March 2014 Book Roundup

From Bondage to Liberty: The Gospel According to Moses

Anthony T. Selvaggio
P & R Publishing (January 2014)

Publisher Description:

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Moses to the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation. Arguably, Moses is the most significant Old Testament figure because of his unique role as mediator of the old covenant. In this sense, Moses is the only parallel to Jesus Christ who is the mediator of a new and better covenant.

This book focuses on the redemptive-historical aspects of Moses’ life and ministry as manifested in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Apostle of the Last Days: The Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul

C. Marvin Pate
Kregel Academic (November 7, 2013)

Publisher Description:

A single-volume treatment based on the eschatological center of Paul’s message.
Paul’s life, letters, and theology are unified by the theme of the overlapping of two ages—this age and the age to come. With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the age to come (i e , kingdom of God) broke into this present age but didn’t end it. Where other important doctrines such as justification by faith, reconciliation, and the cross of Christ were key players in Paul’s theology, Marvin Pate compellingly demonstrates that the overarching theme driving the Pauline corpus was indeed Paul’s inaugurated eschatology. In fact, Paul’s apocalyptic framework was only one of a number of other rival eschatologically focused religious perspectives of the day, such as the Imperial Cult, Hellenistic/syncretistic religion, and the merkabah Judaizers. Paul’s vigorous debates with the churches he served centered on the exclusivity of the gospel of Christ that he preached: the nonnegotiable apocalypse of Jesus the Messiah. Apostle of the Last Days will be welcomed in the classroom as a one-volume treatment of Paul’s life and letters as well as his theology.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity

General Editor: Angelo Di Berardino
Consulting Editors: Thomas C. Oden, Joel C. Elowsky and James Hoover
IVP Academic (March 28, 2014)

Publisher Description:

This 3-volume encyclopedia, produced by the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, comprises 3,220 entries by a team of 266 scholars from 26 countries, covering 8 centuries of the Christian church and addressing such topics as archaeology, art and architecture, biography, culture, doctrine, ecclesiology, geography, history, philosophy, and theology.

Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation: 4 Vols. Set (1523-1693)

Dennison, James T., Jr.
Reformation Heritage Books (February 28, 2014)

Publisher Description:

James T. Dennison’s Reformed Confessions project compiles numerous English translations of Reformed confessions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. For many of these texts, this is their debut in the Anglo-Saxon vernacular. Such a collection provides the English-speaking world a richer and more comprehensive view of the emergence and maturation of Reformed theology in these foundational centuries—foundational centuries for Reformed thought and foundational summaries of Reformed doctrine for these centuries.

Each confessional statement is preceded by a brief introduction containing necessary historical and bibliographical background. The confessions are arranged chronologically, with all for volumes presenting a total of one hundred twenty seven documents covering the years 1523–1693. The final volume also contains indexes for the complete set, covering Scripture references, names of persons, and subjects.

Encountering God Together: Leading Worship Services That Honor God, Minister to His People, and Build His Church

David G. Peterson
P & R Publishing (February 2014)

Publisher Description:

Does Sunday morning leave you with a sense of awe? It should!

Church services are an opportunity to gather together and encounter God. More than that, God builds the church through us as we use his gifts to minister to one another.

Yet . . . have you experienced services that downplayed their focus on God’s presence to emphasize fellowship and ministry? Or ones whose “worship” had little sense of believers’ coming together to minister to one another? How do we regain the right balance in our services?

Here David Peterson will teach you:

• The biblical foundations of worship
• The meaning and purpose of gathering together
• What acceptable worship is
• How to plan corporate worship biblically and creatively
• A true measure of church growth
• How we edify the church
• Patterns and varieties of service models
• How to structure each service to take worshipers on a meaningful journey together

An Able and Faithful Ministry: Samuel Miller and the Pastoral Office

James M. Garretson
Reformation Heritage Books (March 2014)

Publisher Description:

Samuel Miller (1769–1850) played an integral part in founding Princeton Theological Seminary, which became one of the most influential training grounds for Presbyterian ministers in the nineteenth century. While Miller is most commonly remembered for his writings on church office, he also played a significant role instructing students and shaping their theology of preaching and pastoral ministry. In the present volume, Jim Garretson highlights the narrative of Miller’s life and the major ministerial emphases found in his published writings, sermons, and unpublished lecture notes. As a result, readers will come to know the spiritual convictions of Miller’s heart and understand the theology of ministry he imparted over the course of his lifetime.