Michael Crichton, Pirate Latitudes

Pirate Latitudes is a fun little tale, but not Crichton's best. The writing is vintage Crichton, with fun locales and cinematic action. The characters are a little flatter than usual, but overall it is certainly readable, even enjoyable. But don't expect too much. It lack's Crichton's trademark twist of innovative or imaginative science that usually brings his books to life. But there's no doubt he had a writer's touch, even with this different genre.

Andy Andrews, The Boy Who Changes the World

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

In The Boy Who Changes the World, Andy Andrews tells the stories of four boys, whose lives touched one another, and who each made a difference in the life of another, bringing about meaningful change in the world (in the end, Norman Borlaug creates superplants that helps feed billions of people; that's a pretty big change). Each little story encourages kids to realize that the choices they make matter, and even though their choices may seem small, they can have a great impact. He calls this the butterfly effect. The book is well written, the illustrations are both fun and beautiful, and the message is a great one for kids to hear. I look forward to reading this book over and over with my own boys, in hopes that each of them can be the boy who changes the world.

Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

I loved this book! And I hope you read it. That's the only way I can start this review. Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, has written a powerful apologetic for that important Christian ministry, but more than that, he has challenged evangelicalism to espouse a fully orbed gospel of the kingdom.

The book is part testimony and autobiography, with Stearns recounting his own journey from new Christian to successful corporate executive to president of World Vision. And it is a great story, easy to relate to, and well told. I found it easy to relate to Stearns' journey, his excitement for the gospel but also his reluctance to step out of his comfort zone into new territories. His story is written with obvious honesty and candor, and I thin it lays important groundwork for and integrates well with the book's overall message about broadening the way we understand the gospel and our role to spread the gospel to the world.

The core vision of the book is about getting beyond a traditional view of the gospel as an "otherworldly" message of hope for the hereafter to a Jesus-centered kingdom vision about changed lives, spiritually and physically. We are called not only to preach but to also embody the gospel. "This gospel that we have been given—the whole gospel—is God's vision for a new way of living. It inaugurates the reality of God dwelling within us, His followers, no longer in a temple in Jerusalem. . . . God's kingdom was going to begin on earth through the changed lives of His followers, and its hall markes would be forgiveness, love, compassion, justice, and mercy" (276).

Stearns is well aware of the dangers of preaching a "works" righteousness, and he addresses that concern a couple of times in his writing. He is also aware that some may want to read his message as a call away from traditional evangelistic preaching to a social gospel, a charge he anticipates and subverts a number of times as well. In all, I think Stearns has done the church a great service in writing this call to follow Jesus in his kingdom ministry. For if God truly loves the world, aren't we going to do everything in our power to overcome disparity, disease, poverty, and oppression as we do everything we can to overcome spiritual blindness, poverty, and oppression. And, in fact, the two can't and shouldn't be separated. For each side of the gospel fits with the other: a preaching without works of love is only words, and a life of compassionate action is one of the best apologias for the gospel we preach. Highly recommended.

Phillip Margolin, Lost Lake

In this mystery thriller, a young Portland attorney finds herself in the middle of a strange case after a man she had recently befriended violently attacks two men at her son's little league game. He claims he is part of a super-secret government group called the Unit. As events unfold, it turns out Morelli, is really Carl Rice, and he is wanted in connection with a number of brutal murders. But he tells a different tale, of killings that were part of his work with the unit. Margolin's book turns out to be a fun interweaving of plot lines, and he even makes what could be a rather tired plot about a supersecret government agency work, as doubt is case right up to the end about who is really telling the truth, and whether Morelli is really a secret government agent or just a delusional and psychopathic killer.

Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol

A classic cold-war espionage tale. Very much in the mold of Tom Clancy, this great spy tale by Frederick Forsyth certainly belongs in the same class as Clancy's best. It is an entertaining tale of nuclear threats, a terrorist plot engineered by a faction in the Soviet government, and some great police work by an enterprising British agent who finds himself up against an unknown foe in a game with high stakes. This book is a great read, with a good plot and solid characters. Well done.

Stephen Lawhead, Patrick

In this work of imaginative historical fiction, Lawhead follows the exploits and exploitation of a young saint Patrick. This story, set mostly in Britain and Ireland, along with Gaul, Germania, and Rome, is an expansive and well-told tale. Lawhead does a great job of recreating the medieval world. And likewise the story of Patrick is a compelling one, as he emerges from a life of privilege and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, a journey which he sets upon unwillingly, as a captured slave at the hands of Irish raiders.

Patrick is my first Stephen Lawhead book, but it won't be my last. His writing is thoughtful, as well as entertaining. His characters are authentic, and they wrestle with real and timeless issues in a genuine way. And there is an epic feel to his writing, with the great places and characters that are encountered along the way. I found this book to be readable and interesting, as well as thought-provoking.

Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life

Though it's not my usual academic fare, I offer below a review I just finished for Max Lucado's newest book. In brief, great book. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.


Outlive Your Life is a compelling call to shake our complacency and rediscover our world through God's eyes. In these fifteen lessons shaped by the book of Acts, Max Lucado challenges his readers to look at their lives, their surroundings, and especially the people who surround them with a fresh and God-shaped perspective. Taking a cue from the way the gospel revolutionized the disciples and their ministry, even in uncomfortable and counter-cultural or even counter-intuitive ways, we too are to take up the kingdom life.


With his characteristic talent for pastoral insight, but in a way that surpasses other books of his that I have read, Lucado makes a clear and impassioned plea for so much more than cultural Christianity. He thinks of our complacent life like living in a clamshell: "Most of us have learned to insulate ourselves against the hurt of the hurting. Haven't we?" (23) Instead, God calls us "to unshell [ourselves] and partner with [Him] in [His] mission of love" (29). And that is what this book is all about, a new perspective, that looks beyond ourselves and our own interests to the interests of others, to the very interests of God. One great but uncomfortable point that typifies his challenge to readers is his assertion that "Poverty is not the lack of charity but the lack of justice" (106). We can't truly be Christ-followers and live life blind to those around us, blind to suffering, indifferent to injustice. Instead, we need to "outlive our lives," with a broader view and a renewed call to action.


I am happy to pass along that I enjoyed this book. It makes a great point (similar to Richard Stearns' The Hole in Our Gospel), is easily readable, and contains some great stories and illustrations for his points. And it serves as a clarion call to a broader vision, renewed commitment to prayer, and imperative for action. I hope this is his most-read book ever.

M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border

Christians at the Border is a thorough and timely study of the issue of immigration in America. Written by an Old Testament scholar who is a Guatemalan-American, and who lives and teaches on both sides of our Southern border, the perspectives Carroll R. brings are essential. He carefully looks at the situation today, showing the great complexity which must be comprehended as we look at immigration (including things like where people come from and why the come, the economic pressures on both sides of the borders, and the broader history of immigration in America). He then looks back into the Old and New Testaments to see how their witness can be brought to bear. In both of these areas, carefully looking at today's context and exploring the biblical context and teaching, the book shines.

The fundamental insight that Carroll R. uses to reframe the debate, and one that I think is essential as we move forward, is to recognize that the debate today must be shifted from one about "immigration" as a concept to a debate and discussion about immigrants, human beings made in God's image who deserve our respect, care, and concern. Especially as Christians, we must come to grips with the sojourners among us (who are often, incidentally, fellow Christians), and must seek both temporary and long-term solutions that create and maintain justice as well as express and embody our identity as God's agents on earth.

The discussion in America today about immigration is a great opportunity for the body of Christ to exemplify what it means to love God and neighbor. There is no doubt that we must get beyond entrenched political positions and party alignments, as well as beyond oversimplifications and false dichotomies and seek new ways of of living and acting as Christians in the world. As Carrol R. concludes, "The decisions that are made and courses of action that are recommended [in a Christian approach to immigration] should be commensurate with the life of Jesus—his actions, his teaching, his cross."

I highly and unreservedly recommend this book. It is very readable, just as it is also thorough and careful. First-hand experience is melded nicely with research, and careful biblical reasoning is brought to bear with wisdom on a divisive issue with an always irenic yet prophetic tone. Read this book and be challenged!

Anthony Swofford, Jarhead

This is not an easy book to read. That doesn't mean it isn't well-written, which it is, or that it lacks action, because it doesn't. Instead, it is an often uncomfortable book. It dispels the illusion we all harbor to one degree or another that war is noble and that warriors are likewise noble. Instead, Swofford recounts his own experience in the Marine Corps, first as a line grunt in training and then as a member of the elite Surveillance and Target Acquisition Platoon (that is, a member of the sniper squad). He tells with stark honesty of life in the corps, the hard men living a hard life. The brutality and futility are almost palpable. Gone, or at least greatly altered, are pictures of the upright and driven soldier, fighting selflessly for the greater good. The portrait Swofford builds, of himself and his fellow platoonmates, is one of great skill coupled with often senseless violence: violence itself becomes a rush, an addiction. Soldiers fight because they have no choice, because even though they wish they had never joined they're stuck there now, and because that is where the outlet for their addiction is provided.

Along with his colorful portrait of life in the Marine Corps, Swofford recounts his own participation in and understanding of the first Gulf War, an interesting inside portrait of a quick victory to reclaim valuable oil fields.

Both as a piece of first-hand history, and as an insider tale of life at war, this is an important book. Especially for the myths it dispels, it is important reading. Because as long as we glamorize war, we don't really comprehend it, and as long as we valorize the experiences of our soldiers, we won't really be able to even begin to both honor their service and enfold them again into society. And, maybe most important of all, if we don't come face to face with the yawing void that is war, with all of its tragedy, violence, and futility, we will be too quick to go down that path again and again.

Norman Ollestad, Crazy for the Storm

In this well-written account, Norman Ollestad tells the compelling tale of his own survival of a small plane crash high in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. As an 11-year-old boy, he was the lone survivor of the crash, and had to make his way down the steep face of the mountain alone in order to escape the deadly cold. Interwoven with this narrative is the larger tale of his relationship with his dad.

Normand Ollestad Sr. was a driven man, who loved to push the envelope in skiing, in surfing, and in life, and who took his son along with him, willing or not. These experiences of being forced to push his own endurance, to learn things that didn't interest him, caused a lot of resentment in young Norman Jr. But as he recounts the tale of his survival, he comes to realize that though his dad was "crazy for the storm," for the rush of survival and the thrill of the perfect ride, it was his dad's drivenness and the extremes that he too experienced under his dad's compulsion that got him through. "I knew that what he had put me through saved my life" (210).

The memoir is an entertaining read. The harrowing fight for survival high in the mountains drives the story, but the interwoven tales of Norm's upbringing in the surfing and skiing world are no less interesting, and the two halves of the tale come together nicely to paint a fascinating though tragic picture of this complicated relationship of father and son. It raises, without answering, some interesting and important questions about fathers and sons, parents and children, especially with regard to how to mold and shape a future generation and ensure they learn and experience things that will be important building blocks for life without removing freedom. The epilogue in which Norman talks about his relationship with his own son and the setting in which he wrote the book provides a nice tie up for these questions. In all, it is a very worthwhile book.

Ronald C. White, Jr., A. Lincoln

In this full-scale biography of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald White does a great job of conveying both the brilliance and the humanity of this great president. As you would expect, White chronicles Lincoln's upbringing, his education (or lack thereof), and his entry into the law profession. It is clear that these years set the stage for what is to come, as you can see the character that will become so essential to his success being formed. White chronicles Lincoln's early forays into politics, his time in the state legislature, and his early involvement with the nascent Republican party. He carefully reports on the famous debates with Stephen Douglas, as well as Lincoln's meteoric rise to the presidency. Lincoln's time in office is then reported with great care, showing not only Lincoln's important stances on slavery (though those are carefully discussed), but also how Lincoln operated as a politician and as a commander-in-chief (a role he felt mostly unprepared for, so he took up a reading program to educate himself, in true Lincoln fashion).

I loved this book, and am happy to recommend it. I think one of the components that intrigued me most about Lincoln the man was how he balanced his strong principles with political pragmatism or realism, knowing for instance how hard to push various abolition laws while at the same time being sure to not alienate border states that were on the fence about sessession and thereby imperiling the union further. A second element that intrigued me was how the political campaign system operated differently. Candidates for president didn't "campaign" for office: instead, others spoke on their behalf, and their record, speeches, and writings spoke for the candidates. It is intriguing to think how our political scene might be different if politicians were judged by what they've actually accomplished or the principles they have articulated over time instead of the promises they make and the persona they portray (not that these things were unimportant in Lincoln's day; it's naive to think of his era as an idyllic one, as White points out at various points).

Ted Bell, Spy

In this action-adventure thriller, Ted Bell features his hero, Alex Hawke, a wealthy independent spy and paramilitary operator with ties to the British intelligence service. We find Hawke a prisoner in a work camp deep in the Amazon rain forest.

A short time after a narrow escape from the Amazonian camp, and the tyrant, Syrian Muhammad Top, Hawke finds himself enlisted by the British intelligence agency to both discuss his perspective on the threat posed by Top and his organization and also to head up a mission to disrupt Top's plans. Top is the leader of a secret military organization, supported by Islamic militants, whose intent is to combine with Latin American rebels to both incite violence against and war with the United States, as well as to strike fatal blows at strategic locations in the US. An important component of the strategy, especially of the Mexican government, is requonquista, retaking the lands lost to the United States in previous centuries through recolonizing them, with both legal and illegal border crossings. This silent army will rise up and join with Mexican forces when the time is right to reclaim territory for Mexico.

It is up to Hawke to travel up the Amazon, in his heavily armed and custom-built cruise ship, to take out Top's jungle fortress before the attack can occur. Along with Stokley, his trusted side-kick and deputy, and his friend Inspector Congreve, as well as a group of international mercenaries, Thunder and Lightning, Hawke heads right into enemy territory, encountering UAV drones as well as unmanned tanks that defend Top's headquarters. They must hurry to cut the head off of the snake before the plans come to fruition, in a huge remotely controlled attack centered on Washington DC at the time of the inauguration of the President.

Bell stirs up quite a brew, playing off a number of issues current in the news, especially immigration and Islamic terrorism, and striving to combine them into one super plot. It makes for a novel with a lot of bad guys, but it certainly strains the realm of plausibility. And not only that, it certainly implants nefarious motives and plays off fears with regard to immigration.

Paul Copan, "True for You but Not for Me"

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy. In this second edition of "True For You But Not For Me," philosopher Paul Copan lays out a very clear and readable exposition of the philosophical foundations for Christian belief. The book is oriented around responses to common objections, with each chapter focusing on a particular slogan or objection, such as "It's all a matter of perspective," or "Christianity is arrogant and imperialistic." The chapters are divided up into five parts, which move in progression from the general concept of truth (looking at relativism and moral relativism in parts one and two), to the basic truth of a God-centered worldview (religions relativism, part three), to the centrality of Christ (parts four and five). This organization mirrors Copan's overarching method for apologetics, what he calls "Truth-God-Jesus," asserting that an understanding of the existence and importance of truth will provide the foundation for a genuine belief in God, which will in turn provide the necessary framework for recognition of Jesus Christ as the only way to be saved.


A few notes about the content, which I won't otherwise attempt to summarize here because of the breadth of the treatment. First, he emphasizes over and over (to good effect) the exclusivity of supposed "relativist" philosophies, whether in regard to truth, morality, or religion. He also engages John Hick in extended dialogue in part three regarding religious pluralism. Also worthy of note is that part five consists of an extended discussion of the fate of the unevangelized, with a number of live evangelical options presented and considered (he seems to lean toward a middle-knowledge view, which he ends with).


Copan argues very clearly, and lays out complex issues in a helpful and accessible way. Each chapter is concluded with a bullet-point summary of the important arguments made in the chapter, making the book a ready reference. Copan also demonstrates broad familiarity with the biblical text and up-to-date knowledge of a good range of contemporary biblical studies (with well-placed references to, for example, Richard Bauckham, N. T. Wright, Douglas Moo, Ben Witherington, etc.).


In all, I would say Copan's book achieves its aims admirably. It will serve Christians well who want to better understand their faith and who want to know how to respond to or how to maintain their faith in the face of many common and often vexing objections.

Rob Stennett, The Almost True Story of Ryan Fischer

This entertaining book has been sitting on my to-be-reviewed shelf for months, so I'm going to satisfy myself with only this short notice. The book was entertaining, a thoughtful and surprising journey into what it means to be a Christian. It also serves as a fictional exploration of what it means to be a church. Stennett entertains (the story smacked of Fletch at points, with some nice humor) but also shows insight into today's evangelical culture. I look forward to reading more of his work.

Don Hoesel, Hunter's Moon

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy. Hunter's Moon is a tale of buried secrets and wounded lives. Novelist CJ Baxter is put back in touch with his family after years of separation by the death of his grandfather. Being back in the midst of the Baxter clan puts him face to face with the past he has tried to avoid. Coming back to New York and the Baxter family is at the same time a flight from marital troubles back in Tennessee, so CJ's life is in shambles. But in the weeks following his grandfather's funeral, the clouded issues of the past start to become clear. CJ's brother is running for the Senate and CJ, a bestselling novelist, is tapped by a magazine to write an article about his brother and his candidacy. This gives CJ a chance to delve more deeply into his brothers current dealings, as well as an occasion to work through their past. The fraternal conflict heightens as the novel advances, culminating in a hunt through the woods of New York where the hunted becomes the hunter.

Hoesel has written an interesting story of family conflict and estrangement. The prose carries the plot well, and the development of the main character carries the readers interest. CJ explores his recently found Christian faith in a way that works with the story, and while these themes come across clearly the book isn't preachy, which is definitely a strength. Overall, a good second offering from Hoesel.

John Grisham, Ford County

In this fascinating collection of short stories, Grisham shows his characteristic flare for interesting characters and situations, as well as his ability to turn a plot on a legal storyline. The seven stories in this collection demonstrate a nice variety of characters and plot, some having tinges of a more traditional Grisham legal thriller and some having no legal theme at all. They are all held together, though, by their setting in Ford County, Mississippi, which readers will recall from books like A Time to Kill, The Last Juror, and The Summons. In all, I greatly enjoyed these seven tales. For me they evoked the feeling of Flannery O'Connor's grotesque southern fiction, especially evident in Grisham's colorful characters and sometimes nearly ridiculous encounters, though they always stay true enough to life to stay in the realm of the plausible. A few of these stories could easily have been the seeds of full-length novels, but all stood well as short stories. Though a departure from his usual format, these stories may be some of his best writing yet.

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

I needed some beach/boat reading over our vacation to Florida and the Caribbean, and this classic Caribbean tale was one of my choices. And it didn't disappoint. I was surprised yet again by the power of Hemingway's prose and the texture of his characters. This tale of an epic battle between man and fish, or maybe, between man and life, rewards repeated readings. This book is truly a classic of American literature and provides a great opportunity to ponder the questions of our identity: Who am I? How do I know it? How do I become who I am?

David Murrow, The Map: The Way of All Great Men

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy. In The Map, David Murrow, the author of Why Men Hate Going to Church, uses the metaphor of a map, along with a creatively told fictional tale of its discovery, to describe the spiritual journey of a man. He begins with a ten-chapter tale of the map's discovery in an ancient manuscript in a Grecian monastery by the monk Gerasimos, and of his own involvement in the project as a journalist and writer who could popularize the discovery. But things aren't so simple when he discovers he is being pursued by a mysterious group with unclear motives. Someone must want the map for personal gain. David goes to the monastery to meet with Gerasimos, and he is taught by the monk about the journey the map describes. He is then finally introduced to the map.

The map itself, described in an ancient document entitled "The Three Journeys of Jesus," is actually a key to understanding Jesus own life as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew as three journeys, submission, strength, and sacrifice—three journeys that all men are to emulate in a life of discipleship.

In the second half of the book, following on this interesting fictional account, Murrow fleshes out these three journeys he finds in Matthew's gospel. The first, submission, is found in the early part of the Gospel (chs 1–7). It entails a journey toward the feminine, and is characterized by submission to God. The second is strength, and is found in Matthew 8–25. It is a journey of assertion and strength, a journey toward the masculine. The final journey is sacrifice (Matt 26–28), a journey back in the feminine direction, focused on handing over control, passing on responsibility, training up the next generation.

I found much of value in Murrow's creatively shaped handbook on male discipleship. I think he has indeed picked up three important themes of discipleship and described them well. His assertion that he has found a hidden map in the Gospel of Matthew is more tenuous, I would think, though that doesn't totally undermine the key insights. I also found his description of these stages or journeys in terms of masculine and feminine as a mixed bag. In some senses, it is helpful to see how these stages relate to typical tendencies or traits aligned with one gender, and to warn of the pitfalls that might be typical of especially men, means it has its use. Though in a more absolute way I don't think they were necessary for the book's key insight. In terms of a book directed toward men, and the vision of male discipleship it forms, I think Murrow's book has much value. It is a helpful corrective to some male-directed books that seem to glorify masculine traits and tendencies at the expense of important biblical themes like submission and sacrifice. So there is no doubt the book has great value for that alone.

In all, I found a few points on which to quibble, but I clearly think Murrow has identified three important themes in the life of the disciple, packaged them creatively with a fictional tale and a helpful map, and directed them well to a male audience. I hope this book is read widely and that it engenders a dialogue about the shape and purpose of the Christian life, especially the Christian life of a man.

Stephen Mansfield, The Search for God and Guinness

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy. This book is, as its subtitle proclaims, "a biography" of a beer. But, it is obviously more than that. In short, it is the biography of a family and a company whose history is seasoned with devotion to Jesus Christ and to the conviction that faith can be lived out beyond the walls of a church. In this interesting and readable journey through 250 years of history, Mansfield writes an engaging chronicle of how this family's faith shaped the ethos of a company and led it to be a leader both in the quality of the product it produced and in the way it formed a corporate culture. I can't say I'd ever thought of beer as a particularly healthy drink (probably due to a lot of baggage that often comes with the beverage in its American context), but its value as a safe and wholesome alternative to either unsafe water or to harder liquor in the early years of the company was part of the motivation behind its beginnings.

I was fascinated by the way this company continually chose to be a leader in the way it treated its workers, from the way company doctors aggressively sought to improve the living conditions of turn-of-the-twentieth-century workers, to the preservation of jobs for people in military service during the second world war, to the high wages it paid. I was also intrigued by the pattern of heirs apparent sidestepping their path to the company for full-time Christian ministry.

In all, this was both an entertaining and informative study on how one family and company have lived out their faith. It certainly gives food for thought on how our corporate culture today often falls short.

John Grisham, The Summons

In this 2002 return to Clanton, Mississippi, Grisham takes a bit of a departure from his more typical legal-thriller style. Ray Atlee, a law professor from Virginia, gets a rather cryptic "summons" from his ailing retired-judge father regarding the disposition of his estate. Ray arrives to find his father dead on the couch, and he soon discovers boxes and boxes of cash in the study cabinets. So Ray is set on a mission to figure out where all this cash came from (some shady dealings by his father?), and what to do with it (divide it with his in-and-out-of-rehab brother, declare it to the government?). The action picks up as Ray discovers that someone else must know about the cash too, as they stalk around the house, and later break into his Virginia apartment. Though not Grisham's best work (that's a pretty high standard), I still really enjoyed this book. The writing is good, the characters and setting interesting, and the mystery agreeably opaque.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

I highly recommend this classic work on the importance of Christian community. Coming out of his experiences in the Confessing Church seminary in the years leading up to WWII, Bonhoeffer's spectacular book both outlines the theological foundation for a robust and intentional communal life, but also gives practical advice on how to bring it about. While we certainly won't all be participating in the daily type of community that Bonhoeffer envisions (though it is very different from a cloister life, in that it is intentionally pointed toward and among the world in service), his vision is filled with great wisdom and insight for appreciating and reinvigorating our participation in our churches and smaller fellowship groups today. Teaching about Bible reading, prayer, service, and confession, Bonhoeffer paints a picture of the Christian life that preserves one from self-absorption and brings one into the support and fellowship of the communion of saints as we encounter Christ in one another. Truly a must-read.

W. Dale Cramer, Levi's Will

Thanks to Bethany House Publishers for the review copy. In Levi's Will, Cramer brings the modern-day Amish community to life. He crafts a powerful story of a son, Will, who leaves the Amish community of his birth under a cloud of disgrace to find his way in the world. Eventually he reestablishes contact with his family, but his reception is mostly cold, especially from his father, Levi, who considers Will to be under the ban imposed on him for his youthful waywardness. As the years go by, and he is embroiled in a complicated relationship with his own son, does he begin to see his father's actions mirrored in his own. Over many years, Will is brought back into the fellowship of the family, and receives absolution of sorts from his father. A forgiveness that likewise brings him back to God as well.

This is a well-written book that explores the imperfections in a father's relationship with his son, and how those can sometimes be unwittingly passed on to subsequent generations. But it is also a story of forgiveness, both withheld and granted. And it becomes even more powerful when you read the author's 2009 Afterword to the book (originally published in 2005), which tells of how the book is a relatively close parallel to the experience of the author's own father. Or, at least, it was except for the ending. He hadn't experienced the the same reconciliation, and was still under a ban and outside the fellowship of his sister's Old Order Amish family. But after the publication of the book, he was encouraged by his sister's children to write an appeal to the bishop asking forgiveness for the sins of his youth, a forgiveness which he eventually received. So the (real) story ends with a happy reunion of long-estranged family. As Cramer summarizes it, "Only God can get away with an ending like that" (396).

I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God

In this classic study (published originally in 1969 and republished with a new substantive epilogue in 1995), Marshall looks at a key theological issue in the New Testament, the perseverance of believers. In a setting of persecution, the question of perseverance is one that arises often in the NT texts, and it is an important pastoral issue still today. But it is also extremely useful as a lens through which to view the NT understanding of salvation, election, judgment, and many other interconnected ideas. In short, it is a vital test case, or maybe better put, it is essential data for a robust NT doctrine of God and of salvation.

Marshall digs in to the relevant NT texts by first investigating the OT and Jewish background concerning perseverance. He then moves through the various corpora in the NT: the Synoptics, Acts, Paul, Pastorals (may or may not be by Paul, but treated separately from though with an eye toward the undisputed Pauline corpus), Hebrews, the Catholics, and the Johannine literature. This systematic study is largely exegetical, as Marshall works carefully with the individual texts on their own before summing up each author's perspective.

Marshall then brings all of this data to bear on a conclusion: "We can say firmly that, while it is possible for a Christian to fail to persevere after a genuine experience of salvation, yet, with all the promises of a faithful God to sustain those who trust in Him, the main emphasis of the New Testament is on confidence and assurance of final salvation" (210). In short, while we can't explain away the possibility of falling away, believers may be "confident of persevering through the power of God" (199).

I am greatly appreciative of Marshall's study. I think it is a wonderful exegetical survey of this important area. And I think it provides an important testimony to the work of God in salvation. It obviously has much bearing on the Calvinist-Arminian debate (though Marshall prefers the designation "non-Calvinist" in this context because the second position isn't necessarily in conformity with Arminius). He has many insightful discussions of election, calling, monergism vs synergism, and some of the other relevant theological areas that are touched on by this topic. I greatly benefited from this book, and think Marshall has taken a robust, biblical line on the question of perseverance and, more broadly, on God's working in salvation.

Sahah Palin, Going Rogue: An American Life

I departed a bit from my usual routine to read the much-publicized autobiography of Sarah Palin. She was an interesting character, to say the least, in the 2008 elections, and this book gave her own interesting perspective on those events.

I usually enjoy biographies, and this one was no different. She details her own upbringing in Alaska, her experiences as a wife and mother, Todd's job on the North Slope, and her own political development. There were a number of fun stories that give a window on life in the great frontier of Alaska. But the book really hits its step when it gets into her political career, from her somewhat surprise foray into politics as a councilwoman to her election as mayor, and on to the Governor's office, bucking the party the whole way. She certainly paints herself as a maverick, and her record would seem to fit the bill. She stood up to corruption in both parties in Alaska and sought common-sense solutions to problems. Her straight-talking political style and her advocacy of a common-sense convservatism make her an interesting character, and she certainly comes off as something other than your usual politician.

Her account of the 2008 presidential campaing was the centerpoint of the book, and it gave an interesting perspective to her role. The McCain campaign came off, in her characterization, as being poorly managed, as as often mismanaging Palin, especially when it comes to her own responses to her critics. So this book was a chance for her to say what she wanted to say at the time. And in that vain, it seemed to fit some of the pieces of her involvement in that campaign and her characterization in the media together. In all, it seems she might have proved to be a better candidate than she did if she'd been allowed to speak more freely. But that's all in hindsight, of course.

In all, this was an interesting, and well-written book, and Palin certainly comes off as a legitimate political force giving voice to a clear current within American political thinking. Maybe she isn't presidential material (that jury is still out, I'm sure), but there is no doubt that she brings an interesting and worthwhile perspective and voice to the political scene.