Posted in History on May 6th, 2013
Rupert Shortt’s heart wrenching expose Christianophobia is now available from Eerdmans. Giving no one a free pass, Short’s book explores the the shape, motivations, and cover-up of the shocking persecution of Christians within the context of their own particular nation-states. Each chapter covers a single nation and uses sound scientific methodology and anecdotal accounts to document the capriciousness, impact, severity, and [...]
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Posted in History, Interview on Apr 3rd, 2013
1. With this book, what audience are you primarily targeting? McDonald: I am hoping to reach the church audience with this book. There are a number of works in print for university and graduate students, as well as works for scholars. There is very little with credibility that is written for laity and clergy in [...]
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Posted in Book Previews, History on Mar 18th, 2013
2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. It is not hyperbolic to say that C.S. Lewis has had more influence on mainstream American evangelicals than any other modern writer. But how much do we really know about the man who wrote Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Great Divorce and The Screwtape [...]
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Posted in Book Previews, Books, History on Jan 16th, 2013
The popular story of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century goes a little like this… Due to political corruption, infighting, and rampant immorality this once great Empire became a victim of its own vices, completely ignorant of those things which ushered in its demise–and was even unwilling to defend itself. Many of history’s most [...]
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Posted in History on Dec 11th, 2012
Christmas time inspires me to grab some book off the shelf that I have been meaning to read. Often it is a biography; they are highly informative, easy to plow straight through, highly enjoyable, and usually have some form of ultimate redemption. Just the way the holidays should be. This year though, I am opting [...]
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Posted in Biblical Studies, History, Theology on Nov 19th, 2012
The folks from Zondervan cooked up something a little extra-special for the holidays this year! Finding the perfect gift for someone involved in theological disciplines can be tough. Sure, buying them a book or two is nice. But who can tell whether or not those books will simply become the next indistinguishable title on their already stuffed book shelves? [...]
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Fifteen essays bring readers up-to-date and to the cutting-edge of scholarship on Early Judaism. Taken from Eerdman’s ground breaking reference volume The Dictionary of Early Judaism, the essays comprising Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview prepare students and scholars for in-depth study of Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, roughly the 4th century BCE [...]
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Posted in Books, History, Theology on Oct 31st, 2012
Today is the 495th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. On this day in 1517, a relatively unknown monk named Martin Luther nailed (as was normal custom at the time) 95 theses he wished to debate to the cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany. Quickly spread by followers using Gutenberg’s newly invented printing press, the [...]
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Today I have deals on two books. Both books deal with differing, though specific, elements of John Calvin’s thought. Both are academic studies and are intended for specialists on Calvin, or related fields. First, Serene Jones takes a fresh look at Calvin’s masterpiece Institutes of the Christian Religion and draws a compelling portrait of [...]
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Posted in Books, History on May 2nd, 2012
$7.99! In The Division of Christendom, revered historian Hans J. Hillerbrand details the events and ideas of the sixteenth century and contends that the Protestant Reformation must be seen as an interplay of religious, political, and economic forces in which religion played a major role. Hillerbrand tells the fascinating story of the ways in which [...]
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