Reviews - Servants of Grace

Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul’s Theology in the Pastoral Epistles

Posted by Mike Boling | Nov 11, 2014 | Apologetics, Book Reviews, Christian Living, Church, Featured, Reviews, Theology | 0 |

The discipline known as Pauline studies has certainly had its share of ups and downs over the years. Furthermore, much ink has been spilled on the subject of Paul and the New Testament epistles he wrote. Thus to a certain degree, there can be a sense of confusion as to what Paul was addressing in his letters, how they are to be understood within the greater context of Scripture, and perhaps most importantly, how does one apply the writings of Paul to life in the present tense. Focusing specifically on the Pastoral Epistles, Andreas Kostenberger and Terry Wilder have...

Book Review – Preparing Your Teens For College: Faith, Friends, Finances, and Much More

Posted by Dave Jenkins | Aug 11, 2014 | Christian Living, Reviews | 0 |

In my early teens into my twenties I was both a good student and a bad student. In middle school I was almost a straight A student. Then came high school. In high school I hardly showed up to class and when I did I would read a book instead of listening to the teacher. What I lacked was discipline. When I got married my wife put her foot down and said, “Enough is enough, I know you are smart and capable of getting straight A’s.” At first I wasn’t sure but then the results slowly starting to come...

Book Review – The Unfinished Church

Posted by Zach Kendrick | Jul 22, 2014 | Church, Reviews | 0 |

Have you ever heard someone say, “I love Jesus, but I hate His church?” Let’s be honest, the church has done some hurtful things to the world in the name of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve been hurt, either in word or deed or by someone at church, or you have painful memories of something that was said at church and for that reason you think it is easier to quit going to church than ever step foot inside one again. The truth is, the Church is made up of sinners who have been forgiven by the grace of God. Sinners hurt other people with their sin, even Christian sinners saved by the grace of God. In his new book The Unfinished Church, Rob Bentz reminds believers that God is building His church and the Church is unfinished. Because it is not yet finished, the Church is not perfect. Bentz says, “Few believers truly understand the significance of God’s church, what God is doing in and through his people” (pg. 18). We live in a fast paced world that focuses only on what is happening around them. Many times we cannot see the forest for the trees. When this happens people tend to focus only on sin in the camp rather than sin in their own lives with the result that they miss God’s redemptive purpose and thus the need for...

Product Review – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament in Logos Bible Software Part 2

Posted by Josh Davis | May 30, 2014 | Logos, Reviews | 0 |

After presenting the goals that the editor and authors aimed to accomplish with this series, giving my normal mindset as it pertains to the purchasing of commentaries and/or commentary sets, and then providing a brief overview of the BECNT Series in Part 1 of this review, I would now like to dig in more deeply as to the positives and negatives of the BECNT Series as a whole. I must freely admit that I have not read every commentary in this Series from beginning to end (which is not abnormal given the size and depth of this Series), but...

Book Review – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament in Logos Bible Software Part 1

Posted by Josh Davis | May 29, 2014 | Logos, Reviews | 0 |

“The chief concern of the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (to be known as BECNT) is to provide, within the framework of informed evangelical thought, commentaries that blend scholarly depth with readability, exegetical detail with sensitivity to the whole, attention to critical problems with theological awareness. We hope thereby to attract the interest of a fairly wide audience, from the scholar who is looking for a thoughtful and independent examination of the text to the motivated lay Christian who craves a solid but accessible exposition.” Moises Silva [General Editor] Click here to learn more about this great product. One of the most important things I have learned from years of reading a wide variety of commentaries is that it is in the best interest of the reader to always find out the main goal(s) which the authors/editors of the commentary series aim to accomplish in the minds/hearts of their anticipated audience. Too often I have bought a commentary that had a beautiful cover (I am a sucker for a good graphic design on a book cover), and which was written by an author that I trust doctrinally, only to find myself severely disappointed with the content of the book. However, it was usually not the authors/editors fault that I was disappointed in the commentary because the content was theologically sound. However, I hadn’t taken the time to...