BR > Crossway

Snakes in the Wilderness

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway

From Russell Moore’s new book Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ (Crossway, 2011), page 191:

In my nightly Bible readings with my family, I read a selected narrative in the canon, but every night my children beg me to read “the one about the snake.” For some reason they love to hear about Moses combating the fiery serpents in the wilderness with the bronze serpent on the pole and about the afflicted finding healing when they look at the emblem of the very curse that’s killing them. My little boys don’t simply have a morbid fascination with venomous snakes among the wandering Israelites. In fact, they are never satisfied to end the story there.

They wait in silence until we turn to what they call “the other pole,” the picture of the cross of Christ. That’s when I tell them how mysteriously this seemingly helpless, executed man confronted the snake of Eden right there on “the other pole” and finally did what God had promised since the beginning of history. He crushed its head. He went out beyond the gates of Jerusalem to “where the wild things are”—and he conquered wildness forever. They seem to sleep better hearing that.

And so do I.

Speaking of snakes, a video trailer for the book was released last week. You can watch it here:

The Legacy of the King James Bible

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway, KJV, Leland Ryken

Of Christian scholars that have most directly influenced my life I would have to mention Leland Ryken, the longtime professor in the English department at Wheaton College, the prolific author, and the literary stylist for the ESV Bible translation. In my book I wrote a chapter to summarize the many ways his writings helped me eventually grow in my appreciation for fiction literature. I plan to share more about him and this transition in my life in a post later this week.

Ryken’s latest book is soon to be released. Titled The Legacy of the King James Bible: Celebrating 400 Years of the Most Influential English Translation, the book is due out from Crossway on January 31. I’m sure this will be yet another wonderful book from Ryken to help modern readers grow in their appreciation for the Bible in English translation (the KJV in this case).

Justin Taylor recently sat down with Dr. Ryken and asked him a few questions about the making of the KJV and its abiding influence. You can watch those videos here:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Mercy Magnified By Justice

Tony Reinke Biblical Theology, BR > Crossway, Pauline Biblical Theology

James M. Hamilton, Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Crossway, 2010), 512–­513:

Is there a theme that dominates Paul’s thought? Is there a big idea that organizes all the other themes and ideas that are so powerfully and flexibly deployed in pursuit of the Great Commission task of making disciples by building churches? With so many unique situations addressed by these letters from the apostle, does the theology reflected in these letters have a center? …

I am in basic agreement with [Thomas] Schreiner’s proposal that God’s glory in Christ is central to Paul’s theology. As will be clear from my analysis of Paul’s letters, it seems to me that at the very heart of God’s glory in Christ, the big muscle that pumps the blood through the living body of his thought, is the manifestation of the mercy and justice of God, with mercy magnified by justice.

The Theology of B. B. Warfield

Tony Reinke B.B. Warfield, BR > Crossway

For months I’ve eagerly awaited the release of Fred G. Zaspel’s book The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary (Crossway, Sept. 30, 2010). Over the past two weeks I have been reading a copy of the book and it reminds me how thankful I am for able theologians who can break down the writings of a theological giant. Zaspel is doing this for me with Warfield. Not only is the systematic approach very thoughtful and very well executed, Zaspel also scatters within his summary many rich (and often devotional) quotes from Warfield’s works. Here’s just one example (page 300; from Warfield’s works, 2:434–435):

Christianity did not come into the world to proclaim a new morality and, sweeping away all the supernatural props by which men were wont to support their trembling, guilt-stricken souls, to throw them back on their own strong right arms to conquer a standing before God for themselves. It came to proclaim the real sacrifice for sin which God had provided in order to supersede all the poor fumbling efforts which men had made and were making to provide a sacrifice for sin for themselves; and, planting men’s feet on this, to bid them go forward. It was in this sign that Christianity conquered, and it is in this sign alone that it continues to conquer. We may think what we will of such a religion. What cannot be denied is that Christianity is such a religion.

Beautiful.

What Did You Expect?

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway, Marriage, Paul David Tripp, spurgeon

I have yet to be disappointed by any book authored by Paul David Tripp. Some of his best works include:

•    Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands
•    Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy
•    A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble
•    A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You

So what did I expect from him? More of the same.

His latest book on marriage—What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage—looks very good. The teaching DVD and CD versions of his message have been available for a while now. The DVD series was very well done (and would work well as a video curriculum in a local church marriage retreat setting).

Don’t let Tripp’s walrus mustache, or the book’s clipart cover, fool you. This book is the fresh and pointed work of a soul surgeon. The book is structured around 6 core marriage commitments–

1: We will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness.
2: We will make growth and change our daily agenda.
3: We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust.
4: We will commit to building a relationship of love.
5: We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace.
6: We will work to protect our marriage.

Here’s a short video introduction to What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage—