DAILY MANNA CALENDAR FOR 1977; Rev. Tim Momma, Editor; Nelson‘s Christian Bookstore, 2007 Eastern Ave., S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49507; $4.95.

Over the years we have grown accustomed to find tightly-packed on every page of Daily Manna Calendar an instructive and devotional message day after day. As it were in capsule form, these meditations have now been appearing over a span of many years. First edited by the late Rev. Martin Monsma and now by his son, Rev. Tim Monsma, Daily Manna has brought many a blessing into our home as we have made use of it at our family altar throughout the years. Annually we give Daily Manna to our five children and their families as one of those rare gifts to be used every day of the year for spiritual profit.

As in other years, fifty-two pastors and educators, one for each week in the year, have written meditations that convey their message in a nutshell. It is told of someone that he once apologized to a friend for having written him such a long letter and that his explanation was he was too busy to write a short one. Yes, it is more difficult and takes more time to adequately convey a message in few words than in many Although all contributors to Daily Manna are not equally successful in this, the measure of success attained by the majority is remarkable. Reading these meditations together with the suggested Scripture passage is an excellent way to start the day.

All added feature introduced in this Daily Manna for 1977 is the selection of a different topic for each week. For example, Creation is the topic for the opening week and The Kingdom of the Future is the topic for the closing week. Special topics have been selected for special occasions during the year.

Daily Manna is made up in twelve booklets, one for each month. This makes it convenient to keep these separate booklets in the Bible month by month and also to carry them along in a pocket or purse for devotions while on a trip or in the hospital.

At a time when the family altar is breaking down and disappearing, this valuable help to keep it intact can be of real value. All in all, Daily Manna is a good investment that may be heartily recommended.

   

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY, Volume 1, edited by Colin Brown, Zondervan, 1976, 822 pp., $24.95. Reviewed by Rev. Henry J. Boekhoven., Pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Anyone desirous of greater understanding of New Testament language and word concepts may want to acquaint himself with this dictionary of New Testament theology. While theology in general is a study of God’s self-revelation, biblical theology is that special field in which Scriptural material relating to specific words and thoughts is brought together in order to give the student an overview of their meaning in Biblical context. Often we find clear indications of progressive revelation in the study of such concepts. The dictionary under review has presented us with a magnificent organization of such historic development in the various words, ideas, thoughts, and concepts it contains.

There are several ways in which this extensive work reminds us of Kittel‘s New Testament Dictionary. Usually the articles contain sections in which terms and related works are studied in their context of classical or secular Greek, then a study of the Old Testament equivalent is given extensive consideration, while thereafter the actual New Testament study is undertaken.

There is a distinct difference, how· ever. The volume under review limits its scope, and hence the study is sufficiently compact so as to make the study manageable. When one uses Kittel one needs time to sit down and digest as well as select. Our dictionary under review is an expanded translation from the original German with added information, yet brief enough to allow it to be used as a regular tool in sermon preparation for pastors and in Bible study for the serious student of the New Testament.

However, your reviewer wishes to ob· serve that it struck him as unusual that the entries are listed in English rather than in Greek. Although this is undoubtedly helpful to those who know no Creek, it may cause some problems with those Greek words which are translated into more than one English word. Fortunately an extensive index or Greek as well as of Hebrew and Aramaic words limits this disadvantage. In addition to these indices we find a general index of no less than sixty pages which enhances the usefulness of this work greatly.

This reviewer has read through several articles and is impressed with the excellent selections made for inclusion of pertinent data. When one reads, for example, the article on “Call” it is good to note that the concepts of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility are treated side by side. This entry holds basically that God’s call is mediated by the message of the Gospel to those already elected and appointed (p. 275), but regrettably it fails to include II Peter 1:10 and Revelation 17:14, in both of which texts calling precedes election.

Furthermore we find under “Foreknowledge, Providence, Predestination” that no mention is made of reprobation. Only the concept of election is represented (pp. 692–7). Although reprobation is included in the entry on “Creation” (p. 378), the reader will note that inclusion there is apart from predestination. This reviewer holds that the Canons of Dart throw correct Biblical light upon the Reformed concept of a twofold predestination.

In a few closing remarks it should be stated that it is open for discussion whether an article as “Infant Baptism: Its Background and Theology” fits in a dictionary of New Testament theology. Also it is regrettable that the dictionary includes occasional referrals to higher criticism. Such referrals if made with approval should be disregarded by the Reformed Bible student who accepts full authority of the Bible and thanks God for its authenticity. On the plus side we find extensive bibliographies throughout the entire work which are especially helpful to those who master German.

This dictionary is an extensive and excellent tool which every minister of the Word should own and use. It can also be used very well by those who do not read Greek. Recommending it is this reviewer‘s pleasure, who with anticipation looks forward to the publication of Volumes 2 and 3.

SEX FOR CHRISTIANS by Lewis B. Smedes; Eerdmans, 1976, 250 pp.; $2.95. Reviewed by Rev. Lambertus Mulder, pastor of the Bethel Christian Reformed Church of Broci:ville, Ontario.

Dr. Smedes has undoubtedly done a service to Christians in a sex–saturated time and he has done it bravely. His paperback publication has as subtitle the “Limits and Liberties of Sexual Living,” and that indeed describes the book in a nutshell.

The author has dealt with his subjects in three parts. In logical order he describes sex and Christian people, sex and single people, and sex and married people.

Obviously Dr. Smedes is not afraid to speak up, but he is always careful to view every detail of the subject matter from the Christian perspective. He can be firm in denying the liberties so-called of premarital or extramarital sex; he can be movingly compassionate with the homosexual and his inadequacies of life.

The great value of this delicate study lies not so much in the new insights it presents as in the courage to bring this whole matter from the area of the unmentionables into the open forum of Christian dialogue. I have never yet read any Christian treatise on the subject of sex which is so utterly frank and yet so firmly anchored in tile conviction that the liberty with which Christ has set us free ranges across the whole spectrum of life.

As II matter of fact, Smedes steadfastly refuses to discuss any detail, whether it be sexual fantasy, pornography, or petting from any other angle than that which does justice to the whole man, made in God’s image. To do it any other way would be for him a separation of what God has joined together: the bodily and spiritual aspects of life. Sex as an abstraction from the totality of life becomes a nightmare and a violation of self; it is utterly secular and false.

Smedes has argued his casc cogently and orderly, and he obviously has the sexual well-being and joy of his fellow Ciuistillns at heart. For that he must receive credit, regardless of what a Christian may think of some daring suggestions Smedes makes.

This reviewer has some questions left and possibly some misgivings as well. It is not always equally clear whether Christian liberty stays within its Scriptural boundaries. The line of demarcation between Christian liberty and license may be a thin one lit times, but it is there. May we still speak of Christian liberty when sexual activities take on the color of the unnatural and indecent? If a sexual act belongs to the realm of the unnatural , does it become acceptable simply because it is approved by both parties in the marital circle? That would seem to be a dubious argument.

Smedes wants to impress his readers with his argument that far too much joy is lost and too much guilt accumulated in our sex life all because we do not have a sound view of Christian liberty as it applies to sexuality. He may well be right and one can only admire his insistence on Christian sexuality as a part of the redeemed person in the totality of God’s salvation. In his determination to fight for that, the author may have carried his argument too far by virtually dismissing all restraints for Christians, as long as their sex life is in the proper perspective.

Dr. Smedes has a low view of Revelation 14:4, becoming a literalist with respect to the virginity of the 144,000. I must disagree. All in all, while total agreement in these delicate issues will never be attained among Christians, I wish to applaud Dr. Smedes for writing boldly and constructively about things which too many people only whisper or snicker about, about us, and about male and female as God has created them. Thanks a lot.

GOD-CENTERED EVANGELISM by R. B. Kuiper. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1001. Reprinted in the Twin Brooks Paperback Series, 1975. $3.95. Reviewed by Rev. Joseph Brinks, Noordeloos CRC, Holland, Michigan.

The author is well-known among older members of our churches, haVing served several CR Churches and then teaching at Westminster Seminary, Calvin College, and finally Calvin Seminary until his retirement in 1956. This book first appeared in 19th.

This is a book about evangelism. If evangelism books may be divided into those which deal primarily with evangelistic theory and those which deal with evangelistic practice, this book clearly nts the former category. This is a “what-Reformed-Evangelism-is” book and not a “how-to-do-Reformed-Evangelism” approach. And, of course, the “what-it-is” and “how-to-do-it” approaches, though properly distinguishable, are not separate and unrelated. The former precedes, and then molds and shapes, either explicitly or implicitly, the latter. Kuiper’s book is an excellent Reformed guidebook for molding and shaping practical evangelism.

The primary value of Kuiper’s book, it seems to me, lies in its value as a book of Reformed evangelistic theory. In this it excels. The author is soundly Reformed and writes at the height of his maturity. Evangelistic thought is well related and integrated with other aspects of Reformed theology.

Another value of this book lies in its worth as a basis for developing sound Reformed evangelistic practice. The foundation given enables the minister or theologian or layman to build a solid structure, knowing what belongs to the structure and what does not. Another value, closely related to the former, lies in the service this book performs as a sound basis for evaluating existing evangelistic methodologies. Such evaluation is much needed today. If the church at one time emphasized the theoretical with neglect of the practical so that Christians heard much about evangelism but were never taught how to do it, now the opposite holds. We are told to do evangelism and given courses to help us do it, bill we tend to be weak in Biblical evangelistic perspective and principle. This book can remedy the problem.

Among the better chapters in the book are the 3rd, 4th. 8th, and 15th chapters. The third chapter beautifully explains the place of election in evangelism, answering the usual objections that election hinders evangelism and also giving the positive value of election for evangelism. Chapter 4 explains the role of covenant in understandable terms. Chapter 8 reminds us of the necessity for proper love for God and neighbor as the motive for evangelism. Many so-called evangelistic churches would do well to examine their motives. And chapter 15 deals with method, emphasizing the role of church and education.

An excellent book highly recommended for laymen and ministers, especially those who have done limited reading in Reformed evangelistic theory and for those involved in evangelism programs.