This is a summary of recent books read by Martin Davie, compiling his evaluations and the commendations of others. In this edition:
Why Social Justice is not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis by Scott David Allen This is an important book for our times. It outlines what the ideological social justice movement stands for, why its key tenets are opposed to biblical teaching and how Evangelicals should respond creatively to the inroads it has made, and is still making, in both society and the Church. This is an urgent wake-up call to right thinking.
How the Church Fathers Read the Bible: A Short Introduction by Gerald Bray
This is a very helpful introduction to the nature and development of Patristic biblical interpretation and to the lessons the Fathers have to teach about how we should view and read the Bible today. It is written in an accessible style that makes it ideal for a reader who is approaching this topic for the first time. It is also ideal for students at university or theological college or for the general Christian reader who simply wants to know more about the topics it covers.
Lies We are Told, the Truth We must Hold: Worldviews and their Consequences by Sharon James
James’ book is a vitally important tract for our times. It explains in a clear and accessible way the genesis and effects of the lies that have come to dominate Western society, and then goes on to show why biblical teaching offers a better alternative than these lies and how Christians should live on the basis of this teaching. This is a key text which needs to be read, pondered, shared and widely publicised.
Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say by Preston Sprinkle
This book is an important contribution to the Christian discussion about transgender because it gives a comprehensive survey of the main issues under discussion. It shows why we should maintain the traditional view that there are two sexes, that sex is determined by people’s bodies, and that people should live in a way that reflects their sex. It is important because it emphasises that, while maintaining our theological principles, we must also embody God’s outrageous grace to trans people. This is a book which Christians should buy, read, lend, discuss with others, and seek to act upon.
Navigating a World of Grace: The Promise of Generous Orthodoxy by Graham Tomlin
This is a stimulating account of the orthodox Christian faith and the nature and calling of the Christian Church which succeeds in showing why orthodox Christian theology and ecclesiology offer a better vision of the world than either secularism or heresy. This is a very useful book for Christians who want to be helped to think more deeply about their own faith and it is also a book that could be given to thoughtful enquirers. There are aspects of what is said in the book that Evangelicals might want to question, but as a whole this is a very useful text that can be strongly recommended.
To read the full reviews click here.
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