Judges, Ruth (NAC) - review

Judges, Ruth (NAC) by Daniel Block is an excellent commentary on the Old Testament books of Ruth and Judges. For Ruth, Block does a fine job, but the real treasure is his treatment of Judges. This review focuses on Judges.

Pros:
* Easy and fun to read
* Great focus on the text; brings out literary features such as ironies, phonetic tidbits, and changes/omissions as the story unfolds
* Makes connections outside the text
* Makes strong application points

Cons:
(For my purposes, I can't think of anything significant. If you disagree with the fundamental way he handles the text, you obviously won't get much out of this book.)

Excellent commentary! I used this to prepare for an adult Bible Study. The group kept growing as the summer went on; people wanted the notes if they missed a study. It helped us not only understand Judges, but gave us tools and motivation for looking carefully at the text.

1 and 2 Samuel (TOTC) - review

1 and 2 Samuel (TOTC) by Joyce G. Baldwin is a shorter commentary and introduction on 1 & 2 Samuel.

Pros:
* Good evaluation of issues that are presented
* Concise
* Helpful to preachers

Cons:
* Short; issues are missed
* Not as strong on textual issues

This is a great commentary if your expectations are properly tempered. Baldwin will bring up high point issues, deal with them concisely, and move on. This is written for the preacher and while it may lack a depth that other commentaries have, the words that are printed are useful. It is also small enough that my year-old daughter likes to cart it around. While I like Bergen, Cora heartily chooses Baldwin over the other Samuel commentaries.

1, 2 Samuel (NAC) - review

1, 2 Samuel (NAC) by Robert Bergen is a commentary from the New American Commentary series on the books of 1 & 2 Samuel.

Pros:
* Handles issues in a solid fashion
* Gives good textual insight
* Give good background information
* Shows the connections throughout 1 & 2 Samuel and the OT
* Evangelical and pastoral perspective
* Great introduction

Cons:
* Somewhat brief
* Doesn't help as much in going from text to message as I'd like

This is probably the best of the bunch in 1 & 2 Samuel. Bergen does a solid job and this should be an addition to anyone that is preaching from these books.

Luke 1:1-9:50 (BECNT) - review

Luke 1:1-9:50 (BECNT) by Darrell Bock is the first in a two-part volume commentary on the book of Luke.

Pros:
* Comprehensive
* Deals well with textual and grammatical issues
* Gives some application oriented insight
* Easy to read and easy to follow
* Great introduction, outline of the book

Cons:
* Some interpretive issues are not addressed. (This will be true in some sense in all commentaries, but given how well Bock does in some of these other areas, I was hoping for more.)
* My evaluation might be weak because I only used his Luke commentary. Other resources that I used for Luke were not commentaries and so I don't have much to compare from.

Other resources that were especially helpful in Luke are David Pao's notes from his English Bible class on Luke, Andy Perry's, John Piper's, and Tim Keller's sermons on Luke, the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, and particularly the Commentary of Use of the OT in the NT.

This is one of the top rated Evangelical commentaries on the book of Luke. It keeps you from going off the cliff, so to speak.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NIGTC) - review

The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NIGTC) by Anthony C. Thiselton is a robust commentary on 1 Corinthians.

Pros:
* Deals exhaustively with issues
* Well-outlined
* Good connections intracanonically
* Good background on the world of Paul and Corinth
* Great help with the Greek text

Cons:
* Thick reading with a bunch of information that isn't very helpful for the end message
* Not strong in practical application, but issues are covered in such a way that such implications are not difficult to bring out

This is a top commentary on this book. I coupled this commentary with some shorter expositions from DA Carson: Cross and Christian Ministry and Showing the Spirit. I also used some resources from Desiring God, Commentary of the Use of the OT in the NT, the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, and Al Lewis' messages and Q&A on various topics.

2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Focus on the Bible Commentaries) - review

2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Focus on the Bible Commentaries) by Dale Ralph Davis is a commentary on 2 Samuel. This is not so much of a commentary, but an exposition on the various passages.

Pros:
* Easy to read
* Lots of 'here and now' type illustrations
* Very application oriented

Cons:
* With a few exceptions, little help with the text itself
* Doesn't deal with many intracanonical issues
* Seems to lack a Christological focus

This was a helpful book, if you know how to use it. I bought it at the STRONG urging of a friend at which time I also bought another of Davis' books. I am glad I bought both at the same time, because I don't think I would have bought this one had I only purchased the other first. It has some good uses, but it is very deficient in other areas. But for 2 Samuel, there aren't as many expositional resources, having this was helpful even if I didn't always take the path Davis did.

Brave New World - review

Brave New World by Adlous Huxley is about a society in the future based on control and stability. In this society, parenting is a non-existent concept (a tot in the pot), monogamy is immoral, and pain is to be subdued with a drug called soma. In contrast to this 'utopian' society, there a reserve where 'primitive' people are allowed to give birth to children, learn non-sanctioned poetry, and live without drug induced vacations. For a few people, these two worlds collide.

While a classic, it is quite racy and very choppy. There are several places where it is difficult to figure out which person is speaking. The story ends rather abruptly and leaves several open loops. Great for discussion and commentary on the direction of society, fair as far as actual reading enjoyment goes.

Creative and fun

Thanks PoMonkey!

What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an - A History of Islam & the United States - review

What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an - A History of Islam & the United States by William J. Federer attempts to give an overview of Islam, the Qur'an, and how it impacts the US. This book was given for me to read by a good friend. Even though I respect this person a great deal, the book was a disappointment in several areas.

Readability:
This book was more a grouping of certain facts, quotes, and comments rather than having any sort of real story/argument to pull you along. Chapters were really general headings to these chucks of text and paragraphs were either a quote or a simple statement.

Argumentation:
Much of the book was bits of information that were loosely pieced together, often lacking connection to the larger argument. References were wanting at times - the author several times referred to (even printed portions of!) Wikipedia for support. Many times a real argument wasn't made, statements were made but not interpreted, and some references were unnecessarily long. At times I struggled to even see how the evidence supported the greater point/chapter heading.

Orientation:
I think the book was trying to make us concerned about Islam as Americans and as Christians. Much of what was stated was not compelling or incomplete. As a Christian, you really have to make me understand why Thomas Jefferson's statements are relevant. As an American, you have to do the same. There was a tightness that was assumed between Christianity and being an American that makes me uncomfortable. Plus, even if your case is made, so what? I felt the implied application is hand-wringing and fear.

There is much to assess concerning Islam and while this book has nuggets, there needs to be a better, more coherent presentation of the salient issues and then what are the implications. Because of the issues mentioned earlier, I would want to consult another source before trusting in the veracity of Federer's collage of information.

Death by Love - review

Death by Love by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears is a series of letters written to people in his church that had some serious issues in front of them.

What is beautiful about this book is the way Driscoll ties theology and particularly the implications of who Christ is to real (and often super serious) problems.

One of, if not my favorite book this year. Watch the video which outlines the book. You should read it. If you go to my church, it is on the display shelf to check out. If you don't, you can buy it online.

Read a sample chapter. Start with the first few paragraphs - you wonder what can be said in this situation? Keep reading.