Tag: Broadman & Holman

In the Box: New Titles from Broadman & Holman and Baker Academic

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.

It is time to showcase a few of the titles to arrive at my doorstep in the last few weeks. I’m truly blessed to be able to read so many great books, and Christian publishers seem to never let up in their race to get high quality materials out the door. We are truly blessed with an abundance of Christian resources to help us in our walk with Christ.

Apologetics Study Bible for Students edited by Sean McDowell (Broadman & Holman)

This study Bible promises to “ground Christian students in the truths of Scripture by equipping them with thoughtful and practical responses to difficult and heartfelt challenges to core issues of faith and life.” . The format is attractive and handy, with tabs for finding Bible books and attractive knowledge articles for exploration. Study Notes, “Twisted Scripture” snippets, archaeological notes, notable quotes, apologetic tactics/strategies, and personal stories are some of the features that may equip young readers. With a few preteens of my own, I’m hoping this resource will be a benefit to my children and look forward to examining this more closely in the weeks to come.

To learn more about this book, visit apologeticsbible.com and click on “Student Edition ASB,” or check out the preview available at , Amazon, Christianbook.com or Broadman & Holman.

The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Kevin J. VanHoozer and Owen Strachan (Baker Academic)

A book endorsed by both Tim Keller and Eugene Peterson deserves your attention. The theme of this book backs up Peterson’s assessment: “This is a timely, more than timely–urgent–book.” Reuniting theology and pastoring certainly seems like an urgent task today and the blueprint provided in this book by one of the foremost evangelical theologians is both optimistic and helpful. The personal comments by twelve pastors sprinkled throughout the book add a special poignancy and bring the vision down to earth. This looks good and I can’t wait to delve in deeper.

To learn more about this book, visit the book detail page at Baker Academic, or check out the preview available at Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, or Christianbook.com.

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.

“Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything” by Anonymous

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Book Details:
  • Author: Anonymous
  • Category: Christian Living
  • Publisher: Broadman & Holman (2012)
  • Format: softcover
  • Page Count: 224
  • ISBN#: 9781433677816
  • List Price: $14.99
  • Rating: Must Read

Review:
I don’t remember the last time I saw a recently published book with the author’s name given as Anonymous. In Christian circles as much as in your average secular bookstore or website, nothing seems to be as prominent as the author’s name. The more well known the author, the larger space is devoted to his or her name on the book cover. But with a title like Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything, the absence of an author name seems appropriate. Still, I searched through the book looking for any hint of the author’s identity, half expecting it would be there somewhere. My search was in vain, as the author of this challenging book has embraced its controversial message heart and soul.

The back cover of the book encapsulates its message well with these words: “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not one in a million. In fact, you’re more like one in nearly seven billion. Just one. One life, lived in relative obscurity.” The next line is even more challenging: “Are you okay with that?” Everything about the American dream with its make-your-own-man, you-can-be-anything, do-it-yourself “gospel,” screams the opposite. You are special. One of a kind! And even Christian leaders and authors trumpet the self-esteem, “be your best self now” message. I imagine many who are reading this right now aren’t so sure Mr. Anonymous is making any sense. Doesn’t the Bible teach that we are all God’s special and unique creations?

Anonymous is aiming at the pride and self-reliance which lurks just under the surface of our outwardly Christian lives. The author points out the role that “sub-titles” play in our lives: you know, the extra details we use to fill in someone’s understanding of us when we introduce ourselves. “Hi, I’m Bob, a well-known Christian blogger and father of six.” Such sub-titles function as a way to: “[M]ake others think I’m a somebody. That I matter. That I’m going places. I’m itching for admiration, respect, and yes, jealousy” (pg. 21). The point is not to eschew any titles but rather to not let worldly pursuits define you, or pride rule you.

The book hammers away at Philippians 2:5-11 and the example that our humble King set for us, in the way of humility. And it calls us to find our true significance not in what we can do, but in who we are by grace. Our significance is in being able to make much of Jesus as his creation, his joint-heir, his bride, etc.

The world’s attitude to success contrasts sharply with a Biblical view of true prosperity. Yet too often, worldly standards shape us and even shape the church. Anonymous explains:

I don’t think we realize how far we’ve come in imitating the world’s tenets of success or just how dangerous that is. I’m shocked at how easily my friends, family, church, and I have swallowed the lie–hook, line, and sinker–that true fulfillment will greet them on the other side of a PhD and a six-figure income, through a romantic comedy-esque love story, or even through leading a prominent ministry. I’m alarmed at how pride and self-promotion are permeating Christian leadership and how it seems to be seeping down the ranks: to you, to me, to our kids, and throughout our congregations. (pg. 75-76)

He moves on to focus on how servanthood should characterize us as Christians. And how very unpopular this is even among Christian ministries today. He brings up what he calls “the Joseph principle” too, when it comes to suffering. This is the idea that God is using suffering to prepare me for something mind-blowingly big. God has something better for me. But while Romans 8:28 (“All things work together for the good of those who love God…”) is true, the notion that God has something tangibly good in a worldly sense for our future isn’t necessarily the case. Anonymous asks “Will you still trust God if your ‘good’ is to go on embracing obscurity–living in simplicity and devotion to Him–your entire life?… Would you mind if your ‘good’ is only a greater understanding of the suffering Jesus went through on your behalf and mine?” (pg. 118-119).

He goes on to talk about embracing the “mystery.” Our lives and choices should seem crazy to unbelievers. “Is my life mysterious?” the author asks. “Or do I live, love and lust like the rest of the world?” (pg. 129). He brings up the example of NFL running back Glen Coffee who walked away from football after one season, because he wanted to follow God’s call on his life. Is that mysterious or what?

The book ends with a look at how to use public notoriety for Christ, when it comes unexpectedly. And how our embracing of obscurity really earns for us an eternal weight of glory in the age to come.

This book packs a punch but is written in a conversational, easy-to-read tone. It is chuck full of down-to-earth illustrations and personal vignettes. The stories of numerous individuals give meat to the skeletal principles discussed, and flesh out what it means to embrace obscurity. The book is not overly long, but the message isn’t light and trivial, so taking one’s time reading and praying through the book would be ideal. Discussion questions are included for each chapter making this perfectly suited for a small group or Sunday school.

As a Christian blogger, this book is especially convicting. I need to focus more on why I do what I do, and need to also look for the pride which so easily hides behind anything we do. I highly recommend this book and trust it will have a wide influence. The message is radical but the problem is real. Embracing Obscurity calls us to reexamine what it means to live life as strangers and pilgrims, just passing through this world on our way home.

Where to Buy:
  • Christianbook.com
  • Amazon
  • direct from Broadman & Holman.

Disclaimer:
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Brodman & Holman Publishing. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

The 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway: Day 5

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Today is day 5 of the 4th Annual 12 Days Before Christmas Book Giveaway! We’ve already had four incredible book giveaways and today’s is just as spectacular. The sponsors for today’s giveaway are Accordance Bible Software, Broadman and Holman Publishing, and Zondervan. There are three prize packs in today’s contest. To change things up a bit, I’ll list them in reverse order.

At the bottom of this post, will be a short entry form. For today’s entry, all you need to do is fill out your name and email and hit submit. You can answer the bonus question for an extra entry, and check off how you’ll spread the word about the giveaway for additional entries. But please take the time to enter the giveaway. You might just win! It’s free, it’s fun, and its coming up on Christmas! Thanks again to the publishers for making this giveaway possible.

Prize #3

Christian Leadership Essentials: A Handbook for Managing Christian Organizations edited by David S. Dockery [B & H]

Publisher’s Description: Christian Leadership Essentials finds university president David S. Dockery assembling a great wealth of tried and true insights on the distinctive methods of leading Christian organizations and institutions. No matter how much experience a faith-based leader may already have, there are plenty of fresh thoughts and indispensable guiding principles here on topics including finance and budget planning, mission and vision, employee relations, theological foundations, mentoring, crisis management, and more.

A majority of the nineteen contributors are active academic presidents, including Robert B. Sloan (Houston Baptist University; “A Biblical Model of Leadership”), Judson Carlberg (Gordon College; “Managing the Organization”), Jon Wallace (Azusa Pacific University; “Financial Oversight and Budget Planning”), Evans Whitaker (Anderson University [South Carolina]; “Development, Campaigns, and Building Projects”), Carl Zylstra (Dordt College; “Accreditation and Government Relations”), Jim Edwards (Anderson University [Indiana]; “Relationships with Multiple and Various Constituencies”), Phil Eaton (Seattle Pacific University; “Employee Relations in a Grace-filled Community”), Barry Corey (Biola University; “Engaging the Culture”), and Randall O’Brien (Carson-Newman College; “The Leader as Mentor and Pastor”).

Learn more atBHPublishingGroup.com.
Christian America? Perspectives on Our Religious Heritage edited by Daryl C. Cornett [B & H]

Publisher’s Description: Throughout her history America has possessed a rich religious component largely comprised of different traditions of the Christian faith. This tide of personal religious devotion connected to government observances and policies has ebbed and flowed through time, but it has always been a part of American identity””one that is full of social and political debate. As such, Christian America? presents a hearty point-counterpoint discussion about the nature of the relationship Christianity has had to American politics and culture throughout the country’s existence, aiming to determine which of these four differing opinions is most appropriate. David Barton (WallBuilders) supports the idea that America is distinctly Christian based on centuries of authoritative government declarations. Jonathan D. Sassi (College of Staten Island) believes America is distinctly secular based on the nation’s religiously eclectic and secular beginning (particularly the emphasis on “the complete separation of church and state”). William D. Henard (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) sees America as essentially Christian, making his case for the nation’s crucial faith component while exploring varied interpretations of comments like one made in 2009 by President Barack Obama: “Although… we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation…” Daryl C. Cornett, the book’s editor, argues that America is partly Christian, a nation that was shaped by a blend of religious and non-religious tendencies. He writes, “After the Civil War steady decline in religious adherence was the impetus for evangelicals to mythologize American history and pine for a return to a golden age of Christian faith and virtue at its founding that never existed.”

Learn more at BHPublishingGroup.com.
Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People by Constantine R. Campbell [Zondervan]

Publisher’s Description: Seminarians spend countless hours mastering biblical languages and learning how the knowledge of them illuminates the reading, understanding, and application of Scripture. But while excellent language acquisition resources abound, few really teach students how to maintain their use of Greek for the long term. Consequently, pastors and other former Greek students find that under the pressures of work, ministry, preaching, and life, their hard-earned Greek skills begins to disappear. Con Campbell has been counseling one-time Greek students for years, teaching them how to keep their language facility for the benefit of those to whom they minister and teach. He shows how following the right principles makes it possible for many to retain””and in some cases regain””their Greek language skills. Pastors will find Keep Your Greek an encouraging and practical guide to strengthening their Greek abilities so that they can make linguistic insights a regular part of their study and teaching. Current students will learn how to build skills that will serve them well once they complete their formal language instruction.

Learn more at Zondervan.com.

Prize #2

The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament by Eugene H. Merrill, Mark Rooker and Michael A. Grisanti [B & H]

Publisher’s Description: The World and the Word is a fresh introduction to the Old Testament driven largely by the fact that so much Christian preaching and teaching today increasingly ignores what is eighty percent of the Bible. Authors Eugene Merrill, Mark Rooker, and Michael Grisanti work through the world and text of the Old Testament always making three major points:

  • The Old Testament is a rich source of theology and doctrine that is presupposed by the New Testament. Without it, Christian theology would be seriously deficient.
  • Mastery of the Old Testament is crucial to an understanding of the New Testament.
  • The Old Testament offers, by teaching and example, practical principles of belief and behavior for contemporary times. Who God was and what He did then can be replicated in the lives of men and women today.

Separating the verifiable biblical and extra-biblical data from the various interpretations of that same information, the book further shows how the Old Testament forms the platform and matrix from which sprang the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus and the church. The World and the Word will help students see an entry point into the very heart and design of God who loves them and wishes to make them the special object of His grace.

Learn more at BHPublishingGroup.com.
The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Matthew R. Crawford [B & H]

Publisher’s Description: “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “˜Take and eat it; this is My body.'” -Matthew 26:26 (HCSB)

A follow-up to Believer’s Baptism in the New American Commentary Studies in Bible & Theology series, The Lord’s Supper explores the current Baptist view of the communion sacrament. Contributors include Andreas Köstenberger (“The Lord’s Supper as a Passover Meal”), Jonathan Pennington (“The Last Supper in the Gospels”), Jim Hamilton (“The Lord’s Supper in Paul”), and Michael Haykin (“Communion in the Early Church”). Adding a helpful perspective, chapters are also provided on the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian views of communion.

Learn more at BHPublishingGroup.com.
Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People by Constantine R. Campbell [Zondervan]

Publisher’s Description: Seminarians spend countless hours mastering biblical languages and learning how the knowledge of them illuminates the reading, understanding, and application of Scripture. But while excellent language acquisition resources abound, few really teach students how to maintain their use of Greek for the long term. Consequently, pastors and other former Greek students find that under the pressures of work, ministry, preaching, and life, their hard-earned Greek skills begins to disappear. Con Campbell has been counseling one-time Greek students for years, teaching them how to keep their language facility for the benefit of those to whom they minister and teach. He shows how following the right principles makes it possible for many to retain””and in some cases regain””their Greek language skills. Pastors will find Keep Your Greek an encouraging and practical guide to strengthening their Greek abilities so that they can make linguistic insights a regular part of their study and teaching. Current students will learn how to build skills that will serve them well once they complete their formal language instruction.

Learn more at Zondervan.com.

For a more personal look at this book, read my own book review or Shaun’s review from BibleGeekGoneWild.com.

Prize #1

Essential IVP Reference Collection [Accordance Bible Software / InterVarsity Press]

Publisher’s Description: The best scholarship. The most up-to-date information. Useful. Fascinating. Easy. Now for the Macintosh using the Accordance system from OakTree Software. Other CD-ROM reference libraries today make you pay for dozens of out-of-date, public domain books that do not give you the best and most recent scholarship–the timely and reliable information you want and need. By contrast, The Essential IVP Reference Collection includes only work from the best of today’s biblical and theological scholars.

You’ll have instant access to IVP’s award-winning New Testament dictionary series (Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments, Dictionary of New Testament Background), the immensely popular Bible background commentaries (IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament), and the New Bible Dictionary and New Bible Commentary, which have set the standard for Bible reference books for over a generation. And that’s just the beginning! Does a particular verse trouble you? Hard Sayings of the Bible gives in-depth explanations of over 500 of the most difficult passages in the Old and New Testaments. Are you interested in the meaning of recurring images in Scripture? The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery will aid your exploration of the themes, metaphors, imagery and patterns of Scripture. New Bible Atlas, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology and New Dictionary of Theology will help round out your study of the places, peoples, interpretations and implications of biblical teaching. Finally, four convenient “pocket” dictionaries offer a quick-reference resource covering biblical studies, the study of New Testament Greek, theological terms, and apologetics and the philosophy of religion.

On this single CD for the Macintosh you’ll find:

  • over a dozen of IVP’s award-winning reference books
  • the equivalent of over 12,000 pages of printed material
  • over 10 million words of the most up-to-date information on the Bible, Bible history, cultural background and theology
  • the authoritative work of hundreds of today’s leading biblical and theological scholars from all over the world
  • a money-saving package that includes the equivalent of over $450 worth of printed books
    easy-to-use software that will have you up and going in minutes
  • a free KJV Bible
  • complete user’s manual included right on the CD-ROM for easy access
  • every book interconnected to work as a single reference source

This exclusive collection includes works you’ll find nowhere else on CD-ROM, including many published during 2000-2002. The Essential IVP Reference Collection is ideal for pastors, scholars, students, Sunday school teachers and anyone who is serious about studying the Bible!

System requirements: Macintosh System 7.1 to OS X (Not compatible with OSX Lion). (or PC with Macintosh Emulator). Runs on Accordance software from OakTree.

Learn more at AccordanceBible.com.

Day 5’s giveaway is now closed. Head over to CrossFocusedReviews.com, to see Day 6’s prizes and enter the contest there.