Tag: biography

Book Recommendation: “Life of John Knox”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments


I recently received a copy of a sharp looking small biography of John Knox from Attic Books (an imprint of New Leaf Publishing). This book has the look and feel of an antique, with frayed page edges and type-set looking font. It’s a compact, attractive size and contains a reproduction of an 1833 original book published by the American Sunday School Union.

John Knox was the fiery Scottish reformer. He doesn’t get the press Calvin and Luther receive, but his story is sure to inspire. Attic Books describes the book as follows:

Rare vignettes featuring the Protestant Reformation’s fiercest defender! John Knox had a life of exciting adventure, harsh imprisonment, and brilliant scholarship. Fighting battles both political and religious, Knox bravely defied royalty, nobility, and the established power of the Papacy to speak the truth. A fiery and inspirational preacher, he fiercely upheld the authority of Scripture and salvation through Christ’s sacrifice. In perilous times, Knox risked his life daily in a fearless and tireless defense of the faith!

This title was originally published by the ASSU, now called American Missionary Fellowship.

The book has 140 small pages with large easy to read font, so there’s no excuse not to read this book. You can pick up a copy of this title at Monergism Books, Amazon.com or direct from Attic Books. If you consider purchasing this title, be sure to check out their other classic biographies: Life of Luther, Life of Andrew Jackson, and Life of George Washington.

I thought they did a great job on the book trailer, too. I previously shared their Life of Luther book trailer so I thought I’d share the Life of John Knox trailer here, too.

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

Reformation Week: Book Recommendation – Life of Luther by Barnas Sears

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

As part of Reformation week, I wanted to highlight a new book published by Attic Books and New Leaf Publishing Group. It is a handsomely packaged reprinting of a classic biography of Martin Luther entitled Life of Luther. The American Sunday School Union published the book in 1850 under the full title: The Life of Luther; with Special Reference to its Earlier Periods and the Opening Scenes of the Reformation.

The trailer below introduces the book, and it looks like it will make a great read. It was written with young people in view and has pictures and focuses more on the history and life of Luther than all the theological controversies of his later years. It certainly will have a positive perspective on his life, but was made from the author’s thorough research using the correspondence and letters of Luther himself to tell his story in his own words.

The book has 496 small-sized pages in a convenient 5 x 8 inch size with a nice hardcover. It’s an attractive book and would make a great read in conjunction with Reformation Day remembrances.

You can pick up a copy through Amazon.com or direct from New Leaf Publishing.

Apparent Danger: The Pastor of America’s First MegaChurch and the Texas Murder Trial of the Decade in the 1920s

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

I recently received a copy of Apparent Danger: The Pastor of America’s First MegaChurch and the Texas Murder Trial of the Decade in the 1920s a new book on J. Frank Norris by David Stokes. Being familiar with the history and big figures of American fundamentalism, I knew something of J. Frank Norris’ infamous legacy.

Norris is the embodiment of a brash, fightin’ fundamentalist, and he packed a gun to prove it. I never realized that he actually was on trial for murder soon after the nation was riveted on the Scopes Trial!

Stokes has done his research and brings J. Frank Norris and his era to life. I’ve started reading through this book, but was just made aware of some fantastic news. The book has been grabbed up by a major publisher and will be re-released under a different title next year.

This is good news for those interested in the tale. The books are still available for another 2 weeks, and they are at a fantastic discount.

I encourage you to pick up a copy at this incredible steal of a deal. The book is a high quality, hardback. Take a look around the book’s website: apparentdanger.com for more on the story and the book. Congratulations to David Stokes, this book looks to be a page turner, and a wider distribution will shed light on a fascinating corner of American and church history.

David Stokes writes a weekly column for Townhall.com and is also a busy pastor, and you can learn more about him here or on his blog.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher for review. I am under no obligation to provide a favorable assessment of the book.

“Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters” by Joshua Harris

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Author: Joshua Harris
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Format: hardcover
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 241
ISBN: 9781601421517
Stars: 5 of 5

In today’s world, doctrine and orthodoxy get a bad rap. Many sincere Christians assume studying doctrine is primarily a waste of time. Doctrine usually leads to cold and dead religion, or else it promotes a divisive and bitter spirit that splits churches and wounds people. What really matters is one’s personal relationship with God, and his love for fellow believers.

Joshua Harris would have agreed with this basic sentiment at one time. Dug Down Deep is the story of how he came to realize how important and even life-changing the study of the Bible’s doctrine really can be. Harris invites the reader along as he explains what the basic doctrines (or teachings) of the Bible are and illustrates the impact they have had in his own spiritual walk.

Harris writes in a refreshing, open manner. He lets you into his life even sharing some of the dark secrets of his past. He shares the story of his father Gregg’s conversion to Christ, as well as his own journey from a seeker-sensitive church youth group to being pastoral intern to C.J. Mahaney.

The book’s readability helps it to communicate so effectively when Harris explains such doctrines as the sovereignty of God, sinfulness of man, substitutionary atonement, and the gospel of God’s grace. It is the books focus on grace which most dramatically stands out. This is what drew Harris to the joy of knowing Bible doctrine, and it is worth quoting him at some length on this point.

…it was this message of the gospel of grace for which C.J. Reserved his greatest passion. Most preachers and zealous Christians I knew got fired up over what we needed to do for God. But C.J.’s greatest passion was reserved for exulting in what God had done for us. He loved to preach about the Cross and how Christ died in our place, as our substitute.

For someone who had practically been born into church, I found this surprisingly new. The deeper I delved into Christian doctrine, the more I saw that the good news of salvation by grace alone in Jesus, who died for sin””the gospel””was the main message of the whole Bible.

I suppose it might seem completely obvious that this is the center of the Christian faith, and yet it felt new to me. I began to see orthodoxy as the treasuring of the truths that point to Jesus and his saving work. Doctrine was the living story of what Jesus did for us and what it means…. (pg. 27)

As you can see, Harris’ own story provides the perfect backdrop for illustrating how important it is to learn Bible doctrine. Harris argues that we need to dig down deep in order to build our lives on the rock of the solid Biblical teaching of Christ.

This book will introduce the young Christian to the glory of orthodox Christian doctrine. It will also encourage those who do know doctrine, to aim for a humble orthodoxy and see how such knowledge should fuel love and service for others. Dug Down Deep will be an easy read for anyone, but it packs a punch. It will challenge you to make sure you are building on a sure foundation. I recommend this book highly.

Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of churches. A gifted speaker with a passion for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Chruch. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.
Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Waterbrook Multnomah.