Her Heart Can See, The Life and Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby by Edith L. Blumhofer
This excellent biography of one of the most prolific and well-known hymn writers in church history is well researched, readable, educational and in many ways encouraging. Crosby was blind from early childhood but never let her lack of sight slow her down. She had an incredible ability to write singable poetry, some of which was […]
The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts,by Douglas Bond, edited by Steven Lawson (Sanford, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, Reformation Trust Publishing: 2013) 164 pp., hardcover $11.99; ebook, 145 pp., $7.20
The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts is the first book I have read in the “A Long Line of Godly Men Profiles” series, edited by Steven Lawson. Others in the series so far are books on Calvin, Edwards, Knox, Spurgeon and Luther and, if they are anything like this one, they will be a joy […]
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, a Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 162pp, paper, $16.99).
The movie Heaven is for Real opened in theaters on Wednesday, April 16 taking second place in the movie boxoffice for the week. This has renewed interest in the book which had already sold over eight million copies prior to the movie. Heaven is for Real is based on the 2010 best-selling book of the […]
Our Hymn Writers and Their Hymns, by Faith Cook (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press: 2005), 400 pp., paper $10.99
The stories behind our Christian hymns and the lives of the hymn writers have long fascinated me. Our Hymn Writers is perhaps the finest book I have read on this topic. Faith Cook has carefully researched her subject and provided her reader with a wealth of information which will not only enlighten but encourage the […]
John MacArthur, Servant of the Word and Flock,by Iain H. Murray (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2011), 246 pp., Hardcover, $17.49
It is a bit unusual to write biographies about the living, a fact the author recognizes, but Murray apparently wanted to be the first to make such an endeavor for John MacArthur. Iain Murray is a well-respected church historian and biographer and co-founder of The Banner of Truth Trust. He has written a relatively brief […]
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd edited by Jonathan Edwards, by Philip E. Howard, Jr., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989, 285 pp. paper $12.00
The diary of 18th century missionary to the American Indians, David Brainerd, is too well known to need much critique from me. It became world-renown due to the efforts of Jonathan Edwards who edited and published the diary and journal shortly after Brainerd’s death at the young age of 29. It has since served as […]
Churchill by Paul Johnson
Winston Churchill is surely one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. In his lifetime he wrote and published nearly 10 million words and, most likely, as many words have been written about him. So why another biography on the famous politician, author, orator and military tactician? Primarily because an excellent and yet short […]
Andrew Jackson by Robert V. Remini
This is one of the most celebrated and helpful biographies of Andrew Jackson available today. Remini pulls no punches, painting Jackson as a great hero, a powerful President of the people, and yet deeply flawed in many ways. Of particular interest at our present time is to observe how an 18th century President dealt with […]
John Owen, the Man and His Theology Edited by Robert W. Oliver
John Owen is considered one of the greatest theologians of any era, yet until the reprinting of his Works in the mid 1960s few would have recognized his name (p. 72). John Owen, the Man and His Theology serves as a great introduction to this man and his influence on theological thought. It is written […]
Jonathan Edwards, the Younger: 1745-1801 by Robert L. Ferm
While almost everyone knows of Jonathan Edwards, very few have heard of his son Jonathan Edwards Junior, although he was an influential theologian and pastor in his own right. His life began as the embers of the First Great Awakening were dying and ended as the flames of the Second Great Awakening were igniting. More […]