Book Reviews

It's not a light-reading summer beach book, but J.P. Moreland's The Recalcitrant Imago Dei: Human Persons and the Failure of Naturalism (SCM Press) is a powerful indictment of the naturalistic philosophy that has taken over much of the western academic and culture.

Pastors Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken believe that "the church in North America is in serious trouble" in their new book Renovation of the Church: What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation (InterVarsity Press).

In the newly-released Second Edition of A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible (Baker), Robert H. Stein offers a practical and readable introduction to basic hermeneutical concepts.

Radical Together (Multnomah) by David Platt builds on his earlier bestselling book, Radical, by arguing that a correct understanding of the church will fuel radical obedience to Christ.

Joe Thorn's new book Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself (Crossway) is not about preaching, but about applying the truths of Scripture to your own life.

In his book Sound Biblical Preaching, Franklin L. Kirksey writes, "Unquestionably, unction is a result of the preacher's private life of devotion and prayer. This is what makes the preacher powerful in the pulpit."

In his fascinating book Why Men Hate Going to Church (Nelson Books), David Murrow discusses a variety of ways in which today's worship is oriented toward the way women learn, not men. He explains that it's a problem rooted in the brain.

Preachers can never go wrong with a book from Warren Wiersbe, so we can welcome On Earth as It Is in Heaven (Baker), his newest book on the Lord's Prayer. He explores the biblical text and applies its principles to the lives of contemporary believers. Here is an excellent resource for a sermon series on prayer.

In Science, Creation and the Bible (IVP), physicist Richard Carlson and theologian Tremper Longman III discuss ways to reconcile scientific views about the origins of the universe with biblical creation passages. This isn't an end to the debate, but an interesting addition to the creation conversation.

Few Christians in the West today have ever seen a powerful spiritual awakening that shakes the culture. In their new book A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir (Zondervan), Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge share remarkable stories of spiritual revival. Readers will be encouraged and inspired to pray for revival in our own day.