ivp book club digest - august 4, 2014

A u g u s t 4 , 2 0 1 4

d i g e s t

in this issue ▷ old testament refresher course ▷ no more fast-food church

▷ do you really know the apostles? ▷ boost your prayer life

Now he defeNds the Christ iaN fa ith

“One of the top civil trial lawyers in America.” The New York Times

“One of the decade’s

most influential lawyers.”

National Law JournalThe

“The top class action attorney in America.”

U.S.News&World report

•

22 i v p b O O k c L u b . c O M

Give God a Fair HearinG

W. Mark Lanier, one of America’s top

trial lawyers, uses his experienced

legal eye to examine the plausibility

of Christianity. Bringing science, cur-

rent knowledge and common sense

together in a courtroom approach, this

“trial” elucidates a rich understanding

of God and a strong foundation for

Christian faith.

Following the format of a traditional

legal trial, Lanier takes us from open-

ing statement to closing summation

by way of testimony from well-known

witnesses, investigating the sticky

subjects of the Christian worldview.

Lanier presents a persuasive case for

the Christian faith and a thought-

provoking starting point in the search

for truth.

230 pages, paperback, 3667, $16.00

Club PriCe: $11.20This book will ship automatically unless you reply by August 4, 2014.

PrAise fOr ChrisTiAniTy On TriAl

“Authored by one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers, Christianity on Trial brilliantly employs the truth-finding methods of the legal process to produce an eminently readable, highly persuasive work. . . . In his inimitable fashion, Mark Lanier combines his superb expertise as a courtroom lawyer with profound knowledge of biblical scholarship and thoughtful reflection on daily life.”

—Ken Starr, former solicitor general of the United States and current president of Baylor University

•

Hailed as a “superstar among plaintiffs’ lawyers” by the National Law Journal, W. Mark Lanier is an acclaimed trial lawyer and the founder of the Lanier Law Firm. His illustrious reputation has been widely recognized based on his courtroom battles with Vioxx and Toyota.

In addition to being featured prominently in dozens of newspapers and journals, Lanier is a frequent guest on television news shows such as CNBC’s Squawk Box, Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto and Varney and Company with Stuart Varney.

Even with his storied career, practicing law is just a day job for Lanier. His lifelong commitment to Christianity and his education in biblical languages have nurtured his passion for developing his faith and sharing it with others. In 2010, he founded the Lanier Theological Library, one of the nation’s largest private theological collections, which houses over 70,000 books, biblical artifacts and museum-quality reproductions of ancient documents.

An ordained minister, Lanier teaches a weekly 750-member Sunday school class at Champion Forest Baptist Church and also founded the Christian Trial Lawyers Association.

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M A I N S E L EC T I O N

1-800-843-9487

Bible scholar and translator •J. B. Phillips

Albert Einstein•

British physicist •Sir John Polkinghorne

Charles Darwin •

Humanist Thomas Huxley•

World-renowned linguist •Noam Chomsky

Plato•

Friedrich Nietzsche•

French philosopher René Descartes•

Oxford philosopher Nick Bostram•

Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich•

Behavioral psychologist •B. F. Skinner

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John•

WiTnesses CAlled TO The sTAnd:

4

MappinG Holy Ground


Every believer can benefit from a better

understanding of the Bible. This Essentials

study will not only enrich your biblical

knowledge, but it is formatted specifically

to facilitate discussion and application

within a small group—a true discipleship

resource.

“Christians love the Bible, but they

often do not know what to do with the

Old Testament,” writes author Tremper

Longman. These seventeen sessions each

contain a field-tested inductive Bible

study, questions to draw out key princi-

ples, life application and a memory verse.

Following the format of the Essentials

series (as designed by Greg Ogden, author

of Discipleship Essentials), this comprehensive

small group resource offers a survey of

the Old Testament that will enrich your

knowledge and deepen your faith.

215 pages, paperback, 1051 $18.00

Club PriCe: $12.60This book will ship automatically unless you reply by August 4, 2014.

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. He also teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including the How to Read series and Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation.

a new look at tHe old testaMent

55

M A I N S E L EC T I O N

1-800-843-9487

frOm The inTrOduCTiOn

Having taught for over thirty years, I

know the struggle that many Christians

have with the Old Testament. In the first

place, the Old Testament is long, consti-

tuting over three-quarters of the Bible.

Second, much of it seems strange and

distant from us today. There are customs

that are foreign to our experience (for

example, sacrifices) and features that are

deeply off-putting if not repulsive (for

example, holy war). . . .

However, the Christian church through

the ages has recognized that God still

speaks powerfully to us through the Old

Testament. . . . After all, Jesus himself

was a student of the Old Testament, and

much of the New Testament rests on the

Old Testament as its foundation. . . .

The purpose of this guide is to help you

grasp the message of the Old Testament

as it narrates God’s work from the time

of creation up to Israel’s return from

Babylonian exile.

eACh sTudy COnTAins:

question-answer format•

memory verse•

Bible study•

reading•

“Anticipating the New Testament” •special feature

life application section•

PrAise fOr Old TesTAmenT essenTiAls

“Tremper Longman is for me—and countless others—a treasured ‘go-to’ resource to uncover the treasures of Old Testament wisdom. This survey will be of huge value to anyone who wants the big picture of the Great Story.”

—John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Park

Presbyterian Church and author of Who Is This Man

More books by Tremper Longman III on page 10.

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N E W A LT E R N AT E S

i v p b O O k c L u b . c O M

sLOW church C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison Foreword by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Chris Smith and John Pattison invite us out of franchise faith and back into the ecology, economy and ethics of the kingdom of God, where people know and love each other well.


Club PriC 11.20

the crOss anD genDerciDeElizabeth Gerhardt

Violence against women and girls is a pressing global problem. Elizabeth Gerhardt proposes a holistic theology of the cross as the basis for the church’s prophetic response to a problem that is not only moral and ethical but also confessional.


Club PriCe: $15.40ebOOK AVAilAble

the ethicaL visiOn Of the bibLePeter W. Gosnell

This introduction walks readers through the ethical teach-ings of people and texts in the Bible, focusing not on what the Bible says about various ethical issues but on how the Bible encourages its readers to think ethically about every issue.



grassrOOts asian theOLOgy Simon Chan

Simon Chan explores Asian Christianity at its grassroots, sustain-ing level and finds a vibrant, implicit theology that is authenti-cally Asian. More than a survey, this is a serious and constructive contribution to Asian theology.



6

ebOOK AVAilAble

granD centraL QuestiOnAbdu H. Murray Foreword by Josh McDowell

All religions and worldviews seek to answer the fundamen-tal questions of human existence. But each main worldview tends to stress a different issue. Abdu Murray, a lawyer and former Muslim, digs deeply into secular humanism, panthe-ism and theism (specifically in the form of Islam), compar-ing each to the central message of Jesus.



the tWeLve DiscipLesLifeguide® bible studiesDouglas Connelly

Jesus had about three years to mold a dozen fearful, faithless men into the pillars of a worldwide movement. Despite this brief window, time in Jesus’ presence had a transforming effect on each of them, and they would be changed by Jesus’ power. This study of Jesus’ first followers will transform you too.


Club PriCe: $5.60

refOrMing Mercy MinistryTed Rivera

This comprehensive theory and practice of Christian spiritual formation combines theology, interdisciplinary scholarship, personal examples and practical tools to assist readers in becoming whole persons in relationship with God and others.


Club PriCe: $10.50

1-800-843-9487

N E W A LT E R N AT E S

7


TheoLogy ThaT Teaches

In three volumes John Goldingay explores Old Testament theology as narrative, belief and ethos.

VoLuMe one: IsraeL’s gospeL

Examining the biblical order of God’s creation of and interac-tions with the world and Israel, Goldingay tells the story of Israel’s gospel as a series of divine acts.

940 pages, harDcOver, 2561, $60.00


VoLuMe Two: IsraeL’s FaITh

Goldingay examines the theology of the Old Testament under the major rubrics of God, Israel, the nightmare (judgment), the vision (hope), the world, the nations and humanity.



VoLuMe Three: IsraeL’s LIFe

Goldingay uncovers the Old Testament’s perspective on how Israel should live now and in the future, along with God’s vision for Israel’s worship, prayer, spirituality, practices, attitudes and ethics.



this masterful series is not only a scholarly contribution to the ongoing quest of understanding the First testament, but preachers and teachers will prize it as a smart, informed and engaging companion as they read and

re-present the Old testament story to postmodern pilgrims on the way.

OLD testaMent theOLOgy series 3 vOLuMes, 2560, $180.00

Club PriCe: $126.00

1-800-843-9487 9

The aposTLes

Get to know these foundational figures from a whole new perspective.

The LIFe and wITness oF peTerLarry R. Helyer

“Larry Helyer’s book on the life and theology of Peter fills a recognized gap in scholarship. Under one cover we are treated to the story of Peter in the New Testament and accounts about Peter in postcanonical docu-ments. In addition, Helyer’s study of the theology of Peter is both scholarly and accessible to readers. . . . [His] scholar-ship, fairness and devotion to the message of Peter all shine through in this volume.”

—Thomas R. Schreiner, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary



The reVeLaTIon To JohnStephen S. Smalley

Stephen S. Smalley demonstrates the fruitful-ness of reading John’s Apocalypse like a two-act drama with a “marked sevenfold patterning.” His theological and literary analysis of the Greek text puts Revelation squarely in the hands of contemporary readers, demonstrating its power to transcend barriers of culture and history.

xviii + 633 pages, paperback, 2924, $40.00

Club PriCe: $28.00

Luke: hIsTorIan & TheoLogIanI. Howard Marshall

Apart from the apostle Paul, Luke is arguably the most influential force in the canon of the New Testament. Affirming Luke’s trustworthiness as a historian and theolo-gian, I. Howard Marshall provides us with a lucid guide to Luke’s theol-ogy of salvation as it is unfurled in the Gospel narrative, but always with an eye on its ongoing development in the com-panion work, Acts.


Club PriCe: $15.40

The gospeL oF MaTThewMatt Woodley

“Instead of only interacting with Matthean scholars, we also hear from Bono, Anne Lamott, J. R. R. Tolkien, Bob Dylan, etc. Simply put, Woodley interweaves these stories (and so many more) with Matthew’s story of Jesus in order to show how the latter story resonates with our own.”

—Steven A. Hunt, Gordon College



hOW tO reaD series 4 vOLuMes, 946, $65.00

cLub prIce: $45.50

how To read

Tremper Longman III teaches us how to contextualize and comprehend Scripture.


how To read genesIs

This introduction to Genesis shows its con-tribution to the com-plete biblical message and explains how to read and apply it today.

192 pages, paper-back, 943, $16.00

Club PriCe: $11.20

how To read exodus

This guide to Exodus covers its historical backdrop, literary con-text and themes such as Israel’s deliverance from servitude to its dedica-tion to serving God.


Club PriCe: $11.90

how To read The psaLMs

Tremper Longman describes different types of psalms, explaining how they were used in Hebrew worship and how they relate to other Scripture.


Club PriCe: $11.20

how To read proVerbs

This guide to reading and studying takes you through Proverbs to an understanding of how Christ is the climax and embodiment of wisdom.


Club PriCe: $11.20

We should read a poem very differently than we read a history book, and we read both of them differently than we’d read a novel. the

same is true when it comes to our approach to scripture.

111-800-843-9487

ways To pray

Discover new meditations and practices for talking to God.

a book oF prayersArthur A. R. Nelson

In the spirit of the Book of Common Prayer, Art Nelson provides a new collection of public and private prayers for individuals and communities. With prayers for the quiet things of the spirit and prayers for far-reaching global prob-lems, this guide will help us attend to the many seasons and occasions of life that leave us grasping for words.



The Jesus prayerJohn Michael Talbot

In this book by John Michael Talbot, readers are invited to meditate on the twelve simple words that lie at the heart of the Christian East. Complete with historical context and exercises for self-reflection, this book shows how a single prayer could sustain the spiri-tual life of a civilization. Each chapter ends with a brief prac-tice using the prayer.



a guIdebook To prayerMaryKate Morse

Why is it so hard to master consistent and meaningful prayer? MaryKate Morse explores twenty-four pathways of prayer meant to give readers a vast array of ways to focus and reflect. Whether you are a beginner or a lifetime per-son of faith, you will find a treasure trove of riches here to guide you into a deeper experi-ence of prayer.



N e x t M o N t h

Os Guinness gives hope for the future and Jim Sire offers a new view of apologetics.

Mapping the Origins DebateGerald Rau

The debate over evolution and creation has raged for decades and shows no signs of letting up. With the sensitivity of a seasoned educator, Rau surveys the six predominant models currently used to explain the origins of creation, of life, of species and of humans, equipping readers with critical tools for evaluating the philosophies in play.



the LOst WOrLD Of genesis OneJohn H. Walton

With an astute mix of cultural critique and biblical scholarship, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions support-ing a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implica-tions for our modern scientific understanding of origins.



science, creatiOn anD the bibLeRichard F. Carlson and Tremper Longman III

Physicist Richard Carlson and biblical scholar Tremper Longman address the long-standing problem of how to relate scientific description of the beginnings of the universe with the biblical cre-ation passages found in Genesis. Experts in their respective fields, the authors provide a way to resolve seeming conflicting accounts.



Faith vs. ScienceBreak down the creation-evolution debate with these insightful titles.

ivp book club digest - august 4, 2014

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