Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Books I Read in June 2010

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan – Last year when I learned that Pastor Chan was writing a book about the Holy Spirit, it did not get me very excited. I had absolutely no interest in reading or listening to the book. That is pretty sad, however, earlier in the month I received a free audio version of this book from http://christianaudio.com/. The audio version of Forgotten God was a little less than four hours - almost the same length of Chan's popular first release, Crazy Love. I am so glad that I received Forgotten God. Had I not, I do not think I would have ever given it a chance. I enjoyed Forgotten God a great deal more than I thought I would. I enjoyed Crazy Love, but I found Forgotten God to be even better. It made me really think. Because I have placed my faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit resides in me. I have known that for many years, but I often fail to remember how amazing it is that I have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. I so often fail to tap into the Spirit's power. I am thankful that Pastor Chan has reminded me of the power of the Holy Spirit and what a relationship with the Holy Spirit can be like. Unlike An Introduction to the New Testament by Carson and Moo, Forgotten God is a small book that can be understood and enjoyed by many. Each chapter ends with a short biography of someone who is driven by the Holy Spirit. These accounts are encouraging and help us see the glory of God. I definitely give Forgotten God my endorsement.

An Introduction to the New Testament by D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo – I purchased this book last summer for a New Testament Introduction course I took at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Another book that was required for that class was The New Testament: Its Background and Message by Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black. Both books are excellent books designed for seminarians, but Carson and Moo’s book is much more scholarly. Carson and Moo’s book is divided into 26 chapters and includes some special chapters such as Thinking about the Study of the New Testament, Paul: Apostle and Theologian and The New Testament Canon. Some New Testament books are combined into one chapter. This includes the Pastoral Epistles and 1, 2 and 3 John. The contents, author (s), origin, date, destination, purpose, text, adoption into the Canon, recent studies, theme, and contribution of the New Testament books are examined. A Scripture Index, Name Index, and Subject Index are found in the back of the book. This is a great resource to help you accurately understand the New Testament message within its historical setting.

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