Bibles Bible Studies Books

this book gives a different insight to the women in the bible. It is easy to read and find yourself in the "time" of the women of long ago

This is a wonderful book! However, in the copy I received there were some faded pages that were difficult to read. It was small disappointment in an otherwise very pleasant choice!

We are using this in our Women's Circle at church and take one of the Women each meeting we have. It has been a really good study and I have really enjoyed learning about these women in depth.

This is one of the best book purchases I've ever made. This is a wonderful devotional. I look forward to opening it up everyday. You will not be disappointed.

I LOVE this book. I have been using it this past year and am now buying it for friends!

As one who had a 'wounded soul,' I cannot tell you how much this book changed and turned around my life. I received it as a gift many years ago and I have now bought my 4th copy of the book, as the ones I have loaned out never 'come home', which speaks of how powerfully this book also speaks to others. In this book, Max tells of characters of the Bible as if they are actually people you know in real life; perhaps an aunt or uncle, sister or brother, friend or neighbor. His narrative is so possitive that no one can read it and not be affected. I consider it a must for any library!.

I read this book several years ago. It's one of the author's finest, in my opinion. I remembered it being so moving and convicting that I purchased a half dozen of them to use in a bible study group I'm now hosting. The book has scripture reference and discussion questions for each story in the back of the book. It's proving to be wonderful for promoting introspection, group discussion and sharing. Our group loves it.

I enjoy much of Max Lucado's writings, but this has always been my favorite. I have found much in this book that speaks to my life, and to many others. This was the first book I read of his, and one of the first I read as a new Christian. Its easy to follow and great to inspire.

Our Wednesday morning bible group read this over the summer and met weekly to discuss it. We all have had years of extensive bible study and, consequently, felt this book wasn't as "meaty" as we would've liked. We did have some lively and inspiring conversations about some of the chapters. An area of concern was the wording of some of the questions in the back of the book: we couldn't understand them! We had to take a best guess as to what Max was talking about.

I've read most of Max Lucado's books and this is not only my favorite by him but my favorite book of all time. (Well, except for the Bible.)

This book is helpful in some way for anyone who reads it. I have given this book as a gift for so many people going through a tough time and it has helped each one.

No one tells a story in quite the way Lucado does. It is hard to put his books down and this is one book that I read continually until I finished it. It is a book you keep and read again and again.

God has blessed Max Lucado with a gift of story telling and finding scripture that might be obscure or a special verse that God shows him and then opens his heart to a whole new and unique way of looking at and explaining its meaning in a way that is easy to understand. He brings about such deep emotions with his writing.

God has given Max Lucado a special gift and in turn God, through Lucado, will bless each person who read his books. This book is a must read for everyone. On a scale of 1-5 I really give this book a 10.

Expand your horizons and be blessed, don't wait until you loose an animal friend before reading this MUST HAVE book. The Good News is really Good News after all.

This is not the book to read to your children who are have just lost a beloved pet. You will have to read it yourself and share a few scriptures with them a little at a time. It is simply amazing how no preacher has put this Bible study together before. There are so many scriptures that support evidence that animals have souls and that animals go to heaven. She blew my mind when she quoted John Calvin. I didn't realize there were sermons of his documented. This short book is difficult because of the amount of Greek and Hebrew translation. It was well worth the effort to read it. Every day I pray for Niki's ministry with animals. She put her heart & soul in this book for her beloved Pete the Cat.

I have known for years that my pets would go to heaven when they died. This is the first book I've ever read on the subject that had so many scriptures to back it up. For anyone who has lost a wonderful companion pet, I recommend this sensitive and compassionate book as a source of knowledge and comfort to help you through the grieving process.

This book verified my belief that animals DO go to Heaven. You can't dispute what the Bible says. It's the word of GOD!!

I decided for my review to include a little about this author's other 3 books (as of the time I am writing this) as they are all somewhat related and if you have just lost a pet you may be trying to decide which of them to buy. At a fairly high price per book, you may be torn about which ones to get and not able to afford all of them, so since this book has been pretty well-reviewed already, I will focus more on comparing it with the other 3 to help you decide which one(s) to get.

This particular book is probably my favorite of the four, and if you really want a full, in-depth discussion of animals and scripture, this is the one to get. This is definitely a book intended for Christians that already believe in Jesus and the Bible as an authoritative source, but even if you aren't you may enjoy the information in here. The book is very easy to read and covers the material better than a couple others I read on the subject. Indeed, it includes much more scripture than some others I looked at did, not relying strictly on ones that talked about animals, but using many passages together to show a central message. It definitely would be a comfort to someone who has lost a pet and struggling with thoughts of them being gone forever, although you won't specifically find material on grief management here, you would rely on other books if that is needed. I wish the price was a bit lower, but the value of the information included is certainly worth it.

Her next book, Animal Prayer Guide is one that any pet lover that is a Christian may enjoy. I had some mixed feelings about this book. It has a nice introduction to prayer and how it works, and covers a really nice range of animal-related issues and situations. There wasn't as many actual prayers included as I would have liked though, but many scripture passages, some stories, etc. I had hoped for more "ready-made" prayers from this book, and each subject heading generally has only one prayer included, and the memorial service included is all Bible readings with only a short prayer included at the beginning. Nothing wrong with Bible passages of course, but I just hoped to see more actual prayers included, especially for the memorial service. Still, this is the only book of its kind I've even seen and I did enjoy it and found it helpful in adding prayers for pets and animals in my life. If you are looking for a second book to buy, this would be a fine choice.

Niki's book The Rainbow Bridge: Pet Loss Is Heaven's Gain is one is intended to cover a wider range of topics on grief and losing a pet, and does that well. A bit of amount of material from "Eternal Life" is repeated in this one as well as from her prayer book (such as the memorial service). If you want to get only one book of hers after losing your pet, and don't care about having a really complete discussion of the "life after death" in scriptures, this would be a good choice. It'd make a particularly nice gift for a friend that has lost a pet, or to offer for sale at a crematorium. If you plan to buy "Eternal Life" though and particularly if you also buy the prayer book, you might find that there's not quite enough additional material in here to warrant getting it.

The last book, Who Says Animals Go To Heaven? I personally didn't get quite enough out of to warrant the relatively high price, but others I am sure will still enjoy it. It's an interesting take on the subject of animal afterlife, but really seems like more of a footnote to "Eternal Life", and probably could have been condensed and included into that book as an additional chapter or appendix. It basically has quotes from a wide range of religious authorities, ministers, etc. (along with bios on all of them), so it may be of interest to someone that may have had a more negative experience with "authority figures" that don't believe in animal afterlife, so as to get a differing opinion, and one strengthened by the amount of consensus shown here. Many of the quotes are fairly old (so not particularly easy for everyone to understand the archaic language) and there's a fair amount of repetition as most of them deal with Romans 8:19-23 in particular. If you are looking for a lot of quotes from famous religious figures that really unequivocally state that animals will go to heaven, you may be disappointed with this, you need to read a bit between the lines to find those sentiments through much of this. It's an interesting sample though that certainly would help strengthen an argument for pets going to heaven and it's clear she's put a lot of research into this. I personally didn't get as much out of this book as the others, but if you really like the discussions on scripture in Eternal Life and are interested in further discussion on the topic, you might want to pick this book up as well.

Hope that helps anyone looking for comparisons of these 4 books and trying to decide which to get. Niki has done a fine job in writing all of these and provided a great service to those that have lost a pet and deserves to be applauded for that indeed!

It is so great to have a study Bible that has historical information and liturgal information that the Protestant Church is missing out on so much of today.

A wonderful study bible. In depth witout being so technical as to be inacessible to a lay person.The Catholic Study Bible

The best adult Bible for anyone that is not familiar with Scripture. I give a copy to everyone in my Catholics Returing Home Series

I am not going to get into the discussion about the positive and negative features of the NAB, but rather focus on a couple things about this 2nd Edition of the Catholic Study Bible.

Two things stand out to me:
1) I really don't see the need in revising the older edition. To be honest, much of the material remains the same as in older versions. The textual notes, which come with all NAB's, is exactly the same. In addition, the inclusion of expanded reading guides and the terribly bland looking in-text maps seems to be hastly arranged.

2) I dislike the visual format of this edition. Personally, the original 1990 version of the Catholic Study Bible is much better. Does anyone else find the print too light? Also, the cross-referencing apparatus I think is not helpful, as well as the divide between the Sacred Text and the notes, which seems to similar.

While there are other study Bibles for Catholics in the process of being developed, like the Ignatius Study Bible, I am not sure this version is going to stand the test of time. I would rather use an older edition of The Catholic Study Bible or the much better HaperCollins Study Bible.

The NAB and the Catholic Study Bible appear to be a competitive attempt at more thorough Study Bibles decades in the making, (Scofield, Ryrie, NIV Study Bible, etc.). Although the attempt is genuine, the content is lacking both linguistically and in historical scholarship. The translation itself is lacking and shows only a basic understanding of the Hebrew/Aramaic sources. Also, an an odd isogetic bent is found throughout the NT in translating the Koine sources. The commentary is cold, overly literary, and lacks the true warmth and personal nature of the Holy Scriptures as they are found in the original sources, (Hebrew/Aramaic, Greek, and possibly Syriac). My hope is that a revision of this text will reveal a true desire to communicate the Sciptures accurately. Unfortunately, as a scholar of the Scriptures I cannot recommend this volume.

The collection of talks were written for monthly gatherings of young adults when Cardinal Martini was in Milan. It is an excellent starting point for further reflection and meditation on the figure of Saint Paul and his written legacy to the Church. You can tell that Cardinal Martini is not simply presenting a "paper" on Saint Paul, but is guiding the listener into prayer with him. I plan on using this resource as an introduction to Bible study on St Paul for young adults.

A helpful resource into the writings of the "Apostle to the Gentiles." Useful as an introduction.

Cardinal Martini has provided a special meditation on St. Paul especially useful for the Holy Year dedicated to St. Paul. I have enjoyed many of Cardinal Martini's books over the years.

This is not a full sized book and it's made from that onion-skin type biblical paper...and the covers are VERY weak cardstock. The book bows when I pick it up. I'm very unhappy. Had I known this about this particular edition I'd have gotten the hardbound one. This book is a keeper, meant to be read and dog earred etc...but I don't know that this one will be able to stand up to such use. I'm in the process of trying to reinforce and laminate the covers so at least they will be more sturdy. If this book is not that important to you, then it will be OK. But if you mean to use this book a lot, pay the extra for the better quality book. I wish I had.

This is a readable translation of Hebrew scriptures. It is easily understood in distinction to the KJV, but without the English poetry. It is far more authorative than KJV. The paperback version (mine) is easily held and convenient to read.

Let's get one thing out of the way. All Bible translations have a bias. The Bible: Authorized King James Version (Oxford World's Classics) was a protestant document through and through. While many claim to be easier to understand, most of them sacrifice ambiguity and humor in the interest of "clarity". The worst offenders change the Bible stories altogether.

This particular version of the Bible is Jewish. Note the name as Tanakh and not "Old Testament" since in Judaism there is no "New Testament". The stories are arranged by the title - Torah - Nevuvim - Khethovim - or Torah, Prophets and Wisdom literature (Job, Ruth, Song of Songs, etc.) One can quibble with this translation losing some of poetry (unlike The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1) which strives to preserve the poetic verses and repetitive words so that English readers can get a true taste of the Torah as it sounds to a native Hebrew speaker) but this is a fine translation full of passion and storytelling.

Of course, my personal bias in favor of this translation began when I read it for class and fell in love with stories that I once thought of as only prologues to Christianity. Gone are the "proof texts" that litter many a Christian missionary reading. Isaiah is looking at a young woman and not a virgin about to give birth. Psalm 22 is talking about lions not the crucifixion of Jesus. But what makes this more interesting is how fun some of the stories are, particularly Samuel (the story of David) which is ultimately tragic but has some hilarious bits along the way including the Philistines being stricken with hemorrhoids in chapter 5 and making golden rat and hemorrhoid statues to honor the G-d of Israel. Most other translations wimp out and say that they died of "the plague". Sure, it's immature to look through a Bible for scatological humor, but if it's there, it's there. And it makes God Knows seem a lot less blasphemous in comparison.

In many ways, this is the redheaded step child of Bible translations. Artscroll has been cornering the market on translations and they like to use Rashi commentary in place of translation (which means a thoroughly awful castrated version of Song of Songs) and others prefer King James for poetry, but I still find this one to be my favorite. Maybe because of some of the weaknesses or maybe because in a field ripe with biases and agenda, this one tries to be non-biased as it can be.

I think this is a truly beautiful translation. I was also very happy with the quality of the book itself. Well worth every penny.

This has been a most welcome and very handy source for us whenever we seek English translations of Jewish sacred texts.

We also own the Stone edition of the Tanach: The Torah, Prophets, Writings, including all 24 books of the so-called "Old Testament," in Hebrew and English, with commentary. We also own The Torah: A Modern Commentary, which includes only Torah, better known as the Five Books of Moses, along with the readings' assignments to the Jewish holidays.

But this edition is by far the most used in our household, and we recommend it highly, to Jewish and Christian readers alike.

Tim Challies' amazingly thorough exploration of biblical discernment should be high on the reading list of every Christian who is concerned about what is true, and what is not ... who wants above all to know God's truth in order to know His will ... and who wants His will to replace his own. "We will find joy and peace not in following our own path," the author points out, "but in allowing our minds to be so changed that our desires are the same as God's." I believe this book can make a significant contribution to that process.

I triple-starred many sections, but perhaps my favorite is the chapter entitled "The Practice of Discernment." Here, Tim describes in compelling detail 17 steps for distinguishing between truth and error. He walks us through the process using an interesting example - the seemingly benign premise that we need to forgive ourselves, endorsed in a contemporary Christian song called (surprise) "Forgive Yourself" as well as by every fan and proponent of the self-esteem movement. I've already had the opportunity to apply his suggestions to a theological issue I've been wrestling with for months. Guess what: They work! They actually broke the pattern of circular thinking I'd fallen into over this particular issue, leading me to biblical truths that have restored my peace.

The first line of a favorite hymn kept dancing through my head as I read: "Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart." I'd always thought the writer meant that he wanted the Lord to be all that he sees, and that may indeed be the case. But this book has given me a new spin on these words. As Tim writes, "Our goal in discernment is to do just this: to see things through God's eyes through the Bible and thus to see things as they really are." I'm already finding that a little easier to do.

I suspect that the topic of discernment is one that, while important, is not often examined by Christians. That this is the case is evident when looking at life in our mainline evangelical churches. Anymore, anyone that mentions that name of God or Jesus is considered part of the crowd. Too often, barely any thought goes into which shepherds the flock is following or which wave the church is riding.

It's a bit scary that I remember the last time I heard about a book on the actual topic of discernment. True there are many books critical of unbiblical theology, and for good reason. What we don't see are book written on how to think about these matters Biblically. In this respect, "The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment" by widely-read blogger, Tim Challies, provides a good entry into a seldom examined and yet critical aspect of Christian life.

For the most part Challies is clear and gets quickly to the point. On occasion authors seem the subject accessible enough that the reader doesn't feel overly challenged. It is a strength for an author when they can make a useful book understandable and not overly daunting. This is nearly the case here, though it is offset by it's isolation in the landscape in Christian publishing.

My favorite chapter, Chapter 8's "The Dangers of Discernment", is a wise anticipation of the abuses of testing all things. Every discipline suffers from under use. In American culture, under use of discernment is the spirit of the times. However, those pockets of hyper-vigilance have historically bred the disdain for doctrine that is so popular today. Challies lists several kinds of abuses in discernment that pain me to agree. For my money, I'd like to see future printings use a larger font for this entry.

This book, short as it was, probably could have been a bit shorter. At several points throughout the book I wasn't convinced that subsequent points were distinct enough to warrant elaboration. The final chapter, an exercise in practicing discernment, went counter to the simplicity of the book by rolling through seventeen steps.

Challies' book makes a good tool for ministering to fellow believers who need to be introduced to discernment. Where I see this book being most useful is for a particular Christian demographic: mainline evangelicals who have not learned to be critical thinkers. Many of these Christians do not read outside of popular Christian literature if they read at all, they consider theology proper inaccessible and even divisive, and they tend to value the unity of the visible church above truth or being "correct". Furthermore, this book would be very helpful for folks who are moving out of churches where there is not a premium on connecting theological dots and into congregations that encourage more intentional biblical consideration. Challies can be helpful in these cases because it is not heavy handed and yet it makes a convincing case.

Survey after survey shows that most American Christians' behavior and even beliefs differ very little from the culture at large. Yet Christ commands us: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom. 12:2). The new book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies is designed to help believers become more discerning and biblical in their thinking. He writes of his goal: "This book is written for the general reader who wishes to understand discernment and to understand what the Bible teaches about discernment, and who wishes to equip himself in this discipline....It is written for you and for me--average Christians living in a culture and in a church where it so often seems that anything goes." (pp. 15-16). The writing is clear, the reasoning is Biblical and he clearly lays out the Scriptural data in making his case. He also summarizes each chapter at the end in a "Key Thought" paragraph. He also has prepared study questions for each chapter in the back of the book.

Challies starts out by showing how the Bible calls us to discernment, and that according to Scripture, lack of discernment is a clear sign of a weak faith. "Scripture makes it plain: if you are not a person who exhibits and exercises discernment you are not a mature Christian." (pp. 23). And he adds, "Sadly, many who consider themselves Christian have a worldview that is completely inconsistent with their profession of faith. It is a worldview premised not on truths revealed in the Bible but on a person's flawed understanding of the world. It is ultimately a worldview rooted in a person's own sinfulness." (pp. 45).

So how does Challies define discernment? After a chapter showing the importance of discernment, and the another showing the challenge of discernment, in the third chapter he defines it. "Discernment is the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong." (pp. 61). The author spends most of the rest of the book describing how the Bible presents truth and error, and how the Spirit works to develop our gifts in discernment and wisdom. He also shows how discernment must be linked with Christ-like character traits such as humility and kindness; otherwise a discerning person can easily turn into a proud and critical person! In Chapters 9, he specifically gives direction on how to develop discernment in your life, and then in Chapter 10, he takes the reader through the steps to take in discernment - using some lyrics from a "Christian" song as an example.

This book is thorough, clear, practical and incredibly timely! Best of all, it is very Biblical! Scrpture reminds us that we are called to mature in our faith, so that "we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." (Eph. 4:14). This book will go a long way in helping you grow up in your faith and practice. I cannot recommend it highly enough! Take up and read this- you'll be better for it!

One word really stands out in my mind after finishing Tim Challies' book that is "timely." We live in a day and age where the term evangelical has lost its meaning and everything under the sun is in Christian bookstores, so the call for discernment is certainly high. I found this book to be written with a well-expressed style, yet very easy to comprehend. In the words of Tim himself, "This book is written for the general reader who wishes to understand discernment...It is not written primarily for people with theological training, though I trust they too, can benefit from it. Rather, it is written for you and me-average Christians..."(15). As soon as you begin the book you will realize its intent is not to provide you with a massive list of good and bad authors, but to help the reader better understand how to develop and begin practicing discernment..

Tim defines discernment as "Discernment is the skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong" (61). Concisely, this is thinking biblically, which all Christians are called to. I certainly recommend this book to any one that is looking for a better understanding in the area of "separating truth from error and right from wrong."

Ug ... what a dreadful book. I'm sure the author was well meaning, but wow ... could this be any more dry and dull?

Also, I am concerned how "deistic" sounding the entire book reads. Deists take pride in their reliance upon the knowledge and logic inherent in their worldview. Although these things are good, they fail to answer the big questions that cannot be addressed by science or logic. The assumption that God acts impersonally leads one to conclude that the god of deism must either be a really bad designer or hideously cruel. There is also very little (2 pages) which even bring up the idea of the Trinity on this matter. I find that deeply troubling considering this topic.

If people want discernment, here is a clue that will save you almost $15. Get a good Bible, and study it.

You can thank me for saving your money later.

This is a well made book, hardcover. this book will help you find anything in the bible your looking for. you can track all words in the bible with this. very thorough. very useful.

This is my second copy of The Strong's Concordance I've purchased. Both copies appear to have a consistently good print quality. Although this book is excellent for finding the English words in the King James Bible to gain their meaning in Hebrew and Greek, it does not show you the various English words translated from each Hebrew or Greek word.

However, if you're only going to own one concordance, then this is the one to have!

If you need a biblical word and reference and "map to the Bible" here it is! It should be the most "worn out" book in a christian's library.

Strong's Concordance, like any concordance, is very helpful in finding verses or doing studies on how a particular English word is used in Scripture. It is based on the KJV.

But what makes this concordance unique is that it indicates the underlying Hebrew or Greek word for the English word. Every Hebrew or Greek word is also numbered. Other Hebrew and Greek reference works are available that are coded to these Strong's Concordance numbers. Also included in this Concordance is a short Hebrew and Greek lexicon. This enables the non-Hebrew or Non-Greek reader some access to the original languages.

But it should be noted, using such resources is NOT the same as actually learning Hebrew or Greek. And far too many people seem to think they know what a verse "really" means by looking up a word in this concordance, getting the number of the Hebrew or Greek word and checking the simple dictionary in the back. Far too many times, I have had people email me with some strange ideas derived in this manner.

The problem is, just looking up a word in a simple dictionary like the one included here is not what you would call an exhaustive word study. And to make matters worse, this dictionary was produced in the 1800s, but much about the Greek language has been discovered since then. So the definitions are not always reliable.

Moreover, once you actually learn Hebrew and Greek and work with the original language texts, you will realize there is much more to the meaning of a word than can be expressed in a simple dictionary. The various shades of meaning can only be discovered by the use of more exhaustive lexicons that discuss how the word is used throughout Scripture and in extra-biblical literature.

It was such much more exhaustive resources that I utilized in working on my Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition (ALT). I never bothered referring to a simple and less than reliable resource like this dictionary.

That said, this concordance does have value. Use it as an introduction to working with the original languages. But remember it is just that, an introduction. Don't think you are somehow studying the Hebrew or Greek because you can use a number to look up Hebrew or Greek word in a simple dictionary.

Also, if you use a version other than the KJV, it is helpful to also have a concordance based on that version. That is why I came out with a Complete Concordance to the Analytical-Literal Translation: Second Edition for users of my version.

The type that was used for this book is so tiny that it makes the book unusable.

My husband and I have really enjoyed this book. It is packed with a lot of solid information and it has moved us to a deeper place in the Lord. The author lays out Biblical truth simply enough for anyone to understand yet the meaning feeds the soul.The Candidate: A Novel

I am using the book for a class so we are working through it at a gradual pace, but I love how Ryrie expresses things very clearly in each and every part of the chapter.

Dr. Ryrie is clear and concise in his explanation of theology and doctrine. I have used this book many times in conjunction with my classes at Philadelphia Biblical University and have always found it to be understandable and to the point. Dr. Ryrie has an amazing grasp of Scripture and brings it to bear in his Basic Theology. No library is complete without it.

Ryrie's 'Basic Theology' is one of balance, clarity, practicality, and assessability. This is the most important work currently which a new believer or Christian layperson should use to study the teachings of the Christian Faith. Ryrie is generous in his dealings with different perspectives, yet remains true to his own convictions in the process.

What is so worthwhile in this volume is not only the practicality of the work, but the usefulness of it on so many levels. It can be used for personal study of scripture, a reference guide, even a tool to formulate an outline for bible classes or a small bible study. Its worth can be seen on so many levels. This work is an excellent popular guide to basic systematic truth and should be used repeatedly in the Christian Church.

Dr. Ryrie's "Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth" is indeed one of best "basic" theology handbooks available. It is systematic, but it remains faithful to the Bible--this just goes to show that "systematic" and "biblical" are not necessarily at odds with each other as in some systems. Ryrie's work is "basic" in that it devotes over 600 pages to the main areas of theology. This makes it not only a good place for all believers to start off, but also as a handy, quick-reference guide for those in ministry as well. Of course, Dr. Ryrie sticks to a single, normative method of interpretation that serves us well as we look deeper into God's Word.

One criticism: Although I agree with Dr. Ryrie on most issues, it is significant to note that Dr. Ryrie refers to himself, along with some other prominent teachers, as a "moderate" or "4-point" Calvinist. In fact, he is actually a 4-point Biblicist based on his acceptance of a modified form of Unconditional Election. However, if you study the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P. as described by mainstream 5-pointers since the Synod of Dort, you will find that all the "points" stand or fall as a unit--that is how they were developed.

Ignorance of this fact has lead many biblical evangelicals like Dr. Ryrie to misunderstand what each of the 5 points mean. For example, Unconditional Election does not simply mean that salvation is unmerited. Perseverance of the Saints is not to be equated with the biblical doctrine of Eternal Security. Total Depravity actually means total inability, etc. Actually, the author would do all of us a much better service by simply referring to himself as a Biblicist.

Even though his views on unconditional election are not exactly the same as the extreme or 5-point Calvinists, Ryrie nonetheless holds what he terms "unresolved tensions" with Scripture in that area. It is true that even Ryrie's "moderate" position eventually brings one back to nagging doubts about true free will, reprobation, and God being the author of sin. Up until a few years ago I also held to that same classical DTS position, but have since discovered a more scripturally harmonious view similar to the mediate/inductive one advocated by C. Gordon Olson in his books, Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism: An Inductive, Mediate Theology of Salvation and Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Calvinism and Arminianism.

In spite of our differences on election and use of theological labels, Dr. Ryrie's work remains very true to the Word. It would be hard to go wrong with his book!

I would be happy to review this purchase; however I have not received the order. Originally I was told it wold ship with 2 to 3 weeks. Now, I am told it will be more than 2 months with no assurance. All in all, I cannot recommend anyone to purchase on Amazon and I certainly will not.

This is an important reference book for those who are interested in the differences and parallels one finds in the three synoptic Gospels. This book has a wealth of knowledge one may not have known without it!

It is a very useful resource for comparing and contrasting the synoptic gospels.

Throckmorton's parallel is a good resource for comparing the Synoptics. There are so few volumes like this one that it is recommended even if it could be improved. First, the NRSV is not really the best translation. I wish this were updated with the ESV. Second, the Infancy Narratives would be more logically organized with the Lucan Narrative first (although I understand the desire to keep as close to the canonical order as possible). This resource is best used with a good commentary or two. One such resource is Gleason Archer's *New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties* which will especially help the inexperienced exegete.

Gospel Parallels is a serious work indexing and comparing the first three New Testament books (Matthew, Mark and Luke) so that those interested in the study of the Gospels can see exactly the similarities and discrepancies in the stories.

But the book is more than that. Given the increasing interest in recent years in the non-canonical works, Greek and other manuscripts that are not easily found in the local library are cited as a way of further illuminating the path toward further understanding of early Christian writing and thinking.

This is not a book that offers a lot of commentary. In fact, it offers virtually none. It simply lines up in a table such offerings as Accusations Against Jesus and then gives us Matthew (12:22-24) against Mark (3:19-22) and Luke (11:14-16).

One benefit of this style is that we're able to quickly see the differences in accounts. Those wanting an explication of the significance in choice of language or details included or excluded will have to look elsewhere for enlightenment. That makes this very thorough book a study aid accompanying other works that might provide more understanding; it is not a freestanding help to those curious about why accounts of Jesus' life or teaching vary so radically.

I used the fourth edition of this book in a New Testament course years ago and had forgotten its seeming limitations. But for those interested in serious exploration and in need of help tracking down New Testament and other texts, this book is invaluable.

It offers us a decent who's who of church fathers, and a short but terrific explanation of the different versions of texts in the Bible, which helps account for differing interpretations and changes in language. The fourth edition is in conformity with the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

For those wondering, the Gospel of John is not included in this book because of the extensive differences in content between it and the three synoptic gospels covered by this book. Among them:

John doesn't include a lot of the material about the temptation of Christ, his transfiguration and the Lord's supper, the Sermon on the Mount. John offers virtually nothing in the way of narrative parables. John's account of Jesus' ministry is also at odds with the three synoptics.

The many differences make a side-by-side comparison just about impossible, though certainly extensive scholarship exists on this topic.

What this book will do is shed light on the ways in which some of the same events and thoughts are reported. You'll see quickly which author appears to exaggerate or at least report events in their most extreme, and which basic themes, such as concern for the downtrodden, draws the most attention in each gospel.

I'd recommend this to anyone studying the New Testament and in need of a quick guide to where to find a specific verse or theme.