Book reviews — January 2004

The Bible in English: Its History and Influence, by David Daniell. Yale University Press, 2003.
This magisterial study traces the history of the translation of the Bible from about 400 AD to the present. In about 1,000 pages English historian David Daniell tells the story of the men and movements that through the centuries have translated the entire Bible into English, from the Greek and Hebrew, over 350 times. The hero of Daniell’s account is the 16th century English churchman William Tyndale, who started working on his translation of the Bible at a time when England was without any version of the Scriptures in its common vernacular, the religious authorities believing--as they so often have--that the Bible was beyond the understanding of common people. This magnificently learned book will richly reward and fascinate anyone seeking to know the story of how the Bible in English came to be.

Forgiving and Reconciling: Bridges to Wholeness and Hope, by Everett L. Worthington Jr. InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Everyone has suffered emotionally painful hurts in their relationships and interactions with other people. Believers know that God has called them to completely and freely forgive those who have hurt them, yet how to do this, and how to do it as a matter of habit, are often difficult puzzles for Christians to solve. In this wonderfully practical and warmhearted book, psychologist Everett Worthington, Jr., gives the acronym REACH to help believers truly practice authentic forgiveness: His five step prescription is Recall the hurt, Empathize with those who have hurt you, give the Altruistic gift of forgiveness to others, Commit publicly to forgive, and Hold on to forgiveness. This is a powerful and engaging book that pastors, counselors and hurting people will find extremely useful.

Dare To Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty, by Mark D. Roberts. WaterBrook Press, 2003.
“People in our society hold the convenience-over-truthfulness credo,” says pastor Mark Roberts in this stirring call to personal honesty in our daily lives. He makes it clear that deceit is deeply rooted in our society. For example, nearly half of job seekers routinely lie on their resumes, 90 percent of teens admit lying to their parents, and cheating is a widely accepted part of high school and college life. Given that our culture is one where spin and hype are often valued more than truth and honesty, Roberts believes Christians have a golden opportunity today to bear witness to the values of God’s kingdom, and the virtue of pure, consistent honesty. This insightful book will be a great tool for study and discussion groups of all ages.

A Teen’s Guide to Christian Living: Practical Answers to Tough Questions About God and Faith. by Bettie B. Youngs, Jennifer Leigh Youngs and Debbie Thurman. Faith Communications, 2003.
This wide-ranging book written for teens covers topics from Christian apologetics to wise decision-making habits to peer pressure to romantic relationships. Openly standing for objective truth and morality, this presentation is intended to counter the relativistic, “anything goes” attitude prevalent in our culture today. These authors know that popular culture is not an ally of parents who are trying to raise their children in a morally sound way, and this book will be a helpful weapon in any parent’s arsenal against the dangerous cultural messages surrounding kids today.

Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West, by Robert Spencer. Regnery Publishing, 2003.
“Islam is a religion of Peace,” we’ve all been told since September 11, 2001. Think again. In this meticulously documented and well-written study of the idea of “jihad” (fight) historically and in contemporary Islam, Robert Spencer issues a wake-up call to Americans paralyzed by political-correctness. This is a disturbing book, but one that will lift the blinds from the eyes of anyone who thinks that bin-Laden style Islam is unusual. Spencer’s work, along with that of other writers like Daniel Pipes, Peter Bergen and Steven Emerson, will be indispensable to anyone searching for a clear understanding of the nature and aims of Islam today.

Published by Keener Communications Group, January 2004

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