Ryle, J.C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Eds. Graham Hind and Mary Davis. Evangelical Press, 2024. Seven-volume set. Where does one begin reviewing a set of books that have existed for over 150 years? The first Bishop of Liverpool, J.C. Ryle, published his set of commentaries, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, between 1856 and 1873. As a…
Book Review: A New History of Redemption
Few scholars could even attempt to write a book like A New History of Redemption, Gerald McDermott’s recent work of near-comprehensive theological history. McDermott borrows the title and structure from an unfinished project of Jonathan Edwards, the 18th-century Puritan, who outlined the project but did not live to complete it. And no wonder: Edwards’ idea…
Book Review: A Walk Through the Prayer Book
Klukas, Arnold W. A Walk Through the Prayer Book: The 2019 Book of Common Prayer Explained. Anglican House, 2023. 118 pp. As the Anglican Church in North America celebrates its fifteenth year, its 2019 edition of the Book of Common Prayer likewise celebrates five years of use. Fittingly, Anglican House Publishers has released a helpful…
Reformation Anglican Worship by Jensen (Review)
Prefatory note: This is an updated version of my earlier review of Reformation Anglican Worship. The original post engendered a fruitful and clarifying conversation between the Rev. Dr. Jensen and myself, in which I profited much. In particular, he highlighted a couple of areas in that first version where he felt my reading was not…
All Things Anglican by Throup (Review)
Marcus Throup’s All Things Anglican offers anyone who seeks to know more about this particular tradition within the Christian faith an excellent overview and place to start. What is unique about Anglicanism is the different nuances and beliefs that many who adhere to such a title hold, and as such, when trying to figure out where you…
Walking in God’s Wisdom: The Book of Proverbs by Quinn (Review)
Most books of the Bible have an obvious internal coherence. It’s easy to understand why an unfolding narrative or the argument of an epistle is presented as a book in our Bibles. But, for many of us, the book of Proverbs evades this sort of analysis. The book of Proverbs seems to be a collection…
There is a Future: A Year of Daily Midrash by Bornman (Review)
Poet, writer, artist, and designer Amy Bornman’s first book, There Is a Future: A Year of Daily Midrash, explores Scripture narratives through the lens of midrash. “Midrash,” Bornman reminds us, “is a practice in study and imagination.” The rabbinical tradition “honors the text by wondering about it.” As such, this book is her grand vehicle…
The City is My Monastery by Richard Carter (Review)
Whether it’s Benedictine, Franciscan, Augustinian, or any other monastic spirituality, each one has a book called a Rule of Life. These Rules spell out each order’s unique character and practices, such as the balanced life of prayer and work that the Benedictines are famous for, or the holy poverty embraced by the Franciscans. These Rules…
An Outline of an Anglican Life by Tarsitano (Review)
I regret not having come across this book earlier in my exploration of Anglicanism. For those of us who come from contemporary or non-liturgical church settings, our first encounter with Anglicanism can be confusing. But here, in a concise 185 pages, is a book that answers literally scores of questions about this form of the…
Living in God’s True Story: 2 Peter (Review)
Have you ever stopped to consider what “story” you are living in? What we believe is true about the world, or “the story” of the world, profoundly shapes how we live. Living in God’s True Story: 2 Peter by the Rev. Dr. Donald L. Morcom seeks to challenge what we believe to be the true…
