Latest Book Reviews

Since our last book review, I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading.  While I always slow down a bit in the summer, there are still four books to pass along my thoughts on.

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Jesus Christ: Eternal Sacrifice

Betty Burton Choate

J.C. Choate Publications, 2000

Our young adult class was recently going through this book, and Leah is a part of that class.  She liked what she had read and I decided to read it, too.

Choate’s work is motivational, in that she uses scores of Bible verses to share her line of reasoning.  In The Eternal Sacrifice, sister Choate tries to show that Christ was not 100% God and 100% man while on the earth.  While I don’t totally agree with that conclusion, the book surely does make the honest ready think.

Whether or not the reader agrees with the conclusions, this book is well worth a read, because it leads to a great appreciation for what Christ did in our behalf.

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Like a Meteor across the Horizon

Johnny Tucker

Tucker Publications, 1978

This is actually two books in one.  The second part of this volume is a reproduction of a work written by several men including Tolbert Fanning in 1854.

This book documents the rise and fall of Jesse B. Furgeson, a preacher in the first half of the 1800s in Nashville.  Furgeson was a rising star and was an amazing talent until he fell prey to several false views, including universalism (which basically was the basis for any other false teaching he did).

The book is very blunt, but is an interesting read for preachers.  I read it as a “warning” of making sure I remain true to the Word of God.

Church history buffs would like this book, as would preachers who need a little reminder every now and then.

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A Tale of Two Sons

John MacArthur

Thomas Nelson, 2008

This book is based upon a series of sermons MacArthur preached on the parable of the Prodigal Son.  If you think you know all about that well-known parable, you haven’t read this book.

If I were going to give a list of the 20 best books I’ve ever read, it would be hard to leave this work out.  It is simple, but deeply-rooted in the text of Jesus’ story.  As one who loves this parable, this book really touched me.

MacArthur makes the reader understand that one of the overlooked reasons for this parable is the elder brother’s role (the Pharisees).  I don’t want to give a lot of lessons from this book, because it really needs to be read as a whole.

Trust me: buy this book!  There is a slight hint of Calvinism in it, but not as much as I feared when I started.  You’ll be reminded of Jesus’ amazing ability to teach through the parables.

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Lists to Live By: The Christian Collection for Everything that Matters

compiled by Alice Gray, Steven Stephens, John Van Diest

Multnomah, 2004

As one who is constantly on the lookout for sermon ideas and illustrations, I couldn’t pass up this book (which I found on vacation for $4).  Think it was a good investment?  On the front inside cover, I listed 23 sermon outlines and 19 illustrations to add to my files.

This is just a book of lists, but some are alliterated, while others are simply practical.  I would highly recommend this book for preachers.  Many of the outlines need some work, but most provide good “bones” for a sermon.