Revjw’s Books Corner 8

By now some of you may be aware that Dr. Bill Edgar and Dr. Scott Oliphint of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia have edited a fine primer of classic apologetic texts from the New Testament down to the present.  The set is titled Christian Apologetics: Past and Present and it is now complete with the appearance of the second volume which can be obtained here.  The second volume covers the period from 1500 to the present.  I had the privilege of assisting Drs. Edgar and Oliphint in the assembly of this work and I can say it is as comprehensive as such a work can be without becoming a voluminous multi-volume set.  The two volumes contain period introductions and author introductions which set the context for the primary sources included.  Each primary text is then followed by questions to aid in the mental digestion of the material.  This is must reading and I don’t say that because I had something to do with the production of the set.  It really is that good.

Another new title is Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert’s What is the Mission of the Church?  Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission which can be found here.  The authors provide the reader with a well articulated argument concerning just what it is that the church is called to do.  This is not a thorough treatment of ecclesiology but rather deals with the central question of the moment.  Is the church called to do everything that God is doing in the world or that Christians as individuals are called to do?  Or is her commission more narrowly focused?  The authors write from a balanced and biblical perspective that argues that the church’s role is limited to the proclamation of the gospel and the making of disciples but that social justice, properly and biblically conceived, ought to be the concern of every believer.  An added bonus of the book is its biblical theological treatment of the kingdom of God, shalom and justice.  I would commend this book to all thoughtful readers in the church.