Bible Geek Gone Wild » Books I’m Reading

What I’m Reading: Five Leading Reformers by Christopher Catherwood

Shaun Tabatt — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:10:56 +0000

I thought I’d kick off my 2011 reading with a bit of church history. The first book I’ll be reviewing this year is Five Leading Reformers: Lives at a Watershed of History by Christopher Catherwood. The book gives brief accounts of the lives of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Thomas Cranmer and John Knox. I was very pleased by the introduction, where Catherwood clearly states his own theological bent. He describes himself as a “Protestant, of a theologically conservative kind, with a world view predominantly in tune with that of the Reformers, and of John Calvin in particular.” (p. 8). It is always refreshing when an author clearly states the position he or she is coming from. This can be particularly difficult to find in many books, so I’m always very thankful when it is clearly defined from the start. So far I’m about half way through the chapter on Martin Luther. I was surprised to learn that Luther’s superior Staupitz, out of frustration over Luther’s incessant confessions, “urged Luther to kill someone to have something really big to confess!” (p. 21).

I find Catherwood’s writing style to be quite engaging and because of this, the book moves along at a nice pace. At 159 pages, the book is short enough to read in one or two sittings. If this sounds like a book you’d enjoy, I’d suggest checking out the introduction, which Christian Focus Publications has made available as a PDF here: LINK. The book is available for purchase from Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, directly from Christian Focus Publications and elsewhere.

Mail Call: Zondervan Academic Edition

Shaun Tabatt — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:32:15 +0000

I was excited to receive an advance reading copy of Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church by John H. Armstrong from the good folks at Zondervan Academic. I will be participating in the Your Church is too Small Blog Tour running March 14-20, 2010. You can learn more about the blog tour here: LINK. I’ve included the synopsis found on Zondervan’s product page as well as information from the table of contents below, so you can get a better feel for what to expect in this forthcoming book.

Synopsis

In Your Church Is Too Small, John Armstrong presents a vision of the unity possible for Christians across social, cultural, racial, and denominational lines. When Jesus’ followers seek unity through participation in the kingdom of God and the mission of Christ, they demonstrate God’s character to a watching world.

Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church

Table of Contents

past: the Biblical and Historical Basis for Christian Unity

1. the road to the future
2. my journey to catholicity begins
3. searching for the elusive truth
4. the Jesus prayer for our unity
5. our greatest apologetic
6. Christ the center
7. the four classical marks of the church

present: Restoring Unity in the Church Today

8. how can we restore unity?
9. the cause of our disunity
10. sectarianism: our enemy
11. thinking rightly about the church
12. the servant church and the kingdom
13. what place should we give to tradition

future: The Missional-Ecumenical Movement

14. searching for the true church
15. who is a real christian?
16. the missional-ecumenical church
17. a new paradigm
18. what does the missional-ecumenical paradigm look like?
19. disturb us, Lord!

Mail Call: Zondervan Academic Edition

Shaun Tabatt — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:31:59 +0000

I was very excited last week to receive a copy of SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World by Douglas Estes from the kind folks at Zondervan Academic. This book helps to define what makes up the virtual church today and examines some of the possibilities and concerns that come with it. Review to follow in the coming weeks. This book is available from Amazon & elsewhere.

What I’m reading.

Shaun Tabatt — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:36:20 +0000

Just finished… Just started…

Mail Call – Xulon Press Edition

Shaun Tabatt — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:43:19 +0000

Many thanks to Shannon Blake for furnishing me with a review copy of Andy Deane’s Learn to Study the Bible. It arrived a few weeks ago, but I wasn’t able to start reading it until today. The book is focused on helping the reader find one or several Bible study methods that will work well for them. Overall, the book covers forty different Bible study methods. You can expect to see a review coming very soon. You can learn more about Andy Deane and his new book at www.learntostudythebible.com.

Format: Softcover
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Xulon Press
Publication Date: April 30, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607915766
ISBN-13: 978-1607915768
List Price: $15.99

What I’ve been reading…

Shaun Tabatt — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:14:14 +0000

While I haven’t been posting very much lately, I have been doing a fair amount of reading. Here are a few of the books I’ve read this past month:

What I’m Reading: The God of the Mountain by Penny Cox Caldwell

Shaun Tabatt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:28:33 +0000

I’m currently working my way through The God of the Mountain: The True Story Behind the Discoveries at the Real Mount Sinai by Penny Cox Caldwell. This book retells the story of the Caldwell family’s adventures in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding area in the early 1990′s. At this point I’m about a fourth of the way through the book. Ultimately, they make a case for Jabel Lawz (Jabal Al Lawz) as the site for the real Mount Sinai, rather than the traditional site at St. Katherine’s monestary in Egypt. I’m especially enjoying the black & white photos throughout the book. This added visual element definitely helps bring the story to life. You can learn more about the Caldwells and their story at www.splitrockresearch.org. You can find this and other great titles from Bridge-Logos Publishers at www.bridgelogos.com.

What I’m Reading – The Kingdom of the Occult

Shaun Tabatt — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:03:51 +0000

I’m presently working my way through The Kingdom of the Occult in preparation for my first review as a part of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Bloggers program. I happened to catch a 2 hour interview with one of the authors (Jill Martin Rische) on a local radio program (Jan Markell’s Understanding the Times) this morning. Below are links to hour 1 and hour 2 of the interview:

Happy listening!

Buy this book on Amazon: The Kingdom of the Occult

On My Doorstep – The Love Dare by Stephen & Alex Kendrick

Shaun Tabatt — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:16:22 +0000

Many thanks are in order to the kind folks at B & H Publishing Group providing me with a review copy and several additional promotional copies of The Love Dare. This book is a central part of the plot in this fall’s surprise hit movie Fireproof. If you haven’t had an opportunity to see Fireproof, be sure to give it a chance. I highly recommend it. While it may be difficult to find it in theaters, the DVD will be available on January 27, 2009. Coincidentally that’s my birthday, should somebody want to buy it for me as a gift. ; ) You can look for The Love Dare to be featured in a promotion we’ll be running in mid-December. Review to follow very soon.

What I’m Reading – Unholy Business by Nina Burleigh

Shaun Tabatt — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:54:42 +0000

If you’re an armchair archaeologist like me, then I’d highly recommend you pick up Nina Burleigh’s latest book: Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed & Forgery in the Holy Land. Apparently there’s a whole other world to Biblical Archaeology, that I never read about in Biblical Archaeology Review. Thanks to the kind folks at Harper Collins for providing a review copy. It’s hard to put down, so a review should follow very soon.