Bethany College Books

Before I read this book, I was beginning to process the idea of community and the radical implications it has for the church and this book succintly puts it together.
Radical is kind of a funny 80's word, but I think it most accurately describes what the author is proposing God wants for His people. it has nothing to do with gender, everything to do with giftedness and can be uncomfortable when faced with some feedback on yourself. How amazingly different from the world which clamours to one up each other, and hold power over others. how much Jesus and Paul turned the worlds thinking on its head. how much like God to do so!

I enjoy this book from first page to last. Author is sharing his insightful analysis on the community: to seek the authentic meaning of "community" to this generation when importance of community is vanishing!!!

Highly recommended!!! I think it is a 'must-read' for all!

Dr. B writes with power and deep insights about the church, leadership, gender relationships and our responsibility as Christians to each other and the kingdom's work. Reading this book with honesty and openness permits the reader to be challenged and changed in their life and worldview. It is a must read for those serious about their call to Christian service.

The book is well written if one agrees with his line of reasoning. Unfortunately, his insisting on the word "head" (as in husband being head of the marriage) as having no connotations of authority is simply wrong as far as my understanding of greek can tell.
Also, his description of the trinity, in which no one member submits to the other (he consistantly uses the word "subordination", a tactic of feminist writers but not typically evangelical writers) strikes me as being very unorthodox. There are some scriptures he did not deal with that he would have to in order to convince a wider, Biblically literate audience of his trinitarian views.

This book was written in 1997 and would still have to be the best book written on church community. A Biblically functioning community is not stagnant, boring, restrictive or judgemental. Read this book and catch a glimpse of community life that no sane person would ever want to live without. In fact dont just read it - be challenged to not only transform your own way of 'doing' church but transforming the lives of others with the richness found in developing a Biblically functioning community. You will not be disappointed.

Excellant! Both in content and editorial applications. Here is an example of a fine book to purchase from Kindle. I have the printed copy and this Kindle copy is an exact reproduction. Bruce knows his subject well, and truly does explain Church in simple, yet understandable terms. Thanks for a job well done.
Thomas H. Snyder

To anyone interested in Church history, this book is a very quick, easy to understand read. It's also a great primer or refresher on Western Civilization as the Church and the West are traced together by the author through the history.

For non-Christians reading this book, I'm afraid it was a bit lacking for internal citations, but did reference other more scholarly texts at the end of each chapter. The author did a good job of treating each controversy within the church as it arose in an even-mannered way, but in general the book seems to be written from a present-day Evangelical Christian perspective looking back.

I like history in small doses. I believe its an important subject but its difficult to package historical events. If one keeps listing facts, a book can get bogged down in boring detail. If one just looks at individual people's stories, I have to ask if your representing the necessary stories that show how events happened. Are you forgetting too much?

Shelley does a nice job of giving us surveys in this book which covers 2000 years. Like a bird in flight, we see Christian church history from way over head. Then, at times, Shelley swoops down to take a closer look at the grass and soil before soaring up the next historical event. To make the book very readable, this technique does work.

Shelley does a nice job of covering certain people very well. He also does a nice job of explaining how intellectual thought is developed in different periods of time. However, certain events do get left out like the Salem witch trials and some events don't get as much attention as you might want. I wanted to know more of how French intellectuals responded to Blaise Pascal. Still, this is a good solid history book.

Its funny after reading it. I was left with a strange sense of hope and disappointment. The church has certainly had its share of messing up and hurting itself. (I am wise enough to know you don't measure worldviews by their abuses. Every worldview has their deep chest of skeletons.) It was saddening to see how much damage the church has done. But, out of every generation, from some unexpected place, the church would be altered by some amazing soul who could bring something promising back to a life of faith.

This book can't be everything to everyone, also, it lacks much history on the Orthodox Church, but I do think its a fair representation of the chuch history it covers.

Excellent introductory source to the world of Christian history. Shelley writes in a historically accurate, approachable way without becoming too bogged down in the more minute details of Church History. Definitely not exhaustive in scope, but it is written in order to show the reader the importance of the history of the church regarding spirituality, culture, and world history in general. Great flow from chapter to chapter, and an easy read for the beginning student.

Among the first things that should be noted in writing about Church History is Shelley's purpose in this work. Shelley states clearly that this book is an "introduction" to church history and is designed for the everyday Christian; layman and congregant alike. If we were to evaluate this book with the same rubric as collegiate books on the topic, we'd find this book severely lacking. But if we grade this book according to its own claims, we'll find a rich source of encouragement to further understand the earlier branches of our faith.

In the interest of readability, no references are found anywhere throughout the text, however recommendations for more scholarly reading can be found at the end of each chapter. For me, this helped keep the reading liquid. It helped me to engage the history as a story that I was interested in hearing and on some level felt a part of, as opposed to something dry and sterile.

I began reading Church History before I had become more confident and consistent with my extra-biblical reading, so coming at about 550 pages this endeavor was an ambitious one for me. However, besides being a novice at reading anything this scale, the writing made it easy to glide through while still understanding the text.

In Church History Shelley takes us though 2000 years of church operation, starting right after the ascension of Christ all the way through to 1996. Church history can become a sticky subject, with heresy after heresy, then division after division. Things can quickly become confusion. Any writer planning to take on 2000 years ecclesial webs is either going to have a very, very long book when their done, or is going to need excellent organizational skills to scale so vast a wall. In this instance, Shelley just so happens to be a well organized writer. In the text, after the first four centuries of history things began to get a little bit confusing. Simple the sheer madness of political and religious shifts could send anyone's head spinning. But Shelley does a better job than many at keeping things straight.

The practical organization of the text is such that it helps a reader forget the size the literature he's taking in. The book is broken down into "ages" (i.e., The Age of Jesus and the Apostles, The Age of Ideologies, etc.), each one coming in at around 50 - 75 pages. Each age is broken into much smaller, more digestible chapters of around 8 pages. In the interest of clarity, not all chapters are strung together in perfect chronological order.

Throughout history, there have been many disagreements in the church. The most notable probably being during the time of the reformation. In that context, it is easy for folks to fall to one side of theological lines or the other. In this instance, most of Shelley's words read unbiased, simply retelling the history, with little of his own commentary.

Here's the skinny on this book: you're not going to finish this book and be a church history genius (well, maybe you will, I don't know). But what likely will happen is when you put this book down you will most likely have a more cohesive snapshot of church's history. It will probably help you to understand how we got from the time of the Apostles and the church in Acts, to today. For me, it helped to challenge my ideals as far as church organization and methods are concerned. Seeing, quickly, how things were spread out helped me not to see myself as being the first to try and figure this stuff out, but in a way, knit me together with the people who have gone before me.

This book was encouraging, and enriching. I recommend it to anyone desiring to enrich their faith and more specifically, anyone interested in the subject.

There are two primary sytematic theologies used by conservative Evangelicals today. One is written by Wayne Grudem and the other by Millard Erickson. In my opinion, Erickson is quite superior.

Erickson is much more thorough in his treament of the philosophical landscape, both in presenting crucial background information and in his use of philosophical materials in crafting his theology. Therfore he offers a more subtle and critical evaluation of certain theological problems than Wayne Grudem does. Grudem, on the other hand, many times ignores difficulties and is satisfied simply to quote biblical proof texts to support his positions.

An example of the difference in their approach is their presentation of the doctrine of the inerrancy of scripture. Erickson deals head on with tough examples from critics of inerrancy that might undermine his view of this doctrine. After fully considering opposing arguments, he offers 5 or 6 nuanced versions of inerrancy that could be acceptable to an Evangelical. Grudem, however, flatly denies that he is aware of even one contradiction in scripture. Thus he expends no ink in offering solutions to difficult biblical problems. This is somewhat typical.

If you are interested in a good summary of conservative Christian theology based almost soley on biblical exegesis, then Grudem may be for you. But if you want a systematic theology that truly wrestles with serious objections to Evangelical doctrines by using not only excellent exegesis but also philosophical tools in a highly competent manner, then buy Erickson.

A pretty good book for someone that has exposure and experience with systematic theology. Erickson does a good job of presenting the antagonist to the biblical viewpoint, but unless you are a student of theology, many of the names and arguments will get you lost . I also found that I needed to keep a dictionary at hand. This man is very educated and the book is not for the faint of heart, but you will learn some good things if you stay with it, speaking as a layman.

My book was received timely in excellent condition. Iam satisfied with it.

I am using it for a class. This book is a little more difficult to read, and I find it's not always distinct on the different views of topics. It does cover the main topics and share more than one view on it.

This is the third systematic theology book that I have learned from in my philosophy of religion and ethics studies at the masters level. Erickson's ideas are fresh and thoughtful, while staying true to divine inspiration and the inerrancy of the Bible. This is simply an outstanding work that deserves to be in any library that has space reserved for deep theological thought provided in a pragmatic, contemporary, and approachable manner.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3C6Q9D3NOCS94 Excellent textbook encouraged of all Christians to buy.

Having ordered this book as "new condition" I was disappointed when it was delivered and all the corners were slightly bent. I don't mind that it was only slightly damaged. I do mind however that it was advertised as "new."

Charles Swindoll is a tremendous author. He makes this series come to life. Queen Esther was an intelligent woman who did daring and great things for her people, the Jews. One lives the story with her and can realize what one person can do if they are willing to stand up for what is right regardless of the cost and let God use them.

David: Great Lives Series is another book of the same caliber. Excellent books and fascinating reading.

Excellent book. Charles Swindoll writes in a way that is easy to read and keeps your attention. I recommend this book to both men and women.

Just what I was looking for was found in this book for our Bible study

Chuck Swindoll takes what is seemingly a fairytale story and opens one's heart and mind to see how God is in control of all. What valuable life lessons he teaches us through this inspiring Bible book. I highly recommend using this book as a study reference along with your Bible. I appreciated the way he brought the story to life and made it's messages relate to my life as it is today.

This book was mostly a disappointment to me. Mandie was like a distant shadow, you never really got to know what she was thinking or feeling half the time.

Celia still lets Mandie have the say in everything (like where they will be during the summer vacation for instance) and doesn't seem to be having any relationships away from her. Celia should have been dating someone.

I'm afraid I was slightly disappointed with this first look at a more grown-up Mandie. The mystery itself was lacking, and I never got the feeling that the mystery was really "solved". It seemed like the actual mystery was just blown off.
I really missed the heart-to-heart moments we usually see in most Mandie books. We never really get to know how Mandie really feels about her mother being pregnant again and the prospect of a new brother or sister. In earlier books Mandie was very jealous about her new baby brother but eventually overcame that. Did she ever feel that way in this book? Was she scared she might be replaced in her uncle's eyes by his own child? How was she feeling and how did she cope with it? Those questions are never answered as far as I can tell.
This book is a disappointing successer to the enjoyable first Mandie series.

Gee. Everyone is forgetting about Tommy! I want Mandie to marry Tommy! I'm rooting for him. Although I know most are probably rooting for Joe. It'll be WAY too predictable if she marries Joe.

It's nice to see her finally grow up a little. I couldn't put it down. I've read Mandie books since I was seven, and I can't wait to pass them down to my children.

I started reading the Mandie series when I was in the sixth grade and I'm now finishing up my last year of law school. And I have to say, I actually felt more connected with Mandie in this book than I've ever felt before. Lois Gladys Leppard does a good job of bringing out the class consciousness in the Deep South and she shows how difficult it can be to fit in new places. I was suprised that the mystery never seemed solved at the end of the book, but I still felt delighted with the novel when I finished. I have long said that the book publishers have not tapped into the market of young women who grew up reading the mystery series such as Mandie and Nancy Drew and thus are not usually into romance novels. I'm glad to see this book as I think it is heading in the right direction. I've been wanting a series that I could be enthralled by that wasn't romancish or off color or too chick lit like and I think this is just the thing. I hope Lois Gladys Leppard will write more installments and that it doesn't fade out like her Lilly series did.

This is an excellent book about college and staying in your Christian faith there. I very highly recommend it.

University of Destruction: Your Game Plan for Spiritual Victory on Campus

Here is a must-read for the college-bound. Advice from one who has lived
though it and survived!

Over the past ten years pastors in fundamentalist congregations have become increasingly alarmed over the dwindling attendance and participation in church activities by people age 18 - 30. Many of these people were `raised in the church', which is a term used by fundamentalists to indicate that they participated from a very young age in church-sponsored groups for religious instruction and socializing as children, pre-teens, and teenagers. Such young people were exposed to the church on a regular, continuous basis, not just at Sunday services, but at weeknight Bible Study, choral or music group practices, various retreats and `fellowship' sessions, as well as church-sponsored outings and sports activities.

It is thus with considerable consternation that pastors and parents find that when these young people go off to college (in other words, secular colleges and universities), they soon stop attending church. They also pick up what are considered immoral habits, such as consuming alcohol, engaging in premarital sex, listening to rock n' roll music, and jettisoning fundamentalist doctrine in favor of secular humanism. A proportion of these young adults eventually return to fundamentalist congregations when they reach their late 20s and early 30s and get married and have kids. But sufficient numbers fail to reconnect with the church culture they grew up with, so as to present a major dilemma for evangelical pastors and ministers.

The `college crisis' has generated a number of books from various ministers and advisors seeking to address the damage, and `University of Destruction' is one such entry. As far as author David Wheaton is concerned, one way to forestall this crisis is to urge young adults intent on attending a secular college to maintain their fundamentalist ideology. 'Destruction' is essentially a book-length sermon delivered with this goal ever in mind. Wheaton urges fundamentalist youth to avoid engaging in those actions that would compromise their religious upbringing, and to remain ever-vigilant against sliding into immorality.

The main problem I have with Wheaton's philosophy is that it envisions college as a Smorgasbord of Temptation, and a vehicle expertly suited for the downfall of Bible-Believing Youth.

But is this really true ?

Don't get me wrong; with so many incoming college students either already infected with genital warts and genital herpes, or destined to acquire these diseases during their college years, prudence in sexual matters is good advice. And as for alcohol, yes, too many students binge-drink and wind up with their stomachs pumped, or worse yet, suffering permanent or fatal injuries in booze-triggered accidents.

However, college is no more nor no less likely a place to go astray than any other location or habitat. Just ask "Pastor Ted" Haggard, formerly leader of the evangelical New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2006 it was revealed by Mike Jones, a gay hustler, that Haggard had been having a sexual relationship with him, and later engaging in methamphetamine abuse, over a three-year period. Pastor Ted initially denied the accusations (James Dobson staunchly defended him), but eventually confessed, resigned from New Life Church, and underwent a Christian counseling-based `restoration' procedure. Ted is now a dedicated heterosexual, according to Tim Ralph, one of the restoration process coordinators.

I'm sure if Pastor Ted had been attending a meeting of the Campus Socialists Club every now and then, he may have been able to avoid an inappropriate rendezvous with Mike Jones.

And how about Baptist pastor Coy Privette ? In 2007 he resigned from North Carolina's Christian Action League after it was revealed he had been charged on six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution.

Maybe if Coy had been at the Homecoming dance - even if it meant exposure to rock n' roll - he would not have had idle time for mischief.

And what about W. David Hager, MD, author of several books addressing health and spirituality issues for Christian women ? When serving on an FDA advisory panel in 2003, Hager acted to restrict approval of birth control, reflecting his belief in fundamentalist doctrine. But then, in a 2005 article in `The Nation', his ex-wife revealed that throughout their marriage, Hager had insisted in practicing - without her consent - a form of birth control that many women find physically painful and repugnant.

Perhaps if Dave had going to the campus pub a few nights a week for a few cold ones, his ardor for improper marital relations would have been sublimated.

And finally, let's not forget South Tulsa Baptist Church senior pastor and Southern Baptist Convention executive committee member Lonnie Latham. In 2006 he was arrested for propositioning a male undercover police officer, while cruising in an area with a reputation for fostering gay sex hookups. Lonnie eventually was acquitted of the charge, but it was revealed that he had been a visitor to the `cruising' area at least one time prior to his arrest.

I have to wonder, if Lonnie had been in Biology class- even one that taught Evolution - he would not have had the time to go visiting certain questionable neighborhoods of Tulsa.

So I would argue to David Wheaton that being a reliable congregant at a fundamentalist church is just as likely to lead to the pursuit of Bad Behavior as going off to college. Let Ted, Coy, Dave, and Lonnie serve as reminders of what Christian Youth are NOT to do. You don't need to be at a 'University of Destruction' to understand this fact.

This book contains advice for believing Christian students who want to survive a secular college education with faith intact. It covers the concerns of many parents as well, including drugs, drinking, sex, depression, and loss of purpose in life, to name a few. One section I found of interest was the review of the work of Railsback when he was a PhD student at UCLA. Railsback found that about half of those students who said they were conservative Christians as freshman lost their faith as seniors. His exact words were "as many as 50 percent of Christians students say they have lost their faith after four years in college" (book cover) He also found that this was true of not only secular colleges, but of nominal Christian colleges as well. It was less true only of historical black colleges and conservative Christian colleges. In my experience, according to the feedback of my colleagues, a major goal of many professors is to break the religious faith of those Christian students who try to live their religion and act on it in their daily life. The author, who went to Stanford, relates his experience at a top university. If parents knew what actually takes place at college they would not be so willing to fork out 100,000 dollars or more for a four year "education."

Mr Wheaton seems to understand a very fundamental problem that we all share. We are, regardless of whether we believe it or not, all influenced by what we are exposed to. Advertisers understand that very well. No one forces kids to eat the junk that advertisers are pushing. No one forces a kid to start smoking just because all of his friends do. And as another reviewer pointed out, no one forces college students to engage in harmful activities. But the fact is - they do it anyway. Even the best of kids (and adults for that matter) are influenced by their peers. So do we not warn them of the pressures and temptations that they will face because we know that no one will force them into anything? Of course not. If they are at least warned about what they are getting into, they have a much better chance of "keeping the faith". A truth that christians have accepted is that we all need help to stay on track. We know we are all weak with out the help of the Lord. Mr. Wheaton is offering very practical help for those who honest enough with themselves to acknowledge they need help. Most students don't realize they need help so they are not open to it when it is made available. "For those who have ears, let them hear."

This is a good reference book for missionaries who are going overseas. It helps you understand different cultures around the world. It is a good read for those who do not understand other cultures and want to get a good grasp on why people do what they do. It introduces you to various ways of life many of which I had never heard before. This book is academic, not light reading.

"Anthropological Insights for Missionaries" should be required reading for anyone involved in short or long term missions. While well researched, this book also comes from an insider. Mr. Hiebert's years of mission experience shine through in the practical applications. As you read answer questions like, "What are my cultural assumptions?" or "Where does the culture not meet the people's needs?" This would make a great supplemental textbook for any missionology class.

Christian missionaries often are required to go through extensive theological training so that they know their doctrine and how to apply it. They also go through various psychological and personality tests so that they might gain a better understanding of themselves (e.g. strengths, how they react to stress). But they rarely receive adequate training on how to adapt to, live in, and thrive in a foreign culture in such a way as to gain a hearing for the Gospel. This book, by missionary, anthropologist, and professor at Biola University (La Mirada, California) seeks to apply anthropological insights to the work of foreign mission work in order to make the missionary more healthy (spiritual, mental) and effective in his work.

"Anthropological Insights for Missionaries" begins by presenting a base of information. Anthropology is described and various terms are defined and interrelated Overarching theories of intercultural interaction are presented and Hiebert describes his basic anthropological and theological assumptions. One of the most important arguments for the purposes of the book is Hiebert's contention that the Gospel is compatible with any culture as each culture is able to understand and apply the Gospel in a unique, Holy Spirit-led way.

The second part places the focus on the missionary himself. It is certainly a stressful task for the missionary to pack up everything and move to a remote, unfamiliar land. Issues of culture shock and ethnocentrism are examined as well as cultural assumptions. Hiebert provides paradigms and practical advice for acclimating to a new culture and (beyond that) to becoming incarnational within that culture (adopting it as best as one is able). Hiebert provides a brief-yet-accurate list of Western cultural assumptions and contrasts them with differing cultural assumptions in real communities.

Part three places the focus on the Gospel message itself. He emphasizes that cultures will view the Gospel through their own cultural filter and thus the missionary may have difficulty determining whether the host culture is gaining an orthodox or heterodox understanding of the Gospel. While becoming a thorough understanding of the language and culture is helpful in this regard, Heibert continually argues that the missionary should work toward allowing the (new) Christian leaders of the host culture take the lead in determining authentic practical applications of the Gospel (after all, they know the cultural significance of their community better than a missionary will be able to). Indeed, one of the major tasks of the missionary is to develop a new Christian community to maturity both in leadership, resources, ability to evangelize others, and theological application. While recognizing the difficulty of this task, Hiebert reminds the reader of its long-term importance for the Church.

The final part examines what it means to be bi-cultural. Any time two cultures interact as closely as is the case when long-term missionaries (and their families) evangelize and disciple Christian nationals (and their families), a new hybrid culture is developed. People who become bi-cultural face unique challenges as they fully comfortable in their host culture, nor are they comfortable in their home culture. A missionary should be prepared for this inevitable change.

The book is well structure and well written. Hiebert presents a balance of theory, practice, and anecdote (from his own personal experiences and the experiences of fellow missionaries). The information is presented in a logical and straightforward manner, advice and principles are given to the reader, but the reader is often left to figure out how to apply this information/advice in his own context.

Recommended to those engaged in cross-cultural ministry, especially those considering serving as a foreign missionary.

Missionaries should learn and understand culture of the people to whom they want to preach the gospel. I agree with Hiebert that without all that knowledge their message may be irrelevant and meaningless in cultural enviroment that is different from the cultural background of missionaries, especially if they came from the West. Missionaries must be tolerant for other cultures and keep interest in their own ways of being and believing, but they must resent the popular concept of cultural relativism. Christian missionaries may lost the meaning of the gospel and ministry if they only reflect the culture of people around them or ignore the native culture.
Hiebert accents that the preaching of gospel may reflect the background of missionaries but he in his book helps to avoid trap of culture shock, how to make bridges between cultures, and lay good foundation for native Christian churches. Especially interesting is Hiebert's analisis of trends what will and may happen in the new native Christian church later after three and four generations.
I recommend this book not only for missionaries but also for pastors and gospel workers.

This is a terrible book with a terrible message: that you should use the understanding of other cultures in order to infiltrate and change them. That is NOT the message of anthropology. As an anthropologist, I resent this book profoundly. Anthropology is based on tolerance for other cultures, interest in their own ways of being and believing, and the concept of cultural relativism--that a culture's values and morals can only be understood in their own terms. The one thing we do NOT do is try to impose our own "truths" on others. If missionaries want to learn what anthropology really is, then read an anthropology book. But this text merely steals from anthropology in the most primitive way and turns that stolen material into the guidelines for cultural judgment, invasion, and destruction. It is arrogant and misguided.

We borrowed an older edition of this book from a friend and were impressed with it enough to want to order our own copy. So we found the book with the same author and same title on the internet. However it has been revised since the original. We wish that it has said "Revised" or something similar with the title. The original was in KJV, however this one is in Newer Versions. It just doesn't read the same! Effort had gone into it to change each Scripture reference throughout the book. At least the option ought to still be there to obtain it in the Version of your preference.

Really clears up the beginning of the Bible and the beginning of man. If you want to study creation this book is great. I highly recommend it to all Bible students, especially those in private study.

I originally had to use this book for a course in bible college called, 'The Pentateuch'. At the time the book was just a textbook -- until I went back to it a few months or so ago. If you're wanting to understand the first 5 more clearly but don't want to spend the bucks this is the book for you.

This book is excellent. Tons of information and lots of helpful charts. I have recommended it to all of my congregation.

We had to read this book for our Survey of Israel's History class in Bible college. It does what it says; it provides an overview of the history of the nation of Israel from her foundation to the inter-testamental period. Both Wood, the original writer, and the editor for the revised edition, were theologically orthodox evangelical/fundamental folks who believed in verbal, plenary inspiration, and this true presupposition is demonstrated in their view of the history of God's chosen nation. Their commitment to Biblcial truth is demonstrated, for example, in their dating of the Exodus to the 1400's B. C., which accords with Biblical data correctly interpreted (and also fits the facts of history, as he demonstrates) while most of those who wish to have greater acceptability in the unconverted world opt for a 1200's date. Modernistic ideas about Israel's history, such as JEDP, alleged inaccuracies with archeological data, etc. are dealt with and refuted. Overall, it provides a fine introduction to its topic and is well worth the time of a reader. I did not give it five stars, not because it is not a fine book, but because it is not absolutely outstanding and one of a kind, which is presumably what five stars is for; in other reviews that I have read it seems that the entire spectrum of five stars is not much used, with the great majority of the books receiving either four or five stars. So, what I mean with my rating is that it is a very good book, but not absolutely field-determinative. Also, as a KJV/TR only fundamental Baptist, I disagree with their views on preservation and upon other details, but no book is perfect. Overall, despite these problems, it is a fine work.

This is a great look at Israel's history from a conservative standpoint. Be ready for lots of material. If you are not deep into this stuff the book can get kinda dry.

This book, `A Survey of Israel's History' is basically a chronological narration of the history of Israel. It traces the history from before its inception as a nation during the time of Abraham, till the period just before Jesus' birth.

Together with a narration and slight commentary based on the biblical text, the authors also provide arguments mostly based on archeological evidence to ascertain dates and locations of events and places in Israel's history. Using these evidences, they also paint the local geographical and cultural background of the places and surroundings of the events that they narrate.

Along they way, the authors also tackle some common arguments against the historical accuracy of the Bible, and very soundly argue for the validity of the inerrancy of the Biblical accounts. They defend the traditional conservative views of dates, places and events against modern liberal thought that seek to undermine the inerrancy of scripture.

The stance of the book is a conservative one, using the literal approach to scripture, especially of dates and genealogies. It assumes the factuality of scripture and views it as the highest and most correct truth, over and against tradition or archeological evidence. They hold strongly to the plain sense of scripture, choosing to accept the possibility of miraculous events against modernistic thought that seeks to explain away the miracles into natural events.

However, the book has quite a strong archeological focus. Whilst focus is still on the facts of the Bible, the authors, especially the reviser, tends to concentrate more on using the archeology to prove his case then the Bible itself.

Also, at times the spiritual significance of certain events are neglected in the commentary. The event is simply mentioned without any explanation of why God allows such or why it is recorded in such a way. A large portion of the book explains the `what' aspect of the events, but less of it is focused on the why.

Therefore this book would be useful for getting a good overview of the events in Israel's history from a conservative traditional viewpoint. These views are further enforced with archeological evidence. However, for a more biblically focused in depth study, a commentary of the individual books of the Bible would be required.

If you like history, you'll like just sitting down and reading this book. For others it is an excellent reference surveying the geographical, social, political and religious context of Israel from Abraham to the first century BC. Gives an excellent treatment of the inter-testamental period. Wood's chronology does tend to be off by one year on many dates in comparison to more widely accepted sources. Solidly evangelical.

For evangelicals Tenney is a standard name. Well this one is not just run of the mill. Each chapter contains a surprising new thing about the supernatural Christ that will move you if not blow you out of the water and into another universe.

As a student at Moody Bible Institute,I have used Merrill C Tenney's "The Gospel of Belief,John", as a class text book in my Gospel of John class. It has given me an exceptional background of the Gospel Of John and it's language/style Johanine. For instance, differance between the Synoptic Gospels:Matthew,Mark and Luke and its Gospel;such as John does not record the baptism of Jesus,casting out of demons,etc. Also,I was given an assignment to write an arguemant essay of five pages on the Deity of Christ. I must say that Tenney's analytic study of Christ's Deity has prepared me well by teaching me how to use the Gospel of John to point out that the seven signs are proof of Christ's Deity in action;The I am statements;the five witnesses who declared Him as The Son of God. I would recommend Tenney's book as an introductory to the Gospel of John....and also as a tool to prove Christ's Deity.