Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

     “Erasing Hell” is a response to Rob Bell’s “Love Wins.” Chan and Sprinkle delve into the Bible to see what God said about Heaven and Hell. Using Scripture as their main source, they also discuss what ancient Jewish and Christian writers had to say about Hell, as well as more contemporary Christian writers. Their goal is to present the truth, even if it may be hard to take.

Scripturally sound, this book presents Hell as the Bible does. While Biblical authors do not give detailed descriptions of Hell, we are given impressions of what Hell will be like and who will go there. The question is: will you accept it? Francis Chan freely admits that he asked Preston Sprinkle to help him write this book because of the seriousness of the topic and because of Sprinkle’s theological background (PhD in New Testament) and ability (Sprinkle did most of the research). The effort is evident as sources are cited in abundance. This book is the perfect counter to “Love Wins” and Universalism as a whole.

Chan includes a prayer that I think we all should pray as we are likely all guilty of it in some degree:

Please forgive me, Lord, for wanting to erase all the things in Scripture that don’t sit well with me. Forgive me for trying to hide some of Your actions to make You more palatable to the world. Forgive me for trying to make You fit my standards of justice and goodness and love. You are God; You are good; I don’t always understand You, but I love You. Thank You for who You are.

This is by no means an extensive work, but I recommend this book to anyone who has any doubts about the existence of Hell in the afterlife.

5 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N

Who Loves Bible Study? I DO!

Professor Rob Plummer has declared the month of May  “Read a Historical Theology text month.” What is historical theology? Plummer describes it as, “the academic discipline that looks at the development and articulation of Christian doctrine throughout church history.” He has decided to read about 30 pages a day from Gregg Allison’s “Historical Theology.” This book has been on my radar for a few months now, so I’ve decided to read along with Prof. Plummer. I ordered the book from CBD, which has it on sale for $28.99. I should get it next Thursday, and I’ll probably start it right away to give myself a little extra time as I am also using other textbooks right now to help in my Bible study.

Today I will finish the last assignment in Chapter 3 of “Grasping God’s Word,” a textbook that helps you learn how to really dig into the Biblical text, drawing out the meaning that was actually intended instead of reading meaning into the text. I also plan to read through Chapter 4 and do at least one assignment from that chapter. I’m using the second edition (which I also purchased from CBD), mostly because I got impatient and couldn’t wait for the third edition that is being released in May. There is also a workbook that goes along with it, which I highly suggest to you get if you use the textbook. So far, the material has been about practice, practice, practice… but I’m loving it, and I can’t wait to get to the deeper stuff.

I’ve also started over with Greek. I’m actually pleasantly surprised that I have retained even a little bit of what I had learned before. I am using Bill Mounce’s Greek Grammar and workbook (second edition… there is also a third edition available now) which I purchased a couple of years ago. I really want to learn this, but it’s very hard doing it alone. One of my goals for this year was to pick this up again, and I have… and I’m determined to stick with it.

I’m all-in right now. I purchased a few other resources as well, but I may not get to those for a while as I’m still doing other reading as well. Busy, busy, busy. But loving it!

The Cross of Christ by John R. W. Stott

     Simply read the title… that’s exactly what this book is about. In “The Cross of Christ” Stott discusses the purpose of the Cross, its effects, and how it should affect our lives today. He explains how the Cross worked to satisfy both God’s love and justice. The depth of this book is amazing. Stott discusses theological theories that have come up through the years as to exactly what was done at the Cross. Were we truly justified? Or are we supposed to be moved to justify ourselves by our behavior? Did Jesus really take our punishment? Did He die to defeat Satan? How does any of this apply to me today? This book has it all.

I can’t even begin to fully process this one after just one reading. This is a book I will read again and again. I think I’ll see something new each time. There’s just that much information. This is not a light read, though it is easily understandable. I think my favorite thing about this book is that the Conclusion actually summarizes (and even clarifies) the entire book very nicely. It’s a great refresher of what you’ve been reading.

Tim Challies suggested this book last year, and again this year, as one of his Easter reads. I’m glad I chose this one, and the others he suggested are on my wish list.

I give this one 5 out of 5.

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | B&N

Book Giveaway: Following Jesus, the Servant King

 I’m giving away my copy of Jonathan Lunde’s Following Jesus, the Servant King. Check out the product page here. Read my review here.

The contest starts today and will end at midnight (Central time) on 5/13/11. I only have one copy of this book, so there will be only one winner chosen at random. I will post the winner after he/she has been notified.

I will personally be shipping the book directly to the winner, so I have to restrict entries to the 48 mainland states of the U.S.

To enter, simply reply to this post. What does it mean to follow Jesus? This contest is over. The winner will be announced soon.

Book Giveaway: A Conversation with God

 I’m giving away my copy of Alton Gansky’s A Conversation with God. Check out the product page here. Read my review here.

The contest starts today and will end at midnight (Central time) on 5/13/11. I only have one copy of this book, so there will be only one winner chosen at random. I will post the winner after he/she has been notified.

I will personally be shipping the book directly to the winner, so I have to restrict entries to the 48 mainland states of the U.S.

To enter, simply reply to this post. If you could ask God one question, what would it be? This contest is over. The winner will be announced soon.

Friday Finds 4/22/11

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just share the new-to-you books you found during the week — books you either want to add to your TBR (to be read) list, or that you just heard about that sounded interesting. If you’ve discovered them this week, share them with us  in the comments or post the link to your blog post where you shared them.

My Finds:

             

Branded by Tim Sinclair – CBD | Amazon

Four Portraits, One Jesus by Mark L. Strauss – CBD | Amazon | Zondervan

Nick of Time by Tim Downs - CBD | Amazon | Thomas Nelson

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn – CBD | Amazon

Max on Life by Max Lucado

      In his new book, Max on Life, Max Lucado answer questions his received throughout his career. He offers insight and Biblical support to questions such as:

How can I know I am truly saved?

How can I get free of the fear that God might not forgive me?

What if things only get worse in the world?

What is the purpose of healing prayer?

How can I select the right mate?

     There are 172 questions in all, and they are all in a simple question and answer format, each taking one to two pages for an answer. This makes this a great book to read one or two pages a day, but you can read it straight through as well. Lucado is able to offer answers and support from his knowledge of scripture and personal experiences. A topical index in the back of the book offers a way to quickly search for a topic that covers a question that you may have. The organization of the book will help there as well. The questions are organized into seven sections: Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-Nots, and Hereafter. The book also features a scripture index of verses covered in the answers, and a special addendum with some of Lucado’s thoughts on writing and publishing.

     This is the first book I’ve ever read by Max Lucado. I know…. what rock have I been living under?! I can say it won’t be my last. While Lucado doesn’t offer concrete answers for some questions, he does offer scriptural references that can point us to answers and help us make decisions. Some questions can’t be answered. We can’t fully know the mind of God, but Max Lucado points us to what God has shown us through His word. His use of personal experiences and a sense of humor, when appropriate, make this book a wonderful read. If you’re like me and you’ve never read a Max Lucado book, this is a great place to start. You get to see his general thoughts and views on several different topics all in one place. I really enjoyed this book.

1) Is it understandable? = 5
2) Presentation of Information = 5
3) Accuracy = 5
4) Quality of Writing = 5
5) Overall Enjoyability = 5

Average of  score 5

Overall grade = A

Where to buy the book: CBD | Amazon | Thomas Nelson

Check out my video review:

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from BookSneeze.

This was book 12 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

Friday Finds 4/15/11

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just share the new-to-you books you found during the week — books you either want to add to your TBR (to be read) list, or that you just heard about that sounded interesting. If you’ve discovered them this week, share them with us  in the comments or post the link to your blog post where you shared them.

              

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman – CBD | Amazon | Zondervan

The Cross he Bore by Frederick Leahy – CBD | Amazon

Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney – CBD | Amazon

Beyond Talent by John C. Maxwell – CBD | Amazon | Thomas Nelson

Thursday Theology 4/14/11

I’m currently using BiblicalTraining.org to do some Bible study, and I decided to start with the basic classes so as to see everything the site has to offer. I’m a few lessons in and I last did “Learning More About God,” which is part of a series of classes instructed by Bill Mounce.

In this class Mounce lists God’s three major attributes as:

omnipresence = God is everywhere at all times
omniscience = God knows everything: past, present, and future
omnipotence = God has absolute power

These attributes together let us know that we serve a God that is in full control and has total knowledge and understanding of everything we do or go through.

My question today: Of these three attributes, which one gives you the best sense of peace and comfort? Hard to choose, right? But think it out for a minute and see if you can choose one.

I’ll post my answer later this evening.

My answer: I think His omnipotence is what gives me the most comfort. Knowing that He is in full control and that He can use every circumstance in my life for His will and purpose, which is always good, gives me great comfort.

New stuff…

Did a lot of updating to the blog today. Here’s what’s new!

About: All new info on the About page. More about me, the girl behind the blog, for those who are interested.

Disclaimers: I thought this would be a good idea… just in case.

Organizations and Ministries I Support: I really wanted to share these. I had most of these under my links on the sidebar, but I wanted to put more infofmation for anyone who is really interested. That’s what this is.

Weekly Posting Events: These are posts that will reoccur every week on a certain day. You can share your thoughts and join in a discussion.

Book Grading System: A new way for me to grade the books I read, in addition to my reviews. I can’t wait to use this on my next review.