Lutheran Book Review

Quick Summaries are pithy paragraph-long reviews of releases that cross our QBR desk.  These are reviews for when you don't have all day  to decide whether a resource is worth your time, money, storage space, or trouble. Dykas, Ellen, editor. Harvest USA. Sexual Sanity for Women: Healing from Sexual and Relational Brokenness. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2012. 199 Pages. $17.99. www.newgro wthpress.com (LHP) + Intended more for a guided group study than an individual reflecting on her own, Sexual Sanity for Women is a resource from Harvest USA for women struggling with sexual identity, co-dependency, and sexual sin. Wisdom from God's Word is the main focus, yet author Ellen Dykas shares common sense (that isn't always common) and some guidance from sociology and psychology. So many resources about sexual sin focus on men. Women struggle with sexual sin and temptation, too. I've learned over the years that "Boys are gross and girls are com...

Bartelt, Andrew H. and Andrew E. Steinmann. Fundamental Biblical Hebrew/Fundamental Biblical Aramaic. St. Louis: Concordia, 2012 (2000, 2004). 378 Pages. Cloth. $62.99. https://www.cph.org/p-2918-fundamental-biblical-hebrew-and-aramaic.aspx (P) Bartelt, Andrew H. and Andrew E. Steinmann. Workbook and Supplementary Exercises for Fundamental Biblical Hebrew and Fundamental Biblical Aramaic. St. Louis: Concordia, 2004 (2000, 2003). 294 Pages. Spiral. $24.99. https://www.cph.org/p-2921-fundamental-biblical-hebrew-and-aramaic-workbook.aspx (P)   Simonetti, Manlio and Marco Conti, editors. Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. Job (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament VI). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. 253 Pages. Cloth. $40.00. http://www.ivpress.com/ (P)  Ferreiro, Alberto, editor. Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. The Twelve Prophets (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament XIV). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Pre...

Walther, C. F. W. Matthew C. Harrison, editor. The Church and the Office of The Ministry. St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 495 Pages. Cloth. $34.99. https://www.cph.org/p-20881-the-church-and-the-office-of-the-ministry.aspx (LHP) Engelbrecht, Edward A., General Editor. The Church from  Age to Age: A History. St. Louis: Concordia, 2011. 976 Pages. Paper. $36.99.  https://www.cph.org/p-18164-the-church-from-age-to-age-a-history-from-galilee-to-global-christianity.aspx (LHP) Chemnitz, Martin. Ministry, Word, and Sacraments: An Enchiridion; The Lord's Supper; The Lord's Prayer (Chemnitz's Works 5). St. Louis: Concordia, 2007. (Previously published separately in 1981, 1979, 1999.) 574 Pages. Cloth. $69.99.  https://www.cph.org/p-676-chemnitzs-works-volume-5-enchiridionlords-supperlords-prayer.aspx (LHP)  Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.  That pithy piece of wisdom encouraged me to be a history major. I was always surprised by its truth....

Wenham, Gordon.  The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms . Wheaton: Crossway, 2013. 205 Pages. Paper. $15.99. www.cros sway.org (LHP) Webb, Barry G. The Book of Judges (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012. 555 Pages. Cloth. $50.00. www.eerdmans.com (P) Franke, John R., editor. Thomas C. Oden, General Editor. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament IV). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005. 458 Pages. Cloth. $40.00. http://www.ivpress.com/ (P) Our focus is the Old Testament in this review with titles from IVP, Eerdmans, and Crossway. Though frequently used in times of crisis or pain, the book of Psalms is often misread or misunderstood, seeming like a disorganized jumble of prayer, praise, and lament. To help readers get more out of the Psalms, renowned Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham highlights its foundational place for all Chr...