BOOK REVIEW - THEME PARK ABDUCTION BY PATSY CONWAY

 

Who kidnapped Rebecca Salmon's autistic son Austin at a theme park, and why? Can she, with the help of family friend (and F.B.I. agent) Jake Foster, decipher the clues her brother wrote aimed at Austin? 

Theme Park Abduction by Patsy Conway is an exciting story with all sorts of twists and turns (I'm trying to avoid the obvious roller coaster cliche). It's got a story that will keep you guessing, as well as interesting and unpredictable characters that have you wondering who are the good guys/gals and who are the not so good.

This is the 69th Love Inspired Suspense novel I've read. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will see similar themes, plots, and character types (including K-9s). For example, I read three this year alone that had the heroine starting the story with amnesia. This novel stands out with having a unique setting (theme park), a treasure hunt with clues to figure out, and having an autistic character. 

I highly recommend this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - HOLD FOR RELEASE BY HEIDI GLICK

"Bitterness: One will choose Forgiveness, One will choose Revenge." (From front cover)

Can journalist Jake Hartmann get his wife Carlotta to forgive him for committing adultery? Or will she give in to the advances of the handsome divorce attorney? And who brutally killed the dogs at the animal shelter? 

Heidi Glick has long been one of my favorite authors. I loved her debut Dog Tags several years ago. Her latest is Hold For Release, an edgy romantic suspense. I'll agree with what several other reviewers have pointed out - there are so many twists you have no idea what will happen next.

As the statement on the cover hints, a common thread between several of the characters is dealing with bitterness. I dealt with sadness reading the story, which is an indication of how well the story was written and how Glick had me caring for Jake, Carlotta, and her sister Rosario in spite of their flaws.

I highly recommend this powerful, thought provoking novel.

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 47 OF 48 - PSALM 149

 

Yavapai County Courthouse, Prescott, Arizona

1   Praise the LORD! 

    Sing to the LORD a new song, 

    And His praise in the assembly of saints. 

2   Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; 

    Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 

3   Let them praise His name with the dance; 

    Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. 

4   For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; 

    He will beautify the humble with salvation. 

5  Let the saints be joyful in glory; 

    Let them sing aloud on their beds. 

6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, 

    And a two-edged sword in their hand, 

7   To execute vengeance on the nations, 

    And punishments on the peoples; 

8   To bind their kings with chains, 

    And their nobles with fetters of iron; 

9   To execute on them the written judgment-- 

    This honor have all His saints. 

    Praise the LORD! 

                        Psalm 149:1-9, New King James Version

Yes, I've talked about some of my favorite Psalms. But if I would pick one Psalm, gather together a half to a full dozen of my theologically minded friends, and discuss that Psalm and what it means and how to apply it, this would be that Psalm. Allow me to highlight three points of the Psalm that put it in this category.

1. Verse one tells us to sing to the Lord a new song, and to sing it to the assembly of the upright. What is meant by a new song? I'd love to hear the above mentioned 6-12 friends give me their interpretations, and I'm sure at least one would  give the meaning of the original languages and the cultural setting, but I'll suggest it might include those that God has given the talent to write songs may compose new songs. I also love the concept of the assembly of the upright.
2. Verse four is an encouragement - that the Lord takes pleasure in His people and will beautify the humble with salvation. Isn't that a wonderful hope?
3. The passage that I want to discuss with those 6-12 friends (could they be considered an assembly of the upright) is the last half of the Psalm. It starts out with them receiving glory and singing praise to God. But then in verse 6, it mentions letting the high praise of God be in their mouth (which is typical in the Psalms) and a sharp two edged sword in their hand (not typical for the Psalm). It goes on to say that they'll punish the nations, bind the kings and execute on them the judgment. It then adds, "This honor have all the saints. Praise the LORD."

Wouldn't that be an interesting discussion?

Note. This is part 47 of 48 of my Sunday Psalms series. However, I'm taking a four week break from this series, and will conclude it on New Year's Eve.

HOLY DAYS, HOLIDAYS, AND HOLLOW DAYS , AND HOW DO WE FOCUS ON THE FORMER?

 

Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN

A couple of days ago, Becky expressed her sadness about not taking the time to go to a Veteran's Day service.  That got my attention. I had the day off from work, because this year it fell on a Saturday. Maybe part of it is that Becky's father was a veteran. Neither my father nor my paternal grandfather were (I have no idea about my maternal grandfather). 

This blog is being posted on Thanksgiving Day, 2023. You can say the same thing. It seems the day has morphed from Thanksgiving to Turkey Day. It used to be a day when all the stores were closed; now, several are open for pre-Black-Friday deals. :'( I think the day should be a little more, uh, sanctified (set apart), but is my heart focusing on giving thanks any more than any other day? Or am I too excited to turn on the TV for the big sports event of the day: America's Dog Show on NBC?

Allow me to use that introduction to suggest that our special days can fall into three categories: holy days, holidays, and hollow days. And I also want to make it plain that each have their place. Let me take them in reverse order:

1. Hollow Days. Someone I know used that term for what they considered pagan holidays (e.g. Christmas, Easter), to reflect the emptiness. Let me look on the concept more positively - there are days we need to be off from work, have a cook-out with friends, and watch a fireworks show after dark. (What I've just described can be how we celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day.) Anything wrong with that? Nope. We need time to rest. 
2. Holidays. These days are ones we celebrate via traditions. We wear green on St. Patrick's Day. We eat turkey and watch football (or in my case, the dog show) on Thanksgiving. We dress up for Halloween. We decorate a tree and deck the halls for Christmas. And we wait with apprehension to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Each are fun events that occur once a year that make the day stand out from a day off. In the past (not true now) I would have that mentality for the Oscar's, the baseball All-Star game, and the then-annual showing on CBS of "The Wizard of Oz." None of them change the world, but it gives the year a little variety. 
3. Holy Days. Holy means set apart, and a holy day is set apart. There is a solemnity to that day, like the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Bible. We could have that sanctified approach to major holidays we have off (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day for families where a member made the ultimate sacrifice) or days that are special to us. In my case, this would include Reformation Day, All Saints Day, World CEF Prayer Day, International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, and World Refugee Day. 

Confession time. These days I mentioned usually are just a normal day. I want that to change. Reformation Day and All Saints Day are ones that currently are something I quietly acknowledge, but I really want to celebrate it with others! True, it might be overdoing it to have a Reformation Day party one day and follow it up with an All Saints Day party 24 hours later. But you get the idea.

Can I summarize? We need days to rest. We need days to have fun and break up the routine. And we need days to reflect.

BOOK REVIEW - DRAWN IN ASH (A LEGACY OF INK BOOK 1) BY JOHN OTTE

 Why was Everys chosen as a replacement wife for King Narius? Is Narius wise in allowing his new queen to care for the poor, or is he risking rebellion and waar? And can they keep the fact that she's an illegal mage from becoming public knowledge?

Drawn in Ash is the first book of "A Legacy of Ink," a new series by one of my favorite authors, John Otte (pronounced Ah-tee). This new collection is more of a fantasy than his previous novels (a superhero trilogy and a two-part sci-fi series). While a different genre, it still includes Otte's great story telling and interesting characters such as his spymaster who appears out of nowhere and disappears just as suddenly, or the queen's personal guard.

I enjoyed this novel and will look forward to book two. 

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 46 OF 48 (THANKSGIVING EDITION) - PSALM 100

Eastwood Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN

1   Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2   Serve the LORD with gladness;
    Come before His presence with singing.
3   Know that the LORD, He is God;
    It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
    We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4   Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
    And into His courts with praise.
    Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5   For the LORD is good;
    His mercy is everlasting,
    And His truth endures to all generations.
                    Psalm 100:1-5; New King James Version

It may just be me, but I associate Psalm 100 with Thanksgiving. It is a nice joyful song, and encourages us to enter His gates with thanksgiving.

One side note - the hymn "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" takes its lyrics from this Psalm. I love the last verse of that hymn, which mirrors the final verse of this Psalm:

     "For why? The Lord our God is good;
        His mercy is forever sure;
    His truth at all times firmly stood
        And shall from age to age endure."

The name of the tune for the song is "Old 100th," referring to the Psalm. You might not be familiar with the above hymn or the tune's name, but it's the tune of the doxology ("Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow").

 

 

CHRISTIANESE 101

 

I love salsa picante on my eggs. 

Okay, raise your hands if you correctly pictured a chunky tomato based sauce (possibly with the brand name Pace) with onions, cilantro, and jalapenos or other spicy pepper in it.

Now, a Spanish speaker would agree that salsa picante is an accurate picture of what I described. But so would Louisiana Hot Sauce, the topping for General Tso’s Chicken, cocktail sauce, or a spicy mustard. You see, in Spanish “salsa picante” simply means “spicy sauce”.

Sometimes Christians point out the problem of Christianese. However, we aren’t aware that many of the words we use have evolved to be more specialized than they originally were.
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, meaning common Greek. The words which we translate as church, evangelize, baptize, Gospel, and apostle all come from a Greek vocabulary that a first century heathen would hear and have a concept of what it means.

Church (Greek word ekklesia) means a called out assembly. In a literal tense, it could refer to what we call church, and it could refer to the U.S. Congress. That doesn’t deny that God has a universal church, and that doesn’t deny that God speaks a lot about the local assembly. But we probably have some conceptions that are more tradition than Scripture about the church, such as it needing a building or that it meets on Sunday morning.

Many of you are aware that the word baptize is actually a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse. You may have heard that because of that, baptism should be immersion as opposed to pouring or sprinkling. But we have a habit of automatically equating baptism with water immersion. Matthew 3:11 mentions three types of baptism (immersion), only one of which is water.

Some Christians believe that there are modern day apostles and others believe that there were only twelve or so that died off in the first century. However, both camps think of an apostle as a spiritually anointed person like Peter and Paul. The Greek word apostelo, transliterated apostle, means a sent out one, or as the Complete Jewish Bible translates it, emisary. A diplomat is an apostle. I personally believe that a church planter, especially in a pioneer mission field, can be called an apostle.

One last comment, and that deals with our translation to the Greek words phileo and agape. Both are translated in Scripture as “love.” But many Christians elevate agape as being more selfless, more sacrificial than phileo. One Bible College teacher pointed out that this distinction does not exist in Koine Greek literature. The difference between the two is that phileo is a relational love, one that can be completely selfless and sacrificial, but expects to be returned; agape is an unrequited love that has no expectation. 

Let me use a policeman as an example. He may sacrifice his life for his partner, but he expects the partmer to do the same if the situation was reversed. This is phileo. The policeman might also lay his life down for the mayor, but he would not expect the mayor to do the same. This is agape.

Yes, the Bible talks about God agape loving us and that we should agape love each other. Two points, though. First, Ephesians 5:25-31 deals with the husband being commanded to agape love his wife, yet in Titus 2:4 older women are trained to teach the younger women to phileo love their husbands. This makes more sense in light of relationships than to think a wife’s permitted to love her husband with a lesser love than the other way around.

Second, John 16:27 quotes Jesus saying that God phileo loved the disciples. We’re used to thinking of his love as agape per John 3:16. But I think it’s saying that God loves the world not expecting anything in return when Christ died on the cross. But God expects and desires those who believe to have a relationship with Him and to love Him in return.

P.S. Read John 21 in light of my comments on love. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, and Peter answered three times “You know that I love you.” The first two times Jesus asked the question, He used the word agape. Each time Peter answered, and Jesus’ third question, used the word phileo. Many preachers say that Peter is saying his love for Christ is not at the level Jesus asked. But what if you take agape as meaning expecting nothing in return and phileo as expecting the love to be returned?

NOTE - This was written and originally posted as a Facebook note on October 11, 2015. 

 

DON'T TRUST IN PRINCES: POST '23 ELECTION BLUES AND THE ANSWER

Christians United Church, Indianapolis, IN

"Don't trust in princes or in a son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 146:3 

Is this the worst case of post election blues I've ever had? Probably others were at least as bad, but for mayor/city council elections, this takes the cake. Let me make several points why.

First, the scorecard. There were eight offices I voted for: Indy mayor and City Council, and Lawrence mayor, town clerk, district councillor and three at large councillors. The Indy Councilor was the only one I didn't vote for the loser, and that's because that candidate was unopposed.

Second, the challenger for Indy mayor focused on the incumbent's record, specifically an annually increasing murder rate, loss in numbers of police force, and telling the police to stand down during the George Floyd riots. The Incumbent's party responded with the charges that the Challenger was a Trump supporter, had an extreme view on abortion, and had an A+ rating from the NRA. Any of those mayor issues? Even if they were, those views are similar to mine; are they saying I'm a deplorable because I lean Republican? That you need to be a liberal lemming to be worthy of being elected?

In Lawrence township, the Republican mayor candidate and his party's town clerk and council candidates visited my apartment complex. I had great conversations with a couple of the gentlemen. I didn't have great conversations with their Democrat counterparts because they never came. :'( Likewise, the GOP candidate had a billboard on a main road and I regularly drove by three campaign signs for him. Only one for the Democrat. Yet the Democrat won 53-47%. (The Democrat Indy mayor did better, with 60%-40%, normal result for the U.S. Congressional seat in the same area.) Is that saying that I'm not worth the Democrats trying to earn my vote? Worse yet, is it saying that a vote for a Republican is meaningless, the same claim they make when I vote Libertarian?

I'm also discouraged with voter turnout. We are ready to vote for President, where we represent 0.000001% of the eligible voters, but we don't have time when our vote may actually have an effect on the election. When the GOP showed up at our apartment with six candidates, it looked like those who came to talk to them were two residents per candidate. 😱

Last week (Nov. 5, '23), Pastor Jeremy Couture at Northside Baptist Church preached on James 4:11-17, and made the point that "Magnifying other people's problems violates the second greatest commandment." He said it includes "slander, gossip, and exagerated accusations (emphasis mine). Couture gave an example of lighting candles when the power is out, and added that we often try to make our light brighter by dimming the light of those around us. Doesn't this sound like political ads? What if we started treated our opponents with respect?

But the bottom line is I SHOULD NOT GET POST-ELECTION BLUES! The Democrats aren't the answer to our problem. The Republicans aren't the answer to our problems. No, not even the Libertarian Party is the solution. As the billboard I posted above reads, we should trust only in the Lamb, in Jesus Christ.

Things may not be as bad as I think, or they may be a lot worst. But we need to remember that the authorities  that exist are appointed by God (Romans 13:1), and the fact we're in a democracy does not change that fact. Also, we're commanded to honor all men and the king, and to give supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all men, including kings and those in authority over us (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Post Election Blues are a symptom either of fear or idolatry in our party. Neither is what God has called us to. He did call us to pray, and I pray regularly for those in authority for me, from President to town council, Democrat or Republican.

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 45 OF 48 - PSALM 141:3-5

 

New Beginnings Outreach Ministries, Washington Square Mall, Indianapolis

3   Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; 

    Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4  Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, 

    To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; 

    And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5  Let the righteous strike me; 

    It shall be a kindness. 

    And let him rebuke me; 

    It shall be as excellent oil; 

    Let my head not refuse it. 

    For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.

                    Psalm 141:3-5, New King James Version

This is a wonderful passage to pray. Our mouths - and our fingers on the computer keyboard for that matter - need to be guarded, to keep us from sin in that way. 

We also should be cautious on our friends and on our heart inclination. Additionally, we should be willing to be corrected, especially by the righteous. 

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR AND OTHER POST REFORMATION DAY THOUGHTS

The River Community Church, Cookeville, TN

Hope you've enjoyed my Reformation Day series, where I reviewed five books and an album. Let me close with some thoughts. 

Two of the five books I reviewed focused on the Reformation. Both books had several references to Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. But other reformers didn't get as much love. In one book, Melanchthon was mentioned four times and Zwingli twice; the other didn't list either. But that book did mention Wycliffe and Tyndale more. And is John Knox a Reformer? Neither book mentioned him. 

I looked up "Sola Scriptura" on Spotify, and found several selections listed. At first, I was excited - several albums on the subject I could review and lengthen this series! Alas, most of the selections were either rap (not my cup of tea), singles, in a foreign language, or in one case didn't reflect the subject of the title. 😭

I will mention that Reformation Day starts what I consider "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." No, Christmas isn't part of the time; in fact, my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving - isn't in that period. I could call it "Holy Week," though that name is taken. This time is a week (or less), and includes four days that are special to me. Two are set on the calendar, same date every year; the other two are always on the same day of the week. What are the four?

1. Reformation Day, October 31st. No duh. After all, I did say it started with Reformation Day, didn't I? I want to keep a Semper Reformanda mindset, always reforming.
2. All Saints Day, November 1st. No, I'm not a Catholic, and I don't define a saint as they do - I believe all Christians are saints, and I believe the New Testament backs that up. But I want a time to celebrate those who have been inspirations to me, whether they're currently in heaven or on earth.
3. International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, 1st Sunday of November. (I'm actually writing this on that day.)
4. World Day of Prayer for Child Evangelism Fellowship, 1st Wednesday of November. 

So, let me end by trying to start a discussion. What do these four days I just mentioned mean to you? If you aren't thinking of those days, how can you make them more meaningful?

 

DOUBLE BOOK REVIEW - ONCE YOU SEE BY JEFF CHRISTOPHERSON AND PAGAN CHRISTIANITY BY FRANK VIOLA AND GEORGE BARNA

 

Yes, Reformation Day was a week ago. But is it a day we should celebrate year round? After all, many (including me) believe in Semper Reformada - always reforming.

I am reviewing not one but two books today, both of which have the Semper Reformada mindset. Both propose ideas for the church that cause us to examine where we're at and propose where we should be instead. 

Allow me to start with Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices by Frank Viola (the baseball player?) and George Barna (the researcher), since it was published first (2012). The focal point of this book is that a lot of our church traditions are from pagan influences rather than the New Testament. The proposed reformation is to replace the institutional church with its senior pastor, sermons, and church buildings, with organic house churches. Here's the review I posted on Amazon:

"There are books that I think are on target, those that are dangerous, those that are neither (more educational or more entertaining), and those that are both. This fits in the last category.

"I've already come to some of the conclusions they came to. While I admire the big beautiful cathedrals, I wonder what would happen if the focus was on building the church through evangelism and missions instead of building bigger buildings. I also believe that there should be less distinction between clergy and laity.

"However, there are several things I disagree with. These include:

1. A view that the NT prescribes a certain pattern of worship. Sorry, it's not in the NT.
2. A view that appealing to the Old Testament is no better than a pagan view.
3. An activist tone that isn't interested in any less than unconditional surrender.

"I did find myself scanning much of this book and reading the conclusions and the Q&A at the end of each chapter.

"They are right that most if not all features of the current institutional church are not from the Bible. The question is if it's from paganism (a bad influence) or if it's godly people desiring to serve Him."

The second book is Once You See: Seven Temptations of the Western Church by Jeff Christopherson, which came out in December, 2022. Like Pagan Christianity, this book looks at shortcomings of today's church and ways to reform - e.g. the pastors being bi-vocational. However, unlike the other book, this book is a novel. Here's my review of that book: 

"Once You See: Seven Temptations of the Western Church by Jeff Christopherson is a novel looking at three men who are in a crisis in their lives and in the church, and realize there is something more that's not being realized. But how does one reach that goal?

"This book would appeal to a Christian audience. Most Christian novels are stories first, and Christian thought is organic to the tale. My hunch is this book reflects concerns of the author and are told through story as opposed to a typical book. Christopherson has previously written missiological books, and is the executive director of both the Canadian National Baptist Convention and Church Planting Canada. This book comes with a discussion guide.

"I thought he constructed an interesting story. I am definitely interested in reading his other books, especially Venal Dogmata: A Parable of the Future Church."

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 44 OF 48 - PSALM 139

Swamp trail boardwalk, Ritchie Woods Nature Preserves, Fishers, IN

 1     O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2     You know my sitting down and my rising up; 

       You understand my thought afar off.

3     You comprehend my path and my lying down, 

       And are acquainted with all my ways.

4     For there is not a word on my tongue, 

       But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

5     You have hedged me behind and before, 

       And laid Your hand upon me.

6     Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 

       It is high, I cannot attain it.

7     Where can I go from Your Spirit? 

       Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8     If I ascend into heaven, You are there; 

       If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9     If I take the wings of the morning, 

       And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10   Even there Your hand shall lead me, 

       And Your right hand shall hold me.

11    If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," 

       Even the night shall be light about me;

12   Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, 

       But the night shines as the day; 

        The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13     For You formed my inward parts; 

        You covered me in my mother's womb.

14     I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

        Marvelous are Your works, 

        And that my soul knows very well.

15     My frame was not hidden from You, 

        When I was made in secret, 

        And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16     Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. 

        And in Your book they all were written, 

        The days fashioned for me, 

        When as yet there were none of them.

17     How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! 

        How great is the sum of them!

18    If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; 

       When I awake, I am still with You.

19    Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! 

        Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20   For they speak against You wickedly; 

        Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21    Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? 

       And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22   I hate them with perfect hatred; 

       I count them my enemies.

23   Search me, O God, and know my heart; 

       Try me, and know my anxieties;

24   And see if there is any wicked way in me, 

       And lead me in the way everlasting.

                            Psalm 139:1-24, New King James Version

No, you're not imagining things. Yes, this is the largest Psalm I've quoted in its entirety. Yes, I'll be a nice guy and give you a short comment. 

It's obvious that this Psalm talks about God's greatness, His omnipotence, His omniscience, and His omnipresence. This Psalm is so full of God's praise. 

But am I the only one who notices most focus either on the first 18 verses or the final two? 

It is interesting me the sharp turn this Psalm takes in verse 19, moving the focus from a great and good God to the depraved enemies of Our Sovereign. And whoever sent the message that we're supposed to love everbody? Apparently King David, who wrote this Psalm, didn't get the memo. By the way, doesn't "perfect hatred" sound like an oxymoron? "Complete" would be a better word, or as the NIV puts it, "I have nothing but hatred for them."

And right after that, we have the awesome prayer for God to search our hearts in verses 23 and 24. We often remove it from the context as a godly prayer, but let's look at it in context. We get angry when we see and hear those opposed to our Lord and Savior, and we should. But that is when David asks God to search our hearts. "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him." (Prov. 26:4) We should respond to God's (and our) enemies with a heart purified by the Holy Spirit.

BOOK REVIEW - FORGED FROM REFORMATION: HOW DISPENSATIONAL THOUGHT ADVANCES THE REFORMATION LEGACY, EDITED BY CHRISTOPHER CONE & JAMES I. FAZIO

 

Is Historic Reformed Theology compatible with Dispensationalism? Could an allegorical hermeneutic be the reason for the Dark Ages, and a literal historical/grammatical hermeneutic likewise been a foundation Luther and Calvin built their theology on? Was it possible that John Nelson Darby, considered the father of Dispensationalism, could be considered a Reformer?

Forged From Reformation: How Dispensational Thought Advances the Reformed Legacy, is a collaboration of fifteen authors, edited by Christopher Cone and James I. Fazio. Published in 2017 with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in their mind, they look at the accomplishments of Luther and Calvin, and how the contributions of Dispensationalists like Darby, Scofield, and Ryrie have continued down the path the Reformers began.

Following a forward by Michael Vlach and an introduction by the editors - including a chapter by chapter synopsis of this book - is the first major section (chapters 2-7), which looks at the Historical Development, both of the Reformation and of the origins of Dispensationalism. Included in this section:

• A commentary of Luther's 95 Theses by Patrick Belvil, pointing out how Luther uses a more literal method of interpretation than was used during the Medieval times;
• A comparison of Martin Luther and John Nelson Darby by Cory M. Marsh; and 
• A history of how anti-Semitism crept into the church, fueled by an allegorical interpretation of prophecy, poisoning Martin Luther view of Israel, co-written by Marsh and Brian Moulton.

The following ten chapters focuses on how Dispensationalism strengthens the Five Solas. While it would be logical to conclude that each sola is covered in two chapters, it should not be a surprise that due to the focus on hermeneutics, Sola Scriptura (the Bible Alone) is given five of the ten chapters, with Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Solus Christus (respectively Grace, Faith, and In Christ Alone) get one chapter each, and the section concluded with a pair of contributions on Soli Deo Gloria (For the Glory of God Alone). Co-editor Christopher Cone concludes this compilation with a reminder that any Reform movement is imperfect and thus incomplete, and we should be always reforming.

This is an excellent book for a pastor or a Bible student. It is intellectual but plain enough for a layman to understand. Not surprisingly with the layout of the book (specifically five chapters on Scripture) and the number of authors that there is a good bit of repetition. While the authors all make a case for dispensationalism, I would say for one to understand dispensationalism better they should read Michael Vlach's Dispensationalism: Essential Beliefs and Common Myths.

Permit me one criticism of this book. I read a book on the Church Fathers where the author points out the two schools of interpretation: Alexandria, which was more allegorical, including Origen; and Antioch, more literal, represented by John Chrysostom. Forged From Dispensationalism as a whole points to Alexandrian allegory to contribute to the Dark Ages and Anti-Semitism, including Clement of Alexandria and Origen, but makes no mention of Chrysostom or any other Antiochene interpreter. The chapter dealing with Anti-Semitism suggests that while not all allegorists are anti-semitic, no literal interpretter of Scripture is. Chrysostom, though, was no less anti-semitic than Origen or Luther. Okay, I've got that off my chest.

This is a good book to have in your private library. I recommend it.