The Return

Review: Rescuing the Gospel: The Story and Significance of the Reformation Erwin Lutzer Baker Books 2016 This is a brief history of the Reformation and primarily the history of the part Martin Luther played.   I can hear those yawns now, but wait a minute.   This book is one that you will not want to put down once you start it.   Lutzer freely admits the book was not his idea, but one that he was encouraged to adopt.   I now understand why this other individual chose to engage him for this project.   Lutzer’s writing style is easy to read and his ability to condense the history of the Reformation period totally amazing.   I had to endure European history in school and maybe you did, too.   This is such a departure from what we remember of that course.   OK, so I like his narrative.   The book also has some illustrations from the period that give it more flavor.   Overall, it’s a good read.   Mostly. The other ref...

Review: Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again Mike Aquilina and James L. Papandrea Image 2015 Decided to give this one a try, despite the title, and discovered a good read in the process.   The authors make the case for some rather dramatic societal changes during the early AD (CE, for those that prefer that) centuries; changes that prompted new ideas related to human dignity, family values, community relations, work, death and even politics that have been directly related to Christian practices and teachings.   The changes in perspectives still have influence today and most of us reading this enjoy the benefits of those changes whether we realize it or not.   Things were not always are they are now.   That should not be news, but it was something I found myself having to remember again and again when I read this book.      That’s the gist of what is discussed in this book, and the authors have...

Review: The 40 Most Influential Christians Who Shaped What We Believe Today Daryl Aaron Bethany House Publishers 2013 Read the title of this book again.   The niche that this author has found isn’t the top 40 Christians, but the 40 he believes have had the most impact on current Christian belief---from a conservative position.   As he states early on those included in this book are not a definitive list but the ones he chose, some of which do not reflect his particular views (13).   This is a selling point for this book, I think, in that he is willing to engage a more diverse range of opinion than I originally expected to find.    This book covers an immense timeline from first century AD to the mid-20 th century, from Clement of Rome to Carl F.H. Henry.   Each of his choices receives a treatment that covers Context, Contribution, and Conclusion.   The chapters are short but contain enough information to serve as a good starting poi...