Caldwell Books

This book is a perfect way to introduce young girls to Wonder Woman! Wonder Woman is a terrific role model (she doesn't look like a Barbie doll in this book) and my girls LOVE the story. It is simple and just the right speed for this reading level. The pictures are well done and engaging. We love reading this book and my girls ask for it every night! It's also great for beginning readers because they want to read the story themselves.

This book is very cute. It is a light, easy-to-read story with a few B&W illustrations throughout. The story is fairly simple and has only a few words that may require explaining to little ones. There is no violence in the plot even though Wonder Woman carries a sword and shield. A must-have for Wonder Woman fans or anyone with hero-loving children!

Honestly? This is made for the kiddies, but it is far, far superior than anything DC has published since their godawful OYL began. This is Wonder Woman who is strong, confident, and true to her convictions.

Best of all, there isn't a Nemesis in sight.

For a fan of great science fiction art this is a great find. Featuring the likes of Chris Foss, Peter Elson, and others it has beautiful work in it. The framework of the book is a history of important and memorable wars and battles in the past of a great Galactic Empire. It's a conceit that works very well. Highly recomended.

This book was published first in 1835 but as 19th century novels go I found it fairly well-done, and holding my interest. There is a lot of melodrama, and the Indians are portrayed with some balance. There are some racist-like views, and a silly scene where Hector, a slave, begs his good master not to set him free. But the account is fast-moving and event follows rapidly on event. The scene is 1715 in South Carolina, and involves an Indian insurrection which actually happened, tho it is pretty hard to find much about it in history sources. Some of the speeches put in the mouths of characters in the extremely stressful situations in which they find themselves are not without humor to today's reader. It is said this is the best of Simms' novels, and knowing that makes me think some of his other novels might be fun to read--this one is.

This diet plan probably is an effective means to control existing heart disease and prevent further damage. Reversal may be possible, but sample size limited. Compliance is extremely difficult. Much more rigid intake than the average (or highly motivated) user will be able to adhere to.

I liked the book because the information was backed up by research and 20 years of patient data.

This book was very motivational. I want to share it with everyone that has heart disease and everyone I love. I have been on a vegan diet before and needed a motivation to restart a healthy diet and get my BP under control. This book got me back on track! I ordered 2, one for me and one to share. I probably should have ordered 3.

An excellent dietary program, basically non-meat and dairy products. A major feature of the book is an extensive collection of recipes prepared principally by the author's wife, that make the seemingly difficult program not just palatable, but delicious.

I had my first heart attack at 43. One stent was placed in my LAD. I had a second heart attack last year at 48, two more stents. I was very lucky, yet again. I thought I was being good on my nutriton and exercise plan. It was not enough. Dr Esselstyn helps to explain why in this book. He gets right to the point and tells you why you need to follow his plan if you have heart disease. Some of the reviewers complain that the book is half recipies. I don't understand this at all. You will need them to make the transition to this lifestyle.

Is this plan difficult to stick with? Yes, at first, then you start to feel normal again and full of life. You feel the best you have felt in years! Your weight normalizes and your cholesterol drops like a rock. You become heart attack proof and you believe it. It's a much better feeling than the bloat not to mention the guilt after a big steak. No contest! I never want to lay on that operating table again thinking about what my family will do without me. Trust me, it's a very bad feeling.
I have taken back control, and now, you can too. Follow this plan to the letter and it will work for you too.

I have chosen life.

Author Anthony Lukas is a very astute historian and a great writer, who puts the reader in touch with the situation and the issues of the period. With this approach to history, a reader can much better understand the dynamics of the time and relate them to current and other times.

Big Trouble is an enthralling study of the assassination of Frank Steunenberg and the amazing web of interrelated conflicts pitting the rich against the poor, the labor movement against the burgeoning private detective industry, the west against the east, etc. Unpredictable alliances emerge in a marvelous saga as the search for truth and justice is waylaid by a series of digressions. And, before long, we recognize, a la Holden Caulfield, that the digressions are just as essential and even more interesting than the ostensible story. Through it all, Lukas keeps a firm grasp on all of the myriad themes and storylines. The result is a book of some 750 pages and in fairness this book doesn't need to be quite so long; the segments on Ethel Barrymore and Walter Johnson add nothing to the book and should have been lopped. Yet this book should not have been much shorter and could not have been adequately told in less than six or seven hundred pages. Big Trouble is an outsized book about how an outsized time and place produced an extraordinary event. Its few defects, though obvious, are small blemishes on its far larger accomplishment.

Having survived 4 readings of this gargantuan treatise, I feel eminently qualified to tell you that this book is worth it. I have read many of the books in the bibliography and can tell you that Mr. Lukas did a fantastic job of synthesizing all of the material into one vision. Unfortunately, you have to do some of the work yourself as the story constantly goes down one rabbit trail after another--something that probably cost the author his life. Pulitzer Prize-winning author J. Anthony Lukas committed suicide just as this book was being published, leaving those of us who live in the area this all happened (and were awaiting special book signing events) in more shock and dismay than it did most. Whereas his earlier successes maintained a razor sharp focus on the task at hand, this one is a bit jumbled and more than one person has speculated that he felt that self-loathing feeling that older authors like Hemmingway just don't tolerate. However, I don't believe this was the author's fault so much as the complexity of the subject. It is from this century old murder in my adopted home town that the labor movement of not only the United States, but even the world, has been affected to this day. The cast of characters is nothing short of astounding, given the humble rural setting, from Drew Barrymore's ancestor Ethel Barrymore to Hall of Famer Walter Johnson to a young Clarence Darrow to the infamous Pinkerton "Molly McGuire" instigator James McParland. Unlike the local conservative-slanted "sanitized" versions, this book pulls no punches in either camp, from eventual Soviet hero William D. "Big Bill" Haywood's womanizing to the involvement of victim Frank Stunenberg in a timber scandal that would eventually be part of what kept Idaho's Frank Borah from becoming our state's first president. For any citizen of Caldwell, the first chapter is required reading, that not only gives us insight into how the corrupt founding of our city has led to the local rivalries of today, but also into simpler times when even a bank owner had to milk his own cows. The rest of the world should understand how this trial (and the illegal methods used to prosecute the defendants) parallels our troubles today. Give this book the time and dedication it deserves and you won't regret it. Also, you can try the drier Debaters and Dynamiters: The Story of the Haywood Trial or read up on Roughneck: The Life and Times of Big Bill Haywood or A Texas Cowboy: or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony (Penguin Classics) by Pinkerton cowboy Charlie Siringo, who has perhaps one of the most authentic voices of the "wild" west.

The book is centered around the murder of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg in 1905, but Lukas ripples out from this center so far that it begins to seem a minor detail. In formulating the book he began by researching the mining wars of the West around the turn of the 20th century (Boise, Cripple Creek) and the rise of the labor and concurrent Socialist movements in America.

But that wasn't enough. Lukas decided that in order to understand his central event fully, virtually the entire social, political, legal, and cultural fabric of the country at that time needed to be laid out. Thus the book becomes a very large and weighty tome in which, along with the main events of the Steunenberg murder and trial, the Pinkertons, newspaper reporting, Pullman cars, even the Elks and Odd Fellows all receive detailed coverage. Walter Johnson, the great Washington Senators pitcher, gets 14 pages for no other reason than he was playing minor league ball in Idaho at the time and the lawyers and reporters covering the trial of Steunenberg's alleged killers liked to go to the games. When such a minor thing receives such major focus it becomes difficult to distinguish it from the really major events, and it soon becomes just a catalog of events.

Lukas is an excellent writer and much of what he writes about is interesting, but the book almost becomes purposeless in its willingness to spread over such a large field. Here's where the skills of a good editor would have been handy. Unless, of course, Lukas refused such tampering of his work, and his reputation after winning the Pulitzer for his earlier COMMON GROUND (about the busing of school children in Boston in the 1970s) allowed him the privelege of final say. Who knows?

But the book is actually a handful of books rolled up into one, to the detriment of the one book (the whole is less than the sum of its parts). Although awesome in scope, it's finally disappointing because that scope was not harnessed in a useful way.

I'm a police officer with the City of Caldwell, Idaho. When we first moved to the city (approximately 35,000 now)we lived one block from the old Stubenburg residence.

From a purely personal view point I found the book to be fascinating. The details were necessary. The book gives you an in-depth look at a specific time in the country's history. The extensive backgrounds that he provided for the many characters were also essential. For not only do they help the reader to understand the involved people, but their pasts also help to explain why the nation was like it was in 1906.

In many respects the book is almost an anti-western. By 1906 the Western United States was no longer the frontier, but many still viewed it that way. However the so-called "modern" world was now a presence. All the many social issues that we are still dealing with were a very real concern for those people in 1906 as well.

I feel that Lukas did an excellent job showing this time and the many tensions that exsisted. And whether he meant to or not Lukas also showed that we aren't so far removed from our ancestors. They too were convinved that their time was the worst and that the world was going to hell in a handbasket.

This is the first book in a series of 3. It takes you on a journey inside amish country and follows a young amih girl and her longtome penpal from the "outside world" when they finally get to meet face to face. There is a mystery of a yopung boy who went missing and a budding romance I am on the second book of the series and don't want to give away too much but it is a really good book and I highly recommend it!!!

This is such a beautifully illustrated story. It was a pleasure just reading it because of the author's talented writing style. She creates depth and meaning not only to the character's personalities, but the landscape and lifestyle of the Amish. This particular book in the series is about Annie, a young Amish girl struggling to fit in with the demands of the Amish rules by giving up her passion for art (a forbidden activity). Her non-Amish pen-pal comes to visit Annie to escape the materialism and fast pace of her life and a bond of love and friendship unfolds.

I found it entertaining and thought-provoking. The slower pace and clear roles of Amish men and women and children provide a comfort and peace to the People. Yet it becomes obvious that great turmoil can be experienced even in the midst of the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle. The author also does a wonderful job of using the characters to illustrate the difference between religion and the peace and joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

This was a great book! You really feel like you get to know Annie and her friends. I couldn't put it down! I'm currently reading "The Englisher", which is the second book in the series, and I love that one too. If you are looking for good Christian fiction, be sure to read "The Preacher's Daughter".

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know Annie and her community. I know very little about the Amish so I was interested in seeing what their lives are like through the eyes of these characters. The first 1/3 of the book was a little slow for me but after that it picked up quite nicely.

The contrasts between Annie and Louisa (main characters) are as big as the Grand Canyon and, yet, as little as their pinky toe. One lives a "Plain" life, the other a "fancy" one. Despite this, both ladies have a strong determination within that transfers over to every decision they make for their lives. They are "sisters" in spirit. A sweet relationship to watch unfold.

There are many different characters in this story and some of them I wouldn't have expected to find among the Amish community. Like any story, some you love and some you hate. Throughout, I found myself cheering for Annie. She has so much promise and passion and, unfortunately, at the same time, opposition.

Annie Zook, the daughter of an Amish preacher has long maintained a forbidden secret - she loves to draw and to paint, art forms forbidden amongst her people. Louisa Stratford is the daughter of a successful Colorado lawyer, always having all the money she could possibly want, but knowing that there is something missing from her life. Pen pals since childhood, Annie and Louisa will come to rely on each other as they move forward into a future that they little expected.

This is another great book by Christian author Beverly Lewis. Let me first say what it is not - it is not a book of praise of the Amish life, nor is it an expose; it's not a simple story of faith overcoming all obstacles, and it's not a story of finding God and having all problems drop away. Instead, what this is is a realistic story of Annie, struggling to live her faith, and maintain the standards of her church, even when she does not fully agree with them. And it is the story of Louisa, who sees how complicated life can be, and is often surprising in her concrete grasp of what is important.

Overall, I found this to be a wonderfully interesting tale, making me care for the characters, and what happened to them. I think that this is a great story, one that is sure to please the discriminating reader. Is it the story of steadfast faith? No, not really, it's the story of real people trying to live their lives in a world more complicated than they had thought...just like the rest of us.

This book is absolutely fascinating. I was really captivated from the very beginning. It is not only a very interesting story, but also extremely well-written and overall a pleasure to read.

There is not much I can add to the existing five star reviews, I just feel compelled to add SOMETHING as this book is truly a gem and, I think, one of the best books I've read in my 56 years. Whether or not you have traveled to Shanghai (I have spent 3 months there during the past year, but my good friend who loved the book has never been there), you will feel a bit of magic has entered your world when you open these pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author painted a very vivid picture of not only the culture and architecture of the times, but of the people with an inward glance to their feelings and emotions. There was an intense accuracy to the horrors of war, without portraying more detail than was necessary to tell the story. It was helpful to see it through a childs eyes, which gave it a certain innocence. You felt protected as she did from some of the truths, which only revealed themselves to her later in life.
I recommend it for lovers of historical fiction, it is about a time in fairly current history, that not all of us fathomed or imagined, even though we lived in a parallel time.

Hard to believe it's not autobiographical. Eloquent in its ability to make you feel her experiences as if they were absolutely real. Heartbreaking yet ever hopeful. Couldn't put it down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I hated for it to end. the writing is so well done. The characters are human and interesting. An interesting and informative look at China of the past.

Any kind of Futuristic Dispensationalism fails to recognize the imminent promises to Israel and the time statements for the first century fulfillment.
I was an Dispensationalist until I realized that all the promises concerning the messiah were directed to Israel specific and His return was mandatory for their salvation. If Israel hasn't received her promises fulfilled, then noone has salvation at all. Salvation is to the Jew first. This is brought out in the Jewish/covenantal book of Revelation.

All promises to Israel were fulfilled by 70a.d.

The book of Revelation was a letter written to specific people at a specific time in History (first century churches - 7 Churches). It was not written TO US, but FOR US to understand God's historical -redemptive plan for Israel.

The Church is the New Jerusalem which came down out of heaven, with the destruction of Babylon (Old Jerusalem) in 70a.d. Israel(the mother of harlots) was the only nation that was in covenant with God (Revelation is a covenant book), she killed the prophets and those sent to her. This is why God destroyed her, but kept His promise to remain true to the Old Covenant faithful (Abe, Isaac, Jacob,....etc.)These faithful inherited the land (kingdom of heaven)along with those in the first century when Christ returned in 70a.d.

Read these Time Statements and then tell me that Jesus was gonna come back in 2000 years:
Rev. 1:1,2; (things which must shortly take place)
Rev.2:5 - "Keep holding fast til I come" (letter to specific people)
Rev. 3:10 - "Hour of testing which is about to come on the whole inhabited land"
Rev. 18:24 - "And in Her (Babylon/Jerusalem) was found the blood of the prophets and
saints." (compare w/ Matt.23:31-39 & Luke 11:47-51)
Rev.22:6,7,12,& 20
These time statements show imminence to the first-century church (specific churches in Asia) to whom the letter/book was written.

Also notice Rev.22:10. This was the same book/message that Daniel was told to seal up until the TIME OF THE END,(not end of time), when the power of the Holy people/ Israel would be completely shattered (Dan.12:7) in 70a.d. with the destruction of the Old Covenant system (the power of Israel to communicate and covenant with their God). Daniel was told that this would be far off / many days away. John was told "NOT" to seal it up, for the time of the end was "NEAR".
Dan.9:20-24 - 70 weeks determined for "YOUR" people & city (Israel & Jerusalem)
Dan.12:1- "Time of Trouble" - (Compare with Matt. 24:21(destruction of Jerusalem) & Mark 13:19

Dan.12:2 - Compare w/ John 5:25-29 - (vs.25 - "now is" = first-fruits harvest / then comes verse 29 - Harvest / General Resurrection promised to Israel specific.) The first-fruits signifies an immediate Harvest. 30a.d. - 70a.d. was the 40 year wilderness / transition period being brought out of Egypt (bondage to sin) into the Land of promise (Full relationship with God - Out of Sin-Death).

Dan.12:4,9,13 - "seal up to the end" when he would receive his inheritance, which was promised to his people Israel, the Kingdom of God.
In other words, New Covenant relationship, as Abraham had been looking for (heavenly country - saw it afar off but did not receive it (Heb.11:10, 13-16, 39-40) til 70a.d. when Old passed away and New was consummated (Old Heaven & Earth / New Heaven & Earth).
Specifically look at Heb.11:39-40. "They (Old Covenant Saints) should not be made perfect apart from "Us" ( firstfruit - first century / New Covenant saints). In other words, they would all be made perfect together. When would this happen??
Heb.10:36-37 - They were told to endure to the end, which was going to be in a "very, very little while" "for He who is in the process of coming, will not tarry". Isn't 2000 years tarrying?? Either the writer of Hebrews was lying, or he was giving encouragement to those who were going through persecution, waiting for the promise of Christ to return in "This Generation" (Matt.24:33-35) - 40 years / specific people.

I know that it seems that I went off on a tangent, but I'm trying to point out that the Old Covenant promises were to a specific people and that the New Covenant writers were seeing these promises being fulfilled in their generation.
The book of Revelation is a Covenantal book that is taken too literally by christians today.
It is a book that shows God's consummation of His full Historical-Redemptive plan for a specific people. This is why the book is loaded with Old Testament symbolism.

Also, if Rev. 21 & 22 point to the eternal state after the Old Heavens and Earth are destroyed, then why is there a need for the nations to have to have healing????( Rev.22:2).
This is a picture that the gospel still goes forth after the Old Covenant has been done away with. Those outside the eternal kingdom need healing to be brought into the presence of God ( where I presently reside as I write this e-mail). I don't ever have to worry about judgement or condemnation ever again. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free".

Pertaining to the Resurrection, read this:
1 Cor.15:25 says in the greek, "For He must PRESENTLY reign til all enemies are put under His feet; the last enemy PRESENTLY BEING destroyed is THE DEATH (specific death=spiritual death in Adam).
Christ was PRESENTLY reigning in the first century til His enemies (Israel=those who rejected Christ - read Matt.23:29-36) were put under His feet in 70a.d.
If physical death was PRESENTLY BEING destroyed, don't you think we would see some kind of evolutionary process going on with our bodies, being half physical and half spiritual???
Also, read verses 29-49 and see how often the PRESENT Tense is used in the Greek.
Vs.29 "what will they do who are being baptized for the dead if the dead are not presently rising??" (first century resurrection!!)
Vs. 32,"If the dead are not presently rising, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
Vs. 35, "But someone will say, How are the dead Being presently raised up? And with what body are they presently coming into? (first century resurrection).
Vs. 36, "Foolish one, what you are presently sowing is not made alive unless it dies (first century sowing).
Vs.37, "And what you are presently sowing, you are not presently sowing that body that shall be.....(first century sowing of the body - were they burying their bodies before they died???-think about it!!!)
Vs. 38 "But God is presently giving it a body (first century transformation = out of the body of Adam(old covenant,sin-death, into the new covenant body of Christ = righteousness, eternal life)
Vs. 42-44, "So also is the present resurrection of the dead. The body is presently being sown in corruption, it is presently being raised in incorruption. It is presently being sown in dishonor, it is presently being raised in glory. It is presently being sown in weakness, it is presently being raised in power. It is presently being sown a natural body(man in Adam = out of covenant), it is presently being raised a spiritual body (first century transformation period = taken out of Adam (dead to God) and being transformed into the image of Christ (alive to God). There is presently a natural body and there is presently a spiritual body (one was being sown, the other rising unto newness of life.).

All the land promises were fulfilled to the Jews in the first century A.D. They were spiritual land promises - being brought into the Kingdom of God - Into His presence. Remember, Abraham was looking for a spiritual country to rest in, not a literal country .

To read this book is a must for any christian interested in theology whether you finally agree with Ryrie or not. It is also an invaluable reference. John Conover

Ryrie's 'Dispensationalism' is the classic work in the field of present Dispensationalism. It is a must-read for all Christians because it truly is a help for all Christians. Ryrie lays his position out from the very beginning of the work: Dispensationalism is a help, not a heresy. He gives solid and clear expositions on the essentials of Dispensationalism (sine qua non). These are the foundations for a normative, traditional Dispensational view as the over-arching principle of scripture.

Problems with Dispensationalism normally arise out of misunderstandings of how its essential tenets fit together; misunderstandings are normally seen because one tenet is focused on without a thorough understanding of the rest. Dispensationalism is primarily a systematic understanding of scriptures as opposed to just premillennialism, 7 economies of history, law/grace, etc. It is much, much more than that.

Contrary to many reviews that see Ryrie as being 'defensive', I've read this work multiple times and never come away with that spirit. Ryrie always has an irenic tone, and writes with a passion for clarity and grace.

The work is very well organized and summarized and it is clear that this is the current standard for normative Dispensationalism, a Dispensationalism that still holds to separate purposes for the nation of Israel and the Church. You will not find a work for or against Dispensationalism that does not quote this work at length. It truly is the standard which all must wrestle with.
Ryrie states clearly how the Israel/Church distinction is the definitive feature of traditional Dispensationalism. Though this is a surface-level explanation, he goes into enough detail to explain how this is understood. In general, this book was not written to essentially persuade, but to explain and defend the scriptural understanding of the Dispensational `system'. Ryrie gives other views throughout, such the Covenant and Progressive Disp. views, yet clearly states how these positions (as the over-arching principle of scripture) do not fit with a normative Disp. theology. For that alone, he is to be highly recommended.

At the same time, there is so much that can be learned from this book. One does not have to be a Dispensationalist (in the traditional sense) to profit from this work. It is so important to know what you believe, but to also know what other orthodox evangelicals hold to as essentials in their faith. Our dialogue with each other only helps the body of Christ remain more unified and clear in our representations of one another. This book is a wonderful tool for just that and should be read by all Christians from every background.

If you want to understand Dispensationalism, especially Classical Dispensationalism, this is the book to buy. Dr. Ryrie has taught at Dallas Theological Seminary for nearly 50 years and is the source cited by current books on Dispensationalism for what is now know as Classical Dispensationalism, in comparison to Progressive Dispensationalism. All the books on Progressive Dispensationalism cite Ryrie.

Ryrie shows the historical background in ancient, medieval, and modern theological church history for this method of interpreting the Bible. Critics of Dispensationalism often trace Dispensationalism only to the 19th century British Isles. It goes back much further than that.

The three assumptions are the same he makes in other books for Dispensationalism: a consistent, as literal as possible hermeneutic; the application of that hermeneutic to the covenants of the Bible; and the clear distinction between Israel and the Church.

Even those who do not agree with Ryrie's theological method quote him with great respect. Every student of Biblical Eschatology needs this important book.

Dr. James W. Bryant
Senior Professor of Pastoral Theology
The Criswell College
Dallas, Texas

Thanks to C.C. Ryrie for setting the record straight on normative dispensationalism in his 2007 Revised and Expanded edition! His study is first, and above all, biblical, all the while remaining scholarly, lucid, and irenic. At the same time, he also sets forth the many problems that continue to plague all forms of covenant theology, and "progressive" & ultra dispensationalism. I admire the plea he gives at the end of the book, and his diplomacy in dealing with other believers--even when they use words like "unscriptural", "heresy", and "cult" when describing normative dispensationalism.

The strength of the normative dispensational position that Ryrie, and others like him, outline is that it relies on the Bible as its source, and in that, it "employs principles of literal, plain, normal, or historical-grammatical interpretation consistently." As such, we can heartily concur with the author when he shows us that, "Only dispensationalism can maintain unity and diversity at the same time and offer a consistent system of interpretation." And also, "Only dispensationalism with its cross-sectional and longitudinal/spiral perspectives can recognize the wealth, mobility, and complexity of the history of God's running the affairs of this world."

Requirements of Normative Dispensationalism
According to Ryrie, the "underlying purpose" of God in the world is the "glory of God" and he puts it this way, "To the normative dispensationalist, the soteriological, or saving, program of God is not the only program but one of the means God is using in the total program of glorifying Himself. Scripture is not man-centered as though salvation were the main theme [the covenant position], but it is God-centered because His glory is the center. The Bible itself clearly teaches that salvation, important and wonderful as it is, is not and end in itself but is rather a means to the end of glorifying God (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14)." Renald Showers makes the same point in his excellent work entitled There Really Is a Difference!: A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology.

John F. Walvoord is quoted also on this point, "All the events of the created world are designed to manifest the glory of God. The error of covenant theologians is that they combine all the many facets of divine purpose in the one objective of the fulfillment of the covenant of grace. From a logical standpoint, this is the reductive error--the use of one aspect of the whole as the determining element." It is noteworthy that this is also their error in the development the Calvinist TULIP as well.

Literal hermeneutics: 1) Philosophically, the purpose of language itself seems to require a literal interpretation. 2) All Old Testament prophesies concerning the first advent of Christ--His birth, His rearing, His ministry, His death, His resurrection--were all fulfilled literally. 3) [Logically], if one does not use the plain, normal, or literal method of interpretation, all objectivity is lost.

To summate Ryrie posits, "Literal interpretation results in accepting the text of Scripture at its face value. Based on the philosophy that God originated language for the purpose of communicating His message to man and that He intended man to understand that message, literal interpretation seeks to interpret that message plainly."

Dr. Ryrie sums up the crux of the matter well in the following statement, "The essence of dispensationalism, then, is the distinction between Israel and the church. This grows out of the dispensationalist's consistent employment of normal or plain or historical-grammatical interpretation, and it reflects an understanding of the basic purpose of God in all His dealing with mankind as that of glorifying Himself through salvation and other purposes as well."

In succeeding chapters, Dr. Ryrie also does a first-rate job in dealing with some perennial false accusations against dispensationalism in regards to; the Sermon on the Mount, two ways of salvation, the relationship of Mosaic Law to Grace (the charge of antinomianism), minimizing the Cross, and despiritualizing the kingdom. In fact, the author turns the tables on the anti-dispensational inquisitors and puts them on their own rack!

Progressive Covenantal Theology (PC)
In Dr. Ryrie's section on what has been commonly called "Progressive" dispensationalism, we see that this label is a misnomer and that their system is actually little more than Covenant Theology dressed up in sheep's clothing. This is what happens when theologians abandon a single and consistent normative hermeneutic for all of Scripture and start to grab a hold of allegory (in Clinton-speak they spin it as "complementary"). No doubt, this is exacerbated by the academic world's tendency to constantly push Profs to "publish", something or anything, in order to gain tenure or to make a name for themselves and distinguish themselves from the pack.

Even though Ryrie tends to call them "revisionists" in this work, I think we should use more accurate labels like "Neo-dispensational", or possibly "Progressive Premillennial", or still better "Progressive Covenantal". In any case, it is getting harder and harder to distinguish them from the Premill Covenant camp. Bock admits that their PC concept of the kingdom is essentially what George Ladd promotes in his Premill Covenant system.

Other problems: What of the Palestinian covenant? What is their view on the Rapture? Ryrie seems to think that with their complementary hermeneutic the rapture of the church is moving into the tribulation period. Another troubling sign in the PC view of holistic redemption is their heightened concentration on "social action". The social gospel issue is really gaining traction these days as seen in the revision process of the EFCA's statement of faith. The author also quotes one PC advocate, D.L. Turner, who has already advocated replacement theology.

Concerning what Ryrie calls their "major departure" is their view on the Davidic reign. Based on this "already/not yet" paradigm (oxymoron?) used by the PC people, Ryrie notes one ETS member who wrote a paper entitled, "Already Ladd--Not Yet Dispensationalism". In it he demonstrates the striking similarities of Ladd and Bock from quotes they have both made.

Ryrie goes on to list 4 non-dispensational critics as stating that PC has already changed, or at least is leading to Covenant Premillennialism. One of them, Vern Poythress, predicts that the PC position "is inherently unstable. I do not think that they will find it possible in the long run to create a safe haven theologically between classic dispensationalism and covenantal premillennialism. The forces that their own observations have set in motion will most likely lead to covenantal premillennialism after the pattern of George Ladd."

Dr. Ryrie rightly suggests that the PC people should take a hard look at themselves as even non-dispensationalists see them. Furthermore, I must agree with the conclusion that the "progressives/revisionists" have introduced "major changes" resulting in "a new and revised system", and are thus outside of normative dispensationalism. All that remains now is that they come out and publicly admit it. In any case, it will be interesting to see how schools like DTS handle this new movement.

"Historical" Premillennialism
What Dr. Ryrie more accurately calls Covenant Premillennial theology (Laddism), with its double hermeneutic, is shown to have a severely weakened view of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture. See also David Hesselgrave's Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today. To be frank, the "historic" premillennialism label, like "progressive", is another attempt to delude people into thinking their system is something it is not. Since Ryrie, and even Covenant theologians, show their system has many holes that are yet to be filled, their adoption of the "historic" label belies their dependence on supposed historical evidence as the main pillar for support of their system.
J. Ramsey Michaels, a non-dispensationalist, critiques CP as not having an integrated concept of the millennium. Renald Showers has also shown how the CP system still cannot find a way to populate their millennial kingdom. Maybe they are still working on it...

Covenant Replacement Theology (CT)
It is shown from numerous sources (not all dispensational), that covenant theology is guilty of an artificial system of typology, allegorizing Scripture, and reading back or forcing the New Testament into the Old Testament. Their allegorizing hermeneutic is used for approximately one third of the Bible! Other unresolved problems: How many covenants are there supposed to be anyway? Where are they stated in the Bible? Is it 2 or 3 these days? Did the church start with Adam, or Abraham? If not Adam, what "body" were those before Abraham part of?

In defending dispensationalism against the charge of "recency", or "newness", Ryrie shows us that as far as systemization goes, Johannes Cocceius' version of CT came out in 1648. On the other hand, Poiret's systemization of dispensationalism came shortly after in 1687. It is true that the seeds of CT were sown as far back as St. Augustine when he adopted allegorical interpretation, but that was a far cry from the CT that started gaining acceptance for the first time in the Westminster Confession of 1647 and one year before Cocceius published. History shows that premillennialism was the accepted view on eschatology by the church at least until St. Augustine. Even in the Reformers' time, CT was not developed, but Calvin called premillennialism (chiliasm) "fiction", "insult", and "intolerable blasphemy". Things haven't changed much... Anyway, as Dr. Ryrie has stated elsewhere, "Always, of course, the conclusive evidence of the truth of a doctrine is not historical but exegetical."

Under Ryrie's "Biblical Basis for Covenant Theology", we really see how the CT system is based entirely on a deductive and not an inductive method of study. Ever since St. Augustine started allegorizing Scripture and mentioned that the Roman Church is the fulfillment of prophecy, they have been trying to squeeze the Bible back into the covenant of works and grace. For more insights on the benefits of the inductive method, see C. Gordon Olson's Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism: An Inductive, Mediate Theology of Salvation.

In closing, I have one criticism about getting our "labels" straight. On page 214 Ryrie states, "Noncharismatic dispensationalists accept some of the points of Reformed theology, whereas charismatic dispensationalists would not." If by "Reformed" he really means "TULIP" then I would emphatically disagree. Many, if not the majority, of "Noncharismatic dispensationalists" do not accept any of the 5-points of Calvinism as defined by Calvinists in the TULIP. This does not make them Arminians either. For example, we must remember that in the TULIP Total Depravity means Total Inability and not just that all have sinned. In addition, Perseverance of the Saints is not be equated with the biblical doctrine of Eternal Security. Dr. Ryrie is a 4-point Biblicist based on his acceptance of Calvinistic Unconditional Election. In any case, I am glad to see in this more recent work of his an apparent movement away from using any form of the "Calvinist" label for himself. I hope more will follow his lead.

Dr. Ryrie's work in defending normative dispensationalism is one that the critics won't be able to ignore. We look forward to their reply. For the rest of us, the importance of this book is becoming increasingly clear as we see Biblicism coming under siege in many of our seminaries and denominations. We all need to be prepared for the adverse impact of these movements on believers. At the same time we need to continue to follow Dr. Ryrie's example and represent believers under Grace and not Law by setting forth Biblicism and "speaking the truth in love".

For more information on this subject, I also highly recommend Renald Showers' There Really Is a Difference!: A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology. In addition, Ryrie's section on "Things to Come" in his Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth, along with the wealth of material he acknowledges this book's "Select Bibliography".