Category: Specials

Book Recommendation: “Accidental Pharisees” by Larry Osborne

~ Bob Hayton

I just finished a hard-hitting, yet extremely well-written and lucid book. Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith by Larry Osborne is an engrossing read and tackles an important problem in today’s church. As a former, hard-nosed fundamentalist Christian, I can attest to the horrors of finding out that you have become an accidental Pharisee. I’ve seen that tendency in my own heart many a time. Larry Osborne tacklees this problem with a pastor’s heart for people. His aim is to protect the many weak and young Christians who are constantly in danger of being hurt and bowled over by well-meaning, accidental Pharisees advocating a variety of causes in today’s Church.

I wish I had time to go into a full review of this book right here. But for now I want to draw your attention to it, and let you know that the Kindle copy of the book is on sale for only $3.99 now through November 5th. Let me excerpt some of Osborne’s conclusion so you can see what he’s aiming to do in this short book.

Following Jesus is not a race to see who can be the most radical, sacrificial, knowledgeable, or quickest to burn out. It’s not a contest to see who’s willing to take the hardest road. That’s asceticism, not discipleship.

For the gospel to remain the gospel, grace and mercy have to remain front and center. When the radicalness of my commitment, the intensity of my zeal, or the extent of my personal sacrifices become the means to receive or maintain God’s acceptance and approval, the good news of the gospel is no longer good news to anyone except those of us who excel.

Make no mistake. My warnings about the dangers of an overzealous faith are not meant as a defense of soft and easy Christianity. They are simply a plea that we remain true to the heart of the gospel, offering rest, help, hope, and salvation to the weary and heavy laden. (pg. 195-196)

Consider picking up the book at Amazon or Christianbook.com. To learn more about the book, check out the reviews that are coming in from the book blog tour that Zondervan is running on this title.

Here’s the book trailer as well.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Zondervan. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Book Deal on “Embracing Obscurity” Kindle Edition

~ Bob Hayton

If you’re looking for a good read, you ought to check out this new book from Broadman & Holman: Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything. I have reviewed the book, and also given away a copy here on my blog. And I’ve been recommending people I know to get it! So I wanted to also pass along a great deal on the book that is available for a short time.

The Kindle version of the book is available for only $2.99. I’m not sure if this is a limited time promotion or not, so jump at the chance to get this book for such a great price. Read my review or watch the book trailer for more on this book. If you want to take advantage of the deal, just click this link. Oh, and you can read Kindle books on your computer using free software from Amazon if you aren’t one of the vast majority of book lovers who already own a Kindle.

“The Scribes: A Novel about the Early Church” – Free on Kindle through 10/4

~ Bob Hayton

The Scribes: A Novel about the Early Church by Peter Rodgers is available for free on Kindle for a limited time (now through 10/4) [HT: Evangelical Textual Criticism Blog]. This book introduces textual criticism and describes how life was like in the early church. It is a counterpoint, in novel form, to Bart Ehrman’s insistence that the early scribes tended to correct the text rather than seek to preserve it carefully.

This is a second edition, with the first having been published in 2000. Here is the publisher’s description of that first edition:

The Scribes is the first in a series of historical novels. The book is set in Rome in the years 179-180 A.D. Its protagonist is Justin, a young scribe of the Roman church, named after Justin Martyr. He is helped in the copyist’s tasks by two friends, Marcus and Rufus. His teacher in Rome had been Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, who was beginning to write his Against Heresies when the novel takes place.

The story begins when the Roman church receives a visit from a wealthy ship merchant from Alexandria in Egypt and his daughterm, Juliana. This appealing young woman is a student in the catechetical school in Alexandria, and is also a scribe for her church. Justin is attracted to her, but troubled by her manuscript. Her St. Mark begins differently. He has the longer ending (Mark 16:9-20) and she does not etc. For Justin This is very unsettling. His primary aim in life is to copy with scrupulous fidelity the text of the gospels, as the church in Rome has receieved it. But the church in Alexandria has perserved a different type of text. He is determined to get to the bottom of this puzzle, and as he does, he develops a romantic interest in Juliana. But she has returned to Alexandria. How will he pursue the relationship?

The opportunity comes when Bishop Eleutherus of Rome sends Justin and Marcus to deliver letters to various churches throughout the empire. Their final destination is Alexandria.

TRAVEL… with Justin and Marcus as they visit churches in Cornith, Athens, Ephesus, Antioch, and Alexandria.

MEET… the remarkable leaders they encounter: Dionysius of Cornith, Athen agoras of Athens, Pinytus of Cnossus, Theophilus of Antioch, the aged Hegesippus and the young Clement of Alexandria.

JOURNEY… with them to exotic places like Cnossus in Crete, Oxyrhyhchus in the Nile Valley and Crocodilopolis in the Fayum in Egypt.

EXPERIENCE…with them the many hazards that could befall a traveller or a manuscript: sorms, pirates, arrests, theft, greedy customs agents, eager booksellers, heretical groups, unscrupulous innkeepers, scribes who improve the style of their texts.

JOIN… them as they face the challenge of different readings in the texts, different methods of copying, different interpretations among the churches, and strange gospels among the Gnostics.

Preview a small sample of the book here.

About the author: Fr. Rodgers is the Priest-in-Charge at St. Andrew’s and a professor currently teaching New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. Fr. Rodgers is the Rector Emeritus of St. John’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. He is also an Associate Fellow of Timothy Dwight College at Yale University and holds degrees from Hobart College, General Theological Seminary, and Oxford University. Before coming to St. John’s in New Haven, Dr. Rodgers was curate for student ministry at the Round Church in Cambridge, England. He has published numerous journal articles on the text of the New Testament, and is the author of several works including Knowing Jesus (IVP, 1982) and The Scribes (AuthorHouse, 2000). In October, 2011 he published his newest book: Text and Story (Wipf and Stock).

Take advantage of this offer and pick up this interesting novel free this week. After 10/4, it is only $2.99 for the Kindle version.

Book Deals of Note: “Body Broken” and “The Creedal Imperative”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

I want to highlight two special deals on important books. The books come from different publishers and cover different topics, but both are worth getting and are on a special sale right now.

Body Broken: Can Republicans and Democrats Sit in the Same Pew? by Charles D. Drew (New Growth Press)

Description: I wish I had time to give my full review on this book. I think it is especially important to consider given how we close we are to November. Charles Drew makes us think and challenges us to consider how American our Christianity has become. Do we share more affinity with Republican talk show hosts than with Christians who think differently than us about politics? Is our church different than the sharply divided nation we live in? Drew spells out biblical considerations for doing politics and explains how political theory gets messy in the real world, sometimes.

The publisher’s description might say it better:

Drew helps Christians develop practical biblical convictions about critical social and political issues. Distinguishing between moral principle and political strategy, Body Broken equips believers to maintain the unity of the church while building their political activism upon a thoughtful and biblical foundation. Drew helps Christians of all political persuasions understand how to practice servanthood, cooperation, and integrity in today’s public square.

Book Deal: New Growth Press is offering this book at 40% off through their website, through 5pm Eastern time, Friday 9/28. (I know, I’m a little slow in posting this, hopefully you can take advantage of the deal in time). That’s a discounted price of only $9.59. If you miss that deal, Westminster Bookstore has it at 11% off, and Amazon for 10% off (although they have some used copies just over $9).

The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman (Crossway)

Description: This is a new book who has been making waves. Justin Taylor has an excellent write up on it. And like anything from Carl Trueman, this book promises to be an engrossing read.

Trueman makes the point that “no creed but the Bible” is an inaccurate statement. Even those who shun creeds and confessions the most, still operate by an unstated creed. A few years ago I highlighted an article where Trueman made this very point, and Justin Taylor shared some fuller quotes from the book of Trueman on this very point.

Here’s the publisher’s description:

Recent years have seen a number of high profile scholars converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy while a trend in the laity expresses an eclectic hunger for tradition. The status and role of confessions stands at the center of the debate within evangelicalism today as many resonate with the call to return to Christianity’s ancient roots. Carl Trueman offers an analysis of why creeds and confessions are necessary, how they have developed over time, and how they can function in the church of today and tomorrow. He writes primarily for evangelicals who are not particularly confessional in their thinking yet who belong to confessional churches – Baptists, independents, etc. – so that they will see more clearly the usefulness of the church’s tradition.

This sure seems like a must-read book. Learn more by watching this video clip of Carl Trueman talking about his new book.

Book Deal: Westminster Bookstore has the book at 41% off, for only $10.00, now through 10/2. And if you buy multiple copies, you can get it for as low as 53% off. Details on the discount are available here. Meanwhile, Amazon has single copies for 43% off, for only $9.60 (but no word on how long that price will last).

Big Sale on Minibooks from CCEF and New Growth Press

~ Bob Hayton

New Growth Press has a special sale running now through Friday, Aug. 31 (5pm EST) on their excellent minibooks (many of them produced by the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation). I have reviewed some of these minibooks before, and was very impressed with them. These books are Gospel-centered and extremely practical. They help the average church goer connect the life-changing power of the Gospel with their life problems. Topics include dealing with divorce, singleness, pornography, anger, depression and more.

Here is another endorsement of these books:

Our church displays these minibooks so that people can begin to connect their personal struggles, whether sin or suffering, to the power of the Gospel. While these books clearly reveal the realities of living in a fallen world, they also lead people to the living hope found in Jesus and give a clear framework for living both wisely and compassionately. We hope the books serve as a first step as people seek help and more specific counsel from the body of Christ, whether from a pastor, small group leader or friend. I highly recommend these materials. They have been very helpful in my own counseling ministry over the years. ~ Jim Bates, Associate Pastor, Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church (Quarryville, PA)

There are 77 books in all, and they are available for $2.50 each (regularly $3.99), and all of their five-packs are available for $9.99 (regularly $15.99). Be sure to take advantage of this special offer! Hurry, the sale ends Friday, Aug. 31 at 5pm Eastern time.