Six More Items Recently Read

The Man Who Drew London: Wenceslaus Hollar in Reality and Imagination by Gillian Tindall

I am a fan of the Puritan Richard Bernard and many years ago I noticed that Wenceslaus Hollar had drawn a portrait of him for a posthumous book. I then saw this book at a discount somewhere. Some years passed and then I finally read it. Getting hold of info on Hollar seems to be difficult and so Gillian Tindall has supplemented her research with some speculative biographical sections. I appreciate the effort but I found these a little tedious to be truthful, especialy knowing that it was sepculative. May be some other method would have worked better. Not much on Hollar though and this is pretty decent. Sorry I took so long to get round to such an important man.

Memorial : the mystery of Mary of Bethany by Dolores Kimball

This is a book by a woman about a woman and so I should not have been surprised that it is written for women, although it doesn't actually say that on the cover. Anyway, it's a short and interesting book for the most part. I would disagree on certain points I guess (eg I'm pretty sure Mary Magdalene and this woman were the same woman) but some good points are made.

A Short History of the World in 50 Animals by Jacob F. Field

This is a great idea for a book. All the expected ones are there such as cows and sheep and fleas and bees. Some individual animals are highlighted such as Leika the space dog, Hans the counting horse and Dolly the sheep. Bats, rats, cats and many others are all there. Missing? Locusts, donkeys. The book is hampered by its evolutionary assumptions but if you ignore these it is a fascinating read. The dodo and dinosaur are there, of course. Did you know that beavers had iron edged teeth and that a child could fit into a blue whale's arteries?

The Two Prophets to Nineveh: Goodness and Severity in Jonah and Nahum by James E. McCarthy

This is a great idea for a commentary. Jonah is very well known but Nahum much less so. However, both concern Nineveh and by treating them in the same little book the writer covers a sixth of the minor prophets in brief but relevant fashion. McCarthy has good illustrations and is very thorough with the text and all could learn from what he writes and how he writes. This is an excellent little commentary well worth getting hold of.

Distinct Communion: The Believer's Relations with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Dan Peters

This is a brilliant book - cogent, well written and betraying a very well read author. Most Reformed ministers know about John Owen and his advocacy of communion with all three persons of the Trinity but this book builds on that and explores the whole subject with some panache. Besides Owen, he explores Goodwin and Durham (with whom he is less than pleased) and the pulpit prayers of C H Spurgeon, which are held up to us as exemplars. The final chapter considers whether we should pray to the Holy Spirit, something I have not seen dealt with anywhere else, despite it being an obvious question. This is in the Christian Focus Mentor series and so is intended for ministers and Bible college students but I believe many more could benefit from this well written tome. My only very slight disappointment was the distracting and unnecessary use of the generic feminine pronoun.

Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel

Antisemitism is a fascinating subject. When I saw this book in a secondhand shop I immediately bought it and have now read it. (David Baddiel lives in this area, as do many Jews). Baddiel's simple point is that antisemitism is not taken seriously enough and tends to be placed lower in the hierarchy of racisms. He also points out the fundamental inconsistency in the way most people think of Jewish people. From the time I was converted I was encouraged to love the Jewish people and have tried never to be antisemitic or racist towards anyone but if I am honest, I am guilty. This book helped me to see this again. More than once Baddiel quotes people defending Jews and I think fine, no problem, only to find him pointing out the subtle racism hidden in the quote. One could try and dismiss that as being pernickety but I think there is a genuine issue. It is also interesting, as a Christian (as perseuted as Jews if not more) to see his take on things. (One other thing is that without excusing Jeremy Corbyn, he does appear to explain what happened).

Six Items Recently Read

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

The Rip Van WInkle story is better known by name than actuality. To avoid confusion let me advise that Van WInkle sleeps only twenty years not a hundred and time goes by in the usual way. Crucially he misses the American Revolution and so when he sleeps, George III is King and when he awakes the American Republic has come into existence. It is a well told story, a little old fashioned and mysogynistic in its view of marriage, perhaps. It is chiefly good fun. This edition includes four Rackham colour plates and is based on a 1905 edition.

The Grace of Repentance (Redesign) (Today's Issues) by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Came across this short book recently (at the Catalyst Conference) and read it in one sitting. It focusses on Luther's first thesis (of the 95) and Psalm 51 and is a very good all levels discussio of a vital subject that is too often neglected. Good to pass on.

Preaching for God's Glory (redesign) (Today's Issues) by Alistair Begg

There are a few good books on expository preaching, the good thing about this one is that it is short and punchy and memorable. He quotes Stott, Dick Lucas, Lloyd-Jones and (sadly) Roy Clements as well as older writers. One fears he may fall into the trap of claiming that exposition is everything but he does not make that mistake quite. Read in one sitting a long time after the publication date.

Gospel Evidences of Saving Faith (Puritan Treasures for Today) by John Owen

This nicely presented little work is one of Owen's lesser known practical items. It is well worth reading as it recalls the Christian to holy living and repentance. This whole series from RHB looks like a very worthwhile effort.

Spurgeon's Forgotten Sabbatarianism: Examining the Role of the 4th Commandment in His Life and Theology by Brandon Rhea

Academic pieces don't always translate easily into popular works but this one does okay. It picks up on a forgotten or overlooked aspect of Spurgeon's life and writing - his adherence to the Lord's Day Christian Sabbath. It is not difficult for Dr Rhea to establlish his thesis and it is useful to have the full evidence of the position that Spurgeon (like many others) took. Spurgeon's position would be considered extreme even in conservative circles today, perhaps, but he is shown to be consistent with his roots and Scripture and he stands as a loud reminder to us that we really need to take this matter more seriously.

Is the Trinity Practical? by Ryan M. McGraw

This brief but helpful booklet by systematician Ryan McGraw begins by raising the question of whether the Trinity matters, moves on to what Trinitarian devotion looks like and then describes three pracical ways all this can be implemented in our lives - by developing a Trinitarian piety, seeing the importance of unity and diversity in church life and gaining great comfort from the work of all three. Good stuff.

Nine Books Read Recently

No Hopeless Future: Expositions on the Book of Ruth?Dale Ralph Davis

It is always good news when a new Dale Ralph Davis volume appears even if it is as brief as these five chapters. This one is a little different to the usual in that these are sermons that have been written down with no footnotes and only minor changes from the spoken versions. The ususal elements - striking illustrations, lightly worn schoarship and rigorous expsiton are there as in the other works. Thank you Christian Focus and Major Burnam (the original transcriber).

Thirty Second Theology: Questions and Answers to Build Your Fait/Sinclair Ferguson

This is a catechism for teeanagers with a modern twist. It covers the beatitudes, the commandments, the Lord's Prayer, etc. Baptists will bristle at some phrases.

The Great Post Office Scandal - the extraordinary story behind the recent ITV drama: The fight to expose a multimillion pound IT disaster which put innocent people in jail/Nick Wallis

This is a very full and thorough account of the terrible way a large number of Post Office Subpostmasters were treated up to around 2022. The problems were caused, it would seem, by errors in the Horizon computer system, errors that the makers Fujitsu and the Post Office who used it have been extremely slow to own up to. It is a lesson in how very wrong things can go when people are less concerned with honesty and kindness than they are with profit and reputation. The book is well written but inevitably a little tedious and drawn out at times. Glad to have got the full story (so far).

Entitled: the rise and fall of the House of York Andrew Lownie

I have also recently read a book called Entitled about Andrew and Fergie. It is rather a depressing book in many ways as it describes, I think fairly accurately, the lives of two once married individuals and the excesses that they have given themselves to down the years. I don't suppose they are very different to the average Jack and Jill but because they have been exposed to so many temptations and have so often given in, we end up with a pretty discouraging state of affairs, to the extent, in Andrew's case, that he appears to be guilty of punishable crimes. Not at any point in the book do they seem to have come under the sound of the gospel and they do not seem to realise the need to repent and find forgiveness in Christ, which is their only hope. We do not know how it will all turn out before they die but it would not be a surprise if more came out. Andrew Lownie has thoroughly researched the story. He presents quite a different version of how the infamous interview with Andrew came together and appears to be quite convinced that Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself. He is also quite convinced that Andrew is guilty of sex crimes.

The Noble Liar: How and why the BBC distorts the news to promote a liberal agenda Robin Aitken

I was alerted to this book back in 2019 but only got round to reading it more recenty. Aitken is Roman Catholic and very conservative and one would not want to accept everything he says but he makes some good and helpful points with regard to the bias clearly detectable within the BBC. What he has to say about Tommy Robinson is most interesting. Other topics covered include feminism, religion and Islam. Well worth a read.

(These last three I read on kindle)

Christians and slavery Ian F Shaw

This is a book that needed to be written in light of there being so much discussion about this subject at the moment. Dr Shaw has writen very helpfully giving an accurate history of the relevant material and outlining the stance that various Christians took on the subject, people like Dabney and Machen coming out badly and Warfield and the Particualr Baptists much better. The second part of the book deals with some of the questions the history raises such as reparations and so on. It is a very helpful and interesting book.

100 Children's Books: that inspire our world/Colin Salter

Lovely book with two pages per book, one with writing and one with cover art. The books are for all ages and set out chronologically. Of the hundred books, I had read around twenty of them. Also some of the fifty listed as the second tier (eg Tom Brown's Schooldays). Some few books I had never heard of. One or two I thought I might like to try soon.

Then there have been two beautiful books aimed at children, beautifully presented. Beautiful books, aimed at kids I guess but lovely for all. These are

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost with illustrations by P J Lynch

The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

New Edition of Foundations Out

The latest edition of Foundations the journal of Affinity is out, Number 81. The bulk of it is taken up with the papers given at the theological conference earlier this year on eschatology. Among the reviews I have two - on The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland: From the First Century to the Twenty-First by Gerald Bray and John Piper on Providence. The journal can be found here.

The Piper review begins

Piper has now produced over fifty books. Like the others, this latest one is careful and exact, fresh in tone, homiletic in style and eager to present biblical truth. It contains some few recycled older pieces but this is primarily fresh material, even where the themes are familiar. It is, may we suggest, his “Hamlet”.

It is in three parts. Part 1 seeks to define the subject. Typically, Piper makes use of traditional material such as the Westminster Confession but seeks a new spin, here including the idea of our enjoying God. He also tackles the push back that such high views of God’s sovereignty can tend to provoke.

Part 2 looks at the ultimate goal of providence. In three sections, it goes back first to creation and even before that, then looks at the history of Israel from Abraham to the return from the exile. A third section introduces the new covenant.

It is not until Part 3 and the nature and extent of providence that we begin to touch on more expected themes such as earthquakes, the 2004 tsunami and the testimony of Nate Saint and Elizabeth Elliot (379). This final part has nine sections and is very practical. The topics are nature, Satan and demons, kings and nations, life and death, conversion and sanctification, ending with the triumph of Christ and his return. This part of the book is full of helpful statements on living the Christian life in the light of God’s sovereign providence. ...