The book describes a Europe under threat from terrorists, from anarchists, dynamiters and assassins. To meet the threat, London’s Metropolitan Police have formed an elite anti-anarchist squad, tasked to infiltrate the enemy. Following up a chance conversation, undercover detective Gabriel Syme attends a meeting of the General Council of the Anarchists of Europe, and is... Continue Reading

Though most will doubtlessly disagree with at least a few of Storms conclusions (I doubt all readers will be convinced of his partial preterist interpretation of Matthew 24, for instance), it will be impossible to suggest any longer that amillennialism is built upon either a lesser view of the authority of Scripture in particular, or... Continue Reading

The good news, though, is that Foxnews.com posted a critique of Zealot by pastor/author John S. Dickerson (see WORLD’s review of Dickerson’s The Great Evangelical Recession), who noted, “Zealot is not new work from a historian. It is a sophisticated presentation of views that Muslims have held about Jesus for more than 1,000 years. [It... Continue Reading

William M. Schweitzer convincingly criticizes Keller’s use of C. S. Lewis’s depiction of hell as a place chosen by people who want to be away from God’s presence. Keller says, “No one ever asks to leave hell,” and Schweitzer is right to bring Matthew 7:21–22 to the forefront (74). He also uses Revelation 14:9–11 persuasively:... Continue Reading

Keller adopts a twofold answer to many questions. He wants to present doctrine to the “moderns” (usually older, more rural and less educated) one way, and to the “postmoderns” (usually younger, more urban and educated) in a different way. Keller’s presentations to the moderns is essentially old-fashioned orthodoxy, whereas his answer to the postmoderns include... Continue Reading

On one level, families and Christianity reinforce each other on the level of plausibility. The responsibilities of parenting often drive people to (or back to) church. At the same time, Eberstadt points to the Christian narrative’s dependence on family language, such as God the Father, and God the Son. At a deeper level, Christianity’s social... Continue Reading

As many are aware, there is an ongoing debate in conservative Reformed circles over the relationship between justification and union, and two key issues have come to the fore—the descriptive question of whether Calvin viewed justification as flowing from and dependent upon union with Christ, and the normative exegetical/theological question of whether union should have... Continue Reading

The second half of his book is focused on addressing specific concerns of particular organizations and individuals. Because Pastor Otis is an elder in a reformed, Presbyterian denomination, he is particularly concerned with organizations and individuals either within the reformed world or with considerable influence within reformed churches. These include: the BioLogos Foundation, Dr. Tim... Continue Reading

D.G. Hart’s long-awaited Calvinism: A History is finally here and it has proved worth the wait. The stalwart opponent of Schwaermerei everywhere does not disappoint. Again, I have thus far read only the first few chapters but the work is obviously well-written with the usual learning, wit and stimulating analysis one expects. Along with Benedict’s... Continue Reading

Overall I don’t expect this to change the views of diehard atheist evolutionists, but I would hope that my theistic evolutionist friends will give this book a close reading. A caution: this is a tome that took me two weeks to go through in evening reading, and I am familiar with the field. Like the... Continue Reading