One of the privileges of working at PRTS is the weekly arrival of new books to supplement our library of 70,000+ books. Here are the new picks this week.

Note: Inclusion in the library does not necessarily mean endorsement of contents. We often have to buy books to help students with specialist theses and also to train students to think critically. Also, a book new to the library does not necessarily mean a new book on the market.

Extraordinary Women of Christian History: What We Can Learn from Their Struggles and Triumphs by Ruth A. Tucker

“Christianity has long been criticized as a patriarchal religion. But during its two-thousand-year history, the faith has been influenced and passed down by faithful women…These women are examples to us of faith, perseverance, forgiveness, and fortitude.”

Profits in the Wilderness: Entrepreneurship and the Founding of New England Towns in the Seventeenth Century by John Frederick Martin

“Martin’s study will challenge historians to rethink not only social history but also the cultural history of early New England. Instead of taking sides in the long-standing debate between Puritan scholars and business historians, Martin identifies strains within Puritanism and the rest of the colonists’ culture that both discouraged and encouraged land commerce, both supported and undermined communalism, both hindered and hastened development of the wilderness.”

Faith of Our Fathers: God in Ancient China by Chan Kei Thong

“Due to the many similarities and belief in God as the only Creator, the author points out in detail how Chinese characters manifest historical evidences and many aspects recorded in the Bible. He claims China’s 4000 years of history as proof to support that God has never left this country.”

Critical Conversations: A Christian Parents’ Guide to Discussing Homosexuality with Teens by Tom Gilson

“This is perhaps the most complicated and contentious issue Christians face in today’s culture. Most churches are poorly equipped to handle it; parents are even less prepared. The good news is that parents need not have pat answers ready before they dive into conversations with their teens and preteens on this difficult topic. Learning together―parents struggling through these issues alongside their kids and leading them to biblical answers― has relational benefits.”

Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World by Tim Whitmarsh

“How new is atheism? Although adherents and opponents alike today present it as an invention of the European Enlightenment, when the forces of science and secularism broadly challenged those of faith, disbelief in the gods, in fact, originated in a far more remote past. In Battling the Gods, Tim Whitmarsh journeys into the ancient Mediterranean, a world almost unimaginably different from our own, to recover the stories and voices of those who first refused the divinities.”

Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice

“Short, clear, realistic and humorous, this book will challenge you to be honest in your conversations about Jesus, help you to know how to talk about him, and thrill you that God can and will use ordinary people to change eternal destinies.”

The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home by Chris Moles

“In The Heart of Domestic Abuse, Chris Moles uses his vast experience in battered intervention, and his training in biblical counseling to encourages godly men in the church to call abusive men to repentance and accountability through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Miracles of Jesus: How the Savior’s Mighty Acts Serve as Signs of Redemption

“By explaining the meaning and significance of all 26 miracles recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, New Testament scholar Vern Poythress shows us their relevance for our lives today.”

Engaging with Muslims: Understanding their World; Sharing Good News by John Klaassen

“This short book is designed to help both Christians and whole churches understand more about the variety of Muslims there are living in the West, and to reach out to them with the good news of the gospel.”

Heresy, Literature and Politics in Early Modern English Culture edited by David Loewenstein and John Marshall

“This interdisciplinary volume of essays brings together a team of leading early modern historians and literary scholars in order to examine the changing conceptions, character, and condemnation of ‘heresy’ in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.”

Philosophy in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic by Douglas Groothuis

“Douglas Groothuis unpacks seven pivotal sentences from the history of western philosophy―a few famous, all short, none trivial. Included are: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ ―Socrates; ‘You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.’―Augustine; ‘I think, therefore I am.’ ―Decartes; ‘The heart has reasons, that reason knows nothing of.’ ―Pascal”

Moral Identity in Early Modern English Literature by Paul Cefalu

“Paul Cefalu’s study explores the relationship between moral character and religious conversion in the poetry and prose of Sidney, Spenser, Donne, Herbert, and Milton, as well as in early modern English Conformist and Puritan sermons, theological tracts, and philosophical treatises.”

Christian Spirituality in Africa: Biblical, Historical, and Cultural Perspectives from Kenya by Sung Kyu Park

“Christian Spirituality in Africa holistically approaches the convergence of East/West, and Christian/Traditional African religions. Its theological, historical, and anthropological perspectives contribute to a balanced understanding of Christian spirituality/transformation in an African context.”

Fire Across the Water: Transatlantic Dimensions of the 18th Century Presbyterian Revivals by Anthony L. Blair

“In the mid-18th century a series of revivals flared within the colonies of British North America… Fire Across the Water looks at the dynamics of this Presbyterian revival among several frontier communities and their parish churches, noting how they split along socioeconomic lines.”

The Other Jonathan Edwards: Selected Writings on Society, Love, and Justice Edited by Gerald McDermott and Ronald Story

“Widely regarded as perhaps America’s greatest theologian, Jonathan Edwards still suffers the stereotype of hellfire preacher obsessed with God’s wrath. In this anthology, Gerald McDermott and Ronald Story seek to correct that common view by showing that Edwards was also a compassionate, socially conscious minister of the first order.”

The American Puritan Elegy: A Literary and Cultural Study by Jeffery A. Hammond

“Jeffrey Hammond’s study of the funeral elegies of early New England reassesses a body of poems whose importance in their own time has been obscured by almost total neglect in ours. Hammond reconstructs the historical, theological and cultural contexts of these poems to demonstrate how they responded to Puritan views on a specific process of mourning.”

Prodigals and Pilgrims: The American Revolution against Patriarchal Authority 1750-1800 by Jay Fliegelman

“The author traces a constellation of intimately related ideas – about the nature of parental authority and filial rights, of moral obligation of Scripture, of the growth of the mind and the nature of historical progress – from their most important English and continental expressions in a variety of literary and theological texts, to their transmission, reception and application in Revolutionary America and in the early national period of American culture.”

How does an amillennialist interpret Daniel 9:24-27?

Daniel 9:24-27 is apocalyptic literature that uses figurative language to predict the nature, timing and consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming.

Daniel 9:24-27

Daniel was written for the Israelites who had been living as captives in Babylon for almost seventy years. It was about 540 BC and it looked as if the Babylonian gods had defeated the God of Israel and the Israel of God. Eighty-two-year-old Daniel wrote to correct this false impression. The structure of the book is:

• Chapters 1-6: Faithful living in evil times (historical narratives about Daniel’s godly life in Babylon)
• Chapters 7-12: Forward looking in evil times (dreams and visions about the future)

One day, as Daniel was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah about a seventy-year exile for Israel (Jeremiah 25:8-11; 29:10-14), the angel Gabriel appeared to him with a message about another seventy. In effect, Gabriel said, “Daniel,you’ve been thinking about the seventy years of exile for God’s people. Well that’s not the only seventy in God’s program for Jerusalem. In seventy periods of seven, Jerusalem will witness even greater things.”

is apocalyptic literature…

Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation are full of apocalyptic language, characterized by symbolism, visions, allegories, parables, and symbolic actions. Usually there is a sharp distinction between the heavenly and earthly spheres. The literature takes a pessimistic view of the earthly sphere, and usually centers hope in the heavenly realm, from which salvation will come.

that uses figurative language…

The Bible uses “seven” as a figure of perfection, and “ten” as a figure of completion. Therefore, Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is a perfect and complete period of time. Just as forgiving seventy times seven is a figure for complete and perfect forgiveness, so Daniel’s “seventy sevens” is the “decreed” period in which the greatest work of God is brought to complete perfection.

to predict the nature…of Christ’s work at His first coming.

Daniel portrays this greatest work of God, Christ’s redemption, with three negatives and three positives (Daniel 9:24).

The negatives are:

• To finish the transgression: Sin will brought under control so that it no longer reigns to the same extent.
• To make an end of (lit. seal up) sins: Sin will be securely locked up.
• To make reconciliation for (lit. cover) iniquity: When sin is covered it is atoned for.

The positives are:

• To bring in everlasting righteousness: God will being in a righteousness from without, eternal in origin and duration.
• To seal up (lit. authenticate) the vision and prophecy: God’s Word will be accredited and attested by these events.
• To anoint the Most Holy: God will qualify and enable His Son, the “Holy of Holies” for his central role and huge responsibilities in this great work of redemption.

…to predict the timing…of Christ’s work at His first coming

Daniel divides the “seventy sevens” into three divisions (vv. 25-27):

7 sevens: A medium period of time (@ 460 to 410 BC) which began when Artarxerxes gave the command to rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel describes this as “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” This restoration and rebuilding occurred under Ezra and Nehemiah.

62 sevens: A much longer period of time (@ 410 BC to 30 AD) which began with Jerusalem rebuilt and restored, and finished with Christ’s first coming and, more specifically, with the beginning of His public ministry.

1 seven: A relatively short period of time (@ 30 AD) which began with Christ’s first coming (especially the beginning of His public ministry) and included His life, death and resurrection.

…and to predict the consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming.

After 7 + 62 sevens (69 sevens), or in the middle of the seventieth seven, “Messiah will be cut off” (v. 26), a phrase used both for death and for ratifying a covenant. This “cutting off” will be for the benefit of others, “not for himself,” and it will “confirm the covenant with many.”

The covenant of grace, as revealed through the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, and as further prophesied by Jeremiah, will be fulfilled by the Messiah.

In the middle of the seventieth seven, Messiah will cause the whole temple worship to cease, to be rendered unnecessary by His death and resurrection (v. 27).

The temple sacrifices did not actually cease until Jerusalem was desolated by Titus in 70 AD, but that was really just the outward manifestation of what had already happened in God’s eyes. In God’s eyes, Christ’s death rendered the sacrificial system unnecessary and over.

So, although the Jews continued to reject Christ’s sacrifice and offer animal sacrifices, God viewed this as “the overspreading of abominations” (v. 27) for which He would punish them with desolation. “The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be with a flood” (Daniel 9:26).

Daniel 9:24-27 is apocalyptic literature that uses figurative language to predict the nature, timing and consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming.

Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). 

That cannot mean that if we attach “in Jesus’ name” to any prayer request we are guaranteed to get it – it’s not a magic spell.

Neither can it mean that if we neglect to say “in Jesus’ name” our prayers will not be answered – no prayer in the Bible contains these specific words.

So what does it mean? We use it often enough at the close of most of our prayers, and yet do we know what we’re saying?

1. It is to pray as a believer in Christ’s name

The words immediately preceding the promises in verses 13-14 are addressed to believers:

“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves” (v. 11)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also (v. 12).

Jesus gives the promises of verses 13-14 to those who believe in His name, who see His name as the only one under heaven that can save them.

2. It is to pray as someone who honors Christ’s name

The sons of Sceva used Christ’s name without loving Christ’s name. They used it in a careless and irreverent way, and suffered painful and embarrassing consequences (Acts 19:11-20). To me it’s a miracle we don’t see today’s “Prosperity  Gospel” preachers stripped bare before their churches as they abuse Christ’s name for their own gain.

Those who truly pray in Christ’s name, count it more valuable and worthy than any other name in the world.

3. It is to pray for what would increase Christ’s fame

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).

To pray in Christ’s name is to pray for whatever would increase the fame of Christ.

4. It is to pray in communion with Christ

The words that follow the promises of John 14:13-14 describe those who are living in communion with Christ – He in them and they in Him. In the next chapter the need for living communion with Christ is again underlined in connection with prayer:

“If you abide in Me….you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

5. It is to pray as if Christ was doing the asking

“…if my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

What’s envisaged here is that Christ’s words have percolated so deeply into the soul, that they become the believers words. The believer is so conditioned and controlled by Christ’s Word that he or she can hardly help but pray Christ’s words back to Him. Praying in Christ’s name is coming to Christ with Christ’s own desires.

6. It is to pray with confidence in Christ’s name

When we pray in Christ’s name, we are saying, “I have no confidence in my own name, my own character, my own merits.” We are saying, “We have complete confidence in Christ’s name to give us access and authority in prayer.”

“In Jesus’ name” is more than a full stop or a comma. It’s a phrase freighted with significance and power. Let’s use it more knowledgeably, reverently, and confidently.

Blogs

The Secret to a Happy Life  | R.C. Sproul Ligonier Ministries Blog
“Christians know moments of happiness, when we are alone in the presence of God, in fellowship with Him, and it is enough to know our sins have been forgiven. But soon we forget and we’re worrying about the bills. Suddenly, we say, ‘If I just had a little bit more money, if I just had a better car, if I just had a nicer house, I’d finally be happy.’”

The One Ingredient Essential to Biblical Manhood | Thabiti Anyabwile, The Gospel Coalition
“Self-control (or its absence) lies at the root of so many other things we recognize as problems in the thoughts, feelings, and decisions of men.”

7 Ways to Fight Distraction in Prayer | Gavin Ortlund, The Gospel Coalition
Seven strategies for fighting  distraction to deepen and direct our prayers.

Help! I’m Too Busy for My Free Time! | Dr. Anne Bradley, The Institute of Faith, Work, and Economics
“Having a block of free time isn’t reason enough to fill it up. What is God asking us to do? Maybe we’ll hear him tell us we need to be still and run around less. Admittedly, this is also difficult.”

How To Be A Great Teacher, From 12 Great Teachers | Anya Kamenetz, NPR Ed
“Great teachers have two things in common: an exceptional level of devotion to their students, and the drive to inspire each one to learn and succeed.”

Why kids today are out of shape, disrespectful – and in charge | Leann Italie, The Sacramento Bee
An interview with Dr. Leonard Sax, author of the book The Collapse of Parenting.

New Book

Christological Anthropology in Historical Perspective by Marc Cortez, ($22.07 paperback, $14.99 Kindle).

Kindle Deals

Rediscovering Holiness: Know the Fullness of Life with God By J. I. Packer ($1.99)

Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life by Ruth Soukup ($1.99)

Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament by Michael P. V. Barrett ($0.99)

Finishing Well to the Glory of God: Strategies from a Christian Physician by John Dunlop ($2.99). I’ve heard great reports about this book.

Video

Admitting I Was Wrong: 2016 Presidential Campaign Version | Cheryl Magness, The Federalist
Remember the lady who was filmed saying that President Obama would pay off her mortgage, give her a free phone, etc. Here she is eight years later.

Blogs

Having Trouble in Ministry? Just Face it. Literally
“I remember a particular ‘green’ moment in my first year of full-time ministry when I asked the guys during a staff meeting (this was about 4 months in), ‘Is it always like this?’ To which they lovingly responded, ‘It is Mach IV with your hair on fire. Buckle up. Heaven will be great.’ This was during a particularly tumultuous time, but it has nevertheless characterized ministry. Those of you who are in ministry know what I am talking about.”

Yes, Your Pastor Needs a Sabbatical
“Focused, intentional rest doesn’t come easy, because we have become addicted to productivity. Our inability to faithfully rest is due to a number of things, yet at the top of the list is an unhealthy drive to perform, control, and produce. The affects are that we can slowly begin to forget that God can keep things going without us.”

30 Pieces of Advice for the New Wife
This sweet post is from a 3-month-old wife. If you’ve been married for more than a few years or have kids, you’ll have a good laugh at the beautiful ideals!

Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God (Coming Soon!)
An upcoming book from Tim Challies and Josh Byers. “In this book, we have made the deepest truths of the Bible accessible in a way that can be seen and understood by a visual generation. We have prepared what we see as a theology of the Christian life, a book that explains the ‘now what?’ of living as a Christian. It is ideal for the new or seasoned believer.”

The Great Ebook Battle of 2016
Ebooks or print? Which do you prefer?

Handwriting Helps You Learn – Business Insider
“Typing is fast. Handwriting is slow. Weirdly, that’s precisely why handwriting is better suited to learning.”

Kindle Books

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin ($4.99)

The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Brian and Cara Croft ($3.99)

The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism by D. A. Carson ($3.99)

A Place for Weakness: Preparing Yourself for Suffering
by Michael S. Horton ($3.99)

New Children’s Book

God’s Servant Job: A Poem with a Promise by Douglas Bond ($4.99 Kindle, $9.99 Paperback)

Video

From Ivy League to Furniture Maker

Although there are lazy pastors around, there are also a huge number of pastors who are working flat-out 60-80 hours a week. Every week. What’s motivating them? What’s driving them to such superhuman levels of busyness?

Some are motivated by the Gospel. What higher and holier motive can there be than the spread of the Gospel of Christ, the salvation of souls, the building of Christ’s church, and the manifestation of God’s glory?

Such godly men have to be careful that their love for the Gospel and for souls does not lead to burnout. As they age, they usually need to adjust their pace and hours downward if they are to have any long-term usefulness.

Some men, though, have less exalted motives, including:

1. Fame. Yes, it’s sadly possible to work thousands of hours a year in Gospel work and be motivated almost entirely by the promotion and polishing of one’s own name and reputation.

2. Money. Due to the number of Christians in the some countries, there is a large and lucrative evangelical marketplace for books, conferences, and other religious products that can easily become the focus of some men’s work and ministries.

3. Guilt. Some men enter the ministry to “make up” for moral and spiritual failings in their past. For these sweating laborers, the ministry has become a sort of evangelical penance that they hope they can eventually do enough of in order to atone for their record. They may preach grace but they’ve lost sight of the Gospel for their own souls and end up trying to please God with more and more hours, more and more sacrifice.

4. Man-pleasing. Through feelings of insecurity, they pour themselves into other people’s lives in order to feel needed, wanted, and appreciated.

5.  Showing off. Some ministers feel the need to prove themselves “real men” with “real jobs.” They busy themselves especially with work that can be seen and noticed in order to convince other men that they are equally tough and hard.

6. Identity. Some pastors and missionaries fall into the trap of making their work and work rate their primary source of identity, the main way they think about themselves and want others to think about themselves too.

7. Escape. Some are running away from their marriages and their children, especially if there are problems at home. Far more glamorous to be touring the country saving souls than dealing with the mess at home.

8. Pleasure. Others are driven by the pleasure of ministry – pastoral hedonism, if you like. It can be so enjoyable to prepare sermons, preach, counsel, lead, etc., especially when Gospel fruit is being produced. This can result in a severe work/life imbalance and calls for some painful self-denial.

9. Control. I’ve known pastors who feel that they must be involved in every area of church life and even the minute details of individual Christians’ lives. They cannot trust God or His people with anything, but feel they must do and decide everything if the church is to survive.

10. Arminianism. I couldn’t sleep at night if I was a consistent Arminian. Which pastor could close their eyes if their salvation depended on their own will and the salvation of others depended on their own efforts. It must also be said that many theoretical Calvinists are practical Arminians.

When we read through this list, who cannot but confess that all of us have mixed motives in all that we do, even in the holy duties of preaching and pastoring?

Let’s take this list to the Lord, confessing the hideous mixture that attends all our labors, and enjoy the purifying effect of the blood of Christ on both our past guilt and our future motives.