New & Notable Books

The following books have been chosen from publishers’ lists of recent releases or those forthcoming in the next two months. Content descriptions are condensed from those supplied by publishers.

Abingdon Press

P. E. Quinn, Cry Out! Inside the Terrifying World of an Abused Child (April).

An account of one child’s abuse as told from the child’s point of view.

Robert D. Dale, Surviving Difficult Church Members (May).

How the pastor should deal with six common types of members: the traditionalist, the hostile, the apathetic, the lonely, the clique, and the noncommunicating crazymaker. Fourth in the Creative Leadership Series.

Ballantine Books (Epiphany)

Edith Schaeffer, Lifelines (January).

For those troubled by the emptiness and confusion of today’s world. Tells how to apply the Ten Commandments to living in the 1980s.

Madeleine L’Engle, A Winter’s Love (February).

A novel about an American couple who experience their first marital crisis while spending their Christmas holiday at a small French Alpine resort.

Bethany House Publishers

Andrew Murray, The Believer’s Secret of a Perfect Heart (January), The Believer’s New Life (March), and The Believer’s Secret of Holiness (April).

Three additions to the Andrew Murray Christian Maturity Library. Nine other Andrew Murray titles available. Andrew Murray was a Dutch Reformed leader who lived from 1828–1917, standing against liberalism in his church, traveling and speaking, as well as writing, for the spiritual guidance of converts.

William L. Coleman, Today’s Handbook of Bible Times & Customs (May).

A look at Bible times, incorporating recent archaeological findings. Avoids overly technical historical analysis.

Concordia

William Hulme and Dale Hulme, Who Am I Lord … and Why Am I Here? (July).

Offers Christian teens the promise of a fresh start. Topics such as drugs, peer pressure, sex, parents, guilt, and suicide are presented through real-life situations, frank discussion, and current language.

Wm. B. Eerdmans

Robert K. Johnston, The Christian at Play (Spring).

Examines the problem that play poses for the contemporary person and discusses play in relation to leisure time, to humankind’s moral responsibilities, and to today’s competitive, sports-oriented society.

Richard John Neuhaus, The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (June).

Explores the strengths and weaknesses of various sectors of American religion in pursuing the task of critical legitimation. Argues that America is now engaged in a historic moment of testing. George Marsden, Evangelicalism and Modern America (June).

A collection of essays by leading evangelicals and scholars, this book discusses the recent reemergence of evangelicalism as a strong force in American life.

Dean C. Curry, Evangelicals and the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter (April).

On May 3, 1983, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a pastoral letter on war and peace entitled “The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response.” The letter signals a fundamental change on the part of Catholic leaders, strongly favoring a bilateral halt to “the testing, production, and deployment of new nuclear weapons systems.” This book is a significant step by a group of well-qualified evangelicals to weigh into the debate.

Peter J. Schakel, Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis (April).

Explores the tension between reason and imagination that significantly shaped Lewis’s thinking and writing. Especially examines Till We Have Faces.

William C. Ringenberg, The Christian College: A History of Protestant Higher Education in America (July).

Organized chronologically; begins with seventeenth-century Harvard and follows the development of American higher education to the present.

Franciscan Herald Press

Germain Grisez, The Way of the Lord Jesus: Christian Moral Principles (Spring).

This is the first of a four-volume series that treats the fundamental principles of moral theology. Vatican II called for a new look at moral theology with a view to updating what has to be updated. This is a response. The book is unequivocally based upon Catholic faith and teaching.

Harper & Row

Walter Wangerin, Jr., Ragman and Other Cries of Faith (May).

Interweaves fiction, poetic narrative, autobiographical experiences, drama, and legend.

Donald W. Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage (July).

This historical investigation tells the story of the lives and works of major nineteenth-century evangelical Christian Reformers and shows their relevance today.

Edward Yoxen, The Gene Business: Who Should Control Biotechnology? (May).

A highly controversial, passionately argued, and factually scrupulous book about the big business of genetic engineering.

Intervarsity Press

Calvin Miller, Table of Inwardness (July).

In the inward life of the believer, God and man meet and commune together. Miller discusses this aspect of our spiritual lives.

Robert G. Clouse, Wealth and Poverty: Four Christian Views of Economics (May).

Brings together four Christians who interact on the question: How should believers respond to the poor?

Judson Press

Donald E. Messer, Christian Ethics and Political Action (January).

Challenges the church to help revitalize the elective process. Citing the need to balance reason with reality, Messer urges the church to focus on important human issues and encourage qualified persons to become active in politics.

Moody Press

Howard F. Vos, An Introduction to Church History (May).

Highlights the significant events, movements, and characters of the history of the church.

Multnomah Press

Vernon Grounds, Radical Commitment (July).

Points to basic principles crucial to consistent growth and challenges us toward change.

Jerry S. Herbert, editor, America: Christian or Secular? (July).

Compiles the views of several spokesmen who give us a balanced overview of our nation’s heritage and help us determine how we should participate biblically in America’s present public arena.

Navpress

J. Oswald Sanders, Paul the Leader (Spring).

A thorough examination of the dynamics of leadership in the life and teachings of the apostle Paul.

Thomas Nelson

W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White, Jr., An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (April).

Two reference works are combined into one: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament.

Ronald Reagan, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation (April).

President Reagan examines the philosophy underlying the proabortion arguments and brings to light a “quality of life” ethic in opposition to a “sanctity of life” ethic.

Thomas Howard, Evangelical Is Not Enough (May).

Howard takes the reader through his painful transition to his rediscovery of the church, its worship and sacrament, and the communion of saints.

Prentice-Hall

Dandi Daley Knorr, A Spiritual Handbook for Women (May).

Offers short, biblically based pieces of advice for building stronger relationships with Christ, husbands, and children.

Servant Publications

Peter Toon, Protestants and Catholics (March).

A guide for all who want to understand where Protestants and Catholics disagree and where they stand together. Suggests that if there were a genuine cry from the parishes and congregations for a greater understanding and fellowship, the theologians’ work would be easier and more relevant.

Tyndale

G. Douglas Young, Young’s Bible Dictionary (March).

Contributions from a wide range of Bible scholars and archaeologists; reveals the latest research in Israel.

James Montgomery Boice, Standing on the Rock: The Importance of Biblical Inerrancy (July).

A six-week elective course helps develop a basic knowledge of the present controversy, as well as a strong foundation of biblical truth.

Victor Books

Jay Kesler and Ronald A. Beers, Parents and Teenagers (July).

A complete reference work from Youth for Christ with practical advice from more than 40 respected Christian leaders. To help parents guide their teenagers.

Joyce Landorf, For These Fragile Times (July).

From her own hurts and heartaches, the author shares secrets to help you stay whole, or rediscover spiritual joy and fulfillment.

Word Books

J. I. Packer and Thomas Howard, Christianity: The True Humanism (May).

The authors make the claim that historic Christianity promotes true human concerns more powerfully than any other system.

Bob Slosser, Reagan Inside Out (February).

The author, a Christian and newsman for more than a quarter century, probes Reagan and his faith. His answers are based on personal interviews.

Zondervan

Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, In His Image (March).

Blends scientific information with spiritual insight to produce a book that is both devotional and informative.

C. Stephen Evans, Existentialism: The Philosophy of Despair and the Quest for Hope (July).

Discusses Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism, and surveys existentialism in the twentieth century. Presents Christianity as a striking response to the despair of morality and meaning.

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.