In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview Sam Storms about his book Tough Topics: Biblical Answers to 25 Challenging Questions (Crossway, 2013).

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About the Book:
Will there be sex in heaven?
Are miraculous gifts for today?
Does God ever change His mind?

Such difficult questions often intrigue us, readily confuse us, and sometimes disturb us. Drawing on nearly 40 years of teaching and ministry experience, pastor-scholar Sam Storms answers 25 challenging questions Christians are often too afraid to ask, addressing thorny issues ranging from the eternal destiny of infants to the roles of demons and angels.

The robust, thoughtful answers provided in this book offer a helpful alternative to relying on simplistic explanations, and will encourage you in the search for truth and clarity on such tough topics.

About the Author:
Sam Storms has spent 38 years in ministry as a pastor, professor, and author. He was visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College from 2000-2004, and is currently Senior Pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. He has authored 20 books and founded Enjoying God Ministries. He’s a graduate of The University of Oklahoma (BA), Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM), and The University of Texas (PhD). He and his wife Ann have been married for 40 years and are the parents of two grown daughters and four grandchildren. On a more personal level, Sam loves baseball, books, movies, and anything to do with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Books by Sam Storms:

In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview John Crotts about his book Bitesize Biographies – John Newton (EP Books, 2013).

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About the Book:
The people who know John Newton’s name often only know one or two things about him. They recognize that he authored one of the most popular hymns of all time, ‘Amazing Grace’. The other thing they sometimes know is that he was a slaveship captain before he wrote that hymn. Those facts are true, but there is a great deal more to his story!

About the Author:
John Crotts has been the pastor of Faith Bible Church, Sharpsburg, Georgia, since 1995. He graduated from Liberty University and The Master’s Seminary. He serves as a board member of F.I.R.E. (The Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals). His other works include Men: The Starter’s Guide to Leading your Family; Craftsmen: Christ-Centered Proverbs for Men; Tying the Knot Tighter and Upsetting the World: Following Paul’s Example of Frontline Evangelism. John and his wife Lynn have four children.

Books Recommended in this Episode:

Books by John Crotts:

In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview Nancy Drummond about her book Nate Saint: Operation Auca (Christian Focus 4 Kids, 2012).

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About the Book:
On January 8, 1956, Nate Saint and some other missionaries flew to an area near an Auca village and landed at strip of sand that they had named Palm Beach. This was Nate’s final flight for he and four other missionaries on the plane that day were martyred when tribesmen attacked with spears a few days later.

Although this was Nate’s last flight – it wasn’t the end of his work. What he and the other martyred missionaries had done for the Kingdom of God convicted many to listen to God’s call to mission. And the work of evangelism continued to the Aucas too. Many in that village came to accept Christ including several of the men who had thrown their spears on that terrible day.

About the Author:
Nancy Drummond is author of Nate Saint: Operation Auca in Christian Focus 4 Kids Torchbearers series. She is currently working on a new volume in CF4K’s Trailblazers series about Brother Andrew. Be on the lookout for that book in 2014. Readers can connect with Nancy on her Facebook page at Facebook.com/NancyDrummondWriter.

Books Recommended in this Episode:

Books by Nancy Drummond:

In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview Randal Rauser about his book The Swedish Atheist, the Scuba Diver and Other Apologetic Rabbit Trails (IVP, 2012).

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About the Book:
In the real world, we don’t usually sit in lecture halls debating worldview issues in systematic arguments. Chances are that we’re more likely to have haphazard, informal conversations over a latte in a coffee shop.

Meet Randal Rauser, a Christian, and Sheridan, an atheist. Over the course of one caffeinated afternoon, they explore a range of honest questions and real objections to Christian faith. Do people hold to a particular religion just because of an accident of geography? Is believing in Jesus as arbitrary as believing in Zeus? Why would God order the slaughter of infants or send people to hell? How do you know you’re really real, and not just a character in someone’s book?

Their extended conversation unfolds with all the rabbit trails, personal baggage and distractions that inevitably come in real-world encounters. Rauser provides substantive argument-based apologetics but also highlights the importance of apologetics as a narrative journey. As we get to know Sheridan, we better understand the personal history that drives his atheism and the issues that motivate his skepticism.

This imaginative narrative is a model of the rigorous pursuit of truth in conversation. Apologetics is not just about winning arguments; it is a transformative apprenticeship where eternity touches down in everyday life. It’s about the discovery of truth through winding, weaving, honest, aimless, pointless and completely purposeful conversations between people who desperately want to know the way things really are.

You, dear Reader, are already in this book. Randal has written you into the story, and you’re sitting with him and Sheridan in the coffee shop, listening in on their dialogue. Discover what they have to say to each other–and to you.

About the Author:
Randal Rauser is associate professor of historical theology, teaching in the areas of theology, apologetics, worldview and church history, at Taylor Seminary in Edmonton, Canada, where he was granted Taylor’s first annual teaching award for “outstanding service to students” in 2005. He earned his Ph.D. at King’s College, London, where he focused on the doctrine of the Trinity. You can connect with Randal at RandalRauser.com.

Apologetics Books Recommended in this Episode:

Books by Randal Rauser:

In this episode of the Author Talks with Shaun Tabatt Podcast I interview Chris Brauns about his book Bound Together: How We Are Tied to Others in Good and Bad Choices (Zondervan, 2013).

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About the Book:
We are not just isolated individuals. Instead, our lives are woven together with others. We have solidarity with other people—the choices one person makes affects the lives of others, for good and for bad. Because much of the pain we endure in life is in the context of relationships, this truth often strikes us as unfair. Why should a child suffer because of the choices of his parents? And on a grander scale, why do we all suffer the curse of Adam’s sin? Why should anyone be judged for someone else’s sin? In Bound Together, Chris Brauns unpacks the truth that we are bound to one another and to the whole of creation. He calls this, ‘the principle of the rope.’ Grasping this foundational principle sheds new light on marriage, the dynamics of family relationships, and the reason why everyone lives with the consequences of the sins that others commit. Brauns shows how the principle of the rope is both bad news and good news, revealing a depth to the message of the gospel that many of us have never seen before.

About the Author:
Chris Brauns, MDiv, DMin, is the senior pastor at the Congregational Christian Church of Stillman Valley, IL. His other books include Unpacking Forgiveness and When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search. You can connect with Chris on Facebook, Twitter (@ChrisBrauns), and at either unpackingforgiveness.com or chrisbrauns.com.

Books by Chris Brauns:

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview J. V. Fesko about his most recent books, Christ and the Desert Tabernacle (EP Books, 2012) and A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Holiness: Understanding Sanctification (Christian Focus, 2013).

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About the Books:

Christ and the Desert Tabernacle (EP Books, 2012)

Far from being boring or uninteresting, the Old Testament tabernacle, and later the temple in Solomon’s day, is a shadowy picture of Christ and the church. True, people are perhaps easily able to draw the connections between Jesus and the sacrificial animals, as Jesus is identified as the one and only true sacrifice who takes away our sins (e.g., Heb 8-10; 1 John 2.2). But beyond the obvious connections between Jesus and the sacrificial animals, the Old Testament tabernacle is literally an entire world of references, allusions, and foreshadows of Christ and the church.

A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Growing in Holiness: Understanding Sanctification (Christian Focus, 2013)

No true Christian wants to keep on sinning. Yet the battle seems unwinnable. For every slain opponent two more emerge from the shadows. And to make matters worse, an endless stream of pundits are on hand with conflicting combat tactics: ‘Try harder. Do more.’ ‘It’s a matter of mind over matter.’ ‘Imitate Christ. Ask, What would Jesus Do?’ ‘Take a break. Even if you yield to every known sin, you’re still a winner because Christ has forgiven everything.’

In the Bible we find a more coherent and realistic approach to growing in holiness. Victory over sin does not come to the spiritual sluggard. Effort is essential. Even so, self-transformation is not possible. ‘Sanctification is by faith alone in Christ alone.’ The gospel is not just for day one of the Christian life; it’s for the whole journey.

How do we grow in holiness? We grow through the word of God and prayer and sacraments. This book will help us find the benefits of growing in Christ for which there is no substitute.

About the Author:
J. V. Fesko graduated from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, UK, with an earned Ph.D. in theology. Dr. Fesko’s interests include systematic theology, applied soteriology (union with Christ, justification and sanctification, and the ordo salutis), sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed dogmatics, as well as the integration of biblical and systematic theology. He was the pastor of Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian church from 1998 to 2009. He is now presently the Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary California. He is also an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Books by J. V. Fesko:

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview Dolores Kimball about her new book Freeing Tangled Hearts (EP Books, 2013).

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About the Book:
Are you sometimes left confused by the conflicting array of feelings you experience as a woman? Do you let your heart rule your head? In this book Dolores Kimball takes an honest look at our lives as women and urges us not to allow our confusion, our tangled hearts, to rule our lives, but to cast ourselves on the Savior, who alone can change our hearts forever.

About the Author:
Dolores Kimball is an experienced editor and writer whose passion is to explain biblical truth in clear, practical ways that will impact and change lives – especially the lives of women.

A Bible study teacher and women’s retreat speaker, Dolores has worked as writer and editor for several large Christian ministries including Focus on the Family, David C. Cook, and Compassion International. Having retired as Managing Editor of Got Questions Ministries, she is now a freelance writer and editor.

Dolores lives in Colorado with Tom, her husband of 36 years, and two obstreperous cats, Clive and Warnie, named for C.S. Lewis and his brother. When not writing or working, Dolores and Tom spend their time riding bikes through the glorious Rocky Mountain scenery, enjoying God’s creation.

Readers can connect with Dolores at FreetingTangledHearts.com.

Books by Dolores Kimball:

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview Jeremiah W. Montgomery about the Dark Harvest series (P & R Publishing).

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About the Book:
An epic battle between good and evil commences in The Dark Faith, the first bok in the masterful Dark Harvest trilogy. It is a battle that will push three warrior-clerics to the very limits of their strength-and their faith-as they fight to unearth the truth of an ancient evil, a tree rooted in bloodshed, and a fabled book that holds the secrets they seek.

About the Author:
Jeremiah W. Montgomery is the pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian Church (OPC) in State College, Pennsylvania, and has been a pipemaker, a blogger, and an essayist. He and his wife have four sons and one daughter. Here are a few of the place you can connect with Jeremiah online:

• resurrectionopc.org
• Facebook
• pipeandpint.com

Books by Jeremiah W. Montgomery:

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview Brock Eastman about The Quest for Truth series (P & R Publishing).

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About the Books:
“Five—Four—Three—Two—One!” “We’re out of here!” Suit up! Jump into hyper flight with the four Wikk kids! Forced into a high stakes hunt for their missing parents by the sinister Cpt. Vedrik, the siblings’ only hope is their parents’ Archeos e-journal. Can Tiffany decipher the clues within it? As time runs out, it’s all up to Oliver and his Federation training to fly the Phoenix and protect his crew. But twins Mason and Austin endanger the mission when they unexpectedly meet . . . the blue boy! The Quest for Truth series unfolds as the four Wikk kids are thrust into a desperate race to find the mysterious planet Ursprung and stop the Übel renegades from misusing its long-lost secrets. Ancient cities, treacherous villains, high-tech gadgets, the Phoenix—encounter all of these and more on this futuristic, interplanetary adventure!

About the Author:
Brock Eastman works with Focus on the Family and has written for the Adventures in Odyssey series and Thriving Family Magazine. He lives in Colorado Springs, CO. Here are some of the places you can connect with Brock online:

• BrockEastman.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Books by Brock Eastman:

Other Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Hank The Cowdog
• WhitsEnd.org

In this episode of the Author Talks Podcast I interview Scott Petty about the Little Black Books series (Matthias Media).

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About the Books:
The Little Black Books are a new series of books that get straight to the point on the topics that Christians always have questions about. Not too big, not too fancy, and not at all boring. LBBs are ideal for young Christians (ages 14-20+), but speak biblical truths applicable to any age range.

About the Author:
Scott Petty is the youth minister at Christ Church St Ives in Sydney, and loves the tricky questions young people ask about the Christian journey. He also loves his beautiful wife, Carolyn, his three energetic sons, racing bicycles, Italian coffee, food in general, rock‘n’roll and Apple computers, probably in that order.

Readers can connect with Scott at youth.christchurch.com.au.

Titles Currently Available  in the Little Black Books series:

• What’s Life All About?
• The Bible
• Suffering and Evil
• Predestination
• Sex
• Science and God
• The Holy Spirit