For All It's Worth

HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton) by Jonathan Allen and Aimee Parnes A crushing defeat at the hands of Senator Barak Obama in the 2008 election could have made Hillary’s political legacy vanish, but this did not take place.  Rather, Hillary is galvanizing efforts for re-election in 2016.  In this new book, HRC, written by Jonathan Allen and Aimee Parnes, we are taken into the poltical machinations surrounding Hillary’s decisions, what led to her demise in 2008, and how she handles her position now.  Filled with stories, gossip, and analysis, this book is biography is sure to irk some and inform others.  Allen and Parnes begin the introduction by  voicing reason to her failure at the 2008 bid by writing, “The failure of her 2008 presidential campaign could be attributed in part to the way she rewarded longtime allies with jobs that they were ill-equipped to execture,…(5).”  Not only this, but many key supporters early on for HRC changed thei...

Worshipping with Calvin: Recovering the Historic Ministry and Worship of Reformed Protestantism by Terry L. Johnson Having been a long time conversation partner in the worship debates and the development of Presbyterian worship and theology, Terry L. Johnson is the right person to write a book with the name Worshipping with Calvin .  Terry builds a case for Reformed Worship along the lines of it being bible filled, church aware, gospel structured and spirit dependent.  Also, he rails against the contemporary worship movement with its emphasis on emotional highs and loose structure as providing no theological and biblical foundations for believers to truly grow in their faith.  What turns out is a book that is well-researched and builds a strong case for the enduring legacy of Reformed Worship. In speaking about the nature of prayers of the Reformation Terry writes, “Consequently, while all the prayers of the Reformation era orders of service are b...

What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman Gospel-driven life, gospel preaching, gospel living, are we done yet with the tag?  Yet, as I picked up Matt Perman’s new book, What’s Best Next , I think the gospel used here is crucial to the entire book.  The book is about how we see work, productivity, and the gospel intertwined together.  In reality, you come away with a book that relates the good news and work to many areas of life including business, your core principles, mission, love, and good works.  My initial response to the title and the cover was that this was going to be a boring book about work and faith, but boy was I wrong. Matt goes into the discussion of productivity with a razor sharp aim on the key issues.  He comments concerning intentionality that, “What we see here is that love for God should also lead us to be concerned with time management (65).” Our faith is not to be sequester...

Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact by Marvin Jones We often think of an herb in a garden and forget that Basil was also an amazing church father who helped mold the church into what it is today. In Marvin Jones’ new book, Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact , he takes a look into what made Basil so important in the forging of the early church, how his theology helped fuel his faith, and what made Basil so darn interesting.  Rather than come from an academic and dry perspective, Marvin explicates Basil’s influence and theology, including his pneumatology with skill and precision, highlighting the most instrumental points of his life and including some amazing quotations as well.  In turn, Marvin brings together very interesting sections on monasticism, the Holy Spirit, and Basil’s view of Scripture, which coincides with a Reformed and Evangelical perspective. You will not be disappointed in reading this book. Monasticism and Basil Marvin quic...

I have to admit, some books just haunt me. That is, they keep calling me back to read them over and over again. This time it's The Mission of God by Christopher J.H. Wright that called me back. Check this passage out concerning Jonah: "The book of Jonah has always featured in biblical studies of mission, sometimes as the only part of the Old Testament deemed to be of any relevance. Here at least is someone who has some semblance of being an actual missionary, sent to ano ther country to preach the word of God. However, for all the fascination of the character and adventures of Jonah, the real missional challenge of the book undoubtedly and intentionally lies in its portrayal of God. If Jonah is intended to represent Israel, as seems likely, then the book issues a strong challenge to Israel regarding their attitude to the nations (even enemy nations that prophets placed under God's declared judgement), and regarding their understanding of God's attitude to...