Reading for November and December 2006

I admit that for two months my reading seems pretty pathetic, but, especially during the end of November and throughout December, I was working a ton of hours with training and the whole Christmas shopping season. So, I had little free time for reading. I did do more reading than is represented on this list, but much was unfinished. So here is the list.

• New York: An Illustrated History. Ric Burns and James Sanders: 1999

  An overview of the history of New York City from its settlement by the Dutch to the 1970’s, the book examines development of the city and its influence on the rest of the country and the world. In the midst of the main narrative, short articles focusing on a particular area or aspect of the city are interspersed. Figures who receive significant attention are Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Tammany Hall and Robert Moses

• Practice in Christianity- Soren Kierkegaard: 1850.
  The book is a compilation of three series of exposition of Scripture passages dealing with the concept of offense at the person of Jesus. Writing under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard examines the meaning of the historical person of Jesus in the midst of established Christianity. The first section focuses on Jesus invitation in come to him for rest in light of the contemporary response to Jesus of offense. The second section examines the statement “Blessed is he who is not offended at me.” He considers the various manners in which contemporaries of Jesus were offended at him, at his collision with the established order, his claims of loftiness as a human being, his humiliation as the Godman. The final section examines Jesus’ statement that he would draw all to himself from on high. In this section he emphasizes the pattern of Jesus life of humiliation then exaltation is the pattern for the true Christian’s life. The model for the church on earth is the church militant, and established Christianity denies this reality. This work is one of the most biblical and most convicting for its contemporary application of all Kierkegaard’s works.

• The Remnant- Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (Book 10): 2002
  While previous volumes moved forward at a very slow pace, this volume covered nearly a year and a half. The Tribulation force dispersed from Chicago after being found out by the Global Community. After nearly being found out as the mole inside the palace and causing danger for the rescue of a captured force member, Chang played low. The plague of darkness and heat were used by the force to their own advantage. Several plot discontinuities appeared in the volume, the most notable being that after the death of all those without the mark of God at Petra, Tsion later in the volume pleads with those who were undecided.

• “A Better Possession” New Horizons (November 2006)
  The main article addressed giving for the 2006 Thank Offering. Other articles outlined developments in Home Missions and Foreign Missions. The second part of an article on “Mountain Religion” concluded the series, with the conclusion that “mountain religion,” like all other religions are forms of Pelagianism. Reviews were included on Bebbington’s book on Evangelicalism in the Age of Spurgeon and Moody, and The Letters of Geerhardus Vos.

• “It Says, Scripture Says, God Says-” Benjamin B. Warfield. The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield (Volume I- Revelation and Inspiration- pg. 283-332).
  Warfield examines in this article the use of subjectless uses of and λέγει and φησι in the New Testament and their references. Many scholars have proposed that these statements are indefinite. Warfield argues that these statements are not truly indefinite, but have reference to either the Scriptures or God as the ultimate author of Scripture. His argument consists of the perspective on the Word of God held by the New Testament and other contemporary authors; and the lack of good attestation of indefinite λέγει and φησι in contemporary Greek Literature. The strongest argument Warfield offers is an examination in context of many of the occurrences in the New Testament, and showing how a reference can often be found for the subjectless phrase within the larger context.