Parchment & Pen Blog

(Lisa Robinson) I’m sure that the title alone has sparked some questions, raised eyebrows or maybe even some scathing criticism.  But before you judge a book by its cover, please read what I think is a fascinating way that Jared Moore has constructed a guide  in which Christians can learn about God and His world [...]

The exclamation mark after the number Ten should be noted. As you will shortly see, I failed miserably in my attempt to restrict the list to precisely ten books. Perhaps I should have titled this article, My Top Ten Categories of Books of the Year, insofar as I’ve included several volumes that tend to fall [...]

IVP was kind enough to send me a copy of Doug Groothuis’ Christian Apologetics (I have never been able to say his name, by the way. If anyone knows how to, please let me in on the secret). It is a massive tome for which the subtitle “A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith” is quite [...]

 “I believe, please help my unbelief”. This is often the cry of our hearts. In this book Michael wrestles with the issue of belief and unbelief. Why do we believe? How do we believe? What is faith and how do I increase it? If you find yourself struggling with doubt, apathy in faith, or just [...]

Part 1 Part 2 A standard evangelical approach to dealing with the stylistic differences of, say, Ephesians, Colossians, and the Pastorals from the rest of Paul’s letters, is to argue that the penman or secretary of these letters may have had a larger role than merely copying down via dictation what Paul said. Ehrman, however, [...]

Part 2: Statistics on Writing Styles So, how does Ehrman attempt to prove forgery in the NT? He uses the traditional arguments that have been debated for centuries: differences in style, conceptual/theological differences, and historical discrepancies from known facts. Arguments on both sides have been made, and continue to be made, in the scholarly literature. [...]

Part 1 of 3 The James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at North Carolina Chapel Hill, Dr. Bart Ehrman, is the most recognized evangelical-turned-agnostic in the world today. He has written more than twenty books, though in recent years he has focused on popular writing more than academic. This is a strategy that [...]

If you ever meet Mike Wilkerson, thank him. In his concise book Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry, released in February, he has diligently summarized the best evangelical theology has to offer on idolatry, as well as the best biblical counseling has to offer on addiction, abuse, [...]

The worst thing about Kevin DeYoung’s newest book Don’t Call it a Comeback is the title. Why was it called, “Don’t Call It a Comeback?”  I figure it would become apparent to me as I read through the book but still have yet to see how it fits. Ok, on to the interior of the [...]

Credo House Clips: Theology in Three Minutes

Michael and Tim have given you their ultimate Top Ten list, so now it’s my turn. 1) Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (Multnomah Press), by John Piper. On a number of occasions I have commented on how powerfully this book has affected my life and thinking. The concept of Christian Hedonism can be [...]

I have never seen Heaven. I can’t tell you from experience what it is like. The best I can do is tell you what limited information the Bible has. Well, limited in the details I mean. That is why I, like so many other people, are very intrigued by stories of people who have claimed [...]