Category: Theology Proper (The Study of God)

Book Review: The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

Larry Stone has served us well by giving us a beautiful book that can sit nicely on one’s coffee table and tells the compelling story of the development, translation and transmission of the Scriptures in various languages, it’s historical development, and the current status of translation today around the world. With his selection of various pictures, pullouts, and interesting stories, Stone does not fail to captivate the reader of this book. He does a superb job of giving information that is scholarly and yet accessible to anyone who is interested in knowing more about how the Bible came to be and its impact on civilization.

Having had classes in Bibliology in Bible college, and seminary – I still learned things from the book that I had never known before. We have a nightstand at the entryway to our home and I have found visitors and my two teenagers sitting down looking through the book and being captivated by its contents, pictures, and pullouts. The visual aspects of the book make it almost irresistible to look at.

Stone’s book gives the reader a greater appreciation of the Scriptures and the cost and sacrifice involved in making them available in our language. I would suggest three additions for a future addition to this book for even more usefulness: larger font, a glossary in the back of key terms discussed in the book, and another chapter on the authority, sufficiency, and relevancy of the Bible for salvation and sanctification. However, as the book stands, I would still highly recommend it to everyone who wants to know more about how the Bible came to be.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I am under no compulsion to write a positive or negative review of this book. The opinions expressed are exclusively my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Excellent Concise Summary of Liberal Theology

H. Richard Niebuhr famously once distilled liberal theology into this sentence: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”

Book Review of Tim Keller’s “The Prodigal God”

Tim Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, N.Y.) is a very gifted thinker and communicator. His book “The Prodigal God” is one I have read 3 times in the last year. The book is based on perhaps the most famous story that Jesus told in the New Testament (Luke 15) – often referred to as the the parable of the “prodigal son.”I have been a Christian for 39 years now (24 of those years in the pastorate), and I have never read a better presentation of the gospel than he presents in this book. Dr. Keller helped me to fall in love with the God of the gospel again. He helped me to realize that the gospel isn’t just about forgiveness for what I’ve done in the past, or for the promise of Christ’s return and the hope of Heaven for the future, but that the gospel is essential for living today. God’s grace through a relationship with Christ is what we need to be reminded of every day in order to basque in the pleasure, peace, and presence of a wonderful God – who loves us despite our tendencies to rebel, or revel in our own righteousness – either way – our sins of thinking we are too bad, or too good keep us at a distance from knowing God the Father through His perfect Son – Our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Out of 5 stars – I would give it a 10. The principles in this book are invaluable and I sum up what I learned from this book here:

1) I am a bigger sinner than I thought I was – I have a tendency to be like the “older brother” in Luke 15 – who sees himself as more righteous than he really is.

2) God is more gracious than I thought He was – He provides forgiveness for both the rebel (the younger brother) and the older brother – who is lost because it is his supposed righteousness that keeps him from having a relationship with his father – he is an idolater becasue he loves his father’s “things” more than the father himself.

3) It has helped me to understand the gospel and explain it better. Religions have a tendency to lead to idolatry – we think we are good – because we follow rules, or do “good works,” but these good works are self serving and make us look down on others.

4) Ultimately, I owe my salvation solely and totally to the goodness, patience, mercy, grace, and provision of God through Christ. He sought me while yet a sinner. He gave me His righteousness in exchange for my sin. He forgave me despite my rebellion and pride, and revealed His love for me in that He sent His one and only sin to die for me on the cross – Romans 5:8.

5) The Prodigal God wants me to go after all people with the good news that He has made provision for their salvation – no matter what separates them from Him. What a mighty and wonderful God we serve!