Round the Sphere Again: Book Recommendations

More Words than Pictures
Kevin DeYoung recommends The New Moody Atlas of the Bible.

“The New Moody Atlas is a different kind of book. Barry Beitzel, professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, has given us a superb reference work. This over-sized book is 300 pages and contains 118 maps. But there is also lots of text. This is a scholarly work which aims to unpack the important role geography has played in biblical history.”

Read the whole review.

Living Faithfully
in the last days:

“It’s too bad that, of the immense body of writings available on the topic of “eschatology,” or the study of things and events surrounding the coming return of Christ, 99.9% of it is on the “what,” and only an infinitesimal fraction on the “so what”. But in the Bible, the “what” of Christ’s soon and certain return is always used to fuel the “so what” of how to live in these last days.”

From a review of From the Resurrection to His Return by Don Carson at Reformation Theology. (I’ve listened to the sermons this book is based on and found them very valuable, so I’m betting this book is, too.)

Simple and Thorough
in one readable volume, says Iain Campbell of Creideamh about Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. 

“[T]here are bits with which I quibble. But there are parts of ‘Doctrine’ which are superb. …

So would I give ‘Doctrine’ to someone for their theological education? Absolutely, although I would insist on Berkhof as a companion volume. This book, however, is a masterpiece of thoroughness and simplicity, covering all the theological topics in one simple, readable volume.”

HT: Martin Downes