BOOK REVIEW - "JACOB ARMINIUS: THE MAN FROM OUDEWATER" BY RUSTIN E. BRIAN

I don't know if you have had the same experience, but it seems most definitions of Arminianism comes from Calvinists, especially those who want to throw the whole theology under the bus and brand it as heresy, questioning the salvation of those who dare disagree with them.

For this reason, I've read a couple of books to see what Arminians really believe several years ago, and reread them recently. As you'd expect, one thing I'd want to read is a biography. "Jacob Arminius: The Man from Oudewater" by Rustin E. Brian is an excellent starting point.

Brian divides his book into three parts. The first three chapters evaluate Arminius' early life, his pastoral ministry, and his years as an educator. Chapters four through six investigates his theology concerning the Bible, his Christology, and - as you'd expect - his views on predestination and salvation. Next, he compares him to Pelagius (the chapter's title is Arminius is not equal to Pelagius), John Wesley, and Karl Barth. He concludes on how this relates to present time.

Interesting facts. Would you believe one of Arminius' teachers was Theodore Beza? Would you believe the starting point of Arminius' theology is not Predestination but his Christology? Would you believe Arminius' focus on free will was not whether the unregenerate could choose to follow Christ (Arminius agrees with Calvin on total depravity) but whether evil men do evil do so by their depraved free will as opposed to God predestining them to do evil and then condemning them for doing what they are made to do?

I highly recommend this book. It may not convince you that Arminianism is more accurate than Calvinism, but it helps us realize that Arminianism falls very nicely into the category of orthodox, evangelical, Biblically based theology. 

 

BOOK REVIEW - RANKING THE VICE PRESIDENTS: TRUE TALES AND TRIVIA, FROM JOHN ADAMS TO JOE BIDEN BY IAN RANDAL STROCK

 What kind of people have been our Vice-Presidents? Is there a scale on who was the most effective? Or does that apply to the job description of Vice President?

I have read books dealing with ranking the Presidents, most notably Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians by Robert W. Merry and Recarvomg Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty by Ivan Eland. Those two books have different treks on ranking the White House residents, but the question is: How about the Vice-Presidents? Ranking the Vice Presidents: True Tales and Trivia, From John Adams to Joe Biden by Ian Randal Strock sounds like the book I'd be interested in.

One curiosity is what standards would the Vice President be ranked on? After all, historically the role of the Vice President was to preside over the Sentate, only voting to break a tie, and to stay alive in case the President doesn't. It doesn't sound like the occupation where you can rank the best to the worst, does it?

This book doesn't even try. Rather, this book appears to have the goal to help you get to know the Vice Presidents better. It breaks down the Vice President in various categories such as their age, height, how long they survived their wives (or vice versa), and which ones certified the votes that would either put them into the White House or terminate their position. 

This book also goes further than its title indicates. It also has lists of cabinets, including how many former cabinet members became president. The book also closes with various acts dealing with the Vice Presidency from the Constitution to the 25th Amendment.

While not what I expected, this book is interesting and giving you information you wouldn't have otherwise.

I will warn that the editing is not perfect. When writing about Vice Presidents who served under more than one President the author accidentally misidentified James Madison as James Monroe, and when dealing with facial hair on Presidents and Vice-Presidents, he forgot that Taft was the last whiskered President, not Teddy Roosevelt. Still, this is a unique book.

BOOK REVIEW - ISAAC WATTS: HIS LIFE AND THOUGHT BY GRAHAM BENYON (HYMNISTS PART 1 OF 2)

 

My hunch is that if I asked someone what they think about Isaac Watts, they'd either answer, "He's a great hymnwriter" or "Who's Isaac Watts?" As one who, before reading this book, would be in the former category - after all, he's written hymns like "Joy To The World," "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross," "I Sing the Mighty Power of God," and "Alas And Did My Savior Bleed" (aka "At the Cross") - I learned there's a lot more to this gentleman.

Graham Benyon wrote his doctoral dissertation about Watts, but he wrote this book in such a way I would not hesitate recommending it to a middle schooler to read. Benyon did a good job of making this easy to understand and enjoyable to read. This is fitting for a biography for Watts, because he wrote songs for younger people as well as his classic hymns. He also wrote catachisms, and made his age appropriate for different ages.

You may know that Watts only wrote hymn lyrics, using meters for existing tunes, which was common for that day (Charles Wesley did the same). Watts also was a pastor, a teacher, and an apologist. When he saw something that he thought should be done better, he'd do that better. For example, he wrote a book on logic which was used at Oxford, Cambridge, and Yale, titled "Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth." That logic book is available on Amazon.

Watts saw the church of his day being so afraid of being over emotional (in those days, they called it being enthusiastic), and encouraged revival. In the areas of preaching, prayer (private and public) and singing, he encouraged doing it with understanding and reason and also from the heart, with godly emotion.

This is my favorite biography, and I highly recommend it.