Tag: recommended book

Book Giveaway: The Essence of Christian Doctrine by Martin Murphy

~ Bob Hayton

I recently reviewed The Essence of Christian Doctrine by Martin Murphy. This little book is an excellent primer on the Christian life and would make for good discipleship material.

Well, the author informed me there is an updated edition available now of his book, and he’d like to offer two giveaway copies to the readers of my blog. So now through Wednesday 6/29 at 9pm, we’ll host a book giveaway for one of these two copies. Just fill out the Google form below to enter the contest. Spread the word about the contest for additional entries (details below).

You can find out more about this book at any of these fine retailers: Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Theocentric Publishing Group.

Contest is now closed.

Congrats to Craig Hurst and James Farrat for being the winners in our contest.

“The Essence of Christian Doctrine: A Brief Study of the Apostles’ Creed and Basic Christian Doctrine” by Martin Murphy

~ Bob Hayton

What is the essence of Christian doctrine? If you had to summarize the Christian faith, how would you do it? What primer could you give a new convert to introduce him to the foundational truths of Scripture? For many centuries, creeds such as the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed functioned as a foundational catechism for the Church. Even today, many evangelical Protestant churches revere and from time to time quote these creeds. They were the first confessions of the Church and much care and thought was put into each and every phrase they contain.

Perhaps the most widely used creed is the Apostle’s Creed. In a new book by Martin Murphy, this creed is expounded as a summary of basic Christian doctrine. Murphy’s book is entitled The Essence of Christian Doctrine: A Brief Study of the Apostle’s Creed and Basic Christian Doctrine. A publishing company he has founded, Theocentric Publishing, has produced this title and I was asked to review it.

The book begins with the Apostle’s creed and goes line by line through it. Each chapter is brief and provides a high level overview of fundamental Christian doctrine. After the creed is finished, other general Bible truths are explored: the Bible, Creation, sin, salvation, sanctification and more. Then the 10 commandments and the law of God are covered, as is evangelism and “principles of reformation and revival”.

The author’s pastoral tone is evident throughout this brief work. When appropriate, historical details and finer theological points are shared, but for the most part, a basic survey of doctrine is achieved. The implications of doctrine and the problems of the church today are also explained. The work is Reformed in perspective and can be used as a discipleship tool. It would also serve well for use as educational materials for older children.

One example of Murphy’s direct and simple style comes from his discussion on “bearing one another’s burden”:

Christians burdened by sin have no trouble finding other Christians that are more than willing to criticize and find fault. Then others are calling for punishment rather than restoration of a fallen brother or sister. Of course there are plenty who simply ignore a fallen brother or sister. The biblical way to bear one another’s sin burden is to be restored by those who are spiritual (Galatians 6:1,2). (pg. 165)

For being a self-published work, there are not too many editorial flaws. Several times bullet points are not standard within one list, and that can be distracting (see pg. 66, 75, 113, and 152). My primary complaint with the book is that it doesn’t quote the Apostle’s Creed in full. Having been raised in churches that didn’t teach that creed, it made it hard to follow along at various places. [Note: I’ve been told these errors have been fixed, and the creed has been added in the most recent edition, available through Amazon.]

Make no mistake, this is no dry and boring book on doctrine. Murphy writes with vigor and love and with a pastor’s eye. This simple book will be a help to many and I recommend it. Books like this are needed in today’s church, and I hope it will find a wide audience.

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

You can pick up a copy of this book from any of these fine retailers: Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Theocentric Publishing Group.

Book Recommendation: “Grandpa’s Box: Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

Grandpa’s Box: Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption is a book for children which has the characters in the tale hearing the Bible stories retold by their grandfather. I’m reading this book to my girls right now, and they are fascinated by it and enjoy hearing the retelling of the Bible stories with the reactions to the stories by the children listening to the stories in the book. My eight year-old appreciates it the most as it is more on her level, but even my three and five year-olds enjoy the book.

The book promises to tell the whole Bible story of redemption, and comes highly recommended. I just learned today that Westminster Bookstore has the book at 50% off for a limited time (now through June 14). If you’re looking for a good book to use for family Bible time, I recommend this work. Pick it up during the sale, and it’s only $7.00.

Publisher’s Description: “It wa a wooden box, simply made. “˜I guess you could call it my war chest,’ Grandpa said. As the children peered into the box, they saw many small figures – animals, people, and objects of all kinds. A number of them were carved from wood.”

Learn along with Marc and Amy as Grandpa uses his special box of wooden carvings to illustrate the wonderful stories of the Bible to children. From Genesis to Revelation, Grandpa shows how the stories of the Bible fit as episodes in the one story of God’s redemption of His people. Children will come away with a deeper understanding of God’s plan of redemption told throughout all of Scripture. Even those children who already know the stories of the Bible will learn more about God and his plan for saving His people.

Click here to read a sample chapter, or here to see the included study guide. Use this link to purchase the book through Westminster Bookstore.

“The Gift: A Novel (Chiveis Trilogy, book 2)” by Bryan M. Litfin

~ Bob Hayton

Step forward several hundred years into a post-nuclear apocalypse future. Earth has lost most of her technology and a new feudal age is in full swing. In this world, the Christiani are hunted down and nearly exterminated, and even the very message of the New Testament has been lost and nearly forgotten.

This is the story that Bryan M. Litfin crafts for us in his “Chiveis Trilogy”. The Gift: A Novel, the second book in the series, follows Captain Teofil and Anastasia as they journey through new lands in search of the lost New Testament. Along the way, their adventures are many as they narrowly escape imprisonment, torture and death at every turn. The physical dangers aren’t the only obstacles in their quest, they battle temptation to fit in to the spirit of the world they inhabit, too.

The book comes off feeling a bit like a fantasy work, yet there are no fantastic characters. It’s actually more similar to a tale from a long lost medieval age, with the twist of people trying to search out the true meaning of Christianity. The character development is excellent even if the plot at times seems too good to be true. The quest to find the true nature of Christianity and to uncover the lost New Testament makes for a great story line, however. And the book moves along at a quick pace.

Without having read the first book, I was still able to enter the story easily: enough of the backstory was retold that I didn’t feel lost. This book also comes with 15 study questions in the back which would allow it to serve as a class assignment for a study of literature, or equally well as a discussion guide for talking over the story and the moral dilemmas which faced its characters with your teen-age children.

This story was both unique and well-written. And what is vital for a fictional tale, it was ultimately satisfying. Yet the book offered even more, it was a work about our Christian faith and the struggle to live it out faithfully in whatever age we find ourselves in. I recommend the book highly. It would make for great summer reading. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the conclusion of Litfin’s Chiveis Trilogy, too.

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

You can pick up a copy of this book from any of these fine retailers: Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Crossway Books.

Life of John Knox Book Giveaway

~ Bob Hayton

Attic Books (an imprint of New Leaf Publishing), has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway of their recent title, Life of John Knox. This book is a beautiful reproduction of a classic biography of the great Scottish Reformer written for the American Sunday School Union way back in 1833.

You can learn more about the book by checking out the book trailer and an excerpt I shared in my recommendation of the book. A fuller excerpt is available at the Attic Books website.

Three copies of Life of John Knox will be given away in this contest. The contest is limited to residents of the United States, and runs now through Saturday night, June 11 at 9pm Central. One entry per person will be accepted. Just fill out the form below to be entered into the contest.

For those who don’t win, or those who suspect they won’t, you can pick up a copy of this nice book from these fine retailers: Monergism Books, Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or direct from Attic Books.

Contest is now closed. Congratulations go to Adam Britt, Dale Inman, and Joseph Mancuso, our contest winners!