Lutheran Book Review

Sundberg, Walter. Worship as Repentance: Lutheran Liturgical Traditions and Catholic Consensus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012. 206 Pages. Paper. $18.00. www.eerdmans.com (L) Zeeden, Ernst Walter. Translated by Kevin G. Walker. Faith and Act: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in the Lutheran Reformation. St. Louis: Concordia, 2012. 148 Pages. Paper. $36.99. https://www.cph.org/p-18165-faith-and-act-the-survival-of-medieval-ceremonies-in-the-lutheran-reformation.aspx (LHP) I love discussing the liturgy with other liturgical Christians. These two titles by Eerdmans and Concordia will help you see the small-c catholicity of the preserved liturgical traditions of the Lutheran Reformation. First, the title from Eerdmans: Against contemporary trends that conceive of Christian worship primarily as entertainment or sheer celebration, Walter Sundberg argues that repentance is the heart of authentic worship. In Worship as Repentance Sundberg outlines the history of repentan...

Tchividjian, Tullian. Jesus + Nothing = Everything . Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. Cloth. $18.99. http://www.crossway.org .(LHP) Chandler, Matt. With Jared Wilson. The Explicit Gospel. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 237 Pages. Cloth. $17.99. www.crossway.org (LHP) I waited a long time to read the following two titles (because of my reading list backlog). Both were worth my time and should be worth yours. It’s so easy to forget what the Christian faith is all about. We struggle so much, work so hard, and fail so often that we frequently sense something in the equation of life must be missing. Tullian Tchividjian argues that what we are missing is the gospel—a fuller, more powerful understanding of Jesus and what his finished work means for everyday life. During a year of great turmoil, Pastor Tchividjian discovered the power of the gospel in his own life. Sharing his story of how Jesus became more real to him, Tchividjian delves deeply into the fundamentals of the fa...

Scott, Robert. Questions Muslims Ask: What Christians Actually Do (and Don't) Believe. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. 162 Pages. Paper. $15.00. http://books.ivpress.com (LHP) Oden, Thomas C. and Joel C. Elowsky with Cindy Crosby. On the Way to the Cross: 40 Days with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. 160 Pages. Paper. $15.00.  http://books.ivpress.com (LHP) Oden, Thomas C. Early Libyan Christianity: Uncovering a North African Tradition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. 336 Pages. Paper. $22.00 http://books.ivpress.com (LHP) With Libya, Islam, and bad news in our daily headlines, these three titles from InterVarsity are timely, relevant, and informative. Christians and Muslims don't understand each other very well. Muslims have often heard that Christians worship three gods, or that the Injil, the Christian Scripture, has been corrupted. How can Christians explain their faith in a way tha...

Ham, Ken. The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years (Anniversary Edition 25 Years Revised and Expanded). Green Forest: Master Books, 1987, 2012. 236 Pages. Paper. $13.99. www.masterbooks.net (LHP) Regular readers of QBR are familiar with Ken Ham. We've reviewed his recent books on youth and Christian colleges. We are thankful for the updated edition of The Lie. Revised & Expanded for this special 25th anniversary edition, Ken Ham once again takes the lead in pointing out the looming precipice too many church leaders are rushing towards: a denial of the full authority and accuracy of the Bible from its very first verse. In addition, Ken powerfully shows how the ideas of evolution and millions of years are driving young people away from the Christian faith, and provides solid, biblical solutions to turn things around. Published in 1987, this book took a bold stand which became prophetic. Ken warned the church about the destructive effects of compromise...

Holmes, Stephen Mark, Editor. The Fathers on the Sunday Gospels. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012. 308 Pages. Paper. $24.95. www.litpress.org (P) I love reading the Church Fathers. We at QBR have focused on them through various introductions to their theology and works and modern collections of their works as commentary on Scripture. Today we highlight a book that will help you in the Pulpit. Now, the fathers of the church speak from across the ages each week: The Fathers on the Sunday Gospels provides rich reflections on every Sunday gospel reading in the three-year Lectionary from Augustine, Bede, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Aelred, John Scotus Erigena, Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, and many more. This unique volume will prove to be an invaluable companion for preachers and for personal reflection on the Sunday gospels. It is also an ideal gift for ordination and anniversaries of priesthood. Stephen Mark Holmes is a priest of the Diocese of Edinburgh in the...

Arand, Charles P., Robert Kolb, and James A. Nestingen. The Lutheran Confessions: History and Theology of The Book of Concord. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012. 341 Pages. Paper. $39.00. http://store.fortresspress.com/store/product/17009/The-Lutheran-Confessions-History-and-Theology-of-The-Book-of-Concord (LHP) When I was recruited to go to seminary, I was told that a new translation of the Lutheran Confessions was about to be published. Five years later, I got a copy of Kolb/Wengert as a seminary graduation present. There was a lot to like. It was an improvement and update compared to the 1959 Tappert Edition. There was the benefit of decades of scholarship Tappert, et al, did not have access to. And then there was controversy, like the octavo/quarto debate. And so we ended up with (finally!) a Concordia from Concordia. For me, the best part of the new edition was the companion volume, Sources and Contexts (2001) . Honestly! Again I was told another volume was to follow on his...

Spinks, Bryan D. The Worship Mall: Contemporary Responses to Contemporary Culture. New York: Church Publishing, 2010. 242 Pages. Paper. $28.00. www.churchpublishing.org/worshipmall (LHP) Noland, Rory. Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. 231 Pages. Paper. $16.99. www.zondervan.com (LHP) At long last we have come to two thoughtful and information packed books on worship for your consideration. The first is a survey of the buffet that passes for worship practice and theology in our era. The second helps the Christian rethink assumptions about worship. Religion today is in competition with the leisure and entertainment industries. Gen Y, the postmodern generation, is open to spirituality; but most of today’s young adults have not been born into faith communities where they feel any lasting allegiance. Studies suggest that for the young, belief in God is an optional matter, a virtual consumer ch...