Newly Published
The Prophet’s Dollar, by Gary M. Gray and Allen D. Mitchell (Exposition, 109 pp., $5). A sprightly account with basic and reliable information on ministerial money management, best read while still in seminary.
The Ground of Certainty, by Donald Bloesch (Eerdmans, 212 pp., paperback. $3.25). A forthright call for philosophy and theology to be disentangled. “For the theologian God is to be found first of all neither within the self nor in the world, but in His Word, which then throws light upon His activity in nature.”
Church Vocations—A New Look, by Murray J. S. Ford (Judson, 96 pp., paperback, $2.50). A helpful introductory survey of the newest—and oldest—jobs available in fulltime ministry. Most, but not all, are specifically church-related.
In Human Presence—Hope, by James B. Ashbrook (Judson, 220 pp., $6.95). A book intended to help pastors communicate hope to modern man’s hopelessness. Humanistic and essentially an exercise in futility. The modern sculpture on the book jacket, supposed to symbolize “human pain and genuine hope,” more fully suggests man slowly dying.
The Possibility of Religious Knowledge, by Jerry H. Gill (Eerdmans, 238 pp., paperback, $3.95). A philosopher who is also a Christian presents a first-rate treatment of a topic that when treated philosophically has often left believers confused.
Logical and Semantic Structures in Christian Discourses, by Tord Simonsson (Univesitetsforlaget, 164 pp., paperback, no price given). Technical analysis of material concerning Christian (both Protestant and Catholic) reaction to Darwinism dating from 1859.
Old Testament Illustrations, by Clifford M. Jones (Cambridge, 189 pp., $9.50, paperback $3.95). A useful collection of photographs, maps, and diagrams.
An Expositional Commentary: Philippians, by James Montgomery Boice (Zondervan, 314 pp., $5.95). The young successor to Donald Grey Barnhouse in his pulpit and radio program makes available to a wider audience a series of forty-five sermons on a vital letter. Very worthwhile.
The First Book of Samuel, by Peter Acroyd, and Amos, Hosea, Micah, by Henry McKeating (Cambridge, 238 and 198 pp., $6.95 each, paperback $2.95). First two Old Testament volumes of the “Cambridge Bible Commentary” (the New Testament is complete). Much space is used to print the New English Bible translation of the books studied.
Erasmus and the Seamless Coat of Jesus, by Desiderius Erasmus (Purdue, 222 pp., $6.25). Thanks to Raymond Himelick for translating the treatise On Restoring the Unity of the Church plus selections from Erasmus’ voluminous correspondence.
Theology and Metaphysics, by James Richmond (Schocken, 156 pp., $6.50). The author’s thesis, that it is theological suicide to construct a theology apart from a metaphysical vision or from a consideration of natural theology, is well conceived and carefully developed.
The Covenant People of God, by Francis W. Boelter (Tidings, 94 pp., paperback, no price given). A useful guide for study groups. Surveys the Bible from the category of the covenant between God and his people.
Journey Toward Renewal: New Routes for Old Churches, by William R. Nelson and William F. Lincoln (Judson, 158 pp., paperback, $3.50). The uninspiring story of a congregation’s fifteen-year experiment in church renewal.
China and the Christian Colleges: 1850–1950, by Jessie Gregory Lutz (Cornell, 575 pp., $16). Timely appearance for a well-researched, long-in-preparation work. Deals with Protestant colleges only.
Ethics in a Permissive Society, by William Barclay (London: Fontana, 222 pp., paperback, $1.25). Lectures originally given in a television series (BBC), “Jesus Today.” Barclay attempts, successfully for the most part, to show the relevance for today of the Christian ethic.
The Shape of Religious Instruction, by James Michael Lee (Pflaum, 330 pp., paperback, $4.95). The author says, “The central point of this book is that religious instruction is a mode of social science rather than a form of theology.” This departure from traditional Catholic theory is well footnoted, and is published during a time of major upheaval in the thought of Catholic religious education.
The God Experience, edited by Joseph P. Whelan (Newman, 263 pp., paperback, $4.95). Leading Catholic thinkers talk. “The effort … is to key the complexity of man’s adventure in focus,” says the editor. It is usually tiresome to read of “experience,” but this collection is surprisingly free of such overworked jargon.
The Key to Triumphant Living, by Jack R. Taylor (Broadman, 160 pp., $3.95). The author says the filling of the Holy Spirit is the key (the power must “FLOW like a river”). The style is maple syrupy enthusiasm, the poetry is bad, the typography is a nightmare.
A Thinking Man and the Christ, by Robert K. Hudnut (Fortress, 120 pp., paperback, $2.50). Hits hard at the shallowness of nominal Christianity. The work, refreshing for its honesty and integrity, avoids the pitfalls of a book such as Honest to God.
Building Today’s Church, by Leslie Parrott (Beacon Hill, 1971, 228 pp., $3.95). Rehashes traditional advice on how to keep church structures well oiled and how to rejuvenate interest in church services without significantly changing them, and advises ministers how to handle pressure politics in the church.
