All Articles For Book Reviews

The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Church (Volume 1: The Biblical Period; Volume 2: The Patristic Age), by Hughes Oliphant Old. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998. Pp. x-383 v. 1. $35.00. Pp. viii-481, v. 2. $42.00. (paper). [Reviewed by Prof. Robert D. Decker.] These are the first two volumes of a comprehensive multi-volume study of the history of the reading and preaching of the sacred Scriptures. Old proposes to give us the history of the reading and preaching of Scripture from Moses to the end of the twentieth century. If...

Reformed Confessions: Theology from Zurich to Barmen, by Jan Rohls. Tr. John Hoffmeyer. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. xxiii + 311pp. $35 (cloth). [Reviewed by the editor] To read Reformed Confessions is to receive a sound, thorough education in the theology of Reformed orthodoxy. Following the order of the six loci of dogmatics (although strangely there is no treatment of eschatology), Jan Rohls sets forth the teaching of the Reformed creeds on all the leading doctrines of Scripture. The book is a comparative study of the creeds.

From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition, by John Witte, Jr. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. x + 315 pages. $24 (paper). [Reviewed by the editor.] Scholarly as this book on marriage is and objective as it tries to be, it is obviously occasioned by deep concern for the family in America today. The book is part of the series, “The Family, Religion, and Culture,” which is devoted to a thorough study of the family in all ages and from many points of view. Concern for the family in America and in Western...

Redeeming Pop Culture: A Kingdom Approach, by T.M. Moore. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R, 2003. Pp. vii + 167. $11.99 (paper). [Reviewed by the editor.] A pop treatment of the weighty subject of the Christian and culture. “Once, after a morning service in which guitars had been used to lead the congregation in praise songs, I was making my way back to the pulpit to retrieve my Bible and sermon notes. One of the young men of our congregation was standing with his back to me, playing something on one of the guitars. As I approached, I discerned the familiar opening...

The Book of the Revelation, by Philip E. Hughes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990. 242 pp.; $17.95, hardcover. [Reviewed by Rev. Charles Terpstra.] Profitable commentaries on the last book of the Bible are hard to come by, especially those written from a conservative, amillennial point of view. This volume is an exception however, and that is what makes it a welcome addition to commentaries on Revelation. The author, who was an Anglican clergyman and a New Testament scholar who spent part of his career teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary (he died in May of 1990), has written a very helpful exposition...

Reading Scripture in Public: A Guide for Preachers and Lay Readers, by Thomas Edward McComiskey. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991. 196 pp., $7.95 (paper): [Reviewed by Prof. R. Decker.] The reading of Holy Scripture is a very important element in the worship service. It is much more than a “preliminary.” It should be done, in the opinion of this reviewer, very early in the worship service, just after the first Psalm of Praise is sung. All of the singing, the congregational prayer, the giving and receiving of the offering, and the preaching find their meaning and significance in the...

The Chosen People: A Corporate View Of Election, by William W. Klein; Zondervan Publishing House, 1990; 314 pp., $15.95. [Reviewed by Prof. Herman Hanko.] This discussion of election is presented to the reader as new light shed on a difficult doctrine. The author is of the opinion that neither Arminianism nor Calvinism has succeeded in solving the problem of election, and that a new look at the doctrine will demonstrate that both are wrong. This “new look” results in the author’s idea that election is corporate. 

Far Above Rubies: Today’s Virtuous Woman, edited by Herman Hanko; Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1992; 187 pp., $9.95, paper. [Reviewed by Rev. Dale H. Kuiper.] The1atest offering of the R.F.P.A. is a compilation of eleven sermons, speeches, pamphlets, and magazine articles by five ministers and three professors from the Protestant Reformed Churches. Editor Hanko has also included four articles of charming simplicity by Abraham Kuyper from his popular book, When Thou Sittest in Thine House. As the subtitle of the book indicates, the subject of all this writing is the woman – more particularly- today’s virtuous woman. ” Several words...

Evangelical Theology: A Course of Popular Lectures, by A. A. Hodge. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1990. 402 pages plus index. Hardcover. $20.95. [Reviewed by the Editor.] Evangelical Theology is a reprint of the book originally published in 1887 as Popular Lectures on Theological Themes. As the original title indicated, the book consists of popular lectures given by A. A. Hodge on basic Presbyterian doctrines. Hodge followed the standard Presbyterian format, beginning with the doctrine of God and concluding with the doctrine of the last things. Subjects treated included the doctrines of Holy Scripture; of the Trinity; of predestination;...

Commentary on the Psalms, by George Horne. Audubon, New Jersey: Old Paths Publications, 1997. Pp.xxvii-659. $32.95. (Hard cover) [Reviewed by Herman Hanko.] First of all, the reader might be interested in a few facts concerning the book. George Horne was lord bishop of Norwich, an ordained clergyman in the Anglican Church of England. He lived from 1730 – 1792, a period of time when the Anglican Church was still blessed with many staunch Calvinistic preachers. The book reflects the Calvinism of the Church of England. Secondly, Ernie Springer, the owner of Old Paths Publication, has given the reading public a...