New Books You Should Know About

By Matthew Barrett–

James Robinson Graves: Staking the Boundaries of Baptist Identity (Studies in Baptist Life and Thought). By James A. Patterson. Nashville: B&H, 2012.

If you are a Baptist then you may be interested in Patterson’s biography of James Robinson Graves, the founder of Landmarkism, a view that affirms church succession or the “unbroken trail of authentic congregations dating back to the New Testament.” This biography is the first in eighty years and Patterson provides his own critique of Graves and the Landmark tradition. Chris Morgan, dean and professor of Theology at California Baptist University, writes of the book, “Here is Baptist history at its best. . . . Historians and theologians will esteem its precision; pastors and church leaders will welcome its relevance.”

F. F. Bruce: A Life. By Tim Grass. Grand Rapids: Eerdmands, 2012.

Tim Grass has written the first biography of F. F. Bruce (1910-1990), who was a prolific biblical scholar, writing over fifty books and over two thousand articles and reviews. The book should give you a picture of the evangelical scene since the 1950s, particularly within the academy. Mark Noll commends the book, “Tim Grass has written an unusually solid biography of an exceedingly solid scholar. Its pages provide a full account of F. F. Bruce’s biblical scholarship and his pathbreaking leadership of evangelical intellectual life more generally. But they are also excellent on Bruce’s faithful private side, especially his lifelong engagement in Brethren ministries. The result is a very good book on a very worthy subject.”

Proverbs: Wisdom that Works. By Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

Proverbs is one of my favorite books in the Bible. So I am looking forward to digging into Ortlund’s new commentary for pastors. Raymond Ortlund (Ph.D., Unversity of Aberdeen) is senior minister at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He has pastored churches in California, Oregon and Georgia and was formerly professor of Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is also the author of A Passion for God (Eerdmans). Graeme Goldsworthy points out the strength of the book, “The strength of Ray Ortlund’s study of Proverbs is its Christ-centeredness. The wisdom of Proverbs loses none of its practical value, but rather is given its ultimate fulfillment as an expression of the wisdom of Christ.” You can also listen to the following related sermon: The Danger of Disobedience. (The Gospel Coalition)

God is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology. By Gerald Bray. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

Gerald Bray’s new systematic theology is out with Crossway. The book is divided into six parts:

Part 1: The Language of Love

Part 2: God’s Love in Himself

Part 3: God’s Love for His Creation

Part 4: The Rejection of God’s Love

Part 5: God So Loved the World

Part 6: The Consummation of God’s Love

You will want to check out an interview Matthew Claridge did with Bray for Credo Magazine. You can also listen to the following related sermon: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13—The Love of God. (The Gospel Coalition)

Disciplines of a Godly Young Man. By R. Kent Hughes & W. Carey Hughes. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

If you work with youth, here is a book you may want to look into. Kent and Carey Hughes break the book into sixteen chapters, focusing on godliness, purity, friendship, the mind, devotion, prayer, the tongue, work, perseverance, church, giving, witness, ministry, and grace. Here is what Crossway writes of the book,

Point blank, this is a punchy, no-holds-barred book for young men that lays out the call and command to be disciplined, godly, and sold-out for Jesus. Addressing topics such as purity in one’s thought-life, peer pressure, and perseverance as a Christian, this specially adapted work stands to influence a struggling generation.

Using the same no-nonsense approach that made R. Kent Hughes’ Disciplines of a Godly Man a positive influence on thousands of adults, this adaptation by Kent, his son Carey, and veteran youth leader Jonathan Carswell outlines the disciplines necessary to help a young man align every facet of his life with the fundamental truths of the Bible. It not only teaches how to live a life of Christian discipline, but also instills the desire to do so into a young heart longing to live a life of integrity, meaning, and fulfillment. This book brings the authority of a trusted name with a new flavor that will engage a younger audience.

You can read sample content here.

The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams. By Heath Lambert. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

If you are not familiar with “biblical counseling” then this is a good book to get you acquainted. Heath Lambert is the first to look at the development of the movement from Jay Adams to current day leaders like David Powlison.  Lambert shows how the movement has developed and changed, and provides some evaluation as well. Stuart Scott says of the book, “Having been a part of biblical counseling for some twenty-five years, I greatly appreciate and whole-heartedly endorse Dr. Lambert’s incredible work. He informs the novice, the veteran, and the critic on how the great heroes of the biblical counseling movement have built upon one another. He shows how an understanding of the movement must proceed from both historical and biblical contexts. And, as he reflects on the past one hundred years of church history, Lambert contributes a clear perspective on present day biblical counseling by demonstrating its strengths and weaknesses. He does this work in a way that leaves readers challenged, more unified, and strengthened in their faith and resolve concerning the sufficiency of the Scriptures.”

What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? Answers to the Big Questions in Life. By Edward T. Welch. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2011.

Facebook, twitter, blogs—these media outlets and many others often reveal the reality that we live in a world where “me” is the center of attention. And we really care what others think of us. In short, we are slaves to the opinions of others. Edward T. Welch has written a book addressing this very issue, arguing that there is freedom in not being consumed by what others think of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKgPrWsDvds&feature=player_embedded

What Did You Expect: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage. By Paul David Tripp. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

Are you married? Are you newly married? Are you disappointed? Have you had expectations, fed to you by the culture, that have distorted your view of marriage? Well, Paul Tripp wants a word with you. And he has six commitments for you to make to your spouse:

Commitment 1: We will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness.

Commitment 2: We will make growth and change our daily agenda.

Commitment 3: We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust.

Commitment 4: We will commit to building a relationship of love.

Commitment 5: We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace.

Commitment 6: We will work to protect our marriage.

Here is what John Piper and Matt Chandler have to say about the book,

“Noel and I listened to most of this book driving in the car! Wise words. Authentic experience. Provocative application. Turned a long trip into a fruitful two-person marriage seminar.”
-John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Twin Cities, Minnesota

“When Paul Tripp teaches, preaches, or writes he does so through the lens of the gospel. In What Did You Expect?, Paul faithfully and brilliantly lets the gospel bear its weight on the messiness and beauty of marriage. I, personally, found the book to be helpful, and we use it extensively at The Village.”
-Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor, The Village Church, Highland Village, Texas; author, The Explicit Gospel

And here is a nifty video promo:

Galatians, Ephesians (Reformation Commentary on Scripture). Edited by Gerald L. Bray. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.

Ezekiel, Daniel (Reformation Commentary on Scripture). Edited by Carl L. Beckwith. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.

If you are a student of the Reformation, and I hope you are (!), you will be interested in keeping up with the volumes being released in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series, edited by Timothy George. Two of the most recent volumes include one by Carl Beckwith on Ezekiel and Daniel, and another by Gerald Bray on Galatians and Ephesians. These are valuable volumes, pulling together hundreds and hundreds of excerpts from the reformers, giving us their commentary on the Bible.