, and for the next issue of The Pathway I am writing up my own version of “The Best Christian Books of 2007.”
Before we get to that though, I want to put a spotlight on 11 titles published this year by our own denominational presses. Some of these books deserve a whole column by themselves, and hopefully this short spotlight will pique your curiosity enough for further investigation.
The Mission of Today’s Church: Baptist Leaders Look at Modern Faith Issues, edited by Stanton Norman (210 pages, $17). This work, edited by Missouri Baptist Stan Norman, flew in under the radar and has thus far not gotten the attention it deserves. A “Who’s Who” of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) scholars came together to talk about theology and ecclesiology. This is not a “we have already arrived” book, but instead gives many challenges to traditional SBC thinking. A very profitable book.
First Freedom: The Baptist Perspective on Religious Liberty, edited by White, Duesing, and Yarnell (195 pages, $16). This book is also a compiling together of essays, ones presented at a conference hosted by Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary on the topic of religious freedom. Moving from biblical foundations to church history to contemporary challenges, the authors give careful thought to this topic that Baptists have contributed so much to over the centuries.
God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old & New Testaments, by Jim Hamilton (233 pages $20). Hamilton knows that most folks struggle to talk biblically about the Holy Spirit, and never more so than when the discussion turns to the Holy Spirit’s presence in the Old Testament. Here is a book of pure doctrinal meat that provides a greater understanding and love for the third person of the Trinity.
The Apologetics Study Bible, CSB (2000 pages, $40). Here is a heavyweight study Bible (produced by Holman) incorporating both the normal study notes at the bottom of each page with a ton of longer articles of an apologetic nature. The article authors include scholars like Ravi Zacharias, J.P. Moreland, Al Mohler, Tom Schreiner, and Greg Thornbury.
Old Testament Survey, and Old Testament Survey Student Guide by Paul House, Eric Mitchell, and Archie England ($40, $28). Here is an updated edition of an excellent Old Testament survey text, providing a great foundation of knowledge for college students, or even for a mentorship program with young men in the church called to ministry. And don’t skip the study guide – it really puts you through the drills.
B&H has really made a turn toward producing resources for homeschoolers. The Little Book of BIG Reasons to Homeschool, by David & Kim d’Escoto (75 pages, $8), is a short piece written to persuade those sitting on the fence regarding homeschooling. For those in the beginning years of the process, Homeschooling 101: The Essential Handbook, by Mark and Christine Field (294 pages, $15) provides a thorough guide for how to get started. They avoid the “one size fits all” approach, and instead provide a lot of helpful theory and practical suggestions. I expected a lot out of homeschool guru Ruth Beechick’s A Biblical Home Education, (224 pages, $15), and was disappointed in the haphazard organization of the material and needless dogmatism.
Fresh Ideas: 1,000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church, by Diana Davis (213 pages, $13).
This book delivers on its goal of providing “at least a few ideas” that will reignite your fire for serving God. Davis knows that nobody is going to take up every idea thrown out here, but even if you only find ten fresh ideas, it is money well spent.
Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too, by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson (226, $18). Utilizing a mountain of research taken from churches that “turned around,” Stetzer and Dodson help us to see prevailing patterns common to these churches. Amid the crowded shelves in this genre, this book seems to have something fresh and challenging to say. (Scott Lamb is a founding pastor of Providence Baptist Church, St. Louis, and is the ongoing book reviewer for The Pathway. To read about other books, visit www.AChristianManifesto.com.)