Tag: Biography

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – 1899-1981 by Iain H. Murray

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On February 18, 2024

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

I came across this post a couple of days ago, and thought I’d put it up again—and not only because I’m struggling with another post, but it sure helped.

The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 1899-1981The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – 1899-1981

by Iain H. Murray
Trade Paperback, 496 pg.
Banner Of Truth, 2013
Read: Jan. 12 – Feb. 9, 2014

This is a frequently flawed book, and at times it was only a sense of duty/politeness to the person who eagerly pressed it into my hands that I persevered. But in the end, I couldn’t help but walk away awed at both the man and the book that tried to summarize his life (yet, I don’t think you’ll see me picking up the two-volume version this was condensed from anytime soon).

The first fifty or so pages, recounting his youth, medical school/early practice, and conversion — and even the beginnings of his ministry — were pretty tedious, and more often than not, far too detailed.

Once Murray was able to focus on his first years of ministry in Wales, and his eventual move to Westminster Chapel, the book took off. It’s clear that the hand of the Lord was upon his ministry, and gave him much evident fruit. It’s impossible to disagree with Murray’s explanations for Lloyd-Jones’ success, and I can only imagine ministers would benefit from reading this with an eye for how to reform their own work. Throughout the chapters detailing his pastoral work — particularly the chapter “Sundays in the 1950s” — Murray’s affection for, and devotion to, Lloyd-Jones threatens to overwhelm the narrative, and at times it seems that “the Doctor” could do nothing wrong. I remarked during that chapter that I wasn’t sure if I was reading biography or hagiography, which may seem a bit harsh. But really, Murray became a rabid fanboy here.

The chapters devoted to the controversies over Evangelical unity, conflict with Graham, Packer and Stott (and names that didn’t register with me) were again, far too detailed for my taste — but it’s understandable, I think. Murray was trying to set the record straight on certain issues/incidents, to make sure the historical record gets Lloyd-Jones’ perspective on them (particularly when others, claiming to speak on his behalf, got it wrong). Not having a dog in those fights, my eyes glazed over more than I liked, but I sure didn’t go back and re-read to make certain I didn’t miss anything. Murray is able here to critique Lloyd-Jones a bit in these chapters, which was good to see.

The final chapter, depicting the final three years of his life, as his cancer was gaining the upper hand, was moving, inspirational and convicting. Lloyd-Jones continued to preach when able, to correspond with and advise younger ministers, write and start Murray on his biography — spurred on by the knowledge that his death was near. Lloyd-Jones spoke of paying attention to death, dying the right way — with an eye to the glory he was going to, and anticipating it. No way that I try to summarize will do it justice, just read it for yourself. You might want to keep a Kleenex™™ handy. This chapter made all the stuff I’d grumbled and trudged through worth it.

Not Murray’s best — but obviously a work of love for the subject. Can’t imagine a little of that won’t rub off on the reader.

—–

4 Stars

PUB DAY REPOST: An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin by Yudha Thianto: Calvin 101

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On July 12, 2022

In Uncategorized

An Explorer's Guide to John CalvinAn Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin

by Yudha Thianto

DETAILS:
Series: Explorer's Guides Series 
Publisher: IVP Academic
Publication Date: July 11, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 256 pg.
Read Date: June 12-19, 2022
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

What’s An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin About?

IVP Academic’s website describes the Explorer’s Guide Series as:

Anyone who has ventured into new territory knows the importance and benefit of having an experienced guide. Discovering the classics of Christian theology is no different.
The Explorer’s Guide Series acts as a guide for those who are exploring some of the great Christian texts and theologians from the church’s history.
Written by scholars with years of expertise, these volumes will acquaint readers with the sometimes unfamiliar context in which these classic texts were written and help readers navigate the rich yet often complex terrain of Christian theology. New and experienced readers alike will benefit from these volumes as they continue on their journey of faith.

This volume focuses on John Calvin, the Genevan Reformer. Yudha Thianto has been introducing students at Trinity Christian College to Calvin for years. Now he aims to bring an accessible overview of his life and thought through this book.

Part One: Calvin the Man

The first part of this book focuses on the historical context and the person of Calvin. Why do people still read him today? Why is he so important—or at least why is he regarded as such?

After sketching out why Calvin’s worthy of study, Thianto gives a brief (34 page) biography of Calvin. I’ve read a handful of full-length biographies of John Calvin, and I learned a thing or two from this.

Thianto follows this biography with a FAQ about Calvin—addressing several important questions and controversies about him and his teaching. Several parts of that FAQ were impressive, and I appreciated his approach to it (he did duck a couple of typical controversial points that are brought up—but it’s safe to argue that those are for less introductory works). Then he spends a chapter focusing on Calvin as a pastor. It covers some of the material from the biography, but from a different angle—and it covers a lot of additional material, too. Whatever Calvin’s legacy may be, this chapter addresses what was likely the most important part of his life to him.

Part Two: A Guide to The Institutes of the Christian Religion

A little more than half of the book is spent on the book Calvin’s best known for. Thianto spends a chapter talking about the different editions the book went through, where Calvin was in his career when each was written, and discusses some of the major differences between editions.

The final version was the 1559 edition, which is composed of four books/parts. Thianto spends one chapter on each book—describing the flow of thought, some important arguments made, and the major doctrinal teachings.

This is not an easy work to summarize and condense into a little over 100 pages, and I’m sure some will say Thianto glossed over or skipped something important—he undoubtedly did. But he also covered most (if not all) of the essentials). Something like this part of the book would be great to have for someone diving into the book for the first time.

So, what did I think about An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin?

First, I really like the idea for this series, and hope to get my hands on other volumes. Naturally, I think someone as ill-understood and intimidating as Calvin is a good subject for this kind of book.

I appreciated Thianto’s approach to Calvin, the misunderstandings surrounding him (although he doesn’t cover all of them), and his writings. His experiences in the classroom have given him a solid understanding of those things that need to be covered for someone’s initial/early exposure to the Reformer, and it shows.

As this is supposed to be a guide for those with little-to-no exposure to Calvin, I can’t complain about the lack of depth displayed on some issues—and I really wouldn’t want to, anyway. The only thing that jumped out at me to make me wonder about the book is a point in the conclusion where he suggested that different beliefs about the Trinity are equivalent to differences regarding sacraments or predestination and that Calvin would see them as such. It was a minor point in the conclusion, and I think the overall point was sound—but the Trinity isn’t something Calvin would put on the same level as a debatable point of doctrine.

This is a great resource—a fantastic introduction to Calvin and a handy guide to reading the Institutes for yourself. If you’re curious about Calvin and don’t want to do the heavy lifting required by a full biography and/or reading his Institutes, I’d strongly recommend picking this up and giving it a read (and hanging on to it for future reference).

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

4 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.

An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin by Yudha Thianto: Calvin 101

By

On June 26, 2022

In Uncategorized

An Explorer's Guide to John CalvinAn Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin

by Yudha Thianto

DETAILS:
Series: Explorer's Guides Series 
Publisher: IVP Academic
Publication Date: July 11, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 256 pg.
Read Date: June 12-19, 2022
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

What’s An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin About?

IVP Academic’s website describes the Explorer’s Guide Series as:

Anyone who has ventured into new territory knows the importance and benefit of having an experienced guide. Discovering the classics of Christian theology is no different.
The Explorer’s Guide Series acts as a guide for those who are exploring some of the great Christian texts and theologians from the church’s history.
Written by scholars with years of expertise, these volumes will acquaint readers with the sometimes unfamiliar context in which these classic texts were written and help readers navigate the rich yet often complex terrain of Christian theology. New and experienced readers alike will benefit from these volumes as they continue on their journey of faith.

This volume focuses on John Calvin, the Genevan Reformer. Yudha Thianto has been introducing students at Trinity Christian College to Calvin for years. Now he aims to bring an accessible overview of his life and thought through this book.

Part One: Calvin the Man

The first part of this book focuses on the historical context and the person of Calvin. Why do people still read him today? Why is he so important—or at least why is he regarded as such?

After sketching out why Calvin’s worthy of study, Thianto gives a brief (34 page) biography of Calvin. I’ve read a handful of full-length biographies of John Calvin, and I learned a thing or two from this.

Thianto follows this biography with a FAQ about Calvin—addressing several important questions and controversies about him and his teaching. Several parts of that FAQ were impressive, and I appreciated his approach to it (he did duck a couple of typical controversial points that are brought up—but it’s safe to argue that those are for less introductory works). Then he spends a chapter focusing on Calvin as a pastor. It covers some of the material from the biography, but from a different angle—and it covers a lot of additional material, too. Whatever Calvin’s legacy may be, this chapter addresses what was likely the most important part of his life to him.

Part Two: A Guide to The Institutes of the Christian Religion

A little more than half of the book is spent on the book Calvin’s best known for. Thianto spends a chapter talking about the different editions the book went through, where Calvin was in his career when each was written, and discusses some of the major differences between editions.

The final version was the 1559 edition, which is composed of four books/parts. Thianto spends one chapter on each book—describing the flow of thought, some important arguments made, and the major doctrinal teachings.

This is not an easy work to summarize and condense into a little over 100 pages, and I’m sure some will say Thianto glossed over or skipped something important—he undoubtedly did. But he also covered most (if not all) of the essentials). Something like this part of the book would be great to have for someone diving into the book for the first time.

So, what did I think about An Explorer’s Guide to John Calvin?

First, I really like the idea for this series, and hope to get my hands on other volumes. Naturally, I think someone as ill-understood and intimidating as Calvin is a good subject for this kind of book.

I appreciated Thianto’s approach to Calvin, the misunderstandings surrounding him (although he doesn’t cover all of them), and his writings. His experiences in the classroom have given him a solid understanding of those things that need to be covered for someone’s initial/early exposure to the Reformer, and it shows.

As this is supposed to be a guide for those with little-to-no exposure to Calvin, I can’t complain about the lack of depth displayed on some issues—and I really wouldn’t want to, anyway. The only thing that jumped out at me to make me wonder about the book is a point in the conclusion where he suggested that different beliefs about the Trinity are equivalent to differences regarding sacraments or predestination and that Calvin would see them as such. It was a minor point in the conclusion, and I think the overall point was sound—but the Trinity isn’t something Calvin would put on the same level as a debatable point of doctrine.

This is a great resource—a fantastic introduction to Calvin and a handy guide to reading the Institutes for yourself. If you’re curious about Calvin and don’t want to do the heavy lifting required by a full biography and/or reading his Institutes, I’d strongly recommend picking this up and giving it a read (and hanging on to it for future reference).

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

4 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.

John Knox by Simonetta Carr, Matt Abraxas (Illustrator)

By

On May 25, 2014

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

John KnoxJohn Knox

by Simonetta Carr, Matt Abraxas (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 64 pgs.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2014
Read: May 25, 2014

I’m tempted to say, for a children’s book, this is quite good. But honestly? For a brief biography for any reading level, it’s quite good.

In these pages we get a good picture of Knox’s life (public and private), his historical context, and his teachings/beliefs. Essentially, everything you could want. There’s excitement, there’s hardship, there’s triumph and there’s tragedy. This isn’t a hagiography — Carr isn’t afraid to point out weaknesses, or problems with Knox (although she could’ve gone a little further in that direction). Nor is this all sweetness and light, as you might expect from a children’s book. While not dwelling on the details of the violence in Knox’s Scotland, she doesn’t sweep it under the rug, either.

The illustrations are great — the map, the photos and historic portraits are as well. Abraxas does a really good job in making his illustrations pop — but not to the degree that they become the focal point. The text carries this book, but the illustrations aid the text, as it should be.

Assuming this is a representative sample (and, based on a couple of interviews I’ve heard with Carr, I think it is), this is “Christian Biographies For Young Readers” series to get for anyone with kids. Or anyone just wanting small biographies to teach them Church History without having to wade through a tome like Shelley or González.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – 1899-1981 by Iain H. Murray

By

On February 9, 2014

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

The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 1899-1981The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – 1899-1981

by Iain H. Murray
Trade Paperback, 496 pg.
Banner Of Truth, 2013
Read: Jan. 12 – Feb. 9, 2014

This is a frequently flawed book, and at times it was only a sense of duty/politeness to the person who eagerly pressed it into my hands that I persevered. But in the end, I couldn’t help but walk away awed at both the man and the book that tried to summarize his life (yet, I don’t think you’ll see me picking up the two-volume version this was condensed from anytime soon).

The first fifty or so pages, recounting his youth, medical school/early practice, and conversion — and even the beginnings of his ministry — were pretty tedious, and more often than not, far too detailed.

Once Murray was able to focus on his first years of ministry in Wales, and his eventual move to Westminster Chapel, the book took off. It’s clear that the hand of the Lord was upon his ministry, and gave him much evident fruit. It’s impossible to disagree with Murray’s explanations for Lloyd-Jones’ success, and I can only imagine ministers would benefit from reading this with an eye for how to reform their own work. Throughout the chapters detailing his pastoral work — particularly the chapter “Sundays in the 1950s” — Murray’s affection for, and devotion to, Lloyd-Jones threatens to overwhelm the narrative, and at times it seems that “the Doctor” could do nothing wrong. I remarked during that chapter that I wasn’t sure if I was reading biography or hagiography, which may seem a bit harsh. But really, Murray became a rabid fanboy here.

The chapters devoted to the controversies over Evangelical unity, conflict with Graham, Packer and Stott (and names that didn’t register with me) were again, far too detailed for my taste — but it’s understandable, I think. Murray was trying to set the record straight on certain issues/incidents, to make sure the historical record gets Lloyd-Jones’ perspective on them (particularly when others, claiming to speak on his behalf, got it wrong). Not having a dog in those fights, my eyes glazed over more than I liked, but I sure didn’t go back and re-read to make certain I didn’t miss anything. Murray is able here to critique Lloyd-Jones a bit in these chapters, which was good to see.

The final chapter, depicting the final three years of his life, as his cancer was gaining the upper hand, was moving, inspirational and convicting. Lloyd-Jones continued to preach when able, to correspond with and advise younger ministers, write and start Murray on his biography — spurred on by the knowledge that his death was near. Lloyd-Jones spoke of paying attention to death, dying the right way — with an eye to the glory he was going to, and anticipating it. No way that I try to summarize will do it justice, just read it for yourself. You might want to keep a Kleenex™™ handy. This chapter made all the stuff I’d grumbled and trudged through worth it.

Not Murray’s best — but obviously a work of love for the subject. Can’t imagine a little of that won’t rub off on the reader.

—–

4 Stars

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