I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past week or two.

Emancipating the World: A Christian Response to Radical Islam and Fundamentalist Atheism by Darrow Miller - “Darrow Miller’s book contains a perceptive analysis of troubling world trends that now threaten to take the history of nations in a harmful direction and also several practical steps, grounded in Scripture, that Christians can take as they seek to oppose these trends and positively transform their cultures for good. I am happy to recommend it!” - Wayne Grudem (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Living Zealously by Joel Beeke & James La Belle - “In Living Zealously, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle address the much overlooked topic of Christian zeal. Having mined the depths of Puritan wisdom on what it means to live earnestly for Christ, they explain it in a way that is familiar to our modern ears and applicable to our souls.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible by Vern Poythress - “In Inerrancy and Worldview, Dr. Vern Poythress offers the first worldview-based defense of scriptural inerrancy, showing how worldview differences create or aggravate most perceived difficulties with the Bible. His positive case for biblical inerrancy implicitly critiques the worldview of theologians like Enns, Sparks, Allert, and McGowan. Poythress, who has researched and published in a variety of fields-- including science, linguistics, and sociology--deals skillfully with the challenges presented in each of these disciplines.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Hearing the Old Testament: Listening for God’s Address edited by Craig Bartholomew and David Beldman - “In Hearing the Old Testament world-class scholars discuss how contemporary Christians can better hear and appropriate God’s address in the Old Testament. This volume is part of a growing interest in theological interpretation of the Old Testament.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

I've been at this blogging thing for quite a long time now--it's coming up on ten years. I've been at the daily blogging thing for almost as long. This means that I've got an extensive backlist of articles from years gone by. I thought it might be fun to pull out some of the articles I wrote in previous months of July, stretching all the way back to 2004.

2011

Speaking Love’s Languages - I wrote this as a reflection on The Five Love Languages and some of the areas in which that book is useful.

The Weaker, The Stronger, The Homeschooler, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 - This is a series on how we need to allow Romans 14 to impact our discussions on education. 

2010

Read Better with Baxter - Richard Baxter, that is.

A Digital Vacation and its followup, Off the Grid - I plan to do this again in a few weeks.

2009

All About Endorsements - This post kind of anticipates the one I wrote last week about how people who endorse books often don’t read the book.

Your Suffering Does Not Just Belong to You - This is an important implication of living life in Christian community: your suffering does not belong to only you.

2008

Every Word of God - Here I discuss the importance of a good translation of the Bible.

How to Begin a Commentary Collection - Lessons I learned in putting together a collection of commentaries, along with suggestions on specific volumes.

July is nearly here! To ring in the new month I’ve got great new desktop wallpaper for you to download. This month’s wallpaper was created by Andrew Joyce who does fantastic design work as Mosaic Web Studios.

A few notes: Your desktop or laptop may take any of the sizes, depending on your monitor size and a host of other considerations. If you’re not sure of the size, just find one that looks like it would be pretty much the same size as your screen. Generally you set one of these are your wallpaper by clicking on the link to the image, then right-clicking on the image (once it’s open) and selecting “Set as Background,” “Set as Desktop Background,” or something similar. If you aren’t sure, post a comment and we’ll try to help you figure it out.

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: iPhone, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: iPhone, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Genesis 2 has often been put at odds with Genesis 1. A long list of skeptics have claimed that the content is contradictory in places, especially when it comes to the timing of the events it recounts. Other scholars have argued that stylistic differences indicate that the chapters were written by different authors as parts of entirely separate creation accounts, and that these were later forced together in Genesis.

So how do we answer this while also affirming that “every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5) and that Moses was the sole and inspired author of the Pentateuch (apart, of course, from the description of his death in Deuteronomy 34)?

The ESV Study Bible provides a helpful answer that accounts for both of these convictions:

The panoramic view of creation in ch. 1 is immediately followed by a complementary account of the sixth day that zooms in on the creation of the human couple, who are placed in the garden of Eden. In style and content this section differs significantly from the previous one; it does not contradict anything in ch. 1, but as a literary flashback it supplies more detail about what was recorded in 1:27. The picture of a sovereign, transcendent deity is complemented by that of a God who is both immanent and personal. The two portrayals of God balance each other, together providing a truer and richer description of his nature than either does on its own. In a similar way, whereas ch. 1 emphasizes the regal character of human beings, ch. 2 highlights their priestly status. (Note on Gen. 2:4-25)

Pentateuch scholar John Sailhamer has a similar take on it (I do not agree with all he says about Creation, but he is helpful here):

It seems apparent that the author intends the second chapter to be read closely with the first and that each chapter be identified as part of the same event. Thus the author explicitly retuns to the place and time of chapter 1 at the point where he links it to chapter 2: “When the Lord God made the land and the sky” (2:4b). It is likely that the author’s central theological interests in chapter 1 would be continued in chapter 2 as well--the theme of humanity’s creation in the “image of God.” Thus we may expect to find in chapter 2 a continuation of the theme of the “likeness” between humankind and the Creator. (The Pentateuch As Narrative, 97)

I trust you are enjoying this Visual Theology series of infographics as much as I am. The series has now visited the ordo salutis, the attributes of God, the books of the Bible, Philippians 4:8, the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, Philippians 2:5-11, the Old Testament tabernacle, the fruit of the Spirit, Reformed Theology and the One Anothers of the New Testament. Today it continues with a look at the atonement.

The atonement is the work Jesus Christ accomplished in his life and death to earn salvation for others. This atonement is penal and substitutionary, paying the penalty due to sinners and substituting one person in place of others. Today’s infographic explains that work of atonement.

(Click on the thumbnail image below to see the complete infographic)

If you are after a high-res version, you can have it here in JPG format (7 MB). Please feel free to download, copy, email, share, or print the graphic; I just ask that you don't sell it.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment. Several more are already in development.

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past week or two.

Letters from the Front: J. Gresham Machen’s Correspondence from World War 1 transcribed and edited by Barry Waugh - “Never before published, here is a glimpse into the formative years of a great campaigner for the faith … and a stirring example of how the faith of a seminary professor was refined and strengthened through the trials of war.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Did God Really Say? edited by David Garner - “The church's historical belief in the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Scripture as God's written Word is being assaulted from without and from within. In this book, seven scholars from Covenant Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary confront and repel many of these attacks. Reasoning clearly, cogently, and carefully, they show that the historical doctrine of Scripture is what Scripture teaches about itself, and that this teaching can meet and defeat the ungodly intellectual schemes brought against it.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

1 Samuel (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Richard Phillips - “As are all the books in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, this exposition of 1 Samuel is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series provides exposition that gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ thorugh the lens of redemptive history, and apples the Bible to our contemporary setting.” I love this series of commentaries! (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

8:28: Unlocking God’s Promise by Bryan Hughes - “With practical applications from other passages of Scripture, Bryan shows readers that Romans 8:28 gives answers to the biggest and most perplexing questions in life.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

The Big Fight edited by Tim Thornborough and Richard Perkins - “Christian men are in a battle where the stakes are high and the enemy is strong. There is a trinity of evil at work in the world that will knock us out of the fight if it can. This short, punchy and practical book will help believing blokes of all ages and from all walks of life to contend for the faith against these aggressive opponents.” (Learn more and shop at The Good Book Company)

I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I've collected over the past few weeks.

Subversive Kingdom by Ed Stetzer. Reviewed by Mark Tubbs. “An unrelenting manifesto for sold-out allegiance to, and activity on behalf of, the one true King of kings and Lord of lords. … Using a selection of Jesus’ parables as source texts, Stetzer shows just how subversive Jesus’ teachings were…and are, for they remain eminently applicable to twenty-first century Christian life.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Killing Calvinism by Greg Dutcher. Reviewed by Mike Leake. “Every Calvinist needs to read this book, whether you're a new member to club Calvin or you've been a Calvinist longer than Charlton Heston has been Moses.  Even those that are non-Calvinist ought to read this book and see the heart of many within the Reformed/Calvinistic movement.  We truly do want to live out the doctrines of grace as Greg Dutcher describes in this book.  When we don't it's not a fault of the "system" but of our own hearts.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon) 

Equipping Counselors for Your Church by Robert Kellemen. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong. “A much-needed book. It's practical, helpful and thorough advice offers a strong vision for every-member, one-another ministry--one where every member of the church really is a disciple maker. I'd encourage any church leader to read this book if you're at all considering incorporating biblical counseling into your ministry--it will take some time, but it will be a blessing to you and your congregation.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

This is the sixth installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, and Fall.

Why is it that after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and incurred the just penalty of death, they did not immediately die? What enabled them to go on living to enjoy the many of the benefits of life for years afterward (food, marriage, sex, children, etc.)? And why do so many sinners today enjoy those same benefits, even those who will never believe?

In general, we can answer by pointing to grace—a fitting description for every one of God’s blessing, each of which is, by very definition, undeserved. However, because the grace we are talking about here is poured out “on the just and on the unjust” (that is, on both believers and unbelievers—see Matthew 5:45), and since it is of a different kind than the other manifestations of grace we read about in Scripture (e. g. forgiveness of sin, adoption into the family of God, eternal life in heaven--that is, special grace, or graces related to redemption), theologians have found it helpful to distinguish this as common grace. It is common in that it extends to all people without distinction just as the common room at a university is accessible to every student.

As Wayne Grudem succintly defines it in his excellent Systematic Theology, “Common grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.” Berkhof tells us what such grace accomplishes: “[It] curbs the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men.” Thus common grace encompasses not only physical blessings like rain and food and health, but also blessings in the areas of intellect, morality, creativity, society, and religion. Like all grace, all undeserved favor, it is meant to point us to our kind, loving Creator.

A couple of weeks ago I offered a series of bullet points on the subject of death. I guess it’s no less strange to equate bullet points with marriage. Nevertheless, according to the Bible, marriage is…

…Instituted by God, Uniting One Man and One Woman

Matthew 19:4-6 - “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh' [Genesis 2:24]? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

…A Portrait of Christ and His Bride, the Church

Ephesians 5:31-32 - “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ [Genesis 2:24]. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

…To Be Honored

Hebrews 13:4 - “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

…A Source of Trouble, Divided Interests, and Anxiety

1 Corinthians 7:28, 33-34 - “But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. … But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.”

…Not Every Person’s Calling

1 Corinthians 7:7-8 - “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.”

…Meant to Be Permanent in This Life

Mark 10:11-12 - “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (cf. Luke 16:18; Matthew 19:8-9; Romans 7:2-3)

…Impermanent in Eternity

Matthew 22:30 - “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (cf. Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35-36)

…Fulfilled In Christ’s Return

Revelation 19:6-9 -

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure’--

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

There are many, many resources available to us if we wish to teach our children their Bible stories so they can live moral and upright lives. We can teach them to be like Noah, that man of great faith who endured years of scorn before finally receiving vindication; we can teach them that David trusted God and marched into battle against the giant and that they, too, can face their own giants. The stories and morals are easy to find. It is far more difficult to find resources that will go from these stories to the cross—that will set these stories in the context of the great story.

It used to be difficult. In the past couple of years we’ve seen quite a few excellent products hit the market that focus on finding gospel in the stories. Here are four of them, each of which is meant to be used as curriculum for a church’s children’s program. Along with the leader of our children’s ministry at church, I have been looking at these programs and have found it very difficult to choose from among them. Each looks just as good as the one before it.

The Gospel Story for Kids

The Gospel Story for Kids is produced by New Growth Press and is based on books by Marty Machowski. It begins at the preschool level and extends to older elementary children. The curriculum comes with a long list of endorsments that includes Joshua Harris, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Tedd Tripp, Susan Hunt and many others. Here is a brief description:

The Gospel Story for Kids is a unique, three-year program that helps churches and families ground children in the gospel story from Genesis to Revelation. Children who began this program at age three will have learned and absorbed the gospel story from Genesis to Revelation three complete times. At each age level children are taught the gospel through age-appropriate illustrations, activities, coloring pages, object lessons, and memorization using the Gospel Story Sunday school curriculum, an illustrated children's storybook Bible, The Gospel Story Bible, and two family-friendly devotionals, Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God (OT) and Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God (NT-available October 2012).

I am currently reading The Gospel Story Bible with my two girls (aged 6 and 9) and we are all enjoying it. With just about every story Machowski looks to the big story, pointing forward to the cross again and again.

The Gospel Project

The Gospel Project is a brand new resource from Lifeway that is launching for the fall season. It has modules for children, students and adults and is thus suitable for all ages. It was developed under the leadership of Trevin Wax and Ed Stetzer and has an advisory counsel that includes D.A. Carson, Matt Chandler and several others.

Some people see the Bible as a collection of stories with morals for life application. But it is so much more than that. Sure, the Bible has some stories in it, but it is also full of poetry, history, codes of law and civilization, songs, prophecy, letters -- even a love letter. When you tie it all together, something remarkable happens. A story is revealed. One story. The story of redemption through Jesus.

The Gospel Project is a Christ-centered curriculum that examines the grand narrative of Scripture and how the gospel transforms the lives of those it touches. Over a three-year plan of study, each session immerses participants -- adults, students, and kids -- in the gospel through every story, theological concept, and call to missions from Genesis to Revelation.

If you sign up to be part of their pilot project, you will receive the first month of the program for free.