Baker Books

I support the two current (June 14, 2008) reviews - GREAT BOOK! Her more recent book I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE GET THERE is a different kind of book but equally as good in its way.

There are several categories of books I seldom turn to. These include War Histories, Travel Books, and Romance Novels. Doris Baker's, "The Originals" is all three. So why did I read this book and why do I rate it so highly? A friend recommended it to me and said I wouldn't be dissapointed, and she was right. It fits the categories mentioned above, but it is a lot more. I learned so much about the period just before and during the Vietnam War, and about the behind the scenes work of the remarkable men of the Special Forces at that time. I traveled wide-eyed with the characters of the novel through much of Europe and Southeastern Asia, and I fell in love with Kate, the teacher in the American School in Bad Toelz, who is the glue of the story. So much for categories. The only category that really counts is that this is a fine book.

The ORIGINALS -- It tops my list!!!!!
I simply could not put the book down until I read it from cover to cover! If you remember the song, ýThe Ballad of the Green Beretý ý If your vocabulary includes ý10th Special Forces Group Airborneý ý If Bad Toelz is part of your past in any way, shape or form ý If you consider yourself to be one of the DoDDS old-timers ý If you ever heard ýCarmina Buranaý ý If Munich really is your center-of-the-earth ý If you enjoy literary fiction with a ýtoo realý twist ý ý this book is for you! Doris Baker's insight about the lives of the first soldiers of the elite 10th Special Forces Group Airborne (Green Berets) is too real for literary fiction. Does she know more than she is telling? Doris C. Baker was the principal of Bad Toelz American School which supported the dependents of Special Forces in Bad Toelz, Germany. Her extended personal and professional contact with the 10th Group provided the rich context for this incredible book. She has a smooth writing style that is peppered with the words that make Bad Toelz and the area the special place that it is. Her two main characters, Kate and Ivan, have a unique authenticity. This is a gem of a book!!!

I read and reread the book several times.

The book was easy reading, well written and very enjoyable to read.

Farley writes in a style that you can give to any member of your congregation for a direct challenge and it will not be over their head. I have given this book to so many people to read I have lost count. It stopped me dead in the tracks of cold orthodoxy and caused me to turn back to the cross. I would give six stars but not able to.

Ronald Reagan once said that he wasn't a great communicator, but that he communicated great ideas. I think Bill Farley would take this same stance. I found this book undeservedly dumped in a bargain bin - more to do with that particular bookstore's exorbitant prices than anything - and have raved about it ever since. "The Cross-Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney used to occupy prime real estate on my bookshelf, but now "Outrageous Mercy" is Number One. Let me explain why:
Like Mr. Farley, who only really came to appreciate the cross of Christ in his forties, it has only been in the last three years that the cross has become so dear to me. In Mr. Farley's words, "the Cross teaches us everything we need to know about life, death, God, humanity, eternity, and a host of other issues." I can testify to this, having been waylaid by prophecy, OT tabernacle, worship styles, Christian environmentalism and ecumenism, all in an attempt to find the heart of Christianity - and all the while I was overlooking the cross.
Bill Farley counsels us not to overlook the cross, but to take it to heart and make it the defining reality of our lives. His advice to church leaders is to make the cross central to your church; your perspective on everything else will flow from it. Forgive this pun, but Mr. Farley is anything but a dry writer; he is 'whet' - he will whet your appetite to delve deeper and deeper into the cross of our Savior.

This is easily the finest work to-date concerning panentheism, its philosophical roots (and amazing pedigree, though often missed), and its appropriation into numerous Christian theologies over the past hundred years. I have no doubt that Cooper's work will become a staple volume on the bookshelves of specialists in Theology Proper and that his efforts will be drawn upon for years to come. This is the best addition to my own theological library in a long time. Though Cooper is a theological classicalist (and Reformed), he is entirely fair and thorough with the many works and ideas of the panentheists. Panentheists themselves will find the notable architects and differing versions of the view fairly and thoroughly presented. Toward the end, Cooper offers some concluding, though relatively brief, thoughts concerning why he rejects the panentheistic construct. His diligent work and perspicacious style are to be highly commended. My only regret is that the work was not released while I was engaged in doctoral work concerning 'open theism' and its quasi panentheistic substrata!

John Cooper's Panentheism is an important study in the history of ideas. Cooper shows that panentheism has been surprisingly common both among secular and religious philosophers. Philosophers as diverse as Plato and William James and theologians as diverse as Jonathan Edwards and Teilhard de Chardin qualify, roughly speaking, as panentheists. I don't agree with all of Cooper's evaluations of the numerous thinkers he reviews, but this work fills a void in scholarship.

Critique rating: 5 stars ***

This book provides a comprehensive, historical survey of panentheism ("all-in-God-ism"). Panentheism is compared with pantheism. In addition, emanationism, dialectical theology, process theology, dipolar theism and trinitarianism are covered. Special attention is given to Teilhard DeChardin's Christocentric panentheism, Tillich's existentialist panentheism, Moltmann's perichoretic panentheism and Pannenberg's panentheistic force field theology. In the final chapter, Cooper explains why he believes classical theism is superior to panentheism.

I recommend this book to anyone who is wishing to gain an introduction to panentheism and how it actually differs from classical theism. I would definitely choose this one over Charles Hartshorne's "Philosophers Speak of God."

The concept of the book is quite simple: give the reader a fuller understanding of the details Jesus' passion and death. To this end, Kiehl introduces aspects of Jewish history and culture, the geography of Jerusalem, Jewish/Roman law and relations, and (most interesting to me) medical science. I had read this book at the beginning of Lent and it helped me to understand the Passion accounts read in church. Because of this book, Palm Sunday had more meaning for me; I understood the institution of the Lord's Supper in a new way; and I realize that there is medical explanations for Jesus sweating blood (even though the text is ambiguous he might have sweat huge drops of sweat like blood) and for both blood and water coming out of Jesus pierced side. This is an excellent book for Christians to read.

Serious scholar investigates the passion of Christ meticulously and writes this detailed, organized work on crucial theology.

His compilation beginning with the false Messianic expectations to the very end, are major benefit of compiling and sorting out from all the various inputs the kernel of truth that makes Good Friday and Easter Sunday so meaningful. The inclusion of the medical analysis of crucifixion is so useful.

Maybe Baker will reprint this.

Like the other reviewer, I am soory that this has been OOP for so long. It is a treasure house of useful exegesis with great attention to modern scholarship, archaeology and the physiology of crucifixion. His analysis of Jewish messianic expectations is needed as well, setting the stage for the narrative.

I would urge you to look for the works of Martin Hengel if you have any interest in the Passion, crucufixion, etc. He has one OOP book entitled "THe Cross of the Son of God" which is actually three of his former books in one. It is really the best book on the subject and I turn to it over and over again in my own research. All of his works are very detailed and defend a sound orthodoxy against the trends that seek to find "the real Jesus" a la the Jesus Seminar instead of the Tradition. ANother detailed and sound author is Skarsaune. His "In the Shadow of the TEmple" and "Incarnation- Myth or Fact?" are great books on messianisc studies, answering in the affirmative that the ealry church got it right about Jesus being the Christ and the implications for how we understand the nature of God as Trinity.

Not to be forgotten are the works of N. T. Wright. THey are all fantastic and worth the time.

Enjoy!

Finally, a carefully written study in concise and readable form which addresses the heart of the question with respect to the cessation of the special "sign" gifts of the New Testament. Professor Gaffin has represented those with whom he disagrees clearly and fairly, and has provided the Church community with a helpful and balanced resource. Regardless of the reader's position, one cannot help but come away from this short study without a deep appreciation for the sufficiency and unity of Scripture. As a study in the basics of the doctrine of revelation, it is a definite "must-read" for every earnest believer.

The New Testament church is supposed to provoke Israel to jealousy, says the Scripture. Do we? Does the way we use the gifts contribute to or detract from this biblical injunction? All such are God's gifts to us. 'Every gift is a manifestation of grace, and any manifestation of grace can be termed a gift.' pg 47

Is it that with such simplicity, yet biblical excellence, Gaffin disseminates the charismatic and Pentecostal flaw-filled teachings which evokes such negative response? Gaffin prepares a substantial portion of his book to interpreting what is to follow in the NT church thereafter, with regards to the gifts, thru the interpretive grid of Pentecost. Pentecost was not primarily or secondarily about the 'experiences' of the people there present.

'We do not wait for the Holy Spirit to come: He came on the day of Pentecost. He has never left the Church.' John Stott, Christianity Today, pg 21, 12 June 1981 issue.

John the Baptist prophesied of Pentecost, that the Lamb of God would 'baptize with the Spirit and with fire' - one referring to His earthly reign thru His atoning death, bringing spiritual blessing; the other referring to His eschatological rule, bringing judgment, which will follow with the Second Advent. Yes, partial fulfillment occurred at Pentecost, for there tongues of flame fell on those present, but:

'Its undeniable fulfillment at Pentecost is nonetheless component with the fiery baptism of final judgment set by the NT to be executed by Christ at His return.' pg 17

Describing the once-for-all tongues of flame 'either as indicating that the baptismal fire of destructive judgment has been exhausted in the case of the church and will not consume it, or as signifying the refining, purifying aspect of the Spirit's work in the church.' pg 18

Gaffin indicts charismatics and Pentecostals: 'Even less is it the model for postconversion, second-blessing experience of the Spirit to be sought by all believers in every generation. Therefore it (Pentecost) is no more capable of being repeated or serving as a model for Christian experience than are the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, with which it is so integrally conjoined as part of a single complex of events.' pg 23
The inauguration of the Spirit's saving presence in the life of the church, and then subsequently in the life of individuals as they turn to Christ, is a once-for-all thing.

'Emerging in our discussion then, is one of the most basic, controlling principles of both the christology and pneumatology of the NT, namely, the absolute coalescence, the total congruence in the church between the work of the exalted Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.' pg 19 Here we see the error of charismatic subjectivity come into clear view. The Holy Spirit is the exegesato (revealer) of the Son, and a true rendition of His work is only derived from a true understanding of correctly handling Scripture: its normative nature, or its narrative content. For to progress from monotheism to the Trinity, accompanied by the enscripturated Word, would require unique and godly superintendence specific to that transition.

Yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow. His work on the Cross (and not His Person) is objective, historical and history-making once-for-all. Certain giftings continue today, the Spirit is not quenched - but will we need healings in heaven, will there be a need for prophecy and will the interpretation of tongues qualify any to be an elder in the church, let alone heaven one day? 'The gifts of the Spirit, while particular expressions of this life, are provisional expressions. In this sense then, the variously distributed workings of the Spirit, of which the healings of Jesus and the apostles are an instance, are provisional and, in some instances, function as signs. Necessitated by, bound up with, and shaped by the conditions that make up 'the form of this world which is passing away'(1 Cor 7:31), they are themselves transient, the point of 1 Cor 13:8-10.' pgs 45, 46

Gaffin's initial setting-of-the-scene is the primary defense of cessationism, and the book's subsequent trajectory relates all the acts of the apostles in light of Pentecost - commonly referred to as the apostolic age or the foundational stage of the NT church. It relates to an inclusivity on a scale that only a discretionary God could foreknow and comprehend - an event inaugurating the final eschatological stage of redemption. 'The contemplation of this great plan must redound to the praise of the unsearchable wisdom and illimitable power of Him who devised and executes it.' Loraine Boettner, Predestination, pg 25

This study then draws a line in the sand as to WHEN the revelatory, sign gifts were in use and calls for a recognition of Bible authority today. Revelation is redemptive-historical - the authority of our lives, spoken once-for-all. Gaffin also gains credibility as he claims that the 'perfect' in 1 Cor 13:10 is not the canon closure, but the Second Coming of Christ.
Until then, the God-breathed record holds full sway.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the charismatic/cessationism debate, or anyone simply interested in the function of the gifts today.

In places, the book reads almost like a commentary because of its exegetical depth and objectivity. His purpose in writing is to show what the New Testament REALLY teaches about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. His subtitle says everything - he really does do an excellent job in this regard.

His reasoning is also very good. He went far beyond the "prooftexting" and hackneyed arguments that is all too common on both sides of the debate.

I strongly recommend this book.

This was a really good book. It shows the life Jillian lived from since she was a little girl and how God intervened in her life. Her book is really good. Must read it. I was really Teary eyed upon reading this book.

I thought the book was relly good and it kept me awake at night cause I was interested in the story she was telling. Books that talk about peoples lives who have been abused or been in foster homes interest me because I like to know that they have overcome their past!

In Please Somebody Love Me,you will read of the ultimate test of forgiveness. As a child Jillian suffered severe abuse,and neglect, which made her unsure when at eight she found that family who truly loved her, and wanted her,a family who she could call her own,and who loved her, they wanted her,but she wouldn't let herself get to close,because she was afraid of neglect, of rejection,and that fear led her down a dark path once gain. As she grew in to hher teenage and young adult years she made many poor deccissions, decissions that nearly made her take her own life, but her parents were there for her,and eventually she gave her life to the Lord,and after a while, she was able to give her life to the Lord, and forgive those who did those terrible things to her, because Jesus had died for her sins, she could forgive those wwhohurt her. This is a story I would definetly reccomend to anyone who suffered in anyway, because it is truly inspiring.

I have used this devotional for three years to get my "daily dose of Psalms." I recently purchased several copies to give to some special people in my life, and I know they will be as blessed by this great book as I have been. Everyone needs a copy of this book in his/her personal library.

I also recently purchased this devotional and was so THANKFUL that I did! It's practical and relevant for anyone wanting a more intimate walk with our Lord Jesus. I highly recommend it.

Warren Wiersbe has been one of my favorite teachers over the years. This daily walk through the Psalms is an excellent addition to your morning devotion time. I began this study last Fall because I couldn't wait until January. I find myself making notes in my Bible as I read his messages and remembering the teachings throughout the day. If you love the Psalms as I do, you will want to purchase this for a more intimate study.

This is one of the greatest collections of sermons ever brought together. The author G. Campbell Morgan was one of the great preachers of the early twentieth century. Introspective sermons ranging from "A profound question," to "Nehushtan" to "I have played to fool." This is a must for the Pastor or the Reverend. There are plenty of sermon ideas just waiting to be preached. This also doubles as a wonderful daily devoitonal series. With excellent binding and beautiful hard covers, this series is a classic that should not be overlooked in any minister's library. For the layman it's a pround collection of spiritually inspired sermons that will fill the soul for hours on end.

Morgan has the unmatched gift of expository preaching. There is so much knowledge and passion in the preaching of G. Campbel Morgan than can be covered in one simple comentary. I highly recomend this series to anyone seeking to add depth and insight to their minestry. Morgan is has the gift of opening the hidden secrtets of the word of God to the simple man. He is profound without being above understanding. If you don't buy a copy of this series you will regret it.

G. Campbell Morgan is one of the best expositors of God's Holy Word who has ever lived. The sermons in these volumes are refreshing to read and I have been able to grow in the Lord through them, though preached many years ago. Morgan's ministry still lives through his sermons.

Rosalie's best friend, a gentle Morgan named Major, is bound to be sold. Rosalie's father went to fight in the Civil War, and her mother is left with three children and a farm to care for. When she cannot pay off the morgage, she goes to plan B. "We have to sell Major." Rosalie can't believe her ears, and tries her hardest to think up a plan to keep her horse. The 10-year-old that she is, it seems impossible...when she strikes up an idea. Will her plan work and will Major be able to stay?

Rosalie is determined to keep her family's horse, Major, from being sold. But how else can Rosalie's mother pay the mortgage on the family's Vermont farm with Rosalie's father away fighting in the Civil War? But then Rosalie comes up with the perfect plan to keep Major and stil be able to pay the mortgage.

Since this was my favorite Treasured Horses book I'll give it a 10. Anyways this was about Rosalie Goodman, a daughter of Vermont farmer. But it's 1864 and her father took his horse Captain, with him to the Vermont Calvary to fight for the Yankees. Rosalies family, her sister Mathilde and her brother Albert, and her mother have to raise the farm themselves. Luckily they have a little help from Ed, the farmhand. But soon Mrs. Goodman doesn't have enough for the farm's mortgage. She lets Ed go and now it the plan is for the children to stay home from school and work on the farm. But that still doesn't bring in money. So Mrs. Goodman can only think of one other thing. Sell Rosalie's precious horse, Major. Rosalie must find a plan or a compromise to keep her horse, and what about her father? Will he ever come home? Will they be able to keep their farm? Read and FIND OUT!

Vangemeren accomplishes the gargantuan task of explaining God's plan of salvation or redemption in simple terms. Through his breakdown of the "progression" of the plan into smaller parts, the many charts and diagrams, and in "the tracing of the scarlet thread of Jesus Christ throughout the Bible," (obviously in the New Testament, and especially in the Old Testament,) the painting of the "big picture" is thorough. This book is awesome, on target, and recommended to all!

This title is a very finely written history of the work of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

"The Progress of Redemption" is clear and easy for the beginning student of Scripture to understand. Christ is the Messiah and is the fulfillment of Israel. This book is a modern "classic" on this topic.

Only Holwerda's "Jesus and Israel" can compare with this book.

I am in total agreement with the reviewer below...get this book, you will not be disappointed with the depth of study and scholarship.

I have read this book twice. This is a few statements about this great book; my apologies for being so fragmented (space is limited). God is in control from the beginning. Adam and Eve reject God's perfect plan. Any human would have sinned in the Garden. God's plan to redeem mankind is put into action. God has a purpose and makes promises, by way of the Covenants to Israel's patriarchs and kings. Israel rejects God's perfect plan. Any race, that would have been God's chosen people, would have done the same. God fulfills his promise of a "seed" through JESUS! Amen! Israel rejects CHRIST, as have all the nations of the world! The perfect plan of God continues; if you read Revelation, you know what happens in the end. The bottom line is: God still wants to redeem the unbeliever, in this lost world, through Jesus Christ, only! It is our job, the believer, to reach the lost by spreading the gospel (good news) of Christ, until his return.