Category: Theology/Christian Living Page 3 of 33

by O. Palmer Robertson

eARC, 432 pg.
P&R Publishing, 2017

Read: May 7 – 21, 2017

Robertson’s preface laments the way that the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is usually ignored in Redemptive-Historical studies —

…how do you fit these wisdom books into the flow of redemptive history that consummates in the Christ? By letting them be what they are in their own distinctiveness. They are, it should be remembered, canonical, divinely revealed, and authoritative writings that tell the world how and what to think about the deeper mysteries of human life. Rather than submitting to the moldings and bendings of modernity, these books broaden our understanding of the nature of redemptive history. Divine progress in the complete restoration of reality does not merely move in a purely linear fashion like the flight of an arrow moving across time and space without deviation until it reaches its target. This “third dimension” of redemptive history moves in a cyclical pattern. For certain aspects of God’s salvation perform according to a pattern of regulated repetition.

To ignore this dimension of redemptive history is to exclude a major portion of the old covenant canon—and that you do not want to do.

So how do you discuss these books from a RH point of view? This is what Robertson seeks to do in this book — not as a final answer, but as the beginning of a search for wisdom along these paths.

In one sense, Robertson could’ve made this easier to talk about this book — there’s not one central argument developed throughout. There’s a general discussion (brief) of wisdom, wisdom Biblically defined, that is. And then using that discussion, Robertson looks at the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (and Lamentations, which is not usually considered Wisdom Literature, but can function as such), summarizing each book, looking at the various forms of wisdom described and passed on through it.

Simply,

Wisdom is the ability to understand the basic principles inherent in God’s created order, and to live by those principles. Wisdom enables a person to summarize these basic principles in a succinct and memorable fashion. Wisdom is living out the whole of life with a constant awareness of accountability before a loving, gracious, and just Creator and Redeemer.

The work he does to get to this summary is well worth the time and effort to work through. Actually, that goes for everything in the book, but I’ll hold off on saying that kind of thing for a few paragraphs.

The chapter on Proverbs is, fittingly, the longest and most developed. He discusses various approaches to the book, to understanding its construction and from there trying to understand it:

A much more accurate view of the theology of Proverbs may be gained from a covenantal perspective. The wise sayings of the book are not presented in a vacuum. They are not purely moralistic aphorisms. Instead, they are steeped in theistic assumptions. These wise observations about how the world works assume that God the Creator is none other than Yahweh, the Lord of the Covenant.

This, right here, would help so much of what I’ve read about Proverbs over the last few decades. To get into everything that Robertson says about the pursuit of Wisdom, passing it on and living by it from this book would make this post unbearably long — but it builds the foundation for everything that comes. Proverbs covers Wisdom as a whole — the rest of the book deals with it in specific areas.

While dealing with the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, Robertson gives an excursus, “Athanasius as the Champion of the opponents of Arianism,” that is just gold. I’d love to see this developed into something longer.

Following Proverbs, he moves on to Job. Job doesn’t give us the answers to the puzzling circumstances of life, but for those who understand the book, they learn how to puzzle through the circumstances, how to think about them — how to ask God about them. Yes, there are answers given in the book — not easy answers, not the answers anyone necessarily wants, but answers — answers tied to the hope of the Resurrection. But wisdom knows to look for those answers in the difficulties of life, with a sure faith that is willing to look at dark circumstances and say, “I don’t know why this is happening, but I trust in Him Who does.”

Ecclesiastes, is, naturally, a tricky chapter — Robertson threw me a curveball when setting aside the usual discussion of authorship of the book to note

But a related question of some significance for understanding the book has been generally neglected. This neglected question is the identity of the “target audience”of Ecclesiastes.

Chewing on this a little helps get through some of the discussion of authorship. There are so many divergent readings of Ecclesiastes that your head can swim just trying to get a sense of them, Robertson is a pretty sure guide through them before landing on his conclusion that Ecclesiastes presents a “realistic picture of life” — one that is a precursor to Paul’s discussion in Romans 8, where creation is subjected to frustration, but that this is being renewed. I do think this chapter could’ve been organized in a more straight-forward way, but I appreciate the way that Robertson makes you work through various considerations and themes before leading to his conclusions — which are all very helpful.

His discussion of Lamentations, summed up in the subtitle “How to Weep,” was one of the best things I’ve read on the book (an admittedly too-short list). You may think that’s a pretty easy thing to learn — but there’s a wise way, a godly way to weep over the tragedies that will come into our lives. The book of Lamentations teaches us that — and, here’s the RH emphasis coming through — there’s a hope tied to the wise weeping. A hope tied to faith in God’s commitment to preserving a repentant people to Himself.

Lastly, we get to the wisdom of “How to Love” (in a marital sense) in the Song of Songs. The way he reads the book is a “Redemptive-Historical” way, in

terms of the redemptive work of God in restoring humanity to the situation prevailing at the time of creation . . . a restoration of the initial blessing of man and woman in their relation to each other, just as when they first stood in each other’s presence “both naked” but feeling “no shame” (Gen. 2:25). This Song rejoices in the fullness of God’s redemption of the marriage relationship.

He concludes this chapter uniquely, with a script for a Dramatic Reading of the Song of Songs — I think there could’ve been a bit more instruction on how to approach such a Reading — and why — than he gave. But I really appreciated that part.

He could’ve used a conclusion to wrap things up — returning to the closing admonition of the opening chapter. But that’s probably just a taste thing on my part.

There’s a focus on the literary/poetic forms in each book tying in the themes and teachings of them to the way the author presents them. This kind of discussion — no matter the type of literature (inspired or not) always stretches me. I imagine I’m not alone in that — in fact, I bet many people will skip those parts. This is to their own detriment. Robertson discusses these matters in a way that takes some effort to understand, but it’s effort that pays off.

This is a truly helpful book — not full-fledged commentaries on any of the books, but helpful summaries pointed towards seeing the wisdom passed down in each book, and tied into the Redemptive work going on in history all around us. I found it interesting that the recent A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament doesn’t approach some of these books the same way as Robertson — in some ways flatly contradicting him. I’d hoped for more overlap between the two works approaching this material from the same framework — but none of the contradictions or differences change the overall message of the Biblical material, just shadings. Honestly, in each case, I think Robertson’s readings are easier to square with the texts in consideration (and not just because he has more pages to develop his points, either).

Robertson, as always, delivers the goods with this book. The reader has to think about what he says, has to drag out their Bible and use the two books together, but will ultimately come out the better for it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful, insightful and something that drove me back to the fullness and fulfillment of all the wisdom of God — Jesus the Messiah. Just where Robertson wants his readers to focus.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from P&R Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

—–

4 Stars

REPOST: Christ of the Consummation, Vol. 1 by O. Palmer Robertson: The Beginning of A Wonderful Trilogy

By HCNewton

On July 6, 2025

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the recently released Vol. 2 of this, so it’s obviously on my mind. In lieu of new content. How about a re-run (kids: this was a thing that used to happen to our TV shows during the summer, way back in the 20th Century).

Christ of the Consummation:
A New Testament Biblical Theology
Volume 1: The Testimony of
the Four Gospels

by O. Palmer Robertson

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 321 pg.
Read Date: August 7-28, 2022

In these new phases of redemptive history, the heart of the revelation does not change, but it broadens and deepens in the realities of the truth. Jesus Christ is the same, but his church, his precious bride, is being built by the addition of nations being born in a day as a consequence of Christ’s pouring out the gifts of his Spirit on all flesh. The kingdom of God has come and continues to come. The kingdom of God is yet to come. It will arrive in all its fullness on that day, the great judgment day, the day of resurrection and restoration of all things. To God be the glory for the things he has done, is doing, and yet will do.

What’s Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1 About?

At some point when reading Vos’ Biblical Theology most readers like me* start to wonder, “How is he doing to have time to cover the New Testament? While Vos doesn’t give his readers the same kind of insight into the history of revelation of the NT as he does the OT, he does set out some principles. Robert’s work is the first book-length attempt to apply Vos’ directions to apply his method to the NT (actually, the first of three book-length attempts).

That’d be people who didn’t know what was coming from pre-knowledge about the book or reading the Table of Contents.

He begins by stating the difference between the two works—there are centuries upon centuries of history of OT revelation, and a maximum of one from the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary to the end of John’s writing on Patmos. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no development, but how best to approach that? Robertson focuses on three distinctives in his approach:

Retracing the Historical Progression across the Various Phases of New Covenant Revelation as the Organizing Principle
The Foundational Role of the Old Covenant Scriptures
Contemporary [to their writing] Application of New Testament Biblical Theology

With these distinctives in mind, Robertson looks at material concerning Jesus’ self-testimony; various phases of His life and work; the progressive revelation of the Kingdom during His life; His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension; and then he moves into closer looks at the various Gospels individually and corporately.

An Unexpected Bonus

A number of times throughout the text Robertson will hit pause on his exegetical work, the historical reflections, or the interpretative/theological conclusions from those, to offer application to the lives and hearts of the reader. Sometimes a broader or more general call and sometimes it’s a narrow focus. I really didn’t expect these at all, and I almost never saw them coming when he did pause for one. But I appreciated them all and found them to be a real enhancement to the work.

So, what did I think about Christ of the Consummation, Volume 1?

I’m clearly not qualified to evaluate Robertson’s application of Vos, but people like D.A. Carson and Richard Gaffin are, so I’ll take their word for it. Sure, they wrote the forward and a “further word” for this book, so it’s not like we’re talking about impartial evaluations.

Nor am I capable of—or willing to—give this a good and thorough review/evaluation. Although I do wish I could. So let me offer a few thoughts from my perspective as a lay reader. And I do think this is a book written with the layman in mind—it’s not a casual read by any means, but it is not a book solely for scholars.

I’m not sure I’ve read a Christian book this year that has made me think more, read slower/closer, and pushed my thinking more. It’s also been the most rewarding and I think it will prove the most fecund for my future reading, study, and devotion.

At the same time, the number of times that I read something I don’t think I’d ever been exposed to, or that was wholly novel to me is so small as to be negligible. This is not to say that it was all review or that he didn’t make me stop and think for a minute or ten to consider a point before moving on. But on the whole, it’s a reframing and refocusing of many things I’ve read in lay-friendly works or heard in sermons/lectures. It’s not “here’s a whole new way to read/think about the Gospels”—and Robertson would be the last to want something like that. Instead, this is a “here’s a way to profitably consider the way these things were revealed” and “here’s how the Gospels build upon one another and build up each other.”

I’m already trying to figure out when I can get in a re-read without ruining plans for next year—possibly in combination with a re-read of Vos’ Biblical Theology so I can more directly see for myself the connections between the two works and Vos’ influence.

This is the first in a trilogy—if the rest of the trilogy is as good as this one, the series will likely end up on shelves everywhere next to Vos. I know I’m already ready to dive into the next volume.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis: Do you listen to the angels on the outskirts?

By HCNewton

On June 29, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Fantasy, K-O, Theology/Christian Living

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

The Great Divorce

by C. S. Lewis

DETAILS:
Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Company
Publication Date: 1946
Format: Paperback
Length: 128
Read Date: June 22, 2025

“Then those people are right who say tht Heaven and Hell are only states of mind?”

“Hush,” said he sternly. “Do not blaspheme. Hell is a state of mind—ye never said a truer word, And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind—is, in the end, Hell. But Heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself. All that is fully real is Heavenly. For all that can be shaken will be shaken and only the unshakable remains.”

Sixpence None the Richer’s “Soul”

Since 1994 (two or three years after I read this for the first time) I haven’t been able to think about, much less read, this book without thinking of this song. So why not let you have it run through your head as you read this?

What’s The Great Divorce About?

The conceit of this book is that C.S. Lewis is granted a vision in a dream of the afterlife. He starts out in a miserable place, full of people that could best be described as miserable (although that might be being too kind). He sees a bunch of them waiting for a bus, and since that’s pretty much the only people he can see around, he joins the queue. Before he knows it, he gets one of the last remaining seats.

After a couple of really unpleasant interactions with fellow passengers, the bus comes to a stop and everyone disembarks. They’re near some trees, but mostly there’s a large amount of grassy land near a cliff. Everyone kind of separates and walks around, while others come from a distance toward them. The best way that Lewis can come up with to describe these people is “Bright Ones” or “Solid People.”

They seem more solid and bright than anyone else—who now pretty much seem like disembodied ghosts to Lewis. Meanwhile, the grass is intensely hard and sharp; the trees and rocks are similarly “more real.” Once the Bright Ones arrive, they all head off to talk to individual ghosts—and the interactions that Lewis watches/overhears, the interactions aren’t all that pleasant.

The Bright Ones, it should be stressed, aren’t the problems. They’re patient, kind, and entirely honest. The Ghosts, on the other hand, are nasty, defensive, selfish, and seem to go out of their way to twist the words of the Bright Ones. The Bright Ones are trying to convince the Ghosts to leave these problems—and so many others behind, so they can find true happiness and forgiveness in the City.

Lewis watches some of these, and then is met by his own Bright One, who answers some questions for him about what’s going on.

Okay, that’s more of a summary than I typically give—but the meat of the book isn’t in that outline, it’s in the individual interactions between Bright Ones and the Ghosts.

“The Transmortal Conditions”

In his Preface, Lewis stresses that this book is a Fantasy, sure, it’s one with a moral—but it’s Fantasy. “The transmortal conditions are solely an imaginative supposal; they are not even a guess or a speculation of what may actually await us.”

That’s for the best because there are many problems with his vision of the realms—but at the same time, he does a wonderful job of depicting them

The loneliness of Hell/Purgatory* and how the denizens exacerbate the problem continuously to their own detriment is utterly fantastic. Even better is the hyper reality of the outskirts of the City and the Bright Ones. Lewis said he got the idea from some article he read by an American whose name he’d forgotten years before.

Between this book and Perelandra, I’m starting to come to the conclusion that Lewis’ best writing is reserved for him trying to capture Paradise and relate it to his readers. He falls short, obviously, but the way he does communicate either the area around Heaven or a Pre-Fall Venus are so fantastic that I find myself trying to describe the ineffable.

* It’s Hell for those who don’t take the opportunity to repent, Purgatory for those who do. An intriguing way to be able to placate either the Roman Catholic or Protestant in his readership.

George MacDonald

On one of the rocks sat a very tall man, almost a giant, with a flowing beard. I had not yet looked one of the Solid People in the face. Now, when I did so, I discovered that one sees them with a kind of double vision. Here was an enthroned and shining god, whose ageless spirit weighed upon mine like a burden of solid gold: and yet, at the very same moment, here was an old weather-beaten man, one who might have been a shepherd—such a man as tourists think simple because he is honest and neighbours think “deep” for the same reason. His eyes had the farseeing look of one who has lived long in open, solitary places; and somehow I divined the network of wrinkles which must have surrounded them before re-birth had washed him in immortality.

Among the many things I forgot about this book is the way that MacDonald serves as Virgil, guiding Lewis around the area, answering many of the questions he has about what he’s seeing and experiencing. Having read Surprised by Joy pretty recently, when he goes into what kind of impact MacDonald made on him really helped underline this part for me.

When so many of the other Ghosts had Bright Spirits appear to them that were someone important to them—mostly family members, Lewis (who isn’t quite a Ghost, but is largely treated as one) gets an author who was instrumental in laying the groundwork for his conversion. A great choice, and a very honest/self-revelatory one.

So, what did I think about The Great Divorce?

Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened

I absolutely loved this. I remembered liking it, but I was just blown away this read-through.

Yes, I’d quibble with some of the theology here—Lewis and I aren’t going to see eye-to-eye on many things until we both arrive in the City to be corrected (and neither of us will care about that then). But this isn’t a systematic theology, it’s a Fantasy story with apologetic aims. As such, it’s wonderful. And, I’m never going to sneeze at the chance to read Lewis describing a paradise.

And this is not an apologetic work in the way most of his are—he’s not trying to make a case for the thoughtfulness of Christianity, the reasonableness in the belief in miracles, or anything like that. He’s looking at the core of people, how they think; how they react; how in every thought, word, and deed they are selfish; it’s all about self-interest, self-importance, self-worth. They may try to dress it up somehow, but eventually—even if it’s just for a moment, it’s about them. Seeing myself in these ghosts—I assume that most readers do—is not unlike seeing yourself in the words of advice that Screwtape gives to his nephew. Neither is a pleasant experience, but the mirror that Lewis holds before his readers is pretty clear.

Of the works by Lewis that I’ve read this year, this is his best writing, his most subtle thinking, his most heart-opening thoughts. I heartily encourage this one to those who are curious—even if just for the Fantasy of it all.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis: A Portrait of a Reader/Thinker as a Young Man

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2025

In (Auto)Biography, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

by C. S. Lewis

DETAILS:
 Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company
Publication Date: 1984
Format: Paperback
Length: 238 pg.
Read Date: May 10-25, 2025

The reader who finds these three episodes of no interest need read this book no further, for in a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else. For those who are still disposed to proceed I will only underline the quality common to the three experiences; it is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again. Apart from that, and considered only in its quality, it might almost equally well be called a particular kind of unhappiness or grief. But then it is a kind we want. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.

What’s Surprised by Joy About?

This is a look at the early part of Lewis’ life—his childhood, education (in boarding schools primarily), his acceptance to Oxford—and taking time off to serve in WWI—then returning and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

As he puts it in the preface,

This book is written partly in answer to requests that I would tell how I passed from Atheism to Christianity and partly to correct one or two false notions that seem to have got about. How far the story matters to anyone but myself depends on the degree to which others have experienced what I call “joy.”…The book aims at telling the story of my conversion and is not a general autobiography.

He’s not striving to be exhaustive, but to tell us enough that we understand what he was going through and how his education/experiences helped shape his mind for converting.

Endless Books

I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distan; noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books. My father bought all the books he read and never got rid of any of them. There were books in the study, books in the drawing room, books in the cloakroom, books (two deep) in the great bookcase on the landing, books in a bedroom, books piled as high as my shoulder in the cistern attic, books of all kinds reflecting every transient stage of my parents’ interest, books readable and unreadable, books suitable for a child and books most emphatically not. Nothing was forbidden me. In the seemingly endless rainy afternoons I took volume after volume from the shelves. I had always the same certainty of finding a book that was new to me as a man who walks into a field has of finding a new blade of grass.

Just about anyone who takes the time to read this post is going to resonate with that quotation. Possibly be envious of that kind of childhood.

That’s one thing that comes through in clarity through this book—he is the product of so many books. So much of his experiences are shaped by, illustrated by, and reflected in what he reads—particularly what he returns to.

Yes, there’s some creative work. Some dry education. A lot of emotional development (largely phrased in other terms). Even a little socialization outside of his father, brother, and instructors—but really not much outside of that until Oxford.

What’s there throughout it all? Books. Hard not to identify with a guy like that.

So, what did I think about Surprised by Joy?

I was at this time living, like so many Atheists or Antitheists, in a whirl of contradictions. I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world.

Sure, it’s about his early years. But I think the emphasis was on the wrong bits. I know, it’s not my life, he knows what got him to the point he was trying to focus on better than I do. But if the book “aims at telling the story of my conversion,” I really don’t see it.

It happens so quickly, with little fanfare leading up to it—it reminded me of one of those books where you stop a sentence or two after something happens, “Wait, did X just die?” That’s an exaggeration in this case, but not by much.

More of his WWI experience, more about the wrestling with ideas in Oxford. More showing the kind of thinking he encourages others to do about their faith/lack thereof, would be a plus.

Is it a good look at Lewis’ early life? Yes. Does it contain some of his best turns of phrase? Yeah, I think so. Does it deliver on what he aimed to? I really don’t think so. I recommend it for someone who wants to know more about the man—just come in with the proper expectations.

3 Stars

The Core of the Christian Faith by Michael W. Goheen: How (and why) to Be Salt and Light Today

By HCNewton

On June 8, 2025

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Core of the Christian Faith: Living the Gospel for the Sake of the World

by Michael W. Goheen

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 256 pg.
Read Date: March 30-April 13, 2025

What’s The Core of the Christian Faith About?

This work lays out some concrete steps for the Church to disciple her members to help those around them—for the sake of the Gospel, and because of the mission to be salt and light that we’ve been given.

He starts with tracing the Biblical narrative—how Abraham was called to be a light to the nations, how the rest of the Old Testament showed Israel’s successes and failures to live that mission. Then he shows how that looks in the New Testament. With that as the background, Goheen then calls us to—and shows us ways to—bring this to life in our contemporary Church and Culture.

Let me show you the Table of Contents for a clearer look at how Goheen goes about things:

Contents

1. An Opening Appeal
2. Reading the Bible as Jesus Did
Part 1: The Gospel of the Kingdom
3. What Is the Gospel?
4. The True Context of the Gospel
5. The Whole Truth of the Gospel
6. Continuing in the Gospel
Part 2: The Biblical Story
7. Israel’s Story, Part 1: The Book of Moses
8. Israel’s Story, Part 2: Life in the Land
9. The End of the Story, Part 1: Jesus
10. The End of the Story, Part 2: Mission and Consummation
11. The Urgency of Reading the Bible as One Story
Part 3: God’s Missional People
12. The Missional Vocation of God’s People
13. A Missional People Today, Part 1: Scattered Life
14. A Missional People Today, Part 2: Gathered Life
Part 4: A Missionary Encounter with Culture
15. A Missionary Encounter with Western Culture Today
16. The Story of the West
17. The Spirit of Postmodernity
18. The Spirit of Economic Modernity
19. The Spirit of Consumerism
20. A Closing Appeal

Highlights

As I will say later, almost all of the book is a highlight—if there are any places I would quibble with his argument or the way he’s making it, they’re so minor as to be ignored.

Still, I think Parts 3 and 4 are the most vital/urgent segments of the book—I’d call out chapters 13 and 14 for particular notice. They’re just fantastic (and that’s the best I can do without reproducing his argument without his detail, so what’s the point?).

This is not me saying that you’d be okay skipping the first two parts—you need the foundation to really appreciate the flow of his argument. But most readers aren’t going to learn a lot from them—very similar tracings of the Biblical story are told elsewhere, perhaps not with Goheen’s particular angle, insight, or drive—but still, you’re going to feel like you’re on familiar ground.

Cultural Sanctification

Last year, when I talked about Stephen O. Presley’s Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World Like the Early Church, I said:

His position is, to over-simplify: through a focus on catechesis (or, if you prefer, discipleship) and liturgy (or, if you prefer, worship) the Church was able to build identity and community, able to live out the lives they were called to and to impact—slowly and organically—the culture around them.

What Presley was calling the Church to (back to) by looking at the Early Church, is pretty much what Goheen is calling the Church to through his biblical and theological work. It struck me more than once that these two books were echoing each other.

I thought it was important for Presley to say what he said, and I think the same for Goheen’s work.

A Feature or a Bug?

Goheen is clearly part of the Reformed stream of Protestantism—and he doesn’t seem that shy about it. That said, there is little (if anything) distinctively Reformed about this book and what he’s calling the evangelical church to.

This is a bug in that it robs his message of much of its power, particularly when it comes to Reformed worship or sacramentology. Both of those could really augment his call to action, reminding his readers of the ways that the Lord equips His Church for their mission.

On the other hand, there’s nothing here that will put off the non-Reformed reader. And I think that’s the point, a (somewhat) watered-down vision for the mission of the Church in favor of a wider audience.

I do think the book would be stronger if there was a full-throated Reformed thrust to the argument. But I’m not sure how much stronger it would be—nor am I sure if it would be worth it. There’s nothing here to stop a Reformed reader from endorsing the argument, and there’s no roadblock for someone who is trying really hard not to be Reformed to endorse it, either.

So, what did I think about The Core of the Christian Faith?

Early on, I wrote a note that I could easily highlight this whole book—and resolved to restrain myself*. I’m not sure how well that worked, I have 21 pages worth of quotations/notes in this 256 page book. Here’s where I, the publisher, and you are all very happy that I don’t have a published copy to quote from. This would be a long post.

* And partway through Chapter 13, I said, “It would be easy to highlight entire chapters of this book.” It’s good to see that even if I don’t remember what I noted, I was at least consistent.

I thought this was insightful, visionary, and a clarion call to the Church—in her Reformed, Evangelical, or other streams. Yes, the idea of missiological churches seems to be passé—mostly because it was overused (and often used incorrectly). But that doesn’t mean the need for missiological churches is gone—it’s just that we’re tired of talking about it. Hopefully, Goheen and like-minded people will help us get over it (or will find a new label for us to embrace while sticking with the same ideas).

Early on, Goheen states that this book is intended to be a shorter book at a more popular level than some of his other work. Now, it’s been nine years since I read his A Light to the Nations, but I don’t remember it being at a particularly non-popular level (but I don’t know about his other work), so that struck me as an odd comment. Regardless, this is an easy-to-approach book. But it’s not an easy read—it will make you think. It will make you reconsider some things. It will encourage you to act.

None of these things are drawbacks—far from it. But one shouldn’t pick this up and think that you’ll breeze through it.

I strongly encourage the reader to pick this up and chew on the ideas—and may it spur you to action, for the sake of the world.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Brazos Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 Stars

Rift by Cait West: An Important and Moving Story, That Didn’t Completely Work for Me

By HCNewton

On May 18, 2025

In (Auto)Biography, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Rift:
A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy

by Cait West

DETAILS:
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Length: 226 pg.
Read Date: March 23-30, 2025

What’s Rift About?

A gripping memoir about coming of age in the stay-at-home daughter movement and the quest to piece together a future on your own terms.

Raised in the Christian patriarchy movement, Cait West was homeschooled and could only wear clothes her father deemed modest. She was five years old the first time she was told her swimsuit was too revealing, to go change. There would be no college in her future, no career. She was a stay-at-home daughter and would move out only when her father allowed her to become a wife. She was trained to serve men, and her life would never be her own.

Until she escaped.

In Rift, Cait West tells a harrowing story of chaos and control hidden beneath the facade of a happy family. Weaving together lyrical meditations on the geology of the places her family lived with her story of spiritual and emotional manipulation as a stay-at-home daughter, Cait creates a stirring portrait of one young woman’s growing awareness that she is experiencing abuse. With the ground shifting beneath her feet, Cait mustered the courage to break free from all she’d ever known and choose a future of her own making.

Rift is a story of survival. It’s also a story about what happens after you survive. With compassion and clarity, Cait explores the complex legacy of patriarchal religious trauma in her life, including the ways she has also been complicit in systems of oppression. A remarkable literary debut, Rift offers an essential personal perspective on the fraught legacy of purity culture and recent reckonings with abuse in Christian communities.

“Lyrical Meditations on the Geology…”

I really didn’t intended on talking about this, but reading that line in the jacket copy drives me to it. Every time West started talking about the geology, in using contintental rifts as a metaphor for what was going on in her family, and so on–I rolled my eyes.

It was clear what she was doing, but there was no subtlety to it. I’m not trying to say that this kind of thing should be subtle, but it shouldn’t be so heavy-handed and artless. It just came across as pretentious.

Critiquing Patriarchy

I picked this book up because I heard an interview with West and was intrigued by her–when I heard that she had a book out detailing her story in more detail than she could in 30 minutes or so. So please understand, I have very little sympathy for those who would be considered–by themselves or others–part of the Christian patriarchy movement. But I don’t think this book is an effective critique of it.

I do think it’s a tragic case study into what this movement can do, and has done, in one family. And it is easy–maybe too easy–to critique what this father did to his children. It’s hard to see the things that were experienced by others nearby–who thought similarly, but not necessarily identically to, this man.

So, what did I think about Rift?

This is an accessible read–frequently powerful. I do wish that West had curbed her attempts at artistic flair. I also wish that she’d done a more thorough job of trying to show how her father’s beliefs and behaviors lined up with others, and were linked to specific teachings by particular individuals rather than just a vague guilt by association.

I fully believe that documentation could be made, let me stress. But for what are probably good reasons. I don’t get them–but I assume she had them. If for nothing else, it’d change this from a memoir into some other kind of thing. I guess I’d hoped for that something else–a memoir +.

But it’s Cait West’s story, hers to tell how she wants. For this reader, it wasn’t enough. But I’m probably in the minority.

It took a lot for her to put this together–to expose the pain. My problems aren’t with her or what she said. Simply the experience as a reader.

3 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: The Ten Commandments by Kevin DeYoung: A Warm, Engaging Study of God’s Revealed Will

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2025

In Theology/Christian Living

Well, I ran out of time to finish a post about a book I read this year about the Commandments, so…let’s dust this off.

The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them

by Kevin DeYoung

eARC, 208 pg.
Crossway, 2018
Read: September 23, 2018

My initial thought when I saw this book was: do we need another popular-level work on The Ten Commandments? We’ve got so many already, like: Ryken’s Written in Stone, Horton’s The Law of Perfect Freedom, Packer’s Growing in Christ. We’ve got Douma’s, Watson’s and Durham’s (newly republished) on the heavier end of the spectrum, too. Why bring out a new book by DeYoung? Still, I was intrigued, so I requested a copy.

Not too surprisingly, I’m glad I did. This is typical DeYoung: a strong, affectionate, orthodox take on the Law delivered in a very accessible and affable manner. He made me think, he made me reconsider a thing or two, and he reminded me of a few things I needed reminding of.

He begins this work against the framework of the secular “anything goes” point of view, where everything certainly does not go — as much as we as a culture might rail against an external source of morality — there are things that simply cannot be said or done. Giving us a choice between humanity’s unwritten, assumed code — or God’s revealed will. DeYoung then goes on to list reasons for the study as well as the following of God’s Law.

The other important groundwork comes from the midst of his very strong chapter on the First Commandment in which he describes the role of the Law for New Covenant believers. It’s still applicable, still binding — just in a different manner. I think this could’ve been developed more — maybe in its own chapter, but what we got here was good. I do particularly appreciate his metaphor of transposition. The Law in the New Covenant is the same for believers as it was in the Old, it’s just in a different key.

Following the introduction where he lays out his framework, DeYoung turns to consider the commandments individually. This is the bulk of — and the heart of — the book, with a chapter devoted to each commandment. If the book has any value, it’ll be found here, and there’s a lot of it to be found. I briefly considered summarizing each chapter, but why steal his thunder. Also, he’s not carving out anything new here, so there’s little need. What’s new is his expression of the timeless truths, his way of explaining and applying them. If you want a quick summary of what he’ll say about each commandment read The Heidelberg Catechism questions 92-115 or the Westminster Shorter Catechism questions 39-85, and you’ll get a pretty good idea.

Instead, I’ll just comment on a few highlights and a couple of problems I had (your mileage may vary). I found his comments regarding the Fourth Commandment to be helpful, but hesitant — in his effort to not be legalistic, or overly dogmatic, he comes across as wishy-washy. I appreciated most of what he had to say about the Second Commandment, but again, he’s hesitant enough in some of his application to stumble a bit. Which is not to say that the bulk of those chapters weren’t good and helpful — they were. I think he could’ve been more consistently so.

Conversely, the chapters on the Eighth and Tenth commandments were incredibly helpful. If you ask me, these two are where the American Church and American Christians stumble more often than we realize (or care about). Publicly, Protestants are expounding so much energy on certain applications of the Sixth and Seventh commandments that one would be tempted to think that 8-10 are concerns of the past. DeYoung doesn’t let the reader think that for an instant, and if you don’t come away from these chapters with a good dose of conviction of your own sin, you probably didn’t read it too closely.

The chapter on the Third Commandment was invaluable also. It’s far too easy for Western Christians to reduce this to “don’t be a potty mouth” and far too hard for us to really get what the importance of “name of the Lord” is. DeYoung does a yeoman’s job on both fronts and does a good job expounding the meaning of this commandment.

You’ll never walk away from any of these chapters thinking that DeYoung is writing a hellfire and brimstone jeremiad against the Church, you, or anyone. He’s sharply critical of a lot of general culture, and individual inclinations, but that’s to be expected. There’s conviction and inspiration both to be found in these pages — all delivered in DeYoung’s warm, almost conversational, style — a strong blend of wit and charm with the steel in his words. I won’t get into it, but his chapter on the Third Commandment contains one of the funniest anecdotes (more in the telling than the story) I’ve read from him. Ignoring his content for a moment, his writing style is what will keep me coming back to DeYoung’s books for years to come.

I think I’ve said before, I’m not a big one for study/discussion questions in books — I like to think the engaged reader doesn’t need them and someone leading a discussion/study of a book will be clever enough to come up with their own. But, I’m obviously swimming against the tide on this because publishers keep printing them. That said, on the whole, this is a pretty good set of questions and would help someone who likes those kind of questions for their own use or for those using the book in Family Worship, Sunday School, or Bible Study.

In the end, my question, do we need another popular-level book on The Ten Commandments? Is answered yes: we need frequent — constant — reminders of the revealed will we’ve been called to obey, so we never stop striving for that perfection and never cease calling on the Spirit’s assistance. We also need to remember how great our sin and misery are so that we constantly live lives of repentance. So bring on DeYoung’s good summary. And others as well — and we need to read them, as well as the older popular-level works. And then we need to push ourselves and read some of the less-popular level ones as well.

This is a good, short set of meditations and reflections on the perfect law, the law of liberty for a contemporary audience. It’s approachable, it’s warm, it’s pointed, and it’s Gospel-centered. It’s not perfect, but it’s good. It functions well as a refresher for those who need one, and a good starting point for their own study of The Ten Commandments. I’m buying a copy (at least one) for my personal library and will be encouraging my household to read it — and anyone else who asks.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crossway via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.

—–

4 Stars

Miracles by C.S. Lewis: A Pleasant, If Not Particularly Helpful, Read

By HCNewton

On April 13, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Further Up and Further In, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

Miracles: A Preliminary Study

by C. S. Lewis

DETAILS:
Publisher: Collier Books
Publication Date: 1960
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Length: 168 pg.
Read Date: March 2-9, 2025

…the shock comes at the precise moment when the thrill of life is communicated to us along the clue we have been following. It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. “Look out!” we cry, “it’s alive.” And therefore this is the very point at which s many draw back—I would have done so myself if I could—and proceed no further with Christianity. An “impersonal God”—well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads—better still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap—best of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband—that is quite another matter. There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at burglars hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (“Man’s search for God”!) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?

So it is a sort of Rubicon. One goes across; or not. But if one does, there is no manner of security against miracles. One may be in for anything.

What’s Miracles About?

In this book, Lewis sets out to defend the idea of miracles. The possibility of them. He flat out says he won’t defend the historicity of Christian miracles—that’s not his field (of course, neither is theology, but that doesn’t stop him). He wants to lay the groundwork. If he can convince the reader that miracles are possible—even better they expect them and appreciate the relationship between them and Christianity—well then, he hopes the reader will—like Lewis himself did—examine the claims of Christianity on a more reasonable and ready basis.

The Direction of the Argument

First, Lewis starts with Supernaturalism vs. Naturalism (and it’s here that he might be at his best for the book)

Belief in miracles, far from depending on an ignorance of the laws of nature, is only possible in so far as those laws are known. We have already seen that if you begin by ruling out the supernatural you will perceive no miracles, We must now add that you will equally perceive no miracles until you believe that nature works according to regular laws. If you have not yet noticed that the sun always rises in the East you will see nothing miraculous about his rising one morning in the West.

His point is essentially that his readers will fall into two camps: those who will refuse to accept a miracle because they can’t happen or those who are willing to accept there are—or at least might be—supernatural possibilities in the world. If you are a committed reader in the former camp, there’s nothing that Lewis can do or say to make you change your mind. He will, at least, help you to see that—and lay out the possibilities of a supernatural explanation.

If you’re open to a supernatural explanation for things—like a miracle. Then Lewis has some things he’d like to talk to you about.

…it is mere confusion of thought to suppose that advancing science has made it harder for us to accept miracles, We always knew they were contrary to the natural course of events; we know still that if there is something beyond Nature, they are possible. Those are the bare bones of the question; time and progress and science and civilisation have not altered them in the least.

Then he moves into Christian miracles—or at least the miracles that Christians claim as part of their story—their Scriptures, their religion.

…you cannot [remove miracles] with Christianity. It is precisely the story of a great Miracle. A naturalistic Christianity leaves out all that is specifically Christian.

This is, he suggests, part of the path that he took to get to where he is.

If at any point along the line of argument, Lewis loses you, he will not ask you to accept his conclusion—or at least he has no basis to do so. Otherwise…

So, what did I think about Miracles?

You are probably quite right in thinking that you will never see a miracle done: you are probably equally right in thinking that there was a natural explanation of anything in your past life which seemed, at the first glance, to be “rum” or “odd.” God does not shake miracles into Nature at random as if from a pepper-caster. They come on great occasions: they are found at the great ganglions of history—not of political or social history, but of that spiritual history which cannot be fully known by men. If your own life does not happen to be near one of those great ganglions, how should you expect to see one? If we were heroic missionaries, apostles, or martyrs, it would be a different matter. But why you or I? Unless you live near a railway, you will not see trains go past your windows. How likely is it that you or I will be present when a peace-treaty is signed, when a great scientific discovery is made, when a dictator commits suicide? That we should see a miracle is even less likely. Nor, if we understand, shall we be anxious to do so. “Nothing almost sees miracles but misery.” Miracles and martyrdoms tend to bunch about the same areas of history—areas we have naturally no wish to frequent. Do not, I earnestly advise you, demand an ocular proof unless you are already perfectly certain that it is not forthcoming,

I enjoyed it—this was the second or third post-Narnia book I read by Lewis, and it’s one of them I’ve returned to the most. It’s also less and less effective to me the more times I read it. I just don’t like his line of argument. Nor do I appreciate some of what he says about the Scriptures. But, I do enjoy reading this.

There are two major aims for an apologetic work, as I’ve heard from a few apologetic professors/writers. The first is to present a defense for the faith to unbelievers—to convince them, to provide evidence for the faith to them, or at least to show that Christianity has a rational basis (things along those lines). The second aim is to buttress the confidence of the believer that they haven’t taken a blind leap of faith, that their convictions can stand against a hostile culture—or a disinterested one. I don’t see this working to well with the unbeliever (outside of maybe stressing that they’re committed to not accepting the possibility of miracles), rather the strength of his book falls into the latter category.

I appreciate what Lewis attempted to do here. I enjoy seeing him think through these things, and generally have a good time with his language. But it’s not the best thing he penned, and I’m not sure it’s all that useful.

Still, I like it. And anyone who’s going to name a chapter what he called Chapter 9? I want to spend a little time with.

3.5 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World by Alan Noble: Correcting Our Understanding of Humanity

By HCNewton

On April 6, 2025

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

This seemed like a fitting book after the last few weeks–I needed a reminder of the highlights of this book.

You Are Not Your Own:
Belonging to God in an Inhuman World

by Alan Noble

DETAILS:
Publisher: IVP
Publication Date: October 11, 2021
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 232 pg.
Read Date:  May 29-June 12, 2022

I’ve tried to write this post 4 times since I finished it—and I’ve struck out each time, because I keep trying to interact with and reflect on Noble’s arguments—because there’s a lot to chew on, a lot to commend, and a great deal to unpack. But that’s not what I’m supposed to be doing here—I’m supposed to talk about the book, talk about how Noble wrote it, and what I thought about it—sure that involves some reflection on the content, but it’s not supposed to be my focus (as much as I might like it to be). So, I’m going to take a more surface-level approach, just so I can get something out.

(I said something similar with Winslow’s The Border recently—you’re probably not going to find a lot of people discussing these two books in similar fashions anywhere else)

The Back of the Book Description

(from ivpress.com)

“You are your own, and you belong to yourself.”

This is the fundamental assumption of modern life. And if we are our own, then it’s up to us to forge our own identities and to make our lives significant. But while that may sound empowering, it turns out to be a crushing responsibility—one that never actually delivers on its promise of a free and fulfilled life, but instead leaves us burned out, depressed, anxious, and alone. This phenomenon is mapped out onto the very structures of our society, and helps explain our society’s underlying disorder.

But the Christian gospel offers a strikingly different vision. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, “I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.” In You Are Not Your Own, Alan Noble explores how this simple truth reframes the way we understand ourselves, our families, our society, and God. Contrasting these two visions of life, he invites us past the sickness of contemporary life into a better understanding of who we are and to whom we belong.

Acting as If We Are Our Own

The part of the argument from the first paragraph takes the first four chapters and the majority of the book. I guess you could consider this the “Here’s What’s Wrong and Why” part—if we are our own (as we’re told) several problems ensue—personally, culturally, and ecclesially. We (and Noble includes most of the American Church here) have a faulty anthropology, and that results in many problems.

Noble explains where he sees the faulty anthropology leading with compassion and sensitivity, while not pulling any of his punches.

Understanding We Belong to Christ

But for the Christian, our faith begins with the realization that we are not our own (as explained in the words of Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1). Noble points the believer to recalibrate their understanding of human nature—particularly redeemed human nature—to begin to understand what being the possession of Christ means to our life, our future, our identity.

The strength of this section comes from Noble’s honesty:

At this point you might expect me to introduce my “Five Steps for Changing Your Life by Accepting That You Are Not Your Own.” But as this is a work of nonfiction, I won’t be doing that.

Instead, he gives some advice, based on his own experiences and observations—but he offers no guarantees. I found his honesty refreshing and thought there was a lot of wisdom to his advice, but I was mostly impressed by the humble nature of the approach—advice, not a program or techniques.

So, what did I think about You Are Not Your Own?

I really liked this—I thought it was insightful and helpful. Noble’s diagnosis and advice were sound—they seemed to match up with the world around us and the problems we see. More importantly, he points to the One whose grace, mercy, and care offer any true hope and help in this broken and dying world.

Noble’s writing flows—he’s engaging, compassionate, and relatable. It’s easy to understand even the more complex points he’s making, and his illustrations give the reader plenty to hang on to.

I think Noble’s book would serve as a great companion piece to Kapic’s You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News*. Both of these authors remind the reader of our place in the world, and why we’re there—so we can respond in dependence and trust accordingly.

* Meador’s What Are Christians For?: Life Together at the End of the World, and even the better parts of Thompson’s Growing Downward fit here, too, I think—just not as neatly.

I’ve already re-read parts of this book, and find myself chewing on it repeatedly—especially as I compare it to Kapic’s. I heartily recommend and encourage you to pick it up.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

PUB DAY REPOST: Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People by Nicholas G. Piotrowski: Looking At The Heart of the Bible’s Narrative

By HCNewton

On March 18, 2025

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People

by Nicholas G. Piotrowski

DETAILS:
Series: Short Studies in Biblical Theology
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: March 18, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 224 pg.
Read Date: January 19-26, 2025

What’s Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People About?

I’m not going to do better, or be more succinct, than the Publisher’s Description:

God’s people, once resting in his divine presence, now toil in exile. The theme of humanity’s expulsion and wandering begins with Adam and Eve, but echoes in events throughout the Bible. Emphasizing the pain of separation from God, exile stories also highlight the hope of resurrection and creation’s imminent restoration back to the Edenic state.

In this addition to the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, Nicholas G. Piotrowski traces the theme of exile throughout Scripture, giving readers a renewed appreciation for redemptive history and atonement in Christ. Sharing from his 15 years of study, Piotrowski connects the journeys of Abraham, Joseph, and Jesus with tabernacle imagery and other types to illustrate recurring themes of exile from Genesis until the new creation. This accessible volume helps believers understand their own exile and rejoice with the hope that they will one day worship in God’s holy presence.

Part 1: Exile and Death

The first part of the book traces the theme of Exile—beginning in Adam and Eve being exiled from the presence of God and the mountain garden/temple of Eden. Then several expulsions/exiles (with returns) are looked at as recapitulations of these themes, over and over up to the Babylonian exile.

In the last chapter of this section, “Chapter 5: Israel out of the Land,” there’s an extended discussion of the Psalms’ discussion of Exile/Return, seeing it even in the structure of the Psalter. This section (and the footnotes that accompany it for follow-up) is one of the highlights of Part 1 (actually, of the whole book, as I think about it).

Piotrowski does a fantastic job of drawing out the Redemptive-Historical threads running through this part of the canon and tracing their development.

Part 2: Return and Resurrection

For reasons that are generally obvious, the tone and manner of discussion shift a bit—as does the focus—here in the second part, which focuses on the pivotal, epoch-making event in this narrative—the Death/Resurrection/Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He begins with the Gospel accounts of Christ’s life—he applies the metaphor of “foreshocks” to these—his life, his teachings, and his miracles, how they point to the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the “mainshock” of his Death/Resurrection/Ascension. This is followed by the “aftershocks” of the returns from exile experienced by His people in the inter-advental period, leading to the ultimate “ultrashock” of the New Heavens and the New Earth, where the Return to the Garden Temple is complete.

It’s hopeful, it’s encouraging, it keeps the reader focused on the assurance we can gain from the Gospel events while we anticipate the Last Day and Return of Christ.

It’s easy to take John 3 for granted—or to avoid it due to “overuse” (or a perception of it) in contemporary Evangelical writings. But Piotrowski’s discussion in this part of the book was excellent—as was the final chapter on the close of the narrative arc.

So, what did I think about Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People?

Am I wholly convinced by the thesis that the principal drama of Scripture is best understood in the Exile because of Adam’s sin and the Return due to Christ terms? No. But I’m not going to argue against it. And even if I were to do that, it’d be half-hearted at best, because it’s a fantastic way to frame things, and any alternative I could suggest is easily compatible with it. I only mention this because I think some of Piotrowski’s insistence on it being “the” way to read Scripture is a bit too strong.

I do appreciate his use (and frequent footnoting) of some titles from the Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series (particularly, and unsurprisingly, Harmon’s Rebels and Exiles), if only because I couldn’t help thinking of that series as I read this (a common occurrence for books in this series). At the same time, I do admit to preferring this to Harmon’s book. I can’t put my finger on why, but Piotrowski’s discussion better resonated with me (this might also be my favorite book in this series).

My main complaint—and this is not one that most readers will have to put up with—is that the eARC doesn’t come with any of the figures/tables that will be in the published versions. It would’ve been so helpful to see them—or at least it would satisfy my curiosity. That’s such a niche (and self-centered) complaint that you should probably disregard this—I just wanted to whinge about it a bit. Just know if you buy a copy, you’re going to have a fuller experience than I did.

Like the other books in this series, there’s an emphasis in Piotrowski’s work to be accessible—and he really succeeds with that. But that shouldn’t be read as saying that there’s no depth, no challenge to the reading. There is, but the little bit of effort is greatly rewarded and it’ll carry you through the book. There’s plenty to chew on, but plenty of help to do that.

I took more notes that I expected to while going through this book—even now as I look over them, I’m surprised at the ratio of notes to pages. It’s higher than usual for a book of this depth and length. I got a lot out of reading this (and think a re-read would be equally rewarding), and I fully expect I won’t be alone in that.

I strongly recommend this for your personal study and encouragement.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crossway via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

4 Stars