Tag Archives: Book Review

The “New Perspective” and Justification, Part 2

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In the July/August edition of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Paul Hartog of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary compared two facets of the “New Perspective” on justification with a Dispensational point of view. He focused on N. T. Wright’s treatment of the gospel and the righteousness of God. (You may access that issue at faith.edu/seminary.) In this issue he analyzes three additional facets of Wright’s “new perspective”-the final judgment according to works, the ordo salutis, and justification. The Final Judgment according to Works Wright maintains that “Paul, in company with mainstream Second Temple Judaism, affirms that God’s final judgment will be in accordance with the entirety of a life led—in accordance, in other words, with works” (253).1 Wright’s primary evidence for a general judgment based upon works is found in Romans 2:1-16, although he also argues from Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3, and 2 Corinthians 5:10 (253).

The “New Perspective” and Justification, Part 1

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In the past few years some men have begun rethinking major issues of the Christian faith. Their thoughts and conclusions on a variety of subjects have been commonly called the “New Perspective.” In Part 1 of his article, Dr. Paul Hartog of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary carefully compares two facets of the “New Perspective” on justification with a Dispensational point of view. He will complete his analysis in the September/October issue of Faith Pulpit. In his 1982 Manson Memorial Lecture at the University of Manchester, J.

The Da Vinci Code and Early Christian History, Part 2

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Other Historical Issues Teabing argues that Christians and pagans were warring in the early fourth century, “and the conflict grew to such proportions that it had threatened to rend Rome in two.” FACT: Christianity did not have enough political or military clout to rival the pagan masses in the early fourth century. Christianity actually began the century as an oppressed minority suffering under the Great Persecution of A.D. 303–313. Langdon asserts that early Christianity “honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.”

The Da Vinci Code and Early Christian History, Part 1

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The Da Vinci Code, authored by Dan Brown, has quickly become an international bestseller and is now in theatrical release.1 Because of its depiction of Jesus Christ and Christianity, this fictional page-turner has caused vociferous reactions far outside the literary world. Page one of the work, entitled “FACT,” asserts that “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” The book actually includes numerous historical inaccuracies, however. For the sake of time and convenience, this article will simply highlight those factual errors surrounding the book’s portrayal of early Christianity.2 These historical blunders particularly concern the fields of canonicity and Christology and are especially concentrated in the discussions on pages 230–259.

Millennial Madness and the Year 2000 Parts 1 & 2

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The new millennium is bearing down at us at the rate of 3,600 seconds per hour – that magic moment when the cosmic odometer comes up with three zeroes. The year 2,000 has been called “Father Time’s big day, Christianity’s horological cul-de-sac, a chronological, coinstantaneous, quadruple mind-blower: new year, new decade, new century, new millennium!” (William Ecenbarger, “Comes the Millennium,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, Feb. 18, 1996, p. 15). Ecenbarger points out that “this epochal event will occur in the middle of the year 5760 according to Judaic reckoning, and in the year 1420 for the world’s Muslims.

Biblical Holiness

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Actually this article is a review of two books that deal with the issue of separation. For many years fundamentalists who wanted a balanced, written presentation of their viewpoint had access to many pamphlets but very few books. In 1979 Regular Baptist Press published Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church by Dr. Ernest Pickering, and this book continues to be a leader in the field. In 1994, however, Bob Jones University Press published two new books which address this issue.

What is Legalism?

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Introduction This article is not really a book review. But it is a response to a very important issue raised by Charles Swindoll in his book Grace Awakening. While there are many helpful truths in the book, there are also several problems – one of which is his understanding of legalism. Because it is wrong and colors his thinking, it affects many of the other things on which he comments. A Definition of “Legalism” Swindoll’s book is a sustained attack on “legalism,” yet the term is not defined until page 81.

Chuck Colson and The Body Book

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Chuck Colson, special assistant to President Nixon and the hatchet man for that administration, became a Christian in prison during 1973. Three years later he founded Prison Fellowship International, a global ministry to prisoners and their families. Over the past twenty years, Colson has become an influential voice in American evangelicalism. He has authored a number of significant books, beginning with his testimony in Born Again and Life Sentence. He continued with devotional and discipling books such as Loving God and Who Speaks for God?

Is Rosenthal Right About the Rapture?

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A long time ago, Solomon opined that “of the making of many books there is no end” (Ecc. 12:12). If this was true in the 10th century before Christ, it is even more true in the 20 th century after Christ. Prompted by the volatile world situation, there is especially a proliferation of prophetic publications. Most books have little impact. Not so one recent book, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990). This all-out attack on the pretribulational rapture position is making a splash on the theological scene.