There are two other new entries in the Reformed Expository Commentary series: Daniel Doriani’s James (P&R, hb., 220 pp.) and Richard Phillips’ Hebrews (P&R, hb., 656 pp.).  Doriani is informed and thoughtful in his exegesis and he illustrates and applies very well.  His humor I found engaging and his treatment of chapter 5 (prayer for healing) is very helpful.  Phillips sermons are also well done, and he takes seriously the warning passages in Hebrews.

Church History

Christopher Catherwood’s Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious (Crossway; pb., 224 pp.) is a nicely done brief summary of church history.  Jonathan Hill’s Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity (Zondervan; hb., 559 pp.) is a longer survey rich with pictures and illustrations. Ingemar Öberg’s Luther and World Mission (Concordia; hb., 522 pp.) is a significant study dispelling the common misconception that the Reformers lacked an interest in world mission.

Stephen Nichols has been on a roll producing very readable and enjoyable short books on various aspects of church history.  He is on his way to being the popular voice of church history among evangelicals of this generation.  His The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World (Crossway; pb., 159 pp.) is a fun, informative, enriching read.  He covers from Luther all the way to the Puritans.  Just out is his For Us and Our Salvation: The Doctrine of Christ in the Early Church (Crossway; pb., 172 pp.).  In the same vein of his previous works this one describes the discussion in the first five centuries of church history about the deity and humanity of Christ.  Nichols frames the discussion in light of modern day controversies like the Davinci Code and Jehovah’s Witnesses showing that we need to understand how the church over the ages has understood the teaching of the Scriptures.  This book will be a great help in a number of ways, not least when preparing for Christmas sermons where we face again the wonder of God becoming man.

Many are fascinated with Scotland and now Iain Murray’s Scottish Christian Heritage (Banner of Truth; hb., 403 pp.) provides a good overview of key people and movements in the history of the church there.

Meet the Puritans, edited by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson (Reformation Heritage Books; hb., 896 pp.) is a monumental work.  It provides a brief bio of Puritan writers (as well as Scottish and Dutch authors of similar perspective) and an annotated list of their writings, noting also where they have been reprinted.  This is a great help in seeking to mine the wealth of the Puritans.  Don Kistler has just launched The Northampton Press, and its first book is a compilation of previously unpublished sermons by Jonathan Edwards titled Sermons on the Lord’s Supper.  There are actually nine sermons on Communion and six others on various topics.  Also on Edwards, Sam Storms’ Signs of the Spirit (Crossway; pb., 238 pp.) is designed to help us read and understand Jonathan Edwards important Religious Affections.