Book Review: Obadiah by Jimmy Reagan

Review It’s hard to find good Bible commentaries that are written by conservative KJV loving Baptists. They usually barely skim the surface, or are story heavy, or allegorical, or so far left-field that they become practically useless. Thankfully, Jimmy Reagan breaks all those stereotypes to deliver a solid and conservative commentary on the book of

Book Review: Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs (Teach the Text Commentary Series)

Review Do you ever wonder how to make sense of the Song of Solomon? Does Ecclesiastes seem disconnected and strange? Then this is for you. With the knowledge and wisdom to find the deeper theological application in often complex passages, and the honesty and humility to avoid hard declarations if they cannot be backed by

Book Review: Show Them Jesus by Jack Klumpenhower

Review A little over a month ago, a middle-aged preacher friend of mine decided to impart a little “wisdom” to this children’s pastor. His advice? Well, in the context of discussing preaching and teaching, he said: “Kids just need to be told what to do.” Explaining, he adding “Obeying parents, reading Bible, that kind of

Book Review: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

Review If there was a man that could be dubbed a “secular prophet” this man would be that man. Through his own studies, research, and discerning wit, he came to a startlingly, and disturbing, revelation that would rock the modern world…if, of course, the modern world would concentrate long enough to listen. For generations, parents

The Saddest Joke I Ever Heard

A little while back, a preacher told the story of a pastor he once sat under. The context was a very brief aside about preaching the same sermon several times. This original pastor, it was said, would privately joke about being able to preach the same sermon twice and people wouldn’t even notice! He would

Book Review: Romans (Teach the Text Commentary)

Review To begin, as soon as I heard about the Teach the Text series, I fell in love. This was exactly what I, as a then Bible college student, now Children’s pastor, has always dreamed of. Some volumes, like those written by Joe Sprinkle and Edward M. Curtis, have proven to exceed all I could

Appearance of Evil…Eisegesis?

Eisegesis is one of those big theological words that isn’t common in most Christians vocabularies. Problem is, the idea behind it is far too common. Eisegesis is the idea of reading or projecting our own ideas, feelings, or interpretations into the biblical text and then declaring the result to be what God meant. This is

Book Review: Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Teach the Text Commentary Series)

Review They say “all good things come to an end.” While, theologically, that’s not entirely true, in some smalls ways, life can seem that way. So it is with the Teach the Text Commentary Series by Baker Books. It’s sad, but the series has recently been canceled and will not be completed. But, in a

Book Review: "Interning Well" by Ryan Rench

My Bible college years were filled with fun and joy, but few times were as adventurous and educating as the summers spend interning at different churches. This book helped prepare me, not only for the work they would assign, but also the attitude I needed to do that work well. Interning Well is first and

The Right Truth but the Wrong Text

Having regularly attended seven different churches in my life, as well as those four years I invested into Bible college, I’ve heard a large number of sermons from a large number of preachers. It’s also continuing habit of mine to also listen to the audio recordings of sermons when I drive long distances. Some messages