BOOK NOTES

 

Merlin Carothers can teach us how to praise the Lord more effectively. His new book, which we recommend highly, is Victory on Praise Mountain and is only 3.40 postpaid.

South Africa is a microcosm of many contemporary world problems, and we do well to be informed on what is going on in this troubled land. Her policy of apartheid has drawn world attention, and here is a book that tells the whole story, showing how it has divided the church as well as the nation: The Church Struggle in South Africa, by John W. DeGruchy, a native South African and a professor at the University of Cape Town. The foreword by Alan Paton, who knows the country so well, reveals the complexity of its many problems. 7.95 postpaid.

The College Press, Box 1132, Joplin, Mo. 64801, handles books that would be of interest to you. By writing them they would put your name on their list for a free catalogue and notices of new publications.

Dr. John T. Willis has edited a new volume on The World and Literature of the Old Testament, which contains 11 essays by nine Church of Christ scholars, such as Thomas Olbricht’s ‘The Making of Old Testament Books’ and Neil Lightfoot’s ‘The Canon and Text of the Old Testament.’ The editor has three essays, two of them on the history of Old Testament times. Everett Ferguson’s ‘Christian Use of the Old Testament’ will be of special interest to you. This book is really something for people who have been neglectful of the Old Covenant Scriptures. 9.95 postpaid.

It may be high at 14.95, but it is one of those books that some students highly prize. Historical Theology: An Introduction, by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, is a history of doctrine. If you are interested in what the apostolic fathers believed, right on through Augustine and the leaders of the Reformation, this book will delight you. It was written for those who do not know much about the history of theology, so it will not lose you in technicalities. You can learn everything from what the Anabaptists believed about baptism to what Barth believed about the word of God.

James E. Smith is one of our Christian Church scholars who took his Ph.D. from the Jews themselves, at Hebrew Union College, so his Ezekiel, a 491 page study, should have it all. He gives his own translation from the Hebrew and a verse by verse interpretation. If you want to take Bible study seriously, this would be a good place to start. 13.95 postpaid.

There is hardly any area in which our people are more neglectful than in prayer and praise and devotional reading. Daily Prayer and Praise, compiled by George Appleton, has readings, prayers, meditations for mornings and evenings. A briefer edition went through eight printings and is in much demand. This enlarged edition is 4.49 postpaid.

The Sweet Co. in Austin is continuing with its commentary series on the NT, the latest being 1 Corinthians by Carl Holladay, a scholar in the Church of Christ. 5.80 postpaid.

We are impressed by three books on Revelation. You would do well to study them all: The Book of Revelation by Harry Boer (4.55); Interpreting Revelation by Merrill Tenney (7.55); Commentary on Revelation by George Eldon Ladd (5.55). Prices postpaid.

For 3.50 we will send you a delightful book for those who are growing old and those who plan to someday. It is both philosophical and practical, and it is fun reading. You Don’t Have to Be Old When You Grow Old by Florence Taylor faces aging with courage and zest.

Written by a man who saw his first spirit when he was five. The Challenging Counterfeit is an inside exposure of Spiritualism by one who practiced it. Once a medium himself, he tells the whole story of “revelations” and contact with the dead, and points to the real Spirit as the only assurance, now that he is a believer. 2.50 postpaid.

Postal prices continue to skyrocket. Starting July 6 it will cost us 59 cents to mail a book weighing one pound or less. That increase is reflected in the above prices.

When renewing your sub, why not send the paper to four of your friends, for the club of 5 is only 10.00.

You may not agree with what Oscar Cullman says about infant baptism, but you’ll learn what a recognized scholar says on this subject generally in Baptism in the New Testament. His main concern is to determine what baptism should mean to us today. 4.45 postpaid.

We still have copies of Daughters of the King, which asks the question of whether a woman must submit. It is both sensitive and hard-hitting. Only 2.45 postpaid.

Those interested in unity should keep abreast with what some of the great thinkers are saying on that subject, such as John MacQuarrie’s new book, Christian Unity and Christian Diversity. The author, an Oxford professor, deals with the problems in the way of unity and will surprise you with his argument that Rome must be the center of unity, and the changes Rome must and may make eventually. 3.35 postpaid.

We would put on your “must” list F. F. Bruce’s The Time is Fulfilled, which beautifully combines information with devotion. He provides spiritual insight into God’s plan through Christ, with such chapters as “Abraham Our Father” and “A Shadow of Good Things to Come” being most helpful. He shows the significance of “the time is fulfilled” and how Jesus responded to the call by initiating what the Father had in mind. 3.45 postpaid.

Our bound volume for 1978, The Ancient Order, has been mailed to those who ordered it, with invoice enclosed. This volume is now available at 5.50, if you remit with your order, 6.30 if you ask us to bill you.

Other bound volumes still available are: Principles of Unity and Fellowship (1977) at 5.50; The Word Abused (1975 and 1976 in one volume) at 5.95; The Restoration Mind (1971 and 1972 in one volume) for 4.95.