Product Reviews
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Ancient Word, Changing Worlds: The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on May 5, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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An easy-to-read but very complete defense of the inerrancy of Scripture. The authors provide companion chapters to their own writing quoting primary sources - both for and against inerrancy - to give an historical overview to the topic. Highly recommended for pastors needing to brush up on the issue and interested laypersons. |
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Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on May 5, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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The Emergent topic is one over which much ink has been spilled, and getting a grasp of the issues is not always easy because of the differences in one person's understanding of emergent compared to another's. But DeYoung and Kluck do a great job of looking at these issues, and providing a critique of the Emergent Movement. The book is engaging, challenging, and in places quite funny. Witness Ted Kluck's words on the bottom of page 214. Good stuff.
I'd recommend this highly to pastors who can't keep up with all that is being written by either side, and for church leaders who need to know what's happening in the Christian world.
I hope they make this into a movie. |
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The Great Work of the Gospel: How We Experience God's Grace (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on June 6, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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A great combination of sound and thorough theology and sound and thorough application of that theology to practice.
The book contains thorough explanation of key facets of the Gospel and some excellent illustrations, often drawn from his own experience.
What is also helpful for those for resources for small groups is the inclusion of study questions at the end of each chapter. My only wish for these questions is that they directed the reader a bit more into Scripture, although it would be easy for a group leader to do this based on the ample use of Scripture within the chapters themselves.
One warning: Don't ignore the footnotes! Aside from the normal references to the writings of others, there are some occasional protracted explanations of ideas that would have been rabbit-trails if put in the body of the text. |
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The Letter of James (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (Hardcover)
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By P. Bogert on June 6, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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Having used his superb commenary on Romans (NICNT), I was glad to see that Douglas Moo had written on James. I'm regularly using eight different commentaries as I preach through the letter, and Moo and Doriani stand neck and neck as the most helpful of the bunch. |
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John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on July 7, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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This is a great introduction to John Calvin for those who are new to his ministry. It will help the person new Calvin's thought to gain an understanding of the man's heartbeat for God's glory and the exposition of Scripture. It is also a rebuke/encouragement to those of us in ministry today as we consider the tireless pastoral and preaching ministry of this great man. |
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Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on August 8, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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There are, as DeYoung himself admits, no end to the number of books about the will of God. What makes this one stand out from several others that are as good (or close) is its brevity, it's pointedness, and the chapters on wisdom and getting a job/ getting married.
This is a great book for a church book table and something worth encouraging all younger adults to read. |
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5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on October 10, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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Cornish is a Baptist Pastor and not all will agree with some of his positions on eschatology and baptism. But I've found this to be one of the most accessible and clear sources of definitions and explanations of theological terms for laypeople around today. If you're Reformed in soteriology and baptistic, you'll find this worth looking into. |
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What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage (DVD)
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By P. Bogert on January 1, 2010
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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I've seen numerous videos on marriage and family life over the years, but none is as Gospel-centered as this series. Simply superb. |
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The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything (Hardback)
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By P. Bogert on September 9, 2010
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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In the mid 1970's some men out of Dallas Seminary were writing on subjects very similar to this book. "Body Life" by Ray Stedman and "Sharpening the Focus of the Church" were revolutionary by the standards of that day, and led a focus on every-member ministry and on disciplemaking.
I found myself remembering things I'd read 30 years ago as I read "The Trellis . . ." I hope the book does for this generation what the former two did for the generation of the 70's and 80's. The material on mentoring leaders is especially significant and worth reading and modeling. |
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The Archer and the Arrow: Preaching the Very Words of God
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By P. Bogert on September 9, 2010
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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It would be a mistake to allow the relative brevity of this book stop you from reading it. While it's not focused as much on methodology as some (i.e. Chapell) there is a great deal to be learned or re-learned. The opening chapter on the Oracles of God is excellent, and Jensen moves from that into a discussion of how to preach that focuses on prayerful preparation and presentation. The analogy of the archer (preacher) and arrow (message) is utilized to remind us of both the nature and "target" of ministry.
As someone who has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years, I was encouraged and challenged afresh. However, it would also be a fine read for a beginning preacher - including being used as a text for mentoring prospective pastors.
Highly recommended. |
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James (Reformed Expository Commentary) (Hardcover)
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By P. Bogert on June 6, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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Reading Dan Doriani's commentary is like a conversation. He writes as he preaches. I would not recommend his commentary as a primary source for understanding specific words and background, but it is superb for help with the overall flow of the book. |
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Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion (Paperback)
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By P. Bogert on November 11, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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Similar in style to their previous book (Why We're Not Emergent), Why We Love the Church presents a biblical basis for loving participation in a local church, despite all of its flaws and failings. The authors show the naiveté behind much of the "leave the church" literature. I found it to reinforce my own commitment to the church and it will be a good resource to give to those who want to put the church in mothballs. |
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Preaching God's Word: A Hands-On Approach to Preparing, Developing, and Delivering the Sermon (Hardcover)
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By P. Bogert on September 9, 2010
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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There is no end to the number of books on preaching, but I found this to be a very helpful, systematic introduction to what goes into preparing an expository sermon. I'd recommend senior pastors using it with men they are teaching how to preach. |
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The Plan: How God Got the World Ready for Jesus (Hardcover)
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By P. Bogert on November 11, 2009
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(Faith Community Church / Pastor / PA)
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Sinclair Ferguson is a scholar whose contributions to the Christian community are numerous and significant. For that reason I expected a well-written, theologically accurate book for children about Christ’s birth. Sadly, I was disappointed.
“The Plan” includes the wise men in the events of the first night of Jesus' life. But Scripture points to their visit at another time. Is this nitpicking? I don't think so. While it may not ruin the faith of a child when he or she becomes a teen to realize that his or her understanding of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth contain some factual errors, it doesn't seem right to perpetuate the traditional myths as facts when it is not necessary to do so. Accuracy is important, whether we are dealing with biblical history or expressing theological ideas.
As a result, and far more significant, is Dr. Ferguson's attempt to bring the Gospel to a child's level. Talking to a child about the need to trust in Jesus is good, and thankfully that is here. But trusting Jesus is not explained. Instead, Dr. Ferguson writes, "If you want to be a friend of Jesus and to live for him here is a prayer to say."
Friend of Jesus? Sorry. That's not the Gospel, nor is it anything close to a biblical way of describing saving faith. The Gospel needs to be explained carefully to children, but it does not need to be redefined. There's hardly a child alive who wouldn't want to be friends with a cute little baby. But that's not what saves.
I wish that "The Plan" had been written more carefully. Considering the great skill and previous contributions of the author and what might have been, this gets no more than two stars for colorful pictures.
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