Book Review: The Pastor as Scholar and The Scholar as Pastor – John Piper and D.A. Carson (2011)

Two Men Focused on A Sovereign God and a Saving Gospel:

 This is a short book that I wish every pastor and theologian on the planet would read – especially American pastors and theologians. As an American pastor for over twenty years I have been, and am growing even more concerned over how pragmatism rather than theological foundations dominate our approach to life and ministry. The greatest movements throughout Church History have always occurred when godly men were consumed with the glory of God and through that focus were able to under gird their flocks with a solid foundation that prepared them for life via a robust belief in the Sovereignty of God and His glorious gospel and how that connects to all of life. This book demonstrates how two of the finest scholar-pastors in the 20-21st century make it happen. I long for a day when Theology will once again not be marginalized in our Institutions or Churches, but once again be deemed the “Queen of the Sciences” due to the efforts of men like John Piper, D.A. Carson, and those who will follow their lead – through their example as articulated in this wonderful book.

 The book consists of four chapters entitled:

1) “The Return of the Pastor Scholar” by Owen Strachan. In this brief introduction Strachan shows how history is replete with pastor-scholars, and scholar-pastors who demonstrate “that robust theology, so far from hindering the practice of ministry, actually enriches it, even as the practice of ministry enhances and increases one’s appreciation for theology.” John Piper and D. A. Carson fit this mold and he calls for pastors and scholars to be a “realistic combination” of both – scholarly and pastoral (practicing a theology of the heart, mind, and hands is the way I would put it).

 2) “A Personal Journey and the Joyful Place of Scholarship” by John Piper. Here Piper shares how his life and educational experiences combined to bring about the overarching theme of his life and ministry – “that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” He makes the point that he seeks to be like the apostle Paul in his ministry by “talking about his personal life and experience with God with a view to helping his listeners.” He then spends the large portion of the chapter answering the question: “What were the impulses toward scholarship and the pastorate?” Piper writes about the major writers, pastors, teachers, and experiences in his life that shaped him to study hard (he was not a naturally gifted student and shares his struggles) in order to communicate with sound logic and passion the glories of our all satisfying Savior and Lord. Piper gives us a fascinating glimpse into his personal life and what drew him into the pastorate after initially becoming a New Testament scholar. He calls pastors to strive for balance in their calling as scholars and the pastorate by becoming Christian Hedonists – bringing the head and heart in harmony by living for and declaring the glories of Christ in truth and passionate love for one’s flock. He articulates balancing the pastoral/scholarly life in this way, “Right thinking about God exists to serve right feelings for God. Logic exists for the sake of love. Reasoning exists for the sake of rejoicing. Doctrine exists for the sake of delight…If I were to claim the role of pastor-scholar, this is what I would mean by it. Think rightly and deeply about Word and the world with a view to seeing the greatness of God and his works (especially the work of Christ) so that the affections of our hearts might rest on a true foundation and God might be honored by how we feel toward him and by the behaviors that flow from his heart…If I am scholarly, it is not in the sense because I try to stay on the cutting edge in the discipline of biblical and theological studies. I am far too limited for that. What ‘scholarly’ would mean for me is that the greatest object of knowledge is God and that he has revealed himself authoritatively in a book; and that I should work with all my might and all my heart and all my soul and all my mind to know and enjoy him and to make him known for the joy of others…Surely this is the goal of every pastor.”

 3) “The Scholar as Pastor: Lessons from the Church and Academy” by D.A. Carson. Carson warns early on in this chapter, “Nothing is quite as deceitful as an evangelical scholarly mind that thinks it is especially close to God because of its scholarship rather than because of Jesus.” In other words, scholarship is not an end in and of itself but its pursuit must be out of love for Jesus and for what Jesus loves. There must be a balance of loving God with our minds and our hearts. Carson proceeds to give a dozen cautions, warnings, and vignettes of advice to scholars with the theme of accurately handling the Word and realizing the impact of lives that you influence for the sake of the church and culture via your research, writing, and mentoring influence for the generations to come.

4) “The Preacher, the Professor, and the True Pastor Scholar” by David Mathis. David Mathis shares how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a pastor-scholar. Jesus perfectly models the function of the mind, heart, and hands in the Gospels. He is the one that all Christians want to emulate. Mathis gives some other examples of modern-day pastor scholars and calls those in the ministry to emulate their calling using our skills and talents to bring about a new reformation and concludes with a prayer with which I wholeheartedly concur, “So in charging pastors to be more serious about the life of the mind, and in challenging scholars to be more engaged with the life of the church, we conclude with this prayer, that all our thoughtful shepherding and all our pastoral scholarship may be to the great end of having the gospel message about Jesus dwell richly (Col. 3:16) both in us and in our people; that knowing Jesus would be the great end of all our pasturing and our scholarship; that we ourselves, in all our preaching, writing, studying, and counseling, would continue to see ourselves as the great beneficiaries of his great grace; that into eternity we would be followers of Jesus more and more shaped, saturated, and transformed by his person and work. To Jesus, the great pastor-scholar, be the glory. Amen”

This book was simply a delight to read by two of the men that have in the past, and in the present continue to radically shape and influence my developing Christological world-view and how thinking in a God-centered manner lays the foundation for everything in life. As a preaching pastor I owe a great debt to John Piper in helping me to find my joy and satisfaction in Christ above all things, and to D.A. Carson for helping me interpret the Scriptures so as to teach accurately the Christological significance of the Bible. Together – through their speaking and writing – they have allowed me to delve into the depths of God and helped me to better communicate His majestic sovereignty as exemplified in the glorious gospel.

Continuing in a long line of Scholar-Pastors in the mold of Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Edwards, Spurgeon, and David Martyn Lloyd-Jones – Carson and Piper are a tremendous gift to the Church, and those who have yet to believe and follow Christ (even though they don’t know it). Through their prolific writing and speaking ministries in the Theological Institutions, Conferences, and the Church’s where they have served, Carson and Piper’s influence in promoting a robust Christo-Centric Theology is incalculable. My hope is that this book will be used by God to inspire pastors to be more scholarly in their endeavors, and for scholars to be more pastoral in their endeavors so that together we can stand on the shoulders of the pastor-scholars who have gone before us – so as to magnify the glory of God in Christ in our churches and penetrate the world with the soul satisfying gospel declared in the Scriptures.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher – Crossway Books – book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Religion vs. The Gospel

“RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.”
-Tim Keller

The God Who Seeks Us

“All religions, by and large, besides Christianity give you founders that say, ‘that’s the way to find God’, only Christianity gives you a founder, Jesus Christ, who says, ‘I’m God come to find you.'” – Tim Keller

The Resurrection of Christ’s Centrality in Gospel Centered Preaching

“all of the sermons recorded in Acts focus on the resurrection of Jesus. It might initially seem like there is one exception in Acts 7, but in fact that sermon was interrupted when the risen Jesus himself opened heaven and appeared to Stephen while he was preaching! – Adrian Warnock in Raised with Christ, Kindle location 296-297.

What Jesus Accomplished on the Cross

“The cross was an act simultaneously of punishment and amnesty, severity and grace, justice and mercy. Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.” – John R.W. Stott

Book Review: Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purposes of God by David Platt

As a pastor and life coach I am always looking for ways to better equip my flock to make an impact in ministering to one another, as well as making an impact for Christ in our culture. The author has given us an excellent resource to help us begin the process of fulfilling both of these endeavors by answering this profound question (if you ask profound questions – you get profound answers):

 “How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?”

Platt proceeds to answer this question with depth, Christ-centeredness, and with practical insight into how followers of Christ can work together to impact one another and the world for the glory of Christ.

Here are the Chapter titles along with the “Big ideas” of each chapter:

1)    Tyranny of the Good: One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.

2)    The Gospel Misunderstood: The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.

3)    God is saying something: The Word does the work.

4)    The Genius of Wrong: Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.

5)    Our Unmistakable Task: We are living-and longing-for the end of the world.

6)    The God Who Exalts God – We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

The book comes with a Small-Group Discussion Guide, which is a great plus for leaders like myself who desire to make multiplying teams of Christ-centered disciples who live to exalt the glory of Christ in our churches, and ultimately in our culture. I am so grateful that this book came out before Easter – as I will begin using it to train current and future servant-leaders in my church in a monthly training workshop in our church to help teams become more Christo-centric and others oriented for the exaltation of Christ in a man-centered world. I highly recommend this book and I’m excited about training others in the practical theological concepts delineated in this fantastic resource.


Book Review: Historical Theology by Gregg R. Allison

*Dr. Gregg R. Allison has made a very useful and practical contribution to the study of historical theology – especially for those familiar with Wayne Grudem’s “Systematic Theology.” Gregg writes clearly and cogently for those of us who desire to go deeper into the historical foundations, development, and significance of each major doctrine of the Bible.

 Allison gives us eight solid reasons for studying Historical Theology:

1)    “helping [those who study it to] distinguish orthodoxy from heresy.”

2)    “it provides sound biblical interpretations and theological formulations.”

3)    “it presents stellar examples of faith, love, courage, hope, obedience, and mercy.”

4)    “to protect against the individualism that is rampant today among Christians.”

5)    “it not only helps the church understand the historical development of its beliefs, but enables it to express those beliefs in contemporary form.”

6)    “it encourages the church to focus on the essentials, that is, to major on those areas that have been emphasized repeatedly throughout the history of the church.”

7)    “it gives the church hope by providing assurance that Jesus is fulfilling his promise to his people.”

8)    “finally, as beneficiaries of the heritage of doctrinal development sovereignly overseen by Jesus Christ, the church of today is privileged to enjoy a sense of belonging to the church of the past.”

This book is simply a marvelous plethora of useful information on the development of theology gathered in one place, synthesized masterfully by Allison for those who want to know how theology has come to us by the greatest theological minds in history. The author follows the same outline of Wayne Grudem’s “Systematic Theology,” (also available from Zondervan), and thus it makes this resource an excellent companion of Grudem’s outstanding work. I highly recommend both of these resources to be used together for anyone who desires to know what we believe and how the greatest God-centered theologians of history have developed the sound theology needed to transform lives and culture today in the 21st century.

 

*Dr. Greg Allison in his own words: I am Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where, in addition to teaching the three core theology courses, I teach electives on the doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of humanity (with a focus on human embodiment), the doctrine of the church, historical theology, and Roman Catholic theology. I do occasional teaching for the Institute of Biblical Studies and Re:train. I am also secretary for the Evangelical Theological Society and serve on the editorial committee as book review editor (in the areas of theology, history, philosophy, etc.) and referee (for articles).

I was born and raised in Chicago, which means I am a Bears fan, Bulls fan, Blackhawks fan, and Cubs fan (and hate the White Sox). I have a B.S. in biology, a M.Div., and the Ph.D. in Systematic Theology. Beside teaching and writing, I enjoy reading, sports, music, and the outdoors. I swim a mile five times a week to keep healthy.

My wife Nora and I were married in 1976 and have three grown children: Lauren is married to Troy, lives in the Seattle area, and has two kids (Caleb and Alia) with another on the way; Hanell is married to Mike, lives in Louisville, and has two kids (Annelie and Hudson); Luke is a senior at Union University majoring in math and secondary education with a minor in Church history.

Some unusual tidbits about me: while in high school I designed the offical seal of my city (Riverdale, Ill.); my wife and I had a private audience with Pope John Paul II (along with 9,998 other invited guests); we lived in Rome and the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland for a total of seven years.

Book Review: Max on Life by Max Lucado

In this resource, popular pastor and writer, Max Lucado responds to some of the letters he has received from people pursuing answers to some of life’s more important questions. Max answers close to two hundred practical questions based on these letters. The questions along with his subsequent answers – supported by the Scriptures – are handled in the following categories:

 1) Hope: God, Grace, and “Why am I here?” – pages 1-36.

2) Hurt: Conflicts, Calamities, and “Why me?” – pages 37-74.

3) Help: Prayer, Scripture, and “Why church?” – pages 75-118.

4) Him/Her: Sex, Romance, and “Any chance of a second chance?” – pages 119-150.

5) Home: Diapers, Disagreements, and “Any hope for prodigals?” – pages 151-176.

6) Haves/Have-Nots: Work, Money, and “Where’s the lifeline?”  – pages 177-196.

7) Hereafter: Cemeteries, Heaven, Hell, and “Who goes where?” – pages 197-230.

8) Addendum: The Write Suff – helpful and brief advice on: how to write, when to write, who can publish, who can edit. – pages 231-235.

9) Notes – pages 236-238.

10) Topical Index – a helpful index for quick access to the topics addressed in the book beginning with “abortion” and ending with “worship.” – pages 239-245.

Overall, the answers to the questions are gracious, practical, clear, and concise. I’m sure I will consult his answers again as they come up in my own ministries of counseling and life coaching. I think his book is definitely worth having and consulting – especially for new believers in Christ.

I think Max does an adequate job in his answers to these questions, but Max represents what I would deem a “Generic Christianity.” I would prefer to see the questions answered within the framework of a robust Biblical Theology with Christ at the center. I would love to see Tim Keller or D.A. Carson write a book answering the same questions. For those who would prefer a more Theological approach (considering Biblical and Systematic Theology) to frequently asked questions I would recommend R.C. Sproul’s, “Now That’s a Good Question” as a much better resource with more depth of insight into the Christo-centric emphasis of the Scriptures and their connection to life in the 21st century.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Plan for Reading the Bible Chronologically in a Year

January

(1) Genesis 1-3; (2) Genesis 4-7;( 3) Genesis 8-11; (4) Job 1-5; (5) Job 6-9; (6) Job 10-13; (7) Job 14-16; (8) Job 17-20; (9) Job 21-23; (10) Job 24-28; (11) Job 29-31; (12) Job 32-34; (13) Job 35-37; (14) Job 38-39; (15) Job 40-42; (16) Genesis 12-15; (17) Genesis 16-18; (18) Genesis 19-21; (19) Genesis 22-24; (20) Genesis 25-26; (21) Genesis 27-29; (22) Genesis 30-31; (23) Genesis 32-34; (24) Genesis 35-37; (25) Genesis 38-40; (26) Genesis 41-42; (27) Genesis 43-45; (28) Genesis 46-47; (29) Genesis 48-50; (30) Exodus 1-3; 31) Exodus 4-6

 February

(1) Exodus 7-9; (2) Exodus 10-12; (3) Exodus 13-15; (4) Exodus 16-18; (5) Exodus 19-21; (6) Exodus 22-24; (7) Exodus 25-27; (8) Exodus 28-29; (9) Exodus 30-32; (10) Exodus 33-35; (11) Exodus 36-38; (12) Exodus 39-40; (13) Leviticus 1-4; (14) Leviticus 5-7; (15) Leviticus 8-10; (16) Leviticus 11-13; (17) Leviticus 14-15; (18) Leviticus 16-18; (19) Leviticus 19-21; (20) Leviticus 22-23; (21) Leviticus 24-25; (22) Leviticus 26-27; (23) Numbers 1-2; (24) Numbers 3-4; (25) Numbers 5-6; (26) Numbers 7; (27) Numbers 8-10; (28) Numbers 11-13.

 March

(1) Numbers 14-15; Psalms 90; (2) Numbers 16-17; (3) Numbers 18-20; (4) Numbers 21-22; (5) Numbers 23-25; (6) Numbers 26-27; (7) Numbers 28-30; (8) Numbers 31-32; (9) Numbers 33-34; (10) Numbers 35-36; (11) Deuteronomy 1-2; (12) Deuteronomy 3-4; (13) Deuteronomy 5-7; (14) Deuteronomy 8-10; (15) Deuteronomy 11-13; (16) Deuteronomy 14-16; (17) Deuteronomy 17-20; (18) Deuteronomy 21-23; (19) Deuteronomy 24-27; (20) Deuteronomy 28-29; (21) Deuteronomy 30-31; (22) Deuteronomy 32-34; Psalms 91; (23) Joshua 1-4; (24) Joshua 5-8; (25) Joshua 9-11; (26) Joshua 12-15; (27) Joshua 16-18; (28) Joshua 19-21; (29) Joshua 22-24; (30) Judges 1-2; (31) Judges 3-5.

 April

1) Judges 6-7; 2) Judges 8-9; 3) Judges 10-12; 4) Judges 13-15; 5) Judges 16-18; 6) Judges 19-21; 7) Ruth; 8) 1 Samuel 1-3; 9) 1 Samuel 4-8; 10) 1 Samuel 9-12; 11) 1 Samuel 13-14; 12) 1 Samuel 15-17; 13) 1 Samuel 18-20; Psalms 11; Psalms 59; 14) 1 Samuel 21-24; 15) Psalms 7; Psalms 27; Psalms 31; Psalms 34; Psalms 52; 16) Psalms 56; Psalms 120; Psalms 140-142; 17) 1 Samuel 25-27; 18) Psalms 17; Psalms 35; Psalms 54; Psalms 63; 19) 1 Samuel 28-31; Psalms 18; 20) Psalms 121; Psalms 123-125; Psalms 128-130; 21) 2 Samuel 1-4; 22) Psalms 6; Psalms 8-10; Psalms 14; Psalms 16; Psalms 19; Psalms 21; 23) 1 Chronicles 1-2; 24) Psalms 43-45; Psalms 49; Psalms 84-85; Psalms 87; 25) 1 Chronicles 3-5; 26) Psalms 73; Psalms 77-78; 27) 1 Chronicles 6; 28) Psalms 81; Psalms 88; Psalms 92-93; 29) 1 Chronicles 7-10; 30) Psalms 102-104.

 May

1) 2 Samuel 5:1-10; 1 Chronicles 11-12; 2) Psalms 133; 3) Psalms 106-107; 4) 2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 1 Chronicles 13-16; 5) Psalms 1-2; Psalms 15; Psalms 22-24; Psalms 47; Psalms 68; 6) Psalms 89; Psalms 96; Psalms 100; Psalms 101; Psalms 105; Psalms 132; 7) 2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; 8) Psalms 25; Psalms 29; Psalms 33; Psalms 36; Psalms 39; 9) 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18; 10) Psalms 50; Psalms 53; Psalms 60; Psalms 75; 11) 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalms 20; 12) Psalms 65-67; Psalms 69-70; 13) 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20; 14) Psalms 32; Psalms 51; Psalms 86; Psalms 122; 15) 2 Samuel 13-15; 16) Psalms 3-4; Psalms 12-13; Psalms 28; Psalms 55; 17) 2 Samuel 16-18; 18) Psalms 26; Psalms 40; Psalms 58; Psalms 61-62; Psalms 64; 19) 2 Samuel 19-21; 20) Psalms 5; Psalms 38; Psalms 41-42; 21) 2 Samuel 22-23; Psalms 57; 22) Psalms 95; Psalms 97-99; 23) 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21-22; Psalms 30; 24) Psalms 108-110; 25) 1 Chronicles 23-25; 26) Psalms 131; Psalms 138-139; Psalms 143-145; 27) 1 Chronicles 26-29; Psalms 127; 28) Psalms 111-118; 29) 1 Kings 1-2; Psalms 37; Psalms 71; Psalms 94; 30) Psalms 119:1-88; 31) 1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalms 72.

 June

1) Psalms 119:89-176; 2) Song of Solomon; 3) Proverbs 1-3; 4) Proverbs 4-6; 5) Proverbs 7-9; 6) Proverbs 10-12; 7) Proverbs 13-15; 8) Proverbs 16-18; 9) Proverbs 19-21; 10) Proverbs 22-24; 11) 1 Kings 5-6; 2 Chronicles 2-3; 12) 1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; 13) 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; 14) 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalms 136; 15) Psalms 134; Psalms 146-150; 16) 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8; 17) Proverbs 25-26; 18) Proverbs 27-29; 19) Ecclesiastes 1-6; 20) Ecclesiastes 7-12; 21) 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; 22) Proverbs 30-31; 23) 1 Kings 12-14; 24) 2 Chronicles 10-12; 25) 1 Kings 15:1-24; 2 Chronicles 13-16; 26) 1 Kings 15:25-16:34; 2 Chronicles 17; 27) 1 Kings 17-19; 28) 1 Kings 20-21; 29) 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18; 30) 2 Chronicles 19-23.

 July

1) Obadiah; Psalms 82-83; 2) 2 Kings 1-4; 3) 2 Kings 5-8; 4) 2 Kings 9-11; 5) 2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24; 6) 2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25; 7) Jonah; 8) 2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26; 9) Isaiah 1-4; 10) Isaiah 5-8; 11) Amos 1-5; 12) Amos 6-9; 13) 2 Chronicles 27; Isaiah 9-12; 14) Micah; 15) 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17; 16) Isaiah 13-17; 17) Isaiah 18-22; 18) Isaiah 23-27; 19) 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalms 48; 20) Hosea 1-7; 21) Hosea 8-14; 22) Isaiah 28-30; 23) Isaiah 31-34; 24) Isaiah 35-36; 25) Isaiah 37-39; Psalms 76; 26) Isaiah 40-43; 27) Isaiah 44-48; 28) 2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalms 46; Psalms 80; Psalms 135; 29) Isaiah 49-53; 30) Isaiah 54-58; 31) Isaiah 59-63.

 August

(1) Isaiah 64-66; (2) 2 Kings 20-21; (3) 2 Chronicles 32-33; (4) Nahum; (5) 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35; (6) Zephaniah; (7) Jeremiah 1-3; (8) Jeremiah 4-6; (9) Jeremiah 7-9; (10) Jeremiah 10-13; (11) Jeremiah 14-17; (12) Jeremiah 18-22; (13) Jeremiah 23-25; (14) Jeremiah 26-29; (15) Jeremiah 30-31; (16) Jeremiah 32-34; (17) Jeremiah 35-37; (18) Jeremiah 38-40; Psalms 74; Psalms 79; (19) 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36; (20) Habakkuk; (21) Jeremiah 41-45; (22) Jeremiah 46-48; (23) Jeremiah 49-50; (24) Jeremiah 51-52; (25) Lamentations 1:1-3:36; (26) Lamentations 3:37-5:22; (27) Ezekiel 1-4; (28) Ezekiel 5-8; (29) Ezekiel 9-12; (30) Ezekiel 13-15; (31) Ezekiel 16-17.

 September

(1) Ezekiel 18-19; (2) Ezekiel 20-21; (3) Ezekiel 22-23; (4) Ezekiel 24-27; (5) Ezekiel 28-31; (6) Ezekiel 32-34; (7) Ezekiel 35-37; (8) Ezekiel 38-39; (9) Ezekiel 40-41; (10) Ezekiel 42-43; (11) Ezekiel 44-45; (12) Ezekiel 46-48; (13) Joel; (14) Daniel 1-3; (15) Daniel 4-6; (16) Daniel 7-9; (17) Daniel 10-12; (18) Ezra 1-3; (19) Ezra 4-6; Psalms 137; (20) Haggai; (21) Zechariah 1-7; (22) Zechariah 8-14; (23) Esther 1-5; (24) Esther 6-10; (25) Ezra 7-10; (26) Nehemiah 1-5; (27) Nehemiah 6-7; (28) Nehemiah 8-10; (29) Nehemiah 11-13; Psalms 126; (30) Malachi.

 October

(1) Luke 1; John 1:1-14; (2) Matthew 1; Luke 2:1-38; (3) Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52; (4) Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3; (5) Matthew 4; Luke 4-5; John 1:15-51; (6) John 2-4; (7) Mark 2; (8) John 5; (9) Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 3; Luke 6; (10) Matthew 5-7; (11) Matthew 8:1-13; Luke 7; (12) Matthew 11; (13) Matthew 12:22-50; Luke 11; (14) Matthew 13; Luke 8; (15) Matthew 8:14-34; Mark 4-5; (16) Matthew 9-10; (17) Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9:1-17; (18) John 6; (19) Matthew 15; Mark 7; (20) Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9:18-27; (21) Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9:28-62; (22) Matthew 18; (23) John 7-8; (24) John 9:1-10:21; (25) Luke 10-11; John 10:22-42; (26) Luke 12-13; (27) Luke 14-15; (28) Luke 16-17:10; (29) John 11; (30) Luke 17:11-18:14; (31) Matthew 19; Mark 10.

 November

(1) Matthew 20-21; (2) Luke 18:15-19:48; (3) Mark 11; John 12; (4) Matthew 22; Mark 12; (5) Matthew 23; Luke 20-21; (6) Mark 13; (7) Matthew 24; (8) Matthew 25; (9) Matthew 26; Mark 14; (10) Luke 22; John 13; (11) John 14-17; (12) Matthew 27; Mark 15; (13) Luke 23; John 18-19; (14) Matthew 28; Mark 16; (15) Luke 24; John 20-21; (16) Acts 1-3; (17) Acts 4-6; (18) Acts 7-8; (19) Acts 9-10; (20) Acts 11-12; (21) Acts 13-14; (22) James; (23) Acts 15-16; (24) Galatians 1-3; (25) Galatians 4-6; (26) Acts 17-18:18; (27) 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; (28) Acts 18:19-19:41; (29) 1 Corinthians 1-4; (30) 1 Corinthians 5-8.

 December

(1) 1 Corinthians 9-11; (2) 1 Corinthians 12-14; (3) 1 Corinthians 15-16; (4) 2 Corinthians 1-4; (5) 2 Corinthians 5-9; (6) 2 Corinthians 10-13; (7) Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3; (8) Romans 4-7; (9) Romans 8-10; (10) Romans 11-13; (11) Romans 14-16; (12) Acts 20:4-23:35; (13) Acts 24-26; (14) Acts 27-28; (15) Colossians; Philemon; (16) Ephesians; (17) Philippians; (18) 1 Timothy; (19) Titus; (20) 1 Peter; (21) Hebrews 1-6; (22) Hebrews 7-10; (23) Hebrews 11-13; (24) 2 Timothy; (25) 2 Peter; Jude; (26) 1 John; (27) 2 John; 3 John; (28) Revelation 1-5; (29) Revelation 6-11; (30) Revelation 12-18; (31) Revelation 19-22.

Book Review: The Fight Of Our Lives by William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn

The Big Elephant in Our Country

William Bennett and Seth Leibsohn bravely tackle the big elephant in our country that most people brush aside, are ignorant of, and simply refuse to talk about. The subtitle of the book is “Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth & Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam.” This book provides a myriad of facts from history, the Koran and the Bible, and recent events to show the danger that radical Islam poses to our country and the world.

In a balanced and objective manner the author’s do an excellent job of presenting a lot of helpful information in showing that we can’t just stand back and do nothing while Islam presents itself as a “peaceful religion” when it’s own teachings, history, and current events show otherwise. Many of the spokesmen for Islam employ doublespeak with reference to the dark realities of Islam. The authors alert us to the methods they employ and that we need to call evil – evil when we read it, hear it, or see it.

If I could make every American read this book I would. I wish we didn’t have to deal with radical Islam, but we do. We need to remember 9/11 and do our homework and be smart in preventing something much worse. I didn’t enjoy the book – or the subject matter. However, I learned a lot more than I knew about Islam, and how to be proactive and informed in preventing the downfall of our great nation – at least to the advancement of Islam anyway! It all starts with being educated and informed about the truth. We need to know the truth if we are going to respond to the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”