“If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not disffused, error will be . . . If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of corrupt and licentious literature will.” Daniel Webster

BOOKS RECEIVED

(Books received from the publishers for mention and/or review) John Vander Ploeg.

CHRIST and THE MEDIA by Malcom Muggeridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapis, Mich., 127 pages; $5.95.

THE CHILD’S BIBLE STORY, Catherine F. Vos. Revised by Marianne Catherine Vos Radius; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publish ing Co.; 438 pages; $9.95.

DINOSAURS THOSE TERRIBLE LIZARDS by Duane T . Gish; Creation-Life Publishers, Inc., San Diego, California; 62 pages; $4.95.

WHO WILL LEAD US (A study in the Development of Biblical Office’s with Emphasis on the Deaconate) by Leonard J. Coppes; 154 pages; Pilgrim Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, N. J.; $3.95.

THERE‘S NO BUSINESS LIKE GOD‘S BUSINESS by Chuck Murphy; 128 pages; Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, $2.95.

THE REFORMATION OF JOURNALISM (A Christian Approach to Mass Media) by John R. Kennedy; 144 pages; Craig Press, Box 13, Nutley, N. J. 07110; $2.95. PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT by H. C. G. Moule; 252 pp. ; Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49501, $5.95. COMMENTARY ON ROMANS by F. L. Godet; (Kregel Reprint Library Series); 531 pages; $ 12.95.

COMMENTARY ON FIRST CORINTHIANS by F . L. Godet; (Kregel Reprint Library Series; 920 pages; $14.95.

HOPE FOR A DESPAIRlNG WORLD (The Christian Answer for the Problems of Evil) by Philip E. Hughes; 125 pages; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich. THE TRUTH OF GOD INCARNATE; Edited by Michael Green; 144 pages; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.; $2.45.

DEATH BEFORE BIRTH by Harold O. J. Brown; 168 pages; “A book which looks at all sides of the abortion problem . . .”; Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, $5.95.

GOD’S HIGHER WAYS (the Birth of a Church) by Clarence W. Duff; the author “was sent by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to open a field in Ethiopia . . . . He tells that story in this book”; Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Nutley, N.). 07110; 87.50.

HOW TO DEVELOP DEEP UNITY IN THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP by Wayne Mack (A How to Manual for Christian Growth and Development); 151 pages; from the Preface by Dr. Jay Adams: “Past ors, you will find that both the biblical studies and the personal exercises included will be useful to you in counseling with married couples in your church as well as in pre-marital counseling. You and your counselee (even on his own) both can use it”; Presbyterian and Reformcd Publishing Co. $3.95 .

THE UNLISTED LEGION (Part of its witness in Karakoram and the Khyber) by Jock Purves; 195 pages, The Banner of Truth Trust, P.O. Box 621 Carlisle, Pa. 17013; $2.25. DISTINCTIVE LESSONS FROM LUKE by William C. Brownson, Jr. (RCA radio minister of Temple Time, a weekly national and international broadcast); “This book is designated to capture the unique perspective of the third evangelist – Luke”; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich. 128 pages; $1.25.

JOB – OUR CONTEMPORARY by H. Harold Kent; 92 pages; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI 49502; $1.50; “This bold fresh examination of the classic patient doubter effectively refutes the charge that the Old Testament is no longer relevant” – from the Foreword by John B Stirling, Chancellor, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada.

DAYLIGHT, by Andrew Kuyvenhoven, Paideia Press, P.O. Box 1450, St. Catherines, Ontario, 382 pages, paperback, price $5.95. Reviewed by Rev. Cecil W. Tuininga, p8stor of tho Grand Prairie–La Glace CRC, Alberta, Canada.

Having read several reviews of Daylight in the past few months, I concur with the words of praise written. This is a marvelous book. The author has the unusual gift of penetrating the mysteries of God’s Word and bringing his findings to his readers in concise and living words. This book is literally filled with gems for daily reading. It will undoubtedly be used by those who buy it for many years to camp. It is not a book for just one reading. And one may well want to reread many of the meditations right away for greater spiritual benefit.

I have no criticism of this book. I wonder though how readers will use it. We have learned to value very highly our parents’ practice of reading the Bible from cover to cover, with‘ no part omitted. We found that tedious at times as small children. We asked: Why read what to us made little sense. The answer was very simple; This is God’s Word, and He wants us to hear all of it. In later years we were very thankful that through this systematic reading of God’s Word we became acquainted with all of it. As we see how some use meditations, such as in Daylight, instead of reading Scripture systematically, we are fearful for the results. Will our future generations still know God’s Word in all its if parents do not read it all with them?

However, if these daily Bible readings are added to a systematic reading of Scripture they can be a great help to wards a better understanding of Scripture. No doubt the author had no other intentions. But whether parents are using it as a help to Bible reading or instead of Bible reading, I can recommend this book most heartily. Very few, if any, books of daily readings can match it. Besides, in our rushed world, where so many seem to have lost the important art of reading and studying, these meditations can serve as a goad to spur our rushed generation to a more intensive reading and study of God’s Word. May our God bless it to that end. Convinced that all who buy this book will be much pleased with it, I would like to add one comment about this book. It is not only attractive in its cover design but also in the order of its contents. For each month there is a theme, beginning with the appropriate theme for January, “Thy Kingdom Come” (so fitting as we begin a new year) and ending with December, the theme, “Jesus Is Coming” so fitting a reminder as we see another year coming to a close). And with these fitting words the book ends, “We know only one thing about the future: Jesus is coming!”

IN THE BEGINNING by E. J. Young. Published by The Banner Of Truth Trust, P.O. Box 621, Charlisle, PA 17013, 1976. 117 pages. Price not given. Reviewed by Joseph Brinks, Pastor, Noordeloos CRC, Holland, MI.

The late respected Professor E. J. Young of Westminster Seminary published two books on chapters in Genesis during his lifetime, Studies In Genesis One in 1904, and Genesis 3 in 1966. He died two years after publication of the second of these two books, in 1968. Shortly before he died he gave a set of lectures at the Toronto Baptist Seminnry. These lectures were printed verlwtim in The Gospel Witness in 1967 and 1968. Now the lectures given in Toronto are collected and slightly edited (though the book does not say who did the editing) and presented in book form for the first time some eight years after Young’s death.

Young views these lectures as a popular apologetic in refutation of critical theories of the early chapters of Genesis. These lectures are popular speeches and the editing retains this style. The lectures are a defence of the traditional understanding of the first 3 chapters of Genesis. Laudable about this book is the fact that Young, though critical of several recently influential theological positions on the early chapters of Genesis, nonetheless gives not only criticisms of errant positions, but also positive reasons for his own stance. He carefully states reasons, usual!y based upon grammar or context, for his views. The reader senses something of the respectability and profundity of the traditional understanding of Genesis 1–3 and also senses something of the wrong presuppositions and shallow, patchwork thought that liberal interpreters use to bend Genesis 1–3 to fit currently popular liberal theories.

Young rejects those views of Genesis 1–3 which suggest the account is fable, legend, myth, parable, or poetry. He explains the main use of these terms as he goes along and then refutes the position suggested by these terms. Young takes a strong stand for the KJV rendering of Genesis 1:1, giving compelling reasons for his position. He sees Genesis 2 as a parallel account to Genesis I with a different purpose and without strict chronological development. Also he suggests that neither atheistic evolution nor theistic evolution can be made to accord with the Genesis account of creation, a position this reviewer is inclined to share. The discussion on the fall emphasizes factuality and application.

This is a good summary book. As such it is neither original nor detailed. But it summarizes important truths and positions in clear, concise ways. We recommend this book for ministers as a good review and overview of relevant arguments concerning the early chapters of Genesis. We also recommend this book for church libraries as a good short account of the main issues in interpretation of Genesis 1–3 written in true Biblical perspective. We also recommend this book for laymen with limited time for reading who want a concise treatment of this crucial subject.

Let me close this review with a personal note. I hope Young’s perspective continues to gain popularity with the American populace. If I discern correctly recent years are showing a decline in the popularity of evolutionism and a rise in openness to a belief in creationism. May God will, in the next generation, lead the world out of the abyss opened by Darwinian evolutionism, and lead, not only His children, but also the world in general to see the sense of creationism and the resulting honor due to God for creating the universe.

BUSH AGLOW by Richard Ellsworth Day. Paperback edition, 1977, Baker Book House, 340 pp. Reviewed by Hattie A. Guichelaar, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This is the story of Dwight Lyman Moody, the great revivalist preacher of the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was born in snowy New England on Sunday, February 5, 1837 and he died December 22, 1899. His life proved “what God will do with and for and through and in and by a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”

In doing research on his life and sermons, tile author says he found reason for disappointment in his printed sermons, because Moody’s preaching was chiefly his personality – Bush Aglow. His chief objective was to walk in the Spirit and thereupon his sermons automatically held to the Word of God. One of Moody’s oft-repeated sentences as he preached to thousands all over America and in England was “What we need today is men who believe in the whole of the Bible, the things they understand, and the things they do not understand.” How timely!

When Sankey joined Moody with his soul-stirring hymns, crowds listened to these two, who were certainly not of the mighty, or cultured, or learned, or highly talented. When Moody was asked how they did it, he replied, “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty—that no flesh should glory in His presence.” A very readable biography of a great man which should be added to every church library.

THE SHADOW OF THE BROAD BRIM – The Life Story of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Heir or the Puritans, by Richard Ellsworth Day. This book is available at Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the price of $3.95 and is reviewed by John De Pater, Escalon, California.

This book is about a man, already quite well known, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, but it is not just another biography. The author has succeeded in giving us a better background study of Charles Haddon Spurgeon than many others. He brings to light facts regarding his ancestry and early youth that have a bearing upon the formation of the character of this prince of preachers and enable us to better understand him. The book is in no way a complete life-story of Spurgeon, nor does it pretend to be. When the author draws attention to the important influence of John Bunyan‘s Pilgrim’s Progress, in the shaping of Spurgeon’s life, he gives us a clue to understanding him as a man. The author lets us look at Spurgeon from a narrower perspective than his other biographers but makes us well aware of what kind of man this Reformed-Baptist preacher of a century ago was and how the Lord used him. Spurgeon exerted a tremendous influence upon his contemporaries both in England and America and left a lasting imprint on society. One should allow for the fact that this book is written in the style of half a century ago, since it is a paperback reprint of a book that was published in 1934. But how else could you obtain a book with such a wealth of information at such a low price? Buy it and you might get a blessing out of reading it.

EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY: LECTURES ON DOCTRINE by A. A. Hodge. Published by The Banner Of Truth Trust, P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013. 1976, 402 pp., price $3.95. Reviewed by Joseph Brinks, pastor, Noordeloos CRC, Holland, MI.

This is an excellent book. This book deserves to be read by the Reformed Minister and to be in his possession for occasional reference with other great books on systematic theology.

The author, the younger of the famous two Hodges, taught at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1877 until his death in 1886 at the age of 63. The chapters that comprise this book are popular lectures given by Hodge in Philadelphia in 1966, the last year of his earthly life. They were originally published in 1890. and are now republished in the Banner Of Truth reprint.

It should be noted that the Reformed Christian will find himself very much in agreement with almost everything written in this rather lengthy volume. In fact there is little said to the 19th century audience that is not clear and relevant to the 20th century mind. Hodge excels in presenting a very carefully defined and clearly distinguished panorama of Reformed thought. This author has an intelligent mind and an ability to present his thoughts clearly and coherently. Many pastors today could improve their preaching and teaching significantly if they had Hodge’s lucidity.

The book begins with a short biography of the author by Francis Patton which was given at the Chambers Presbyterian Church shortly after Hodge’s death. And it concludes with an excellent subject index which provides easy reference when one is studying a particular area of theology.

The lectures are popular theology. They are lectures presented to the intelligent layman in language and style he easily grasps. I suspect Hodge’s greatest strength lies in his ability to present theology clearly and interestingly. I find it hard to imagine any preacher or theological teacher announcing a series of theological lectures these days in some church auditorium and finding interest high. Perhaps that is something Hodge could do a century ago that we cannot do in the television age. But at least we can learn from this master of clarity the art of sound and palatable teaching.

The lectures are popular theology. As such they are first of all systematic theology. They touch the high points of the 6 loci of theology. Hodge chooses and explains theological matters that he found especially interesting or especially under attack by modernism. The subjects he discusses include God, providence, miracles, the inspiration of the Scriptures, prayer, the Trinity, predestination, the original state of man, the covenants, the person of Christ, the offices of Christ, the Kingdom of God, sanctification, the sacraments, the intermediate state, and the final rewards and punishments. Several of these chapters are masterpieces of theological explanation.

Most refreshing in the book is its dedication to the high view of the inspiration of Scripture. The chapter on the canon and inspiration of Scripture needs to be read in the CRC today. I find that one of my most difficult challenges is to impress upon the younger generation of people to whom I am called to minister the real value of the Word of God. Most of us confess a high view of the inspiration and authority of Scripture. But a casual attitude toward church services and sermons and Bible study and a lack of desire to participate in church society life betray a low interest in the Word of God. In other words the confession of the high view of inspiration and authority of Scripture with the mouth somehow does not touch the heart. We easily say one thing but too often really believe something else. We as ministers must work hard with our people to promote love for the Word of God. Hodge‘s evident love for the Word excites the reader and challenges him to communicate this same love to his flock.

There is much more that should be said about this book. This is one of the most worthwhile books I have read for some time. It is a real bargain for $3.95. It merits a place with Berkhof and other important systematic theologians on the bookshelf of every CRC minister. And the book is just as valuable and helpful to the interested layman, whether he uses it to predate for church study groups or for his personal reading.

A THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, George Eldon Ladd, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974, pp. 661, 812.50. Reviewed by Rev. Elco H. Oostendorp.

“This book: is intended to introduce seminary students to the discipline of New Testament theology,” says the author in his Preface (p. 5). No doubt this textbook for seminaries is being widely used by this time. However, it will also be valuable for ministers and others who lire interested in an up-to-date survey of thinking by leading scholars in this discipline. Among these scholar! Dr. Ladd holds a prominent place, and his views as expressed here are the fruit of a life time spent in New Testament studies. He is evangelical in his position, and although he fairly presents many different views, maintains what might be described as a conservative interpretation of the teachings of the New Testament.

I have some difficulty with the title: A Theology of the New Testament. Might it not have been better to call this book “A New Testament Theology Textbook,” or simply “New Testament Theology”? One might imply for the “A” that this is one theology of the New Testament among many, Dr. Ladd’s personal theology and interpretation.

The book is very valuable in that almost each chapter is prefaced with a book list. There are also copious footnotes in which reference is made to the literature, mostly recent books and articles. Thus the reader who wants to follow up on given subjects has much bibliographical material at his disposal. There are also extensive indices.

Dr. Ladd is a believer in a literal millennium, but docs not accept many of the teachings of dispensationalism. He is a Baptist and argues gently for “believers baptism.” There are no doubt several points on which most of the readers of THE OUTLOOK would disagree with the author, but on the main issues in the struggle between those who accept the New Testament as God’s Word and those who approach it as only a human document he takes a firm stand. We are thankful for this solid work: and trust that it will be used with blessing in many of our theological seminaries.