Book Reviews

Some years ago I made the decision to work a little on Truth’s Victory over Error, David Dickson’s early commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith. I had a copy of the Robert Wodrow edition, dated 1749, and with that I began. I did this in what time I could spare while minister of the […]

John Frame’s new book, Salvation Belongs to the Lord, (P&R, 2006) is very fine. In 25 chapters he takes the reader through a crash-course in systematics. The chapters contain many wise judgments, much sound teaching, and good emphases. When caution is needed, Frame is cautious; when boldness is called for, he is bold. Though the […]

One by one the men who influenced the Scottish church’s history from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth are remembered in detail, inevitably drawing into the story many others who worked and worshipped with the main characters. From John Knox to William Roberson Smith, the story is one of strong beliefs and those opposing them: […]

Audubon Press is an associate ministry of the Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, South Mississippi. Its pastor and one of the directors of this press is Jerry Marcellino, one of the driving forces behind a network of Calvinistic churches in the USA, the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals (FIRE). A number of the recent […]

Letters of Samuel Rutherford1 is a compilation of 365 letters written by Samuel Rutherford in times of severe ecclesiastical trials in Scotland. They span a period from 1627 (possibly 1624) to 1661. This is the second reprint the Banner of Truth has produced of the 1891 edition, which was edited by Andrew Bonar. There are […]

A review by Paul Helm, Professor Emeritus of the University of London, of John Calvin’s Sermons on the Beatitudes.1 Calvin’s sermons were delivered extempore, taken down by the remarkable Denis Raguenier, published by the diaconate of Geneva, and the proceeds used to support refugees. Initially, Calvin was not keen on them being published, but when […]

A review by Donald S. Whitney of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.1 I had never watched an entire episode of Oprah until her programme on The Secret. In the promo for the show, Oprah announced that the programme would present ‘the secret’ to making more money, losing weight, finding the love of your life, and […]

A review by Philip Eveson of The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ: An Assessment of the Reformation and New Perspectives on Paul by Cornelis P. Venema.1, 2 Yes, this is yet another book on justification! It is a fresh and helpful account of the Protestant understanding of this crucially important gospel truth in the […]

Elizabeth, the fifth child of Dr Edward Payson and his wife Louisa was born in Portland, Maine, USA in 1818. This is the story of her childhood development, her marriage in 1845 to George Prentiss and their subsequent life and work. I had no previous knowledge of this truly Christian lady, prior to reading this […]

Some thoughts from Iain H. Murray arising out of Alan Clifford’s Calvinus: Authentic Calvinism, A Clarification (Charenton Reformed Publishing, 8 Le Strange Close, Norwich, 1996), 94pp.1 This title from Alan Clifford is a monograph of twenty-six pages, plus end-notes, pages of quotations from Calvin, and refutation of some opposing views. It continues the discussion whether […]

Just over half of A Scottish Christian Heritage1 by Iain Murray consists of biographical accounts of five Scottish ministers, a form of writing at which Mr Murray excels. Each chapter is slanted towards highlighting specific lessons which the author considers its subject exemplifies. The second part has two chapters dealing with missionary themes. One focuses […]

A review by Rev William Macleod of Cornelis P. Venema’s The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ.1 This is a book for which I have been waiting. The subtitle describes it as ‘An Assessment of the Reformation and New Perspective on Paul’. Having heard many recent references to the New Perspective and lectures on the […]

A review by Austin Walker of John Diodati’s Doctrine of Holy Scripture by Andrea Ferrari (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books Inc., 2006), ISBN #1-892777-98-3). Among Christians John Diodati (1576-1649) is hardly a household name compared with men like Martin Luther or John Calvin. He belonged to the third generation of reformation theologians in Geneva, […]

Charles J. Brown was born in Scotland in the year 1806. He belonged to that valiant group of men who broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland in 1843. He was one noted for his piety and godliness. It was said of him that he possessed, “a rare […]

A review by Rev Hugh M Cartwright of T M Lindsay’s The Reformation: A Handbook, published by the Trust.[1] Thomas Lindsay was ordained in 1872 as Professor of Church History at the Free Church College, Glasgow, where he continued until his death in 1914. Since 1902 he had been Principal of what had become the […]

Steve Jeffery, Mike Ovey and Andrew Sach have together written an explanation and defence of the doctrine of penal substitution under the title Pierced for our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution (IVP, March 2007). Here they explain briefly the background to the controversy, and give a few examples of the kinds of arguments […]

A review by John Brentnall of John Calvin’s Sermons on the Beatitudes: Five Sermons from the ‘Gospel Harmony’, delivered in Geneva in 1560.1 Those who read Calvin’s works for their sweet taste of sound doctrine and sharp application will welcome this new and fine translation of the Reformer’s five sermons on the Beatitudes. While the […]

Having been reading these letters in an old well-worn volume printed many years ago I was delighted to see this recently published edition by the Banner.1 It is beautifully presented and contains all the hitherto published letters as well as a biographical introduction by Andrew Bonar and a glossary that is so useful when encountering […]

Roy Saunders is an elder at Grace Baptist Church, Ottawa, and he has recently read J. I. Packer’s Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, published by the Inter-Varsity Press. This is his response: This book has a long track record; it was first published in 1961 and is now in its 15th printing, so the […]

A review by Christine Farenhorst of Through the Bible – Through the Year, written by John Stott, and published by Baker Books of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in July 2006 (cloth $24.99, 432 pages). A resource for daily private devotion, this rather large volume strives to guide the Christian reader through the Bible in the course […]

A review by Jonathan Watson of Wayne Grudem’s Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? (Crossway), 272 pp, paperback, £5.99 / $15.99. This is an important book that every pastor and church officer ought to read! Let not Wayne Grudem’s well-known and controversial views on the prophetic gift prejudice any reader against purchasing this well-written […]

A review by John Halsey Wood, Jr of The Letters of Geerhardus Vos, edited by James T. Dennison, Jr. (P & R Publishing, 2006), 274pp, hardback, $29.99, ISBN: 978-0-87552-187-9. We owe a great debt to James Dennison for his work of excavating, publishing, and providing translations of hard-to-find Vos writings. Dennison now brings us a […]

A review by Edward Donnelly of James M. Garretson’s Princeton and Preaching: Archibald Alexander and the Christian Ministry.1 Bible colleges, seminaries, conferences and correspondence courses. Doctorates in ministry and professional advice from every point of the theological compass. Ministerial training has become, in our day, an expanding and profitable industry – of varying usefulness. Yet […]

This article is a response to a book by Marcus Honeysett, Finding Joy – a Radical Rediscovery of Grace, published by IVP in 2005. The author worked for ten years with UCCF among students in London. The book arose out of what he believed to be a lack of joy amongst Christians, which he attributed […]

We can scarcely have too many books on prayer, though sadly it is often easier to read books about prayer than to get down and pray. We all need stirring up to pray and this book helps to do that. As the title with its subtitle indicates, it is primarily about private or personal prayer, […]